Greenpeace Maps Africa’s Air Pollution Hotspots
Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa have emerged as Africa’s most polluted countries in terms of air pollution disease burden, with profound health consequences for Africa’s people and exacerbated impacts on climate change, a report prepared by Greenpeace Africa and Greenpeace MENA can now reveal. Titled “Major Air Polluters in Africa Unmasked,” the report investigates the […]
Impoverished Young Men in Kenya are Selling their Kidneys in Return for Cash to Start their Own Businesses
The price of a kidney in Kenya? Just under $1,000 plus a motorbike. The youths are lured by the prospect of cash, with some being paid as much as $5,077 for a kidney. However, with the increase in young people seeking to donate their kidneys, the price has dropped to around $2,000. This is despite […]
A New Record Price for One Tonne of Cocoa on the International Market
Cocoa prices have risen remarkably in recent months, doubling since the beginning of the year, the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) said. Poor harvests in West African countries where the crop is most common have been blamed on adverse El Niño weather conditions. The price per tonne cooled to $9,624 at the end of trading on […]
Kenya’s Tourism Sector is Set to Get a Huge Boost
A new report shows that plans are already underway to establish 31 new hotels in Kenya this year, with a total of 4,268 rooms. According to the latest Hotel Chain Development Pipeline Africa report from the W Hospitality Group, the move demonstrates that planned and current construction will add 4,268 rooms to the 3,729 units […]
A New Crop of Young and Ambitious Farmers and Agricultural Entrepreneurs are Driving Somalia’s Agricultural Revolution
Somalia has long suffered from food insecurity. Years of civil war, frequent droughts and recent flooding have led to malnutrition. Simple greenhouses allow farmers to produce fruit and vegetables all year round, increasing food security for the residents of Mogadishu. With over 250 greenhouses dotting the outskirts of Mogadishu, these farms are pivotal in ensuring […]
Nigeria’s Central Bank Sets Minimum Capital Base for Banks
Nigeria’s central bank increased the minimum capital requirements for lenders 10-fold as it seeks to bolster the defenses of an industry facing a steep naira devaluation, high inflation and a weak economy. The Abuja-based Central Bank of Nigeria increased the capital threshold for operating an international bank to 500 billion naira ($359 million) from 50 […]
Nurturing a Media Landscape that Manifests a Positive Future
Abaas Mpindi is the co-founder and CEO of Media Challenge Initiative (MCI). Since 2017, MCI has worked with 3,000 journalism students, and founded more than 10 youth media startups. A mobile newsroom delivers skills programs to 17 Ugandan universities; the Next Gen Journalist activity strand has trained more than 130 program fellows in solutions-based journalism […]
‘We Are the Solution’: 115,000-strong Rural Women’s Rights Movement in West Africa
Mariam Sonko works on training female farmers who traditionally have no access to education, explaining their rights and financing women-led agricultural projects. Sonko’s training center now employs over 20 people, with support from small organizations like the Agroecology Fund and CLIMA fund. In one week, Sonko and her team trained over 100 women from Senegal, […]
Women and Girls Living in Cobalt-mining Communities in the DRC Report a “Staggering” Rise in Serious Reproductive Health Issues
An investigation published by the UK-based human rights group Rights & Accountability in Development (Raid) and the Kinshasa-based NGO Afrewatch said that women and girls living around cobalt mines reported experiencing irregular menstruations, urogenital infections, vaginal mycoses and warts. According to the report, “a paediatrician, who has been recording patients’ data since 2016, explained that […]
Creating Awareness of STEM and Igniting Dreams in Young Girls
The Mastercard Girls4Tech program is celebrating ten years of showing young girls the opportunities available to them in STEM careers. Over the years, this program has evolved from a simple curriculum to a comprehensive platform that nurtures and mentors many young girls from their formative years through to their entry into the workforce. Starting with […]
