Science/Technology

  Findings from the inaugural African Youth Survey of 2020 reveal that while almost seven years since his passing, the spirit of South Africa’s ‘Madiba’ continues to loom large with young people across the African continent, with 86% of respondents believing that Mandela’s values are still relevant today. Acclaimed human rights icon and global statesman,... (africasciencenews.org)

By Henry Neondo People living with HIV to risk contracting severe cases of COVID-19 unless they adhere to the treatment, BroadReach, a leader in healthcare consulting and technology alleges. The ‘syndemic’ of HIV and other factors and diseases like COVID-19 was a major topic at the International AIDS2020 Conference (8-10 July 2020) as discussed by... (africasciencenews.org)

Following a successful launch of the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) by the Chairperson of the African Union, His Excellency, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa on the 18th of June 2020, the AMSP has gained traction in the sourcing of supplies of medical equipment, struck new and ground-breaking partnerships... (africasciencenews.org)

[purchase_link id=”0″ style=”plain” color=”” text=”http://africasciencenews.org/?p=12151&preview=true” direct=”true”]Crosscall, the French brand specialising in outdoor mobile technology, is increasingly recognised in both professional and consumer markets for the durability of its products and intends to make durability a major asset in its offer by now offering a complete range, consisting of 3 smartphones and a tablet, with an industry-first a... (africasciencenews.org)

By Herman Opondo Roche and non-profit (RED) have jointly announced joining forces on Wednesday to raise awareness of the importance of diagnostic testing in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. (RED) is a division of the ONE Campaign, a global movement to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030 so that everyone, everywhere can lead... (africasciencenews.org)

  The World Health Organization and UNICEF warned Wednesday of an alarming decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world. This is due to disruptions in the delivery and uptake of immunization services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to new data by WHO and UNICEF, these disruptions threaten to reverse... (africasciencenews.org)

Kenyan authorities have burned down 28 homes belonging to the indigenous Sengwer community in the Embobut Forest in Western Kenya. “What is happening now is so dangerous, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic,� said Elias Kimaiyo, a Sengwer community leader in Embobut. Many community members had left the area in search of food when the raid took... (africasciencenews.org)

The Federal Government of Nigeria has commended the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its partners for their impact on the Nigerian seed system, especially in the cassava sector. The commendation came during the IITA launched the second phase of the Building an Economically Sustainable and Integrated Cassava Seed Systems (BASIC II). The first phase... (africasciencenews.org)

[purchase_link id=”0″ style=”button” color=”blue” text=”Purchase” direct=”true”] The eyesore in Nigeria’s largest commercial city of Lagos could soon be a thing of the past if Dow (NYSE: DOW) will go ahead with its planned move to pilot a project aiming to collect the amount of plastic waste. This project is aligned to Dow’s global STOP THE... (africasciencenews.org)

Conservationists in Malawi have begun to translocate zebra and waterbuck to the 240,000²-hectare Kasungu National Park. The first seven zebra – four mares and three stallions – arrived at Kasungu on 9th July. In total, 12 zebra and 14 waterbuck are being moved from Kuti Wildlife  Reserve .in Salima by the Department of National Parks and... (africasciencenews.org)

By Mithika Mwenda   Last year, two weeks of incessant negotiations at the UNFCCC’s COP25 that took place in Madrid, Spain at the close of 2019 resulted in several outcomes that are very key to Africa and its people. The conference attended by at least 27,000 delegates aimed to highlight the gap between progress in... (africasciencenews.org)

Extensive collaboration and cooperation at inter-agency level, is a key ingredient in fighting wildlife trafficking law enforcers agreed at the conclusion of a training workshop to increase their capacity and expertise in fighting wildlife crime. The workshop which began on Monday in Naivasha, Kenya was hosted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in... (africasciencenews.org)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Ghana and Zambia have licensed an Ebola vaccine, just 90 days after World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification. Registration of the vaccine is expected in additional countries in the coming weeks. The licensing of the vaccine means that the manufacturer can stockpile and widely distribute this vaccine to... (africasciencenews.org)

With the death toll from the world’s worst measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) surpassing 6000, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for more funding to stop the outbreak. Under the leadership of the DRC Ministry of Health, WHO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and other partner aid agencies vaccinated more... (africasciencenews.org)

Scientists have, for the first time, located major quantitative trait loci associated with bunch weight and its component traits in Matooke, the East African Highland cooking banana. This is an important breakthrough in efforts to speed up the breeding of improved high-yielding varieties for both food security and improved household incomes in the region. Increasing... (africasciencenews.org)

By Zedekia Mapunda   Tanzanian Women Parliamentary Group (TWPG) plans to create awareness about the importance of gender-responsive policies, plans, and strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Women are disproportionately vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters and climate change when their rights and socioeconomic status are not equal to those of men. According... (africasciencenews.org)

By Checky Abuje   The Kenya Integrated Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project (KIWASH) has partnered with counties in Western Kenya to complement the acute shortage of water bedevilling the region. The latest project is in Busia county valued at Ksh 10m. More than 150 households will benefit from the project intended to supply clean water... (africasciencenews.org)

By Checky Abuje   Busia County has been picked by the National Government to construct a Rice Research Institute that is aimed at developing new breeds for lowland rice ecologies and their major market segments, including good grain quality and tolerance to major biotic and abiotic stresses. Jane Ndung’u, Head of Rice Promotion Programme in... (africasciencenews.org)

An alliance of organisations working across the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) sector in Africa, launched a new media fellowship award, designed to support journalists to report on the most pressing sanitation issues in Africa. Housed in Côte d’Ivoire, the Sanitation Media Fellowship<https://www.speakupafrica.org/publications/?catid=5> is open to all journalists working across the continent and demonstrates the... (africasciencenews.org)

A coalition of donors, aid institutions and philanthropy promised today to invest more than US $650 million in the CGIAR System Organization to help 300 million smallholder farmers in developing countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. The investments from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands,... (africasciencenews.org)

Blockchain technology is a game changer. It is transforming agriculture by enabling smallholder farmers in Africa to improve their production and enhance their trade through a platform of trust.  Blockchain is a decentralised, digital ledger which works through a series of digitally connected records where information can be shared openly and publicly verified through a... (africasciencenews.org)

By Jacton Akoyo Kenya’s Deputy President Dr William Ruto said Tuesday that the Government is committed to supporting research through increased funding.  Speaking during the third Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) International Conference and the 4th AfriGEO Symposium, Dr Ruto noted that the move would boost the quality of information and... (africasciencenews.org)

Kenya’s’ Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife Monday launched the National Recovery and Action Plan for the critically endangered Mountain Bongo. The Plan was launched by the country’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism & Wildlife, Najib Balala. The plan seeks to address the myriad challenges facing the Mountain Bongo and will jump-start the process of reversing their... (africasciencenews.org)

A new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Gender Index released by Equal Measures 2030 show that Niger, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad in Africa have some of the lowest measures to achieving gender equality than anywhere in the world. All these countries have all faced conflict and fragility in recent years. The SDG Gender... (africasciencenews.org)

The prestigious Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation announced its four 2019 finalists. Among them are a ground-breaking smart glove that translates sign language to speech via an app, a peer to peer foreign exchange platform, a smart locker that dispenses TB/HIV and other chronic medicines, and smart homes built to help African women afford their... (africasciencenews.org)

The WHO reports that 13 million people die from infectious diseases each year. In some countries, one in every two deaths is a result of an infectious disease; while in Africa, diseases like HIV/Aids, TB, malaria and hepatitis account for the majority of these deaths. Dr Izukanji Sikazwe, CEO of the Centre of Infectious Disease... (africasciencenews.org)

By Adelyn Wangusi The African Forest Forum (AFF) is commemorating a decade of its work on African forestry in Nairobi, Kenya. Since its establishment, the African Forest Forum (AFF) has provided a bridge between science-based knowledge and good policies to support sustainable forest management; effectively working within a science-policy-management framework. “We started this journey on December 06,... (africasciencenews.org)

By Clifford Cotiak Akumu Abdallah Zakaria, 12, a class seven pupil at Shepherds Junior School-Buru Buru is on a rush against time to finish his task as the trainer stealthily walks past him to check his progress. “It is hard at first but fun after mastering the pattern,� he sighs as he glues together the model.... (africasciencenews.org)

The African Institute for Policy Development (AFIDEP) and the African Academy for Sciences (AAS) Friday announced the launch of a two-year programme to promote the systematic use of evidence in policymaking in Africa. The Evidence Leaders in Africa (ELA) programme will enhance the evidence-gathering and analysis skills of researchers from across the continent and empower them to take a leading... (africasciencenews.org)

A vibrant African AI Ecosystem is emerging in Africa,participants at the inaugural Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4Dev) workshop at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya stated. The AI workshop, whose theme was “Toward a Network of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa” brought participants from various parts of the world. This workshop saw... (africasciencenews.org)

Nigerian farmers can now access extension and advisory services related to weed control, best planting practices and other aspects of cassava production on their cell phone free of charge, thanks to the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI). The mobile telephony service is powered by Airtel using the 3-2-1 Service of Viamo. Farmers with Airtel sim... (africasciencenews.org)