The escalating conflict in the Middle East has sent shockwaves far beyond the geopolitical arena, landing squarely at South African filling stations. As diesel prices breach the R30-per-litre mark, fuelled by supply disruptions linked to the conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran, the traditional calculus of transport is being fundamentally rewritten. Industry leaders suggest…
Most citizens want news media that is free and holds government accountable. Key findings Radio remains the most common source of news in Africa: Across 38 countries surveyed in 2024/2025, six in 10 citizens (59%) say they obtain news via radio “every day” or “a few times a week,” compared to about half who do…
Investing in irrigation technologies will make food security a more achievable goal in the decades ahead, writes Richard Colback of the International Finance Corporation. [SciDev.Net] Just six per cent of cultivated land in Africa is irrigated. On a continent where small-scale farms produce around four fifths of the food consumed across Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa,…
The author, Obsidian Systems’ Angela Ho There is a moment every knowledge worker knows well. You open a blank ticket, a new Confluence page or a fresh e-mail thread, and you stare at it. Not because you don’t know what needs to be done but because the act of starting takes energy. Cognitive energy. The…
Our prehistoric human ancestors relied on deliberately modified and sharpened stone tools as early as 3.3 million years ago. The selection of rock type depended on how easily the material could be flaked to the desired shape and form. The resulting product proved invaluable for everyday tasks. Sharp-edged rock fragments were manufactured to suit various…
From household practices to policy priorities, climate change is impacting life across Africa. Key findings On average across 38 countries, more than half (56%) of citizens say they have heard of climate change. Awareness levels range from 27% in Nigeria to 91% in Seychelles. More than four in 10 Africans (43%) are “climate-change literate,” meaning…
For most of the past 25 years, Chinese construction companies operating in Africa could count on generous financial backing from Chinese banks. Between 2000 and 2019, Chinese funders committed almost US$50 billion to African transport projects. Most came from Chinese development finance institutions. Six years ago, this started to change as Chinese lenders began to…
US president Donald Trump’s address to the annual gathering of the United Nations general assembly in late September 2025 set a new low in international relations. Trump delivered a broadside attack on multilateralism – the effort to solve the world’s problems through collective endeavour – as well as issues that have found common cause among…
Peter Shankman, an American, said he looked forward to free drinks when he flew business class for work. The entrepreneur would have a drink, then a few more, sleep, then land. All was well, he said. Until it wasn’t. “Eventually, I realized that I wasn’t fine,” he said. “I was tired, cranky … [it] wasn’t…
CRISPR gene-editing therapy has already shown immense promise in treating and curing diseases, but scientists are now revealing its potential for disease prevention. A recent paper published in Nature details how a team of researchers successfully edited a single gene in mosquitos, rendering them unable to transmit malaria. This groundbreaking development could eventually lead to…
