Africa Discrimination against young African diasporans in France, U.K. and U.S. is driving interest and connection towards Africa, a new report What’s it like being an African youth in the diaspora? According to the new Being African: How Africans Experience the Diaspora report, diasporic African youths experience different types of discrimination — exoticization in France, microaggressions in the UK, and surveillance and profiling in the US. The latest research report by narrative-change organization Africa No Filter investigates how young Africans experience their diaspora, how they define being African and the basis of their […] todayFebruary 2, 2024 16
insert_link Environment Tropical forests share similar mix of common and rare tree species, study shows A flowering tree in the Amazon rainforest canopy. Photo credit: Rhett A. Butler By Liz Kimbrough via Mongabay A new study has for the first time identified the most common tree species in the tropical forests of Africa, the Amazon and Southeast Asia — and their similarities have surprised scientists. “The [study] shows some uncanny similarities among the world’s great tropical rainforests,” said tropical ecologist Bill Laurance, a co-author of […] todayFebruary 1, 2024 36
insert_link Africa Africa’s battery manufacturing activity is charging ahead By Bonface Orucho, via bird story agency Africa is leading a homegrown revolution in battery manufacturing, leveraging its abundant green mineral resources and clean energy to feed surging global demand for clean, green, renewable energy storage. Strategic partnerships between countries and investment partners are gaining momentum, aiming to transform the continent, currently a net importer of batteries, into a self-sufficient region capable of meeting the growing battery storage demand […] todayJanuary 31, 2024 21
insert_link Opinion Pieces Customer experience, efficiency to drive growth of Africa’s telco sector this year by Louis Avenant, Senior Project Manager at Itemate Solutions Africa's vibrant telco sector is set for a bumper year in 2024 as it expands operations and broadens service offerings to meet the needs of an increasingly digital-savvy customer base. Industry projections estimate the Africa telco sector will grow by $2.24-billion between 2020 and 2024, with longer-term growth expected to be powered by the rollout of high-speed 5G connectivity and a growing […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 20
insert_link Africa 1 in every 3 dollars invested into startups in Africa in 2023 went into climate tech By Seth Onyango, via bird story agency Climate tech startups bucked the trend in Africa's venture capital space, actively notching up an impressive $1 billion amidst a broader funding fall-off in 2023. Data tracker, Africa: The Big Deal notes that around 1 in 3 dollars invested into startups on the continent in the forecast period went to climate tech startups. The strength of the sector according to the Deal, illustrates […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 4
insert_link Africa Neglected tropical diseases persist in the world’s poorest places: four reads about hurdles and progress By Nadine Dreyer, via The Conversation It’s sobering to reflect that “neglected tropical diseases” are referred to as “neglected” because they persist in the poorest, most marginalised communities even after being wiped out in more developed parts of the world. A variety of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and toxins, cause neglected tropical diseases, which include dengue, chikungunya, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis and yaws. They inflict tremendous suffering because […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 14
insert_link Africa Kenya’s healthcare workers abuse a third of teen mums from informal settlements – study By Anthony Idowu Ajayi, African Population and Health Research Center and Caroline W. Kabiru, African Population and Health Research Center Adolescent pregnancy is a global public health concern: in 2022, about 13% of girls and young women gave birth before the age of 18. Compared with women in their early 20s, adolescents are more susceptible to maternal deaths. Pregnancy-related complications are among the leading causes of death […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 36
insert_link Africa UNDP’s New $1 Billion Fund Could Boost Africa’s Tech Startups Globally At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Presidents Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, left, and Paul Kagame of Rwanda helped launch the United Nations Development Program’s investment fund directed at tech startups in Africa. Called Timbuktoo, it could cushion the bearish state of venture capital globally. WEF2024 By Damilola Banjo via PassBlue Venture capital funding is shrinking globally, but experts are optimistic that a new $1 billion investment […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 25
insert_link Environment Scientists warn of ‘extinction crisis’ stalking Africa’s raptors An adult secretarybird on a flat-topped tree. Image by LionMountain via Pixabay (Public domain). By Malavika Vyawahare via Mongabay Secretarybirds build their nests high in flat-topped acacia trees to avoid land-bound predators. So when researcher Wesley Gush climbed up those trees to get to their nests, he knew it was a surprise for them. What the nestlings did surprised him too: They played dead, according to Gush. But a new study warns that the […] todayJanuary 30, 2024 20
