Explained
Nigeria’s President Buhari Sacks Aide Who Plagiarised Obama Speech
The plagiarism was embarrassing for Buhari because "Change Begins With Me" is a flagship policy meant to demand honesty and integrity from Nigerians
Editor’s Pick: Journalist’s Body Dumped At Farm, Battling Airline To Nigeria’s Economic Pain, African Headlines Worth Of Note
The body of a South Sudanese journalist abducted almost four months ago was found on a farm this week, press freedom group Reporters Without Borders said
Hacking A Continent
By 2020 Several African Nations Will Kick Out Malaria, As One Billion Bednets Go Out, But The War Is Not Over
By the end of the decade, in Africa, Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Comoros, South Africa, and Swaziland could also be free of the disease
Between The Egg And Grain: If Africa Learnt To Feed Its Chickens It Could Feed All Its People
Africa, which imports nearly 83% of the food it consumes, has a real chicken and egg problem
Africa’s 670 Universities Churn Out 10 Million Graduates A Year. Only 50% Get Jobs: Here Is A Fix
Ethiopia’s attempt to integrate infrastructure projects with research and skills development, and Kenya’s Tea Research Institute offer good lessons
The South Sudan Shocker: It’s Economy Is 5 Times Smaller Than Kenya’s But…(Part 2)
The well-connected elite who speculated on foreign exchange made profits of up to 400%!
AFRICA UNUSUAL: An Area 8 Times Bigger Than Seychelles Along Egypt-Sudan Border, And Is claimed By Neither Country
As of 2014 Bir Tawil seemed to be the only place on Earth that is habitable but is not claimed by any recognised government
Next Frontiers
A Beauty Contest Like Few Others: Uganda Crowns Mr. And Miss HIV Positive
There's such a taboo against revealing one's HIV-positive status that many young people don't realise how common their situation is
Botswana At 50: It Has Been A Success Story, But Is The Party Over?
With the white minority regimes in southern Africa now long gone, Botswana has lost its claim to exceptionalism
Myth & Reality
There’s Hunger And Pain In Zimbabwe, But It’s Complicated. Mugabe’s Land Seizures Didn’t Cause It All
Land reform was chaotic, and impacted the broader economy, but Zimbabwe’s resettled small-scale farmers in general benefitted
‘Free’ Higher Education Is A Myth. There’s No Such Thing Anywhere In The World
In countries where education is "free", someone still pays for it - the taxpayers. The poor and middle class are paying for the rich to study
Kenya’s Al-Shabaab Amnesty Was ‘Smart’: Is It Now Becoming The Good Intention That Leads To Hell?
An investigation reveals that fighters are disappearing after turning themselves in. Are the security forces responsible or jihadist hit squads?
From Africapedia
Africapedia
Nigeria’s ‘Neglected’ Conflict; Plus How One American Life Is ‘Equal’ To 80,000 African Lives
Along with Boko Haram and other armed groups, sectarian violence is responsible for over 16,500 civilian deaths in Nigeria over the past five years. That’s 50% more than the recent Ebola epidemic
‘Money Ain’t A Thing’ For Data-Hungry Africans, At Least Let It Be Fast And Reliable
Mobile network subscribers in countries surveyed view the actual or perceived reliability, coverage and speed of the voice/data network as the most important criteria for choosing an operator; price comes fourth
Want To Understand The Spread Of Disease In Africa? Follow The Gun Shots
The story of sleeping sickness in Uganda tells us why you should definitely invite army generals and warlords to your next medical research conference.
Dissenting Voices
If You Really Love Me, Don’t Feed Me Bacon
“You don’t know what it’s like to be the only one without potato chips in your lunch box”
Lies, Damned Lies, And Elephants: The Ban On Ivory Sales Has Been A Total Failure, So What Next?
There’s too much drama: the global population of the African elephant is not in immediate danger of extinction
A Cartoonist’s Complete ‘African Guide To Dictators’: A Profile Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
African leaders clinch 9 positions in the list of 15 current longest-ruling non-royal national leaders in the world
Book Corner
Growing Up With Tanzania: Memories, Musings And Maths
It is hard to imagine that mathematics, a subject that many people dread, can be an interesting story
Start-Up Nation: The Story Of Israel’s Economic Miracle
How did a country of that size and with a population of 7.1 million people come to embody cutting-edge innovation and entrepreneurship?
Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence and the Poverty of Nations
Without making the absolute claim, the authors suggest that violence, corruption or a combination of the two are part of what is holding back
We Have Now Begun Our Descent: How to Stop South Africa Losing Its Way
His is a two-fold horror: first, that this could be happening to South Africa, of all countries; and second, is that it is becoming an “African country”
Autumn Of Fury: The Assassination Of Sadat
Sadat was not of Egypt’s traditional Oriental-European ruling elite stock, and the snobbish upper classes always viewed him as an outsider.