New nets ‘prevent’ 13 mn malaria cases in Africa: project

A new kind of mosquito net delivered across sub-Saharan Africa averted an estimated 13 million malaria cases and nearly 25,000 deaths over three years, the project's backers said Wednesday. There were 249 million recorded malaria cases and 608,000 deaths in 2022, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization,

Nearly 100 mln children, youth out of school in Africa: AU

Nearly 100 million children and youth aged 5 to 19 across Africa are not socially integrated simply because they are out of school, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Mohammed Belhocine said Thursday. These children and youth are vulnerable to all sorts of scourges, and they can

Why root crops are the future of food security in Africa

Despite the dominance of the “Big Three” cereal crops and a steady rise in meat consumption, an overlooked food sector is projected to become ever more central to Africa’s food security and rural economic growth between now and 2050. Over the next three decades, the remarkable yet humble yam, sweetpotato, cassava

Essential steps to invest in a climate-smart future

As the climate crisis continues to unfold, the need for financing to support climate adaptation within climate-vulnerable markets across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East will reach $330 billion by 2030. However, these emerging markets have only received a fraction of climate financing. So what needs to happen for

Africa struggles with neo-colonialism

After a quarter century of economic stagnation, African economic recovery early in the 21st century was under great pressure even before the pandemic, due to new trade arrangements, falling commodity prices and severe environmental stress. European scramble for Africa Africa’s borders were drawn up by European powers, especially following their ‘Scramble for

Neo-colonial currency enables French exploitation

Colonial-style currency board arrangements have enabled continuing imperialist exploitation decades after the end of formal colonial rule. Such neo-colonial monetary systems persist despite modest reforms. In 2019, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio accused France of using currency arrangements to “exploit” its former African colonies, “impoverishing Africa” and causing refugees

Animal-to-human diseases rise in Africa: WHO

Diseases transmitted from animals to people in Africa jumped 63 percent in the last decade, compared with the previous 10 years, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) analysis. More than 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases are caused by pathogens shared with wild or domestic animals, WHO Regional Director