The !Kung San people of Botswana and the Bofi, living in Central African Republic (C.A.R.), are among 12 communities on the African continent that researchers studied to determine that women also hunt within their cultures, despite long-standing assumptions about the division of labor in hunter-gatherer societies. They’re among 63 separate…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Climate change and related environmental challenges are implicated in gender-based violence and discrimination, notably in sub-Saharan Africa’s fishing and timber industries, according to a new study from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Conflict over scarce resources can give rise to practices such as ‘sex-for-fish’ in parts of…
Amnesty International has stepped up on behalf of women human rights activists, who disproportionately face discrimination and attacks across the globe for their work – including Malak al-Kashef, a 19-year-old Egyptian transgender activist who was arrested in March 2019 during protests in Cairo. Her case, in which she was charged…
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….
President Cyril Ramaphosa took to the airwaves Thursday evening to deliver another message on South Africa’s escalating violence over migrants, which has claimed at least 10 lives and led to the arrest of more than 400 people. It’s also started to spread to other nations, with Nigeria reporting attacks on…
The Southern Africa Litigation Centre is celebrating a significant victory for married women in eSwatini, after the country’s high court ruled Friday that the existing common-law doctrine discriminates against women and denies their constitutional rights to equality. “Marital power refers to the archaic common law doctrine that a husband has…
The homicide rate on the African continent is higher than the global average, and far higher than the rates found in Europe or Asia, according to a report released Monday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC). The Global Study on Homicide 2019 report puts the African…
A new report on women who are Boko Haram returnees offers muted praise for how Nigeria has improved their reintegration into communities, but criticized continued abuses and the lack of funding to support successful programs. “Returning from the Land of Jihad” is a 35-page report released Tuesday by the International…
Nearly USD$62 million for women in business is headed to the African continent, after the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) announced on Monday its funding allocation for the African Development Bank and its own women-focused programs. The funding through AfDB’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) will be…
By Naza Alakija, Flourish Africa Climate change and issues relating to it has recently been at the forefront of much public debate. Nations globally are implementing new policies to win the race against climate change whilst others (a minority) neglect to acknowledge that it is actually happening. The United Nations…
The United States on Thursday announced the launch of the new Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (WGDP) with the aim of reaching 50 million women across the world by 2025. The White House rolled out the plan as U.S. President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka promoted it in a Wall…
The London Stock Exchange has named 360 companies from 32 African nations in its new “Companies to Inspire Africa 2019” report. Nigeria and Kenya lead the way, with the report’s foreword written by President Uhuru Kenyatta. “Entrepreneurship is at the heart of Kenya’s vibrant economy, propelling investment, job creation and…
Have you been targeted by hostile trolls on Twitter? You’re not alone, and if you’re a female politician or journalist the odds are you’ve already encountered the experience plenty of times. A study of 288,000 tweets sent to 778 such women in 2017 demonstrated a pattern of abuse that’s especially…
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is acting to stop a troubling trend in sexual attacks on women and girls travelling from villages to the town of Bentiu in the Unity region of the country. Approximately 125 women and girls have sought medical treatment after having been raped…
The European Union has signed a new Economic Cooperation Agreement with Liberia, and provided an initial €27 million in funding for the West African nation’s budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The commitment follows President George Weah’s trip to attend the annual European Development Days (EDD) Summit, held this week…