A “Fridays for the Future” press conference, led by climate activists Greta Thunberg of Sweden and Luisa Neubauer of Germany on Monday, intentionally focused not on their highly visible voices but rather those activists who hail from the Global South. Among them was Hilda Nakabuye, a climate activist from Uganda…
Monique Ntumngia of Cameroon had a strong piece of advice for young women entrepreneurs striving for success: “Bring your chairs to the table, as nobody will do it for you.” Ntumngia, speaking this week at the 2019 African Economic Conference in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh, added that “youths in Africa are…
In Kigali, the African Development Bank has kicked off its World Summit on Gender with appeals to improve women’s access to financial resources they need to grow businesses and boost development. And with that, they received an endorsement from AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina. “When women borrow, they always pay back….
Young environmental activists in Zambia released a new video on Monday to call attention to the longstanding problem of lead poisoning in Kabwe, where more than a century of mining impacts led to environmental disaster and lasting health consequences disproportionately affecting children. “Several neighborhoods in our town, Kabwe, have some…
Five students from Kenya have been named as short-list finalists for the European Union’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded for exceptional achievements in human rights. The five – Stacy Owino, Cynthia Otieno, Purity Achieng, Mascrine Atieno and Ivy Akinyi – developed an app to help young women…
Three African students are among 15 across the globe who have joined with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in filing a legal complaint with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. Raslene Joubali, 17, of Tunisia; Deborah Adegbile, 12, of Nigeria; and Ayakha Melithafa, also 17, from…
The climate strike movement is just beginning and that’s certainly true for Africans. Friday climate marches grabbed all the headlines – and for good reason, since it’s the Fridays for the Future movement – but on the African continent the climate action promised to continue into the weekend and beyond….
As young people across the globe plan for the September climate strikes, the secretary general of Amnesty International has appealed to schools everywhere to allow their students to participate. Kumi Naidoo compared the struggles of the Fridays for the Future movement to his own as a young organizer, and said he…
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg completed on Wednesday her two-week journey by sea to New York City, where she will participate in the United Nations Climate Summit in September. Thunberg, the 16-year-old face of climate action since she began her Friday school strikes in her home country, traveled aboard the…
Move over, jollof wars of West Africa. For Selina Periampillai, a chef of Mauritian descent who grew up in London, it’s the scent of spices and the Indian Ocean cuisine that keeps her connected to a heritage that she’s now sharing with a new cookbook, “Island Kitchen.” Periampillai, along with…
Tragedy has come to the U Dream Global team, which was inching closer toward completion of an experimental flight journey across the African continent as part of its “Cape to Cairo Challenge” when a crash occurred Saturday in Tanzania. The accident happened in the inland Tabora region of the southern…
More than three dozen young African leaders are recognized among international recipients of the Diana Award, an annual award beginning in 2017, that honors youth for their contributions to positive social change in the spirit of the late Princess of Wales. Among those selected is journalist Zanji Sinkala of Zambia,…
Young climate change activists from across the globe have received Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2019, for their work in the Fridays for Future movement spearheaded by Greta Thunberg of Sweden. “We are humbled and inspired by the determination with which youth activists across the world are challenging…
The Time Magazine portrait of Swedish climate champion Greta Thunberg got lots of attention on social media, but she was just one of 10 people named as Next Generation Leaders – and three of them have ties to the African continent. First up is Tunde Wey, above, the 36-year-old Nigerian…
Students in Kenya marched to the edge of the Karura Forest in Nairobi to demand action on climate change, joining young people in 123 countries who participated in Friday’s Climate Strike – a massive undertaking in more than 2,000 cities. “Every single person who came out to march today is…