July 10
Africa: African Urbanisation - What Can (And Can't) Be Learned From China About Growing Cities
The economic growth paths of Asian and African countries have often been compared. China, with gross domestic product per capita of US$251 in 1987, was poorer than most African… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Double Tragedy - the Zimbabwe Farmers Affected By Illegal Mining and Climate Change
Smallholder farmers in rural Gwanda, a region in Zimbabwe that borders South Africa, have been affected by a double shock - a combination of heat, droughts and floods caused by… Read more »
West Africa: West Africa Is Changing - Five Essential Reads On Breakaways From Ecowas
The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has been in the news lately - mostly for the wrong reasons. Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's 2022 Census May Not Be Accurate Enough for Official Use
The 2022 South African census set an undesirable record: it is the census with the highest undercount among those where the undercount is measured and reported by the United… Read more »
July 09
Ghana: Ghana Is Planning Its First Nuclear Energy Plant - What's Behind the Decision
Ghana is considering bids from five companies for the construction of what would be its first nuclear power plant. The companies are: France's EDF, US-based NuScale Power and… Read more »
Africa: New Research Shows Small Lifestyle Changes Are Linked to Differences in Teen Mental Health Over Time
Judging by recent headlines and policy ideas, you might think screen time is the only lifestyle behaviour influencing teen wellbeing. Read more »
Africa: Catching Online Scammers - Our Model Combines Data and Behavioural Science to Map the Psychological Games Cybercriminals Play
When fiction's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, needed to solve a crime, he turned to his sharp observational skills and deep understanding of human nature. He used this… Read more »
Africa: The Five Scholars Who Won Two Nobel Prizes - and What Sets Them Apart
There is often much debate about who is the greatest among sportsmen and women, movie stars, leaders or artists. But some scholars have truly made a staggering difference to the… Read more »
July 08
Africa: Power-Hungry AI Is Driving a Surge in Tech Giant Carbon Emissions. Nobody Knows What to Do About It
Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, the world has seen an incredible surge in investment, development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) applications. According to… Read more »
Africa: Extreme Weather in South Africa Is Disrupting Tourism - Research Tracks the Impact On Coastal Areas
South Africa has experienced some extreme weather events in recent months. These have included floods and an uncommon tornado in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, floods in… Read more »
Nigeria: Surviving Breast Cancer - Nigerian Women Share Their Stories
"I believe I will still beat it again." These are the words of a Nigerian woman, Didi, who feared a recurrence of her cancer - but saw herself as a survivor. Read more »
Southern Africa: Southern Africa Is Seen As a Leader in Wildlife Conservation, but Its Market-Driven Approach Is Deeply Flawed
Southern Africa's wildlife economy is often hailed as a successful model. The idea behind this model is that biodiversity and wildlife are used as the basis of sustainable economic… Read more »
Rwanda: Rwanda's Tutsi Minority Has Been in Power for 30 Years - but Study Finds Ethnicity Doesn't Matter to People If Their Needs Are Met
Thirty years ago, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a predominantly Tutsi armed group, took over Kigali, Rwanda's capital city - and soon after, the country's governance. This victory… Read more »
Africa: We Used 1,000 Historical Photos to Reconstruct Antarctic Glaciers Before a Dramatic Collapse
In March 2002, the Larsen B Ice Shelf collapsed catastrophically, breaking up an area about one-sixth the size of Tasmania. Read more »
July 07
Sudan: Sudan Is Now Confronting Its Most Severe Food Security Crisis On Record
After 14 months of escalating internal conflict, Sudan is now confronting its most severe food security crisis on record. The latest situation report, released on 27 June, reveals… Read more »
Namibia: Namibia's Sodomy Laws Have Been Overturned - What That Means for LGBTIQ+ Rights in the Country
The Namibian high court recently invalidated the country's colonial-era "sodomy law", which had made consensual sexual acts between men a criminal offence. The court declared that… Read more »
Africa: Looking Back At the Olympic Venues Since 1896 - Are They Still in Use?
Olympic Games are big affairs that require massive infrastructure projects to build the various stadiums and venues. Read more »
July 06
Kenya: Kenya's Protests Are Different This Time - 3 Things That Make It Harder for Government to Crush Them
On 25 June 2024, a youth-led protest primarily composed of Gen Zs, as they are popularly referred to, stormed Kenya's parliament. Legislators voted to pass the Finance Bill 2024 in… Read more »
July 05
Africa: Three Animals That Can Detect Disease in Humans
When it comes to accurately diagnosing a disease, you might think you need expensive, high-tech machinery and equipment capable of looking deep beneath the skin at what's going on… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa's Healthcare System - Eight Steps That Would Get It On the Right Track
South Africa's healthcare system suffers from widespread problems in its governance. A number of indicators point to this dysfunction. These include the large number of managers in… Read more »
West Africa: Ecowas Summit - 6 Steps the Leaders Can Take to Restore Stability and Growth in West Africa
This year's summit of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) takes place against a challenging environment for the regional bloc. Read more »
July 04
Nigeria: Nigeria's Migration Policy - Lots of Laws but No Coherence and Poor Implementation
Nigeria's migration policies are extensive on paper. Designed to address both emigration and immigration, they reflect the country's role as a migration hub in west Africa. Read more »
South Africa: Ramaphosa Made Practical Choices for South Africa's Multi-Party Cabinet - How This Will Help Him Down the Line
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa's multi-party cabinet of national unity has been sworn in. Much of the attention leading up to the announcement of ministerial portfolios… Read more »
Africa: Women Football Players in Africa Have Overcome Enormous Barriers - New Book Tells the Story
Women's Football in Africa, the first in-depth book on the subject, traces the history of women's soccer from initially being banned through to today's growing numbers of fans and… Read more »
Africa: Olympics 2024 - What New Social Media Guidelines Mean for Athletes and Their Sponsors
Cellphone cameras are ubiquitous at modern sporting events. Whether it's a school swimming gala, the local rugby club squaring off against their bitter rivals or a national team… Read more »