University graduates in Ghana must serve society for a year – study suggests it’s good for national unity: Almost 70 years after independence was gained across the continent, many African countries continue to face the complex task of managing ethnic diversity and building national cohesion. National cohesion is a broad and often abstract concept. It …
South Africa’s honeybush sector must transform from its unjust past: what needs to change: The biodiversity economy is made up of businesses and economic activities that use living species and ecosystems to make profits without damaging the environment. But in South Africa, it is haunted by economic racism, with Indigenous people still not in control …
AI can be a danger to students – 3 things universities must do: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is trained on enormous bodies of text, video and images to identify patterns. It then creates new texts, videos and images on the basis of this pattern identification. Thanks to machine learning, it improves its ability to do …
The UK must make big changes to its diets, farming and land use to hit net zero – official climate advisers: William Edge / shutterstock If the UK is to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, over one-third of its sheep and cows will have to go, with their fields being replaced by huge new …
South Africa’s famous fynbos must be preserved – but burning invasive plants on site isn’t the best strategy: Invasive plants and trees were introduced to South Africa from as early as the 17th century for a range of commercial, subsistence and ornamental uses. Today, every area of the country has been invaded by a variety …
600 million Africans don’t have electricity – the green energy transition must start with them: The world is fast transitioning towards renewable energy systems. But in many African countries, this transition is not solving historical inequalities or socio-economic challenges. This is because moving away from fossil fuels is costly and governments have largely not involved …
9 million Ethiopian children have been forced out of school: what the government must do: More than nine million Ethiopian children are currently out of school. They are caught in the crossfire of armed conflicts, natural disasters, tribal tensions and economic hardships. In 2023, Ethiopia had a total school-aged population of 35,444,482 children, about 52% …
African Union to get a new chair: 6 key tasks they must tackle: The African Union (AU) member states will elect a new senior leadership of the AU Commission in February 2025. The commission was originally conceived as the secretariat of the AU. Over the years it has become the driving force behind the pan-African …
‘Don’t touch my pocket!’ South African passengers say airlines must pay for reducing their carbon footprint, not them: Airline travel is a major contributor to anthropogenic climate change, amounting to about 4% of all global greenhouse gas emissions every year. Airlines must take specific measures to reduce, and ideally neutralise, their greenhouse gas emissions and …
Africa’s making progress against HIV, but donor funds are drying up – what must change: Remarkable progress has been made against the HIV epidemic in the last two decades. However, a loss of momentum in fighting HIV across the globe threatens to undermine the strides that have been made. There is a crisis in sustainability …
Ukraine: after 1,000 days of war, Europe must prepare for a Trump-brokered peace deal by asserting its own interests: Drop of Light / Shutterstock Since Donald Trump was reelected on November 5, speculation about what his presidency will mean for the war in Ukraine, which has now entered its 1,000th day, has become frenzied. It …
Cop29: world leaders must be held to account on climate with scientific evidence: The latest scientific assessment by an international team of climate scientists that I lead shows how human activity is warming the world more rapidly than ever before, and we are now perilously close to the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C guardrail. This evidence underscores …
Big companies profit from poverty but aren’t obliged to uphold human rights. International law must change – scholar: There is some disagreement among legal practitioners and scholars about whether corporations have duties under international law. Many argue that only states are bound by international law, and it is those states which are obliged to regulate …
Mining must become more responsible and sustainable. Where hi-tech solutions fit in: Digital technologies can make mining more sustainable. Sunshine Seeds/Shutterstock/For editorial use only If you visit a commercial mining operation anywhere in the world today, some sights and sounds – workers descending in elevators to underground shafts, the roar of truck engines – will …
Ghana needs to stop households from using firewood: what must be done: Cooking on firewood and coal increases air pollution and ill health. Some of the dangers include stunted growth in children and undernutrition in children and adults. Babies who’ve been exposed to charcoal and firewood smoke while in the womb can have reduced birth …
Starmer must seize the chance to rethink the UK-Europe relationship – here’s how he can do it: In the first general election since the UK officially left the EU, both Labour and Conservative leaders were conspicuously mute about Brexit. There have been some vague aspirations to “seize its opportunities” or “make it work”, but otherwise, …
AI can make African elections more efficient – but trust must be built and proper rules put in place: Election officials confirm a voter's biometric details during Kenya's 2022 elections. James Wakibia/SOPA Images/LightRocket Time magazine has dubbed 2024 a “super election year”. An astonishing 4 billion people are eligible to vote in countries across the …
Baby Reindeer: fans will always go sleuthing so real people must be better protected: Baby Reindeer, the autobiographical Netflix series about one comedian’s experience of stalking, has consistently been in the streamer’s top ten most-watched since its release. The story follows barman-cum-comedian Donny, played by Richard Gadd whose real-life experiences inform the show, as an …