insert_link Africa Africa’s PhDs: study shows how to develop strong graduates who want to make a difference By Sharon Fonn, University of the Witwatersrand and Marta Vicente-Crespo The challenge for universities is to produce graduates who can work with others to produce knowledge and research that can change institutions and societies for the better. That is the basis on which the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (Carta) began developing an approach to teaching PhDs 12 years ago. The consortium supports faculty members […] todayApril 2, 2024 16
insert_link Environment El Niño disasters: governments know what’s coming, but are unprepared – what must change By Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Drought disasters in southern Africa are mainly attributed to a lack of preparedness, inadequate response and mitigation and poor risk reduction measures. With little to no preparation for drought disasters, such as the failure of the staple maize crop, the only option after the disaster hits is delayed relief action. Because of climate change, the El Niño-induced impacts […] todayApril 2, 2024 20
insert_link Environment South Africa’s laws aren’t geared to protecting against climate change: judges are trying to fill the gap By Melanie Murcott, University of Cape Town and Clive Vinti, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa has plenty of environmental laws but none that specifically oblige government officials to consider the risks and impacts of climate change when they approve new developments. In their research, environmental law experts Clive Vinti and Melanie Jean Murcott set out how judges are dealing with this gap in the law. What are […] todayApril 2, 2024 29
insert_link Health / Medical New TB skin test could offer cheaper and easier way to detect the disease By Yvette Naudé, University of Pretoria Detecting tuberculosis early could play a significant role in eradicating the world’s most deadly infectious disease. The World Health Organization says 1.5 million people die from this devastating disease each year. People infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the TB bacteria that attack the lungs, often do not know that they have it until their symptoms become severe. Two out of every […] todayMarch 28, 2024 38
insert_link Africa Under the shadow of war in the DRC, a mining company’s actions face impunity Land grabbing, lack of consultation, communities wiped off maps, and impunity. These are the serious accusations made against the mining company Alphamin Bisie Mining SA by the Indigenous communities of Banamwesi and Motondo, which oversee community forest concessions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Years of complaints by these communities and civil society organizations have been met with no reaction from provincial government officials or […] todayMarch 28, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Victims of Jammeh’s Barbaric Rule in Gambia Still Hope for Solace and Money Gambia, a tiny country of 2.6 million tightly knit people, located right in the middle of Senegal in West Africa, is still struggling to recover from the brutal 22-year authoritarian reign of Yahya Jammeh. He was the longtime former president who fled the country in 2016 to nearby Equatorial Guinea after he lost re-election and regional states forced him from power. A range of United Nations agencies and bodies […] todayMarch 28, 2024 20
insert_link Environment Venomous snakes could start migrating in large numbers if we hit 5ºC warming By Pablo Ariel Martinez, Universidade Federal de Sergipe A global group of scientists has predicted that climate change may cause dramatic movements in venomous snake populations across many countries in Africa. The scientists took into account climate change predictions about changes to the current habitats of 209 venomous snakes, and mapped where those environments were found elsewhere. Based on this, they predict that snakes were likely to migrate […] todayMarch 28, 2024 75
insert_link Business / Economics Financial Planning for Namibia’s Millennials By Ashante Manetti, Group Marketing Manager, Old Mutual Namibia Financial freedom. It's a term that conjures up images of early retirement, dream vacations, and unshakeable security. But for Namibia's millennial generation, this dream can often feel shrouded in uncertainty. With student loan burdens, a competitive job market, and a rising cost of living, achieving financial stability can seem like an uphill battle. Financial planning for millennials isn't […] todayMarch 28, 2024 14
insert_link Business / Economics South Africa’s electricity crisis: what political parties say in their election manifestos about solving it By Hartmut Winkler, University of Johannesburg South Africa is in the middle of a deep electricity crisis. In 2023 the public, many of whom are voters, experienced the worst loadshedding to date, losing power for an average of five hours a day. The power shortages were largely due to excessive breakdowns in the country’s coal power plant fleet, which generates over 80% of South Africa’s electricity, combined […] todayMarch 28, 2024 17