SPECIAL FEATURES - The African Mirror

Apr

10

2025

By KIRAN TOTA-MAHARAJ and UPAKA RATHNAYAKE

Africa’s refugee camps are plagued by flooding: we looked into drainage systems that can withstand local conditions

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ALMOST one million people live in 24 camps for refugees and internally displaced people in Ethiopia. They have fled wars and massacres in South Sudan and Somalia and forced conscription and government oppression in Eritrea. Life in these camps is difficult. One of the challenges is drainage. The region experiences very intense, short storms. The camps don’t have proper water drainage systems, which means the stormwater causes flash flooding and mudslides. This results in: contaminated water flooding out of latrines, waste disposal sites and other unsanitary areas damage to clean water points, toilets and sewage disposal systems mosquitoes that breed…

Apr

09

2025

By WANDILE SIHLOBO

South Africa as G20 leader can take action on Africa’s food supply: 4 ways to make a difference

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOUTH Africa, the only African country that is a member of the G20, holds the presidency of the grouping until the end of November 2025. During this time, it could help drive the African continent’s food security agenda. The G20 is made up of 19 member countries plus the European Union and the African Union. Its members account for 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population. The presidency of the G20 rotates annually among member countries and is run as a troika made up of the past, present and next holder of the…

Apr

08

2025

By KAREN PARRY; ANDRÉ F. VAN ROOYEN and HENNING BJORNLUND

We studied smallholder farming in three African countries for 10 years: why profitable irrigation is key

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE world has to feed a growing population with the same area of land and less water. Irrigation is key to managing this problem. A 10-year project called Transforming Irrigation in Southern Africa focused on capacity constraints on schemes in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe and how to solve them. This led to a new project which uses small-scale irrigation schemes as learning sites for circular food systems. Here, the researchers involved in the projects share some findings. What are the barriers to smallholder irrigation schemes? First is a lack of coherence between national policies and local realities. The objectives of…

Apr

05

2025

By CLAUDE RAISARO

Uganda’s speedy motorbike taxis will slow down for cash – if incentives are cleverly designed

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

EVERY day, 10 people die on the roads of Kampala, Uganda’s capital. Road accidents cost Uganda US$1.2 billion annually, which is about 5% of its GDP. The cost typically arises from healthcare spending. Families face crippling medical bills and businesses lose workers. Motorbike taxis, which are popular in Uganda, are a leading cause of accidents. They are responsible for 64% of all recorded accidents – mostly as a result of speeding. Why do so many motorbike taxi drivers in Uganda speed? The common wisdom suggests that they do it for financial reasons. Higher speed translates to more trips, and more…

Apr

03

2025

By OLUWOLE OJEWALE

Nigeria’s illegal gold trade – elites and bandits are working together

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

ILLEGAL mining activities in Nigeria are devastating the country’s economy, as well as fuelling violence. Strategic minerals mined in the country’s northwest region include granite, gypsum, kaolin, laterite, limestone, phosphate, potash, silica sand and gold. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has estimated that the legal mining sector contributed N814.59 billion (US$527 million) in 15 years. Earnings were highest in 2021. Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, asserted in late 2024 that powerful individuals engaged in illegal mining were sponsoring banditry in the country. Recently, Edo North senator Adams Oshiomhole also alleged that retired military officers coordinated illegal mining…

Apr

02

2025

By JONATHAN BELOFF

Rwanda and Belgium are at odds over the DRC: what’s led to the latest low point

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

RWANDA’S foreign affairs ministry suspended all diplomatic relations with Belgium in March 2025. Soon afterwards, Belgium expelled Rwandan diplomats. This came weeks after Belgium had suspended foreign aid to Rwanda. At the root of this diplomatic fallout is the resurgence of the rebel group, March 23 Movement (M23), which has made recent military gains in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Prior to Rwanda suspending diplomatic relations, President Paul Kagame accused Belgium of continually undermining Rwanda. This deterioration in Rwanda-Belgium relations illustrates decades of the Kagame regime’s lack of trust in Brussels since the 1994 genocide. Jonathan Beloff, who has…

Mar

31

2025

By HAMZA BENATTIA

Discovery of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age settlement in Morocco rewrites history

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

A new archaeological discovery at Kach Kouch in Morocco challenges the long-held belief that the Maghreb (north-west Africa) was an empty land before the arrival of the Phoenicians from the Middle East in around 800 BCE. It reveals a much richer and more complex history than previously thought. Everything found at the site indicates that during the Bronze Age, more than 3,000 years ago, stable agricultural settlements already existed on the African coast of the Mediterranean. This was at the same time as societies such as the Mycenaean flourished in the eastern Mediterranean. Our discovery, led by a team of…

Mar

28

2025

By STIG JARLE HANSEN

Islamic State in Somalia: the terrorist group’s origins, rise and recent battlefield defeats

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE Islamic State in Somalia is an affiliate of the transnational jihadist group Islamic State, known in short as ISIS. Based in the semi-autonomous northern Somalia territory of Puntland, the terrorist group was the target of the first foreign combat operation of the Trump administration in February 2025. Previously, the group has been linked to planned terror attacks on the Vatican and on the Israeli embassy in Stockholm. Stig Jarle Hansen, a researcher and author of several books on jihadism in Africa, examines its origins, rise and recent battlefield defeats in the mountains of Puntland. 1. The rise of the…

Mar

25

2025

By The African Mirror

Engines of Hope: Ford’s Journey Beyond Manufacturing

MOTORING NEWS

IN the heart of South Africa, where manufacturing meets compassion, Ford is proving that a company's impact extends far beyond the vehicles it produces. This is a story of transformation, where every book delivered is as powerful as every engine assembled. Since 1923, Ford has been more than just a motor company in South Africa. It's been a community partner, a catalyst for change. The company's roots run deep in the Eastern Cape, not just through its Struandale Engine Plant, but through a profound commitment to the people who call this region home. The statistics are stark: 81 percent of…

Mar

25

2025

By The African Mirror

The Roar of Innovation: How Audi Redefined the Performance SUV

MOTORING

THE Nürburgring Nordschleife - a serpentine ribbon of asphalt that has broken the spirits of countless machines - stood silent on that crisp January morning. Little did the track know that it was about to witness automotive history. Audi Sport GmbH had been quietly engineering something extraordinary. Not just a car, but a statement. The RS Q8 performance wasn't merely an SUV; it was a symphony of power, precision, and unbridled ambition. When Sascha Sauer, Head of Audi South Africa, first unveiled the vehicle, his words were almost a challenge to the automotive world: "This is absolute sportiness and elegance,"…