Bees bring honey and hope to a forest reserve in Nigeria

Bees bring honey and hope to a forest reserve in Nigeria

Image of a honeybee by Andrea Fabiani Ph via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). By Orji Sunday via Mongabay Nightfall at the Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve field station is clad in the whispers, chirps and trills of insect song. Flames from the burning wood in the fire pit pierce the darkness as flashlights held by field assistants and patrollers reveal a river of fog flowing over the surrounding grassland and […]

February 27, 2024 48

Africa

Lagos: drugs, firearms and youth unemployment are creating a lethal cocktail in Nigeria’s commercial capital

By Adewumi I. Badiora, Olabisi Onabanjo University Lagos is the most populous city in Africa and a regional economic giant, having west Africa’s busiest seaport. It is the centre of commercial and economic activities in Nigeria. The city’s population is estimated to be 20 million people. The existence of informal settlements makes it difficult to come up with a more precise number. Lagos has grown rapidly since […]

February 21, 2024 18

Africa

Tech-savvy Africans are hedging against inflation by going digital

By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency The recent announcement by Opera MiniPay that it had signed up over one million users in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana just five months after its launch is the clearest indication yet of the rising popularity of decentralised finance, or DeFi tools, across the continent. “MiniPay makes it easier and more affordable for individuals across Africa to acquire, send and receive Mento […]

February 19, 2024 18

Africa

Nigerian E-payments eclipse South Africa’s 2022 GDP, in latest surge

When the Nigerian Central Bank introduced newly designed currency notes in November 2022 and a month later put a cap on the maximum amount of hard cash that individuals and corporations could withdraw, the idea was to tame money laundering in the country. During that year’s Christmas festive season and in the run-up to the 2023 Nigerian presidential election in February 2023 –– two high spending seasons –– the country […]

February 15, 2024 11

Africa

African football won the 34th Afcon, with Côte d’Ivoire a close second

By Chuka Onwumechili, Howard University The 34th Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) came to an end in Côte d'Ivoire with millions of viewers around the world shouting at TV screens, and an astonishing performance by Côte d'Ivoire both on the field as champions and off it as hosts. The west African country beat Nigeria 2-1 in the final but the good news was bigger than the match. […]

February 14, 2024 6

Business / Economics

Investment in African women-founded and led startups remains a bright spot in a global ecosystem drained of funding.

By Conrad Onyango, via bird story agency Africa’s women-led startups retained their sparkle through 2023, against the backdrop of one of the darkest periods for global startup funding, raising US$200 million, 7% growth over the previous year, according to a report from Africa: The Big Deal. In 2022, these female-founded ventures had grown by 4%. The amount remains significantly lower than the US$ 2.7 billion raised […]

February 9, 2024 6

Africa

Nigeria’s street food: tasty but toxic? Expert shares advice to make it safer

By Helen Onyeaka, University of Birmingham In the lively streets of Nigeria’s cities, where delicious street food is a daily delight, a wide variety of food can be bought and consumed instantly. From the sizzling suya snack in Abuja to the aromatic jollof rice in Lagos, street food has become an integral part of Nigerian life. However, beneath these enticing flavours lies a critical question of public safety […]

February 9, 2024 35

Africa

Tensions rise over safety of Nigerians in South Africa

An advisory issued by the High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Pretoria has raised concerns about the safety of Nigerians in South Africa. South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson, Clayson Monyela, says the advisory is regrettable.

February 7, 2024 8

Africa

Women fishers in Makoko, Lagos’s ‘floating slum’, are struggling as breadwinners: education and funding would make a difference

Makoko women fish traders waiting to buy fish from fishermen. Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP / Getty Images Ayodele Oloko, University of British Columbia Makoko, a coastal fishing community in Lagos, Nigeria, was established by fishermen in the 19th century. It is considered the world’s largest “floating slum”. There are conflicting figures about its population but it is home to about a million inhabitants living in poor and informal housing built […]

February 7, 2024 8