insert_link Africa Lesotho declares food insecurity emergency Lesotho's government says people are at risk of extreme hunger in the next eight months. The country's Prime Minister Sam Matekane has declared a national food insecurity disaster spanning eight months from July 2024 to March 2025. The Lesotho Times reports Matekane announced that severe El Niño-induced droughts are causing extreme hunger for at least 700,000 Basotho, a notable rise from the 582,000 affected in the 2022/2023 period. This crisis, […] today24 July, 2024
insert_link Africa 7th SADC Industrialisation week to be held in Harare The 7th SADC Industrialisation Week, aimed at driving regional economic growth, is scheduled for 28 July to 2 August 2024 in Harare, Zimbabwe. This public-private engagement platform aims to foster new opportunities for intra-African trade, develop cross-border value chains, and identify investment prospects across Southern Africa. Elijah Mukubonda, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade. today18 July, 2024
insert_link South Africa Southern Africa is seen as a leader in wildlife conservation, but its market-driven approach is deeply flawed Luxury nature tourism is an example of market-based conservation. Edwin Remsberg /VWPics/Universal Images Group By Stasja Koot, Wageningen University; Bram Büscher, Wageningen University, and Lerato Thakholi, Wageningen University Southern Africa’s wildlife economy is often hailed as a successful model. The idea behind this model is that biodiversity and wildlife are used as the basis of sustainable economic growth, through an increase in wildlife numbers and in […] today9 July, 2024
insert_link Namibia Namibia to host Africa Hospitality Investment Forum Namibia is hosting the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum from 25 to 27 June 2024, in Windhoek. This event will gather investors, business leaders, government officials, and experts from 41 countries for networking, business meetings, and discussions on hospitality industry trends. It also marks the first time the forum is hosted in Southern Africa. The Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board Senior Manager for Marketing, Communications, and Branding, Catherine Shipushu. With […] today24 June, 2024
insert_link Africa Sweet sorghum is a hardy, nutritious, biofuel crop that offers solutions in drought-hit southern Africa Sweet sorghum ripening in Rwanda. Ari Beser/Getty Images By Hamond Motsi, Stellenbosch University The southern African region is battling with drought at present. This is the result of El Niño, a natural climate cycle characterised by changes in Pacific Ocean temperatures. It has effects on global weather patterns, particularly rainfall and temperature. The drought has hit the region’s agricultural productivity hard. Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have […] today23 May, 2024
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 […] today16 May, 2024
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. today22 April, 2024
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 […] today5 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
