New vaccine data is coming, watch out for these three claims
The last few weeks have seen dramatic headlines on the efficacy of several new coronavirus vaccines. But coverage to this point has been based on press releases – tiny snippets of results that were trickled out from clinical trials. This week, the real data deluge will begin. The Food and...
Fund launched to speed up access to clean energy in Kenya
The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) has launched a results-based financing programme aimed at unlocking new markets for clean energy companies in Kenya. The $4 million programme will support commercially viable companies to establish new markets and accelerate access to clean energy for 87,000 unserved and underserved households in Kenya....
Agents raid home of fired Florida data scientist for declining to manipulate Covid data
State police brandishing firearms early this week raided the Tallahassee home of Rebekah Jones, the former Department of Health employee who built the state’s much-praised Covid-19 dashboard before being fired over what she said was refusing to “manipulate data.” “They pointed a gun in my face. They pointed guns at...
How Google kicked out star ethics researcher Timnit Gebru
It is often argued that scholarship is always a conversation and always a work in progress. However, on the evening of Wednesday, December 2, Timnit Gebru, the co-lead of Google’s ethical AI team, announced via Twitter that the company had forced her out. Gebru, a widely respected leader in Artificial...
Road to energy transition might be bumpy, but banning fossil fuels is treacherous for Africa
What can be done to take natural gas off the banned fossil fuels list? The biggest concern about the continued use of natural gas comes down to one word: flaring. Flaring is the practice of routinely burning off associated natural gas that is produced from the reservoir during oil production....
African countries require balanced approach to the energy transition
Africa stands at a precarious juncture, where the transition from fossil fuels to renewables intersects with the economic benefits of a strategically managed oil and gas industry. Down one road, the continent expands exploration and production of its vast natural gas and oil reserves to bring electricity, fuel and financial...
