January 31, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Dysfunctional Universities - the Consequences of Corrupt Decisions
What happens when those responsible for managing universities cannot trust each other to act with integrity? In a nutshell, as I discuss in my new book, Corrupted: A study of… Read more »
Namibia: New Film Under the Hanging Tree Examines How Namibia's Genocide Lives On Today
Under the Hanging Tree is a new film written, directed and produced by Perivi Katjavivi, a young, up-and-coming Namibian filmmaker. Read more »
Ghana: Accra Is Congested, but Relocating Ghana's Capital Is Not the Only Option
Capital cities play an important role in the socio-economic development of every country. People generally move to cities where there are opportunities. Read more »
Senegal: Ousmane Sembène At 100 - a Guide to the Life and Work of the 'Father of African Cinema'
The impact of filmmaker Ousmane Sembène's work should not be understated. His films, made in the neorealist style, were concerned with working-class people and tended to use… Read more »
Africa: Long Covid - a Range of Diets Are Said to Help Manage Symptoms - Here's What the Evidence Tells Us
Most people who contract COVID recover within a few weeks. But for some people, symptoms can develop later, or persist for a long time after the initial infection. A recent review… Read more »
January 30, 2023
Africa: Pope Francis in DRC and South Sudan - One of His Most Challenging Visits Ever
On 31 January, Pope Francis departed from Rome to central Africa, to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbouring state South Sudan. The visit was previously… Read more »
Africa: Inequality in Access to Basic Services Is a Major Problem in Sub-Saharan Africa - but Progress Is Being Made
Economic activity and development are unevenly distributed across regions of the world and within any country. In other words, where someone lives can determine their economic and… Read more »
Nigeria: The Badoo Ritual Gang Created Fear in Lagos - Here's What Made Victims Vulnerable
Violent cult gangs are well known in Nigeria. Though there are no statistics on their numbers and impact, Lagos State in southwest Nigeria has more than 10 of these groups… Read more »
Africa: Jetlag Hits Differently Depending On Your Travel Direction. Here Are 6 Tips to Help You Get Over It
After a few difficult years of lockdowns and travel restrictions, people are finally winging their way across the globe again; families are being reunited and sights are being… Read more »
Africa: Children Lost One-Third of a Year's Learning to Covid, New Study Shows - but We Need to Think About the Problem Differently
Children's learning progress has slowed substantially during the pandemic, roughly equating to a loss of around 35% of the typical learning in a school year, according to a new… Read more »
Uganda: Kampala, Kigali and Addis Ababa Are Changing Fast - New Book Follows Their Distinct Paths
Kampala, the Ugandan capital where I live, is naturally the city I have studied and worked on the most as an urban economist. Yet even with this background, reading Tom… Read more »
January 29, 2023
Africa: Children and Teens Aren't Doing Enough Physical Activity - New Study Sounds a Health Warning
Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. It's also associated with chronic illness and disability. Recent research estimates that the world could see… Read more »
Africa: What Makes Archaeology Useful As Well As Exciting? It Offers Lessons From the Past
Archaeology is fun. It's so much fun that sometimes people do not treat it with the seriousness it deserves. Studying the past, through what people leave behind, can offer insights… Read more »
January 27, 2023
Somalia: Somaliland's Oil Find Could Reset the Regional Balance - Here's How
The presence of oil in Somaliland has been confirmed by a recent exploration. The discovery has raised the stakes in Somaliland's claim for independence from Somalia as it holds… Read more »
Nigeria: 100 Million Nigerians Are At Risk of Neglected Tropical Diseases - What the Country Is Doing About It
Neglected tropical diseases are a group of communicable diseases found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. They are classified as "neglected" because they have… Read more »
South Africa: Artificial Intelligence in South Africa Comes With Special Dilemmas - Plus the Usual Risks
When people think about artificial intelligence (AI), they may have visions of the future. But AI is already here. At its base, it is the recreation of aspects of human… Read more »
January 26, 2023
Africa: ChatGPT - Our Study Shows AI Can Produce Academic Papers Good Enough for Journals - Just As Some Ban It
Some of the world's biggest academic journal publishers have banned or curbed their authors from using the advanced chatbot, ChatGPT. Because the bot uses information from the… Read more »
Africa: It'll Take 150 Years to Map Africa's Biodiversity - And We Can't Protect What We Don't Know
The African continent is bursting with biodiversity. In a 2016 report, the United Nations Environment Programme wrote: Read more »
Africa: Eliminating Neglected Diseases in Africa - There Are Good Reasons for Hope
Togo had reason to celebrate in 2022 when it became the first country in the world to eliminate four neglected tropical diseases. The west African nation stamped out Guinea worm… Read more »
South Africa: Vaccine Hesitancy - Covid Experience Highlights Conspiracies, Mistrust and Role of Media
In recent weeks, China has reported a spike in new cases of COVID and related deaths. Some countries have imposed travel restrictions as a result. But most - including South Africa… Read more »
Southern Africa: Heat Stress Is Rising - Climate Experts Show Where and When It's Worst #AfricaClimateCrisis
Most of us have felt either too hot or too cold at some point in our lives. Depending on where we live, we may feel too cold quite often each winter, and too hot for a few days in… Read more »
Tanzania: Opposition Rallies Are Finally Unbanned - but This Doesn't Mean Democratic Reform Is Coming
In Tanzania, the political rally is back. Chadema, Tanzania's leading opposition party, held mass rallies outside the official election campaign for the first time in six and a… Read more »
Kenya: A Major New Exhibition in Nairobi Reveals the History of East African Art Traditions
Mwili, Akili na Roho (Body, Mind and Spirit) - on in Nairobi, Kenya - is a major international exhibition presenting east African painters who are key players in the modernist art… Read more »
Africa: Covid Booster Vaccines - How a Third Dose May Help Vulnerable People 'Level Up' Their Immunity
COVID vaccines call our immune systems to action, generating antibodies which fight against any contact we have with the virus. Antibodies help to reduce the effects of an… Read more »
January 25, 2023
Africa: Fossil Teeth Reveal How Brains Developed Over Millions of Years of Human Evolution - New Research
Fossilized bones help tell the story of what human beings and our predecessors were doing hundreds of thousands of years ago. But how can you learn about important parts of our… Read more »