insert_link Africa More than half of Zimbabwean population needs food aid Zimbabwe’s cabinet has revealed that more than half of the nation’s population of about 15 million people will immediately need food aid until March next year, as the country reels from the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon that’s already slashed corn output and led to a national state of disaster being declared. Bloomberg reports that the southern African nation’s rural areas are the most affected with 6 million […] todayMay 16, 2024 3
insert_link Africa Insurance payouts expected for some Southern African drought hit countries A drought driven by the El Nino weather pattern is likely to trigger insurance payouts to four southern African countries that took out cover with an agency of the African Union. Bloomberg reports that Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique will receive payments at the end of the harvesting season, according to current projections, African Risk Capacity said in a statement but the payments are unlikely to meet regional needs. todayApril 22, 2024 9
insert_link Entertainment South Africa’s conservation model: why expanding the use of biodiversity to generate money is a good idea By Hayley Clements, Stellenbosch University; Alta De Vos, Stellenbosch University, and Matthew Child, University of Pretoria South Africa’s government is calling for public comments on an updated version of its existing biodiversity economy plan. The National Biodiversity Economy Strategy aims to conserve biodiversity while also contributing to job creation and economic growth. It proposes to do this by promoting sustainable use of the country’s natural resources. The […] todayApril 5, 2024 8
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 11
insert_link Africa What’s behind the worldwide shortage of cholera vaccines? For starters, they’re only made by one company By Edina Amponsah-Dacosta, University of Cape Town In February 2024 the World Health Organization announced southern Africa was suffering the deadliest regional outbreak of cholera in at least a decade. At the epicentre of the disaster were Malawi, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, where cholera cases surged more than four-fold between 2022 and 2023. Over 1,600 deaths were reported in the three countries. Already 2024 is threatening to be […] todayMarch 12, 2024 17
insert_link Africa Dry weather hits southern Africa’s farmers, putting key maize supplies at risk: how to blunt the impact By Wandile Sihlobo, Stellenbosch University South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have recently published reports indicating a potential decline in grain harvest because of intense El Niño-induced dryness. These developments could put the entire Southern Africa maize supply chain at risk, with Zambia and South Africa hard hit by heatwaves and dryness. The neighbouring small producers such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia are also struggling with dryness. […] todayMarch 7, 2024 15
insert_link Africa BMW bets big on Africa’s green hydrogen industry with SA fuel cell test vehicle By Seth Onyango, via bird story agency BMW has claimed its place as the breakout star in Africa's race for commercial hydrogen mobility with the unveiling of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in South Africa. In a shot in the arm for Africa's fledgling green hydrogen industry, the automaker chose Southern Africa for the test drive of its BMW iX5 Hydrogen. The continent has been seeking to […] todayFebruary 22, 2024
insert_link Environment Rhinos can’t sweat, making them vulnerable to overheating: global warming could wipe them out in southern Africa By Timothy Randhir, UMass Amherst Southern Africa is home to 22,137 of the world’s 23,432 white and black African rhinos. But they’re facing grave threats because of a warming planet. Now, the first study of how climate change affects rhinos in southern Africa has found that they will cease to exist in the region’s national parks by 2085 if the world takes the worst-case scenario climate change […] todayFebruary 16, 2024 8
insert_link Africa The San people of southern Africa: where ethics codes for researching indigenous people could fail them By Stasja Koot, Wageningen University There is a long and often complicated history of researchers studying Indigenous people. In 1999, the education scholar Linda Tuhiwai-Smith, in her book Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, emphasised the colonial character of much research. She warned that it brings with it a new wave of exploration, discovery, exploitation and appropriation. Well into the 20th century, researchers depicted groups like the […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 6
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
