Six barriers that make it difficult for African states to use research for policy COMMENT | WILLEM FOURIE | African policymakers need access to high quality evidence to implement the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) successfully. The SDGs are arguably the most broad-ranging development goals to be ratified by United Nations member …

Kampala, Uganda | LINDA-GAIL BEKKER | There have been great strides and many important victories in the fight against HIV. Scientific innovations and sustained investment have been the most important weapons in this ongoing battle. Nevertheless the epidemic retains a powerful grip – especially on people in Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, 19.4 …

How fusing an artist’s personality into art makes it powerful Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | Canon Rumanzi’s art is difficult to describe and the same can be said of his rather mysterious personality. He is a photographer and digital artist, and in both genres, he pushes the boundaries and turns art …

Unlocking economic growth by breaking through both cost and planning barriers of physical infrastructure COMMENT | FARHAD KHAN | The African Development Bank projects that Uganda’s GDP will grow from 5.1% in 2017 to 5.8% in 2018. Among other factors, the government has highlighted the role of information communications technology (ICT) as …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The world’s nations vowed Wednesday to curb plastic and chemical contamination of the air, soil, rivers and oceans, calling for a steep change in how goods are produced and consumed. Government envoys issued a political declaration outlining the path to “a pollution-free planet” at the third …

Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday made his first trip as Nigerian president to a key state, in the latest sign of his return to the national stage after months of illness and treatment abroad. The 74-year-old’s two-day visit to Kano, northern Nigeria’s largest city and capital of …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian migrants expressed relief as they arrived home on Tuesday from Libya, describing the “hell” of harsh conditions in detention camps where they had been held. African heads of state have condemned the treatment of undocumented migrants in Libya, including widespread violence and apparent slave trading. …

Melbourne, Australia | AFP | Serena Williams will be ready to make her tennis comeback at the Australian Open with her return to Melbourne for the season’s opening Grand Slam “very likely”, organisers said Wednesday. Williams, 36, won this year’s Australian Open while pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl …

Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia on Wednesday reacted with disappointment but no great surprise after the country was banned from the Winter Olympic Games, while President Vladimir Putin was yet to comment on a possible boycott. Russia was banned Tuesday from the 2018 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Two men have been charged with a plot to kill British Prime Minister Theresa May and a court hearing on the case is expected on Wednesday, British media reported. Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman, 20, and Mohammed Aqib Imran, 21, planned to blow up security barriers outside …