Why Nigerian companies topped Africa’s fastest growing list in a difficult year

Why Nigerian companies topped Africa’s fastest growing list in a difficult year

By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency In early 2023, when Nigeria began rolling out its newly designed currency notes, the country was hit by a cash crisis. The reason? Nigeria’s apex bank had put a cap on the maximum amount of hard cash that individuals and corporations could withdraw as part of wider efforts to tame money laundering. While this scarcity of hard cash worsened […]

May 21, 2024 9

Africa

“Silent disease” outed at African Hepatitis Convention

From the left: Mark Sonderup, Danjuma Adda, Mark Heywood, Elaine Saayman and Yolaan Andrews during a session at the African Viral Hepatitis Convention on Saturday. Photo: Liezl Human By Liezl Human, via GroundUp The African Viral Hepatitis Convention this past week has put a spotlight on the need for eliminating hepatitis B and C, a disease which has infected millions of South Africans and can cause liver cancer if […]

May 21, 2024 26

Africa

Morocco turbocharges its e-sports economy

By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency Morocco's e-gaming scene is booming, fueled by a growing youthful community, dynamic esports events, and strong government support. From May 24th to 26th the North African country hosts its first gaming expo at the Sofitel Jardin des Roses in Rabat Gaming City. Aymane Mehdi, a software engineer and e-gamer involved in organizing the expo said the event offers a “sneak […]

May 21, 2024 39

Africa

Snakebites can destroy skin, muscle, and even bone – exciting progress on drugs to treat them

By Steven R. Hall, Lancaster University and Nicholas Casewell, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine The World Health Organization estimates that 1.8 million to 2.7 million people are envenomed by snakes annually, resulting in upwards of 138,000 deaths. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, snakebite annually kills between 20,000 and 32,000 people, though a 2022 paper suggests this is likely a gross underestimate. Africa is home to […]

May 21, 2024 13

Africa

Seychelles: floating baby corals can help save damaged reefs – new study

By April J Burt, University of Oxford and Noam Vogt-Vincent, University of Hawaii The Seychelles archipelago of 115 islands stretches across a vast area of the western Indian Ocean. Each island is fringed by coral reefs. Coral reefs are formed by colonies of invertebrate animals that build hard skeletons and grow in a myriad of forms. These complex tropical reefs support a third of all […]

May 21, 2024 13

Africa

US troops to leave Niger

The United States and Niger have agreed that American troops will leave the country "no later" than 15 September, they announced in a joint statement on Sunday. According to the BBC, the two countries "reached a disengagement agreement to effect the withdrawal of U.S. forces, which has already begun". The US has relied on Niger as its primary base for monitoring regional jihadist activity.

May 20, 2024 36

Africa

Ruto’s historic US visit faces scrutiny over domestic issues

Kenya's President William Ruto is set to embark on a historic state visit to the US on 23 May 2024, marking the first visit by an African leader since Ghana’s John Kufuor in 2008. This visit underscores Ruto’s growing influence in the West and his role as a prominent voice for Africa. Since his election as president in 2022, Ruto has elevated his international profile through advocacy on climate issues […]

May 20, 2024 13

Africa

Will training AI to be more “African” undermine our literary ownership?

By Seth Onyango, bird story agency Recent pushback by Singaporean writers against state efforts to use their work for AI training, has cast the spotlight on a similar conundrum in Africa. As efforts to imbue Large Language Models (LLMs) with a deeper understanding of African perspectives and narratives gain traction, the African literary community stands at a crossroads. Will they protect their intellectual property like […]

May 20, 2024 42

Africa

African table tennis stars storm Kigali for Paris tickets

By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency Africa’s table tennis talent is at full display in Rwanda as the East african country plays host to the 2024 edition of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) tournament alongside the African Olympic Qualification Tournament. The two combined tournaments, which also serve as Olympic qualifiers are being hosted at the BK Arena in Kigali from May 15 to 18 […]

May 20, 2024 30