February 08, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's President Wants Taxes to Replace Foreign Debt - Seven Ways to Get There
In the run-up to Kenya's 2022 polls, economic issues, particularly public debt and joblessness, took centre stage. The Kenya Kwanza team led by William Ruto suggested that Kenya… Read more »
Nigeria: What I Like and Hate About Nigeria's Election Campaigns - Political Scientist
Election campaigns are an important aspect of the democratic process in Nigeria. They give voters a chance to learn what a candidate or party stands for. Read more »
South Africa: State Capture in South Africa - Time to Think Differently About Redress and Recovering the Stolen Loot
South Africans are plunged into darkness daily by rolling power cuts. These are a stark reminder of the destruction that years of state capture wreaked on Eskom, the state-owned… Read more »
Africa: Haven't Had Covid or a Vaccine Dose in the Past Six Months? Consider Getting a Booster
Australians aged 18 and over will be eligible for a COVID booster from February 20 if they have not had a vaccine dose or infection in the past six months. Read more »
February 07, 2023
Africa: I Treat People With Gambling Disorder - and I'm Seeing More and More Young Men Who Bet On Sports
As a therapist who treats people with gambling problems, I've noticed a shift over the past few years - not only in the profile of the typical clients I treat, but also in the way… Read more »
Africa: Surgery Risks Are Disproportionately High for Women in Africa - New Study
Improving surgical care for women in low- and middle-income countries is a global health priority. It's also critical for sustainable development because of the critical role women… Read more »
Africa: W.E.B. Du Bois, Black History Month and the Importance of African American Studies
The opening days of Black History Month 2023 have coincided with controversy about the teaching and broader meaning of African American studies. Read more »
Africa: Beyoncé Is Going On a World Tour. Why She Shouldn't Ignore Africa
Beyoncé announced her highly anticipated Renaissance World Tour on the first day of Black History Month - an annual observance in the US that honours the African diaspora.… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Ruling Party Has Favoured Loyalty Over Competence
Cadre deployment is one of the best-known policies of the African National Congress (ANC), which has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994. And many of the… Read more »
February 06, 2023
Africa: I Introduced Social Entrepreneurship to My Trainee Teachers - Why It'll Make Them Better At Their Jobs
The daily headlines from South Africa are largely gloomy. The country's government seems unable to address a years-long electricity crisis that is steadily worsening. Unemployment… Read more »
Africa: China's Demand for Africa's Donkeys Is Rising. Why It's Time to Control the Trade
In recent years, there's been a huge, rising demand for donkey hides in China, where they are used to make an ancient health-related product called ejiao. Ejiao is made from… Read more »
Egypt: Archaeologists Have Discovered a Mummy Wrapped in Gold - Here's What It Tells Us About Ancient Egyptian Beliefs
In January 2023, a group of archaeologists excavating tombs in the ancient necropolis of Saqqara, near Cairo, discovered the mummified remains of a man named Hekashepes, who lived… Read more »
South Africa: Link Between Crime and Politics Raises Concerns About Criminal Gangs Taking Over
A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (Gitoc) released in September 2022 argues that South Africa has increasingly become a centre of organised… Read more »
February 05, 2023
Nigeria: Election Violence in Nigeria's South East Is Threatening to Derail Voting in the Region
Violence is a perennial feature of elections in Nigeria. It happens across the three stages of the electoral cycle - before, on and after election day. Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria and Ghana Are Prone to Devastating Floods - They Could Achieve a Lot By Working Together
Many countries in Africa suffer from disasters annually, but the adverse effects are grossly under-reported compared with coverage of more developed nations. Read more »
South Africa: Weed in South Africa - Apartheid Waged a War On Drugs That Still Has Unequal Effects Today
Cannabis is being commercialised into a multibillion-dollar global industry and South Africa wants a piece of the pie. In his 2022 state of the nation address, President Cyril… Read more »
February 04, 2023
South Africa: Robberies Surge As Criminals Take Advantage of Power Outages
The acute energy crisis in South Africa has adversely affected all aspects of the society. Regular and lengthy power outages - which started in 2007 are also contributing to an… Read more »
February 03, 2023
Africa: The BBC Has a Long History of Failed Attempts to Rid It of Political Influence
Most people probably don't know who the BBC's chairman is, or even that the BBC has a chairman. Yet this normally obscure figure has recently hit the headlines. Richard Sharp, BBC… Read more »
Africa: Nipple Ban On Instagram and Facebook Reveals How Bizarre Our Attitude Is Towards Different Genders
Some women consign themselves to breastfeeding in public toilets to prevent their apparently sexually explosive nipples causing offence. On hot days, meanwhile, males of all ages,… Read more »
Tanzania: Samia Suluhu Hassan Is Reforming Tanzania - It's Winning Her Fans but Boosting the Opposition
A series of political manoeuvres by Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan have set the east African country on an unfamiliar, yet hopeful, political path. Since her elevation to… Read more »
East Africa: The Incredible Story of How East African Culture Shaped the Music of a State in India
The term Siddi refers to Afro-Indians - Africans who mixed with Indians through marriage and relationships. Africans crossed the Indian Ocean and arrived in India during the 1200s,… Read more »
South Africa: South African Tourism Wants to Sponsor Football Club Tottenham Hotspur - Is It a Good Idea?
South African Tourism (SA Tourism) is reported to be planning to spend US$52 million (about R900 million) to sponsor UK football team Tottenham Hotspur over three years. The… Read more »
February 02, 2023
Africa: Why Social Media Makes You Feel Bad - and What to Do About It
Have you ever found yourself scrolling through social media and noticed you felt a bit down? Maybe a little envious? Why aren't you on a yacht? Running a startup? Looking amazing… Read more »
Africa: Guinea Worm - a Nasty Parasite Is Nearly Eradicated, but the Push for Zero Cases Will Require Patience
A painful, parasitic disease that once infected 3.5 million people per year is tantalizingly close to being eradicated. Read more »
Ghana: Water ATMs Are Changing the Way People Can Access This Vital Resource
Universal, safe and reliable water access is a pressing need in the global south. One-quarter of the world's population don't currently have access to clean drinking water. In… Read more »