insert_link South Africa Over 26 million South Africans get a social grant. Fear of losing the payment used to be a reason to vote for the ANC, but no longer – study By Leila Patel, University of Johannesburg and Yolanda Sadie, University of Johannesburg Social grants to reduce poverty feature prominently in the campaign promises of political parties in South Africa’s 2024 national and provincial general elections, set for 29 May. The country’s social grants system is one of the largest in Africa in terms of number of beneficiaries. Research shows that this has helped reduce poverty. […] today15 May, 2024
Africa South Africans are abandoning smallholder farming – history and policy can help explain why By Klara Fischer, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences South African smallholders are abandoning farming. The decline in field cultivation is a problem, since many of these smallholder households struggle to make ends meet. If people were able to produce more of their own food this would improve their lives. The current situation is a combined effect of the country’s historical legacy and the negative impacts of recent […] today10 May, 2024
insert_link Africa Nigeria’s minimum wage has never protected workers from poverty: here’s why By Stephen Onyeiwu, Allegheny College Wages have become the top issue for Nigeria’s organised labour movements in the past year. Reacting to recent increases in the cost of living, the labour movement has been calling for an upward review of the national minimum wage, currently N30,000 (US$24) a month. The Conversation’s Adejuwon Soyinka asks economics professor Stephen Onyeiwu if Nigeria’s minimum wage truly protects workers from poverty. […] today6 May, 2024
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, […] today22 April, 2024
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 […] today18 April, 2024
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 […] today10 April, 2024
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 […] today2 April, 2024
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. […] today26 March, 2024
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. today14 March, 2024
