Asambe launches electric bicycle & scooter sharing service in Zimbabwe
Asambe, a pan-African electric scooter & bicycle sharing and guided tour service company, launched its platform in Harare, Zimbabwe last week after a successful 6-month pilot.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Kenya trial examines effect of universal basic income during pandemic
Unique new research is looking at the effects of UBI during a pandemic by analyzing data from a massive ongoing 12-year income study in Kenya, and its conclusion suggests the policy may help individual well-being but it is not a silver-bullet solution in times of extreme disruption.
Tristan da Cunha establishes a massive marine protected area
The government of Tristan da Cunha, a four-island archipelago of about 250 people, has announced that it will be protecting approximately 700,000 square kilometers of its waters, creating the world’s fourth-largest Marine Protected Area.
New anti-poaching motion sensor recognizes when wildlife is on the run
Modern sensors have given conservationists a powerful new tool in the fight against poaching. A new research project at the University of Twente could harness this technology in yet another useful way, by mixing motion sensors with machine learning to recognize when wildlife is responding to a nearby threat.
Ambitious reforestation project will plant 3 million trees in Uganda
The project is the fruit of a strategic partnership between the Jane Goodall Institute and reforestation non-profit One Tree Planted and will focus on restoring habitat for endangered chimpanzees by adding 3 million trees to the Albertine Rift Forests.
Zimbabwe bans coal mining in all national parks
The new policy reverses an earlier decision to allow two firms to drill and survey for coal in the world-renowned Hwange National Park, home to more than 40,000 elephants and a population of endangered black rhino, as well as leopard and painted dog conservation programs.
Ghanaian government commissions university dedicated to sustainable development
The University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) is the first university in the nation focused on teaching students about sustainability issues such as climate change and environmental protection.
Sudan ends 30 years of Islamic law by separating religion and state
“For Sudan to become a democratic country where the rights of all citizens are enshrined, the constitution should be based on the principle of ‘separation of religion and state,’ in the absence of which the right to self-determination must be respected,” the document states.
Venture capital firms collaborate to offer African startups a pandemic lifeline
Ventures Platform, an Abuja, Nigeria-based early-stage fund, is creating a relief program to provide emergency grants to keep innovation alive amongst African startups. The equity-free grants can be up to $20,000 and will be available to early, high-growth stage startups in need of cash lifelines.
Africa declared free of wild polio in ‘milestone’
Africa has been declared free from wild polio by the independent body, the Africa Regional Certification Commission. Polio usually affects children under five, sometimes leading to irreversible paralysis. Death can occur when breathing muscles are affected.