insert_link Business / Economics South Africa’s security forces once brutally entrenched apartheid. It’s been a rocky road to reform By Sandy Africa, University of Pretoria One of the important tasks that faced South Africa’s democratic government after 1994 was to reform the apartheid-era security apparatus. The African National Congress (ANC), which was voted into power, had a laudable vision in the 1990s for reforming the police, military and intelligence services. Determined that South Africans would never again be subject to the brutality of the security forces, […] todayApril 22, 2024 30
insert_link Africa How to end hunger in sub-Saharan Africa: fight inequality, gender imbalances and climate change By Helen Onyeaka, University of Birmingham A greater part of Africa’s population can’t afford a healthy diet than any other regional population. Food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa is caused by climate change, high levels of poverty, rapid population growth, low economic growth, inadequate infrastructure and conflicts. Women are the backbone of agricultural labour in the region. The problems of limited access to land, water and technology faced […] todayApril 18, 2024 18
insert_link Africa West Africa’s falling fish stocks: illegal Chinese trawlers, climate change and artisanal fishing fleets to blame By Robert Paarlberg, Harvard University Average fish catches by traditional fishing communities along the west African coast have declined significantly over the past three decades. Along the Gulf of Guinea, stretching from Côte d'Ivoire to Nigeria, fishers launch their wooden canoes from the beach to catch small pelagic fish, like sardines and anchovies, which they sell into local informal markets to make a living. They have done […] todayApril 10, 2024 5
insert_link Environment El Niño disasters: governments know what’s coming, but are unprepared – what must change By Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Drought disasters in southern Africa are mainly attributed to a lack of preparedness, inadequate response and mitigation and poor risk reduction measures. With little to no preparation for drought disasters, such as the failure of the staple maize crop, the only option after the disaster hits is delayed relief action. Because of climate change, the El Niño-induced impacts […] todayApril 2, 2024 25
insert_link Health / Medical Medical science has made great strides in fighting TB, but reducing poverty is the best way to end this disease By Tom Nyirenda, Stellenbosch University Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis. Even though the disease is both preventable and curable, it kills 1.5 million people each year, making it the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Over 25% of these deaths occur in African countries. The World Health Organization has developed a strategy to reduce TB deaths by 95% by 2035. It’s a monumental task. […] todayMarch 26, 2024 21
insert_link Namibia National youth population increases According to the 2023 Population and Housing Preliminary Report by the Namibia Statistics Agency, the country's population has almost doubled since independence, reaching 3.02 million in 2023. With the country’s youth making up 2.1 million of the population, labour experts, like Herbert Jauch, are foreseeing continued issues of youth unemployment, poverty, and inequality in the future. todayMarch 14, 2024 24
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 […] todayMarch 14, 2024 27
insert_link Namibia Namibia’s Youthful Demographic Challenges: Population Hits Three Million Alex Shimuafeni, the statistician general of the Namibia Statistics Agency, has disclosed that Namibia's population has reached three million, with a significant portion of 2.1 million being young individuals. This demographic trend is anticipated to perpetuate issues such as youth unemployment, poverty, and inequality, according to experts. The data unveiled an increase in the country's population from 2.1 million in 2011 to three million in 2023. Statistics indicate that 71.1% […] todayMarch 14, 2024 14
insert_link World How Haiti became a failed state By Nicolas Forsans, University of Essex The US military started airlifting embassy staff out of Haiti overnight as the Caribbean island descends further into chaos. Rival gangs have joined forces to overrun the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, in an attempt to force the resignation of the acting president, Ariel Henry. The gang leader behind the violence, Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, has warned there will be a “civil war that […] todayMarch 11, 2024 30