Women entrepreneurs in Tanzania aren’t benefiting from bank and microfinance loans. This is generally taken to mean that there is a shortage of supply – that banks aren’t offering loans to this group of business people. But, writes Vanessa Naegels, the problem isn’t that there aren’t loans available. It’s that women running small businesses have a very jaundiced view of the loans on offer, and prefer not to take them up.

Nigeria is a hot spot for neuroscience research in Africa, third only to South Africa and Egypt. Mahmoud Bukar Maina explains the strengths and shortcomings of Nigerian neuroscience research, and maps out targeted solutions to the challenges facing scientists in the country.