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Articles by Nelson Mandela Ogema
Sierra Leone’s science council given new lease of life
[NAIROBI] A pan-African initiative supporting science granting councils has boosted Sierra Leone’s National Science, Technology and Innovation Council, helping it gain international recognition and relevance, the Sierra Leonean science council chair has said.
Bioengineered soybean ‘boosts yields by a third’
Available in English English Français Português Español By: Nelson Mandela Ogema [NAIROBI] Genetically modified (GM) soybean plants with the ability to efficiently harness sunlight could improve the crop’s yield and boost food security in Sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture experts say.
Bioengineered soybean ‘boosts yields by a third’
[NAIROBI] Genetically modified (GM) soybean plants with the ability to efficiently harness sunlight could improve the crop’s yield and boost food security in Sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture experts say.
Why Africa should embrace brain science
[NAIROBI] Medical conditions that affect the brain and the nerves in the human body — called neurological disorders — contribute greatly to the global burden of diseases, but even more so in low- and middle-income countries.
Women’s health services still suffering from COVID
[NAIROBI] Women’s health services are far from fully being restored following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. According to the WHO, many African countries are reporting continued disruptions to sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services.
Afrique: Une dose unique du vaccin contre le cancer du col de l'utérus est efficace à 97%
Nairobi — Une dose unique du vaccin contre le papillomavirus humain (PVH) pourrait être efficace pour prévenir le cancer du col de l'utérus, suscitant l'espoir de lutter contre la maladie en Afrique subsaharienne, a-t-on appris lors d'une conférence.
Single-dose HPV vaccine ‘up to 97 per cent effective’
[NAIROBI] A single dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine could be effective for preventing cervical cancer, raising hopes of fighting the disease in Sub-Saharan Africa, a conference has heard. Cervical cancer is ranked the fourth most common cancer among women globally, with up to 90 per cent of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries, according to a 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) report.
Only one in seven COVID cases detected in Africa - WHO
By: Nelson Mandela Ogema [NAIROBI] Only one in seven COVID-19 infections are being detected in Africa because of inadequate testing, the WHO said in an assessment released alongside the announcement of a rapid testing pilot programme in the region. Since the onset of the pandemic, Africa has reported more than 70 million COVID-19 test results, whereas the United Kingdom with less than 10 per cent of Africa’s population has administered 280 million tests as of this month (10 October).
How to cure coffee leaf rust, a fungal disease that causes reduced coffee yields
[NAIROBI] Coffee farmers should grow the crop under shade to provide a conducive environment for a parasite that could control the fungal disease leaf rust, an expert says. Coffee leaf rust, caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix, is characterised by small yellow spots on upper leaf surfaces and orange powdery lesions on the underside of leaves. Infected leaves eventually drop off, lowering the yield and quality of the crop.
COVID-19 wreaking havoc with incomes across Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the emotional wellbeing and financial stability of many people across Africa. This signals the need for policymakers to boost the employment of people working in the informal sector, a report says.
East Africa: Free School Meals 'Could Help Child Brain Development'
Nairobi — Countries worldwide need to increase emphasis on the need for healthy nutrition from childhood, including school years to adulthood, to help in brain development, a scientist says. According to Majid Ezzati, co-author of a study that has found Sub-Saharan Africa with six of the world's top ten countries with low adolescents' birth weights, says that such interventions will help children grow taller without gaining excessive weight for their height.
Africa: Covid-19 Renewable Energy Response in Africa 'Meagre'
Nairobi — As of June this year, only three Africa countries, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Nigeria promoted the use of renewable energy to control the challenges COVID-19 triggered in the sector, a study says. According to the study, COVID-19 has severely hit Africa's energy sector, stalled the construction of new projects and is thus threatening to reverse the progress made so far in fighting energy poverty in Africa.
COVID-19 renewable energy response in Africa ‘meagre’
[NAIROBI] As of June this year, only three Africa countries, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Nigeria promoted the use of renewable energy to control the challenges COVID-19 triggered in the sector, a study says. According to the study, COVID-19 has severely hit Africa’s energy sector, stalled the construction of new projects and is thus threatening to reverse the progress made so far in fighting energy poverty in Africa.
Public enrolled in Ghana disease fight
[NAIROBI] Members of the public trained on how to collect health information in Ghana are enabling early detection and reporting of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, a study says. The system, called community-based surveillance, allows disease outbreaks to be picked up by eagle-eyed members of the public.
Existing tools ‘fail to halt new malaria cases’
[NAIROBI] Implementing currently available tools for fighting malaria reduces the disease’s existing cases by 85 per cent but it is not enough to interrupt its transmission, a study says. With the 2019 World Malaria Report estimating the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region to be having 93 per cent of the 228 million cases of malaria globally in 2018, eliminating the disease in Africa is a priority of the WHO and partners including governments.
Africa: Innovative Policies Needed for Increasing Meat Demand
Nairobi — Africa may import as much as 20 per cent of animal source foods such as beef, poultry and milk by 2050 if it does not adopt innovative policies to meet increasing demand, a report warns. The World Bank projects that African producers will be unable to satisfy the growing demand for livestock products.
Africa: HIV, Malaria, TB Deaths Could Rise By Up to 36%
Nairobi — Low- and middle-income countries could see HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria deaths increase by up to 36 per cent over the next five years because of COVID-19-induced health services disruptions, a study projects. According to the 2019 World Malaria Report, an estimated 228 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide in 2018, with the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region reporting 213 million cases, or 93 per cent.
Africa: Low-Cost Ultrasound Reveals Fluoride-Linked Bone Loss
Nairobi — An innovative ultrasound technique could be used to assess bone quality in hard-to-reach rural regions exposed to excessive intake of fluoride in drinking water, a study has found. Fluoride is usually added to public water systems to purify water but increased fluoride levels could be toxic to the body and cause effects such as weakened bones and increased hip and wrist fractures.
Famine risk for millions in second locust wave
by Nelson Mandela Ogema , Fiona Broom, SciDev.Net A desert locust outbreak has been raging in East Africa since October 2019. Credit: FAO/Giampiero Diana A second wave of desert locusts in Africa and Asia is threatening famine for millions as critical resources are directed towards the COVID-19 crisis, scientists warn. Desert locusts are already swarming in East Africa and breeding in Iran and Pakistan, as well as Yemen, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says.
New locust outbreak threatens food security for millions
by Nelson Mandela Ogema, SciDev.Net Credit: FAO/Giampiero Diana Millions face famine and food insecurity caused by a second desert locust outbreak as management resources are directed towards the COVID-19 crisis, scientists warn. Pesticide shipments to the worst-affected areas in East Africa have been delayed due to air travel restrictions put in place to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Locust swarms are ravaging crops in East Africa, with Kenya hit hard
Africa, Food & Agriculture, Headlines Food & Agriculture By Nelson Mandela Ogema Reprint | | Print | Credit: Harald Matern from Pixabay. NAIROBI, Feb 14 2020 (IPS) - Widespread hatching and movement of destructive desert locusts will turn into a full-blown crisis in the coming weeks in East Africa and neighbouring countries, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization warns.
Africa urged to accelerate control of cervical cancer
Africa needs to urgently eliminate the burden of cervical cancer which remains a public health problem in the region despite being one of the most preventable forms of cancers, experts say. Cervical cancer, a disease which affects the part of the female reproductive system called cervix, is fatal if not detected and treated early.
Digital technology being used by African farmers
For smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, low yields and decreased incomes are part of their daily struggles. Peter Alisengawa, a 34-year old smallholder who lives in the remote Namukanagha village in Uganda’s Iganga district, says that agricultural productivity has been a mixture of hope and despair as he always records miserable yields. The story is not different for 44-year old Esther Nakisige, who says farming has been unproductive for her.
Smallholders benefitting from digitised agriculture
[KAMPALA] For smallholders in Sub-Saharan Africa, low yields and decreased incomes are part of their daily struggles. Peter Alisengawa, a 34-year old smallholder who lives in the remote Namukanagha village in Uganda’s Iganga district, says that agricultural productivity has been a mixture of hope and despair as he always records miserable yields. The story is not different for 44-year old Esther Nakisige, who says farming has been unproductive for her.
Product could be solution to fall armyworm in Africa
[NAIROBI] A product being tested for increasing crop yields has also been found to have the potential to combat fall armyworm in Sub-Saharan Africa. Africa has been infested by fall armyworm since 2016, a pest that completely destroys crops especially maize and beans and spreads faster threatening food security in the region.
Community projects cut new malaria cases by 94 per cent
By Nelson Mandela Ogema [NAIROBI] Community-based interventions such as use of insecticide-treated bed nets help decrease new cases of malaria in Zanzibar’s health facilities by 94 per cent between 2003 and 2015, a study says. Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania with a population of about 1.4 million, aims to eliminate malaria by 2023, says the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Programme.
Zanzibar cuts new malaria cases by 94 per cent
[NAIROBI] Zanzibar’s roll-out of community-based interventions free of charge helped cut new cases of malaria recorded in the island’s health facilities by 94 per cent between 2003 and 2015. Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania with a population of about 1.4 million, is a high-transmission area for malaria.
Community projects cut new malaria cases by 94 per cent
[NAIROBI] Community-based interventions such as use of insecticide-treated bed nets help decrease new cases of malaria in Zanzibar’s health facilities by 94 per cent between 2003 and 2015, a study says. Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania with a population of about 1.4 million, aims to eliminate malaria by 2023, says the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Programme.
Devastating pest threatens Africa's citrus industry
East Africa could soon be facing the threat of a citrus fruit sap-sucking pest with the potential to collapse its regional fruit industry, a scientist says. The pest called Asian citrus psyllid transmits the bacterium that causes citrus greening disease, which deforms fruits and reduces their commercial value.
Devastating pest threatens Africa’s citrus industry
The pest called Asian citrus psyllid transmits the bacterium that causes citrus greening disease, which deforms fruits and reduces their commercial value. According to the FAO, the disease which causes crop losses of up to 100 per cent, is the most devastating citrus disease globally because of how fast it spreads, the difficulty of diagnosing it and the damage it causes. Smallholders are the hardest hit because they lack the capital to manage the disease, the FAO adds.
Africa cuts new cases of top maize disease
Interventions such as disease-free seeds and field hygiene have helped cut new cases of maize lethal necrosis in sub-Saharan Africa, scientists say. Maize lethal necrosis, a disease caused by a set of viruses, results in up to 100% yield losses, thus having a devastating impact on food security and smallholders’ incomes in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).
Africa cuts new cases of top maize disease
We encourage you to republish this article online and in print, it’s free under our creative commons attribution license, but please follow some simple guidelines: You have to credit our authors. You have to credit SciDev.Net — where possible include our logo with a link back to the original article. You can simply run the first few lines of the article and then add: “Read the full article on SciDev.Net” containing a link back to the original article.
Meat grown in labs could solve the emissions problem
Tackling global nutrition and food security challenges requires a need for countries to shift to climate smart food systems including consuming low-carbon food sources. A report published on 28 November 2018 says that in 2017 about 820 million people worldwide were malnourished, and cites climate variability and extremes resulting from increased greenhouse gas emissions as a major cause of increased global hunger and severe food crises.
Fearful Kenyan women resort to secret family planning
[NAIROB] Men in Kenya’s informal urban settlements are forcing women to stop using contraceptives, resulting in the use of family planning methods that include injectables and implants clandestinely to evade these barriers, a study reveals. A different study conducted in 2016 says that the practice of secret family planning in male-dominated settings in Sub-Saharan Africa range from six per cent to over 50 per cent.
Fearful Kenyan women resort to secret family planning
[NAIROB] Men in Kenya’s informal urban settlements are forcing women to stop using contraceptives, resulting in the use of family planning methods that include injectables and implants clandestinely to evade these barriers, a study reveals. A different study conducted in 2016 says that the practice of secret family planning in male-dominated settings in Sub-Saharan Africa range from six per cent to over 50 per cent.
Secret abortions last resort for fearful Kenyan women
[NAIROBI] Many of Kenya’s urban men are not permitting their partners to use contraceptives, resulting in clandestine family planning methods including dangerous back street abortions, a study reveals. Almost half of all abortions taking place around the are unsafe, according to the WHO, meaning they are done in secret and without medical supervision. The biggest proportion of dangerous abortions is happening in Africa.
Secret abortions last resort for fearful Kenyan women
[NAIROB] Men in Kenya’s informal urban settlements are forcing women to stop using contraceptives, resulting in clandestine family planning methods that include the risk of dangerous back street abortions, a study reveals. Almost half of all abortions are unsafe, according to the WHO, with the biggest proportion of dangerous abortions happening in Africa.
Africa: Data Deficit Mars African Control of Lifestyle Diseases
By Nelson Mandela OgemaAfrican efforts to tackle the rising threat of cancer, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases is being hampered by a chronic lack of information, a WHO meeting has heard. According to the WHO Africa region, deaths from these non-communicable diseases (NCDs) increased from 2.4 million in 2005 to 3.1 million in 2015.
The 'Hidden' Risk of Malaria via Blood Transfusions
The high prevalence of malaria parasites in blood for transfusion in sub-Saharan Africa could be a major setback in the fight against the disease in the region, a study suggests. The study, presented in April 2018 at the 7th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan African Malaria Conference in Dakar, Senegal, was a systematic review of the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria from blood donors in sub-Saharan Africa.
Blood transfusions a ‘hidden’ malaria risk
The high prevalence of malaria parasites in blood for transfusion in Sub-Saharan Africa could be a major setback in the fight against the disease in the region, a study suggests.The study, presented this month (15-20 April) at the 7th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan African Malaria Conference in Dakar, Senegal, was a systematic review of the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria from blood donors in Sub-Saharan Africa.Selali Fiamanya, a co-author of the study and a research...
Delay in using GM crops making Africa lose benefits
[KISUMU, KENYA] The delay in approving the use of genetically modified (GM) crops is contributing to malnutrition and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, a study says.Many African governments are grappling with opponents and proponents of GM crops, thus facilitating a delay in adoption, especially when uncertainty about GM crops are announced shortly before decisions are taken about them, according to the study published in PLOS One journal last month (27 July).Justus Wesseler, a co-author of the...
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