Latest Stories from Derrick
First malaria treatment approved for babies
For the first time ever, treatment for malaria specifically designed for newborns and small infants has received regulatory approval, which is exciting for millions across Africa, where malaria remains a serious public health threat. Malaria remains a huge public health challenge, particularly throughout Sub‑Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization reported 597,000 deaths in 2023 from malaria, over 95% in Africa, with three‑quarters involving children less than five years of age....
Why Africa must step up following USAID withdrawal
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which represents a fundamental element of American soft power and is one of the most consequential development agencies in the world, is closing its doors. While curtains never truly ‘fall’, there are flagging budget cuts, evolving US foreign policy objectives, and a rising tide of domestic investment that are all signaling a slow but inevitable decline. For Africa, it is the end...
I attended SB62 and was disappointed by the Africa agenda ahead of COP30
As the curtains fall on the UN’s 62nd session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) in Bonn, Germany, one thing is clear: Africa is running out of patience. Hailed as the technical prelude to COP30 in Brazil, SB62 was meant to set the tone for what many hope will be a historic climate summit. For Africa, and that matter, much of the permanent Global South, it seemed just another...
Report reveals Africa’s child labour crisis has worsened
According to the International Labour Organization and UNICEF's 2024 Global Estimates on Child Labour, about 138 million children are forced into labour all over the world, Africa accounting for 63%. The International Labour Organization report indicates that sub-Saharan Africa has 87 million of the more than 100 million child workers that live in the region. It is home to nearly two-thirds of the world's child laborers. Despite progress over the...
Report reveals air pollution is killing thousands in South Africa
Greenpeace Africa has raised the alarm on deadly air pollution causing many early deaths of more than 42,000 South Africans every year. In 2023, an estimated 16,000 people died in Gauteng due to toxic air. That represents approximately 44 deaths daily, all attributed to the air people breathe in South Africa. The document, which evaluates the economic and health implications of South Africa's poor air quality, further refers to the...
Intense floods signal Nigeria’s growing climate crisis
Last weekend, a tragedy hit the town of Mokwa in central Nigeria. Over 150 lives were lost in floods that experts call the worst the area has seen in 60 years. Heavy downpours flooded Mokwa in central Nigeria, which led to the submergence of houses, destruction of the sources of livelihoods, and the displacement of thousands of people. The enormity of the disaster has dominated discussions across the country and brought...
Bohlale Mphahlele’s battle against Gender-Based Violence in South Africa
With gender-based violence continuing to be a serious problem in South Africa, organisations and young entrepreneurs are looking for innovative ways to ensure greater safety for women and girls. South Africa faces high rates of gender-based violence (GBV). Bohlale Mphahlele, a 21-year-old tech whiz from the country, aims to make society safer. When she was 16 and still in high school, Bohlale created the 'Alerting Earpiece'. This gadget looks like an...
Nigerian students build AI to detect fruit ripeness and reduce waste
At Caleb University in Lagos, Nigeria, three students are tackling one of agriculture’s oldest and most overlooked problems, determining fruit ripeness. The trio has developed an AI-powered app that can instantly assess whether a mango is ripe, underripe, or rotten, a breakthrough that could drastically cut post-harvest losses and transform fruit quality assessment in Africa. Their app, which uses a combination of computer vision and machine learning, works by analyzing...
The deaf-led startup tackling deafness in rural Africa and beyond
In a world where hearing determines connection, education, and opportunity, deafness in off-grid regions of Africa tends to equal living in silence and solitude. But a pioneering startup in Botswana is rewriting this narrative, one solar-powered hearing aid at a time. Deaftronics, a proudly deaf-owned and operated business, developed the world's first solar-powered hearing aids, a groundbreaking innovation that addresses the challenges being faced by millions of hearing-impaired children...
Namibia to offer free university education from 2026
In a move set to transform the future of its youth, Namibia has announced that university and vocational education at public institutions will be free from next year.
The government decision in Namibia to give free university education is a ground-breaking step that will positively impact the economic and social directions of the country.
As of today, the unemployment rate among young people in the country is a worrying
