CAPE TOWN (South Africa), May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Seriously ill Covid-19 patients in African countries are more likely to die than those on other continents, which could be because of a lack of critical care equipment, a study published Friday said. Africa’s populations have so far been less badly hit by the pandemic than other regions when it comes to total number of cases and deaths — but the authors suggest the mortality rate of those who do get sick could be even higher than their figures suggest because of…
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Invasive species costing Africa $3.66 tn a year: study
ACCRA, May 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Invasive species introduced by human activity are costing African agriculture some $3.66 trillion every year — around 1.5 times the combined gross domestic product of all African countries — new research showed. Non-native species of weed, insect or worm can have catastrophic effects on farming, with just a single bug capable of reducing yields of staple crops across the continent. Now researchers based in Ghana, Kenya, Britain and Switzerland have sought to estimate the annual economic hit caused by invasive species to African agriculture. The…
Read MoreEgypt School for the Deaf Works Against Odds to Educate Children
CAIRO – Deaf children in Egypt face serious obstacles when seeking an education because many come from poor families and rural areas far from the capital, Cairo. Experts say nearly 5 million of Egypt’s 100 million residents are deaf, due in part to frequent intermarriage of close relatives. Notwithstanding their broad smiles and bubbling enthusiasm, deaf children in Egypt must cope with serious challenges at the same time the organizations that work to educate them struggle to run quality programs. Clair Malik, an educator who founded and built the Egyptian…
Read MoreEducation in Danger Monthly News Brief, December 2020
Africa Cameroon 03 December 2020: Update: In Kumba city, Southwest region, police have pressed criminal charges against the proprietress of the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy and her partner, alongside four other persons, following the killing of seven young students on 24 October 2020. Source: Mimi Mefo Info 09 December 2020: In Oku village, Boyo department, Northwest region, a student was shot and injured by Ambazonian separatists on his way to school.* Source: ACLED1 As reported on 09 December 2020: Update: In Northwest and Southwest regions, the long-standing Anglophone crisis…
Read MoreIs the Global Partnership for Education Redundant?
Or Is It a More Progressive, Democratic Alternative to the World Bank? Suppose a rich country, say the UK, wants to give foreign aid to improve education in a poor country, say Malawi. How should it go about that? There is an enormous literature comparing the cost-effectiveness of everything from buying free eyeglasses for students to paying performance bonuses to teachers. Who exactly should Her Majesty’s Treasury, in the UK’s case, or Janet Yellen, in the US case, make the check out to? Broadly speaking, there are three options, and…
Read MoreWomen’s entrepreneurship report: Education and finance for successful entrepreneurship in Africa
New ECA report shows that tackling educational attainment gaps can uplift African women entrepreneurs Addis Ababa, 19 January 2021 (ECA) – A new report finds educational attainment gaps limit the success of women-owned businesses in Africa while offering solutions to tackle the imbalance. The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) released its report on women’s entrepreneurship today, which studies data from tens of thousands of African entrepreneurs and firms to establish links between education, access to finance and improved productivity. Gaps First, the report reveals that education is a critical…
Read MoreCameroon Closes Schools as Boko Haram Suicide Bombings Increase
YAOUNDE – Cameroon says it has again closed more than 60 schools on its northern border with Nigeria to save children and teaching staff from increasing Boko Haram attacks. The central African state has deployed its military to teach displaced children in locations they say are safe. Boko Haram is increasingly using suicide bombers, as the military has drastically reduced the terrorist group’s firepower. Ousmanou Garga, the Cameroon basic education official on the northern border with Nigeria, says recent Boko Haram attacks have made many schools unsafe. Garga says several…
Read MoreCameroon Teachers Reject Military Convoys to Schools
YAOUNDE – At least 3,000 Cameroon teachers have refused offers by the central African state’s military to transport teaching staff to schools in the conflict-prone English-speaking regions. The teachers, who fled separatists’ attacks, looting, burning and occupation of their schools in the English-speaking regions, say they are not sure of their safety as some separatist fighters are again threatening to kill teachers and students who go to school. The renewed separatist threats are casting doubts over all schools reopening after four years of closure due to separatist crisis. Primary school…
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