February 27
South Africa: Expert Explains Why the Taps Keep Running Dry in South Africa's Biggest City
Since the latter part of 2023 hardly a week has gone by without some residents of Johannesburg, South Africa's commercial capital, losing their water supply. Notices of planned… Read more »
Africa: Africa Needs China for Its Digital Development - but At What Price?
Digital technologies have many potential benefits for people in African countries. They can support the delivery of healthcare services, promote access to education and lifelong… Read more »
Cameroon: Benefits of Using Cleaner Cooking Fuels Are Blunted in Urban Areas Where Outdoor Air Is Polluted
Household air pollution from cooking, heating and lighting with fuels like wood, charcoal and kerosene poses a substantial global health problem. Read more »
February 26
East Africa: Rare Megamouth Shark Found in East Africa for the First Time - Why So Little Is Known About It
A rarely seen megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) was recently spotted in east Africa for the very first time. It was recorded in a market in Zanzibar, where it was being sold… Read more »
Mozambique: Mozambique's Unstable and Expensive Power Supply Is Devastating Small Businesses
Inside a small bakery in Maputo, the morning's batch of 150 loaves of bread has just gone into the oven. But there's a problem: the electricity has gone out without warning for the… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Apartheid Legacy Is Still Hobbling Research - a Study of Geography Shows How
Knowledge matters. It informs how we think about the world around us. It informs our decisions and government policies, supporting economic growth and development. Read more »
February 24
Nigeria: Nigeria's Ban On Alcohol Sold in Small Sachets Will Help Tackle Underage Drinking
On February 5, 2024, Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control announced a ban on alcoholic beverages sold in sachets or bottles less than 200ml. The… Read more »
South Africa: Pregnant Women in South Africa Should Be Offered Social Grants - It'll Save the State Money in the Long Run
A baby's first 1,000 days, from the time of conception until their second birthday, is a crucial window of opportunity to optimise their potential - through healthy nutrition for… Read more »
February 23
Africa: Early Covid-19 Research Is Riddled With Poor Methods and Low-Quality Results - a Problem for Science the Pandemic Worsened but Didn't Create
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers flooded journals with studies about the then-novel coronavirus. Many publications streamlined the peer-review process for COVID-19… Read more »
Africa: Slouching Isn't As Bad for You As You Might Think
Often a posture assigned to teenagers and disaffected youth, slouching is traditionally considered to be a "bad" posture - with some claiming it will damage your spine and cause… Read more »
February 22
Africa: Africa's Debt Crisis Needs a Bold New Approach - Expert
It hasn't been easy for African states to finance their developmental and environmental policy objectives over the past few years. Read more »
South Africa: Kalahari Weaver Birds Lay Bigger Eggs When They Have Female Helpers to Feed Nestlings
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve is a protected nature reserve at the southern edge of the Kalahari desert in South Africa's Northern Cape province. It's an arid area with high daytime… Read more »
Africa: Learning in Two Languages - Lessons From Francophone Africa On What Works Best
Children living in multilingual communities often learn in a language at school that does not match the language they speak at home. This mismatch makes it challenging for them to… Read more »
Africa: Expert Shares 5 Ways Africa's Coastal Residents Predict Floods
In the Lapai Gwari community of Niger state, north central Nigeria, elders predict the weather by observing a large stone in the Chachanga River. The LapanGwagwan stone serves as a… Read more »
South Africa: Protecting Your Image Online Is the Key to Fighting Them
Leanne Manas is a familiar face on South African televisions. Towards the end of 2023 the morning news presenter's face showed up somewhere else: in bogus news stories and fake… Read more »
February 21
Africa: Outrage Culture Is a Big, Toxic Problem. Why Do We Take Part? and How Can We Stop?
"Outrage culture" is pervasive in the digital age. It refers to our collective tendency to react, often with intense negativity, to developments around us. Read more »
Africa: 80 Percent of Premature Baby Deaths Happen in Poorer Countries. Five Simple Measures That Can Help Save Them
Worldwide in 2020 a baby died every 40 seconds because of complications of prematurity. Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among children under 5 years old. Read more »
Kenya: Antibiotic Use On Kenya's Dairy Farms Is Putting Consumers and Animals At Risk
Farmers often use antibiotics to keep their livestock healthy. They're sometimes used as "quick fixes", to avoid more costly management measures like regular disinfection, waste… Read more »
Africa: Three Countries Leaving Ecowas Could Face Migration Hurdles
For Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, a recent decision to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has thrown up questions about how they will navigate… Read more »
February 20
South Sudan: South Sudan - Some Spoilers Want Peace to Fail, Putting 2024 Elections At Risk
South Sudan is expected to hold its first general election in December 2024. It became an independent state in 2011. Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Peace Pacts With the Oromo Liberation Front Have Failed - Here's What Was Missing
Two attempts have been made over the past six years to broker peace between the Ethiopian government and the armed rebel group Oromo Liberation Front. The armed group was formed… Read more »
Africa: Women in South Africa's Armed Struggle - New Book Records History At First Hand
South Africa's young democracy was a culmination of years of sweat, blood and revolution against the apartheid regime. In the early 1960s, after decades of "non-violence" as a… Read more »
Nigeria: Lagos - Drugs, Firearms and Youth Unemployment Create Lethal Cocktail
Lagos is the most populous city in Africa and a regional economic giant, having west Africa's busiest seaport. It is the centre of commercial and economic activities in Nigeria. Read more »
Africa: Screen Time Doesn't Have to Be Sedentary - 3 Ways It Can Get Kids Moving
There have been concerns about screens making kids more sedentary and less active since TV was introduced more than half a century ago. Read more »
February 19
East Africa: What Are Sabaki Languages? How People Formed Ethnic Groups Along the Coast of East Africa
A new book called Ethnicity, Identity and Conceptualizing Community in Indian Ocean East Africa tracks the history of the coastal communities of east Africa and how the Sabaki… Read more »