Africa Science Focus

Every three seconds, someone around the world is diagnosed with dementia. And cases of dementia are increasing, with the largest burden felt in low- and middle-income countries. But, stigma and misunderstanding still surround dementia in Sub-Saharan Africa, and research and support are underfunded. 

 Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia affect not only the sufferer, but also their family, friends and communities. This week on Africa Science Focus, our reporter Michael Kaloki meets psychologists Elizabeth Mutunga and Wambui Karanja. Mutunga’s father lived with Alzheimer’s for 15 years before it was diagnosed, and she tells us how this drove her to study the disease and form the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Organisation Kenya. 

Africa Science Focus, with Halima Athumani. 

 Learn more about Elizabeth Mutunga’s career

Eight of the ten countries in the world with the highest rates of child marriage are in Africa. According to the United Nations, 37 per cent of young women in Sub-Saharan Africa are married before they turn 18. 

 Girls who are married are more likely to drop out of school, while girls with higher levels of education are less likely to be married as a child. This week, biostatistician and maternal health researcher Halima Twabi tells us why she’s working to keep girls studying, and why powering and supporting women’s passion for science, technology, engineering and maths is so important. 

 Africa Science Focus, with Michael Kaloki. 

 Learn more about Halima Twabi’s career

With nine in every ten new jobs in 2030 expected to require digital skills, graduates in Africa — and young women in particular — without information and communications technology training will be left behind. Nigerian computer scientist Unoma Okorafor is striving to change that. 

 This week on Africa Science Focus, we find out how the Working to Advance African Women foundation is equipping girls with the science and technology skills of the future, through hackathons, mentoring programmes, and a planned network of research academies for girls that will support the continent’s next generation of tech geniuses and thought leaders. 

 Africa Science Focus, with Michael Kaloki. 

Music credit: Broke for free - Night Owl

Learn more about Unoma Okorafor’s career.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest maternal mortality rate. While access to health facilities for births is improving for some, many women are still left behind — and the challenges women face during pregnancy and birth have been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 In our second season of Africa Science Focus, we’ll be shining the spotlight on the women from across Sub-Saharan Africa who are leading some of the most important science, technology and health work for the continent. 

 This week, World Health Organization global health award winner Jemimah Kariuki tells reporter Michael Kaloki how her pandemic-inspired maternal health project, Wheels for Life, was born. 

 Africa Science Focus, with Selly Amutabi. 

 Learn more about Jemimah Kariuki’s career

This week we investigate how tiny plastic pieces known as microplastics are contributing to an increase in potentially fatal diseases caused by fungi. 

A recent study conducted in western Kenya found that a number of fungal species accumulate on microplastic particles in the soil that can cause serious medical problems such as swelling in the lungs. 

Our reporter, Dann Okoth speaks to mycology experts about how these fungal infections are affecting Sub-Saharan Africa. 

 Send us your questions from anywhere in the world — text or voice message via WhatsApp to +254799042513.  

Africa Science Focus, with Selly Amutabi. 

Anopheles stephensi is one of the few malaria mosquitoes that thrives in urban areas because of its ability to find clean water to lay its eggs. 

 The World Health Organization raised the alarm on urban malaria transmission in 2019, urging aggressive action against Anopheles stephensi, which it described as a “major potential threat” to malaria elimination efforts in Africa.

 This week we investigate warnings that Africa has just months to react to the invasive Asian mosquito that scientists say could put 125 million city-dwellers across Africa at risk. Our reporter, Michael Kaloki speaks to vector experts about the challenges it poses for malaria control across the continent. 

 Send us your questions from anywhere in the world — text or voice message via WhatsApp to +254799042513.  

Africa Science Focus, with Michael Kaloki. 

Women in low- and middle-income countries are 15 per cent less likely to use mobile internet services than men -- that’s 234 million fewer women than men connected to the worldwide web -- according to a new report. And some of the biggest gender gaps are in Sub-Saharan Africa. This week we ask: what is blocking women from accessing these services? And how can this gender divide be bridged?

Our reporter, Charles Pensulo, speaks to women in Malawi, and toMehjabeen Alarakhia, a UN policy advisor on women’s economic empowerment, about the challenges facing women in the digital space. 

Send us your questions from anywhere in the world — text or voice message via WhatsApp to +254799042513.  

Africa Science Focus, with Michael Kaloki. 

Culture, traditional knowledge, arts and language influence the development of thought in Africa.  The science landscape is dominated by European languages. This week, we hear how ‘decolonising’ science and translating terms into African languages will help more people to understand, and become involved with, science. 

Our reporter, Halima Athumani, speaks to African language experts, while science communicator Sibusiso Biyela tells us how science fiction inspired his career. 

Send us your questions from anywhere in the world — text or voice message via WhatsApp to +254799042513.  

 Africa Science Focus, with Michael Kaloki. 

In Sub-Saharan Africa, cannabis has been in use for generations but remains illegal in many countries. Now, the debate over medical marijuana and the development of regulated cannabis industries is heating up. 

 While many who champion the growth of cannabis say the industry could drive Africa’s development, others have questions about whether farmers and communities will be the ones who benefit. 

 Our reporter Michael Kaloki takes to the streets to hear public opinion, and speaks to Gama Bandawe, head of biological sciences at the Malawi University of Science and Technology, who calls cannabis a super crop and says making it legal across Sub-Saharan Africa is the “right and logical thing to do”.

 Send us your questions from anywhere in the world — text or voice message via WhatsApp to +254799042513.  

 Africa Science Focus, with Selly Amutabi. 

Blockchain technology is gaining supporters in Sub-Saharan Africa, and advocates say it could have a growing role in agriculture. This week, our reporter Halima Athumani investigates how blockchain can provide digital identities, access to credit, land and inputs for farmers in Africa. 

This is the third and final episode in our AgriAfrica mini-series, where we’ve been digging into the continent’s agricultural infrastructure to find out more about food loss, food safety, and how to make food more accessible.

Send us your questions from anywhere in the world — text or voice message via WhatsApp to +254799042513.  

Africa Science Focus, with Michael Kaloki.