insert_link World Hundreds of Nigerian children are being kidnapped – the government must change its security strategy By Al Chukwuma Okoli, Federal University Lafia School abductions have been a trend in Nigeria. The latest took place in Kaduna and Sokoto states, both in the north-west region, when over 300 children were abducted at different times in March 2024. Previous prominent cases have included the Chibok, Dapchi and Kankara abductions, which insurgents claimed to have perpetrated. As a security scholar and analyst who has researched and […] today25 March, 2024
insert_link 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 […] today22 March, 2024
insert_link Africa Nigeria’s fuel subsidy removal was too sudden: why a gradual approach would have been better By Stephen Onyeiwu, Allegheny College Nigeria removed fuel subsidies entirely in May 2023. This came as a surprise because of the political risks associated with subsidy removal. Previous administrations were reluctant to jettison the subsidies. The subsidies had been in place since the 1970s, when the government sold petrol to Nigerians at a price below cost – though most consumers weren’t aware of this. The 1977 […] today20 March, 2024
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 […] today18 March, 2024
insert_link Africa Inflation in Nigeria is still climbing while it has slowed globally: here’s why By Stephen Onyeiwu, Allegheny College Just as Nigerians were gradually digging out from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were hit by high inflation. The Nigerian economy contracted by 6.1% at the peak of COVID in the second quarter of 2020. Unemployment rate rose from 27% in the second quarter of 2020 to 33% in the fourth quarter of the same year. The World Bank estimated […] today14 March, 2024
insert_link 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 […] today14 March, 2024
insert_link Africa Lagos bans single-use plastics – why I think Nigeria should have taxed them instead By Kehinde Allen-Taylor, Technical University Braunschweig Waste pollution is a huge problem in Nigeria, with serious impacts on the environment. In response, the Lagos state government has banned styrofoam (a type of plastic widely used as food containers) and other single-use products. Following a three-week moratorium for producers and sellers to mop up styrofoam containers, enforcement began on 4 March 2024. In 2019, Nigeria was estimated to […] today12 March, 2024
insert_link Africa Nigeria risks losing all its forest elephants – what we found when we went looking for them By Rosemary Iriowen Egonmwan, University of Lagos and Bola Oboh, University of Lagos Nigeria is one of 37 African countries where elephants are found in the wild. Savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) can be found in the north and forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) in the south. It’s not clear how many elephants there are in Nigeria. Eighteen years ago, the African Elephant Study Report estimated that there were […] today12 March, 2024
Africa Nigeria is the second fastest-growing country in the world for software developers, Egypt seventh Conrad Onyango, bird story agency The latest data from GitHub, a global hub for software development, has listed the two African economies - Nigeria and Egypt - as among the world’s 10 fastest-growing countries for software development in 2023. It may come as no surprise that software development is on the rise in Africa. Vibrant startup hubs across the continent have become famous, with Silicon Cape, Silicon Savannah and Silicon […] today8 March, 2024