Africa Science Focus

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we hear about the Atayese Health Network, which is confronting the prevailing issues of healthcare inaccessibility and escalating costs.Our reporter, Royal Uche, speaks to Atayese founder Adeolu Olusodo, who tells us that the organisation is working to making healthcare available and affordable for all, particularly in rural communities in Nigeria’s South West region.Uche also speaks to healthcare workers who shed light on the challenges plaguing the healthcare sector in Nigeria. ------------------------------------------------This project was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. The fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Do you have any comments, questions or feedback about our podcast episodes? Let us know at podcast@scidev.netAfrica Science Focus is produced by SciDev.Net and distributed in association with your local radio station. 

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we speak to Maureen Akolo, a nurse and public health specialist in Kenya who supports communities at risk of HIV/AIDS, including sex workers and drug addicts. She works to create awareness about HIV/AIDS and encourage and educate people about life-saving treatments such as anti-retroviral drugs.Our reporter, Michael Kaloki, also hears from a patient living with the disease about how she accepted her diagnosis and is living a healthy life thanks to Akolo’s mentorship.-------------------------------------------------This project was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. The fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Do you have any comments, questions or feedback about our podcast episodes? Let us know at podcast@scidev.net Africa Science Focus is produced by SciDev.Net and distributed in association with your local radio station.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we explore how funding agencies are supporting women in research. We take a look at the barriers that persist for women pursuing academic careers and how these can be broken down.How can funding for women’s research in Africa help them contribute to knowledge creation on an equal footing to men and compete on the global stage? And how can data on gender help funding agencies address gaps in grant allocation?Our reporter, Michael Kaloki, has been speaking to African women in science about their experiences and the new initiatives aimed at levelling the playing field.This podcast was supported by the Science Granting Councils Initiative, which aims to strengthen the institutional capacities of 18 public science funding agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa.Do you have any comments, questions or feedback about our podcast episodes? Let us know at podcast@scidev.netThis piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we speak to Gladys Nyachieo, a social science researcher, whose work revolves around transforming pedestrian experiences and urban transportation in Kenya. She advocates for the widespread adoption of walking and non-motorized modes of travel, particularly in Nakuru, Kenya. Our reporter, Michael Kaloki, looks at the practicability of her campaigns and speaks to beneficiaries of work.This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we delve into the hurdles that women on the African continent experience while attempting to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Long-standing gender stereotypes and the burden of unpaid labour are just some of the factors that feed into the underrepresentation of women in these sectors.Our reporter Michael Kaloki spoke with some African female scientists who described the problems women face in STEM fields and shared their ideas about how to bridge the gender gap. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

In the first episode of our new season of Africa Science Focus, we follow the journey of Josephine Nackeny Augustino whose mission is to tackle the pressing waste management crisis in South Sudan. With cities in low-income countries expanding, and waste generation escalating, Augustino's commitment to finding a solution is inspiring. She is helping to transform waste into nutrient-rich compost for agricultural purposes.Through her research on microorganisms, she is changing the farming practices of local farmers and harnessing the power of composting.This project was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Solutions Journalism Accelerator. This fund is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s sub-Saharan Africa English desk. 

Spina bifida is a birth defect that affects the proper formation of the spine. It can lead to complications that can cause both physical and intellectual disabilities, and even death. In this episode of Africa Science Focus, our reporter, Ijeoma Ukazu, talks to Lawrencia Dyawei, mother of a child with spina bifida about the challenges she and her child face. Ifeanyi Nsofor, a global health equity advocate, explains spina bifida. Festus Fajemilo, co-founder and executive director of Nigeria-based Festus Fajemilo Foundation, which supports people with spina bifida, speaks about caring for people with the condition, and Joyce Mwatonoka, a paediatrician at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, Dodoma, Tanzania, talks to us about preventive measures. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

We have come to the end of season three of the Africa Science Focus podcast and we decided to compile some insights on science in Sub-Saharan Africa from some of the science conferences we attended in 2022. At the 2022 World science forum, Cape Town, South Africa, Tumelo Nhlapo of the University of South Africa’s Science Engagement Centre tells us how the centre engages kids in problem solving and STEM.  At the 2022 conference on public health in Africa, Kigali, Rwanda, Noella Bigiriman, deputy director general, Rwanda Biomedical Centre, talks us to about incorporating covid-19 lessons into public health systems. And at the Africa Economic Conference, we learnt about climate smart development, transitioning to clean fuels and developing policies around renewable energy in AfricaThis piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

In Africa, rising temperatures have resulted in extreme weather events like floods and droughts that threaten lives and livelihoods. In order to tackle climate change, people need  to know how to take action. And the younger they are when they lean, the better.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we speak to the founders of social enterprise Earth Warriors, who tell us about their curriculum creation initiative. Keya Lamba, a co-founder of Earth Warriors, tells us about the approach they take in building curriculums for school students. Shweta Bahri, explains how climate knowledge is already being infused in schools in some countries in Africa.This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Eastern and Southern Africa have the highest HIV/AIDS burden in the world. And it is mostly women and girls in low- and middle-income countries who bear the greatest burden. This year, World AIDS Day highlighted the inequalities holding back progress in ending HIV/AIDS. In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we speak to Anne Githuku-Shongwe, UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, about the inequalities faced by people on the African continent in accessing HIV treatment. Eva Kiwango, country director of UNAIDS South Africa, focuses on access to HIV treatment in South Africa.This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Oral diseases are largely preventable, yet a recent World Health Organization report reveals that half of the global population has some form of oral disease. And most of these people live in low- and middle-income countries.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we speak to Morenike Oluwatoyin Ukpong, professor of paediatric dentistry and the dean at the faculty of dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, about the inequities in oral health in Africa. Victor Nwabudike, a consultant family dentist and head of the dental department at Ajeromi General Hospital, speaks to us about the consequences of oral diseases.Also McKing Amedari, a consultant at the department of preventive and community dentistry at Obafemi Awolowo University tells us about the findings of his latest research on oral health in Nigeria.This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Africa produces only one per cent of its routine vaccines. This leaves the region dependent on imports for its vaccine needs, and makes it vulnerable to a vaccine crisis during health emergencies. In this episode of Africa Science Focus, Ebere Okereke, senior technical advisor at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and honorary senior public health advisor for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, says research in science, and funding for therapeutics and vaccine manufacturing in the continent, must increase. Professor Claude Muvunyi, director general for the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, tells us that boosting Africa’s capacity to manufacture vaccines will be a front burner discussion during the 2nd International Conference on Public Health in Africa, scheduled to take place in Rwanda on the second week of December. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Progress towards universal health care in Africa is slow, and according to the World Health Organization 80 per cent of Africans depend instead on traditional medicine.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, Oluwagbemiga Aina, head of the centre for traditional, complementary and alternative medicine at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, explains what herbal medicines are. Scholastica Lan, national chairman of the Association of Lady Pharmacists in Nigeria, tells us why regulation is sorely needed. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

African currencies are in free-fall, with hard-biting inflation hitting double digits in countries like Ghana and Nigeria, putting food nearly out of reach for many.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we speak to Churchill Ogutu, a Kenyan economist, who unpacks the links between currency depreciation and poverty. And Ndubusi Nwokoma, director of the Centre for Economic Policy Analysis and Research of the University of Lagos, Nigeria, tells us what’s needed to stabilize the situation. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Nigeria is facing its worse flooding in a decade with building and infrastructure submerged and lives and livelihoods lost. While climate change does play a role, poor infrastructure and poor preparation have intensified the situation.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we get the backstory from Professor Nelson Odume, acting director of the Institute for Water Research at Rhodes University, South Africa. Philip Jakpor, the director of programmes at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, a social action organisation, puts the blame on poor dam management. And Alagoa Morris - flood victim, environmentalist and the Head of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, in Bayelsa state, Nigeria, tells us what it is like to live through the flood. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Africa is largely a coastal continent, with more than 70 per cent of African countries having a coastline. Much of the region depends on the ocean for food and income, but the changing climate is causing Africa’s coastal communities to deal with rising sea levels and dwindling resources.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, Dickson Gereza, a fisherman, co-founder and manager of the Kuruwitu Conservation and Welfare Association in Kilifi County, tells us what his community is doing to adapt to the pressure the ocean is facing. We also talk to Thando Mazomba, a marine scientist and alumni of Ocean Womxn, a leadership programme under the Department of Oceanography, who advocates for Africa-centric solutions. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Africa is battling a suicide and mental health crisis. According to the World Health Organization, the region has the highest number of suicide cases in the world with around 11 people per 100, 000 dying by suicide each year. The region is also home to six of the ten countries with the highest incidence of suicide. In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we hear from Kenyan resident Philis Mwatee about the pain of losing a dear friend to suicide. Florence Baingana, WHO regional advisor on mental, neurological and substance abuse, highlights the risk factors affecting Africans. And clinical psychologist Gladys Mwiti from Oasis Africa, a trauma centre, says Africa must invest in stronger support structures. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

The lands of indigenous peoples contain much of the world’s surviving tropical forests – which are key to limiting the devastating impacts of climate change. Yet it is estimated that just 17 per cent of global climate and conservation finance allocated for indigenous peoples and local communities’ forest management initiatives reaches them.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, Bryson Ogden of the Rights and Resources Initiative in Washington DC explains the barriers indigenous peoples face in accessing funds meant to protect forests on their lands. And Kenyan social entrepreneur and climate leader, Patricia Kombo, speaks about the importance of the forests in indigenous communities.This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Uganda is experiencing its first outbreak in a decade of the deadly Ebola disease caused by Sudan virus, health authorities announced in September. More than 40 cases and at least 29 deaths have been reported, including four health workers. Nine of these deaths are from confirmed cases. While there are vaccines against the more common Zaire strain, there are no licensed vaccines or therapeutics for Sudan ebolavirus.In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we find out more about the current outbreak in Uganda from the World Health Organizations’s Patrick Otim. Dimie Ogoina, president of the Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society, tells us what the continent must do to curb the spread of the virus and prevent future outbreaks.This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat to public health in Sub-Saharan Africa. Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can change their make-up and become resistant to the drugs that are used to treat them, such as antibiotics. One major challenge the continent faces is the lack of data to provide insight into the extent of the problem. In this episode of Africa Science Focus, African Society for Laboratory Medicine virologist Pascale Ondoa explains the implications of drug resistance for Africa’s health systems. And Yewande Alimi from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention tells us why over-reliance on antimicrobial medicines, particularly without a diagnosis, is a key reason for the rise of superbugs.  This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.