Africa Surveyors September- October Digital issue 2021

Trueman Goba named
honorary fellow by Royal
Academy of Engineering
The Royal Academy of Engineering named
Trueman Goba, chair of Hatch Africa, an
honorary fellow of the academy, recognizing
him for his exceptional contributions, innovative
leadership, and remarkable achievements.
Goba was born in Durban, South Africa. He began
his career as a survey technician and went on to
graduate with a BSc Eng from University of Natal
and an MEng (Civil) from Cornell University. In 2001,
Goba’s company GMA merged with Keeve Steyn to
form GOBA (Pty) Ltd, which merged into the Hatch
Group in 2013.
Plans to create a special
economic zone in Nakuru
are taking shape with
the Geothermal Development
Company launching the direct use
of geothermal steam to power
industrial processes. GDC Engineer
Esther Njuguna says the direct use of
geothermal steam will lower the cost
of power by 70%. Companies located
in the special economic zone will also
benefit from water drawn from the
wells.
On 14th August 2020, Geothermal
Development Company signed a Collaboration
Framework Agreement with Nakuru County for
the utilization of geothermal energy. The signing
ceremony took place in Nairobi at the Council of
Governor’s office.
Nakuru is home to GDC’s Menengai Geothermal
Project. In addition to the anticipated provision of
NEWS BRIEFS
Africa’s first direct use of geothermal
steam plant opens in Kenya
steam for power generation to power producers
once the power plants are ready, the Project also
houses a demonstration site which showcases Direct
Uses of geothermal energy. The pilot project at the
site showcases various Direct Uses of geothermal
resources, namely pasteurization, aquaculture, and
greenhouse heating. There is also a laundromat and
a grain dryer.
GeoPrism now provides drone surveying equipment in
Morocco
In 2014, Goba was awarded the Lifetime
Achievement Award for Excellence in Engineering
at the South African Professional Services Awards
(SAPSA). He also held a position as the president of
the SA Institution of Civil Engineers (SAICE) in 2002
and was president of the engineering council (ECSA)
from 2007 to 2009. In 2010 he was appointed
by South Africa’s president to the first National
Planning Commission and was awarded a Gold
Medal by the SAICE in 2013.
He has been recognized through various awards and
three doctoral degrees in Engineering.
“The Fellows named this year are the first to
reflect the Academy’s Fellowship Fit for the Future
initiative to drive more nominations of outstanding
engineers from underrepresented groups ahead of
its 50th anniversary in 2026”, announced the Royal
Academy of Engineering. “This initiative will see
the Academy strive for increased representation
from women, disabled and LGBTQ+ engineers, those
from minority ethnic backgrounds, non-traditional
education pathways and emerging industries, and
those who have achieved excellence at an earlier
career stage than normal”.
In a statement, the Royal Academy of Engineering
says the fellows named this year are the first to
reflect the academy’s Fellowship Fit for the Future
initiative to drive more nominations of outstanding
engineers from underrepresented groups ahead
of its fiftieth anniversary in 2026. In addition, the
initiative also aims to propel engineers who have
achieved excellence at an earlier stage in their
careers than normal.
GeoPrism of Morocco, a company with more
than 20 years of experience in the sale and
introduction of high-end, technological,
surveying, and geospatial solutions is the latest
partner to join the Microdrones network of global
distributors and offer Microdrones as a Service
(mdaaS) including everything needed to do drone
LiDAR and surveying the right way, with convenient
hardware and software packages and affordable
monthly payment options.
Ali Biar, CEO of GeoPrism, made the decision to sign
on as a distributor since Microdrones provides fully
integrated systems with high-quality sensors, a fullservice
solution (drone, software, data processing
and support) and the mdaaS sales model that
makes acquiring drone surveying equipment more
affordable.
“Microdrones offers a seamless integration between
the drone, sensor and software and has a proven
successful track record in mapping applications
around the world,” says Biar. “At GeoPrism, customer
satisfaction is key for us to develop long-term
relationships and grow with our partners. Since
Microdrones is known as one of the worldwide
leaders in the drone market, we feel our customers
can greatly benefit by using their technology and
software to create better deliverables.”
Abdel Diani, the Global Director of Distribution
for Microdrones sees great promise in this new
partnership. “Their goal is to offer the best
technological solutions for all of their customers,”
said Diani, “which aligns with our values at
Microdrones. We welcome GeoPrism to our global
distributor network and look forward to continued
growth and success.”
www.africasurveyorsonline.com
Semptember-October issue l 2021 5