Cultural wealth can drive economic growth in African cities

By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency With the right policies, African cities hold immense potential to drive significant economic growth by capitalizing on their rich cultural heritage and harnessing the creativity of their youthful populations, according to a new report. “Africa’s urban landscapes are not just repositories of heritage and tradition; they are dynamic centres of innovation, awaiting the right policies to support unlocking their full potential,” the […]

March 25, 2024 24

Africa

Pangolins in Africa: expert unpacks why millions have been traded illegally and what can be done about it

By Olajumoke Morenikeji, University of Ibadan Pangolins are fascinating creatures known for their unique appearance and distinctive scales. They are mammals belonging to the order Pholidota and are native to Africa and Asia. Due to their primary diet of ants and termites, pangolins are often referred to as “scaly anteaters”. The African pangolin species are dispersed throughout southern, western, central and east Africa. Pangolins face rapid […]

March 22, 2024 50

Africa

AU says African democracy a ‘ship in troubled waters’

Speaking on behalf of AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, says Africa has reached a tipping point and should "return to being an axis of progressive democracy" by enforcing the continent's zero tolerance to unconstitutional changes in governance. “Our badly bruised historical experience of dictatorship cannot be replicated in the 21st century again because these emerging anti-constitutional norms negate our commitment […]

March 22, 2024 4

Africa

Duckbill dinosaur discovery in Morocco – expert unpacks the mystery of how they got there

By Nicholas R. Longrich, University of Bath Why are fossils of duckbill dinosaurs, a North American family, found in North Africa? Dinosaurs couldn’t just walk there. Sixty-six million years ago, when duckbills suddenly appear in Africa’s fossil record, the world’s land masses formed a series of islands. A seaway divided eastern and western North America; Europe was an archipelago. South America, India, Australia and Madagascar were all island […]

March 22, 2024 26

Africa

Africa is fueling India’s economic ambitions

By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency India is growing its investment and nurturing diplomatic alliances with a range of countries in Africa, recognizing the continent as a key component in its pursuit of superpower status. In the latest move, Ethiopia’s ambassador to India disclosed to The Print, an Indian news outlet recently, that the two countries are “in the final stages of clinching defence cooperation.” This is just […]

March 20, 2024 12

Environment

76% of Africa’s energy could come from renewable sources by 2040: here’s how

By Christiane Zarfl, University of Tübingen and Rebecca Peters, University of Tübingen Over half of Africa’s people – about 600 million – lack access to even the bare minimum of electricity. The tough question to answer is how access can be extended without adding to global warming by relying on fossil fuels. We – a team from Rwanda and Germany who work in the field of renewable […]

March 19, 2024 45

Africa

Press freedom in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda: what journalists have to say about doing their jobs

By Karen McIntyre, Virginia Commonwealth University and Meghan Sobel Cohen, Regis University A majority of the world’s population has experienced a decline in press freedom in recent years, according to a UN report. In east Africa, the results are mixed and debatable. In Rwanda, both international press freedom rankings and journalists on the ground say press freedom has increased over the past 10 years. In neighbouring Uganda, both […]

March 19, 2024 7

Africa

Undersea cables for Africa’s internet retrace history and leave digital gaps as they connect continents

By Jess Auerbach Jahajeeah, University of Cape Town Large parts of west and central Africa, as well as some countries in the south of the continent, were left without internet services on 14 March because of failures on four of the fibre optic cables that run below the world’s oceans. Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Ghana, Burkina Faso and South Africa were among the worst affected. By midday […]

March 18, 2024 9

Africa

Appetite from local investors fuels surge in African startup funding

By Seth Onyango, bird story agency Despite a steep downturn in startup funding in Africa since 2022, more African investors are channelling substantial investments into homegrown enterprises. This is a marked departure from the previous years, when North American investors, particularly from the U.S., led the charge in startup funding across the continent. Analysis from Africa: The Big Deal identified at least 619 unique investors who participated in […]

March 14, 2024 35

Africa