April 01
Africa: El Niño Disasters - Govts Know What's Coming, but Are Unprepared - What Must Change
Drought disasters in southern Africa are mainly attributed to a lack of preparedness, inadequate response and mitigation and poor risk reduction measures. With little to no… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Laws Aren't Geared to Protecting Against Climate Change - Judges Are Trying to Fill the Gap
South Africa has plenty of environmental laws but none that specifically oblige government officials to consider the risks and impacts of climate change when they approve new… Read more »
Nigeria: Fuji Music in Nigeria - New Documentary Shines Light On a Popular African Culture
Nigerian singer Síkírù Àyìndé Barrister (1948-2010) pioneered fújì, a Yorùbá genre of popular dance music. In… Read more »
Africa: After 10 Years of Work, Landmark Study Reveals New 'Tree of Life' for All Birds Living Today
The largest-ever study of bird genomes has produced a remarkably clear picture of the bird family tree. Published in the journal Nature today, our study shows that most of the… Read more »
March 31
Africa: Digital Trade Protocol for Africa - Why It Matters, What's in It and What's Still Missing
In February 2024, African heads of states adopted a draft protocol to regulate digital trade within the continent. This significant yet challenging course for Africa's digital… Read more »
South Africa: Stingray Sand 'Sculpture' On South Africa's Coast May Be Oldest Example of Humans Creating an Image of Another Creature
South Africa's Cape south coast offers many hints about how our human ancestors lived some 35,000 to 400,000 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch. These clues are captured in the… Read more »
South Africa: Zimbabwean Migration to South Africa - How Technology Helps Keep Families Together
Political instability and economic decline in Zimbabwe have accelerated migration to South Africa in the last two decades. Because of the overriding socio-economic focus of the… Read more »
March 28
Senegal: Bassirou Diomaye Faye - From Prison Runner-Up to President of Senegal
Bassirou Diomaye Faye was elected as Senegal's fifth president on 25 March 2024. Incumbent president Macky Sall and his candidate, former prime minister Amadou Ba, were both quick… Read more »
Gambia: The Gambia May Allow Female Genital Mutilation Again - Another Sign of a Global Trend Eroding Women's Rights
The Gambia's ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) since 2015 is under threat. Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalised female genital cutting and allow it for… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's New Energy Plan Needs a Mix of Nuclear, Gas, Renewables and Coal - Expert
South Africa's economy has been hard hit by 15 years of loadshedding (rolling blackouts). The country's coal-fired power plants have a maintenance backlog and frequently experience… Read more »
South Africa: Protected Products - What Makes Lamb From South Africa's Karoo and France's Mont Saint-Michel So Special
A meal or food shopping experience can be more interesting and enjoyable when you know more about a particular product, like what region it came from and the culture that shaped… Read more »
March 27
Africa: New TB Skin Test Could Offer Cheaper and Easier Way to Detect the Disease
Detecting tuberculosis early could play a significant role in eradicating the world's most deadly infectious disease. The World Health Organization says 1.5 million people die from… Read more »
South Africa: What Political Parties Say in Their Election Manifestos About Solving the Electricity Crisis
South Africa is in the middle of a deep electricity crisis. In 2023 the public, many of whom are voters, experienced the worst loadshedding to date, losing power for an average of… Read more »
Africa: Venomous Snakes Could Start Migrating in Large Numbers If We Hit 5ºc Warming
A global group of scientists has predicted that climate change may cause dramatic movements in venomous snake populations across many countries in Africa. The scientists took into… Read more »
Africa: Hazardous Mould Contaminates Many Food Staples - What You Should Know About Mycotoxins
Mycotoxins are substances produced by mould that poison food. They are harmful to humans and animals when consumed. According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), about… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya Has Tightened Its Laws to Stop Money Laundering - Why Banks Are the Focus
Kenya's banking industry has in recent years been in the crosshairs of national, regional and international watchdogs, given the country's role as a financial hub in eastern… Read more »
March 26
Africa: Exploring the Roots of Stupidity - First Understand the Psychology of What Lies Behind Irrational Opinions
Most people, at one time or another, act foolishly. However, truly ignorant individuals exhibit a lack of introspection and stubbornly cling to their opinions, regardless of how… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigerian Bandits Strategically Target School Children for Kidnappings - Here's Why
It is every parent's worst nightmare: armed criminals attacking their child's school, kidnapping students and teachers. Read more »
South Africa: Zulu Culture and Sexual Orientation - South African Study Reveals the Health Costs of Stigma
Same-sex relationships are legal in South Africa and protected by the constitution. Unfair discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is against the law. Read more »
Madagascar: We Built an AI Tool to Help Set Priorities for Conservation in Madagascar - What We Found
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - models that process large and diverse datasets and make predictions from them - can have many uses in nature conservation, such as remote monitoring… Read more »
March 25
Africa: Rural Schools in South Africa Can Produce Good Exam Results Too - Study Shows What's Behind One Success Story
Each weekday, hundreds of thousands of children and teenagers in South Africa's rural areas (which make up just over 31% of the country's total area) make the journey to school.… Read more »
Ghana: Ghana's Decades-Old Ambition to Build an Integrated Aluminium Industry Faces a New Hurdle - the Clean Energy Transition
It has been more than 60 years since Ghana's first post-independence leader Kwame Nkrumah first mooted the idea that Ghana should produce aluminium from the country's ample supply… Read more »
Senegal: Macky Sall's Reputation Is Dented, but the Former President Did a Lot At Home and Abroad
Macky Sall's legacy as Senegal's president since 2012 became more complex in his last year in office. The year was so filled with transgressions that they appeared to have… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya's Greylisting for Weak Action On Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing
Kenya and Namibia are the latest African countries to be placed on the Financial Action Task Force's grey list over their weak measures against money laundering and terrorism… Read more »
South Africa: South Africans Fighting for Israel in Gaza - What Does the Law Say?
South Africa's foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, said the country's citizens fighting for the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza faced prosecution upon their return. This statement… Read more »