Frontline heroes battle disease in Rwanda
Rwanda’s female community health workers have been beating back malaria—can they do the same for…
Let’s teach our children science in their own languages
African governments and scientists should agree to a two-generation plan to move away from European-language science teaching on the continent, writes Rafiou Agoro. I remember…
Kenya’s butterfly queen
Esther Kioko has gone from village girl to top insect scientist. Here she tells Geoffrey Kamadi about her journey so far. Like many of the…
Five ways to help young researchers succeed in Africa
A practical guide for research directors on how to improve institutional ecosystems for the benefit of the next generation of scientists. Herry Mapesi is a…
South Africa’s brand-new MeerKAT telescope: We ain’t seen nothing yet
Last month, South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope discovered giant bubbles at the centre of our galaxy. This is the telescope’s second major finding—the first was one…
Educating children displaced by Boko Haram is vital for Nigeria’s future
‘People dumps’ that house children displaced by Boko Haram could become breeding grounds for extremism unless the educational provision in them improves drastically, writes David…
This is how Nigeria plans to avoid Burkina Faso’s GM cotton curse
This growing season, farmers on more than 1,000 cotton farms across Nigeria are growing genetically-modified (GM) cotton under the watchful eyes of scientists. Come harvest,…
How young Tunisians revitalised science in their homeland
Tunisia has increased its investment in education and science, but many professionals leave the country, representing a loss on that investment. Now, a global network…
The Birdman of Ibadan: ‘Small actions can yield big results’
Adewale Awoyemi is a Nigerian ornithologist who coordinates the Ibadan Bird Club and manages the city’s International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Forest Center. Here he…
A new use for coffee-processing waste—but is it sustainable?
Waste from coffee processing could be used to clean polluting runoff from other industries, a group of Kenyan scientists has shown. But with the country’s…
