September 07, 2022
Africa: Why New British PM Liz Truss Needs to Pay More Attention to Africa
New British prime minister Liz Truss has never said much in public about Africa. Read more »
South Africa: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's Credibility Has Been Dented, Putting His Reform Agenda in Jeopardy
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa's business interests are threatening to derail his presidency and stall his economic and political reform agenda. Read more »
September 06, 2022
Kenya: Raila Odinga Should Be Thanked - His Election Losses Helped Deepen Democracy
Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced on 15 August 2022 that Deputy President William Ruto had won the 2022 presidential election following a close,… Read more »
South Africa: Despite What Farmers Think, Local Honey Bees Can Pollinate Blueberries
Next time you see a bee hovering around a fruit tree, you're probably witnessing pollination in action. Pollination is what enables a plant to produce seeds and fruit - and, as… Read more »
Kenya: Elections Are Proof of Change Since 2007 Violence, But More Reform Is Needed
Kenya's Supreme Court has confirmed William Ruto's election as president in a unanimous ruling following the submission of eight petitions seeking to annul the result. The court… Read more »
Africa: What Is Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease?
As a new parent, I've become acutely aware of every person in the vicinity of my daughter who has the slightest sniffle or looks vaguely unwell. Read more »
September 05, 2022
Africa: The PPE Used Throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic Is Getting Tangled Up in Wildlife
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, masking has been one of the key public health measures put in place to combat the disease. Since March 2020, billions of disposable surgical masks… Read more »
Botswana: HIV Patients Get Adequate Treatment - But One Group Is Slipping Through the Cracks
HIV remains a major public health challenge globally. Around 38 million people are estimated to be living with the infection. Sub-Saharan Africa bears the brunt of the HIV… Read more »
South Africa: Five Things South Africa Must Do to Combat Cybercrime
Cyber-attacks are on the rise globally, with seriously negative implications for countries' strategic, national, economic and social well-being. Read more »
Africa: 5 Virus Families That Could Cause the Next Pandemic, According to the Experts
The CSIRO has delivered a comprehensive report on how we should prepare for future pandemics. Read more »
Southern Africa: How Migrants Who Move Between Zimbabwe and South Africa Access Healthcare in Border Towns
Zimbabwe and South Africa share a 225 km common border. There is only one official border crossing, at Beitbridge. An estimated 15,000 migrants and refugees from Zimbabwe and other… Read more »
Africa: Antarctic Stations Are Plagued By Sexual Harassment - It's Time for Things to Change
In October 2017, Antarctic science had its own #MeToo moment. Science magazine published a piece on allegations of abuse of female geoscientists in Antarctica - the most remote… Read more »
Kenya: Examining the Use of Social Media As a Source of Evidence in Election Petitions
The conduct of Kenya's elections has repeatedly come under close scrutiny in the courts. Petitions were lodged challenging the outcome of presidential races in 2013 and 2017, as… Read more »
September 04, 2022
Africa: The Webb Telescope Has Released Its Very First Exoplanet Image - Here's What We Can Learn From It
Did you ever want to see an alien world? A planet orbiting a distant star, light years from the Sun? Well, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has just returned its first-ever… Read more »
Africa: Better Covid Vaccines Are On the Way. What Do They Do? And What Technology Might We See in Future?
Regulators in Australia and the United States last week approved Omicron-specific boosters, following approval in the United Kingdom in mid-August. Read more »
East Africa: East African Footballers Are a Rarity On the Global Stage - We Analysed Why
When Tanzania's national football hero Mbwana Ally Samatta signed with Aston Villa in 2020 this was far more than just another move of an African player to the top of the global… Read more »
South Africa: Only Elite Benefits From Black Economic Empowerment - and Covid-19 Proved It
More than two decades ago the South African government put in place a policy designed to redress racial imbalances in the country's economy. But, as I suggest in a recent paper,… Read more »
September 02, 2022
Ghana: Modern Slavery - How a Drama Project Educates Communities Through the Stories of Survivors
An estimated 40.3 million people around the world are trapped in slavery. One in four victims are children, with women and girls affected most. Modern slavery occurs when people… Read more »
Africa: Gorbachev's Legacy in Africa Remains Ambiguous
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. He presided over the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States as well as… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Health System Is in Intensive Care - How It Got There
Health systems are, at their core, meant to promote, restore or maintain health. Their objective is to improve the length and quality of citizens' life from the cradle to the… Read more »
September 01, 2022
Africa: Seahorse Fathers Give Birth in a Unique Way, New Research Shows
In seahorses and pipefish, it is the male that gets pregnant and gives birth. Seahorse fathers incubate their developing embryos in a pouch located on their tail. Read more »
Africa: Wolf Warrior 2 - What the Blockbuster Movie Tells Us About China's Views On Africa
The Chinese film Wolf Warrior II (2017) has been a runaway success - even though it contains controversial expressions of Chinese nationalism and racist stereotypes of Africans. It… Read more »
Africa: Four Lessons From Serena Williams for Sportswomen in Africa
US icon Serena Williams, considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, is retiring from professional tennis. Williams has won 23 grand slam singles titles, more than… Read more »
Nigeria: Environmental Impact Assessments Don't Work in Nigeria - Here's Why
Since 1972, when the first world conference on the environment was held, there have been various responses to environmental problems. One of these is the introduction of… Read more »
Africa: Macron Is Pushing the French Language in Ways Not Seen Before
From the start of his first term as France's president in 2017, Emmanuel Macron made the relaunching of French as a world language his prime cultural project. Read more »