December 04, 2022
South Africa: Hosting the World Cup - What Qatar Can Learn From South Africa About Nation Branding
The eyes of the world are focused on Qatar for the 2022 edition of the men's Fifa World Cup - the globe's largest single-sport event. Qatar was a somewhat surprising choice. It's… Read more »
December 03, 2022
Africa: World Cup Final 16 - African Performances Mark a Definitive Moment in Football
For Africa to have multiple teams go beyond the group phase to reach the Round of 16 in a World Cup is a milestone. The remarkable result at the 2022 men's Fifa World Cup in Qatar… Read more »
Morocco/Senegal: World Cup 2022 - Either Morocco or Senegal Could Break the Glass Ceiling
Sixteen remaining teams are playing in the knock-out phase of the 2022 men's football Fifa World Cup in Qatar, among them two African teams - Senegal and Morocco. The knock-out… Read more »
December 02, 2022
Africa: New Book Lifts the Lid On Who Profits from Corruption in South Africa
The new book The Unaccountables: The Powerful Politicians and Corporations who Profit from Impunity is welcome for the way it contextualises corruption. It shows how politicians… Read more »
December 01, 2022
Africa: 'Historic Moment' as Ramaphosa Faces Possible Impeachment
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has an impeachment case to answer. This was the finding of the independent parliamentary panel probing the scandal over the theft of… Read more »
Africa: Digital Storytelling Can Be a Powerful Tool for Water Researchers
Storytelling and science may, at first glance, seem like strange bedfellows. Scientists usually share their research through academic journals and books or at academic conferences. Read more »
South Africa: Mini Bio-Devices Could Help TB Patients Stick to Their Treatments
Imagine the scenario: you've been told you have a disease that will kill you. But, the doctor adds, your life can be saved if you diligently take your medication. Don't skip a day,… Read more »
Africa: Twitter Lifted Its Ban On Covid Misinformation - Research Shows This Is a Grave Risk to Public Health
Twitter's decision to no longer enforce its COVID-19 misinformation policy, quietly posted on the site's rules page and listed as effective Nov. 23, 2022, has researchers and… Read more »
Africa: Ventilation Reduces the Risk of Covid. So Why Are We Still Ignoring It?
At the end of the third year of the pandemic, we are no longer surprised to hear we're in a new wave of infection. It's fuelled by new sub-variants of the virus that may evade… Read more »
South Africa: Pit Bull Attacks in South Africa - A Historian Sheds Light On the Issues
Pit bulls have been in the news in South Africa after a series of deadly attacks on humans by the dogs. There have been revenge attacks on the dogs and politicians have called for… Read more »
November 30, 2022
Nigeria: Covid Deepened Inequalities in HIV Treatment - What We Learnt in Nigeria
The 2022 World AIDS Day theme is Equalize. The reason for this focus is that HIV reflects economic and social inequity. People with low socio-economic status are worst affected by… Read more »
South Africa: Covid Affected Access to HIV Treatment - the Stories of Migrant Women in South Africa Show How
South Africa has made massive strides in the fight against HIV. One of the country's flagship interventions has been the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.… Read more »
Africa: South Africa's Intelligence Watchdog Is Failing Civil Society. How to Restore Its Credibility
In October, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet committed to a range of reforms to the country's intelligence services. He based these reforms on… Read more »
South Africa: Ending HIV As a Public Health Threat - 3 Essential Reads
In 2014 the United Nations set an ambitious goal: to end the AIDS pandemic by the year 2030. Read more »
South Africa: Janusz Walus and Parole for Prisoners Serving Life Sentences - The Weaknesses of the Court's Decision
The murder of Chris Hani, a South African liberation struggle hero, by Janusz Walus on 10 April 1993 almost derailed the country's transition from apartheid to democracy. Now,… Read more »
Africa: Overweight Women May Be At Highest Risk of Long Covid - New Research
While hundreds of thousands of people are still getting COVID every day across the globe, reassuringly, the number of people dying as a result of the infection has dropped… Read more »
Africa: What Covid Has Taught Us About Sharing Our Emotions - and Why Now's a Good Time to Share Again
Although they were only two-and-a-half years ago, the first months of the COVID pandemic and ensuing lockdowns seem like a distant past. Read more »
November 29, 2022
South Africa: White Butterflies Are Filling Johannesburg's Skies Earlier Than Usual. Climate Change Is to Blame
Each year around mid-summer, somewhere between December and mid-January, the skies of South Africa's Gauteng province, including the city of Johannesburg, fill with small white… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Prisons Are a Breeding Ground for the Spread of TB. Our Model Shows How
South African prisons are famously overcrowded. Prison populations are believed to exceed capacity by an overall 33%, although that number jumps to over 200% at some facilities,… Read more »
Kenya: 6 Priorities to Get Kenya's Curriculum Back On Track - or Risk Excluding Many Children From Education
Kenya's education curriculum was reformed in 2017 to improve its quality - but now many Kenyans are calling for change again. Public disillusionment with the competency-based… Read more »
South Africa: Injectable HIV Prevention Drug Shows Promise - We Worked Out How Much South Africa Should Pay for It
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an HIV prevention method. It is taken by people who are HIV negative, so that if they are unknowingly exposed to HIV, the drug will prevent the… Read more »
South Africa: Violence Against Women Is Staggeringly High - A Different Way of Thinking About It Is Needed
South Africa has notoriously high levels of violence against women. The latest police figures show that 10,818 rape cases were reported in the first quarter of 2022. The country… Read more »
Africa: Six Common Covid Myths Busted By a Virologist and a Public Health Expert
Almost three years into the pandemic, myths and misinformation remain widespread. Here we, a virologist and a public health researcher, debunk some common misconceptions about… Read more »
November 28, 2022
Africa: HIV Prevention - New Injection Could Boost the Fight, but Some Hurdles Remain
While the world has focused on the COVID pandemic for nearly three years, less and less attention is being paid to HIV. However, HIV is still a global problem. In 2021, according… Read more »
Cameroon: Paul Biya Has Been Cameroon's President for 40 Years - and He Might Win Office Yet Again
At 89 years old, one of the oldest leaders in the world, President Paul Biya of Cameroon has marked 40 years as head of state. He assumed office in 1982. Read more »