SciDev.Net: Sub-Saharan Africa

29/08/2025

Banana peels, Maize cobs and Sawdust are not waste in Uganda’s Kyaka II refugee camp but fuel.

Discover how refugees are cooking with briquettes that burn longer than firewood. Read the full story on SciDev.Net.

14/08/2025

We asked Mavis Akuffobea-Essilfie, a senior research scientist at the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute how researchers can bring gender, equality, and inclusion into their work.

Tune in to the full episode to hear how science councils in Africa are bridging gender gaps in STEM.

Click the link in the bio to listen.

12/08/2025

What’s the cost of ignoring gender equality in African science councils? Lorenza Fluks (PhD), senior research specialist at South Africa’s HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council) shares the real impact in our latest podcast episode.

Tune into also hear science council representatives on the steps they’re taking to bridge gender gaps in their systems.

Click the link in the bio to listen to the full episode.

07/08/2025

In our latest podcast episode, Hildegalda Mushi, a senior researcher at the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, breaks down the stark gender gaps in STEM across the country.

Watch the full conversation to hear the policies and programs they’ve launched to close the gap.

Click the link in the bio to watch the full video and the listen to the rest of the podcast.

06/08/2025

01/08/2025

Following up on our previous episode that explored the funding disparities faced by women in STEM across Africa, this episode of Africa Science Focus explores the ongoing efforts to foster gender inclusion within science granting councils.

In this episode, our reporters Ogechi Ekeanyanwu and Titilope Fadare speak with councils across Africa to understand the steps being taken to build a more inclusive research ecosystem.

Thomas Kaluvi, an officer at the National Commission for Science and Technology in Malawi, tells us about an internal review that revealed gender imbalances in team composition in previous research projects, discouraging women from participating.

In response, the council introduced a funding quota for women and vulnerable groups to encourage their participation in research projects.

Hildegalda Mushi, a senior researcher at the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), explains that the council developed a research grant manual that enabled men and women to compete on equal terms.

She adds that the commission also launched a special funding call for women-led projects, to encourage more female researchers to take the lead in research activities.

In Ghana, Mavis Akuffobea-Essilfie, a senior research scientist at the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute, tells us the council is forming focal groups to monitor progress and promote consistent integration of gender considerations across its research system.

To ensure the efforts across councils are sustainable, Lorenza Fluks, senior research specialist at South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council, explains that a gender equality policy framework was developed to guide future work, embedding gender inclusion into funding, collaborations, and research outcomes.

28/07/2025

What if the next pandemic 😷, and Africa is again, last in line for testing?

02/07/2025

The 2025 Global Food Policy Report warns that the world could be heading toward another major food crisis. For Africa, the warning is especially urgent.

Across the continent, food systems are under pressure from climate change, economic shocks, and political instability.

These overlapping challenges are making it harder for governments to respond to rising food needs or invest in long-term solutions.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, reporter Michael Kaloki explores how research and evidence can help build food systems that are more resilient, inclusive, and better prepared for future shocks.

Steven Omamo, director of development strategies and governance at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), says many African countries already have food policies, but poor implementation and weak investment continue to undermine them.

He highlights the value of science in guiding early warning systems, promoting stress-tolerant crops, boosting local production, and supporting community-based responses to disruptions caused by climate and conflict.

Food systems specialist Jane Battersby, associate professor at the University of Cape Town, urges a shift in focus toward urban food insecurity. She says while there is attention on hunger in rural areas, a large number of food-insecure people live in cities, often in informal settlements where food is available, but unaffordable.

Zippy Ondisa Shiyoya, director at the Institute of Packaging Professionals of Kenya, says poor coordination, high policy costs, and unreliable data are barriers to effective food strategies.

She explains how science underpins food safety and quality, from production, through to distribution, consumption and data gathering. It guides better packaging solutions, which extend shelf life, reduce spoilage, and minimise post-harvest losses — a major source of food waste across the continent.

To listen to the episode, click the link in the bio.

28/06/2025

18/06/2025

06/06/2025

11/05/2025