Africa: African Countries Gear Up for Major Push On Climate Innovation, Climate Financing and Climate Change Laws

The Second Africa Climate Summit, held in Ethiopia in September 2025, drew more than 25,000 people - from presidents and ministers to farmers, activists, business leaders and… Read more »

Africa: Dams for Development? Unpacking Tensions in the World Bank's Hydropower Policies

Dams have been emblematic of the World Bank's approach to development for many decades. From the bank's early years in the 1960s and 1970s, large-scale infrastructure projects such… Read more »

Africa: G20 in a Changing World - Is It Still Useful? Four Scholars Weigh in

US president Donald Trump's address to the annual gathering of the United Nations general assembly in late September 2025 set a new low in international relations. Trump delivered… Read more »

Egypt: Trump's Dip Into the Nile Waters Dispute Didn't Settle the Conflict - in Fact, It May Have Caused More Ripples

President Donald Trump chided the United Nations on Sept. 23, 2025, for failing to resolve dangerous international conflicts around the world. "All they seem to do," he groused… Read more »

Africa: The Near-Extinction of Rhinos Is At Risk of Being Normalised

A century ago, half a million rhinos roamed Africa and Asia. Today, just 27,000 remain. Read more »

South Africa: Pneumonia Vaccines for Adults Are Now Recommended Starting At Age 50 - a Geriatrician Explains the Change

Autumn brings a chill in the air - and the start of another season of respiratory illnesses, which can be especially hard for older adults. Read more »

Uganda: Uganda Has Signed a Deal With the U.S. to Take Asylum Seekers - What's Behind It and What's At Stake

A new deal to deport asylum seekers from the US to Uganda was announced in August 2025. The full agreement, already signed by the ambassadors of the two countries at the end of… Read more »

South Africa: Gender Equality Is the Goal, but How to Get There? Case Study of South Africa and Australia Shows That Context Matters

It will take an estimated 131 years for the world to achieve gender parity, defined as equal access, opportunities and outcomes for women and men across economic, political,… Read more »

South Africa: Woman-Headed Households in Rural South Africa Need Water, Sanitation and Energy to Fight Hunger - G20 Could Help

Rural homes headed by women in South Africa have many problems getting water, sanitation and energy. Electricity from the grid, flush toilets and piped water are't always… Read more »

South Africa: South Africa's Small-Scale Rooibos Tea Growers Aren't Getting Much From an Industry Deal - Why It's Not Fair

A ground-breaking benefit-sharing agreement was signed in 2019 between South Africa's lucrative rooibos herbal tea industry and two organisations representing Indigenous San and… Read more »

Africa: BBC Has a Long History in Africa. New Book Offers a Critical Take On the Broadcaster

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) established its first radio transmitter sites in Africa in the 1930s, to reach the British colonies and beyond. It became a model for… Read more »

Ghana: Ghana's Films Don't Often Make It to Netflix - Local Solutions May Be the Answer

African filmmakers have long faced challenges in securing wide-scale distribution for their films. In this context, digital platforms such as Netflix and YouTube have been hailed… Read more »

Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Emergency Medical Response System Is Up and Running - What Other Countries Can Learn From It

Ethiopia has built a national emergency medical team and hosts Africa's first World Health Organization (WHO)-certified regional training hub. It offers a robust, African-led model… Read more »

Africa: World Maps Get Africa's Size Wrong - Cartographers Explain Why Fixing It Matters

The African Union has endorsed the #CorrectTheMap Campaign, a call for the United Nations and the wider global community to use a different kind of world map. The campaign… Read more »

South Africa: South Africa's New Climate Targets - Balancing Ambition With the Realities of Coal and Climate Finance

South Africa has scaled back its ambitions to cut down on the greenhouse emissions that come from burning fossil fuels and which cause global warming. Read more »

Africa: Plastics - All Around Us and Inside Us

Plastic is one of the most remarkable materials ever created. It's cheap, lightweight and endlessly versatile. It can be shaped into anything from shopping bags to lifesaving tools… Read more »

Africa: The Global Plastics Treaty Process Has Fallen Flat. Here's What Went Wrong, and How You Can Help

Progress towards a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution stalled and went into reverse this week. The United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting… Read more »

Africa: We're Witnessing Last-Ditch Talks to Secure a Global Plastic Pollution Treaty

Negotiators from around the world are gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, for the final UN intergovernmental session to hammer out a legally binding global treaty on plastics… Read more »

Africa: South Africa and China Set Up a Quantum Communication Link - How We Did It and Why It's Historic

A major breakthrough in quantum technology was achieved in October 2024: the first-ever quantum satellite communication link between China and South Africa. The connection spanned… Read more »

Africa: The Global Health System Can Build Back Better After U.S. Aid Cuts - Here's How

Steep cuts in US government funding have thrown much of the field of global health into a state of fear and uncertainty. Once a crown jewel of US foreign policy, valued at some… Read more »

Africa: Historic Climate Change Ruling From the International Court of Justice - What It Means for Africa

The International Court of Justice, the world's highest court, handed down an advisory opinion on 23 July 2025 stating that climate change "imperils all forms of life". This… Read more »

Africa: Historic Ruling Finds Climate Change 'Imperils All Forms of Life' and Puts Laggard Nations On Notice

Climate change "imperils all forms of life" and countries must tackle the problem or face consequences under international law, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has found. Read more »

Africa: Only 3 Years Left - New Study Warns the World Is Running Out of Time to Avoid the Worst Impacts of Climate Change

Bad climate news is everywhere. Africa is being hit particularly hard by climate change and extreme weather, impacting lives and livelihoods. Read more »

Africa: How Far Is Your Closest Hospital or Clinic? Public Health Researchers Explain Why Africa Needs Up-to-Date Health Facility Databases

The lack of reliable information about health facilities across sub-Saharan Africa became very clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid a surge in emergency care needs, information… Read more »

Africa: Netflix Gives African Film a Platform - but the Cultural Price Is High

Netflix began its Africa operations in South Africa in 2016. When the US streaming giant announced it was setting up shop in Nigeria in 2020, many west African film-makers,… Read more »