South Africa’s minibus taxi industry has lessons for policymakers on how informal systems work
The Conversation Africaby Siyabulela Christopher Fobosi, Senior Researcher, UNESCO 'Oliver Tambo' Chair of Human Rights, University of Fort Hare, University of Fort Hare·19d ago
Two recent books draw on more than a decade of research into South Africa’s minibus taxi industry. A Fork in the Road?
Climate change is fuelling African conflict – governments are developing a shared response
The Conversation Africaby Gracsious Maviza, Gender and Migration Scientist; Regional Lead for Southern Africa in the CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security Team, CGIAR·19d ago
Climate change is making life tougher. Across Africa, failed harvests, shrinking water supplies and more extreme weather are leaving millions of people hungry and forcing many from their homes.
Ethiopia’s armed opposition unites against Abiy Ahmed: 5 reads on the country’s political struggles
The Conversation Africaby Kagure Gacheche, Commissioning Editor, East Africa, The Conversation·19d ago
Seven Ethiopian armed groups have announced a new alliance aimed at overthrowing the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
King Sunny Adé at 80: six decades of Nigerian musical innovation, global acclaim and cultural preservation
The Conversation Africaby Damilola Peter Olatade, Lecturer, Lagos State University·20d ago
Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye, known as King Sunny Adé, is 80 this year. He has devoted more than 60 years of his life to influencing Nigeria’s popular music and promoting the unique sounds of jùjú music.
Young South Africans move for work and opportunity. What happens to their health when they do?
The Conversation Africaby Michael White, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Brown University·20d ago
Moving between rural homes, towns and cities is a normal part of life for many South Africans. Young adults often move in search of work or education, sometimes settling elsewhere for long periods...
A decade on, Somalia’s federal pact benefits elites and al-Shabaab – but it fails the people
The Conversation Africaby Nisar Majid, Research associate, London School of Economics and Political Science·20d ago
The federal government of Somalia was established in 2013 after years of peace and reconciliation talks, held in the context of a famine in 2011 and the rise of militant Islam in the form of...
Demolishing Lagos informal settlements also destroys the city’s best defences against climate change
The Conversation Africaby Brianna Castro, Assistant Professor of Urban Sustainability, Yale University·22d ago
In a waterfront settlement in Lagos, Nigeria, I watched from the shoreline as two men worked a stretch of lagoon from their canoe. One held the boat steady.
Teenage girls may know how to prevent pregnancy – that doesn’t mean they have the power to do it
The Conversation Africaby Deevia Bhana, Professor Gender and Childhood Sexuality, University of KwaZulu-Natal·22d ago
Teenage pregnancy is often explained in simple terms. Girls are said to lack knowledge about contraception, take sexual risks or make poor choices. But is it that simple?
Africa’s Red Sea states face growing risks as Houthi rebels expand their reach
The Conversation Africaby Burak Şakir Şeker, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations, Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University·24d ago
The Houthi takeover of parts of the Red Sea gives the armed group a new platform to challenge global shipping.
Brown is beautiful: what Namibia’s capital Windhoek can teach African cities as they get hotter and drier
The Conversation Africaby Christina Breed, Senior Lecturer, University of Pretoria·24d ago
Many African cities have started drawing up climate plans. These promise cooler streets, urban forests and green roofs on buildings. This urban climate adaptation has become an urgent priority.
Kofi Agawu: the scholar who showed the world that African music isn’t just about rhythm
The Conversation Africaby Geoff Mapaya, Associate Professor, Department of Music, University of Venda·24d ago
Kofi Agawu is regarded as one of the world’s foremost authorities on African music. The Ghanaian scholar, teacher and researcher has changed how the world hears and studies it.
Academics in South Africa have to focus on ‘outputs’: what’s lost when other work’s not counted
The Conversation Africaby Nokulunga Shabalala, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Johannesburg·24d ago
Professors Curwyn Mapaling and Nokulunga Shabalala are two Black clinical psychologists working as academics in South Africa.
3 African wild dogs travelled over 4,000km to find mates – why that’s good news for the endangered species
The Conversation Africaby Scott Creel, Professor of Conservation Biology & Ecology, Montana State University·25d ago
In 2021, a three-year-old female African wild dog spent a year travelling more than 2,300 kilometres across southern Africa.
Sacred springs of South Africa: pure waters or polluted? We found tiny bits of plastic in the samples we tested
The Conversation Africaby Samuel N. Motitsoe, Senior Lecturer in the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand·25d ago
Across South Africa, natural springs are more than sources of freshwater. Some are places of healing, spiritual cleansing and rituals, where communities collect water and maintain longstanding...
Spekboom is nutritious, water-wise and edible – so why aren’t more South Africans eating it?
The Conversation Africaby Faith Matiza Ruzengwe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of the Free State·25d ago
Spekboom (Portulacaria afra) is an easy-to-grow succulent shrub, small tree, or hedge. In the wild, it grows naturally to up to five metres tall on steep slopes and rocky hillsides in the Karoo and...
History is being rewritten at an archaeological site in Morocco. What the discovery of an ancient wall tells us
The Conversation Africaby Toby C. Wilkinson, Assistant Research Professor, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge·26d ago
In the hills of north-west Morocco, overlooking the river that gives the site its name, research at Oued Beht is bringing to light a previously unknown chapter of the region’s past.
Have South Africans always been hostile to migrants? Historians map a chequered history
The Conversation Africaby Julie Weise, Associate Professor of History, University of Oregon·26d ago
Anti-immigrant violence began to sweep across South Africa once again in March 2026. Over the following months an estimated 56,000 Malawians and 115,000 Zimbabweans were forced to flee their homes.
Social workers who protect children in South Africa carry a burden of trauma – better preparation could help
The Conversation Africaby Marinei Herselman, Lecturer, University of Fort Hare·26d ago
When a child is raped, abandoned or removed from a violent home in South Africa, a child protection social worker is assigned to the wellbeing of that child.
AI has arrived in South Africa’s boardrooms – but company law hasn’t caught up
The Conversation Africaby Rehana Cassim, Professor in Company Law, University of South Africa·27d ago
AI is beginning to influence how boards of directors make decisions in South African companies. Directors use it to do things like assess financial information, predict market trends or identify...
Africa’s air travel is reliant on distant hubs: why it’s time to fix this
The Conversation Africaby Arthur Shirichena, PhD candidate aviation law, University of Manchester·27d ago
When conflict erupted in the Middle East in 2026, the consequences were felt far beyond the region. One was the disruption to Gulf airspace.
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