February 21, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria's Natural Resources Are Under Threat - Urgent Steps a New President Must Take
By the end of May 2023 Nigeria will have a new president following February's elections. Read more »
Africa: Three in Five Long Covid Patients Have Organ Damage a Year After Infection
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics suggests that more than 1.2 million people in the UK report living with long COVID for 12 months or more. Read more »
South Africa: South Africa and Israel - New Memorial Park in the Jewish State Highlights Complex History
Israeli officials and Jewish South African activists inaugurated a memorial park in Tel Mond, a city north of Tel Aviv, in November 2022. Gan Siyabonga (We Thank You Garden)… Read more »
South Africa: Is Psychological Grit Over-Rated As the Key to Retention in Distance Education?
Psychological grit has garnered a lot of interest in the last decade, particularly in the higher education arena. It's typically defined as passion and perseverance for long-term… Read more »
February 20, 2023
Africa: We Got Some Key Things Wrong About Long Covid. Here Are 5 Things We've Learnt
In late 2020 as we hid from COVID, we started to hear that in some people, COVID symptoms persisted for months. They were called "long haulers" or had "long COVID". Read more »
West Africa: Violent Extremism Is Rising in the Sahel, but Not in Chad - What's Different?
Since the rise of Boko Haram in Nigeria and the emergence of Islamist-Salafist groups in northern Mali in 2013, the Sahel has increasingly been caught in the maelstrom of Islamist… Read more »
Ghana: Ghana Wants Fewer Polluting Old Cars On the Road. but It's Going About It the Wrong Way
Used vehicles contribute greatly to transport emissions, undermining public health and the environment. In the US, Europe and parts of Asia, clunkers programmes - exchanging older,… Read more »
February 19, 2023
South Africa: Paul Mashatile Is Set to Become South Africa's Deputy President - What He Brings to the Table
South Africa is set to have a new deputy president in Paul Shipokosa Mashatile, the deputy president of the governing African National Congress (ANC). He'll replace the incumbent,… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa Has a New Deputy President in Paul Mashatile - What He Brings to the Table
South Africa has a new deputy president in Paul Shipokosa Mashatile, the deputy president of the governing African National Congress (ANC). He'll replace the incumbent, David… Read more »
Africa: We Pitted ChatGPT Against Tools for Detecting AI-Written Text, and the Results Are Troubling
As the "chatbot wars" rage in Silicon Valley, the growing proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools specifically designed to generate human-like text has left many… Read more »
Nigeria: Gender Equality in Nigeria - Three Reasons Why Women Aren't Represented in Politics
In March 2022, Nigerian women suffered backlash in their pursuit of gender equity. Five gender bills presented to the National Assembly were thrown out. Read more »
February 17, 2023
Africa: I Bonded With Covid Vaccine Sceptics Over Saunas and Mother Earth Rituals - This Is What They Taught Me
I was standing in a forest at night, by a dark lake taking part in a Mother Earth ritual. Shaman drums echoed between the cliffs. The witch leading the ritual suddenly encouraged… Read more »
Africa: Africa's Agribusiness Sector Should Drive the Continent's Economic Development - Five Reasons Why
Africa's agriculture sector accounts for about 35% of the continent's gross domestic product, and provides the livelihood of more than 50% of the continent's population. These… Read more »
Africa: Installing a Backup Power Supply - Electrical Engineers Answer Your Questions
South Africa's electricity utility Eskom has made it clear that "loadshedding" - rolling scheduled power cuts - isn't going to end any time soon. This reality, and President Cyril… Read more »
February 16, 2023
South Africa: Four Ways That Fossils Are Part of Everyday Life
South Africa boasts some of the best fossil records on Earth. Fossils are found in strata and rocks in many parts of the country. Some are billions of years old. Read more »
Africa: What Is Marburg Virus and Should We Be Worried?
An epidemic outbreak of Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa, was confirmed this week, the first time the virus has occurred there. At least 16 cases have been… Read more »
Nigeria: How to Poll 93 Million Voters - the Challenge of Pulling Off Nigeria's Presidential Elections
Nigeria's registered voters, which the Independent National Electoral Commission has put at 93.5 million, are expected to come out in their numbers in what will be Africa's biggest… Read more »
Africa: Pan-Africanism Remains a Dream - 4 Key Issues the African Union Must Tackle
The African Union (AU) - made up of 55 member countries - has made significant progress with integrating the countries of the continent and giving them a voice in global politics. Read more »
South Africa: Water Cuts in South Africa Are Hurting Hospitals and Clinics - There's an Increased Risk of Infections
South Africa is a water scarce country. Changing rainfall patterns and the escalating electricity crisis are making the situation worse. Treating and distributing water requires… Read more »
East Africa: Ilemi Triangle Spat - How Resources Fuel East Africa's Border Conflicts
For decades, African states have grappled with numerous interstate border disputes, especially in resource-rich regions. In east Africa, most of these conflicts are as old as… Read more »
Tanzania: Tanzania Is Ruled With Impunity - Four Key Issues Behind Calls for Constitutional Reform
Tanzania's president issued a statement in June 2016 announcing a ban on political rallies outside campaign periods. The ban was unconstitutional. Read more »
Africa: Leo Frobenius Made African Rock Art Famous, but Is Tainted By Racism and a Lack of Understanding
Leo Frobenius was a largely self-taught German ethnologist (someone who studies societies and cultures) who undertook numerous expeditions. One of them, from 1928 to 1930, was to… Read more »
Africa: Covid-19 Restrictions Unexpectedly Reduced Islamic State Violence - Political Science Experts Explain Why
World leaders and policy experts at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic feared that the health crisis might make the world more dangerous. They worried specifically that terrorist… Read more »
Africa: Loneliness Is Making Us Physically Sick, but Social Prescribing Can Treat It - Podcast
Social isolation and loneliness are increasingly becoming societal problems, as they contribute to polarization and affect our physical health. Mental health professionals,… Read more »
February 15, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria's Election - Six Dangers of Mixing Religion With Politics
One of the issues that has generated great concern among voters in the run up to the Nigerian presidential elections is religion. Read more »