banner
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa
@africa.theconversation.com
1.7K followers 10 following 830 posts
An independent source of news and views on Africa from the academic and research community. Read us at theconversation.com/africa
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 8h
Sudan’s war has killed 150,000+ and displaced 14 million.
Who’s fuelling the conflict—and how can it end?

Sign up to join our next #TCAVirtualDialogue on
14 Oct 2025 at 2pm WAT / 3pm SAST / 4pmEAT

🔗 Register now → tinyurl.com/2x62z3vt
1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 10h
Malnutrition is the leading cause of illness and death for Kenyan children under five, often linked to food shortages and infectious diseases. 🍲

theconversation.com/child-malnut...

#HealthAndMedicine
Child malnutrition in Kenya: AI model can forecast rates six months before they become critical
Acute malnutrition weakens a child’s immune system, which can lead to severe illness and an increased risk of death.
theconversation.com
1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 10h
Aussie researchers trial magnetic powders to pull microplastics from water—could this be a game changer for clean rivers? 🧲

theconversation.com/we-tested-if...

#ScienceAndTech
We tested if a specialised magnetic powder could remove microplastics from drinking water: the answer is yes
Researchers developed a new method to remove microplastics from water.
theconversation.com
2 2
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 10h
Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam is now officially open, marking a major milestone for Africa’s energy future. ⚡️

theconversation.com/ethiopia-has...

#Politics #GERD
Ethiopia has struggled to build national unity: can its big new dam deliver it?
Symbolic attempts at national unity in Ethiopia managed to achieve only short-lived national pride.
theconversation.com
2 4
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 1d
With US HIV funding cuts, southern Africa must boost local support for voluntary male circumcision to curb new infections. ✂️

theconversation.com/male-circumc...

#HealthAndMedicine
Male circumcision is made easier by a clever South African invention - we trained healthcare workers to use it
Estimates are that one million HIV infections have been prevented, saving the cost of treating and monitoring those cases, and avoiding transmission to partners.
theconversation.com
1 1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 1d
Senegal leads the Great Green Wall effort, but new research finds just one out of 36 sites is greener than expected. 🌳

theconversation.com/africas-grea...

#EnvironmentAndEnergy
Africa’s ‘great green wall’ is stalling: in Senegal very few planted areas show progress
Africa’s Great Green Wall of 6,000km of trees was launched 18 years ago, promising to halt desertification. But in Senegal, it’s been very slow to progress.
theconversation.com
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 1d
Chinese construction firms are still thriving in Africa, even as Chinese state funding drops sharply. Their market presence remains strong. 🚧

theconversation.com/chinese-comp...

#BusinessAndEconomy
Chinese companies are changing the way they operate in Africa: here’s how
African governments and other local actors have a crucial role to play in shaping the activities of Chinese firms.
theconversation.com
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 1d
South Africa’s whistleblowers helped expose corruption, but laws meant to protect them have fallen short, leaving many at risk. 🕵️‍♂️

theconversation.com/south-africa...

#Politics
South Africans who blow the whistle face retaliation and murder: their stories over five decades
By fulfilling their public duty, South African whistleblowers have put themselves at serious personal risk.
theconversation.com
1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 2d
Black mambas were found to be indicators of toxic poisons from heavy metals.

theconversation.com/toxic-pollut...

#EnvironmentAndEnergy
Toxic pollution builds up in snake scales: what we learnt from black mambas
Black mambas were found to be indicators of toxic poisons from heavy metals.
theconversation.com
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 2d
Boko Haram has resurfaced in the Lake Chad region, with deadly attacks in Nigeria and Cameroon. Security experts urge regional action. ⚠️

theconversation.com/boko-haram-o...

#Politics
Boko Haram on the rise again in Nigeria: how it’s survived and how to weaken it
The governments and militaries of the Lake Chad region should prioritise JAS as much as ISWAP in their counter-terrorism efforts.
theconversation.com
1 1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 2d
Failing water, power, sanitation and security services in South Africa are spurring households and communities to do it themselves.

theconversation.com/south-africa...

#Politics
South Africans are going off the service grid: what happens when citizens replace the state?
Failing water, power, sanitation and security services in South Africa are spurring households and communities to do it themselves.
theconversation.com
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 2d
Universities are rethinking assessment as generative AI like ChatGPT changes how students learn, not just how they write. 🤔

theconversation.com/universities...

#Education
Universities can turn AI from a threat to an opportunity by teaching critical thinking
Employers and societies demand graduates who can evaluate information and make sound judgments.
theconversation.com
1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 2d
Africa’s second climate summit agreed that climate finance to Africa must be a legal obligation and that every country on the continent should have a climate law.

theconversation.com/african-coun...

#Climate
African countries gear up for major push on climate innovation, climate financing and climate change laws
Africa’s second climate summit agreed that climate finance to Africa must be a legal obligation and that every country on the continent should have a climate law.
theconversation.com
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 2d
AI brings creativity to health messages in Kenya and Nigeria, but it’s not always accurate. Human touch still matters. 🤖

theconversation.com/vaccines-and...

#HealthAndMedicine
Vaccines and motherhood: are AI generated health messages working in Kenya and Nigeria?
The challenge in using either AI or traditional campaigns for health messaging remains designing accurate and culturally responsive health communication.
theconversation.com
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 2d
🐾 Fossilised tracks reveal dassies’ ancient behaviours on South Africa’s Cape coast, offering new clues for palaeoscience research.

theconversation.com/worlds-first...

#ScienceAndTech
World’s first known butt-drag fossil trace was left by a rock hyrax in South Africa 126,000 years ago
The first hyrax fossil tracks and traces ever to be discovered were identified on South Africa’s coast.
theconversation.com
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 6d
A new study from Kruger National Park reveals fig wasps aren’t as perfectly adapted as once believed, challenging textbook examples.

theconversation.com/natures-not-...

#ScienceAndTech
Nature’s not perfect: fig wasps try to balance sex ratios for survival but they can get it wrong
Some wasp species adjust the number of male offspring they produce when sharing fig trees with other wasp species.
theconversation.com
1 1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 6d
A new study from Kruger National Park reveals fig wasps aren’t as perfectly adapted as once believed, challenging textbook examples.

theconversation.com/natures-not-...

#ScienceAndTech
Nature’s not perfect: fig wasps try to balance sex ratios for survival but they can get it wrong
Some wasp species adjust the number of male offspring they produce when sharing fig trees with other wasp species.
theconversation.com
1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 6d
Tanzania’s avocado exports have soared, with Europe, India and the Middle East hungry for this green gold. 🥑

theconversation.com/tanzanias-gr...

#EnvironmentAndEnergy
Tanzania’s green gold rush: how avocado waste is hurting farmers and what should be done
Tanzania’s avocado boom wastes 30%-50% of produce, hitting smallholder farmers hardest. Better training, fair prices, quality standards and storage can cut losses.
theconversation.com
4 8
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 6d
A new open source book shares the stories of Windhoek’s Old Location, preserving memories of resistance and community after forced removals.

theconversation.com/windhoeks-ol...

#ArtsCultureAndSociety
Windhoek’s Old Location was a place of pain, but also joy – new book
Former residents recall a community nurtured by a spirit of extended family and solidarity.
theconversation.com
3
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 6d
Edson Sithole broke barriers as southern Africa’s first black Doctor of Laws, shaping Zimbabwe’s legal and liberation history. 📚

theconversation.com/edson-sithol...

#Politics
Edson Sithole: new book uncovers the work of a thinker, lawyer and Zimbabwean freedom fighter who ‘disappeared’
Sithole was just one of tens of thousands of individuals who died during Zimbabwe’s independence struggle.
theconversation.com
1 3
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 7d
South African university students face persistent threats from violent crime and hazardous infrastructure, with institutions unprepared to address these dangers.

theconversation.com/south-africa...

#Education
South African students still don’t feel safe on campus: how protection can be stepped up
South African universities remain exposed to preventable student risks.
theconversation.com
1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 7d
Palm trees flourish across Africa, from deserts to rainforests, but the continent has fewer species than other tropical regions. 🌴

theconversation.com/palm-trees-i...

#EnvironmentAndEnergy
Palm trees in Africa are in decline: these botanists made a plan to do something about it
Palms play a vital role in food, culture and livelihoods. A new pan-African network aims to study, protect and conserve the continent’s unique and rare palm trees.
theconversation.com
1 2
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 7d
Dams have long symbolised the World Bank’s development strategy, but their social and environmental impacts remain controversial. 🌏

theconversation.com/dams-for-dev...

#BusinessAndEconomy
Dams for development? Unpacking tensions in the World Bank’s hydropower policies
After a hiatus, the World Bank returned to dam building, but has anything changed?
theconversation.com
1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 8d
The ranking industry is targeting universities in Africa, which are seen as offering a new market.

theconversation.com/university-r...

#Education
University ranking systems are being rejected. African institutions should take note
The ranking industry is targeting universities in Africa, which are seen as offering a new market.
theconversation.com
1
africa.theconversation.com
The Conversation Africa @africa.theconversation.com · 8d
South Africa leads the #G20 as calls grow for urgent action on climate adaptation, with experts urging decisive steps to protect the global economy.

theconversation.com/will-the-g20...

#Climate
Will the G20 listen to its own advisors? 4 urgent steps on climate change
The G20 must establish a fair mineral trade for Africa, fund Africa’s climate needs, and make sure the move to clean energy benefits everyone.
theconversation.com
1 3