By Clifford Akumu At the periphery of Dandora Phase Six Estate, Nairobi County sits a one story building punctuated with breath-taking graffiti murals, where artists meet to sharpen their lyrical flow and engage in youth empowerment. Not even the pungent smell of the nearby dumpsite or the occasional thrust of the filthy Nairobi River interrupt…
Researchers and policymakers meet in Tanzania to discuss cassava agronomy
Scientists across Africa meet with policymakers in Tanzania under the auspices of the African Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) to discuss the progress made in the last two years in providing clues to the agronomy of cassava. The meeting, holding 11-15, December, is set review the progress made by the ACAI—a project managed by the International Institute…
UN Biodiversity Convention, Future Earth collaborate for global conservation goals
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Future Earth today agreed to strengthen their collaboration around a number of key areas. The memorandum of understanding, signed at at the twenty-first meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, being held 11 to 14 December in Montreal, Canada, is…
KWS new digital radio system for wildlife surveillance
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), a state agency in charge of wildlife managemenrt has said that it has put in place a state-of-the- art digital radio system to improve its efficiency in surveillance of wildlife in the country. The project has been accomplished through assistance from the French government which extended a 700-million shillings loan…
Crisis of invisibility in Sub-Saharan Africa: Less than 1 in 2 births registered
Ninety-five million children have not had their births registered across Sub Saharan Africa, and if decisive action is not taken, these numbers will soar to 115 million by 2030, UNICEF said today. According to UNICEF, the data has been released so as to prioritise birth registration as a first and critical step to a functional…
Caution as Madagascar’s plague epidemic slows down
Although the unprecedented outbreak of pneumonic plague in Madagascar’s is slowing down, the WHO has however cautioned that the response be sustained. “The worst of the outbreak is over, but we must stand ready to detect and respond to new infections until the end of the plague season in April 2018,” said WHO Director-General Dr…
Kenya launches Agency to Regulate Veterinary Medicines
A new agency to oversee the regulation of all veterinary medicinal products in Kenya has officially been launched. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is now mandated to oversee the manufacture, importation, exportation, registration, distribution, prescription and dispensing of veterinary medicines. Previously, this role fell under the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) and the…
Number of children stunting on the rise in Africa, WHO says
The number of stunted children in Africa is on the rise, according to the newly released nutrition report by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa. The Africa Nutrition Report, launched this week in Abidjan, Ivory Coast describes the current status in relation to six global nutrition targets that member states have…