October 01
Nigeria: Nigeria Recalled All Its Ambassadors a Year Ago and Has Not Replaced Them - International Isolation Looms
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has yet to replace the ambassadors he recalled a year ago, leaving only the country's UN permanent representative. Nigeria has 109 diplomatic… Read more »
Africa: UN Security Council Needs Major Changes - Permanent Seats for African Countries Is Just One
Recently, the US ambassador to the United Nations announced America's support for the creation of two new permanent UN security council seats for African states. Gary Wilson, a… Read more »
Africa: Why Pay Tax? African Study Finds Trust in Government Is Key
Taxes are important. They're a primary way in which governments fund essential services like healthcare, education, infrastructure and social protection programmes. They are vital… Read more »
Africa: Breast Cancer Is the Most Common Cancer in the World. 5 Reads That Could Save Lives
Every year breast cancer claims more than 650,000 lives worldwide. Read more »
Southern Africa: Extreme Weather Is Disrupting Lives in Southern Africa - New Policies Are Needed to Keep the Peace
Over the past decades, heavy and more frequent rainfall and dry spells in southern Africa have caused loss and damage to agriculture, livestock, the energy sector, food security… Read more »
Africa: Western Media Outlets Are Trying to Fix Their Racist, Stereotypical Coverage of Africa. Is It Time African Media Did the Same?
Quick question: what do these titles have in common? A Dark Continent Seeking Light; Sure, Ebola is Bad. Africa has Worse, or; Magic and Cannibalism in the African Jungle. You… Read more »
September 30
Nigeria: Calls to Restructure Nigeria's Federal System Are Missing the Point
In Nigeria, a range of voices have called for the review of the federal system of government. They include former president Olusegun Obasanjo; an academic and former electoral… Read more »
Africa: Why We Need to Talk About Older People and Climate Change in Africa
Africa is often viewed as a relatively young continent, with less than 7% of the population over 60. But this is set to change. Declining fertility rates and increasing life… Read more »
Kenya: Kenyans Stand to Lose From Adani Airport Deal - Finance Guru Explains Why
The proposal submitted early this year by Indian conglomerate Adani Group to Kenya Airports Authority to develop and renovate parts of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has… Read more »
September 29
Ethiopia: Lasting Peace in Ethiopia? More Needs to Be Done to Stop Tigray Conflict From Flaring Up Again
It has been nearly two years since the African Union brokered a peace deal that put an end to the war between the Ethiopian state and the Tigray regional government. The signing of… Read more »
Morocco: What Makes a Person Seem Wise? Global Study Finds That Cultures Do Differ - but Not As Much As You'd Think
We all admire wise people, don't we? Whether it's a thoughtful teacher, a compassionate doctor, or an elder in the community, we recognise wisdom when we see it. But have you ever… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Municipalities Aren't Fixing Roads, Supplying Clean Water or Keeping the Lights On - New Study Explains Why
South Africa has a massive infrastructure problem. Roads, electricity supply and water management are just three areas in which there is mounting evidence of collapse and decay.… Read more »
September 26
Africa: What Pathogen Might Spark the Next Pandemic? How Scientists Are Preparing for 'Disease X'
Before the COVID pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) had made a list of priority infectious diseases. These were felt to pose a threat to international public health, but… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa Has a Good Childhood Vaccination System - What's Stopping It From Being Great
The two public health interventions that have had the greatest impact on the world's health are clean water and vaccines. Professors Susan Goldstein and Haroon Saloojee assess… Read more »
Africa: David Olusoga's New Book Joins the Struggle to Make Black History Mainstream
For decades, Black history in the UK has been siloed from the mainstream, as if incidental to the nation's history. Black History Month in October is dedicated to celebrating Black… Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Grand Plans for Addis Ababa - 4 Essential Reads On the Social Cost of Transforming an African City
Ethiopia's capital city is undergoing a transformation. Addis Ababa is being redeveloped as part of Ethiopia's broader economic ambitions. Mega road projects, ambitious housing… Read more »
Africa: Easing Africa's Debt Burdens - a Fresh Approach, Based On an Old Idea
The statistics are stark: 54 governments, of which 25 are African, are spending at least 10% of their revenues on servicing their debts; 48 countries, home to 3.3 billion people,… Read more »
September 25
Kenya: Kenya's Whistleblowers Are Key to Fighting Corruption - How a New Law Could Protect Them
Kenya has published a draft bill outlining protections for whistleblowers. Long in the making, the Whistleblower Protection Bill 2024 could help to encourage disclosures in a… Read more »
South Africa: South African Women Face Exclusion From Society Due to Gender-Based Violence - How They're Fighting Back
When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, a primary goal was to grant citizenship rights to all its people, in particular, to give the majority black South Africans rights they… Read more »
South Africa: Business Confidence in South Africa - How a 70-Year-Old Survey Has Given Early Signals of the Economy's Pulse
Business tendency surveys provide very useful indicators of trends within an economy. The information is available well before the official statistics, such as GDP growth, and… Read more »
September 24
Egypt: Egypt's Fears About Ethiopia's Mega-Dam Haven't Come to Pass - Moving On From Historical Concerns Would Benefit the Whole Region
A new round of angry exchanges has broken out between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: War Affects Girls and Boys Differently - What We Found in Our Study of Children in the DRC
War has become a regular part of life for many children. Millions are victims and witnesses to the horrors of war. Recent estimates by researchers at the Peace Research Institute… Read more »
September 23
Africa: Mass Animal Extinctions - Our New Tool Can Show Why Large Mammals - Like the Topi - Are in Decline
We could be witnessing the sixth mass extinction at an alarming rate worldwide. It's marked by the rapid loss of species due to human activities like habitat destruction, pollution… Read more »
Africa: UN Security Council - African Countries Face Hurdles and Dangers in Getting Permanent Seats
There is growing global consensus among the members of the United Nations that the UN security council, responsible for maintaining international peace and security, requires… Read more »
South Africa: Colonialism and Apartheid Stripped Black South Africans of Land and Labour Rights - the Effects Are Still Felt Today
Land dispossession among South Africa's majority black population remains a thorny issue 30 years into democracy. Labour law scholar Marthinus van Staden's new research examines… Read more »