Farmers can grow food and bio fuels in West Africa

Tinus de Jager speaks to Hugo Verkuijl, DG of MaliBiocarburant, who produces biofuels “in a way that supplements farmers' incomes, contributes to poverty alleviation and respects the environment”. The question is whether farmers can grow both food and fuel in Western Africa.

Women scientists must do more to succeed in Africa

Women in science face a difficult time getting recognition; they often have to put in more to get the same recognition as men.

Cameroon farmers fight infertile soil

Farmers blame infertile soil for the low food crop yields in many part of Cameroon. Aaron Yancho Kaah reports from the North-western region the country.

MDR TB on the rise in South Africa

Hospitals in South Africa are reporting increases in cases of multidrug-resistant – or MDR – tuberculosis.
Audio Slide Show

Six out of ten girls drop out of Benin school

Overcrowding and a lack of infrastructure is putting a strain on the Dangbo High School in Benin, but some 57% of female pupils drop out because of early sexual activities. Sipho Stuurman reports from the Bonou region. Audio Slide Show

Cell phones are working for West African farmers

While many farmers in West Africa are still struggling to get information on crops and farming techniques, it seems as if more readily available information ... on commodity prices and the weather ... are reaching even subsistence farmers in the region.

Invest oil money in infrastructure: IFAD

Concerns about oil money not reaching the poorest of the poor in West Africa still abound, but NGOs say issues can still be addressed. Steven Schonberger, the West and Central Africa regional economist for IFAD, told Tinus de Jager that oil money put into infrastructure could boost the agriculture in the region.

Land is the issue in West Africa

Tinus de Jager interviews Steven Schonberger, IFAD’s Regional Economist for West and Central Africa, on the problems and success in establishing good farming practices in the region.

Mauritius considers new abortion laws

Mauritius has wants to allow abortion, but the Bill before Parliament specifies when this will be legal. Nasseem Ackbarally says arguments for and against the practice are taking centre stage in the island nation.
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Health service works for truck drivers

Small weather stations could help Kenyan farmers

Often the horn of Africa is unprepared to deal with sudden changes in climate, but small weather stations could change the luck of farmers in the region. Martha Nyambura reports.

Mauritians worried about new dam

The Mauritian Government has started the construction of 14-million cubic metres dam at Bagatelle, in the center of the island, to collect water that presently runs to the sea. But farmers in the area fear the new dam may damage their crops, particularly sugar cane and vegetables, and affect their livelihood.

SADC says better infrastructure would stop Diepsloot-like water issues

Problems with providing water to residents in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, prompted IPS to look at the issue at a regional level. Sipho Stuurman asked Southern African Development Community (SADC) water expert, Phera Ramoeli, about the problems the region faced.

Women process food to fight climate change

It is estimated that African farmers who sell their surplus harvest receive only 10 to 20 percent of the price of their produce due to post harvest losses brought about by extreme climatic conditions and the lack of access to appropriate technologies. But, says Martha Nyambura, women in the Kilifi county of Kenya, are now looking at new methods to help them combat harsh conditions.

Not enough was done: Diepsloot residents

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Blind beggars face an uncertain future in South Africa

South Africa has seen an increased number of blind Zimbabwean beggars on the streets of Johannesburg.

Johannesburg township residents have to queue for drinking water

  After a warning by the Johannesburg City Council, residents of the Diepsloot township have been queuing for days to get their hands on a bucket of drinking water. Sipho Stuurman was in the township and spoke to residents and officials.

SA to implement plan on HIV this month.

The South African government’s National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and sexually transmitted infections (STI), due to be implemented this month, shows how serious the country’s government is about tackling this epidemic.

Kenya needs more information on breastfeeding

Kenya is moving closer to reaching MDG targets on HIV transmission, but age-old practices could hold urban areas back. Mary Itumbi looks at the children being breastfed by women that are not their natural mothers.

SA hospital defies witchcraft fears and helps cerebral palsy children

A hospital in one of South Africa’s poorest and most isolated areas is defying tradition by providing a have to children with cerebral palsy. Children with these ailments are often hidden in rural areas as local tradition says they are bewitched. Mia Malan voices this insert compiled by Darren Taylor.

More teenagers are falling pregnant in rural South Africa

A health NGO says increasing numbers of teenagers, some as young as 13, are falling pregnant in an isolated part of South Africa’s Eastern Cape. The Philani organisation says it commonly helps 15-year-old girls in the area who have already had three children. Health workers attribute the situation in the Zidindi district, where most people are unemployed, to a variety of factors, including extreme poverty. This report was compiled by Darren Taylor and voiced by Mia Malan.