July 16
South Africa: South Africa's New Unity Government Must Draw On the Country's Greatest Asset - Its Constitution
South Africa's economy is strained, unemployment and crime are extremely high, policing is ineffective and the public service isdysfunctional. Francois Venter was involved in… Read more »
South Africa: Higher Education Faces Many Challenges in South Africa - 3 Priorities for the New Minister
When South African president Cyril Ramaphosa named Nobuhle Nkabane as the minister of higher education on 3 July 2024, many people I know in the sector had to Google her name. Dr… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's New Environment Minister Must Focus On People, Not Profits From Fossil Fuels - Climate Ecologist
There are huge profits to be made in exploiting South Africa's natural resources, but these come at a cost to society and the environment. Pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and… Read more »
Nigeria: Corruption Hurts Businesses but Digital Tools Offer the Hope of Fighting It, Say Manufacturers in Ghana and Nigeria
Technology has changed the way the world does business. Mobile and digital payment platforms, blockchain, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) tools have all driven… Read more »
Nigeria: Suicide Bombings in Nigeria - Tactic Is Back After a Four-Year Break - Security Researcher Offers 3 Possible Reasons
Nigeria's first suicide bombing since 2020 took place in June 2024 with four coordinated attacks that killed at least 30 people. Read more »
Africa: Astronauts Don't Eat Enough Because Food Tastes Bland in Space. We're Trying to Work Out Why
Astronauts often report that the joy of eating is lost in space. Food that tastes fabulous on Earth may become bland and boring in orbit. Read more »
July 15
Nigeria: Pregnant Nigerian Women Need Faster Access to Hospitals - Technology Helped Us Calculate Travel Times
Nigeria contributes 28% of the 280,000 maternal deaths and about 10% of almost two million stillbirths that occur annually across the globe. Read more »
Kenya: Kenya's Digital Divide - Pastoralists Are Key to the Country's Economy, but They're Being Left Behind
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) hold great potential to expand African economies. They include mobile banking platforms, internet-enabled communication devices… Read more »
Africa: Gender Apartheid - Oppression of Women Should Be Made a Crime Against Humanity - Feminist Academic Explains Why
Crimes against humanity are occurring with impunity around the globe; from Myanmar to Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere. And yet, unlike international treaties for the crimes of… Read more »
July 14
South Africa: How Old Are South African Fossils Like the Taung Child? New Study Offers an Answer
One hundred years ago the discovery of a skull in South Africa's North West province altered our understanding of human evolution. The juvenile skull was dubbed the Taung Child by… Read more »
Tanzania: Tanzania's Election Laws Make It Hard to Build Political Opposition - What Needs to Change
Tanzanians go to the polls this year in local elections to vote for street and village chairpersons. This will be followed by a general election next year for councillors, members… Read more »
July 12
Nigeria: Wole Soyinka At 90 - Writer and Activist for Justice
Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka, the legendary African author and activist, is proof of what words and acts can achieve in the struggle for justice and human rights. Soyinka, aged 90,… Read more »
July 11
South Africa: Brenda Fassie's 1997 Hit Song Vulindlela Still Raises Questions About South Africa As a Nation
In 1997, South Africa's most famous music star had a huge hit. Brenda Fassie's Vulindlela became a national pop anthem, played especially at weddings and celebrations. Read more »
Rwanda: AI Propaganda Campaign in Rwanda Has Been Pushing Pro-Kagame Messages - a Dangerous New Trend in Africa
At the end of May 2024, several media outlets led by the journalist network Forbidden Stories released a set of reports titled "Rwanda Classified". This reporting detailed evidence… Read more »
Rwanda: Paul Kagame Has Had an Iron Grip On Rwanda for Decades
There is little doubt that Paul Kagame will win the votes necessary to extend his 24-year rule in Rwanda's general election on 15 July 2024. The ruling party, the Rwanda Patriotic… Read more »
Uganda: Lions in a Uganda Park Make a Perilous Journey Across a 1.5km Stretch of Water - Study Suggests the Drive Is to Find Mates
Domestic cats will do almost anything to avoid contact with water. Not so for their wild cousins, though. Lions, tigers and jaguars have had to adapt to water and sometimes take… Read more »
South Africa: Thinking Aloud - What Happens When Children Read for Pleasure in Classroom Clubs
Every five years, the international Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) provides an assessment of how well grade 4 learners around the world read for meaning.… Read more »
Kenya: 'Kinship Tax' Puts the Brakes On Business - Kenyan Study Measures the Impact of Helping Family
Imagine working hard to build your business, only to find that your success brings about a wave of requests for help that you can't turn down. This is a reality for many in African… Read more »
July 10
Africa: African Urbanisation - What Can (And Can't) Be Learned From China About Growing Cities
The economic growth paths of Asian and African countries have often been compared. China, with gross domestic product per capita of US$251 in 1987, was poorer than most African… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Double Tragedy - the Zimbabwe Farmers Affected By Illegal Mining and Climate Change
Smallholder farmers in rural Gwanda, a region in Zimbabwe that borders South Africa, have been affected by a double shock - a combination of heat, droughts and floods caused by… Read more »
West Africa: West Africa Is Changing - Five Essential Reads On Breakaways From Ecowas
The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has been in the news lately - mostly for the wrong reasons. Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's 2022 Census May Not Be Accurate Enough for Official Use
The 2022 South African census set an undesirable record: it is the census with the highest undercount among those where the undercount is measured and reported by the United… Read more »
July 09
Ghana: Ghana Is Planning Its First Nuclear Energy Plant - What's Behind the Decision
Ghana is considering bids from five companies for the construction of what would be its first nuclear power plant. The companies are: France's EDF, US-based NuScale Power and… Read more »
Africa: New Research Shows Small Lifestyle Changes Are Linked to Differences in Teen Mental Health Over Time
Judging by recent headlines and policy ideas, you might think screen time is the only lifestyle behaviour influencing teen wellbeing. Read more »
Africa: Catching Online Scammers - Our Model Combines Data and Behavioural Science to Map the Psychological Games Cybercriminals Play
When fiction's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, needed to solve a crime, he turned to his sharp observational skills and deep understanding of human nature. He used this… Read more »