Society

Features look at the potential of the continent’s youth, the influence of women in leadership in 2026, the pace of urbanisation and the obstacles and openings in education. Sport appears as a unifying force, including the South African rowing team’s first appearance at a Boston regatta.

Humanitarian and civic stories sit alongside them: aid groups in Sudan, a clean water drive funded by well-known online creators, disputed election results in Benin. Global social trends such as falling birth rates and online romance scams complete the picture.

Those researching demographic change should begin with the youth and urbanisation features, which frame much of the other coverage.