Italy’s Underground Afrobeats Vibe
Fata and Yankuba are two young Gambians with ambitious dreams, who fled dictatorship and poverty and landed in Naples, only to discover a new kind of violence: a pernicious climate of racism and an unhelpful immigration system. Their only escape from the psychological torture of years spent waiting for documents in squalid camps is a […]
Judge takes to Abuja’s Streets to Ease Traffic
During her free time, Nigerian Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem controls traffic in the capital, Abuja, eight years after her son was killed in a hit-and-run accident. The 62-year-old has set up a non-profit organisation named after her late son – Kwapda’as Road Safety Demand – to educate motorists about safety and she also plans to establish […]
#Hackathon4Justice Finds Africa’s Next Social Entrepreneurs
Pan-African startup Andela last weekend held the second edition of its Hackathon4Justice, an initiative that brings together students from Universities across Nigeria with the purpose of building prototype solutions that can help tackle crime, uphold justice and promote the rule of law. Organized in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and […]
A New Way of Dealing with Insurgency in Africa
U.S. defense and intelligence officials are voicing renewed concerns about the spread of increasingly capable terror groups in Africa, warning some have become so powerful it is no longer possible to “degrade” them. The warnings, part of a newly released report by the Defense Department’s inspector general, echo earlier warnings by the U.S. military’s Africa […]
How Boots in Nottingham Came across a Wild South African Yam
Dioscorea is a wild yam. Its name in different languages connects to its appearance—its rough skin resembles a tortoise shell. It’s known as ‘Elephant’s Foot’ in English, in isiZulu ‘ingwevu’, meaning grey/old or ‘ifudu’, meaning tortoise; in Sepedi the name is ‘Kgato’ – ‘to stamp’. In the 1950s, the yam was heavily exploited by the […]
Sudan’s Economy Grinds to a Halt
Fuel shortages have left motorists in Sudan skipping work to queue for petrol and forced the transitional government to introduce a rationing system as it tries to manage acute economic pressures. Some people have been spending entire days in queues that stretch for several km (miles) since the fuel crisis began late last week. Coming […]
The Aye-aye is One of Nature’s Most Fascinatingly Bizarre Creatures
Native to Madagascar, this lemur is the largest nocturnal primate in the world and has unique features that set it apart. It has bat‐like ears that allow it to echo-locate and rodent-like ever-growing incisors – both unique among primates. It is most famous for its exceptionally long and skinny fingers. In fact, they are so […]
Tightening the Noose around Dos Santos’ Daughter
Portugal has ordered a freeze on bank accounts held in the country by Angola’s billionaire former first daughter Isabel dos Santos, who is accused of stealing state funds to build a colossal business empire. International media outlets published an inquiry dubbed “Luanda Leaks” on January 19, claiming that dos Santos fraudulently accumulated a fortune estimated […]
Using Tech to Protect South Africa’s Prized Animal
In South Africa’s biggest national park, a camouflaged system of radars, cameras and sensors stands guard. The solar-powered technology is helping to protect Kruger National Park’s rhinos from poachers, and the country’s tourism industry as a result. The network can distinguish between human and animal movement and even includes an infrared sensor, so it can […]
Best Investment Opportunities In Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, today, bears little resemblance to the late 1990s when a civil war left the country’s infrastructure and economy decimated. It also left behind 14 main ethnic groups who did not trust each other and ensured that the country became one of the poorest in the world. Since 2001, the country has seen the […]
