August 31, 2022
Nigeria: Waste Pickers in Lagos Tell Their Stories About a Dangerous Existence
Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, with a population of more than 15 million, generates an estimated 12,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, which comes to about 4.3 million tonnes of… Read more »
Africa: Long Covid - How Researchers Zero in On Self-Targeted Immune Attacks That May Lurk Behind It
For almost three years, scientists have raced to understand the immune responses in patients who develop severe COVID-19, with an enormous effort aimed at defining where healthy… Read more »
South Africa: Foot-and-Mouth Disease - the Gaps in South Africa's Efforts to Keep It Under Control
In mid August, South Africa's minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development Thoko Didiza responded to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease with a nationwide ban on the… Read more »
Angola: MPLA Has Been in Power for Nearly 50 Years. The Big Challenges They Must Fix
Angolan president João Lourenço, who has been returned to power with a greatly reduced majority, faces the challenging task of turning around the economy and… Read more »
Southern Africa: Southern African Countries Can Do Better At Infrastructure - What the Choices Might Look Like
Countries in southern Africa are under a crushing burden brought about by a confluence of factors. These include the unprecedented growth in the number of young people, the… Read more »
August 30, 2022
Africa: Major Group of Flowering Plants Are 150 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought
A major group of flowering plants that are still around today, emerged 150 million years earlier than previously thought, according to a new study published today in Trends in… Read more »
Ethiopia: Haacaaluu Hundeesaa - Sublime Singer Who Inspired Oromo Struggle Protesters
I speak to myself whisperingOur situation has defied resolution, our misery isn't improvingWe are in despair and idling, that is why I am whispering. Read more »
Africa: Back to School - Time to Revisit Strategies for Child and Family Mental Health
The last two years have been far from normal for children and families. As households prepare for back-to-school, there can be some apprehension of what the year will bring. Read more »
South Africa: Corruption in South Africa - New Book Sets Out How Ruling ANC Lost the Battle
One of the greatest benefits of South Africa's democracy is freedom of speech and publication. Mpumelelo Mkhabela's book, The Enemy Within, is the latest in a cascade of… Read more »
Africa: We Don't Know If Dark Matter Exists. So Why Do Astronomers Keep Looking?
Scientists know very little about the matter that makes up the galaxies in the Universe. About 20% of the matter in galaxies is visible or baryonic: subatomic particles like… Read more »
Kenya: Kenya's Parliament and Senate - How Will They Work Together If There's No Clear Majority?
President Uhuru Kenyatta's government has held a majority of elected seats in both the national assembly and the senate - which together make up parliament - since the 2013 general… Read more »
South Africa: Migrants in South Africa Have Access to Healthcare - Why It's Kicking Up a Storm
A political storm has erupted in South Africa after a video went viral showing the health minister for the Limpopo province - which borders Zimbabwe - berating a Zimbabwean woman… Read more »
August 29, 2022
Africa: How Safe Is It to Drink Rainwater?
In many parts of the world, including Africa, people rely on rainwater as a source of drinking water, as well as for other household and livelihood uses. One of the reasons is… Read more »
Nigeria: Nigeria's Economy - Four Priorities the Next President Must Deliver On
Nigeria is preparing to elect its next president in February 2023. That person will have a daunting task fixing a near comatose economy. Read more »
Africa: Farming and Fertilisers - How Ecological Practices Can Make a Difference
Agriculture involves a difficult balance between food production and environmental impact. For example, fertilisers can help to achieve good crop yields, but over-using them… Read more »
South Africa: Covid Was a Setback for Indigenous Languages - Lecturers On What Went Wrong
South African indigenous languages are among those at risk of a serious decline due to the increasing use of digital technologies. By some estimates only 5% of the world's… Read more »
August 28, 2022
South Africa: Want to Get More Women to Start Their Own Businesses? Here's What It Takes
Globally, men are twice as likely as women to start a business. Most research into how to start a business has been focused on men. Not much has looked at why women are not fully… Read more »
Nigeria: We've Been Tracking Birds in a Small Nigerian Forest for 18 Years. What We Found and Why It Matters
If you live in Europe, you can find almost any statistic you like about the birds in the environment. How many there are of a species, where you find them, whether their population… Read more »
Nigeria: Foreign Banks Are Absent in Nigeria. We Tracked Down Why
Privately owned Nigerian banks hold 94% of Nigerian banking assets. Only one other country in the world - Israel - has a higher share of ownership by local banks. The share of… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa Has a Plan to Make Its Public Service Professional. It's Time to Act On It
A professional, efficient and effective public service is key to a government's ability to deliver on its mandate. That's why South Africa's constitution requires that the public… Read more »
August 27, 2022
Angola: Official Result Gives Ruling MPLA Wafer-Thin Win. On the Streets the Outcome Isn't Believed
Angola's elections were, for the first time, a tight race between the governing People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and a coalition led by its historic rival,… Read more »
August 26, 2022
Somalia: Hadraawi - the Most Famed Poet in Somalia, the Land of the Poets
Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame Said, widely known by his childhood nickname Hadraawi, was one of the greatest Somali poets of all time. He was certainly the most famed Somali poet since… Read more »
August 25, 2022
Chad: Govt Making a Huge Effort to Find Peace - Chadians Aren't Convinced It Will Work
The normally quiet airport at the Chadian capital N'Djamena was recently inundated with internationally well-known arrivals. Read more »
Africa: Storing Cattle Feed Can Improve Milk and Meat Yields - Why Farmers Aren't Doing It
Africa's cattle feed production is a boom-and-bust cycle. Most of the continent's grazing lands are lush and green in the rainy season, only to wither into dry scrublands in the… Read more »
South Africa: Women Refugees Fleeing Violence Seek Safety in South Africa - But They Don't Find It
When I ran away from home there was no safety, and when I came to South Africa there is no safety; it's also happening here. Read more »