June 11
Africa: African Elephants Address One Another With Name-Like Calls - Similar to Humans
What's in a name? People use unique names to address each other, but we're one of only a handful of animal species known to do that, including bottlenose dolphins. Finding more… Read more »
South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa's Leadership Style Didn't Impress Voters - but Seeking Consensus May Be What South Africa's Unity Government Needs
South Africa's 2024 general election, with its devastating loss of a majority for the ruling African National Congress (ANC), is also damaging for President Cyril Ramaphosa (71).… Read more »
June 10
South Africa: South Africa's Unity Govt - 5 Parties That Need to Find Common Ground
Following South Africa's historic 2024 general election, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has started a process to establish a government of national unity. This, after… Read more »
Africa: EU Migration Policy Is Getting Tougher - the 3 New Tactics Used to Keep African Migrants Out
Nearly a decade has passed since migration to Europe from Africa and the Middle East reached a peak in 2015, referred to as the year of the "migrant crisis". Over a million people… Read more »
Africa: Bicycles Can Change Lives, Especially in Rural Africa
To many people around the world bicycles are a crucial means of transport, especially for carrying loads in rural areas. While their benefits are huge and many organisations are… Read more »
June 09
Africa: Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa Is Linked to Increasing Obesity Rates in Women
Obesity and excess weight gain, traditionally perceived as health issues predominantly affecting high-income countries, are now increasingly prevalent in low and middle-income… Read more »
Morocco: Hunter-Gatherer Diets Weren't Always Heavy On Meat - Morocco Study Reveals a Plant-Based Diet
About 11,000 years ago, humans made a major shift from hunting and gathering to farming. This change, known as the Neolithic Revolution, dramatically altered our diets. Read more »
Malawi: Farming With a Mixture of Crops, Animals and Trees Is Better for the Environment and for People - Evidence From Ghana and Malawi
Farming just one kind of crop in a field at a time, and using a lot of chemicals, poses a risk to both people and nature. This simplified intensive agriculture often goes hand in… Read more »
Africa: Cholera Can Kill You Within Hours If Left Untreated
Cholera is a deadly disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, associated with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. But it has also been found in seemingly… Read more »
June 07
Africa: Displaced By Violent Conflict - the World's Most Neglected Crises Are in Africa - Six Essential Reads
The Norwegian Refugee Council recently released a report highlighting the 10 most neglected displacement crises in the world in 2023. Nine of the 10 countries are in Africa - the… Read more »
South Africa: Home Solar Systems in South Africa - More Will Be Installed If Households Are Given Loans, Free Maintenance and Security
South Africa is making efforts to increase the use of solar photovoltaic energy. But it's happening at a very slow pace. Read more »
June 06
Africa: The Disproportionate Toll That Covid-19 Took On People With Diabetes Continues Today
At the start of the pandemic, many people living with diabetes were wondering what COVID-19 meant for them. Diabetes was already known to put people at higher risks from other… Read more »
Kenya: Between Witchcraft and Terrorism - How Social Fears in Coastal Kenya Impact Religious Expression
Kenya's coastal region has, since about 2011, grappled with terrorist attacks carried out by the Somalia-based Islamic terrorist organisation Al-Shabaab. Read more »
Africa: Hydropower Damages River Systems in Africa - How More Solar and Wind Power Can Solve This Problem
Across the African continent, more than 300 new hydropower projects are planned to meet the growing demand for electricity. Some of these will require big dams, which can have… Read more »
Madagascar: Baobab Trees All Come From Madagascar - New Study Reveals That Their Seeds and Seedlings Floated to Mainland Africa and All the Way to Australia
There are eight species of baobab in the world, and they have a surprising distribution. Six are found in Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean; one is found on the continent… Read more »
South Africa: How South Africa's ANC Became Just a Regular Political Party
The African National Congress (ANC), the party that's led South Africa since the first democratic elections in 1994, has long considered itself a "liberation movement" -… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Largest Oil Refinery Sold for a Few Cents - Will BP and Shell Be Held Accountable for Environmental Damage?
The sale of the South African Petroleum Refinery (Sapref), jointly owned by multinational energy companies BP and Shell, to the state-owned Central Energy Fund for R1 (five US… Read more »
June 05
Morocco: Dolphins Vs Fishers - Both Are the Losers in the Mediterranean Seas Off Morocco
On the Moroccan Mediterranean coast, hundreds of boats equipped with large nets, called purse seines, go out six days a week to fish for small pelagic fish (coastal or oceanic… Read more »
Africa: Foreign Healthcare Volunteers in Africa Can Harm Local Relationships - Zambian Study
Thousands of global health volunteers, most from the United States, travel to Africa every year. These volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and have varying levels of… Read more »
Africa: Female Giraffes Drove the Evolution of Long Giraffe Necks in Order to Feed On the Most Nutritious Leaves, New Research Suggests
Everything in biology ultimately boils down to food and sex. To survive as an individual you need food. To survive as a species you need sex. Read more »
South Africa: South African Voters Shifted Support in 2024 but That's Nothing New
To the casual observer, the outcome of South Africa's 2024 national and provincial elections, which herald a new era of national coalition governance, may appear to represent new… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Election Results Present 3 Options for Govt
South Africans do not have a deep culture of coalitions. There have been a few coalitions at provincial and municipal levels but most of these were quite unstable. Read more »
Nigeria: Naira Is in Crisis but Cryptocurrency Isn't to Blame - Nigeria Needs Consistent Policy
Nigeria's Securities and Exchange Commission is considering tighter controls to combat illegal trading in digital assets, including cryptocurrencies. The Conversation Africa asked… Read more »
June 04
Africa: Africa Doesn't Have a Choice Between Economic Growth and Protecting the Environment
Heathrow Airport in the UK currently uses more energy than the entire west African country of Sierra Leone. Despite Africa accounting for less than 4% of all global greenhouse gas… Read more »
South Africa: Why Musicians Die in Poverty - South African Study Reveals Battle to Make Ends Meet
Benefits and appeals were recently launched to support the medical costs of veteran South African guitarist Madala Kunene. It's not the first time such initiatives have been… Read more »