Africa Climate Week: Minerals can drive energy transition, economy

Africa Climate Week: Minerals can drive energy transition, economy

The African continent is home to 30% of the planet’s cobalt, lithium, manganese and other critical resources needed for the clean energy transition, with Dr. Richard Muneng of the United Nations Environment Program detailing why the minerals are key to Africa’s future and its leadership in the climate transition. Muneng…

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

At UN Security Council, African leaders urge caution on uses of AI

How will artificial intelligence impact the future, and what benefits and risks does AI hold for democracy, conflict, and development? With ChatGPT now reaching 100 million users in just two months, African representatives participated this week in a United Nations Security Council session meant to encourage an informed response to…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Egyptian astronaut promotes African space initiatives

Sara Sabry of Egypt, the first African woman in space, is calling for more Africans to participate in space exploration and take advantage of related technologies and economic opportunities. “I don’t think space should be such an exclusive club. To be the first at something is to kick down the…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Senegal shuts down social media amid tensions over Sonko

Senegal is experiencing Internet and social media service interruptions as protests over the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko continue. Users of Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram and other services found their access restricted beginning Thursday, according to digital rights monitor NetBlocks. Data for mobile provider Orange (Sonatel) as…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

South Africa opens vaccine production facility

South Africa is moving forward with plans to produce mRNA vaccines at a facility in Cape Town, where leaders including Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization were on hand for a ribbon-cutting at the technology hub facility launched by biotech firm Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines. Afrigen has…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

D.C. hosts Africa Fintech Summit

The Africa Fintech Summit will be held Wednesday in Washington D.C., with speakers from top African startups like Flutterwave and a keynote address from Ethiopian investor and summit co-founder Zekarias Amsalu. The event, the latest of the Africa Fintech Summit series launched in 2018, will place partnership with U.S. officials…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Macron’s Africa trip highlights Angola space deal, Gabon forests

French President Emmanuel Macron continues his African tour through Sunday, completing stops in Angola and Congo Brazzaville on Friday as he seeks to reassure leaders of France’s commitment to Africa while acknowledging that the vestiges of the colonial era are forever in the past. Macron met with his Angolan counterpart,…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Robotic telescope station in South Africa completes global network

An observatory station in South Africa is one of the last two to be installed in a now-completed network that allows scientists across the world to monitor the night sky around the clock. The Burst Observer and Optical Transient Exploring System (BOOTES) system relies on automated robotic stations to detect…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Simulations offer human-wildlife solutions for Botswana, Zimbabwe

Along the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe, researchers are using computer model simulations to understand the impacts of human-wildlife conflict and how to reduce its costs to both the community and the surrounding ecosystem. Still a pilot program funded by the European Union, the approach is used in the Hwange-Kazuma-Chobe…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times