Africa Matters

Today is World Teacher’s Day

“The theme for this year’s celebration is “The teachers we need for the education we want.” Every year on 5 October South Africa commemorates Teacher’s Day to recognise the importance of educators in society. It is a day set aside for students and communities to recognise the crucial part that teachers play in helping students become better citizens and…

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African Union unveils comprehensive plan for education in Africa for 2024

The depth of the education problem in Africa is quite deep The African Union has outlined its educational program for 2024 amid a biting shortage of 17 million teachers in Africa. Mohamed Belhocine, the AU commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, said that despite the global crises facing the world, the continental body would dedicate itself in 2024…

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It Is Time To Mainstream Biodiversity To Reach Sustainable Development Goals

As we approach the midpoint to deliver the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, TRAFFIC flags that biodiversity is still not sufficiently integrated into the implementation of the SDGs. Ahead of the Ministerial Segment of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on 17-19 July, TRAFFIC underscores the urgency to mainstream biodiversity to accelerate progress for people and…

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A chat with Tanzania’s first female professor of Mathematics

Summary The professor has been in academic teaching and research for nearly 47 years since April 1976 ________________ Meet Prof Verdiana-Grace Masanja, a woman with many titles. Prof Masanja is the first Tanzanian woman to get a PhD in Mathematics and the first female Maths professor in the country. She was also the first black woman from Sub-Saharan Africa…

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The Importance of Teaching Mindful Thinking in Schools to Protect Youths from Mental Health Issues

By Edson Baraukwa | Africa Guardian Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – As a human being, you have an inherent responsibility to accept and embrace your nature in all its forms and possible manners of acting. Don’t construct imaginary walls around yourself that become increasingly hard to break as time passes, or worse, invite others to join you in the…

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Kaaya Shilia: The emotions that kills

Armed with pen and inkMind that blinks with witTime and space the limitVenting poison the vermin Searching the souls and heartsHealing the wounds and bruisesThough pricking with agitationWith emotions that will killPoetry the vehicle of vengeance Poetry the treasure of wisdomIts life spanning evolutionIts voice smoothing like oilThat anointed kings of empiresPoetry the mother of all arts Poetry the…

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AfDB to launch public financial management academy to build capacity in African countries

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank approved the creation of a virtual academy to build public financial management capacity in African countries. Countries will receive technical assistance through structured, targeted, dedicated and local training as well as through policy dialogue. The academy, hosted within the African Development Institute of the African Development Bank Group, will deepen…

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UCT to introduce Swahili from 2023

Cape Town – UCT has announced that it will introduce Swahili from 2023, with the aim of launching it as a major subject in 2028. Swahili is a language spoken either as a mother tongue or as a second language on the East Coast of Africa and is used in more than 14 countries. The announcement was made by…

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Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa Launches Second Round of Financial Journalism Training in Tanzania

The second round will launch with business and financial training for more than 50 delegates  Dar es Salaam: The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa (BMIA) has today announced the second intake of its Financial Journalism Training (FJT) program in Tanzania, which will train journalists and media professionals in business and financial journalism, to bolster the country’s financial reporting industry. The…

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Kenya’s new curriculum to teach coding in Primary and Secondary Schools

After receiving approval from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Kodris Africa, an online publishing company that focuses in preparing learners with 21st-century skills, will offer the syllabus. The government of Kenya has approved the coding curriculum to be learnt by secondary and primary school students that will teach coding to young learners. Kenya will be the first African…

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Why We Should Empower Women Entrepreneurs

Ever wonder about women-owned businesses? Consider these facts: 42% of all U.S.-owned companies are owned by women; 4 out of 10 businesses are owned by women; Women-owned businesses generate $1.9 trillion annually; Between 2014-2019, Black women-owned firms grew 50%, the highest growth rate of any woman-based demographic; Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (41%), Latina/Hispanic (40%), Asian American (37%) and Native American/Alaska Native (26%) businesses grew at a…

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Google, 2 Others To Train 1,000 Business Owners

Africa’s leading e-commerce builder, StartWeb, has partnered with Haptics Academy, a training and technology solutions organisation and a ‘Grow with Google partner, to facilitate a free training program specifically designed for African entrepreneurs and small business owners. A statement by IDAfrica said the goal is to tutor over 1,000 business owners to expand their operations and upgrade their skills…

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‘I find encouragement in other countries across Africa’

Three African students share some of their thoughts on obstacles for development in their countries. ‘We need students to understand how important issues such as poverty, education and corruption are.’ A continent plagued with colonialism and exploitation, Africa faces many obstacles in its strive for development. Poverty and inadequate access to education and healthcare are only some of the…

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Committee on Basic Education concerned with gangsterism at schools in the City of Cape Town

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, today commenced with its oversight visit to schools in the Western Cape to assess their readiness for the 2022 academic year. The committee visited seven schools in the Cape Metropolitan area. The schools visited include special needs schools, primary schools and high schools. The committee Chairperson, Ms Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, said the committee commends the…

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Nigeria Has World’s Highest Rate of Out-of-School Children – UNICEF

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said that 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, which is the highest rate in the world. The UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, disclosed this in a statement while commemorating the International Day of Education. Hawkins commended the Nigerian government for the pledge to increase the annual domestic education…

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Liberia: A Global Education Crisis – How Can Governments Overcome Learning Losses in 2022?

For two whole years, the Covid19 health crisis has disrupted education systems worldwide and forced school closures which have impacted hundreds of millions of children. All of them have suffered learning loss. Some, though, have suffered more than others. In developed countries, access at home to computers and cheap and reliable broadband allowed students to make the transition to…

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Older date for Ethiopian fossils sheds light on rise of Homo sapiens

 View of the Omo Kibish geological formation in southwestern Ethiopia Volcanic ash left over from a huge ancient eruption has helped scientists determine that important early Homo sapiens fossils found in Ethiopia in 1967 are older than previously believed, providing fresh insight into the dawn of our species. Researchers said on Wednesday they used the geochemical fingerprints of a…

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Ugandan children back to school after nearly 2-year Covid closure

© Badru KATUMBA Schools in Uganda have been closed or partly closed for 83 weeks Uganda ended the world’s longest school closure on Monday, ordering millions of students back to the classroom nearly two years after learning was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. Students poured through school gates that had been shuttered in March 2020 when Covid-19 swept the…

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UN Women Uganda launches 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign

The event is aimed at raising awareness at the local and national levels about violence against women and its impact on national development The National Launch for Uganda’s 16 Days of Activism campaign took place in Kamdini, Oyam District on26 November 2021. This launch was organized following multiple consultative National Organising Committee (NOC) meetings, led by the Ministry of…

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UNESCO, Huawei and the Government of Kenya launch the DigiSchool pilot project on school connectivity

The pilot project was launched on December 17, 2021 in Maragima Primary School, Nyeri County, one of the 13 beneficiary schools As part of the Global Education Coalition (GEC), UNESCO and Huawei, in collaboration with the Government of Kenya through the Ministries of Education; ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs; and the ICT Authority, have provided free internet connectivity to 13…

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Parliament to support early childhood care laws

The Executive Committee of the Association argues that the ECCE has a huge stake in the education sector of the country KAMPALA, Uganda, Pre-Primary Teacher Training Institutions’ Association-Uganda (PPTIA) has asked the Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah, to cause government to establish a formidable and credible policy that will lead to the establishment of an Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)…

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Senator, Rasha Kelej, Merck Foundation CEO on a mission to support girl education and transform patient care in Africa

Dr. Kelej was acknowledged as one of the 100 Most Influential African Women (2019, 2020, 2021) CAPE TOWN, South Africa,  Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, an African woman to hold the position of the first CEO to Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com). She is also Senator at the Egyptian Senate, a strong crusader for transforming patient care in Africa and developing countries, passionate…

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L’UNESCO forme 400 enseignants en prévention de grossesses précoces et non désirées, de VIH/Sida et de violences basées sur le genre en milieu scolaire dans les deux académies de Bamako

Elle rentre dans le cadre de renforcement de capacités des enseignants, prévu dans le PRODEC 2 à travers des formations continues, en matière d’éducation à la santé et au bien-être BAMAKO, Mali, Les 20-21, 27-28 novembre et 4 – 5 décembre 2021, ont eu lieu à la Maison des ainés de Bamako les ateliers de formation des enseignants sur…

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Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training in South Sudan

This project is in line with the strategy for Sweden’s development cooperation with South Sudan 2018–2022, which fosters the humanitarian-development-peace nexus in the country On 6 December 2021, the Embassy of Sweden and the UNESCO Office in Juba, signed an agreement to implement a four-year project “Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in South Sudan” amounting to…

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Study of the U.S. Institutes for Scholars and Secondary Educators: Call for Applications

The ultimate goal of SUSI is to strengthen curricula and to enhance the quality of teaching about the United States at academic institutions abroad YAOUNDE, Cameroon, The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce its call for applications for the 2022 Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for Scholars and Secondary Educators.  Funded by the U.S. government, SUSI exchanges are…

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Nigeria: Escalating attacks targeting children endanger right to education

More than 780 children abducted for ransom in 2021 LONDON, United Kingdom, More than 61 children still in captivity months after mass abduction by bandits; More than 780 children abducted for ransom in 2021; Many schools shutdown indefinitely because of rising insecurity. Nigerian authorities are failing children as at least 61 children in northern Nigeria remain in captivity, months…

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In Lakes state, 16 Days of Activism reaches school students, civil society and women’s representatives

More than 40 participants— schoolgirls, women’s groups and civil society—congregated at a day-long forum organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan JUBA, South Sudan, The impact of early and forced marriages on young girls: This was the burning topic of discussion as Lakes, South Sudan marked the ongoing 16 Days of Activism. More than 40 participants— schoolgirls,…

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Empowering Communities to Reduce Household Air Pollution

Exposure to air pollution is responsible for a staggering number of preventable illnesses and deaths across the globe NAIROBI, Kenya, — The journey towards realizing universal access to modern cooking methods received a boost on Friday following the launch of the first edition of a facilitators training manual on household air pollution. The 136-page document themed “Household Air Pollution:…

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2021 ReSAKSS Conference concludes on a high note with renewed commitment to continental goals

The three-day virtual conference featured high-level speakers from the academic and development community, who debated on the findings of the ReSAKSS 2021 Annual Trends and Outlook Report KIGALI, Rwanda, –The Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) Annual Conference, with renewed stakeholder commitment to promoting evidence-based dialogue and action towards policy options to ensure recovery from COVID-19 and…

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Estonia president launches partnership for transforming education digitally in Kenya

Kenya Literature Bureau, StarCloud LLC Estonia, Risk Africa Innovatis, UNICEF and Liquid Intelligent Technologies partnered to digitise books and make them available to learners in school   NAIROBI, Kenya, September 10, 2021/ — The rapid adoption of technology over the last 18 months has transformatively powered production and service delivery around the globe. In the education sector, integration of…

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Student’s life at the University: Money, education or both; the great desideratum and dilemma

By Emmanuel Kirimi, Nairobi Money. Academics. Students will readily testify that these two entities complement each other. Some may even swear that the latter is less valuable in life.  The authenticity of that statement is highly debatable especially since our society is a blend of different cultures and beliefs. As a student, one is exposed to many phenomena about…

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REMEMBERING SHAABAN ROBERT – WRITER, HUMANIST, PHILOSOPHER

REMEMBERING SHAABAN ROBERT – WRITER, HUMANIST, PHILOSOPHER       The name of Shaaban Robert (1909-1962) is appended with many epithets – a famous, prominent, the greatest, original, thinker, intellectual, classic, expert, founder, enlightener, father of Swahili language … And that is true of a great artist who dedicated his personal and unique talent as well as his multifaceted creative works…

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Emmanuel Kirimi: At the heart of success, there is always a very determined soul!

Actualised determination is the heart of success*It’s the ingredient that makes the people who change the world*Music maestro Justin Bieber is a living example By Emmanuel Kirimi, Nairobi We all perceive the word “determination” as banter especially when being talked about in a gathering. Would you be more anxious to know about it if I told you that there…

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Eating healthy, answer to overcoming some diseases, including COVID19

By Charles Mwangi, cmmwangi85@gmail.com Nutrition knowledge is important and it influences eating habits.  This is according to a dissertation by Leonida Sylvester Luballa (2017) submitted to the Open University of Tanzania. The study highlighted “eating habits and lack of proper nutrition information” as major aspects of malnutrition. Generally, the intake of adequate nutrition/balanced diet is vital for keeping our…

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The secret of great public speakers

By MRS. LYNETTE OTWORIPRINCIPAL LECTURER AND TRAINER IN MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION Excellent public speaking is a desired merit for staff across all cadres. For years, the manuscript method of presentation was preferred by most people. In recent times, however, talking points version has been popularized and is now quickly being replaced in terms of preference by the extemporaneous method of…

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New Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences ready to serve researches, writers across East Africa and the World

Scholars and researchers are invited to submit their novel ideas in the domains of Languages, Humanities, Social Sciences and Education in the form of research articles, book reviews, case studies, review articles and personal opinions that will benefit researchers in the specified areas as well as the society as a whole.   A group of dons from Across East…

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We can all make a difference- Francis Ndegwa

Engineers, doctors, teachers, preachers, reporters, scholars, all and sundry, we can help in filling up the holes that characterize our everyday experiences by doing quality jobs that will speak volumes to posterity. By Francis Ndegwa As the majority of local tourists travelled to the coast and other towns for the Easter Holidays, I preferred the bounty of the Rift…

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Tanzania: Michelle Mrema leads Charity Swim to Help Kids With Learning Disabilities

Arusha, 12 May 2006 — From November 2005 Year 11 students at Braeburn School started their Community Service project at the Step-By-Step Learning Centre based in Njiro. This is a new English Medium Program for nursery, lower primary 1 to 4 and most importantly those with learning disabilities at all stages of development. On learning that a student at…

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The sounds of hope at Egerton University

By EVERLYN MUGURO “The window of opportunity is never opened wide and once youSee one that’s slightly ajar, you have to squeeze your self through.For if you delay, you only have yourself to blame.” These words has since haunted me in the face of a harsh and unbearable environment ours in Kenya has become. But when a direct my…

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