November 30, 2011
South Africa: Civil Society Voices Skepticism About COP17 Talks
The United Nations climate talks got under way in Durban on Monday amid much skepticism from civil society. Read more »
November 23, 2011
South Africa: Environmentalists of the World, Welcome to Durban!
Environmentalists of the world, welcome to Durban! You may have heard that our city is a top international holiday destination with year-round beach weather. You'll know that our… Read more »
November 18, 2011
Kenya: Breaking Toilet Taboos
Among members of the Mijikenda community of Kenya's Coastal Province, it is taboo for a father-in-law's faeces to mix with those of his daughter-in-law. Read more »
November 02, 2011
Africa: 'Environmental Challenges' Threaten Growth, UN Report Says
Over the next four decades Africa's progress in human development could outpace any other region of the world, but environmental challenges could threaten the continent's… Read more »
October 12, 2011
Gabon: Local Voices Spread Conservation Message
Although Gabon is a poster child for globalization's accelerated reach for resources, its president says he is committed to increasing support for national parks. Taking on the… Read more »
September 30, 2011
Kenya: Tree Planting, Forest Queens Highlight Wangari Maathai's Legacy
"Just look at that hillside over there," Mary Kiptanui said pointing at a green hillside sparsely scattered with trees. "That used to be covered, a forest, and now there's hardly a… Read more »
September 13, 2011
Kenya: Clean Water as a Life Force
The streets of Gatwekera village in Nairobi's Kibera slum throng with people on a recent Sunday afternoon. Small shops and kiosks line the dirt paths separating brightly colored… Read more »
September 07, 2011
Africa: Surfing the Radio Waves for Sustainable Agriculture
While the use of mobile phones is rapidly surging across Africa, access gaps persist between urban and rural users. But a new generation of social entrepreneurs is remedying this… Read more »
August 10, 2011
Nigeria: Next Step - Clean Up the Niger Delta
The recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme's study on oil pollution in Ogoniland point to the need for a genuine shift in the priorities and practices of the… Read more »
August 04, 2011
Africa: Another Critical Clue on Cholera
A recent examination of the world's largest river basins found nutrient-rich and powerful river discharges led to spikes in the blooms of plankton associated with cholera… Read more »
July 22, 2011
Africa: Leapfrogging to the 'Mobile Phone' of Sanitation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been a major role-player at AfricaSan 3 in Rwanda, using the gathering to announce its new sanitation-focused global development… Read more »
July 19, 2011
Africa: New Approaches Needed on Sanitation
No innovation in the past 200 years has done more to save lives and improve health than the sanitation revolution triggered by the invention of the toilet. Read more »
Africa: South African University to Reinvent the Toilet
The next time you use the toilet, give a thought to what you would do if there weren't one. That's the challenge that faces 40 percent of the earth's population - 2.6 billion… Read more »
July 15, 2011
Africa: AfricaSan3 - Less About Goals Than Getting There
The 3rd African Conference on Sanitation Hygiene is set for 19-21 July in Kigali, Rwanda. AllAfrica's Julie Frederikse looks at what to expect from this important event. Read more »
July 14, 2011
Zambia: Climate Information Alerts Boost Poor Farmers
A herder shepherding his animals in Zambia's Eastern Province winds up a solar-powered radio and crouches down to listen to a local FM station. The news broadcast includes a… Read more »
July 12, 2011
South Africa: Award-Winning Sanitation Team Keen to Link to Fellow African Researchers
Chris Buckley, head of the Pollution Research Group at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa, spoke to Julie Frederikse about the upcoming sanitation conference… Read more »
South Africa: Turning Human Waste into Fertilizer Pellet by Pellet
Recycling is increasingly popular in today's ecologically aware world, but in the field of sanitation the "yuk factor" tends to get in the way. Most people recoil from the notion… Read more »
June 28, 2011
South Africa: Harvesting Nutrients That Are Flushed Away
It might seem unusual for a waste utility to be concerned with the goal of ending world hunger, but that's part of the mission of the Water and Sanitation department in South… Read more »
May 26, 2011
Africa: Widespread Progress, Better Quality of Life
Critics of foreign aid to Africa say that much of the assistance goes to waste. But author and economist Charles Kenny sees things differently. Kenny, who writes a weekly column… Read more »
May 17, 2011
Africa: Genetic Discovery Could Benefit Farmers
Scientists have discovered two genes in cattle that may help African farmers improve their livelihoods by preventing premature deaths in their herds from the trypanosome parasite… Read more »
May 13, 2011
Africa: Sustained Growth, With Jobs Vital for Reducing Poverty - IMF's Sayeh
With regard to Africa, the International Monetary Fund's engagement historically has been overshadowed by its Washington neighbor and intergovernmental counterpart, the World Bank,… Read more »
May 06, 2011
Africa: 'Tellers and Cashiers' of Africa's Wealth Are Key to Development
When it comes to development policies, alongside all the statistics of hunger and need, and the totals of dollars spent, it must be remembered that what matters most is that… Read more »
April 06, 2011
Cote d'Ivoire: Sick, Wounded, Hungry Stranded in Homes
As the political stalemate drags on in Cote d'Ivoire, the humanitarian situation in the countryside and in the main city, Abidjan, continues to deteriorate. In Abidjan, especially,… Read more »
March 08, 2011
Africa: Empower Women to Realize the African Dream
It is hard not to be inspired by the widely-recognized economic growth story of Africa: more than a decade of robust growth for a region that has become a credible destination for… Read more »
February 17, 2011
Africa: UNDP Offers Best Possible Care to Those Most in Need
As Director of Communications for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), I write to correct errors of fact and omission in your 13 February news article, "The global face… Read more »