Louis Gossett Jr: One of his most iconic roles gives an inkling into the reasons behind some of Africa’s recent wars

Race is the “elephant in the room” in the Arab World

El Nino disasters: Governments know what’s coming, but are unprepared — what must change

There is a need to be clearer about who does what and coordinate preparations for disasters better

World Bank study reveals high temperatures linked to lower exam scores in Ethiopia

Students exposed to higher temperatures during the school year, particularly on exam days, tend to perform worse than their cooler-climate …

Sudan, a country displaced

One of Africa’s largest and most populous countries is on the brink of famine after a year of war between its Army and main paramilitary

The Gambia may allow female genital mutilation again – another sign of a global trend eroding women’s rights

Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalised female genital cutting and allow it for consenting adults

Ghana’s electricity crisis is holding the country back — how it got here

A rapid succession of regimes and the ravages of structural adjustment policies in the 1980s and 1990s challenged the ability of Ghana to clean …

Cocoa beans are in short supply: What this means for farmers, businesses and chocolate lovers

A shortage of cocoa beans has led to a near shutdown of processing plants in Ivory Coast and Ghana

Southern Africa’s new ecoregion brimming with undocumented life but in urgent need of conservation

Despite its ecological significance, SEAMA has one of the highest deforestation rates in Africa

Humid heatwaves in southern West Africa made 10 times more likely by climate change: Study

At 2°C, similar events will occur about once every two years; West Africa will become a further 1.2-3.4°C hotter

Kalahari weaver birds lay bigger eggs when they have female helpers to feed nestlings

This is the first formal evidence in birds that maternal investment in eggs changes with the availability of help

Whose debt is it

Many African nations are defaulting on payment of loans they have utilised for funding climate-resilient infrastructure

SADC civil society intensifies efforts to review abortion care legislation 

Policy barriers in many countries in southern Africa need to be removed to stop unsafe abortions, improve women’s health

Mozambique’s cyclone flooding was devastating to animals — we studied how body size affected survival

Larger species tend to be more resilient to disturbances but smaller ones can recover quicker

Ethiopia’s flagship health project considers behavioural change, prevention to address NCDs among women, children

Africa CDC eager to extract lessons from the project and extend them to other AU member states  

Venomous snakes could start migrating in large numbers if we hit 5°C warming

Global measures to strengthen science, research and conservation policies are needed

Wine production crossing the Channel & more: Study captures changing geography of vineyards due to climate change

In Asia, Himalayas predicted to see more growth in wine production, along with Pamirs  

Why rural Nigeria needs to fix its sanitation gaps on a war footing  

Open defecation near water source deteriorates quality causing a visicious circle of poor sanitation & water crisis

Pangolins in Africa: Expert unpacks why millions have been traded illegally and what can be done about it

China and Vietnam are the main destinations for these illegal shipments

76% of Africa’s energy could come from renewable sources by 2040: here’s how

The 76% from renewables would be met by 82% hydropower, 11% solar power and 7% wind power

Malawi and maize: Prices have spiked on the back of bad weather and trade bans

Sustained excess margins in Malawi indicate that regional trade is not working well

Almost 50% of adult South Africans are overweight or obese. Poverty and poor nutrition are largely to blame

69% of obese adults from food insecure households where families had little dietary choices

Grab the pathogens, but don’t share the drugs

Developing countries led by the African bloc fight for access to vaccine and therapy at WHO talks on pandemic policy

Burkina Faso, Mali & Niger hint at a new west African currency: what it’ll take for it to succeed

Close coordination of macroeconomic and budgetary policies, establishment of robust monetary management institutions and creation of an …

Climate change: Over a million farming households face acute food shortage in Zambia, warns Oxfam 

A severe drought, worsened by climate change & El Nino, has caused massive crop failures for half of the nation’s planted area

Over 50 million people may be food insecure in eastern Africa, warns WFP

Sudan (17.7 million), Ethiopia (15.8 million people) and South Sudan (5.7 million) most concerning