Explainer: How Germs Outsmart Antimicrobials and Why It’s Making Us Sicker

More people are dying from once treatable infections because the medicines we rely on are no longer working as they should. The culprit? A growing health threat called antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Explainer: What Rural Communities in Tanzania Need to Know about Carbon Trading and Land Rights

As global demand for carbon credits rises, Tanzania has become a magnet for carbon offset projects. From Loliondo in Arusha to Kiteto in Manyara, foreign firms and conservation groups are looking for land to capture carbon and sell credits to polluting industries in the Global North. The growing interest in carbon trading has sparked hope, confusion, and concern— putting millions of hectares of village land and the livelihoods of people who depend on it at risk.

Young Africans Priced Out of Cities as Urban Housing Crisis Deepens

After graduating in 2019, Jeremiah Achimugu left Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria for Abuja, the nation’s capital, in search of better opportunities. But life in the city brought unexpected challenges, especially the high cost of housing.

A Salt Sermon That Could Kill: When Faith Leaders Preach Misinformation

In Nigeria, salt is deeply woven into the fabric of food and culture. It brings out flavor, preserves ingredients, and enhances tradition. But recently, salt has become the centerpiece of dangerous misinformation promoted by one of Nigeria’s most powerful spiritual leaders.

In Zimbabwe, Farmers Are Leading Scientific Research on Conservation Agriculture

Migren Matanga grew up shying away from small and traditional grains in Rushinga, in northern Zimbabwe. The 58-year-old mother of four from Toruzumba village relied on maize and cotton, one of the major cash crops in the area at the time.

Underfunding Threatens Sahrawi Refugees in Algeria

Since the Western Sahara War in 1975, Sahrawi refugees have resided in a collection of refugee shelters in the Tindouf province of Algeria. For over 50 years, these communities have struggled to develop self-sufficiency and have been solely dependent on humanitarian aid for survival, marking one of the most protracted refugee crises in the world.

A Premium Is What Africa Pays for Poor Credit Perception

Many African countries are perceived as a credit and investment risk. As a result, they are paying higher borrowing costs than developed countries. African countries often fail to attract international investment and finance as a result of poor credit ratings by international agencies. Only Botswana and Mauritius, out of the 55 African countries, receive an investment grade rating. Lenders view the rest as having 'junk' status, indicating a high risk of loan default. As  a result,  lenders will demand a  higher interest rate to compensate for the perceived increased risk of the borrower.

Humanitarian Aid is Stretched Following Surges in Violence in Sudan

After over two years of extended warfare in Sudan, humanitarian organizations have expressed fears of an imminent collapse as widespread hunger, displacement, and insecurity ravages the population. With tensions between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) having reached a new peak in 2025, it is imperative that Sudanese communities in the most crisis-affected areas have unfettered access to life-saving aid.

Sights Set on Highest Ambition as World Rows Through Toughest Ocean Crisis

Participants from over 100 countries will leave the 10th Our Ocean Conference in Busan, the Republic of Korea, with stark reminders that with sea levels rising dangerously, coastal regions and low-lying areas globally, particularly densely populated areas, are threatened.

Economic Community of West African States: Fifty and Fractured

Half a century after ECOWAS promised peace and prosperity, three breakaway states are testing West African solidarity, sparking a potential trade war.

Tanzania’s Women Miners Digging for Equality in a Male-Dominated Industry

Under the scorching Tanzanian sun, Neema Mushi wipes sweat from her dust-covered face and swings her pickaxe into the earth. The impact sends dust swirling into the air, coating her tattered clothes. She barely notices. For the past eight years, this has been her life—digging, sifting, sieving, and hoping to strike gold in the male-dominated pits of Geita. It is a grueling task riddled with obstacles.

Floods and Droughts are Two Sides of the Same Crisis

Water emergencies are deeply personal to us. Coming from Southeast Asia and southern Africa—two regions that struggle with water challenges—we have witnessed firsthand how water defines the fate of communities and nations.

A Nation Bleeds While the World Watches: The Tragedy in Sudan Must End

The ongoing civil war in Sudan is tragic, but the greater tragedy is that if the international community sits on its hands and does nothing to stop this horrific war and prevent further escalation of the conflict, it will come at an unfathomable price

African Countries Still Underfunding Health by as Much as 50 Percent

The majority of African countries are yet to commit 15 percent of their GDP to funding the health sector, despite the growing disease burden weighing down the continent and two decades after the coming into force of the Abuja declaration on health sector funding.

How Science Solutions Are Saving Africa’s Livestock and Livelihoods

Livestock are a lifeline for millions of farmers in Africa as a source of food and wealth. But devastating diseases are threatening the health and productivity of their animals. Now scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have unleashed a toolbox of science solutions by outsmarting the parasites and pathogens that cost millions of dollars in livestock losses across Africa. The toolbox includes everything from vaccines that protect livestock from ‘cattle malaria’ to genetics to breed animals tolerant to East Coast fever.

Slave Trade: Gorée Island and the ‘Fragility of Freedom’

Gorée Island, off the coast of Dakar, is a somber reminder of the transatlantic slave trade. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it embodies both the duty to remember and the challenges of passing on a painful past.

Hooves Vs. Habitats: Striking a Sustainable Balance Between Livestock and the Environment Is Crucial to Africa’s Future

In my country, Senegal, almost 70 percent of our land is used to graze livestock. Here and across Africa, pastoralists and livestock keepers sustain herding systems which are closely bound up with our landscapes and crucial to nationwide food security, economic growth, and ecological balance.

Smallholder Farmers Are Not ‘Beneficiaries’, but the ‘Co-Creators of Change’

Eliud Rugut comes from generations of farmers, yet his family expected him to move out of their home and pursue another career.

CGIAR Gender Accelerator: A Tool to Advance Gender Equality Research in Agri-Food Systems

To advance the participation of women, the youth, and minority communities in the agricultural sector, measures must be taken to recognize and break down the barriers that hold them back. Experts in the agricultural sector agree that even as they constitute a significant percentage of the agricultural workforce, women face persistent challenges. The picture that emerges is a lack of due recognition of their presence and their challenges, such as limited access to resources and knowledge.

Want To Fix the World, Ubuntu (Humanity to Others) Can Help

The world needs an urgent fix and humanity could just be it.

Reflections on CGIAR’s Week-Long Discussions on Food System Science

More than 13,600 participants from around the world registered for the inaugural CGIAR Science Week at the UN Complex, Nairobi, April 7-12, 2025. Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, the organization’s Executive Managing Director, said, “This is a testament that people are thirsty for science and for good news.”