A line graph illustrating the trend in child mortality in Malawi from 1990 to 2022. In 1990 the share of newborns who died before the age of 5 was almost 25%. In 2022 this had fallen to 4%. Data source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, 2024

Child mortality in Malawi has fallen by more than 80% since 1990

Despite being preventable and treatable, malaria is the leading cause of child mortality in much of Sub-Saharan Africa—

In 2021, malaria was the leading cause of death among children under five in more than 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Terrorists use food as a weapon: how Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab exploit hunger Terror groups use food as a tool to fight, govern and survive.

Food insecurity fuels terrorism in Africa, creating a vicious cycle of hunger and conflict.

theconversation.com/terrorists-u...

#Politics

This Week in Africa May 9, 2025

This Week in Africa
open.substack.com/pub/thisweek...

Redefining America’s Interests? Trump’s FY2026 Budget Proposes Sweeping Cuts to US Foreign Aid The Trump administration unveiled an overview of its FY2026 budget request on Friday. While short on details, the document offers a grim forecast for US development and humanitarian spending. In seeki...

The Trump admin’s FY2026 budget proposes deep cuts to US dev. & humanitarian aid, reflecting a shift in global engagement.

@ecollinson.bsky.social & @justinrhurley.bsky.social highlight a key choice for Congress: endorse this retreat or pursue a more balanced approach ⬇️
bit.ly/3Z8LIRU

An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence Badawi’s encyclopedic survey of African history is an important installment in the current wave of scholarship on the deep histories of African societies.

Happy to share my inaugural series of capsule reviews for @foreignaffairs.com: www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/afri...

It’s an immense honor to be following in the footsteps of the late Nic van de Walle in this role.

‘I hope I’ll one day be at peace’: civilians seek mental health help in war-ravaged eastern DRC People traumatised by conflict have queued outside the Saint Vincent de Paul neuropsychiatric hospital in Goma each day since free scheme launched

“If someone licked my heart, they’d be poisoned.”

The M23's takeover of territory in eastern DRC has killed thousands, displaced hundreds of thousands and also caused a huge mental health crisis.

Story by Prosper Heri Ngorora and Carlos Mureithi

This Week in Africa April 18, 2025

This Week in Africa
open.substack.com/pub/thisweek...

Claiming the city: Citizenship and political connections in African neighborhoods Rapid urbanization is changing the way Africans experience and engage the state in their everyday lives, creating new opportunities for urban claim-ma…

Check out our new article! Claiming the city: Citizenship and political connections in African neighborhoods. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

This Week in Africa April 11, 2025

This Week in Africa
open.substack.com/pub/thisweek...

Rwanda’s image abroad: how western countries are beginning to turn their backs Rwanda’s involvement in the DRC has damaged the goodwill it used to enjoy from western powers.

#Rwanda’s involvement in the #DRC has damaged the goodwill it used to enjoy from western powers.

theconversation.com/rwandas-imag...

#Politics

Africa’s refugee camps are plagued by flooding: we looked into drainage systems that can withstand local conditions Refugee camps in Ethiopia need to be made more liveable. Creating wetlands to provide greenery, absorb flash floods and purify polluted water may help.

Refugee camps in #Ethiopia need to be made more liveable. Creating wetlands to provide greenery, absorb flash floods and purify polluted water may help.

theconversation.com/africas-refu...

#EnvironmentAndEnergy

📉Commodies sold off following Trump’s tariffs & China’s retaliation (on expectations of slower world growth)

⚠️bad news for poorer econonomies dependent on commodity earnings.

👉🏼How to manage such shocks? See our new @unu-wider.bsky.social book (open access) www.wider.unu.edu/publication/...

African States

African States sunypress.edu/Books/A/Afri...

This Week in Africa April 4, 2025

This Week in Africa
open.substack.com/pub/thisweek...

The USAID Shutdown: Where Next? The State Department is floating foreign assistance reorganization proposals. While there is surely a lot that could be done to make US foreign assistance more effective, I hope Congress focuses on…

With #USAID contractors shuttered, staff terminated, and the agency’s financial system largely non-operational, @charlesjkenny.bsky.social urges that action from Congress is needed to ensure that already appropriated funds are responsibly spent.

Read more ⬇️

This Week in Africa March 21, 2025

This Week in Africa
open.substack.com/pub/thisweek...

Check out my new review essay "Building the City from Below: Toward a Citizen-Centered City-Making": www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Weekly links March 21: Ethiopian housing, Chinese rail, DiD, an online course, and more…

This week's links include how having a fast train to take you long distances makes you more likely to buy an EV, do Ethiopians prefer better housing in the outskirts or a central slum, DiD with weights, and more...
blogs.worldbank.org/en/impacteva...

Four years and one civil war later...

Jared's @broadstreetblog.bsky.social post 👇 about our chapter for the forthcoming Handbook of Culture and Economic Behaviour (edited by Ben Enke, Paola Giuliano, @nathannunn.bsky.social and Leonard Wantchekon)

The chapter (pdf) 👉
www.cesifo.org/en/publicati...

This Week in Africa March 14, 2025

open.substack.com/pub/thisweek...

Mati Diop is a new star of African cinema – what her award-winning movies are about The Senegalese-French director is a master storyteller with films like Dahomey and Atlantics weaving the supernatural with the real.

The Senegalese-French director is a master storyteller with films like Dahomey and Atlantics weaving the supernatural with the real.

theconversation.com/mati-diop-is...

#ArtsCultureAndSociety

Ayo Adebanjo: Nigerian nationalist and social justice crusader Ayo Adebanjo, Nigerian politician and nationalist, died on 14 February 2025. He was 96.

Ayo Adebanjo, Nigerian politician and nationalist, died on 14 February 2025. He was 96.

theconversation.com/ayo-adebanjo...

#AyoAdebanjo
#ArtsCultureAndSociety

South Africa’s famous fynbos must be preserved – but burning invasive plants on site isn’t the best strategy Burning invasive plants on site creates scars and prevents natural vegetation from growing back quickly.

Burning invasive plants on site creates scars and prevents natural vegetation from growing back quickly.

theconversation.com/south-africa...

#EnvironmentAndEnergy

This Week in Africa February 21, 2025

open.substack.com/pub/thisweek...

'The Continent' n°191, 22 février 2025 :
- le point militaire et des réfugiés de la guerre civile au Soudan ;
- la vie des marchandes de Goma sous le joug du M23 ;
- patrimoine : le coq Okukor, un des bronzes du royaume de Bénin, pillés par les Britanniques en 1897.
#Afrique #patrimoine

Five Trends that will Shape Urban Africa in 2025 Uncovering the politics of African urbanization

thisweekinafrica.substack.com/p/five-trend...

Can new Africa Energy Bank power a continent while protecting the planet? A long-planned bank to fund oil and gas projects in Africa must balance profit with climate considerations, experts say.

“Africa needs regional development plans where national resources are complemented and built out across countries … it doesn’t need more siloed oil and gas projects.”

@fadhelkaboub.bsky.social on the push to expand Africa’s fossil fuel infrastructure

www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/...