insert_link Africa How expensive it is to be poor: Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté inspires global action against malaria at TED2024 In a stirring address at TED2024, Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté, Head of Medical Entomology and Parasitology at the Research Institute in Health Sciences in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, and Principal Investigator of Target Malaria Burkina Faso, shared his journey with malaria and his resolute commitment to eradicating it. Prof. Diabaté's talk shed light on the devastating toll of malaria, particularly in Africa, and stressed the urgent need for transformative solutions. […] todayApril 30, 2024 33
insert_link Africa Deadly Flash Floods and Landslide Strike Central Kenya At least 45 individuals perished and over 110 sustained injuries in central Kenya on Monday due to flash floods and a landslide that ravaged the town of Mai Mahiu. According to Reuters, the government reported that floodwaters engulfed homes and vehicles, resulting in extensive devastation. Initially attributed to a burst dam by police, the Ministry of Water later identified a blocked river tunnel beneath a railway embankment as the root […] todayApril 30, 2024 10
insert_link Africa African leaders in Djibouti for World Bank summit Several African leaders are gathering in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, for the World Bank's International Development Association summit. The two-day summit, according to the BBC, aims to address development challenges on the continent and work towards creating prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable economies. The IDA is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. todayApril 29, 2024 9
insert_link Africa Opposition accuses Togo government of extending President’s rule Tensions have risen in Togo as parliamentary and regional elections are underway amid controversy over a new constitution extending President Faure Gnassingbé's term. The BBC reports that opposition parties have accused the government of using the reform to extend Gnassingbé's family's 57-year rule, allowing him to potentially stay in power until 2031. todayApril 29, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Uganda’s tax system isn’t bringing in enough revenue but is targeting small business the answer? By Maria Jouste, United Nations University Uganda, with a fiscal deficit of 5.6% in 2023, has increasingly turned to local resources to make up for its revenue shortfall since the World Bank suspended its funding on 8 August 2023 over the country’s anti-homosexuality law. In early April 2024, traders in downtown Kampala protested against what they saw as high taxes and harsh enforcement tactics of the […] todayApril 29, 2024 8
insert_link Africa Sudan’s civil war is rooted in its historical favouritism of Arab and Islamic identity By Hamdy A. Hassan, Zayed University The current civil war in Sudan goes beyond a simple power struggle between two generals. It reflects a deep-rooted crisis within the country’s governing structure that’s been present since it gained independence from the British in 1956. Since independence, the Sudanese have experienced 35 coups and attempted coups, more than any other African country. In the country’s southern region a 56-year […] todayApril 29, 2024 5
insert_link Africa Margaret Busby: how a pioneering Ghanaian publisher put African women’s writing on the map By Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, University of the Witwatersrand Published in 1992, Daughters of Africa is a groundbreaking volume of writing by women of African descent. It was followed by an expanded second edition, New Daughters of Africa, in 2019. The mind behind the books is pioneering Ghanaian-born publisher, writer and editor Margaret Busby. She became the first Black female publisher in the UK at 20 when […] todayApril 29, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Kenyan doctors’ strike: the government keeps failing to hold up its end of the bargain By Kahura Mundia, University of Nairobi At least 4,000 doctors are employed in Kenya’s public healthcare sector. Almost all of them went on strike on 14 March 2024, demanding the implementation of a labour agreement signed with the government in 2017. The agreement promised higher salaries, better working conditions and the recruitment of doctors. The Kenyan government said it didn’t have the money to honour the agreement, […] todayApril 29, 2024 12
insert_link Africa Sierra Leone’s Energy Minister Resigns Amid Electricity Crisis Sierra Leone's Energy Minister, Kanja Sesay, resigned on Friday in the midst of a prolonged electricity crisis. His resignation came on the same day the government disclosed partial payment of outstanding debts owed to energy providers. Sesay took full responsibility for the crisis in his resignation letter. Following Sesay's resignation, President Julius Maada Bio's office announced that the energy ministry would now be directly supervised by the president. todayApril 29, 2024 10