Frontline heroes battle disease in Rwanda
Rwanda’s female community health workers have been beating back malaria—can they do the same for…
African elders’ knowledge vital to climate-proof global crops
Village elders in Africa played a crucial role in a global seed-collecting project that aims to bolster food security in a changing climate. Through cross-breeding…
Cost and red tape stifle Africa’s HIV drug producers
Locally manufactured antiretroviral drugs could make devastating stock-outs a thing of the past. But pilot production projects are struggling to scale up, reports Christabel Ligami.…
Build bridges between Africa’s research islands
Small African countries are often overlooked by big international research funders, but pooling resources could give them a leg-up, writes Simiso Mkhonta. It takes a…
How a deadly outbreak unveiled the key to safer food
A deadly Listeria outbreak in South Africa highlighted the power that consumers wield in improving food safety. Now scientists hope to harness that power in…
Africa’s first indigenous astronomy PhD wants to revive ‘negated’ knowledge
Growing up, Motheo Koitsiwe used to listen to his grandmother tell stories about the night sky. She spoke of selemela (the Pleiades), molalatladi (the Milky…
Barriers from bush to bedside
Over 5,000 plants are used for medicinal purposes in Africa, but efforts to test their potency and commercialise them keep hitting snags. Scientists hope better…
Brains by the sea: Computational neuroscience gains a foothold in Africa
The rich waters of False Bay, near Cape Town in South Africa, have sustained nomadic human tribes for tens of thousands of years. But over…
How Kenya’s devolution hobbled healthcare
Earlier this year, two girls died of dog-transmitted rabies in western Kenya. The deaths incensed veterinarians who had been struggling to obtain rabies vaccines from…
Mon chemin vers l’indépendance
Comme tout bon projet, ma thèse de doctorat a été parsemée de beaucoup de difficultés. Même si à chaque fois j’ai trouvé le courage de…