Africa Science Focus SciDev.Net

After Africa achieved wild poliovirus-free status in 2020, the region faced a setback with outbreaks recurring in Mozambique and Malawi in 2022. However, a swift global response by countries and health organisations, including large-scale vaccination campaigns reaching 50 million children across five nations, culminated in a recommendation this month by the independent Poliovirus Outbreak Response Assessment (OBRA) to declare the end of the wild poliovirus type 1 outbreaks in Southern Africa....

Ghana's fight against malaria has seen a major breakthrough with a 90 per cent reduction in malaria mortality since 2012.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, reporter Justice Baidoo speaks to health authorities in Ghana, who attribute this progress to a national strategy and the launch of the R21/Matrix-M vaccine. Mother-of-three Martha Obeng says her six-month-old son is “strong and very healthy” after receiving the vaccination.-------------------------------------------------------...

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, our reporter Michael Kaloki speaks with African researchers on the importance of ethics in science. Jerome Singh, an adjunct professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada, talks about the need to prioritise human wellbeing during science experiments, while Emma Ruttkamp-Bloem, chair of UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology, highlights the ethical considerations needed in the ...

Technology professionals explore how artificial intelligence and drones can transform industries in Africa. In this Africa Science Focus episode, reporter Michael Kaloki discusses the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI), drone technology, and data analytics with information technology professionals. Dennis Mutua, managing director of Geo-Cart,a Kenya-based surveying and drones solution company, says AI and drones could improve agriculture, engineering, and resource manageme...

Growing more local seeds in Africa can solve the region’s food insecurity and climate problems.Local crops and seeds are often neglected in Africa, despite their nutritional and environmental benefits, research has shown.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, Method Gundidza, director of the EarthLore Foundation, explains to reporter Elna Schütz the legacy of colonialism on these native species. Siphiwe Sithole, a farmer and managing director at African Marmalade, an agribusiness that ...

Solar powered, low-cost respiratory technology is aiding the fight to reduce neonatal mortality in Nigeria.Nigeria has a newborn mortality crisis, with 262,000 infant deaths each year. In this episode of Africa Science Focus, our correspondent, Royal Uche, highlights an innovation developed to curb the deaths of preterm babies in Africa’s most populous nation. We hear from Jimoh Abdulrasheed, consultant paediatrician at the Calabar Women and Children’s Hospital, who tell...