Malaria: two groundbreaking vaccines have been developed, but access and rollout are still big stumbling blocks

By Rose Leke, Université de Yaounde 1 The approval of two malaria vaccines – the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine in 2021 and the R21/Matrix-MTM vaccine in 2023 – will help control, and eventually help eradicate, a disease that causes more than 600,000 deaths annually. Nearly 2 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have been vaccinated with the RTS,S/AS01 vaccine. It will be rolled out to more African countries from early next year. […]

November 23, 2023 6

Africa

Expert says the future of African energy lies in low-carbon technologies

Energy experts believe the future of African energy lies in low-carbon technologies. PwC South Africa’s Martin Solomon says opportunities for renewables on the continent are there, but has to be utilised in a balanced system. He told SABC News that stable electricity infrastructure may make it easier for the continent to adopt clean energy.

November 22, 2023 18

Uncategorized

Government tackles housing backlog

Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni says his ministry is addressing the severe housing backlog of 300,000 units. uutoni has acknowledged challenges like slow land delivery, high prices, and regulatory hurdles.

November 22, 2023 29

Africa

Uganda investigates unidentified illness

Ugandan health authorities are investigating an unidentified disease outbreak that has killed at least 12 people in a span of two weeks in Kyotera district in the central region. The BBC reports that affected patients had rashes on the skin which kept widening, before dying in a matter of days while some had swollen limbs. The country’s Ministry of Health has collected fresh samples but the findings are yet to […]

November 22, 2023 7

Environment

SASSCAL holds talks ahead of COP28

The Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management is hosting the "SASSCAL CLIMATE-CHANGE DIALOGUE," engaging countries in high-level discussions on the COP28 agenda and climate issues within SASSCAL countries. Here is the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Anna Shiweda.

November 21, 2023 14

Africa

Is Tribalism a problem in Africa?

Tribalism has been a significant challenge in various parts of Africa, contributing to political, social, and economic issues in some regions. Tribalism refers to the strong loyalty and identification with one's ethnic or tribal group, often at the expense of national unity. It can manifest in various forms, including political favoritism, discrimination, and conflicts based on ethnic or tribal lines. In some cases, tribalism has been a factor in political […]

November 21, 2023 8

Africa

Antibiotic resistance causes more deaths than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. What Africa is doing to fight this silent epidemic

By Tom Nyirenda, Stellenbosch University Each year antimicrobial resistance – the ability of microbes to survive agents designed to kill them – claims more lives than malaria and HIV/Aids combined. Africa bears the brunt of this development, which thrives on inequality and poverty. Nadine Dreyer asked Tom Nyirenda, a research scientist with over 27 years’ experience in infectious diseases, what health organisations on the continent are doing to fight this […]

November 21, 2023 5

Africa

Concerns grow over unauthorised fuel licensing and pricing

The Ministry of Mines and Energy is concerned about the increasing number of advertisements on social media platforms where individuals and entities are offering wholesale and retail fuel licenses, marketing fuel at unofficially gazetted prices, often from unlicensed locations. Ministry spokesperson Ten Hasheela.

November 20, 2023 44

Africa

There are too few toilets in Africa and it’s a public health hazard – how to fix the problem

Omololu Fagunwa, Queen's University Belfast and Helen Onyeaka, University of Birmingham Imagine you are miles from the nearest restroom, and nature’s call is urgent – a situation that might raise a mild panic during a hike or at a music festival. Now, picture that same scenario, not as a one-off inconvenience, but as a daily reality. This is the case for about half a billion people globally. In African countries, […]

November 17, 2023 24

Africa