Editors Choice
- January 19, 2020
The challenge of NGO-isation is that it is predominantly subject to the imagination, assumptions, and interests of Northern funding institutions and their surrogates. There is no doubt that international support Read More..
The dangers of NGO-isation of women’s rights in Africa
The challenge of NGO-isation is that it is predominantly subject to the imagination, assumptions, and interests of Northern funding institutions and their surrogates. There is no doubt that international support
Greenlight Planet & Rural Ethiopia’s Energy Sector Transformation
Greenlight Planet, the global market leader in the rapidly expanding pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar industry has powered more than two and a half million lives in Ethiopia through access to clean,
Nigeria Is Not Rice Self-Sufficient Yet, Says Africa Rice Centre
The claim that Nigeria is now self-sufficient in rice production is fallacious and deceitful, the Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), Ibadan, Oyo State, has said. AfricaRice is one of the 15
Displacement and Dispossession in Tanzania: How “Conservation” is Destroying the Maasai
For the past eighty years, the Maasai have been displaced and dispossessed of their land, livelihoods, and more in Northern Tanzania, all under the guise of “conservation.” This article traces
Access to and quality of education: How is Africa progressing?
I’ve spent a lifetime championing girls’ and women’s learning, as a former Minister of Education in Guinea and a former Assistant Director General for Education in UNESCO. And have worked
Meet Lual Mayen the Developer of “Salaam”, an Innovative Video Game
Lual Mayen is a 24 year old video game developer based in Washington, D.C. and CEO of Junub Games, a company that uses games to promote peace and stability in
Tanzania’s Withdrawal from the African Court on Human and People’s Rights: A Wrong Move for the Country and for the Continent
Amidst growing authoritarianism and intolerance of dissent, Tanzanian President John Magufuli’s latest move takes away the ability of individuals and NGOs to file cases against the government in the African
How Africa’s entrepreneurs can innovate and invest to put African cuisine on the world stage
Over the past six months, I have engaged in a simple experiment. In packed rooms in Europe and the United States, I have asked, “What is your favorite African dish?”
More than 15 female vice-chancellors have led Nigerian universities, but higher education still a man’s world
The recent appointment of Prof Lilian Salami as the vice-chancellor of the University of Benin in Edo state was widely praised. Salami becomes the institution’s 10th head – and only its second female one. Its vice-chancellor from
Ghana, The Country That Hates Its Citizens
I have not travelled the world but I know every country loves its citizens and gives them priority when it comes to the distribution of public goods and services. The
Here’s why Ethiopians at Eritrea border reject Abiy’s Nobel Peace Prize
Ethiopians and Eritreans along the two countries’ shared border have misgivings about the recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize to reformist prime minister Abiy Amhed. Ethiopia’s charismatic leader was given
Massacres in Lower Omo, Ethiopia, Call for Urgent Action by the Nobel Laureate PM Abiy Ahmed
In the past few weeks, we have received information that Ethiopian security forces have undertaken major operations to disarm two local tribes in Lower Omo Valley—the Mursi and the Bodi—because
Temple graffiti reveals stories from ancient Sudan
Today the northern region of Sudan that borders with Egypt is mostly desert. But this part of the Nile’s valley was once home to a powerful African civilisation called Kush. It
The threat of intraethnic strife in Ethiopia
When news broke of an alleged attempt to remove the security detail of Oromo activist and media mogul Jawar Mohammed, hundreds of his supporters flocked to his residence in Addis
Yes, study predicts smartphones to outstrip other information tech for carbon footprint
“Children must give up mobile phones,” urges a Facebook meme headed “climate emergency” and which shows a group of young people standing behind Greta Thunberg, the 16 year old global climate change activist. To support this
UN study narrows down why Africans make fraught journey to Europe
Migrants take dangerous routes from Africa to Europe not because they need protection or jobs but because their countries do not meet their aspirations quickly enough, a new study by the UN’s development agency
Meet Burna Boy, the “African Giant”
Burna Boy is on a mission to remind Africans everywhere about their roots in the continent, and Afrobeats is his tool. At a sold-out Wembley Arena, the triumphant tone is
Uganda police uses water canons to brutally arrest opposition leader Besigye
Uganda’s security agencies were kept busy on Monday as they deployed at the country’s leading university, clashed with journalists and arrested veteran opposition leader, Kizza Besigye. Kizza Besigye’s brutal arrest
Nigerian scientist develops cancer drugs from African plants
Mansurah Abdulazeez discusses how her visionary plant research could help in fight against tumours Mansurah Abdulazeez is a molecular biologist at the Center for Biotechnology Research, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria.
Despite the African Union firing her, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao says, “I will continue to tell the truth!”
The African Union (AU) is facing a backlash after sacking Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, its Ambassador to the United States of America. A Ghanaian national, Dr. Chihombori-Quao, has served in various
Mogadishu now has its first motorcycle hailing app
You can now hail a motorcycle service in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The Go! app launched in the Indian Ocean city today (May 1) promising affordable and convenient options in the city’s
West Africa’s cocoa farmers are trapped by the global chocolate industry
The chocolate industry is worth more than $80 billion a year. But some cocoa farmers in parts of West Africa are poorer now than they were in the 1970s or 1980s. In
Meet the Sudanese Filmmakers making International Headlines
The year 2019 has been monumental for Sudan and its people with a revolution that led to the fall of former Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir, and is bringing about
Sex work legal in Senegal
Sex work was legalised in Senegal in 1969. Under Senegal’s Penal Code (articles 318 to 327) sex workers must be at least 21-years-old, register with the police, carry a valid sanitary card,
UN Assembly: Ethiopia’s president addresses Nile dam dispute
Every year in September, all 193 members of the United Nations meet at the General Assembly at the organisation’s headquarters in New York. The General Assembly is one of the
A pan-African perspective on Rwanda through a critical review of Judy Rever, In Praise of Blood: The Crimes of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, Canada, Random House, 2018
The author argues that the Rwanda-Burundi’s dark colonisation past helps us understand the deep-rooted causes of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. A common narrative about the genocide in Rwanda is that between 7 April
No Minister Cele: SA not only country in Africa giving out crime stats
While releasing South Africa’s annual crime statistics, police minister Bheki Cele said that his department had “dropped the ball” when it came to crime. The statistics, released on 12 September
It’s wrong to impose Western music business models on Africa’s fledgling industries
Music streaming services have generated years of consistent revenue growth for rights holders in developed countries, making them the dominant source of revenue for recordings worldwide. Global music companies and
What is really behind the crisis in Haiti?
For months now, Haiti has been shaken by intensifying protests. A deepening economic crisis and growing fuel and food shortages have sent people to the streets, demanding the resignation of US-backed President
Switzerland to auction cars seized from E Guinea leader’s son
An auction house in Switzerland is set to sell a collection of luxury cars seized by authorities from the son of Equatorial Guinea’s president in a money-laundering investigation. The 25 cars include Ferraris and
Letter to President of South Africa from Africans Rising
H.E Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, State House Pretoria, South Africa September 6th, 2019. Dear Mr. President: Africans Rising is a pan-African solidarity movement of people and organisations, working
No Evidence that 80% of Johannesburg’s inner city is inhabited by foreign nationals
In a video being shared briskly following a spate of attacks in South Africa by mobs targeting foreign-owned businesses, former deputy minister of police Bongani Mkongi claims thatJohannesburg is “80% foreign nationals”. This is “dangerous”,
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Legal Texts and Policy Documents
AfCFTA operational phase launched The Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) entered into force on 30 May 2019 for the 24 countries that had deposited their instruments
Rest in peace, Robert Mugabe: Hero, villain, human
Robert Mugabe has died. May he rest in peace. He was one of the engineers who built the foundations of modern-day Zimbabwe. If you ever get the chance, please visit Zimbabwe. It
Opioid use, drug-related disorders on the rise: UN report
Synthetic opioid use is booming, the United Nations said on Wednesday, in a worldwide drug report that shows rising deaths in the United States from overdoses and a “crisis” of Tramadol use
The opioid epidemic you haven’t heard about
Ayao* is a tall and well-built 15-year-old, and like many his age, he is very particular about his appearance. He wears a white T-shirt with a colourful design on the
How many Nigerians are on prescription drugs?
After a BBC Africa Eye documentary exposed Nigeria’s codeine cough syrup crisis in April 2018, the government banned the import and production of the opioid-containing mixture. But this will only have short-term benefits, according
Belonging—why South Africans refuse to let Africa in
Any African who has ever tried to visit South Africa will know that the country is not an easy entry destination. South African embassies across the continent are almost as
Looking back to move forward: The first Pan-African Cultural Festival in Algeria, 1969
Fifty years ago, this year from 21-31 July 1969 in the capital of Algeria, thousands of people gathered for a ground-breaking Pan-African Cultural Festival (PACF). Official delegations were sent to
No, adolescents don’t account for half of new HIV infections in Kenya
Nearly half of new HIV infections in Kenya are among adolescents, a major drugmaker claimed during an international conference focused on the wellbeing of girls and young women. “In Kenya,
Xenophobia – Rep Calls for Immediate Reconvening of National Assembly
Kingsley Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, has called on the speaker of the house, Femi Gbajabiamila, to cut short the ongoing recess and attend
The 2019 Bay Area Afrobeats Concert Series confirms Nigerian star Tekno
This year marks the second edition of the Afrobeats Concert Series. The idea behind the series, according to Utake Ent Group’s DJay Slim, co-founder of the Afrobeats Concert Series, is
Haiti’s market women resist global forces
“On a plain high in the mountains of Haiti one day a week thousands of people still gather. This is the marketplace of my childhood…The sights and the smells and
We Want to Take Sudan From This Dark Corner to a Bright Future
On August 4, 2019, the Sudanese military council signed an agreement with Freedom and Change, a body representing the country’s mass protest movement. The agreement establishes the structures and powers of a
West Africa’s New Currency: The End of France’s dominance in Africa?
Just over 30 years after the idea was initially conceived, it appears that the whole of West Africa will now be adopting one currency. On the 29th of June 2019, the leaders
A fan pays tribute to the King of Coupé-Décalé
Ange Didier Huon, Ivorian musician better known to millions as DJ Arafat died at age 33, on August 12, after suffering injuries from a motorbike accident that occurred on Sunday,
Felabration Unveils Plan for 2019 Edition
Organisers of the annual week-long festivity to commemorate the life of the Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has unveiled plans for its 2019 edition. Usually held in October, this year’s celebration
Africa’s job market: what are the challenges?
The 2019 Ibrahim Forum Report highlighted the links between demography, economic prospects and mobility. In a context of a booming youth population and a decade of sustained economic growth, what are the
39 years since Walter Rodney fell; Andaiye, Walter Rodney’s colleague has rejoined the ancestors
This is a tribute of Eusi Kwayana to Andaiye, which captures her connection to the Rodney legacy, and the political and humanist traditions she shared with many others in Guyana and across
The fading pride of Amazigh tattoos
For Africa’s indigenous Amazighs, body art was more than mere images. They were a decisive social, almost poetic, marker for centuries. Berber woman wearing ethnic jewelry, Kairouan, Kairouan governorate (Al
Art & Film
- October 17, 2019
The year 2019 has been monumental for Sudan and its people with a revolution that led to the fall of former Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir, and is bringing about Read More..
- November 29, 2018
On Saturday, 27th October 2018, Nigerian photographer, filmmaker, writer and visual artist, Emeka Okereke, was conferred France’s prestigious insignia of Chevalier De l’Ordre Des Arts et Des Lettres (Knight of Read More..
Culture & Life
- January 18, 2020
For the past eighty years, the Maasai have been displaced and dispossessed of their land, livelihoods, and more in Northern Tanzania, all under the guise of “conservation.” This article traces Read More..
- November 15, 2019
Today the northern region of Sudan that borders with Egypt is mostly desert. But this part of the Nile’s valley was once home to a powerful African civilisation called Kush. It Read More..
Political and Social Commentary
- January 19, 2020
The challenge of NGO-isation is that it is predominantly subject to the imagination, assumptions, and interests of Northern funding institutions and their surrogates. There is no doubt that international support Read More..
- January 16, 2020
I’ve spent a lifetime championing girls’ and women’s learning, as a former Minister of Education in Guinea and a former Assistant Director General for Education in UNESCO. And have worked Read More..
