An aerial view of Johannesburg, which is beset by billing issues. City Power, which has taken sole responsibility for electricity billing in the Johannesburg metropolitan area, has met with hundreds of residents and businesses to address account queries and discrepancies. In collaboration with other City of Johannesburg departments, the utility said the engagement “allowed customers…
When we hear the word “disaster” we often think of floods, droughts or earthquakes – events caused by nature. But what really turns these events into disasters is how prepared we are to deal with them. A flood becomes a disaster when people do not have safe housing, early warnings or emergency support. In other…
Africa’s Great Green Wall project began as an ambitious plan to build a 15-kilometre-wide band of trees across the north of Africa. The African Union launched the project in 2007 with plans for the trees to extend for 6,000 kilometres through 11 countries in the Sahel, restoring 100 million hectares of land from Senegal to…
Rennie Naidoo, professor in Information Systems at the Wits School of Business Sciences. South Africa, like many of its peers in the Global South, is awash in digital optimism. Coding bootcamps for youth, broadband projects spanning provinces, and classrooms equipped with sleek tablets. These are the emblems of a country striving to plug into the…
Tseliso Mohlomi, senior director at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Institute for the Future of Work. (Photograph by Lesley Moyo) South Africa’s 4IR Commission developed a 4IR strategy, with eight recommendations which include guidance on AI. However, poor implementation has left the strategy largely ineffective. This is according to progessor Tinyiko Maluleke, VC at Tshwane…
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — Africa is at the center of the global problem of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The continent carries about – 40 % of the worldwide NTD burden, impacting over 500 million people. Twenty of the 21 NTDs identified by the World Health Organization are found in Africa, with many countries facing…
The World Health Organization (WHO) today released a new report titled “Saving lives, spending less”, revealing that an additional investment of just US$3 per person annually in tackling noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) could yield economic benefits of up to US$1 trillion by 2030. Alongside the report, WHO shared new analysis of country-level progress in reducing NCD…
New report highlights major progress in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria – but warns that without renewed commitment and investment, decades of hard-won gains could unravel. The Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment is critical to keep the world on track toward ending these deadly diseases. GENEVA – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis…
Lusaka, Zambia — At the 75th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, Ministers of Health and high-level delegates converged to reaffirm their commitment to the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents. As part of the documents presented, the Ministers considered the technical document AFR/RC75/5 on Accelerating Progress in the Health and…
Lusaka — Progress against malaria in the African region has significantly slowed down, with cases declining by just 5% since 2015 and mortality by 16%, far short of the 75% reduction target that was to be achieved by 2025. Without intensified efforts, the region risks missing the 2030 targets under the Global Technical Strategy for…
