August 30, 2023
Ghana: Kofi Ansah Left Ghana to Become a World Famous Fashion Designer - How His Return Home Boosted the Industry
In the 1950s and 1960s, young Africans were assisted financially by their governments to study in western countries in the hope they would return to contribute to nation building.… Read more »
August 29, 2023
Africa: Brics - African Countries Face Opportunities and Risks in Alienating China or the US - an Expert Weighs in
South Africa recently hosted a Brics summit. The event attracted international attention because the group has recently begun to emerge as a possible rival against US dominance of… Read more »
East Africa: Landlocked Ethiopia Wants Better Sea Access - a Port Deal With Neighbours Could Benefit the Region
Ethiopia's access to the coast has occupied the minds of the country's rulers since time immemorial. This is because being landlocked undermines Ethiopia's ability to grow its… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Traditional Medicines Should Be Used in Modern Health Care
Traditional medicines are part of the cultural heritage of many Africans. About 80% of the African continent's population use these medicines for healthcare. Read more »
Africa: How Our Female Athletes Feel Forced to Choose Between a 'Strong' or 'Feminine' Look
As I watched the Fifa Women's World Cup, I was probably one of many who couldn't help but feel inspired by the women on the pitch, showing their elite fitness and ability. However,… Read more »
Africa: Sahara Space Rock 4.5 Billion Years Old Upends Assumptions About the Early Solar System
In May 2020, some unusual rocks containing distinctive greenish crystals were found in the Erg Chech sand sea, a dune-filled region of the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. Read more »
August 28, 2023
Congo-Kinshasa: DRC - Rising Twirwaneho Rebel Group Highlights the Unending Volatility of the Country's East
The three-decade conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to the proliferation of hundreds of armed groups. With the violence appearing to… Read more »
West Africa: Niger's Coup Weakens Regional Fight Against Boko Haram - Four Reasons Why
Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum was detained and deposed on 26 July by his military guard under the command of General Abdourahamane Tchiani. Read more »
South Africa: Sylvia Mdunyelwa, One of South Africa's Great Jazz Vocalists, Kept Music Traditions Alive
If Miriam Makeba is hailed as the South African vocalist of her generation who brilliantly embraced (and actually shaped) global music sounds, and Sathima Bea Benjamin as the… Read more »
Africa: Finding a Live Brain Worm Is Rare. 4 Ways to Protect Yourself From More Common Parasites
News reports this morning describe how shocked doctors removed a live worm from a woman's brain in a Canberra hospital last year. The woman had previously been admitted to hospital… Read more »
August 27, 2023
Nigeria: People With HIV Are Stigmatised - Study Shows Support From Family and Friends Is Crucial to Well-Being
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions most affected by HIV. In Nigeria alone, an estimated 1.8 million people are living with the virus. Read more »
South Africa: TB Research Shows a Good Diet Can Cut Infections By Nearly 50%
For centuries, we have known that tuberculosis is a social disease. It thrives on poverty and social factors such as malnutrition, poor housing, overcrowding, unsafe work… Read more »
August 25, 2023
Africa: How Russia Is Fighting for Allies Among the Brics Countries Using 'Memory Diplomacy'
Since the start of the Ukraine war, there have been numerous diplomatic visits by Russian officials to Africa and Latin America aiming at boosting Russia's global influence. Read more »
South Africa: Cape Town Taxi Strike Exposes a Deeply Unequal City - and the Legacy of Apartheid
Cape Town in South Africa often tops international travel polls and was recently voted the best city in the world to travel to by readers of a UK newspaper. But the reality for… Read more »
August 24, 2023
Sudan: Sudan's Future Is Being Shaped By Guns and Money - Like Its Past
Like most contemporary wars, Sudan's war cannot be reduced to a contest between two sides. It is many other things, among them a gun class of constantly shifting coalitions of… Read more »
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Amhara Crisis - Abiy's Political Failures Threaten a Return to War
The federal government of Ethiopia declared a state of emergency in Amhara region on 4 August 2023. A special session of parliament endorsed this decision, placing the… Read more »
Africa: 'Worthless' Forest Carbon Offsets Risk Exacerbating Climate Change
In early 2023, the Guardian published an article suggesting that more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets are worthless. These credits are essentially a promise to protect… Read more »
South Africa: Six More Nations Are Set to Join Brics - What They're Buying Into
One key outcome of the 15th Brics summit, hosted by South Africa, is the decision to invite six more countries to join the group with effect from January 2024. They are Argentina,… Read more »
Africa: World's Beaches Are Changing Because of Climate Change - Green Thinking Is Needed to Save Them
Coastlines - the interface between land and sea - lie at the frontline in the battle against climate change impacts. Read more »
Africa: For Minorities, Biased AI Algorithms Can Damage Almost Every Part of Life
Bad data does not only produce bad outcomes. It can also help to suppress sections of society, for instance vulnerable women and minorities. Read more »
Africa: China's Africa Strategy Is Shifting From Extraction to Investment - Driven From the Industry-Rich Hunan Region
China experienced a massive economic boom in the 1990s and 2000s which increased its demand for resource imports, like oil, from Africa. This led to a model of development finance… Read more »
August 23, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Media Often Portrays Foreigners in a Bad Light. This Fuels Xenophobia
The media's huge influence comes from the fact that it's capable of affecting public perceptions. In the light of this we set out to understand how South Africa's print media… Read more »
South Africa: The Power of Needlework - How Embroidery Is Helping South African Women Tell Unspeakable Stories
In June 2020, three months after South Africa entered the first of a series of hard lockdowns to slow the spread of COVID, the country's president Cyril Ramaphosa described men's… Read more »
West Africa: Niger Is a Key Player in the Sahel Region - 4 Security Implications of the Coup
The Niger coup - the fifth in the Sahel and sixth in the broader west Africa region in three years - has pushed the region further into political unrest and insecurity. Read more »
Ghana: Accra's Most Vulnerable Residents Were Failed During Covid - the Government Didn't Understand Their Realities
Containment measures, such as the lockdowns introduced to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, had devastating consequences for vulnerable urban populations globally. Read more »