July 21, 2023
South Africa: Zimbabwean Migrants - South Africa's Anti-Immigrant Sentiments Are Hindering Policy Reform
The South African Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, recently lost a court case that anyone could have anticipated was unwinnable. He probably expected to lose it too. He… Read more »
July 20, 2023
Africa: Migrant Deaths At Sea - The Real Blame Lies With Policies Created By European States
On 15 June, the overcrowded fishing trawler Adriana sank on its illicit journey from Libya to Italy, drowning hundreds of men, women and children. In response, states have… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's New Police Chief Faces Structural Challenges - 5 Key Issues to Tackle
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu named a new inspector general of police on 19 June 2023. He appointed the deputy inspector general, Kayode Egbetokun, to replace Usman Alkali Baba,… Read more »
Africa: Surviving Heat Waves on the Continent - Three Essential Reads
Around the world, temperature records are being broken in countries in Africa, Europe, America and Asia. The planet experienced its hottest day on record at the beginning of July… Read more »
Africa: African Union - Climate Action Offers Organisation Unique Chance for Revival
Much has been written about the decision by certain African countries to send out a peace mission to Ukraine in May. Reporters, however, failed at the time to pick up on one… Read more »
South Africa: Half of All South Africans Are Overweight or Obese. Warning Labels On Unhealthy Foods Help Change That
South Africa's national health department recently invited public comment on regulations for warning labels on food packaging. The regulations specify how pre-packaged food should… Read more »
South Africa: Corruption in South Africa - Whistleblower Protection Law Is Being Reformed - but It May Not Go Far Enough
South Africa is on the path to reforming its law on whistleblowing to provide improved protection for individuals who expose corruption and illegal activity. Read more »
July 19, 2023
Africa: Greta Gerwig's Barbie Movie Is a 'Feminist Bimbo' Classic - and No, That's Not an Oxymoron
The following article contains spoilers for Barbie. Read more »
Nigeria: eNaira - Nigeria's Digital Currency Has Had a Slow Start - What's Holding It Back
Nigeria was the first country in Africa to roll out a central bank digital currency. The eNaira was launched in October 2021. Read more »
West Africa: Bola Tinubu Is the New Chair of Ecowas - the Burning Issues That Face the Nigerian President
Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was elected as chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on 9 July 2023. He took over from President Umaro Sissoco… Read more »
July 18, 2023
Africa: The Hidden Cost of the AI Boom - Social and Environmental Exploitation
Mainstream conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) have been dominated by a few key concerns, such as whether superintelligent AI will wipe us out, or whether AI will… Read more »
Africa: Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco and Zambia Could Cause Upsets at Women's World Cup Football
Morocco and Zambia are making their Fifa Women's World Cup debut in 2023. South Africa must recover their morale after a pay dispute and Nigeria once again leads the charge for the… Read more »
South Africa: Malnutrition in South Africa - How One Community Wants Resources to Be Spent
South Africa has persistently high rates of hunger and malnutrition among mothers and children. More than a quarter - 27% - of children under five are stunted and 61% of children… Read more »
South Africa: Male Fertility Crisis - What Environmental Contaminants Have Got to Do With It
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently reported that around one in six couples globally are affected by infertility. For many years people tended to blame women for a… Read more »
South Africa: Nelson Mandela's Legacy Is Taking a Battering Because of the Dismal State of South Africa
The multiple concerns about the dismal state of South Africa - including a stagnant and failing economy, a seemingly incapable state, and massive corruption - have led to the… Read more »
July 17, 2023
Uganda: What Does It Mean to Be 'Educated'? In Uganda It's Not Just Schooling That Counts
How do you gauge whether someone is educated or not? In many parts of the world, the answer relates to the level of formal qualifications they achieve when they are young - do they… Read more »
Nigeria: They Eat Our Sweat - New Book Exposes Daily Struggles of Transport Workers in Lagos
Daniel E. Agbiboa's book They Eat Our Sweat: Transport Labor, Corruption, and Everyday Survival in Urban Nigeria explores the world of drivers of minibuses (danfo) and motorcycles… Read more »
Africa: Technology Can Boost Farming, But It Can Also Threaten Biodiversity - How to Balance the Two
Cultivating one hectare of maize used to be an arduous task for Precious Banda, a farmer in Zambia. It would take her hundreds of hours to prepare her land before sowing and to… Read more »
Ghana: It's Time for Ghana to Enshrine Its Respect for the Right to Life - By Abolishing the Death Penalty
Thirty years have now gone by since Ghana used its gallows, a fact that indicates the country's respect for human life. It also means that Ghana is one of about 42 nations - many… Read more »
Mali: UN Troops to Withdraw From Mali - What Will Change in Terms of Security
On 30 June 2023, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to end the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (Minusma). Read more »
Africa: Actors Are Demanding That Hollywood Catch Up With Technological Changes in a Sequel to a 1960 Strike
For the first time since 1960, actors and screenwriters are on strike at the same time. Read more »
July 16, 2023
Africa: Africa's Groundbreaking Women's Rights Treaty Turns 20 - the Hits and Misses of the Maputo Protocol
2023 marks two decades since the adoption of the Maputo Protocol. The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo… Read more »
Africa: Penalties, Passes, and a Touch of Politics - The Women's World Cup Is About to Kick Off
The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off this Thursday night, the first football world cup hosted by Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Read more »
South Africa: Public Protector Has a Vital Watchdog Role. Researcher Offers Tips On How Selection Process Can Be Improved
The end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994 made it necessary to establish several institutions to underpin the country's new constitutional democracy. Read more »
Africa: Why Do I Have to Take My Laptop Out of the Bag At Airport Security?
Anyone who has travelled by air in the past ten years will know how stressful airports can be. Read more »