This story was originally reported by Megan Rowling and edited by Laurie Goering for the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
People are gaining access to electricity at a faster pace as governments ramp up efforts in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Kenya – but the prospects for many African countries remain gloomy, international agencies said on Wednesday.
Globally, those living without electricity dropped to about 840 million in 2017 from 1 billion in 2016, said a report tracking progress towards a global goal on...
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The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation have announced their shortlist, and we’re paying close attention to five of the impressive nominees! Talented, ambitious and committed to technological excellence, we’re sure they’ll be making waves over the next year and beyond.
Here’s a look at some of the stand-out individuals and inventions that made the shortlist:
Muzalema Mwanza, Zambia
Muzalema Mwanza’s creation of a Baby Delivery Kit is making waves. The kit includes the tools that expectant mothers in Zambia are often asked...
Millions of women around the world experience violence simply because of their gender. In Namibia, Southern Africa, one in three women in long-term relationships report physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, at the hands of their partner. News reporting plays a big role in either fuelling or helping to prevent violence against women. So, ONE has joined forces with Namibia’s First Lady, Monica Geingos, to make the media part of the solution.
Beyond belief
Women and girls...
What is global health?
It’s a big year for global health so ONE is going to be talking about it a lot. But before we jump into the nitty gritty statistics or the importance of getting funding for the world’s most innovative partnerships, let’s talk about what global health actually is!
Global health is about improving people’s health worldwide, reducing inequality and, protecting societies from global threats, such as preventable diseases, that don’t stop at national borders.
So why is it important?
We...
On International Women’s Day, we released our fifth annual letter to world leaders. This year, over 40 activists from across the African continent contributed to the letter, urging world leaders to make genuine progress in the fight for gender equality.
Their bold statement to world leaders has gained global support since its launch! Over 100 influential figures signed the open letter and are taking a stand for women everywhere.
Thank you to everyone who is using their platform to stand up...
This IWD, we’re passing the mic to African activists who are doing incredible work for gender equality. Together, they’re standing by a bold demand to world leaders, urging them to make real progress. Get to know more about the fantastic co-signers backing this demand, including our spokeswomen!
Spokeswomen:
Melene Rossouw
Melene became an Attorney in the High Court of South Africa in 2009. In 2017, she founded the Women Lead Movement to educate, empower, and inspire women. They lead social change in...
Why do certain books make it to our desks, libraries and book shops over others? On International Book Day, we take a look at the progress made by African publishers.
More and more African authors are being praised and winning awards around the world, taking indigenous knowledge and original African thinking beyond the continent. So, why is African book publishing still underdeveloped?
Unique challenges
Publishing got off to a slow start. Colonial rulers passed laws to make sure they owned the rights...
108 years.
That’s how long ago the first International Women’s Day took place. On March 19, 1911, over a million people worldwide rallied for equal rights. They demanded that women have the right to work, receive vocational training, hold public office, and vote.
A lot has changed in 108 years, but we’ve still got a long way to go.
Across the globe, women are still legally prevented from having the same economic opportunities as men. In some places, women are barred from...
Discrimination against sexual minorities in Kenya is costing the country up to US$1.3 billion annually, a report by a coalition of global businesses said, attributing the losses to missed tourism earnings, poor health and less employment of LGBT+ people.
The report by Open For Business – an alliance of big companies including tech companies Google and Microsoft and Deutsche Bank – estimated anti-gay attitudes were shaving off up to 1.7% of Kenya’s annual gross domestic product (GDP).
“A lot of the...
Sierra Leone has banned female genital mutilation (FGM) as part of a wider clampdown on initiation ceremonies by secret societies, a minister has confirmed.
With nine in 10 girls cut, Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of FGM in Africa, according to U.N. data, and is among only a handful of African countries where the practice remains legal.
Girls are cut during initiations into powerful secret societies – known as the Bondo – which wield significant political clout.
The ban...