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In mid-April Ghana’s efforts to restructure its sovereign debt came to nothing, increasing the risk that it couldn’t keep up with its repayments. This is a familiar story for many African countries. Twenty of them are in serious debt trouble. Carlos Lopes argues that there are three factors driving this state of affairs: the rules of the international banking system; lenders’ focus on poverty reduction rather than development needs; and unfair treatment by
rating agencies.
The hopes of many Nigerian workers were dashed on May Day when the government failed to announce a new minimum wage. Buffeted by rising inflation, many workers are slipping further into hardship and poverty. But Steve Onyeiwu explains why raising the minimum wage alone wouldn’t protect them - it has failed to do so since it was first introduced in 1981.
Chad’s elections kick off today. In this recent article, Helga Dickow argues that though it will officially mark the end of the transitional government, it may not mean a break with authoritarian rule. Mahamat Déby looks set to stay in power.
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Carlos Lopes, University of Cape Town
African countries are being driven into a debt dependency cycle. Three major factors are at play.
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Stephen Onyeiwu, Allegheny College
Increasing the minimum wage is a temporary fix. Upgrading the skills of Nigerian workers is the surest way of boosting their wages.
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Enrico Gennari, Rhodes University; Neil Hammerschlag, University of Oregon; Sara Andreotti, Stellenbosch University
The majestic white shark that once drew many tourists to South Africa’s Western and Southern Cape regions has all but disappeared - and the only explanation can be a sharp decline in the population.
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Helga Dickow, University of Freiburg
Chad’s presidential elections on 6 May will officially mark the end of the transitional government but will not mean a break with authoritarian rule.
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Thandi Lewin, University of Johannesburg
The system has allowed many students who would otherwise not access higher education to do so, but it is fraught with problems.
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From our international editions
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Seán Jordan, Dublin City University; Louise Gillet de Chalonge, Dublin City University
The origin of life on Earth is one of the biggest mysteries in science.
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Karleen Gribble, Western Sydney University; Nina Jane Chad, University of Sydney
If you feel burping is helpful to your baby, then keep doing what you’re doing. If trying to burp your baby after every feed is stressing you or your baby out, then you don’t have to keep doing it.
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Christian Brakenridge, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
A new study has calculated how long you should be sleeping, standing and moving each day for optimal health. And you might be doing more physical activity than you thought.
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Konstantine Panegyres, The University of Melbourne
It started with the ancient Greek word for crab. Here’s what happened after that.
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Filippos Proedrou, University of South Wales; Maria Pournara, Swansea University
Legal scholars say the law has its merits, but find loopholes in the way it defines ecocide.
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