June 08, 2023
Chad: Chad On the Brink - How the War in Sudan Hurts Its Fragile Neighbour
Since the 15 April outbreak of hostilities in Sudan, the civilian population has been bearing the brunt. Read more »
Ghana: Ghana's Informal Mining Harms Health and the Land - but Reforms Must Work With People, Not Against Them
Artisanal small-scale mining has been practised in Ghana for over a century. In 2018, small-scale miners generated 2.1 million ounces of gold, accounting for 43.1% of total gold… Read more »
June 07, 2023
Ghana: Ama Ata Aidoo - the Pioneering Writer From Ghana Left Behind a String of Feminist Classics
Prolific author and former Ghanaian education minister Ama Ata Aidoo passed away on 31 May 2023 at the age of 81. News of her death reverberated around the world, proof of her… Read more »
South Africa: Foetal Alcohol Syndrome - Facial Modelling Study Explores Technology to Aid Diagnosis
Foetal alcohol syndrome is a lifelong condition caused by exposing an unborn baby to alcohol. It's a pattern of mental, physical and behavioural symptoms seen in some people whose… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Power Crisis Will Continue Until 2025 - and Blackouts Will Take 5 Years to Phase Out
South Africa is in the middle of a severe electricity crisis, with enforced power cuts that have worsened every year. Electricity is sometimes unavailable for 10 hours a day. The… Read more »
Africa: Covid Has Highlighted the Connection Between Spirituality and Vaccine Scepticism
In the two and a half years since the first COVID vaccines were administered, anti-vaccination sentiment has grown exponentially. Scepticism about vaccines has been voiced, in… Read more »
June 06, 2023
East Africa: War in Sudan Puts South Sudan in Danger Too
Twelve years after independence, South Sudan remains extremely poor and underdeveloped. A peace deal brokered in 2018 has failed to end conflict. And the government has failed to… Read more »
South Africa: Learning to Read Is a Journey - a Study Identifies Where South African Kids Go Off Track
Any parent who has watched a child learning to read knows that it is a journey. Various skills and processes must come together and build "brick by brick" before a child can read a… Read more »
Africa: Nearly 20% of Cultural Differences Between Societies Boil Down to Ecological Factors - New Research
In some parts of the world, the rules are strict; in others they are far more lax. In some places, people are likely to plan for the future, while in others people are more likely… Read more »
Africa: China's Population Grew Older and Richer - Policy Lessons for Some African Countries
For decades China was the world's most populous country. But that's changed. Its population has peaked, and is now falling. Read more »
June 05, 2023
Nigeria: Hepatitis B Is a Life-Threatening Liver Infection - Our Machine Learning Tool Could Help With Early Detection
More than 296 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B, a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Most don't know they are… Read more »
West Africa: Census Data in West Africa Is Badly Out of Date - 5 Reasons Fresh Population Statistics Are Crucial
West Africa, an area composed of 16 countries, is one of the fastest growing regions in the world. The region has a population of over 350 million, a five-fold increase since 1950… Read more »
South Africa: Farming Is Being Hobbled By Power Cuts and Poor Roads
South Africa's agriculture has had great consecutive seasons since 2019/20. The sector's gross value added grew by 14.9% in 2020, 8.8% in 2021 and modestly by 0.3% in 2022 . This… Read more »
Sudan: Sudan's War Is Wrecking a Lot, Including Its Central Bank - a Legacy of Trailblazing African American Economist and Banker Andrew Brimmer
The war in Sudan between two rival generals for control of the country is devastating in so many ways. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, thousands injured and more than 1… Read more »
Africa: The World's First Flowers Were Pollinated By Insects
Plants existed on Earth for hundreds of millions of years before the first flowers bloomed. But when flowering plants did evolve, more than 140 million years ago, they were a huge… Read more »
South Africa: Major New Research Claims Smaller-Brained Homo Naledi Made Rock Art and Buried the Dead. but the Evidence Is Lacking
On September 13 2013, speleologists Rick Hunter and Steven Tucker descended deep into South Africa's Rising Star cave system and discovered the first evidence of an extraordinary… Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Musicians Fled the Country After the 1974 Revolution - How Their Culture Lives On
The overthrow of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie in 1974 led to violent conflict that had a particularly heavy impact on musicians. Sing and Sing On: Sentinel Musicians and the… Read more »
Nigeria: 'Peter Pan' Enahoro, Nigerian Journalist and Publisher, Was Not Afraid to Speak His Mind
There are some people whose lives intersect with yours even if you never meet them in the flesh. One of these was Peter Osajele Aizegbeobor Enahoro, the Nigerian journalist who was… Read more »
June 04, 2023
Africa: Removing Antimicrobial Resistance From WHO's 'Pandemic Treaty' Will Leave Humanity Vulnerable to Future Pandemics
In late May, the latest version of the draft Pandemic Instrument, also referred to as the "pandemic treaty," was shared with Member States at the World Health Assembly. The text… Read more »
Tanzania: Tanzania Has Moved Its Capital From Dar After a 50-Year Wait - but Is Dodoma Ready?
Tanzania designated Dodoma as its new capital in place of the seaside city of Dar es Salaam following a public referendum 50 years ago. Since then, the country has made small steps… Read more »
Nigeria: Tinubu's Administration Must Address Nigeria's Deteriorating Security Situation
Nigeria's new president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has promised to make security a top priority of his administration. In his inaugural speech he promised, among other things, to provide… Read more »
Africa: 'Good Soup Is One of the Prime Ingredients of Good Living' - A (Condensed) History of Soup, From Cave to Can
Hot soup on a cold day brings warmth and comfort so simple that we don't think too much about its origins. But its long history runs from the Stone Age and antiquity through to… Read more »
June 02, 2023
Africa: What is Brics, and Why is It Presenting South Africa With a Dilemma?
South Africa will host the BRICS summit in August 2023. The event could offer the country an opportunity to exercise leadership in the BRICS' efforts to reform the arrangements for… Read more »
South Africa: Eusebius Mckaiser Played a Transformative Role in Talk Radio in a Democratic South Africa
South African broadcaster, author and political analyst Eusebius McKaiser passed away suddenly on 30 May 2023 at the age of 45. News of his death reverberated through media… Read more »
June 01, 2023
South Africa: Solutions to Power Blackouts Lie in Solar Farms and Battery Storage At Scale - And an End to State Monopoly
Rolling blackouts are costing South Africa dearly. The electricity crisis is a barrier to growth, destroys investor confidence and handicaps almost every economic activity. It has… Read more »