Latest Stories from Derrick
Africa’s youth is fighting injustice with memes
If you're African and online, chances are your first taste of politics came not from a news broadcast, but from a meme. A screenshot. A freeze-frame. A line of text in Impact font. Maybe it made you laugh, then made you think. Maybe it made you mad enough to post, to protest, to speak. Across the continent, memes have emerged as one of Gen Z’s sharpest weapons against injustice, a...
Can Gen Z fix Africa’s broken voting system?
In an age where African presidents outlive their mandates and ballots rarely reflect public will, a restless generation is rising. Gen Z, Africa’s most populous and connected demographic, is sick of the broken voting systems that have long been rigged to favor political dinosaurs. Now, these digital natives are organizing, educating, and agitating to fix the continent’s democratic crisis. The question isn’t whether Africa’s voting system is broken, it’s...
Understanding Africa’s cultural crescendo
Africa's creative wave is the strongest it's ever been, and the world is paying attention. As the pandemic ended, a global appetite for rawness and newness emerged, and Africa's artistic expressions are breaking away from the tired stereotypes to tell a different story, from the nightclubs of Lagos to the fashion houses of Paris, and everyhere in between. African music, fashion, and art are coming into their own, changing the global...
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...
