Author: The Conversation

Somalia at 65: What’s needed to address its dismal social development indicators Jul 07, 2025

The Somali state collapsed as a cohesive national entity in 1991. The military government that had been in power since 1969 was overthrown by armed op...

Coups in West Africa have five things in common: Knowing what they are is key to defending democracy Jul 06, 2025

Coup governments across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have shifted away from western alliances and towards Russia, deepening military and economic ties...

How far is your closest hospital or clinic? Public health researchers explain why Africa needs up-to-date health facility databases Jul 04, 2025

The ideal method of compiling this list is to conduct a census, as Kenya did in 2023. But this takes resources. Some countries have compiled lists fro...

Climate change has doubled the world’s heatwaves: how Africa is affected Jul 04, 2025

Several African countries experienced more than 90 days that were hotter than 90% of the days between 1991 and 2020. These were Burundi, Comoros, Cong...

Ghana and India: Narendra Modi’s visit rekindles historical ties Jul 04, 2025

Narendra Modi’s trip to Ghana in July 2025, part of a five-nation visit, is the first by an Indian prime minister in over 30 years. The two countries’...

African women key to fighting climate change – these are the green skills they will need Jul 01, 2025

With access to green skills, women’s productivity in the green economy could triple. This is especially the case in agriculture, energy, manufacturing...

Sudan: Foreign interests are deepening a devastating war – only regional diplomacy can stop them Jun 30, 2025

A peaceful and democratically governed Sudan can contribute to peace not just in the region, but also in many other parts of the world.

Netflix gives African film a platform – but the cultural price is high Jun 29, 2025

Most African movie audiences do not have access to Netflix and other streaming platforms due to the digital divide and the cost of subscribing.

African finance ministers shouldn’t be making bond deals: how to hand over the job to experts Jun 27, 2025

Recent developments show that most of the bonds have not been structured properly. As a result, African countries are paying way over the odds relativ...

Our oceans are in trouble: how to move beyond the outrage and start taking real action Jun 27, 2025

Habitat loss through coastal development threatens many coastal ecosystems, including estuaries and mangroves, which are vital nurseries for many fish...

Mozambique after 50 years of independence: What’s there to celebrate? Jun 26, 2025

In late 2024, Mozambicans took to the streets to protest against elections they claimed were rigged. Over 300 people were killed in demonstrations.

Kenya police brutality: It will take more than laws, public anger to change behaviour Jun 26, 2025

Excesses by the National Police Service have prompted action in the past. Repressive laws have been repealed and mechanisms are in place to identify,...

Kwame Akoto-Bamfo: the Ghanaian artist using work about slavery to find justice and healing Jun 23, 2025

Kwame Akoto-Bamfo is a Ghanaian multidisciplinary artist who engages with the histories and legacies of the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism...

Kenya’s police still kill with impunity – what needs to be done to stop them Jun 23, 2025

Days ahead of the first anniversary in Kenya of the Gen Z-led anti-government protests that resulted in at least 60 deaths and displays of police brut...

What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture Jun 19, 2025

Notably, the US recently slashed billions of US dollars from global relief efforts. The slashed contributions once made up to half of all public human...

The Middle East is a major flight hub – How do airlines keep passengers safe during conflict? Jun 18, 2025

Global airline passenger traffic had surpassed pre-pandemic levels and was projected to grow strongly in the coming decades—until instability in the M...

Regime change wouldn’t likely bring democracy to Iran – A more threatening force could fill the vacuum Jun 18, 2025

Originally formed as a kind of personal guard for the supreme leader, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s fighting strength now rivals that of the...

Haiti on the brink: Gangs fill power vacuum as current solutions fail a nation in crisis Jun 18, 2025

But rather than charting a path to stability, the CPT remains mired in dysfunction as Haiti’s crisis deepens with no end in sight. Armed gangs now con...

Highways to hell: West Africa’s road networks are the preferred battleground for terror groups Jun 17, 2025

65 per cent of all the attacks, explosions, and violence against civilians recorded between 2000 and 2024 were located within one kilometre of a road.

Khartoum before the war: The public spaces that held Sudan's capital city together Jun 15, 2025

In Sudan, conflict, displacement, and economic instability have further disrupted governance and reshaped the spatial fabric of urban life.

Kenya’s brutal police have been exposed again – Why the system fails people Jun 15, 2025

If Kenya doesn’t grapple with police impunity, then the anniversary of the June 2024 protests will be just another date in history when the state brut...

Africa’s new credit rating agency poised to reshape the financial landscape — Here’s how Jun 08, 2025

Opening the rating committee to public view signals a shift in financial power, aiming not just for fairer ratings but for a more just model of global...

African prisoners made sound recordings in German camps in WW1: This is what they had to say Jun 08, 2025

Together, these songs, stories, and testimonies reveal a practice of knowledge extraction in POW camps, yet they also provide deeper insights and refl...

African countries are bad at issuing bonds, so debt costs more than it should: What needs to change Jun 08, 2025

African bonds are substantially mispriced, resulting in excessively high yields that are not justified by fundamentals, based on economic, fiscal and...

Eating wild meat carries serious health risks – Why it still happens along the Kenya-Tanzania border Jun 08, 2025

Economic factors, particularly household income and limited financial means, strongly influenced wild meat consumption, particularly in communities wi...

Dehorning rhinos tips the balance against poaching – new study Jun 06, 2025

Nature reserve managers, rangers, international funders, and local non-profit organisations have invested millions of dollars in anti-poaching interve...

Ocean currents can generate electricity – and our study shows Africa’s seas have some of the strongest Jun 06, 2025

We’ve identified high energy areas in the waters off Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar. They have some of the most energy dense currents on Eart...

Africa has the highest rate of forest loss in the world – What the G20 can do about it Jun 04, 2025

South Africa’s G20 presidency could link the ecological health of the continent’s forests with economic progress and social equity.

Is Sudan’s war the reason for South Sudan’s economic crisis? What’s really going on with oil revenue Jun 02, 2025

South Sudan lacks the operational capacity to extract the oil it has in the ground.

Airbnb scams: new book explores thriving criminal activity on big tech platforms Jun 01, 2025

Criminal hosts can lure targets into dangerous environments. Once checked in, guests are isolated from public view, housed in a property to which the...

DRC’s plan for the world’s largest tropical forest reserve would be good for the planet: can it succeed? May 30, 2025

The conflict has already disrupted conservation in the protected areas in North and South Kivu (Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Virunga National Park).

Five things you should know about Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, one of Africa’s greatest writers of all time May 30, 2025

It’s hard to pick a favourite from Ngũgĩ’s over two dozen texts. But there is concurrence among critics that A Grain of Wheat, which was voted among A...

Trump’s Afrikaners are South African opportunists, not refugees: What’s behind the US move May 28, 2025

The evidence suggests that the heads of household among the Afrikaner 49 are drawn not only from that minority of Afrikaners who are totally unreconci...

10 years ago Kenya set out to fix gender gaps in education – What’s working and what still needs to be done May 28, 2025

Our study found that Kenya needs to review its teacher education curriculum to make it more gender responsive. Teachers also need more training to fol...

Is this bad for my health? Kenyan study tests three types of warning labels on food May 26, 2025

The new system will also guide policies like restricting marketing of unhealthy foods to children and other measures to improve Kenya’s food environme...

Why Meta is in trouble in Nigeria and what this means for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp users May 26, 2025

The trouble began on January 4, 2021, when WhatsApp updated its privacy policy to introduce mandatory data-sharing with Facebook (now Meta) and its su...

Vaccines: Why these young Africans are hesitant about them and what might change their minds May 24, 2025

Many believed that the Covid vaccine was developed too quickly without sufficient testing and a lack of accessible information.

African islands under threat: What to do about Trump’s withdrawal from climate change agreement May 21, 2025

The 2025 order also revokes any purported financial commitment made by the US under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, includi...

Terrorists use food as a weapon: How Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab exploit hunger May 18, 2025

Violence, like that exercised by terrorist organisations, is linked with food security conditions, causing a vicious circle of hunger and conflict.

AI-driven motion capture is transforming sports and exercise science May 18, 2025

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we track and analyse athletic movement. A new wave of markerless motion capture technology promises to mak...

What causes inequality in African countries? New book traces a vicious cycle May 12, 2025

Inequality is created by, among other factors, where you are born and live. Alongside this, income, assets, and access to education and healthcare dif...

Somalia’s exports are threatened by climate change and conflict: What 30 years of data tell us May 10, 2025

We found that erratic rainfall, rising temperatures and conflict have significantly constrained Somalia’s agricultural and livestock export performanc...

African women at higher risk of pre-eclampsia – a dangerous pregnancy complication May 10, 2025

Pre-eclampsia usually occurs in young mothers during a first pregnancy. Girls under the age of 18 years are most at risk. The probability that a 15-ye...

Somaliland at crossroads: Could US geostrategic interests break recognition deadlock? May 10, 2025

US recognition would reward Hargeisa for its persistent effort to maintain stability and promote democracy. However, it could encourage other nations...

Fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is worsening gender-based violence against women May 09, 2025

Civilians are caught in a devastating humanitarian crisis involving sexual and gender-based violence. This kind of violence not only contributes to fo...

Is Kenya’s president safe in a crowd? Security expert scans VIP protection checklist May 09, 2025

The issue of presidential protection in Kenya has become particularly relevant following an incident in early May 2025 when someone in a crowd threw a...

Winning hearts and power: How Mali’s military regime gained popular support Apr 28, 2025

The current political landscape in Mali, and in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger where conditions are similar, is an invitation to reconsider local...

Malaria scorecard: Battles have been won and advances made, but the war isn’t over Apr 26, 2025

The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately 2.2 billion cases have been prevented between 2000 and 2023.

Humans lived in African rainforests 150,000 years ago, far earlier than believed -new research Apr 24, 2025

These discoveries suggest that humans were able to live in rainforest before they left Africa, the home of our species. Until now, though, the oldest...

Kinshasa flood disaster highlights deadly mix of rapid urban growth and poor infrastructure Apr 23, 2025

Of Kinshasa’s two flood risks, the impact of Congo River flooding can be observed in large cities located along major rivers, and typically peaks arou...

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