Abuja Looks Into Noodles
Nigeria’s food and drug regulator says it is investigating the popular Indomie brand of instant noodles following recalls in Malaysia and Taiwan where health authorities say they detected a potentially cancer-causing substance. Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said in a statement Tuesday it was “taking swift actions” to analyze […]
The Women Keepers of Agricultural Biodiversity Seeds Project Conserve Creole Plants
The Bijagó ethnic group inhabit several islands of the archipelago, a UNESCO biosphere reserve off the west African Atlantic coast. The Urok Islands have been designated a community marine protected area since 2005. About 3,000 people live there. Creole seeds have been passed from generation to generation and are vital for the survival of the […]
Africa is Projected to Become the World’s Fastest-growing Region
Africa’s ready market of more than 1.4 billion people under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has surpassed the European Union (EU) single market, US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) combined, the report states. The report, based on the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), highlights that Africa is […]
Sudan’s Shaky Ceasefire
The UN said on Wednesday it was seeking assurances from Sudan’s warring factions on the safe delivery of aid after six trucks of humanitarian supplies were looted and air strikes in Khartoum undermined a new ceasefire. Air strikes were heard in the capital Khartoum on Wednesday even as warring factions agreed to a new seven-day […]
South Africa’s Prison Authority Issues Notice to End Contract with International Security Firm G4S
The company is responsible for running Mangaung Prison from where convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester escaped last May by faking his own death and planting a corpse in his cell. The escape only came to light last month – until then it was thought Bester had died in a mysterious blaze in his cell. […]
The Opportunities and Challenges Facing Vaccine Production on the Continent
Since 2021, vaccine production initiatives in Africa have mostly focused on financing and partnership building, leaving out the central question of market access for products made in African countries. Market access is crucial for local production of vaccines. First, competitive production in the vaccine sector depends on scale. The larger the company’s production volumes, the […]
Counting the Cost After a Tropical Storm
Malawi’s president is appealing for international help, saying the country needs about $700 million to rebuild after a storm killed more than 1,000 people in March. President Lazarus Chakwera said this week Malawi has lost $500 million to Tropical Cyclone Freddy. The cyclone, which also affected Mozambique and Madagascar, hit 15 districts in southern Malawi, rendering […]
Several Challenges Inhibit the African Healthcare Sector
They include a shortage of health practitioners due to brain drain, lack of healthcare financing, nonchalant government, poor maintenance of health facilities, poor service delivery, circulation of counterfeit drugs, etc. Over the years, these problems have produced a dysfunctional and unreliable healthcare sector, increasing the continent’s risk of disease spread and deaths. That has forced many […]
Raising the Hemp Bar
With 12 storeys, a breathtaking view of Cape Town’s imposing Table Mountain and a minimal ecological footprint, the world’s tallest building made with industrial hemp is soon to open its doors in South Africa. Workers in central Cape Town are putting the finishing touches on the 54-room Hemp Hotel, which is due to be completed […]
