March 20

• Africa: To Be Forever Free!

  Renewed focus on modern slavery on anniversaries of the transatlantic slave trade Read more »

February 22

• Zimbabwe: Learning Chinese Is a Lucrative Investment

  Ni hao, Chinese for "hello," or ting bu dong, meaning "I hear you, but I don't understand," are two expressions one often overhears today in Zimbabwe's capital. It is one of the... Read more »

February 11

• Africa: Mothers' Health Is Improving Across Continent

  In recent years, the shrill cries of a newborn baby have been bringing more shouts of joy than of anguish in maternity wards across Africa. That is because maternal deaths are... Read more »

February 01

• Africa: 'Take Away the Guns,' Women Tell UN Envoy

  Imagine being charged $100 for a medical certificate issued by a doctor proving that you have been raped before you can go after the culprit - and then during his trial having to... Read more »

January 31

• Somalia: Stabilizing Somalia - a New Chapter Begins

  A "make or break" point for the country's new leaders Read more »

January 28

• Somalia: Diaspora's Remittances Cast a Lifeline [interview]

  During two decades of conflict, famines and floods, Somali expatriates' transmission of money back home -- known as "remittances" -- has been instrumental in keeping Somalia... Read more »

January 15

• Africa: What Does the 'Doha Climate Gateway' Mean for Africa?

  Not nearly enough, given the continent's vulnerability Read more »

December 28, 2012

• Africa: Using Mobile Apps to Spur Social Change

  Want to report a problem to an elected official in your community? There is a mobile application, or "app," for that. Want to bring attention to a pothole that needs fixing?... Read more »

• West Africa: Floods - Stemming the Tide in West Africa

  Every year West African citizens experience heavy downpours, which often result in flooding. The floods in turn bring death, destruction to property and crops and outbreaks of... Read more »

December 21, 2012

• Africa: New HIV Infections Fall

  Africa is pulling out all the stops in its race to curb the AIDS pandemic by 2015, a deadline set by UN member states. Read more »

November 30, 2012

• Africa: UN Launches 'mHealth' Initiative to Fight Diseases

  Imagine getting a text message telling you when and how to take your diabetes medication. Or a voice mail reminding you of your next mammogram. That's what two UN agencies are... Read more »

• Africa: After Africa's Wars, a 'New Day' for Building Peace [interview]

  Concerned about the fragile state of countries that have recently emerged from war -- and their vulnerability to new bouts of violence -- the UN in 2005 established the... Read more »

• Africa: 'Ensure That Everyone Benefits From Economic Gains' [interview]

  In May 2012, Maged Abdelaziz was appointed as the UN's new special adviser on Africa, at the level of under-secretary-general. As head of the Office of the Special Adviser on... Read more »

• Africa: Surgery Brings Hope to Survivors of Genital Cutting

  Tonte Ikoluba was 13 years old when her grandmother came to her family home to circumcise her. She remembers it as if it were yesterday. Read more »

November 29, 2012

• Ghana: Nation's 'New Path' for Handling Oil Revenue

  Seeking to avoid the ill effects of Africa's resource "curse" Read more »

• Africa: Continent's Food Policy Needs Sharper Teeth

  Amid raving economic forecasts that Africa will be the next big emerging market, chronic food shortages remain stubbornly immune to solutions. Read more »

• Malawi: Lessons From Food Crisis

  Once again Malawi finds itself in a tight spot. A food crisis set off by erratic rains, rising food prices and economic hardships is slowly unfolding. Read more »

• Africa: Politics of Succession - Coping When Leaders Die

  In December 2008, a Guinean newspaper published a photo of a frail and ailing President Lansana Conté, who appeared to be struggling to stand up. The photo stoked rumours of... Read more »

• Ghana: Nation's 'New Path' for Handling Oil Revenue

  When the oil rigs started pumping crude off the coast of Ghana's Western Region in December 2009, many people hoped for better living standards and development. Read more »

November 28, 2012

• Africa: China in the Heart of Africa

  "China's gift to Africa." The new headquarters of the African Union, a towering 20-storey building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is so called because China picked up the $200 million... Read more »

October 02, 2012

• Seychelles: 'Invest in the People,' Says President [interview]

  The Seychelles, with its many Indian Ocean islands and beaches, is renowned as a high-end destination for tourists. Besides profiting from its beautiful landscape, it is also known... Read more »

• Burundi: Nation's Push for Universal Education

  Offering free education, making it compulsory and supporting it politically has been the winning strategy behind Burundi's successful bid to ensure that virtually all children get... Read more »

October 01, 2012

• Congo-Kinshasa: UN Launches New Emergency Operation to Assist 1.2 Million People

  The United Nations food relief agency today announced it has launched a new emergency operation for the next nine months which aims to assist some 1.2 million people in the... Read more »

September 14, 2012

• Burundi: Nation's Push for Universal Education

  Offering free education, making it compulsory and supporting it politically has been the winning strategy behind Burundi's successful bid to ensure that virtually all children get... Read more »

September 07, 2012

• Ghana: Beyond Mining Taxes, to Development

  Obuasi, about 200 kilometres northwest of Accra, Ghana's capital, is home to one of the world's richest gold mines. For more than a hundred years the precious metal mined there has... Read more »