The Nigerian Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has approved the commercial release of genetically modified, pest-resistant cowpea to farmers in Nigeria. The action is a culmination of more than two decades of research, field trials, and risk assessment by multiple organizations. This places the country on the path to becoming the first country ever to cultivate…
Project ECHO to Tackle Africa’s Health Challenges spreads
A new collaborative learning and practice platform dedicated to improving health care delivery in Africa is mobilizing powerful new multi-country partnerships and equipping frontline health workers to better combat devastating diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, cancer, cholera, and Ebola. On February 18-19, Project ECHO will conduct an immersion workshop training in Johannesburg, South Africa, for around…
Blue Economy: Busia County to promote bamboo growing
By Checky Abuje Kenya’s focus on the blue economy is now getting on track with the adoption of the strategy by the department of Kenya Forestry Services Busia County which has chosen to advance the planting of bamboo planting along the River Nzoia bed. Speaking to Africa Science News reporter at the border county of…
Bridging the gap: Africa’s science landscape and the African diaspora
By Dr Christine Ngaruiya As I headed home on the plane, my mind was abuzz. The engines steadily hummed in the background, dulled only by the even louder thoughts that raced through my mind. The plane lights were dim. Snores ebbed and flowed around me, my neighbors nothing but still heaps piled under blankets. Meanwhile,…
Digital health technology could improve quality, patient safety in Africa
Despite high death rates due to injury, less than half of the Africans have access to modern health facilities, According to experts, a majority of these cases could be avoidable through the implementation of digital health technology, with out-of-hospital care and monitoring forecasted to grow globally by 30 per cent to cross the $25 billion…
African Union honours FAO’s Director-General
The African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday awarded FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva with a special certificate of recognition for his contribution towards the eradication of hunger in Africa and the sustainable development of the continent’s agriculture sectors. “His (Graziano da Silva’s) passion for the Zero Hunger vision and relentless leadership…
Bill Gates to deliver remarks at the AU Summit 2019
Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will deliver remarks at the African Union Summit 2019 and the first annual Africa Leadership Meeting set for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Speaking to an audience of Heads of State and Government, representatives of the African Union and business leaders, Gates will highlight the remarkable progress…
HelpAge International launches project to strengthen health systems for older people in Africa
The Governments of Kenya and Mozambique jointly with HelpAge International have launched a three-year project in Nairobi that will seek to make health systems in Africa more responsive to the health and care needs of older persons. The Better Health for Older Persons in Africa (BHOPA) project is funded by the Maxwell Harvey Legacy Grant,…