The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
hiv origin: The origin of HIV that causes AIDS has been found in wild chimpanzees living in southern Cameroon, according to an international team of scientists. A virus called SIVcpz (Simian Immunodeficiency Virus from chimps) was thought to be the source, but had only been found in a few captive …
a gene present in about 20 per cent of Africans can shut down the body's immune system, leaving it vulnerable to lethal infections, claims a study by scientists led by Maya Saleh of Canada's McGill University Health Centre. The study was based on blood samples taken from about 1,000 African …
Though there are more than 160 species of the plasmodium parasite, only four infect humans. Amongst the two common ones, Pf is more closely related to the parasite that causes malaria in chimpanzees and birds. Pv, in contrast, is more like the one that affects macaques, a tropical monkey. Chimpanzee …
This report highlights the importance of social protection in the struggle against global poverty. Social protection aims to enhance the capacity of poor and vulnerable persons to manage economic and social risks, such as unemployment, sickness, disability and old age.
Located in the Indian Ocean, the Great Nicobar Island is home to the little-known tribe of Shompens. Displaying a stark resemblance to African populations with some Mongoloid traits, they still cling to the life of hunter-gatherers. Except occasional visits by researchers and government officials, the enigmatic Shompens, who number just …
the water level of Africa's Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the world, has dropped dramatically by two metres in the last 45 years. Though drought has been largely blamed for this dip, a closer look by environmentalists and politicians in Uganda points to a new culprit: the …
climate forecasting systems can help predict malarial outbreaks, particularly in Africa where the disease is acute, five months in advance, says a recent study. Conducted by researchers at Botswana's National Malaria Control Programme (nmcp), Columbia University, usa, University of Liverpool and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ecmwf) in …
This article examines the divergent political responses to unplanned exposure to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the Global South. Although scientific and domestic political considerations have some relevance to explaining different positions among developing countries, trade considerations appear to be a principal driver of GMO policy. This consideration is strikingly …
A searing drought that threatens livelihood of millions of people in East Africa is also leading to a human-elephant clash. The search for water and food is drawing elephants in the Kenyan National Park and other reserves, close to human settlements and crop fields. Elephants have killed two people after …
Zulu's King Goodwill Zwelithini has urged African academics to use the information gathered from research to rewrite history books. The king was speaking at an event organised to commemorate the Battle of Isandlwana between the British and the Zulu in 1879. Zulu historians and academics had gathered to discuss the …
Trade unionists and environment experts from around the world have agreed that environmental rights such as access to clean water, health care and energy be made part of workers rights. The decision was taken during a conference on labour and environment organised by the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi …
In the last week of December, 2005, the beleaguered Indian tiger was again in the news. Tiger killing in north Indian sanctuaries made it to the front pages of many national dailies. The developments justifiably raised the hackles of environmentalists and conservationists. The ongoing debate on building incentives within sanctuaries …
healthy milk: Consuming non-fat (skimmed) milk products can halve the risk of hypertension, claims a study by scientists at the University of Navarra, Spain, and Alvaro Alonso, a researcher in the School of Public Health at Harvard University in the US. The study evaluated the relationship between the consumption of …
