Nairobi — More than 20 civil society and community organisations across Africa have urged governments to prioritise epidemic preparedness and disease surveillance, warning that weak systems could undermine responses to future outbreaks. The call was made during the launch of the *Nairobi Declaration on African Health Security and Collaborative Disease Surveillance*, bringing together groups from…
A snapshot in time: The state of malaria Last year’s World Malaria Report reflected the hard-won gains of countries across across the globe: between 2000 and 2024, sustained investment in malaria prevention and disease control averted 2.3 billion malaria cases and 14 million deaths. But the report also revealed concerning realities: drug and insecticide resistance…
West Africa as a region has long had one of the most mobile populations in the world. Since 1979, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has allowed citizens of its member states to travel freely across borders without visas. This freedom of movement has helped support regional trade, labour mobility and social ties….
Brighton, UK — A massive expansion of AI-enabled surveillance of public spaces across Africa is violating citizens’ freedoms and the fundamental human right to privacy, warns a new report by the Institute of Development Studies. African governments are paying billions of dollars to Chinese companies for so-called ‘smart city’ products for public space surveillance –…
Leandro da Cunha, surveillance business unit lead at Duxbury Networking. Duxbury Networking has been appointed the exclusive South African distributor for Milesight surveillance solutions, expanding its video security portfolio with an AI-enabled platform designed for faster deployment and open integration. Leandro da Cunha, surveillance business unit lead at Duxbury Networking, says customers are prioritising intelligence…
Timely detection and effective response to foodborne diseases are essential to protect public health and prevent local events from escalating into wider emergencies. To support countries in strengthening these capacities, the World Health Organization has released updated editions of its full set of manuals on strengthening surveillance of and response to foodborne diseases. The updated…
This statement was originally published on globalvoices.org on 26 October 2025. The speed at which the internet is evolving is making its users increasingly vulnerable. Meanwhile, digital technology, which should help to concentrate and centralize information to prevent losses, offers no guarantee against hacking and theft of personal data by cyber-criminals. Similarly, mass surveillance orchestrated…
Every year, rabies silently kills children across East Africa, even though it is one of the few infectious diseases that is 100% preventable. Globally, rabies causes approximately 59,000 deaths a year, mainly in Africa and Asia. In Kenya, 99% of human cases are attributed to dog bites/ scratches. In our region, children are the most…
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has partnered with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, a Danish enterprise Foundation, to strengthening public health workforce capacity for Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) surveillance across ten African Union (AU) Member States. The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded a grant of USD 2.65m towards the initiative, and the…
The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has entered its AI era — and the taxman is watching more closely than ever. With artificial intelligence now scanning bank records, crypto trades, and lifestyle mismatches, there’s nowhere left to hide. Sars is modernising its operations by integrating advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen tax…
