March 23
Africa: African Cities Are Diverse and Thriving, but Face Many Challenges. How to Make Them Healthier
A new book called Urban Health in Africa explores how rapid urbanisation across the continent shapes public health and wellbeing. Drawing on diverse research and case studies, the… Read more »
Africa: Why Africa Needs a Green Bank to Fund Climate Action and Build Its Own Renewable Technology
Climate change is a profound challenge to the livelihoods of many people in African countries who have contributed so little to its cause. More frequent extreme weather events… Read more »
March 19
Africa: Oil Price Surge Is Hurting African Economies - Scholars in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa Take Stock
The attacks by the US and Israel on Iran, which started on 28 February 2026, upended key supply chains, driving oil prices above US$100 a barrel. The spike followed Iran's closure… Read more »
March 18
Africa: Mining Companies and Land Rights in South Africa - How Environmentalists Have Used the Law to Defend Communities
Environmental activists in South Africa have been waging legal battles against the state and mining companies for years. This is often on the grounds that communities haven't been… Read more »
Africa: Climate Change Could Pose a Major Risk to Cassava in Africa - Study Sets Out What Can Be Done Now
Cassava is a starchy, tuberous root, introduced to sub-Saharan Africa by Portuguese traders centuries ago. It is a nutrition lifeboat for over 800 million people worldwide. Read more »
March 16
Africa: Sea Levels Around Africa Are Rising Faster Than the Global Average - What's Behind This Alarming Trend
For over three decades, satellites orbiting Earth have measured the height of the ocean surface with remarkable precision. These measurements are crucial because changes in ocean… Read more »
Africa: Climate Finance Has Failed Africa Twice Over - How to Fix It
The effects of climate change are no longer a future risk for Africa. They are a present crisis. Read more »
Africa: Mental Health Laws Ignore Traditional Care in Africa - Insights From 5 Countries
When Idoko, a 23-year-old man living in rural Benue State, north central Nigeria, began hearing voices, withdrawing from family and speaking incoherently, his family's first call… Read more »
March 11
Africa: These Are Shaky Times for Oil Markets. an Expert Explains What a Prolonged War Will Mean for Prices
The US-Israel strikes on Iran have launched one of the most dramatic conflicts in the Middle East in living memory. Aside from military targets, Iranian forces have attacked… Read more »
March 16
Africa: Paleontologists Uncover a New Spinosaurus Species By Following a Clue From a Decades-Old Book Into the Sahara Desert
My fixation on a small, desolate locale in the heart of the Sahara Desert started with a single line buried in a 630-page tome in French about the rocks of the central Sahara:… Read more »
March 06
Africa: Why Your Gut Microbiome and Heart Are Closer Than You Think
The gut microbiome plays an important role in many aspects of health, from digestion and immune function to metabolic balance and neurological processes. Read more »
Africa: Why You Can Remember Every Word of a Song From 25 Years Ago - but Not Why You Walked Into the Room
While driving recently, a long-forgotten song came on the radio. I found myself singing along; not only did I know all the lyrics to a song I hadn't heard in 25 years or more, but… Read more »
March 15
Africa: Electric Vehicles Could Soon Be Cheaper Than Petrol Cars in Africa - If Financing Barriers Fall
The cost of electric vehicles (EVs) has long looked like a barrier to adoption in Africa. Most researchers didn't expect battery power to become affordable enough to replace petrol… Read more »
March 12
Africa: China's New Tariff-Free Regime for Africa - the Potential Upside and Downside
China's President Xi Jinping announced in February 2026 that from 1 May China would be granting zero-tariff treatment to 53 African countries. (That is all of them bar Eswatini,… Read more »
March 11
Africa: Crocodiles Can Have Extra Growth Cycles in a Year - Why This Matters for Estimating the Age of Dinosaurs
In biology and palaeontology (the study of extinct organisms) there are a few ways to estimate the age of an animal's skeleton. One is the extent of fusion of sutures in the… Read more »
Africa: Africa Needs 50 Million New Homes, but Building Is Bad for the Environment - How to Finance 'Green' Solutions
The future of housing raises some serious environmental concerns. Construction has been linked to 39% of global carbon emissions, and the concrete industry alone is responsible for… Read more »
Africa: African Countries Are Signing Bilateral Health Deals With the U.S. - Virologist Identifies the 'Red Flags'
The United States is signing bilateral health deals with African countries. By the end of February 2026, deals worth US$19.8 billion had been signed in new health funding. Of this… Read more »
March 10
Africa: China in Africa - Investment and Trade Work Well When There's Strong Oversight, and Badly When There Isn't
China's economic footprint in Africa has grown fast over the last two decades. Across the continent, Chinese-backed mines, oilfields, railways and industrial zones have gone from… Read more »
March 09
Africa: Covid Vaccination - We Now May Know Why Some People Developed Blood Clots
COVID vaccines saved millions of lives, but months into the rollout, a small number of people began developing dangerous blood clots in unusual parts of the body. These only… Read more »
Africa: Gulf Attention Is Turning Inward - Why the Iran War Could Destabilise the Horn of Africa
Gulf states have become increasingly prominent in the squabbles, civil wars and inter-country tensions in the Horn of Africa over the past decade. The countries in this region… Read more »
March 08
Africa: Hunger Crisis Is Set to Get Worse in West and Central Africa - Why and What to Do About It
Countries in west and central Africa are facing a food crisis with multiple causes. Estimates in late December 2025 suggested that 41.8 million people were already in crisis or… Read more »
March 02
Africa: Why Are So Many Statues Naked? an Art Historian Explains This Tradition's Ancient Roots
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Read more »
March 05
Africa: Women and Wealth - What Stands in Their Way and How to Overcome It
You've probably heard the saying, "The rich become richer, while the poor become poorer". It's about how uneven financial progress can be. Read more »
Africa: The Iran War and Global Trade - Will the Cape Route Become the New Normal?
Events in the Middle East during February and March 2026 again disrupted the flows of shipping trade to the eastern and western spheres of the international system. Read more »
March 04
Africa: Colonialism in Africa - Archaeology Offers a Deeper View
Colonialism has been a central part of history around the world, differing only in form over time and space. After all, whenever people have moved from one place to another, they… Read more »
