Africa: Food Trade Regimes Harm People and the Planet - How the G20 Can Drive Improvements

African food systems face daunting challenges in the face of climate change. They must ensure fair access to food for residents of Africa's growing cities and create decent jobs… Read more »

South Africa: Tax Season in South Africa - the System Is Designed to Tackle Inequality - How It Falls Short

South Africa's personal income tax system is in the spotlight as the country's tax filing season gets under way. Personal income tax is an important way of redistributing income… Read more »

West Africa: West Africa Terror - Why Attacks On Military Bases Are Rising - and Four Ways to Respond

More than 40 Malian soldiers were killed and one of the country's military bases was taken over in early June 2025 in a major attack by an al-Qaeda linked group, Jama'a Nusrat… Read more »

Africa: Do Women Have to Pee More Often? the Answer Is Surprisingly Complex

"Are we stopping again already?" It's a familiar complaint on family road trips and one that's often aimed at women. From sitcoms to stand-up routines, the idea that women have… Read more »

Mozambique: Samora Machel's Vision for Mozambique Didn't Survive - What Has Taken Its Place?

Samora Moisés Machel, the first president of independent Mozambique, was born in 1933 in Gaza province, in the south of the country. He died in an unexplained plane crash on… Read more »

Zimbabwe: Alcohol and Colonialism - the Curious Story of the Bulawayo Beer Gardens

Kontuthu Ziyathunqa - Smoke Rising - was what they used to call Bulawayo when the city was the industrial powerhouse of Zimbabwe. Now, many of its factories lie dormant or… Read more »

South Africa: Cape Town's Sewage Treatment Isn't Coping - Scientists Are Worried About What the City Is Telling the Public

Urban water bodies - rivers, lakes and oceans - are in trouble globally. Large sewage volumes damage the open environment, and new chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds don't… Read more »

Africa: We Don't Need Deep-Sea Mining, or Its Environmental Harms. Here's Why

Deep-sea mining promises critical minerals for the energy transition without the problems of mining on land. It also promises to bring wealth to developing nations. But the… Read more »

South Africa: Child Labour Numbers Rise in Homes Where Adults Are Jobless - South African Study

Child labour is a big concern across the world. It is particularly acute in countries in the global south, where it is estimated that about 160 million children are engaged in… Read more »

West Africa: Coups in West Africa Have Five Things in Common - Knowing What They Are Is Key to Defending Democracy

August 2025 makes it five years since Malian soldiers ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in a coup d'état. While the event reshaped Mali's domestic politics, it… Read more »

Somalia: Somalia At 65 - What's Needed to Address Its Dismal Social Development Indicators

Somalia ranks among the lowest scoring countries in the United Nations Human Development Index. The index of 195 countries is a summary measure of average achievement in key… Read more »

Africa: Most Plant-Friendly Fungi Are a Mystery to Scientists

If you walk through a forest and look down, you might think you're stepping on dead leaves, twigs and soil. In reality, you're walking over a vast underground patchwork of fungal… Read more »

Egypt: Queen Hatshepsut's Statues Were Destroyed in Ancient Egypt - New Study Challenges the Revenge Theory

After the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut died around 1458 BCE, many statues of her were destroyed. Archaeologists believed that they were targeted in an act of revenge by Thutmose… Read more »

Africa: Men and Family Planning - Studies From 23 African Countries Reveal Gaps in What We Know

When people think about family planning in Africa, they often picture women visiting clinics, women making decisions, and women bearing the responsibility. Yet family planning… Read more »

Africa: War, Politics and Religion Shape Wildlife Evolution in Cities

People often consider evolution to be a process that occurs in nature in the background of human society. But evolution is not separate from human beings. In fact, human cultural… Read more »

South Africa: Ruth First and Activist Research - the Legacy of a South African Freedom Fighter

Ruth First, born 100 years ago, was a South African freedom fighter, journalist and scholar who worked against the racist system of apartheid during white minority rule. She was… Read more »

Africa: The Pandemic Is Still Disrupting Young People's Careers

Unlike previous economic downturns, the COVID pandemic created a crisis that disrupted both education and employment, abruptly halting young people's emerging careers and clouding… Read more »

South Africa: Fun With Fossils - South African Kids Learn a Whole Lot More About Human Evolution From Museum Workshops

South Africa has one of the world's richest fossil records of hominins (humans and their fossil ancestors). But many misconceptions still exist regarding human evolution, and… Read more »

South Africa: Eco Labels in South Africa Don't Do the Job - How to Help Customers Make Informed Choices

South Africans want to shop more sustainably, according to research published in the journal Sustainable Development. But most can't tell which products are environmentally… Read more »

Africa: Climate Change Has Doubled the World's Heatwaves - How Africa Is Affected

A global review of extreme heat has found that between May 2024 and May 2025, nearly half the world's people (49% or 4 billion) suffered through an extra 30 days of temperatures… Read more »

Africa: How Far Is Your Closest Hospital or Clinic? Public Health Researchers Explain Why Africa Needs Up-to-Date Health Facility Databases

The lack of reliable information about health facilities across sub-Saharan Africa became very clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid a surge in emergency care needs, information… Read more »

Uganda: Uganda's Ride-Hailing Motorbike Service Promised Safety - but Drivers Are Under Pressure to Speed

Motorcycle-taxis are one of the fastest and most convenient ways to get around Uganda's congested capital, Kampala. But they are also the most dangerous. Though they account for… Read more »

Ghana: Ghana and India - Narendra Modi's Visit Rekindles Historical Ties

Narendra Modi's trip to Ghana in July 2025, part of a five-nation visit, is the first by an Indian prime minister in over 30 years. The two countries' relationship goes back more… Read more »

Egypt: Toxic Fungus From King Tutankhamun's Tomb Yields Cancer-Fighting Compounds - New Study

In November 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter peered through a small hole into the sealed tomb of King Tutankhamun. When asked if he could see anything, he replied: "Yes, wonderful… Read more »

Nigeria: Nigeria's Hadejia Wetlands Are a Vital Stopover for Migrating Birds - New Survey Records Species Found in the Park

The Hadejia Wetlands National Park in north-western Nigeria is a vital ecological treasure, designated as both a globally important wetland (Ramsar site) and an Important Bird… Read more »