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 …
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says she is confident that her department will eradicate the remaining 3 898 pit latrines in the country's schools "within the next three years". To date, 787 schools have been provided with appropriate sanitation facilities, with construction at 841 schools either in the planning, design …
Ugandan-based Aptech Africa, a solar energy and water solution specialists, recently successfully designed, built and installed the first off-grid solar-battery hybrid power system in South Sudan. This USAID funded project, developed by AECOM International, incorporated a one-of-a-kind containerised PV storage solution by South African-based Sustainable Power Generation (SustainPower). In record …
South Africa is part of a 'pariah' group of countries that are not certified polio-free, thanks to weaknesses in our surveillance and vaccination programme. The Department of Health is determined to win back its certificate in April, and it launched an immunisation survey last week to check on the nation's …
A new study commissioned by the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) reflects on opportunities for corporates, municipalities, and intensive power users looking for affordable and low carbon ways of securing electricity. The report was launched today at the Res4Med&Africa; Regulatory Innovation Conference in Cape Town, examining 14 different scenarios …
In South Africa's Western Cape, a fruit farm just outside of Franschhoek has unveiled a 60kWp floating solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The system has been installed by New Southern Energy on the farm’s dam, helping to generate clean energy, while also minimising evaporation from the farm’s dam and saving valuable …
Although Africa has experienced rapid urbanization in recent decades, know little about the process of urbanization across the continent. The paper exploits a natural experiment, the abolition of South African pass laws, to explore how exogenous population shocks affect the spatial distribution of economic activity. Under apartheid, black South Africans …
President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Thursday announce a programme designed to place environmental care at the centre of South African culture. "Because of environmentally insensitive human action, the forces of nature conspired to set in motion the dramatic process of climate change," Ramaphosa said in his response to the debate …
Extremely high fire danger conditions are expected over the north-eastern parts of the Northern Cape, the northern parts of Free State and the North West. The South African Weather Service has also issued an advisory for heat waves with persistently high temperatures in the south-western Bushveld of Limpopo, as well …
The City of Cape Town – and southwest Africa more generally – experienced its worst drought on record between 2015 and 2018. With fresh rains as well as careful water management, the city has now emerged from this environmental and economic emergency. The final consequences of the drought might never …
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday officially opened a giant zinc mine that boasts of the largest known and undeveloped zinc ore bodies in the world. The Gamsberg Mine, situated near Aggeneys in the Northern Cape province, is a milestone in the economic development of the province and the country as …
South Africa is a major producer and exporter of agricultural products. The diversified agricultural sector produces a wide variety of agricultural commodities based on both large-scale commercial farming and small-scale family farms. However, pockets of food insecurity persist with more than 10 % of households experiencing hunger. A growing and …
This report outlines the measures that South Africa and its partners can take to reduce climate transition risk, avoid potential economy-damaging risk concentrations and in so doing, reduce the costs associated with the decarbonisation of the South African economy. More generally, this analysis can serve as a template with which …
The department of environmental affairs plans to appoint a panel to review the implementation of recommendations from a committee into the feasibility of a legal trade in rhino horn. Minister Nomvula Mokonyane intends to appoint an advisory committee that will look into “existing policies, legislation, and practices related to the …
With Eskom in dire financial straits and straining to meet demand, the government has reverted to courting independent renewable energy producers to help power the economy. President Cyril Ramaphosa, energy minister Jeff Radebe and the Treasury have all recently heralded solar and wind-powered plants as the answer to meeting SA’s …
This report explores some of the main challenges associated with the likelihood that South Africa’s coal production might decline significantly, potentially over the next five to ten years. The authors highlight some of the key issues that need to be thought through and discussed as part of ensuring a “just …
South Africa faces an impending food security crisis if there isn't urgent action to correct unsustainable practices, says an environmental organisation. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), South Africa will have to produce 50% more food by 2050 to feed an estimated population of 73 million people.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) released the Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report on the agri-biotech status of South Africa. The report highlights that the production of GE corn, soybeans, and cotton in South Africa has reached 2.7 million hectares. About 94% of corn plantings, …
The overall objective of the project ‘Making agri-food systems work for the rural poor in Eastern and Southern Africa’ was to improve food security and promote sustainable management of natural resources through enhanced adoption of pro-poor agri-food system innovations. To achieve this goal, the project aimed at achieving four specific …
While South Africa’s new education policy aims to equip poor and working-class citizens with the skills needed for today’s job market, the latest economic update for the country shows that its implementation could negatively affect the national budget. Announced in December 2017, the policy offers free tertiary education to 90% …
An increase in rehabilitation cases in December 2018 and January 2019 observed by NGO VulPro is a sign that an environmental disaster is looming, says the organisation that works to safeguard Africa's vulture populations. "During the month of December 2018, 23 vultures were brought into VulPro for treatment for dehydration, …
