Africa: Why Are Women Paid Less Than Men?

Why do women earn less than men? The usual suspects - occupation, hours, experience - explain some of it. But a powerful, often overlooked reason is simply this: where women work.… Read more »

Ghana: Informal Workers in Ghana's Chop Bars Get No Benefit From Foreign Aid - Donors Are Getting It Wrong

Informal street food caterers, popularly known as chop bars, are a key feature of Ghanaian city life. They offer the urban poor the cheapest food. Read more »

Africa: From Covid to Cancer - Why Canada's Rna Vaccine Leadership Matters More Than Ever

As the world marks World Immunization Week, attention turns once again to the lifesaving power of vaccines. Read more »

South Africa: South Africa's Frogs and Reptiles Get Their Own List of Names in Local Languages

Naming all the creatures and plants in nature is no small task. Fortunate Phaka is a zoologist who has conducted the first comprehensive analysis of naming and classification of… Read more »

Nigeria: U.S.-China Trade War Could Hurt Nigerian Entrepreneurs - Why, and How They Should Prepare

As China and the United States lock horns in a trade war, slamming tariffs on each other, entrepreneurs in Nigeria are vulnerable to the fallout. In 2024, 27.8% of imports into… Read more »

South Africa: Why Aren't South Africans Growing More Indigenous Crops?

Western diets make up most of South Africa's food systems. This displaces indigenous crops and edible forest plants. Read more »

Ghana: Ghana's Citizens Have a Right to Protest - What Does the Law Say About Restricting It?

Ghana's attorney general and minister of justice dropped charges against members of Democracy Hub, a civil society group, in February 2025, after four months of prosecution. The… Read more »

Africa: Whooping Cough Is Making a Comeback, but the Vaccine Provides Powerful Protection

Whooping cough, a bacterial infection that can be especially dangerous for babies and young children, is on the rise. Already in 2025 the U.S. has recorded 8,485 cases. That's… Read more »

South Africa: Teachers in South African Schools May Be Slow to Report Rape of Girls - Study Shows Why

In South Africa, the age of consent for sex is 16 years old. Engaging in sexual activity with someone under the age of 16 is considered statutory rape, even if the minor consents… Read more »

Africa: How a Small Vaccine Drop Could See Measles Becoming Endemic Again - New Study

It takes just a spark to start a wildfire, and when it comes to measles, the embers are already glowing. Read more »

Africa: Who Do Africans Trust Most? Surveys Show It's Not the State (More Likely the Army)

A recent Afrobarometer study has shown declining trust in public institutions over the past decade among African citizens. Study findings call into question the credibility and… Read more »

Mali: Winning Hearts and Power - How Mali's Military Regime Gained Popular Support

Mali's interim president, Colonel d'Armée Assimi Goïta, who came to power in a coup on 18 August 2020, enjoys remarkably strong public support. Survey data from… Read more »

South Africa: First Fossil Pangolin Tracks Discovered in South Africa

A team of scientists who study vertebrate fossil tracks and traces on South Africa's southern Cape coast have identified the world's first fossil pangolin trackway, with the help… Read more »

Africa: Fossil Fuels Are Still Subsidised - G20 Could Push for the Funds to Be Shifted to Cleaner Energy

As the G20 presiding nation, South Africa has an opportunity to champion issues relevant to emerging economies. One of these issues is government subsidisation of privately owned… Read more »

Rwanda: Rwanda's Genocide - Why Remembering Needs to Be Free of Politics - Lessons From Survivors

Memory and politics are inherently intertwined and can never be fully separated in post-atrocity and post-genocidal contexts. They are also dynamic and ever-changing. The interplay… Read more »

Zambia: Why the Energy Transition Won't Be Green Until Mine Waste Disasters Are Prevented

On February 18, contamination in the Kafue river, Zambia, led to a mass death of fish. Its water turned a deathly grey and adjacent farmland was poisoned. The drinking water it… Read more »

Africa: Malaria Scorecard - Battles Have Been Won and Advances Made, but the War Isn't Over

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to bear the brunt of malaria cases in the world. In this region 11 countries account for two-thirds of the global burden. Read more »

Africa: AI Policies in Africa - Lessons From Ghana and Rwanda

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing productivity and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. It powers self-driving cars, social media feeds, fraud detection and medical… Read more »

Africa: Beating Malaria - What Can Be Done With Shrinking Funds and Rising Threats

Healthcare in Africa faces a perfect storm: high rates of infectious diseases like malaria and HIV, a rise in non-communicable diseases, and dwindling foreign aid. Read more »

Ghana: Ghana's First Genetically Modified Crop - Why We Created a New Cowpea Variety, How We Tested It and What We Found

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is an indigenous and staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa, but it has an enemy: an insect called the legume pod borer (Maruca vitrata). This pest can cause… Read more »

Africa: Humans Lived in African Rainforests 150,000 Years Ago, Far Earlier Than Believed - New Research

Our human species emerged in Africa around 300,000 years ago but scientists don't yet have a clear picture of what kind of natural environment we evolved in. Until recently, the… Read more »

South Africa: Sexual Predators At School - Why South African Law Is Failing to Protect Children From Teachers

Schools should be a safe environment, a place of learning where children can develop their potential. In South Africa, many public schools aren't like this. Instead they are… Read more »

Ghana: Flooding Incidents in Ghana's Capital Are On the Rise. Researchers Chase the Cause

Urban flooding is a major problem in the global south. In west and central Africa, more than 4 million people were affected by flooding in 2024. In Ghana, cities suffer damage from… Read more »

South Africa: State of the Nation 30 Years Into Democracy

Just over 30 years after South Africa's first democratic elections, public opinion is divided over how to evaluate the post-apartheid, democratic state. Characterisations range… Read more »

Africa: Paying Fishers to Release Sharks Accidentally Caught in Their Nets Can Incentivise Conservation Action - but There's a Catch

Sharks and rays are among the world's most threatened species, mainly due to overfishing. They are sometimes targeted for their fins and meat, but more often caught as bycatch in… Read more »