insert_link Uncategorized Africa’s 10 ‘most open’ countries for travel By Conrad Onyango, via bird story agency In the past eight years, 35 countries have improved their visa policies and, since 2016, five countries have abolished all visa requirements for African travellers. As a result, citizens of at least five countries can now enjoy visa-free travel in 42 different countries, compared to just three in 2020. According to the Africa Development Bank's Africa Visa Openness Report 2023, most countries […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 3
insert_link Africa Cabo Verde’s malaria victory is a blueprint for Africa By Bonface Orucho, via bird story agency Cabo Verde has achieved a significant milestone in the battle against malaria, securing malaria-free certification from the World Health Organization (WHO). In news released on Friday, January 12, WHO explained that indigenous malaria transmission by Anopheles mosquitoes across the archipelago of 10 islands has been halted nationwide for the past three consecutive years. The country's certification is the fourth on the continent, […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 40
insert_link Africa Culinary passion ignites Botswana’s spice industry: the flavorful journey of chef Cathy By Mmapula Molapong, bird story agency "My memories of food are very powerful. My earliest memory dates back to when I was about eight years old. I absolutely adored going to the farm with my grandmother, we used to get up really early in the morning on weekends to harvest vegetables, sorghum and maize,” said Ompelege Moreosele, who is better known both in Botswana and South Africa as food […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 53
insert_link Environment An ancient system that could bring water to dry areas By Gaathier Mahed, Nelson Mandela University Some of Africa’s dry areas face serious water shortages due to minimal rainfall. An ancient system of drawing water from aquifers, the “qanat system”, could help. Gaathier Mahed, an environmental scientist and expert on the management of groundwater, has studied the feasibility of these systems. He tells us more. How does the qanat system work? There are bodies of water underground known as […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 16
insert_link Health / Medical Dangerous chemicals found in recycled plastics, making them unsafe for use – experts explain the hazards By Bethanie Carney Almroth, University of Gothenburg and Eric Carmona Martinez, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ Plastic pollution is a menace worldwide. Plastics are now found in every environment on the planet, from the deepest seas to the atmosphere and human bodies. Scientific evidence describing harm to the environment and humans is growing. Hence, the United Nations has resolved to negotiate a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 12
insert_link Opinion Pieces South Africa’s ANC marks its 112th year with an eye on national elections, but its record is patchy and future uncertain By Sandy Africa, University of Pretoria The speech President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered at the 112th birthday celebration of South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), on 13 January can be seen as the party’s opening election gambit: a stadium packed to capacity, the display of a united leadership, and an invocation of three decades of success, delivered by a leader firmly in control of his party. The […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 12
insert_link Africa Uganda’s battle for the youth vote – how Museveni keeps Bobi Wine’s reach in check By Rebecca Tapscott, University of York and Anna Macdonald, University of East Anglia Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world, with an average age of 15.9 years. Young people aged below 30 make up about 77% of the country’s population of 47 million people. Young people have legitimate and wide-ranging grievances, from unemployment to disenfranchisement. Opportunities remain limited, with two-thirds of Ugandans working for themselves or […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 5
insert_link Africa A tech hub for young women in Mombasa offers entry into the world of IT to girls and young women from all walks of life, whatever their background. It's quiet at Pwani Teknowgalz, a tech training centre located in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa. A handful of young women are engrossed in activities on their laptops. By rights, Latifa Noor, 25-year-old software developer, should not be here. ”My journey before all this before becoming a software developer, started way back in highschool. A group of women came to our school with a project called STEM (Science, […] todayJanuary 16, 2024 12
insert_link Uncategorized Colonialism shaped modern universities in Africa – how they can become truly African One of the roles of an African university is to produce critical and democratic thinkers. Vieriu Adrian/Getty Images Saleem Badat, University of the Free State Colonialism profoundly shaped modern universities in Africa. It implanted institutions on African soil that were largely replicas of European universities rather than organically African. For historian and political theorist Achille Mbembe, one problem of universities in Africa “is that they are ‘Westernised”. He describes them […] todayJanuary 16, 2024 7