April 22
Africa: Two New Malaria Vaccines Are Being Rolled Out Across Africa - How They Work and What They Promise
Malaria incidents are on the rise. There were 249 million cases of this parasitic disease in 2022, five million more than in 2021. Africa suffers more than any other region from… Read more »
South Africa: Meerkat - the South African Radio Telescope That's Transformed Our Understanding of the Cosmos
South Africa's Karoo region is a vast semi-arid area that stretches across four of the country's provinces. It is sparsely populated and renowned for its wide open spaces. Read more »
South Africa: Academics With Disabilities - South African Universities Need an Overhaul to Make Them Genuinely Inclusive
Very little research has been conducted about academics with disabilities working in South African universities. This means their stories, and the challenges they face in the daily… Read more »
Africa: Planting Trees in Grasslands Won't Save the Planet - Rather Protect and Restore Forests
Tree planting is one of the nature-based solutions being used to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Trees absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Many of these tree planting projects… Read more »
April 21
South Africa: Esther Mahlangu - How the Famous South African Artist Keeps Her Ndebele Culture Alive
Esther Mahlangu is having a retrospective of her world famous art in Cape Town. Now 88, the South African visual artist is best known for her colourful large-scale murals in the… Read more »
Nigeria: Lagos' Slum Dwellers Are Excluded From Decisions That Affect Them. 3 Ways to Change That
Lagos is a city of two halves: money dripping in the corridors of corporate offices, and stagnant water dripping in the slums that are home to over 20 million. Residents of… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Security Forces Once Brutally Entrenched Apartheid. It's Been a Rocky Road to Reform
One of the important tasks that faced South Africa's democratic government after 1994 was to reform the apartheid-era security apparatus. Read more »
Seychelles: Blue Whales - First Discovery Near Seychelles in Decades - What Our Study Found
Blue whales are fascinating animals. At 24-30 metres in length (longer than a basketball court) they are the largest creatures on Earth. They are also among the rarest. Estimates… Read more »
April 18
Africa: Understanding AI Outputs - Study Shows Pro-Western Cultural Bias in the Way AI Decisions Are Explained
Humans are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to inform decisions about our lives. AI is, for instance, helping to make hiring choices and offer medical diagnoses. Read more »
South Africa: South Africans Tasted the Fruits of Freedom and Then Corruption Snatched Them Away - Podcast
Five years after his momentous election as South African president, Nelson Mandela stepped down after one term in office in 1999. Thabo Mbeki, his deputy, took over the mantle of… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Electricity Crisis - a Series of Failures Over 30 Years Have Left a Dim Legacy
In 1994, apartheid ended and the African National Congress (ANC) won South Africa's first ever democratic elections, promising "Electricity for All" as part of its Reconstruction… Read more »
Sierra Leone: How to Get Vaccines to Remote Areas? in Sierra Leone They're Delivered By Foot, Boat or Motorbike
In Sierra Leone almost 59% of the population live in remote, rural areas. Roads may be non-existent or in bad condition, making it very difficult for rural dwellers to access… Read more »
South Africa: Climate Change Makes Life Harder - in South Africa It's Likely to Bring Heatwaves, Water Stress and Gender-Based Violence
South Africa is feeling the impacts of global warming. Heat is frequent and more intense. Human-induced climate change made the severe 2015-2017 drought three to six times more… Read more »
April 17
Africa: Hearing Aid Apps Offer Hope to Millions in Africa with Hearing Loss
In rural Kenya, 64-year-old John Kamau's world of silence is about to change. For decades, isolated by hearing loss from the community's vibrant life and his grandchildren's… Read more »
Africa: Africa Is Full of Bats, but Their Fossils Are Scarce - Why These Rare Records Matter
Africa is home to more than 20% of the world's bat population. There are over 200 species to be found on the continent. South Africa is particularly diverse, with 72 bat species. Read more »
Africa: How to End Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa - Fight Inequality, Gender Imbalances and Climate Change
A greater part of Africa's population can't afford a healthy diet than any other regional population. Food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa is caused by climate change, high levels… Read more »
South Africa: Social Media for Sex Education - South African Teens Explain How It Would Help Them
Most teenagers dread talking about sex with their parents. Their parents feel the same way. In some societies it's considered taboo to even broach the subject. And, even where… Read more »
April 16
Africa: Development Finance - How It Works, Where It Goes, Why It's Needed
Development finance is the invisible glue that connects public and private financing for projects that have social, economic and environmental outcomes. These include improved… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya's Shilling Is Gaining Value, but Don't Expect It to Last - Expert
Shortly after Kenya's 2022 elections, the shilling depreciated rapidly against the US dollar - the country's main currency for international transactions - fuelling a wave of… Read more »
West Africa: West Africa's Fashion Designers Are World Leaders When It Comes to Producing Sustainable Clothes
Every few weeks global fast fashion brands mass produce their latest clothing, pumping out garments to be sold around the world. There is growing criticism that it's socially… Read more »
South Africa: South African Study Shows the Power of Sharing Daily Experiences for Teachers to Learn How to Include All Learners
Globally, more than 258 million children and young people between the ages of 6 and 17 are not in school. In South Africa, the figure stands at 232,000 for children aged between 7… Read more »
April 15
Tanzania: Tanzanians Go to the Polls in 2025 - President Samia Has Changed the Landscape, but Magufuli's Legacy Persists
It's been three years since the death of Tanzania's president John Magufuli and the rise to power of current president Samia Suluhu Hassan. Read more »
South Africa: Climate Change Is Causing Marine 'Coldwaves' Too, Killing Wildlife
The effects of ocean warming are profound and well-documented. But sometimes changes in the patterns of winds and ocean currents cause seawater to suddenly cool, instead. Read more »
East Africa: East Africa's 'Soda Lakes' Are Rising, Threatening Their Iconic Flamingos
Huge pink flocks of millions of flamingos - flamboyances of flamingos - are one of nature's great spectacles. But colleagues and I have uncovered worrying trends in the salty and… Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: Beyond Images of War - Sammy Baloji's Work Captures DR Congo's Vibrant Arts and Culture, Challenging Western Views
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is all too often associated with violent conflict, at the expense of its positive aspects. Reports on this huge country, the second largest… Read more »