Category archives for: Environment

Protecting Virunga National Park from oil companies

Africa’s oldest national park is under threat – 60 NGOs sign call for action. Virunga is Africa’s oldest national park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most bio-diverse areas on the planet. For the past three years Global Witness has been driving a major international campaign to stop oil companies drilling in […]

Zika virus found in saliva and urine

February 6, 2016 IN a sign of mounting global concern over the Zika virus, health officials have warned pregnant women to think twice about the lips they kiss and called on men to use condoms with pregnant partners if they have visited countries where the virus is present. UN officials also called on many Catholic-majority […]

Ghanaian turtles on the brink of extinction

Conservationists in Ghana are warning of possible extinction of sea turtles if more care isn’t taken to protect them. Only one out of a thousand turtles survive to adult life. Strong lagoon waves hit the shoreline where Anane Afagying is mending his fishing nets. He and his family live in Akosua village, a coastal community […]

The world’s most popular banana could go extinct

by Roberto A. Ferdman In the mid 1900s, the most popular banana in the world—a sweet, creamy variety called Gros Michel grown in Latin America—all but disappeared from the planet. At the time, it was the only banana in the world that could be exported. But a fungus, known as Panama Disease, which first appeared […]

As Big Food Feels Threat Of Climate Change, Companies Speak Up

by Dan Charles Chances are, you’ve picked up some chatter about the new global talks on climate change. If you can’t quite see how it matters to you, personally, you might want to take a peek inside your pantry. Or your candy jar. Because it might just affect your access to everything from cheese to […]

Africa: Comesa Signs MoU With Microsoft

By Tinashe Makichi The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with global technology group, Microsoft, in a bid to collaborate in areas of access to technology and enhancement of trade in the region. COMESA through its business council and Microsoft took a step towards strengthening their working alliance […]

Africa: From Missed Opportunity to Oceans of Prosperity

Africa’s colonial legacy forced countries on the continent to look inward and neglect their coastlines. This sea blindness has resulted in many missed opportunities for a continent on which 38 countries have a combined coastline of more than 26 000 nautical miles (47 000km). Our lack of a broader maritime culture has, too often, concealed […]

Tanzania: Mobile Phones a Boon for Tanzanian Women in Business, Banking – Researchers

By Kizito and Makoye Dar es Salaam — Asha Masoud used to queue for hours to make her monthly bank loan repayment in the bustling Kariakoo area of Tanzania’s largest city. Her life changed when she started banking with her fingers using Tigo Pesa, a local application which enables her to make payments from her […]

Ugandan Students Create App to Detect Vaginal Bacteria

By Laura Newnham A group of five female students from Makerere University in Uganda have successfully created a test kit connected to a smartphone app that is able to detect harmful vaginal bacteria that cause bacterial vaginosis and other infections. In a video posted to YouTube, the team known as Team Code Gurus explain exactly […]

Facebook is going to start beaming Internet to Africa next year

Brian Fung, The Washington Post Mark Zuckerberg has said he wants to help connect another billion people to the Internet. Now, he’s taking the next step along that path. Facebook said Monday that it has partnered with the French satellite company Eutelsat to provide wireless Internet access to sub-Saharan Africa. Starting in the second half […]

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