Take a Ride With these Egyptian Queens
On the congested streets of Cairo, Egypt’s capital city, rider Dina Wassef represents a rare sight. With a population of 104 million, Egypt is a conservative country where it is uncommon for women to be spotted on motorcycles. Wassef learned to ride bikes in 2008, challenging the trend in the North African country that excluded […]
Boosting Digital Skills for the African Entrepreneur
Nigerian ed-tech startup W3tutor is committed to helping people acquire digital skills, both through its online courses and a concerted offline effort. Founded in February 2016 by Prince Kwekowe, W3tutor offers a host of online courses on all kinds of digital skills, including programming, artificial intelligence and graphic design. Currently, the platform has over 6,000 […]
Lack of Quantifiable Data on the Impacts of Climate Change on Heritage Sites in Sub-Saharan Africa
One recent study estimates that only 1% of research on the impacts of climate change on heritage is related to Africa. Yet climate change has already resulted in loss and damage to African heritage. Researchers say without significant intervention some of Africa’s most important heritage will be lost as a result of the direct and […]
Maputo Says All is Not Lost in the Battle for its Port
Mozambique says its troops are fighting to regain control of the key port of Mocimboa da Praia, following multiple reports that it had fallen to Islamist militants on Wednesday. The city is near the site of natural gas projects worth $60bn. The military says there is ongoing action to “neutralise” the Islamic State group-linked militants, […]
Zimbabwean Journalist Kept Mum on Prison Conditions
A Zimbabwean magistrate ordered prison authorities to unchain a journalist accused of mobilizing anti-government protests, but then ruled that his testimony of poor prison conditions must be heard in private. Journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, in jail for about three weeks, is making his third bid to be released on bail. His lawyers have already filed a […]
How this Jail in Mali has Kept COVID-19 at Bay
Mali’s largest jail is a squalid and overcrowded colonial-era throwback that in theory is an open invitation to coronavirus. Instead, staff at Bamako Central Prison say that so far they’ve kept the dreaded virus at bay, thanks to time-honoured techniques of hygiene and self-help. Outside the penitentiary’s ochre walls, the Malian capital has registered most […]
Is Ethiopia Returning to Iron-fisted Tactics of Past Regimes?
The country’ human rights commission says more than 9,000 people have been arrested after deadly clashes last month, raising fears that a government hailed for reforms is returning to the iron-fisted tactics of past administrations. Among those arrested was opposition activist Dejene Tafa, who police dragged from his bed in the middle of the night […]
Social Media Used to Blast the “Harassers of Cairo”
Egypt is witnessing a wave of online outrage targeting rape culture and sexual assault, as survivors use social media to shame alleged abusers and demand change. A growing number of social media accounts gather survivors’ testimony and attempt to shame alleged attackers, angry at elite perpetrators they say routinely go unpunished. Campaigners and feminist activists […]
Africa’s Next Phase of Fighting COVID-19 Begins
Seven African countries will start administering coronavirus antibody tests from next week, as part of efforts to understand the extent of the outbreak on the continent. “Liberia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco are the first set of countries that committed to it,” said John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control […]
Rwanda Turns to Maths to Test for the Coronavirus
Researchers are using an algorithm when testing samples from groups of people, and then each person in a group if a test comes back positive for COVID-19. The developer of algorithm method, Wilfred Ndifon, a mathematical epidemiologist and director of research at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Global Network in Kigali, is creating a […]
