Terence Tao, one of the world’s foremost mathematicians, who is often called the “Mozart of Math,” would rather not talk politics. “I do scientific research,” Tao said. “I vote, I sign a petition, but I don’t consider myself an activist.” But after the July suspension of $584 million in federal grants at UCLA, which he…
News media shape public understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) and influence how society interacts with these technologies. For many people, especially those who have not sought more knowledge about AI elsewhere, media platforms are a primary source of information. This is particularly significant in Africa, where historical and socioeconomic contexts like colonial legacies and uneven…
Rome — Dr. Stefanos Fotiou is Director, UN Food Systems Coordination Hub The global food system is under pressure from every direction – climate, conflict, inequality, and economic instability. But in Addis Ababa this July, something shifted. At the UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake (UNFSS+4), over 3,500 people from 150 countries came together to…
Nearly 600 million people across the African continent still lack access to electricity. Close to one billion rely on traditional biofuels for cooking. Africa is also very vulnerable to climate change, even though it has contributed less than 5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions over the past 170 years. Speeding up the move to…
– Developed countries are not fulfilling their commitments to provide sufficient financial support for climate change action, according to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE). The ministry made the statement during the opening of the Pre-Africa Climate Summit 2 (ACS2) Water and Energy Exhibition, which aims to bring stakeholders together to forward solutions. In…
Marie Arnoldi and Phumla Mabashe are two women shaping the future of tech at Sanlam Fintech. In this women’s month spotlight, they share their stories of breaking barriers, mentoring the next generation and why empathy and boldness in the workplace are their superpowers. The genesis “Tech found me,” says Marie Arnoldi, senior manager and product…
Many African countries are already struggling with heavy debt burdens. Climate change is making this worse. Africa contributes the least to global emissions but suffers the most from extreme weather, rising temperatures and drought. These disasters affect not just people’s livelihoods but also national revenues, making debt repayment harder. Yet traditional debt contracts don’t account…
African governments and development agencies have embraced science, technology and innovation as levers for development over the past two decades. Science, technology and innovation boost productivity, cut transaction costs, open new business opportunities and promote social inclusion. They also help societies tackle grand challenges such as climate change and persistent poverty. By 2020 at least…
The International Court of Justice, the world’s highest court, handed down an advisory opinion on 23 July 2025 stating that climate change “imperils all forms of life”. This followed a case brought by Vanuatu, a tiny South Pacific island nation threatened by rising sea levels, supported by 131 other countries – the biggest case the…
Across most of Africa, rural communities grow their own food, relying on smallholder agriculture. But climate change is threatening this way of life. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and degraded soils are already shrinking harvests. This is pushing millions of smallholder farmers into deeper poverty. Yet some African farmers are embracing innovative, cost-effective and environmentally friendly…
