June 25
South Africa: Technology Makes It Possible to Diagnose Diseases On the Spot
Digital technology has hugely improved healthcare in many ways. Read more »
South Africa: Mining Needs More Regulation, According to South Africans - Survey
South Africa has large reserves of coal, gold, manganese and platinum. Read more »
June 24
Botswana: 'Fong Kong' Products Have Helped Drive Local Manufacturing - Study
Chinese products are frequently viewed as inferior and inexpensive, contributing to their negative reputation. This is true in African countries too. Read more »
Africa: Is Social Media Making You Unhappy? the Answer Is Not So Simple
You may have seen headlines that link social media to sadness and depression. Social media use goes up, happiness goes down. But recent studies suggest those findings might not be… Read more »
Kenya: Kenyan Protesters Have Taken to the Streets in Their Thousands - What the Law Says About Their Rights
Across Kenya, thousands of mostly young citizens are protesting against tax proposals tabled by President William Ruto's administration in its annual budget legislation. Using… Read more »
Rwanda: Rwanda's Military Support to Other Countries Is Part of a Strategy to Boost Its Reputation
Rwanda is one of Africa's geographically smallest countries. However, its foreign policy, whose hallmark is military diplomacy, has attracted international attention. Read more »
June 23
Nigeria: Your Wig Could Be Poisoning You - Study Finds Pesticides and Other Toxic Chemicals in Synthetic Hair in Nigeria
Well-groomed hair is a symbol of beauty for many black African women. Natural hair requires special care and attention, though, which can be time consuming. Wigs (human or… Read more »
Africa: An Eerie 'Digital Afterlife' Is No Longer Science Fiction. So How Do We Navigate the Risks?
Imagine a future where your phone pings with a message that your dead father's "digital immortal" bot is ready. This promise of chatting with a virtual version of your loved one -… Read more »
June 22
Kenya: Kenyan Protesters Driving Change From Screens to the Streets
Nationwide demonstrations have erupted in Kenya over a controversial tax bill. The Finance Bill 2024, initially presented to parliament in May, has sparked discontent with an… Read more »
June 21
Kenya: Khat in Kenya - Why Efforts to Ban This Popular Stimulant Are Unlikely to Work
Khat - the stimulant leaves and twigs of the plant Catha edulis - seemed to have secure legal status in Kenya despite being illegal elsewhere. It had been declared an official cash… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's National Anthem Change Was a Tactic to Distract Attention From the Country's Real Problems - Political Analyst
A year into his administration, Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill into law, replacing an anthem adopted in 1978 with its predecessor. The… Read more »
June 20
Africa: Elephants Use the Tips of Their Trunks to Grasp Things With Great Precision
An elephant uses its trunk for eating, drinking water, communicating, exploring the environment, social behaviour, and making and using tools. The trunk, which contains six muscle… Read more »
Africa: House of the Dragon - If Dragons Were Real, How Might Fire-Breathing Work?
In George R.R. Martin's fantastical land of Westeros in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, the spectacle of dragons breathing fire captivates his audience through a blend of… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Foreign Policy - a Unity Government Must Be Practical in a Turbulent World
As South Africa navigates fundamental political change, it faces stark choices on foreign policy posture and priorities. The change has been brought about by the African National… Read more »
Africa: Global Pandemic Treaty Will Help Fight Future Threats - Top Negotiator On How Talks Are Going
For the past two years the World Health Organization's 194 member states have been negotiating an international accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. This was… Read more »
South Africa: Goema Superstar - How Composer Mac Mckenzie Reshaped the Sound of Cape Town
Gerald "Mac" McKenzie passed away on 29 April 2024. He will be remembered as a renegade spirit and innovator in South African music. The composer and bassist changed Cape Town's… Read more »
June 19
Africa: Heat Exposure During Pregnancy Can Lead to a Lifetime of Health Problems
Climate change is one of the greatest public health threats humanity has ever faced. Read more »
Africa: Climate Change Is Helping the H5N1 Bird Flu Virus Spread and Evolve
The spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 among animals is unprecedented having been found on all continents -- except Oceania -- with the United Nations… Read more »
Somalia: Somalia Army Vs Al-Shabaab - As African Union Troops Leave, Which Is the Stronger Military Force?
The African Union (AU) has gradually reduced its troop numbers in Somalia since late 2017, from a peak of over 22,000 to about 14,000 today. Another 4,000 AU peacekeepers are… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Mountain Streams Are a Haven for Special Creatures - They Need Protection
Nigeria has many freshwater ecotourism attractions. Among them are the Ikogosi warm spring, the Osun-Osogbo river, and the Olumirin, Owu, Arinta and Ekor waterfalls. Read more »
June 18
Africa: Floating Solar Panels Could Provide Much of Africa's Energy - New Research
New research has found that several countries could meet all their energy needs from solar panel systems floating on lakes. Climate, water and energy environmental scientists R.… Read more »
South Africa: Mother City - a Tough, Passionate Film About the Battle for Affordable Housing in Cape Town
A third of the way into Mother City there's a scene that characterises this tough, passionate film about Cape Town and its paradoxes of beauty and hardship, wealth and poverty, and… Read more »
Africa: What Is Cervical Cancer and How Can It Be Prevented? Answers to Key Questions
In 2020 the World Health Organization rolled out a global strategy to eradicate cervical cancer by 2030. This is the fourth-most common cancer among women, claiming an estimated… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Unity Government - 4 Crucial Factors for It to Work
Governments of national unity built on power-sharing arrangements are common in Africa and elsewhere in the world. Now South Africa also has a unity government, following the 2024… Read more »
June 17
Africa: AI Can Make African Elections More Efficient - but Trust Must Be Built and Proper Rules Put in Place
Time magazine has dubbed 2024 a "super election year". An astonishing 4 billion people are eligible to vote in countries across the world this year. Many are on the African… Read more »