December 07, 2022
South Africa: Breast Cancer Patients Battle to Maintain Treatment Because of High Transport Costs
South Africa has a two-tiered health system. Public health services - which are largely provided free of charge - are run and funded by the state. Private healthcare is owned and… Read more »
South Africa: What Is RET and What Does It Want? The Radical Economic Transformation Faction Explained
It has been standard for some years, in any analysis of South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), to refer to the "radical economic transformation" (RET)… Read more »
December 06, 2022
Nigeria: Jihadists and Bandits Are Cooperating. Why This Is Bad News for Nigeria
The Nigerian state has come under severe security stress in recent times. It has faced multiple national security threats: jihadist groups in the north-east; armed bandits in the… Read more »
South Africa: Music Streaming in South Africa - New Survey Reveals Musicians Get a Raw Deal
Musicians worldwide have been placing their tracks with global streaming platforms such as Spotify for many years. South African musicians, however, have reported only sparse… Read more »
Africa: Measles - Why the World Health Organization Has Declared It an 'Imminent Global Threat'
One consequence of the pandemic was reduced access to routine healthcare and lower uptake of immunisations. As a result, in November 2022, the World Health Organization declared… Read more »
Africa: Feeling Forgetful After Covid? Study Shows the Virus Can Affect Short-Term Memory
Although it's well known that COVID affects the respiratory system, it's perhaps less well known that the virus can also affect cognitive function. Read more »
South Africa: Skills Shortages Plague Economy - Policy and Social Conditions Must Support Their Development
Many South Africans argue that the country has a skills crisis. An equal number question why it can't sort this out by "adopting the German or Swiss approach". Read more »
December 05, 2022
Nigeria: Why Women Sometimes Stay With Abusers - Insights From a Nigerian Study
Domestic violence is a public health problem in most parts of the world. A 2021 United Nations report showed that one in three women aged 15-49 years in sub-Saharan Africa had… Read more »
Africa: Earthshot Prize - Five Winners That Will Help Solve Major Environmental Problems
Climate change is one of the greatest threats ever to face humanity. With mounting storms, fires, floods and droughts and the annual disappointment of international negotiations,… Read more »
Africa: Why We Need Open-Source Science Innovation - Not Patents and Paywalls
As we prepare to invest money to prevent the next global pandemic and find solutions to many other problems, science funders have a large opportunity to move towards open science… Read more »
Africa: A Liver Disease Drug Could Be Repurposed to Protect Against Covid - New Research
Almost three years into the pandemic, we're still regularly seeing hundreds of thousands of new COVID cases recorded each day worldwide. In a new study, involving a combination of… Read more »
Mauritius: Why Britain Should Immediately Withdraw From Mauritius' Chagos Islands
Britain is on the cusp of decolonising Mauritius - again. The first attempt at decolonisation took place in 1968 but went unfulfilled when London kept hold of an island group that… Read more »
Africa: Pharma's Expensive Gaming of the Drug Patent System Is Successfully Countered By the Medicines Patent Pool
Biomedical innovation reached a new era during the COVID-19 pandemic as drug development went into overdrive. But the ways that brand companies license their patented drugs grant… Read more »
South Africa: More South Africans Are Smoking - Higher Taxes and Stronger Law Enforcement Are Needed
Tobacco use imposes a significant health and economic burden on countries. Research estimates that the cost of smoking in South Africa amounted to 0.97% of the country's GDP in… Read more »
December 04, 2022
Nigeria: Violent Extremism Could Beckon in North-Western Nigeria If Local Dynamics Are Ignored
In January 2022, in a bid to stem a tide of violent attacks and kidnappings in north-western Nigeria, the government labelled the armed groups involved in the violence… Read more »
South Africa: Street Food Keeps Johannesburg Going - but Working Conditions of Vendors Are Unhealthy
Informal vendors are a common feature in urban areas. Also known as street vendors, they sell products or provide services on a public road, in a regulated market or in other… Read more »
Africa: A Dangerous Pesticide Isn't Being Monitored in Key Bird of Prey Populations - We're Shedding Light On That Gap
It was once regarded as a miracle chemical to protect against disease and improve global food production. The man who discovered its properties even won a Nobel Prize for medicine.… Read more »
Ethiopia: Half a Million Ethiopian Migrants Have Been Deported From Saudi Arabia in 5 Years - What They Go Through
Tens of thousands of migrant Ethiopian workers have been forcibly repatriated from Saudi Arabia each year since the early 2010s. Although this is carried out as part of a crackdown… Read more »
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 »