Ecotourism now big risk to great apes and other animals in the wild
Wildlife veterinarian Stephen Ngulu starts his typical working day watching from a distance as the chimpanzees under his care eat their breakfast. He keeps an eye out for runny noses, coughing or other hints of illness. These days, Ngulu and others at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy’s Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary in...
Crop irrigation: How dirty water is making us sick
William Whitt suffered violent diarrhea for days. But once he began vomiting blood, he knew it was time to rush to the hospital. His body swelled up so much that his wife thought he looked like the Michelin Man, and on the inside, his intestines were inflamed and bleeding. For...
AstraZeneca Covid vaccine: A scientific red flag with flashing lights
Manufacturers of a third coronavirus vaccine announced positive results in clinical trials last week, setting off yet another round of excited news reports. This one, produced by a partnership between a University of Oxford research institute, its spinout company Vaccitech and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca does not need to be...
Youssou N’Dour teams up with Graca Machel in Africa’s time is now’ campaign
Artists should be on the frontline of Africa’s development, given their pivotal role as communicators, Youssou N’Dour, musician, businessman and former Senegal culture and tourism minister, said at the opening of the 2020 African Development Bank civil society forum. The two-day civil society orgainsations forum kicked off on November 25...
African oil and gas industry braces for end of super profits era
Without bold fiscal reforms, Africa is doomed to further lose its global market share of oil and gas investment and production. This is a major takeaway, if not the most important takeaway from the Africa Energy Outlook 2021 released this month by the African Energy Chamber. As oil prices settle...
Accor hotel chain adds Turkey, India to its Middle East and Africa business
Accor, a world-leading augmented hospitality group, has added India and Turkey to its Middle East and Africa region.The newly expended region will now comprise of a portfolio of more than 84,000 rooms across 400 hotels.With the industry’s most dynamic portfolio of brands, covering every market segment from economy to luxury...
Nairobi sucked into ‘fool’s gold’ as the mineral fuels conflict in central Africa
Despite efforts invested licit mineral trade to stifle gold smuggling and money-laundering, East Africa – with Nairobi and Kampala as pivots – still towers other countries in Africa as a major conduit for pirated gold and diamonds from conflict regions in the South and Central Africa. East Africa is in...
Trade: Synthetic alternatives to endangered wildlife products being developed
Roughly a million species are threatened with extinction, according to a major international study published last year. And trade and personal use by people is the second leading driver behind habitat destruction, the research established.Conservation agency, Cites (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)...
Kenya tops Africa as East Africa dominates World Travel Awards
Kenya and South Africa won multiple awards in this year’s prestigious World Travel Awards (WTA), with Africa’s leading tourist destination in 2020 being reserved for the East African nation.While and South Africa basked in the glory of being picked as Africa’s destinations of choice, Ethiopia took pride in being Africa’s...
Fund launches business competition in refugee hosting areas
The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) and its partners International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, the United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) and the Turkana County government have launched a global competition for private sector and social enterprise projects to support investment, development and...