Sub-Saharan Africa | Peter Schulte

A healthcare worker administering a vaccine to a young child in Africa for an article about malaria vaccine rollout

Cameroon launches the world’s first routine malaria vaccine program

By Peter Schulte / January 22, 2024 / Good News For Humankind

Malaria vaccine rollout reached a historic milestone in January 2024 when Cameroon became the first country to administer the RTS,S vaccine, also known as Mosquirix, as part of a routine national immunization program. More than 662,000 doses began reaching children across the country, targeting a disease responsible for 95% of global malaria deaths, most among children under five. The moment caps over 35 years of development and a successful WHO recommendation in 2021. With 19 additional African countries planning to follow, the rollout could eventually protect millions of children each year.

Cape Verde is declared malaria-free

By Peter Schulte / January 12, 2024 / Good news links

Cape Verde, an island nation off the coast of West Africa, was given the status by the World Health Organization (WHO) as it has not reported a single case of local transmission in three years. Experts have hailed this as a major achievement. It’s the first time a sub-Saharan African nation has been declared malaria-free in 50 years.

Elephant populations stabilize in southern Africa

By Peter Schulte / January 5, 2024 / Good news links

New research used 713 population surveys from 103 protected areas from Tanzania southwards to calculate rates of growth or decline from 1995-2020, covering more than 290,000 savannah elephants, 70% of the total in Africa. The scientists found that overall, populations had grown at 0.16% a year for the past quarter of a century.

Somalia secures $4.5 billion debt relief deal with international creditors

By Peter Schulte / December 13, 2023 / Good news links

The deal comes as part of a debt forgiveness program —called the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative— overseen by the IMF and the World Bank. As a result of its participation in the program, Somalia’s external debt will fall from 64% of GDP in 2018 to less than 6% of GDP by the end of 2023.

Senegal’s capital Dakar is getting 121 electric buses

By Peter Schulte / December 12, 2023 / Good news links

The new Bus Rapid Transit system is one of the key components of an ambitious strategy for sustainable urban mobility. It will help improve air quality in Dakar and reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, with around 59,000 tonnes of CO2 avoided per year.

Canada bans import, export of elephant ivory and rhino horns including hunting trophies

By Peter Schulte / November 20, 2023 / Good news links

According to HSI, the African elephant population has declined by 96% over the last century, and poachers in Africa kill as many as 25,000 elephants and 1,300 rhinos every year. Poaching is the most significant threat to these species, experts say.

World’s first commercial-scale ocean thermal energy generator to be built off the coast of São Tomé and Príncipe

By Peter Schulte / November 14, 2023 / Good news links

The Dominique barge is designed to provide a net output of 1.5 megawatts year-round, enough to supply nearly 17% of the nation’s entire 78 million-odd kilowatt hour energy consumption. London company Global OTEC plans to begin commissioning the project in 2023.

Kenyans get tree-planting holiday to plant 100 million seedlings

By Peter Schulte / November 13, 2023 / Good news links

The government is making available about 150 million seedlings in public nurseries in an effort to combat climate change. The tree planting will be supported by an app that helps people match their location with an appropriate species and creates a communal record of tree-planting activities across the country.

Participants at the Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ Conservation Congress

Namibia hosts Africa’s first community-led conservation congress

By Peter Schulte / November 1, 2023 / Good news links

Hundreds of Indigenous and local community groups, conservation organizations, governments and policymakers gathered to strategize how communities can play a bigger role in African conservation efforts, which are typically dominated by big international NGOs.

A fossil fuel-free ammonia plant at the Kenya Nut Company

The Kenya Nut Company to become world’s first farm to produce fossil-free fertilizer on site

By Peter Schulte / October 11, 2023 / Good news links

Every day, the plant will produce 1 ton of ammonia, which can be applied to crops as fertilizer.