January 22
South Africa: Colonial Tax Records Hold 3 Lessons for South Africa Today - Economic Historian
In 1825, a tax collector compiling a census in South Africa's Cape Colony paused to write a poem in the margin of his work. In it, he complained about the idle chatter of townsmen… Read more »
Africa: The Pandemic's Hidden Toll - Millions of Chronic Conditions Left Undiagnosed
When COVID hit, healthcare systems around the world were turned upside down. Hospitals cleared beds, routine appointments were cancelled and people were told to stay at home unless… Read more »
January 21
East Africa: Tanzania's President Raised Hopes for Women's Political Representation
President Samia Suluhu Hassan's historic rise as Tanzania's first woman head of state broke a decades-old tradition of male dominance. In keeping with political precedent, she also… Read more »
South Africa: What Should Education Look Like Today? 6 Essential Reads On Learning Together
The United Nations made 24 January the International Day of Education to highlight the role of education in peace and development. In 2026 the theme is "the power of youth in… Read more »
Southern Africa: Bats, Bushbabies and Aardvark Edge Closer to Extinction in Southern Africa
A new list of threatened mammals in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini shows that 11 more species have edged closer to extinction since 2016. Read more »
January 20
West Africa: Fighting Climate Change in the Sahel Is Worsening Conflicts - New Research Shows How
The Sahel, the semi-arid African region stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east, has become the epicentre of global terrorism, given the high… Read more »
Nigeria: Medical Negligence in Nigeria - What's Known, and What Needs to Be Done
Medical negligence in Nigeria came to the fore when author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie accused a Lagos hospital of negligence after the death of one of her 21-month-old twin boys.… Read more »
Africa: The World Is in Water Bankruptcy, UN Scientists Report - Here's What That Means
The world is now using so much fresh water amid the consequences of climate change that it has entered an era of water bankruptcy, with many regions no longer able to bounce back… Read more »
Africa: How the U.S. Withdrawal From WHO Could Affect Global Health Powers and Disease Threats
Hours after Donald Trump began his second term as United States president on Jan. 20, 2024, he signed an executive order to end American membership in the World Health Organization… Read more »
January 19
Nigeria: Nigeria's Former Election Umpire Has Been Appointed an Ambassador - Why This Is a Red Flag
The Nigerian Senate confirmed the appointment of the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as an ambassador in December 2025. This has… Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopian Women and Safety - Why Some Switch Their Ethnic Identity When They Start Working
For many women in Ethiopia, getting their first formal job doesn't just change their income; it can change how they describe who they are in everyday public interactions. Read more »
South Africa: Getting Into University Is Only the First Hurdle for Students From Rural South Africa. Here's What Comes Next
As universities in South Africa prepare to admit a new group of students, thousands of young people from rural parts of the country hope for a life-changing opportunity. Read more »
January 18
Africa: Africa's Human Rights Institutions Are Electing Leaders. Why This Matters
Member states of the African Union (AU) will hold their most consequential election of the year in February 2026, to fill ten vacancies in continental human rights institutions. Read more »
Africa: AI Can Make the Dead Talk - Why This Doesn't Comfort Us
For as long as humans have buried their dead, they've dreamed of keeping them close. The ancient Fayum portraits - those stunningly lifelike images wrapped in Egyptian mummies -… Read more »
Africa: Ransomware - What It Is and Why It's Your Problem
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that makes a victim's data, system or device inaccessible. It locks the target or encrypts it (converting text into an unreadable form)… Read more »
January 15
Somalia: Israel's Recognition of Somaliland Is About Political Alliances, Not Legal Principles
Israel's decision to recognise Somaliland as an independent nation has been described as historic by Somaliland's president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi. He framed the December… Read more »
South Africa: Student Teachers in South Africa Choose Comfort Over Challenge in Practical Placements - but There's a Hidden Cost
South Africa's schools still carry the imprint of apartheid, where resources, language and geography were deliberately divided according to "race". Many communities today remain… Read more »
Ghana: Ghana Collects Half the Blood It Needs - Digital Approaches Can Improve That
It is late, the ward is crowded, and the clock is moving faster than everyone would like. A doctor has stabilised the patient as best they can, but one thing is missing - blood. Read more »
Africa: Global Power Struggles Over the Ocean's Finite Resources Call for Creative Diplomacy
Oceans shape everyday life in powerful ways. They cover 70% of the planet, carry 90% of global trade, and support millions of jobs and the diets of billions of people. As global… Read more »
January 14
East Africa: Another War in the Horn of Africa Would Be Disastrous for One of the World's Most Repressed Nations
The geopolitical temperature is rising in the Red Sea. Read more »
East Africa: Another War in the Horn of Africa Would Be Disastrous for One of the World's Most Repressive Nations
The geopolitical temperature is rising in the Red Sea. Read more »
Zimbabwe: Human-Wildlife Conflict in Zimbabwe Is a Crisis - Who Is in Danger, Where and Why?
In the fishing villages along Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe, near the border with Zambia, everyday routines that should be ordinary - like collecting water, walking to the… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's 2027 Election Can Set a Model for Disability Inclusion. Here's How
Nigeria has built an impressive legal framework for disability rights. The challenge now is turning these commitments into consistent, lived realities for voters with disabilities.… Read more »
Uganda: Uganda's Autocratic Political System Is Failing Its People - and Threatens the Region
When he was first sworn in as Uganda's president in 1986, Yoweri Museveni declared that his victory represented a "fundamental change". He promised that Ugandans would no longer… Read more »
Africa: Early Humans Relied On Simple Stone Tools for 300,000 Years in a Changing East African Landscape
Our prehistoric human ancestors relied on deliberately modified and sharpened stone tools as early as 3.3 million years ago. The selection of rock type depended on how easily the… Read more »
