Picture this: an artificial intelligence (AI) system creates a bright, youth-focused social media post for young Kenyans, complete with local slang and the phrase “YOUNG, LIT, AND VAXXED!” This message tackles the…
Abubakar Shekau, the erstwhile leader of the terrorist group Jama’at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da’wa wa al-Jihad (JAS), died in 2021. The west African group, also known as Boko Haram, then fell into…
The formal launch of Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in September 2025 made news across the world. There was pomp and ceremony as Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam was officially inaugurated after 14…
As Tanzania’s national elections approach, a familiar humdrum of coverage has emerged. It goes like this. In its crackdowns, censorship and harassment of the opposition, Tanzania is becoming increasingly repressive. President Samia…
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…
Hermínio Guambe used to cut hair in a tiny barbershop with no electricity in his village outside Mozambique’s capital. The arrival of power changed everything. The 48-year-old now uses hair dryers. The village pharmacy…
The highest-profile detainee that the United States seeks to deport, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, appears to be headed to Uganda, where critics claim that a deal with the Trump administration eases political pressure on a…
Efforts by the United States and Qatar to end the decades-long conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have accelerated significantly since late June, building on earlier mediation initiatives led by the…
Chad’s opposition firebrand and a former prime minister, Succès Masra, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on 9 August. He was accused of inciting violence and hate speech on social media,…
A major breakthrough in quantum technology was achieved in October 2024: the first-ever quantum satellite communication link between China and South Africa. The connection spanned a remarkable 12,900km: the longest intercontinental quantum…
