May 04, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria's Fuel Subsidy - It's Time to Kill It and Spend the Money in Ways That Benefit the Poor
Nigerians are being hit from all sides by a combination of factors that are making their lives increasingly difficult. These include rising cost of living which is reflected in… Read more »
Sudan: The Longer the Conflict Lasts, the Higher the Risk of a Regional War
The 2019 Sudan uprisings that ousted long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir and installed a military-civilian transitional government gave hope that the northern African country could… Read more »
South Africa: Cape Town's Caracals Have Metal Pollutants in Their Blood - an Environmental Red Flag
South Africa is urbanising rapidly. By 2050, eight in 10 people will live in urban areas, significantly increasing the demands on basic infrastructure development and associated… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya Banned Plastic Bags 6 Years Ago, but They Are Still in Use - What Went Wrong
Kenya banned the use of plastic carrier bags in 2017, prompted by environmental and health costs. At the time, more than 100 million single-use plastic bags were handed out every… Read more »
May 03, 2023
Africa: May 5, 2023, Lunar Eclipse Will Be a Subtle Show of Astronomical Wonder
On May 5, 2023, people around the world will witness a a lunar eclipse when the Earth gets between the Sun and the Moon and casts part of its shadow on the Moon. Read more »
Africa: Thirsty Tomatoes Emit Ultrasonic Sounds - and Other Plants May Be Listening
Plants may appear silent, indifferent organisms to us, but recent research has found they make high-pitched clicking sounds when they are struggling to find water. In principle,… Read more »
South Africa: 47% of South Africans Use Social Grants to Generate More Income - Study
South Africa has one of the world's most expansive social grant system: 47% of the population relies on a monthly grant. Of these, 18 million are permanent beneficiaries and about… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Elections Faced Five Serious Challenges - How to Fix Them Before the Next Polls
Nigerians will see their new president-elect, Bola Tinubu, sworn in late May. A number of court cases are still being pursued against the election outcomes from votes cast earlier… Read more »
Ghana: Accra - the Ga People's Annual Ban On Noise Restores a Spiritual Connection With the Sea
Accra, Ghana's capital, is a noisy cosmopolitan city of almost three million people. Its active nightlife, commercial markets and factories create a deafening mix of sound trails… Read more »
Africa: Thousands of Unknown Viruses Discovered in Baby Poo - Why This Is Not Necessarily a Bad Thing
An international team of scientists who spent five years studying the poo of 647 Danish babies found something astonishing. The nappy samples contained 10,000 species of virus -… Read more »
Africa: Arcturus - What to Know About the New Covid Variant, Omicron Xbb.1.16
A new COVID variant XBB.1.16, or "Arcturus", has now been identified in at least 34 countries including the UK. Read more »
Rwanda: Paul Kagame Could Be President of Rwanda Until 2035 - What's Behind His Staying Power
Rwanda's ruling party, the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), recently concluded its 16th congress. This also marked 35 years of its existence. The centre piece, however, was the… Read more »
May 02, 2023
Africa: Four Things You Need to Know About Having a Caesarean Section
If you're pregnant or planning to have a baby soon, you've probably been given lots of advice and information about what you might experience during and after the birth. But less… Read more »
Africa: From Enormous Elephants to Tiny Shrews - How Mammals Shape and Are Shaped By Africa's Landscapes
Africa is the world's most diverse continent for large mammals such as antelopes, zebras and elephants. The heaviest of these large mammals top the scales at over one ton, and are… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria and Digital Banking - a Revolution Still Waiting to Happen
At the end of 2022 the Central Bank of Nigeria launched new banknotes. At the same time it also capped withdrawal of the new banknotes. The rollout of the currency change was… Read more »
Kenya: Supreme Court Ruling On Gay Rights Triggers a New Wave of Anger Against the LGBTIQ+ Community
The Kenyan supreme court recently struck down a government decision to ban the registration of an LGBTIQ+ community rights organisation, sparking new homophobic rhetoric in the… Read more »
Africa: Enigmatic Human Fossil Jawbone May Be Evidence of an Early Homo Sapiens Presence in Europe - And Adds Mystery About Who Those Humans Were
Homo sapiens, our own species, evolved in Africa sometime between 300,000 and 200,000 years ago. Anthropologists are pretty confident in that estimate, based on fossil, genetic and… Read more »
Africa: Does Our Gut Microbiota Really Influence Our Health and Life Expectancy?
The intestinal microbiota is the set of bacteria and viruses that live inside your gut. Microbiota perform a variety of functions, including digesting food and protecting against… Read more »
May 01, 2023
South Africa: Power Cuts and Food Safety - How to Avoid Illness During Loadshedding
South Africa has been grappling with power cuts for 15 years, which have worsened in recent years. The persistent power outages have disrupted every facet of life, including food… Read more »
Kenya: Flawed Missionary System in Kenya Highlighted by Abuse Conviction
Matthew Durham, a young missionary from Oklahoma, was convicted in 2015 of raping three girls and molesting a boy at the Upendo Children's Home. He had volunteered at the Kenyan… Read more »
Libya: Libya Lost, Then Found, 2.5 Tonnes of Uranium - a Red Flag for Nuclear Safety
Earlier this year the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi reported that about 2.5 tonnes of uranium ore concentrate had gone missing from a site in… Read more »
Ghana: Amma Darko Uses Fiction to Portray the Real Plight of Women and Street Children in Ghana
Amma Darko is one of Ghana's leading novelists, known for exploring gritty social issues and the lives of women. There is much to be unearthed in the childhood narrative of… Read more »
Africa: Every Cancer Is Unique - Why Different Cancers Require Different Treatments, and How Evolution Drives Drug Resistance
Cancer is an evolutionary disease. The same forces that turned dinosaurs into birds turn normal cells into cancer: genetic mutations and traits that confer a survival advantage. Read more »
Africa: Generative AI Is Forcing People to Rethink What It Means to Be Authentic
It turns out that pop stars Drake and The Weeknd didn't suddenly drop a new track that went viral on TikTok and YouTube in April 2023. The photograph that won an international… Read more »
Africa: Here's Why Your Freezer Smells So Bad - and What You Can Do About It
Most people would expect a freezer can keep perishable food fresh and safe from spoilage for many months. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Read more »