insert_link Africa Mysterious African manatees inspire a growing chorus of champions By Petro Kotzé, via Mongabay As a young student, Aristide Kamla had “big plans” when he traveled to Lake Ossa in Cameroon to conduct his master’s degree fieldwork with the little-known African manatee. He was hoping for a manatee count and a management plan to come out of the expedition on the roughly 4,000-hectare (10,000-acre) lake. But securing grants was difficult for this budding researcher, so his first funder […] todaySeptember 10, 2024 23
insert_link Africa Mpox outbreak in Africa was neglected – it could now turn into the next global pandemic By Wolfgang Preiser, Stellenbosch University; Cheryl Baxter, Stellenbosch University, and Jean Nachega, Stellenbosch University The mpox outbreak in Africa is yet another example of how infectious diseases perceived to be “someone else’s problem”, and affecting mainly poor, developing countries, may suddenly pose unexpected global threats. Other examples of neglected diseases include the West Nile, Zika and Chikungunya viruses. Mpox was discovered in 1958 (in captive monkeys, hence the […] todayAugust 19, 2024 19
insert_link Africa France reducing military presence in West, Central Africa to 600 troops: sources By Daphné BENOIT France is planning to reduce its military presence in West and Central Africa to around 600 troops in line with President Emmanuel Macron's plans to limit the French military footprint in the region, three sources told AFP. In February 2023, Macron announced "noticeable reduction" of French troop presence in Africa, as anti-French sentiment is running high in some former colonies and countries […] todayJune 17, 2024 26
insert_link Africa CFA franc: conditions are ripe for replacement of the west African currency rooted in colonialism – expert By Kai Koddenbrock, Bard College Berlin At no point in history has the CFA franc – the name of a colonial currency used in west and central African countries belonging to the franc zone – been closer to its demise. Senegal has overwhelmingly voted for leftwing Pastef candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye (and his former party leader Ousmane Sonko) while the coup governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger […] todayApril 8, 2024 39
insert_link Africa Cameroon’s rebels may not achieve their goal of creating the Ambazonian state – but they’re still a threat to stability By Manu Lekunze, University of Aberdeen Cameroon’s separatist insurgency is an armed conflict in the country’s North West (NW) and South West (SW) regions that began in 2017. It pits government forces against several non-state armed groups, locally known as “Amba rebels”. The rebels seek to create a state called Ambazonia out of Cameroon’s English-speaking regions. The conflict has killed over 6,000 people and displaced 765,000. Over […] todayMarch 18, 2024 3
insert_link Africa Fintech and energy illuminate DR Congo’s nascent startup ecosystem By Conrad Onyango, via bird story agency The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of the world’s most resource-rich countries, is carving out a new prosperity niche as it emerges on the global tech scene. Known for its green metals, cobalt and copper, and the world's second-largest rainforest, the newest member of the East African Community is having a moment in the startup ecosystem. In 2023 the country raised […] todayJanuary 23, 2024 18
