TECHNOLOGY-AFRICA: A Rural-Urban Digital Divide Challenges Women

Janet Malika owes her success to the little gadget that is her cell phone. Formerly a struggling food hawker in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, she has become a cafeteria owner since acquiring the device about five years ago, and using it to conduct business.

DEVELOPMENT-SUDAN: Oil Boom Causing Land Prices to Skyrocket

Sudan's oil reserves paired with a dearth of water make it a nation of fierce battles for land - most notably in Darfur and southern Sudan where, for centuries, squabbles over rich terrain have ignited into brutal conflicts.

RIGHTS-KENYA: Colonial Labour Laws Violate ILO Conventions

Human rights campaigners have appealed to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to suspend Kenya's membership for continuing to resist efforts to reform its archaic labour laws.

POLITICS-UGANDA: Rebels’ Shrinking List of Peace Mediators, Venues

The focus is now on South Africa, after Kenya turned down a request from a Ugandan rebel group to host the stalled peace talks with the government of President Yoweri Museveni.

POLITICS: Africa to Get Its Own U.S. Military Command

For the first time in its history, Africa is poised to get its very own U.S. military command.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: Debt the Illegitimate Legacy of Africa’s Dictators

As the World Social Forum (WSF) draws to a close in the Kenyan capital Thursday, calls on international finance institutions to cancel debts owed to them by poor countries have grown ever louder.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Gangs Make Slum Life Costly

Concerns are being voiced in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, about the operation of gangs in slum areas – something which appears to stem from the lack of policing in these communities.

SOMALIA: The New Frontier in the War on Terror

Somalia has become the new frontier in the war on terror, joining the unpopular club of Afghanistan and Iraq, a situation that is worrying the rest of Africa.

NIGER: “The Capital Does Not Only Belong to the Rich”

The new year is looking much like the old for certain residents of the "Pays-Bas" shantytown in Niger's capital, Niamey. Four months after seeing their homes demolished in the name of safety and security, they are still waiting for resettlement at an alternative, developed site promised by authorities.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: A Tale of Budget Crunches and Midnight Oil

With just days to go before the seventh World Social Forum (WSF) kicks off in Nairobi it’s all systems go amongst the organisers, who are preparing to welcome thousands of delegates to the Kenyan capital for the Jan. 20-25 gathering.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: The Importance of Giving the WSF an African Flavour

This year will mark the first occasion on which an African country, Kenya, is serving as sole host of the World Social Forum (WSF) - a gathering which had its beginnings in the Brazilian town of Porto Alegre seven years ago.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: “We at the WSF Don’t Have an Agenda”

As many as 150,000 delegates from more than a hundred countries are expected to attend the upcoming World Social Forum (WSF), to be held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, from Jan. 20-25. And, expectations for the meeting appear as varied as the nationalities that will pass through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport en route to the Moi International Sports Centre.

CHALLENGES 2006-2007: The Struggle Continues for Mozambican Women

The contradictions in Maria’s life are typical of many women in Mozambique.

POLITICS-SUDAN: “I Am Staying Because This Is My Home”

In recent weeks, violence has flared again in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, forcing the largest-scale evacuation of humanitarian workers since aid operations in the war-torn area began in 2004.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: On the Eve of the Nairobi Gathering, a Glance Back

Almost a year ago, IPS interviewed a cross-section of people in Mali to gauge expectations for the African leg of the 2006 World Social Forum (WSF), held in Bamako. Certain interviewees were sceptical about whether the meeting could effect political and economic change; others proved more hopeful. So, were their expectations realised?

CHALLENGES 2006-2007: Darfur in Crisis, Still

Almost four years after conflict broke out in Darfur, calls are being made for greater efforts to resolve the predicament in this western region of Sudan.

KENYA: Oldest National Park Confronts Industry and Urban Sprawl

For people who arrive at the international airport in Nairobi, Kenya's fabled wildlife can be glimpsed almost immediately, in the Nairobi National Park which borders the airport. Driving out of this facility en route to the city, there's a chance of sighting black rhino, zebras and giraffe: just some of the many species that inhabit the park.

WORLD SOCIAL FORUM-KENYA: A Race to Leave Informal Settlements Behind

Come the 2007 World Social Forum (WSF), to be held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi next month, many delegates will doubtless be seen running to and from various events. Some may also be running for an event, however: the 'Marathon for Basic Rights: Another World is Possible Even for Slum Dwellers'.

/UPDATE*/KENYA: On the Move Towards Improved Health Care

In the Mile 46 area of Kajiado in southern Kenya, roads are few and public health facilities sorely lacking. This creates several problems, not least with the immunisation of children against tuberculosis, polio and measles.

DEVELOPMENT: World Bank Predicts Betterment, In a Way

By 2030, 1.2 billion people in developing countries will belong to a global middle class, up from 400 million today. The increase in wealth will make income inequality and environmental pressures more acute, predicts the World Bank in a report on 'Managing the Next Wave of Globalisation'.

CHALLENGES 2006-2007: Old Problem of Graft in Kenya Set to Dog the New Year

As 2006 comes to a close, concerns over Kenya's track record in tackling corruption are deepening in the East African nation. Authorities have consistently said they are committed to the fight against graft; but civil society organisations argue that various developments indicate a lack of political will to root out corruption.