Author: King Jaja

In Summary In many African nations, depression rates are influenced less by cultural stigma and more by shifting socio-economic realities such as unemployment and migration.Countries with smaller populations, such as Cape Verde and Lesotho, record disproportionately high percentages, highlighting how scale intensifies public health challenges.Recent investments in digital health and community-driven support systems are slowly reshaping how mental health care is delivered across the continent.Deep Dive!!Lagos, Nigeria, Wednesday, September 24 – Depression has often been described as a silent crisis, but across Africa, it is increasingly being recognized as a pressing public health concern. While global attention has historically focused on…

International premium brand Tiger Beer is set to bring its global football initiative, the Tiger Street Football Tournament, to Nigeria for the first time this October. The competition, which begins in Awka, will feature non-professional players drawn from local communities in a 5-a-side knockout format. Teams of eight will battle through the round of 16, with city champions crowned after a one-day event of semi-finals and finals. Organisers have announced prize money of N5 million for the winners, N3 million for runners-up, while the third and fourth-placed teams will each receive N1 million. Speaking on the launch, Maria Shadeko, Portfolio…

Despite the continent’s growing connectivity, many of its languages go unmoderated on social media platforms. This poses important questions about online safety, writes Mbongeni Jonny Msimanga. As Africa’s digital footprint expands, the continent finds itself dealing with global conversations about freedom of expression, misinformation, and online safety. There is a silent crisis unfolding in the realm of African content moderation. Big tech platforms like Meta, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok only monitor and police content in eight African languages across a continent of over 1.5 billion people speaking close to 2000 tongues. This, of course, raises questions about inclusion. But…

I grew up in a neighbourhood where most of my friends and I went to the same church. Our parents were either friends who introduced us, or we met in Sunday School. A few others went to different churches, but I was largely unaware of the theological differences between ours and theirs. I’ll say I did notice things like: girls at their church wore trousers, ours didn’t; they would be in church all morning, sometimes spilling into the afternoon, ours was wrapped up in two hours, anything longer felt excessive; and they prayed in something called tongues, we never mentioned…

September 2, 2025, Dubai, UAE – MULU, once recognized as a leading plus-size fashion brand for women, is rebranding into a lifestyle fashion label for the entire family. The launch of the new MULU Reborn Collection on September 4, 2025, reflects the personal journey of the founder, Kanessa Muluneh, and a new vision: to dress families with ease, comfort, and togetherness. The Reborn Collection will be available online at www.mulu.world with sizes ranging from baby all the way up to 5XL.The rebrand was set in motion because of personal reflection, says Kanessa Muluneh. “When I first launched MULU, I was…

The protests in Nepal this week were unprecedented. In just 48 hours, a disparate movement of largely young people throughout major towns and cities brought down the entire political establishment that had dominated Nepalese politics since the 2006 revolution. The Gen Z movement was confronted by a brutal police crackdown, and the death toll from the unrest now stands at over 70. As Prime Minister KP Oli resigned, the second day saw widespread rioting and arson by infiltrators. Government buildings across the country were attacked, most notably the Supreme Court and Singha Durbar complex that houses parliament and most of…

North Africa’s high rankings are linked to early investment in e-government, national AI strategies, and collaborations with EU tech partners, giving them a regulatory head start.Island nations like Mauritius and Seychelles show that digital readiness is less about size and more about digital-first economies backed by strong cybersecurity and data frameworks.Sub-Saharan leaders such as Rwanda and Kenya are tying AI readiness directly to development agendas, leveraging AI for agriculture forecasting, health diagnostics, and digital ID systems.Deep Dive!!Lagos, Nigeria, Friday, September 19 – Artificial intelligence is increasingly a benchmark for how African governments plan, regulate, and innovate. Preparedness reflects more than…

The African Centre for Cities (ACC) at the University of Cape Town invite applications for three full time Research Officers or Senior Research Officers for an 18-month period (January 2026 – June 2027). We are looking for candidates to work as part of the African Mayoral Leadership Initiative (AMALI) Data Programme team (see amalicities.africa for more details), located within the ACC. ACC was established in 2007 at the University of Cape Town as an urban research institute. The ACC is based in the School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, but is…

On Tuesday, 7.2 million registered voters in Malawi will head to the ballot boxes for a day of voting in three elections: presidential, parliamentary and local. In the presidential election, incumbent Lazarus Chakwera is seeking a second term in office, while former presidents Peter Mutharika and Joyce Banda are attempting political comebacks. All 17 candidates have pledged to address Malawi’s worsening economic hardship, which is the defining issue of this election. Soaring inflation, unaffordable fuel prices, mass unemployment and a lack of foreign exchange are all exacerbating the country’s already dire situation.

Cracks in the SystemAcross the globe, the people are losing faith in their governments. In Kenya, citizens have flooded the streets for the last two years demanding accountability. In Washington, Congress stalls while American communities struggle with basic needs. In Lagos, young people rise against police brutality, only to be met with repression by the same police. In London, inequality and political gridlock leave many disillusioned. In Indonesia and Nepal, young people have taken matters into their own hands and gone after corrupt politicians.The story is the same in country after country: centralized governments are failing to solve the crises…