October 16, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's Cost of Living Crisis - Expert Unpacks What's Driving It and What Should Be Done
Kenyans are grappling with the high cost of living. Policy analyst Adan Shibia led a technical team that prepared a recent report on the state of Kenya's economy. We asked him to… Read more »
Africa: Parents Make Mistakes. So What Does 'Good Enough Parenting' Look Like?
There is a huge amount of pressure on parents today - from feeding babies the "best organic purees" to making sure older children get all the developmental opportunities they could… Read more »
Egypt: Egypt's Rafah Crossing Is a Lifeline to Palestinians Living in Gaza - but Opening It Is Still Unresolved
Israel's siege on the Gaza Strip - after a devastating Hamas attack on Israel - has caused alarm in Egypt. Egypt shares a 12km-long border with Gaza and controls the main exit… Read more »
October 15, 2023
Mozambique: New Book Explores the Turbulent History of Islamic Politics in Mozambique
Mozambique is a multi-religious southern African nation with excellent relations between faiths. Relations between Muslims and the state have been good too. But the situation… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria Wants to Revamp Its Railway Network. Four Things It Needs to Do to Succeed
Nigeria's railway network serves only a small portion of the country. The country is 923,770km², with a railway network of 3,505km colonial narrow gauge and 669km modern… Read more »
Africa: Elephant Teeth - How They Evolved to Cope With Climate Change-Driven Dietary Shifts
Seeing elephants in the wild is a timelessly awe-inspiring experience. There are only three living species today: the African savannah elephant, African forest elephant, and Asian… Read more »
October 13, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's 2022 Census Missed 31% of People - Big Data Could Help in Future
No census is ever exact: as academics Tom Moultrie and Rob Dorrington at the University of Cape Town have noted previously: Read more »
Africa: Inequality - Troubling Trends and Why Economic Growth in Africa Is Key to Reducing Global Disparities
Inequality remains on the top of the policy priority list for most countries in the world. Branko Milanovic, a leading scholar on inequality, recently delivered a lecture titled… Read more »
October 12, 2023
South Africa: Jerry Coovadia Remembered - a Champion of Science, Children and Compassionate Public Health
Deeply saddened as we in the South African health community were by the loss of Professor Jerry Hoosen Coovadia on 4 October 2023, I reflected on what he had come to mean in my… Read more »
Mauritius: Mauritius Is the Latest Nation to Decriminalise Same-Sex Relations in a Divided Continent
The Mauritius Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional a law that criminalises consensual same-sex acts between adult men. The decision boosts the trend in the Southern African… Read more »
Nigeria: Over 2 Million Nigerians Are Displaced By Farmer-Herder Conflict in Benue State
For the past decade many residents in north and central Nigeria have lived in a perpetual state of fear. Conflicts between pastoralists and farmers, land disputes, cattle rustling… Read more »
Kenya: Marathon Under 2 Hours Is Closer Than Ever - Scientist Shows How Kenya's Kiptum Tests Human Limits
War in the Middle East plunged humanity to new lows on Sunday 8 October 2023 that have gripped international attention since. If that were not the case, the world would likely be… Read more »
October 11, 2023
Nigeria: The Black Book Is a Gritty New Thriller That Raises the Bar for Nollywood
Nigerian thriller The Black Book has been in the headlines for reportedly topping global figures at streaming service Netflix, with 5.6 million viewers in its first two days. Does… Read more »
Africa: New Treaty to Protect the World's Oceans May Hurt Vulnerable African Fisheries
Following two decades of fierce negotiations, over 60 countries recently signed a UN Ocean Treaty to conserve biodiversity on the high seas. Read more »
South Africa: Male Domestic Workers in South Africa - Study Sheds Light On the Experiences of Malawian and Zimbabwean Migrants
An estimated 800,000 people work as domestic workers in South Africa. Most are black women from marginalised backgrounds. It's therefore not surprising that the bulk of the… Read more »
Morocco/Western Sahara: Morocco Will Co-Host the 2030 World Cup - Palestine and Western Sahara Will Be Burning Issues
The 2030 men's football World Cup will be co-hosted by three countries across two continents after Morocco, Spain and Portugal's successful bid was selected by Fifa, the sport's… Read more »
October 10, 2023
South Africa: Israel-Palestine Conflict Divides South African Politicians - What Their Responses Reveal About Historical Alliances
Hamas' brazen and deadly attack on Israel on October 7 elicited varied responses within the South African political scene. These diverse reactions reflect the long history, since… Read more »
South Africa: Economic Freedom Fighters Became South Africa's Third Largest Party in 10 Years
South Africa is drawing nearer to a landmark national general election in 2024. Based on recent electoral trends and opinion polls, the governing African National Congress (ANC) is… Read more »
Africa: Battling to Make Ends Meet? Financial Planning Expert Offers 5 Tips On How to Build Your Budget
Every day seems to bring new headlines about rising costs. In Nigeria, unions are threatening to strike amid soaring fuel prices; the country's inflation rate hit 25% in August.… Read more »
Africa: Catholic Synod - the Voices of Church Leaders in Africa Are Not Being Heard - 3 Reasons Why
The Catholic church today is deeply polarised. This has created doctrinal fissures that are seemingly unbridgeable. Read more »
Sudan: Peace in Sudan Is Elusive for Any Would-Be Mediators - but a New Window of Opportunity Has Opened for Outside Intervention
More than five months have passed since intense fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group also known as the RSF. In that time,… Read more »
Mauritius: Mauritius Sea Sponge Produces Chemicals That Can Kill Liver Cancer Cells - Findings Are a Positive First Step
For thousands of years, medicines have been developed from natural sources - mostly from plants. In recent decades, though, drug hunters have been looking at the immense diversity… Read more »
October 09, 2023
South Africa: Sho Madjozi - the Pop Star Using Traditional Culture to Shape a Fresh Identify for Young South Africans
South African rapper Sho Madjozi is a bold and colourful presence in pop culture, as famous for her catchy lyrics as for using traditional clothing and dance in a fresh way. Read more »
Ghana: Witchcraft in Ghana - Help Should Come Before Accusations Begin
Witchcraft is generally understood to refer to a supernatural power possessed by an individual. In Ghana, particularly in the northern parts of the country, the subject continues… Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopia - Religious Tension Is Getting Worse - 5 Factors Driving Groups Apart
Religion is highly present in Ethiopia. It's visible in churches and mosques, in clothing, and in public rituals. Read more »