January 25, 2023
Africa: Free Online Courses Could Be a Path to Higher Education in African Countries but Awareness Is Low
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the largest regions in the world and has the lowest rates of participation in higher education anywhere in the world. The World Bank reported in 2020… Read more »
South Africa: Adriaan Vlok - the Case for Accepting the Late South African Politician's Apology for Apartheid
The recent death of Adriaan Vlok, the prominent South African apartheid-era law and order minister, brought the issue of political apologies for past wrongs back into the public… Read more »
January 24, 2023
Africa: We Tested the Wastewater From Planes to Detect Covid Among Travellers - Here's What We Found
Small traces of many pathogens, such as viruses we may be infected with, are excreted when we go to the toilet. Ultimately, these agents find their way to municipal wastewater… Read more »
Ghana: Ghana's Nkrumahist Parties Keep Splitting - a Threat to Their Strength in the 2024 Election
Political parties are not always completely united, as most classical political scientists argue. Dissenting opinions and the scramble for party apparatus tend to trigger internal… Read more »
Congo-Kinshasa: How DRC's Elite Use Sport to Build Their Reputations and Hold On to Power
Football in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - as in much of the world - is intertwined with politics. Read more »
Zimbabwe: Stella Chiweshe - Zimbabwe's Mbira Queen, Rebel Music Star and Pioneer
Stella Rambisai Chiweshe, affectionately known in Zimbabwe as "the queen of mbira" or "Ambuya (grandmother) Chiweshe", passed away on 20 January 2023. Read more »
South Africa: Non-Racial South Africa - Book Shows Debate On Nation Building Is Still Relevant Today
There has been much comment recently on the lack of representation of minorities in the leadership structures of South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress… Read more »
Africa: Yoga - Modern Research Shows a Variety of Benefits to Both Body and Mind From the Ancient Practice
The popularity of yoga has grown tremendously in the past decade. More than 10% of U.S. adults have practiced yoga at some point in their lives. Yoga practitioners spend on average… Read more »
Africa: Directors Need Limits to How Many Boards They Sit On. Stretching Their Time Too Thinly Is Risky
Experienced directors of companies are in high demand in countries around the world. For this reason, many hold multiple directorships. Read more »
January 23, 2023
South Africa: Power Cuts Play Havoc With the Country's Water System
South Africans had to deal with the worst ever series of power cuts in 2022. All in all the country lost a record 205 days of electricity due to constant breakdowns at the… Read more »
Kenya: Prisoners On Death Row Weren't Deterred By Threat of Death Penalty - New Research Findings
Kenya's last execution of a prisoner was in 1987. But the country still hosts a death row population of nearly 600. Almost all were sentenced to death for murder or robbery with… Read more »
Africa: Continent Has a Major New Carbon Market Initiative - What You Need to Know #AfricaClimateHope
Climate finance for the African continent got a boost at the 2022 United Nations Climate Conference (COP27), with the launch of the African Carbon Markets Initiative. This aims to… Read more »
Zambia: Copper Transformed Way the World Works Before - It's About to Do So Again
Copper is all around us. The metal is both ever-present and invisible in our world. Copper makes reading the words on this screen possible. And the global spread of artificial… Read more »
January 22, 2023
Nigeria: Ten Factors That Could Affect This Year's NIgerian Polls
As Nigerians inch closer to the February 2023 presidential election, the seventh since the current wave of liberal democracy formally started in 1999, there are at least 10 key… Read more »
January 20, 2023
South Africa: Tigers in South Africa - a Farming Industry Exists - Often for Their Body Parts
A tiger escaped from a residence and roamed the countryside outside Johannesburg, South Africa, for four days this month. It attacked a man and killed several animals, and was… Read more »
South Africa: Ernest Cole - South Africa's Most Famous Photobook Has Been Republished After 55 Years
Photographer Ernest Cole was born in 1940 in the Pretoria township of Eersterust, just before apartheid was formally introduced in South Africa in 1948. Read more »
South Africa: Power Cuts in South Africa - Trend to Get Off the Grid Is Gathering Pace, but Total Independence Is Still a Way Off
South Africans have been battered by power shortages for several years. These have worsened to the point that towards the end of 2022 the country's electricity utility, Eskom, had… Read more »
Africa: Scientists Have Started Steering Lightning With Lasers - Here's How
Lightning may look beautiful but every year it kills thousands of people, does huge amounts of damage to buildings and infrastructure, and causes power outages. Read more »
January 19, 2023
Africa: How the Fifa20 Video Game Reproduces the Racial Stereotypes Embedded Within Football
EA Sports' Fifa football videogame series is arguably the most successful sports gaming franchise of all time. Since its debut in 1993, it has sold over 260 million copies across… Read more »
South Africa: Ancient Poop Offers Unusual Insight Into Animal Behaviour
Some people are annoyed when they encounter a fresh pile of dung while out on a walk in nature. Others are excited because it points to the recent visit of a particular kind of… Read more »
Africa: Installing Solar-Powered Refrigerators in Developing Countries Can Reduce Hunger and Slow Climate Change
Food loss and waste are major problems around the world. When food is tossed aside or allowed to spoil, it makes economies less productive and leaves people hungry. Read more »
Madagascar: Famous Forests Threatened by #AfricaClimateCrisis - Our Study Shows How Serious It Is
Global climate change doesn't only cause the melting of polar ice caps, rising sea levels and extreme weather events. It also has a direct effect on many tropical habitats and the… Read more »
South Africa: Pay Inequality Is High - Bosses Are Part of the Problem
South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world. This income inequality is mostly due to high unemployment and large differences in wages. Read more »
Nigeria: New Lekki Port Has Doubled Cargo Capacity, but Must Not Repeat Previous Failures
Three-quarters of the world is covered by water and up to 90% of world trade is seaborne. Seaports and shipping are critical to the conduct of global trade. Read more »
Africa: Free Movement of People Across Africa - Regions Are Showing How It Can Work
The end of January 2023 will mark five years since the African Union Free Movement of Persons protocol was signed by the African Union. A parallel initiative to the African… Read more »