Category: Africa

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Mercy Ships Returns to Ghana With Its Largest Hospital Ship

Source: APO – Report:

The Global Mercy, following her recent field service in Sierra Leone and scheduled annual maintenance period, arrived at the Port of Tema yesterday. This marks the beginning of a 10-month field service in partnership with the Government of Ghana, where the world’s largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship will offer free surgical care on board.

Welcoming Mercy Ships back to Ghana, His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama said “Health is not a luxury; it is the foundation of freedom. It is the currency of our dignity. It is our greatest public good, and so I am delighted to welcome Mercy Ships to Ghana.”

Although Ghana has one of the strongest healthcare systems in West Africa, bolstered by its ambitious National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anaesthesia Plan (NSOAP) launched in 2024, millions of people still face barriers to timely, safe, and affordable surgical care. Surgical specialists remain unevenly distributed, and district hospitals continue to face capacity challenges. This means many patients live with easily treatable conditions because surgery remains beyond their reach.

 “The development of this plan (NSOAP) is in line with our broader objectives for the health sector,” said Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, Ghana. “It ensures that essential surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia services are incorporated into Ghana’s universal health coverage strategy. This is an important step toward reducing maternal and child mortality, effectively managing trauma cases, and strengthening emergency and critical care services throughout the country.”

This is Mercy Ships’ fifth field service in Ghana and will combine free specialized surgery with education, mentoring, and workforce development. Patients from across the country have been invited to apply for free specialised surgical care, including cleft lip and palate repair, tumour removal, cataract surgery, reconstructive plastic surgery, obstetric fistula repair, paediatric orthopaedic surgery, and general surgery.

“Returning to Ghana is the continuation of a trusted partnership,” said Michael Nkeze, Mercy Ships Country Director for Ghana. “Together with the Ministry of Health and our national partners, we are investing not only in life-changing surgery for today’s patients, but also in stronger surgical systems that will benefit future generations.”

Since first arriving to Ghana in 1991, Mercy Ships has worked alongside the country’s government to deliver more than 2,670 surgical procedures and over 18,120 dental procedures, train more than 2,920 healthcare professionals, and impact nearly 15,000 direct medical beneficiaries.

Crewed by volunteer professionals from more than 70 countries, the Mercy Ships brings together surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists, engineers, teachers, cooks, and maritime professionals for one shared purpose.

Ghanaian volunteers also continue to play a crucial role in the Mercy Ships family as they did in the organization’s earliest days, with several among its longtime crew members.

Among these volunteers is Hospital Chaplain ‘Mama’ Clementine, one of Mercy Ships’ longest-serving crew members. She first encountered Mercy Ships in the 1990s, then joined the crew in 1997. With Ghanaian and Togolese roots, she was inspired by volunteers from around the world who had dedicated their lives to helping her people.

“Nearly 30 years ago, Mercy Ships captured my heart,” said Clementine. “Seeing people from around the world come together to serve Africa inspired me to dedicate my own life to this mission. Today, returning to Ghana feels like coming home. It is a privilege to serve my own people and to welcome every patient with dignity, compassion, and hope. When people who once felt forgotten or abandoned leave knowing they are loved, accepted, respected, and valued, that is why I find such deep purpose in my work.”

Over the next 10 months, that spirit of partnership in service will once again bring volunteers from around the world together with Ghanaian healthcare professionals to deliver life-changing surgery, while also strengthening the nation’s surgical care systems for generations to come.

– on behalf of Mercy Ships.

ABOUT MERCY SHIPS:
Mercy Ships operates hospital ships that deliver free surgeries and other healthcare services to those with little access to safe medical care. An international faith-based organization, Mercy Ships has focused entirely on partnering with African nations for the past three decades. Working with in-country partners, Mercy Ships also provides training to local healthcare professionals and supports the construction of in-country medical infrastructure to leave a lasting impact.

Each year, 2,500+ volunteer professionals from more than 70 countries serve on board the world’s two largest non-governmental hospital ships, the Africa Mercy® and the Global Mercy™. Professionals such as surgeons, dentists, nurses, health trainers, cooks, and engineers dedicate their time and skills to accelerate access to safe surgical and anesthetic care. Mercy Ships was founded in 1978 and has offices in 16 countries as well as an Africa Service Center in Dakar, Senegal. For more information, visit www.MercyShips.org and follow @MercyShips on social media.

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Mercy Ships revient au Ghana avec son plus grand navire-hôpital

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French

Après sa récente mission en Sierra Leone et sa période de maintenance annuelle, le Global Mercy a accosté hier dans le port de Tema. Cet évènement marque le début d’une mission de 10 mois en partenariat avec le gouvernement ghanéen, au cours de laquelle le plus grand navire-hôpital civil au monde, spécialement conçu à cet effet, proposera des soins chirurgicaux gratuits à son bord.

En souhaitant la bienvenue à Mercy Ships à l’occasion de son retour au Ghana, Son Excellence le président John Dramani Mahama a déclaré : « La santé n’est pas un luxe ; elle est le fondement de la liberté. Elle est la monnaie de notre dignité. Elle est notre plus grand bien public, c’est pourquoi je suis heureux d’accueillir Mercy Ships au Ghana. »

Bien que le Ghana dispose de l’un des systèmes de santé les plus solides d’Afrique de l’Ouest – renforcé par son ambitieux Plan National de Chirurgie, d’Obstétrique et d’Anesthésie (PNCOA) lancé en 2024 -, des millions de personnes se heurtent à des obstacles qui les empêchent d’accéder à des soins chirurgicaux rapides, fiables et abordables. Les chirurgiens spécialisés restent inégalement répartis, et les hôpitaux de district demeurent confrontés à des problèmes de capacité. Faute d’accès à la chirurgie, de nombreux patients continuent de vivre avec des pathologies pourtant facilement traitables.

« L’élaboration de ce plan (PNCOA) s’inscrit dans la lignée des objectifs que nous nous sommes fixés pour le secteur de la santé », a déclaré l’honorable Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, ministre de la Santé du Ghana. « Il permet d’intégrer les soins essentiels de chirurgie, d’obstétrique et d’anesthésie à la stratégie nationale de couverture sanitaire universelle. Cette initiative constitue ainsi une avancée majeure dans la réduction de la mortalité maternelle et infantile, l’amélioration de la prise en charge des traumatismes et le renforcement des services d’urgence et de soins intensifs à travers le pays. »

Il s’agit de la cinquième mission de Mercy Ships au Ghana ; elle conjuguera des interventions chirurgicales spécialisées gratuites avec des sessions de formation, de mentorat, et de développement des ressources humaines. Des patients de tout le pays ont été invités à se porter candidats pour bénéficier de soins chirurgicaux spécialisés, notamment la correction des fentes labiales et palatines, l’ablation de tumeurs, la chirurgie de la cataracte, la chirurgie plastique reconstructive, la réparation des fistules obstétricales, la chirurgie orthopédique pédiatrique et la chirurgie générale.

« Ce retour au Ghana s’inscrit dans la continuité d’un partenariat de confiance », a déclaré Michael Nkeze, Directeur de Mercy Ships pour le Ghana. « En collaboration avec le Ministère de la santé et nos partenaires nationaux, nous investissons non seulement dans des interventions chirurgicales qui transforment la vie des patients aujourd’hui, mais aussi dans le renforcement des systèmes chirurgicaux qui profiteront aux générations futures. »

Depuis 1991, date de sa première implication au Ghana, Mercy Ships s’est associé avec le gouvernement du pays pour réaliser plus de 2 670 interventions chirurgicales et plus de 18 120 soins dentaires, former plus de 2 920 professionnels de santé et venir en aide à près de 15 000 bénéficiaires directs de soins médicaux.

À bord, des professionnels bénévoles issus de plus de 70 pays, l’équipage de Mercy Ships réunit les compétences de chirurgiens, d’infirmiers, d’anesthésistes, d’ingénieurs, d’enseignants, de cuisiniers et de marins autour d’un objectif commun.

Les bénévoles ghanéens continuent également de jouer un rôle crucial au sein de Mercy Ships, comme au premier temps de l’ONG, plusieurs d’entre eux faisant partie de l’équipage à long terme.

Parmi ces bénévoles figure « Mama » Clémentine, aumônière de l’hôpital, l’une des membres d’équipage les plus anciennes de Mercy Ships. Elle a découvert l’ONG dans les années 1990, puis a rejoint l’équipage en 1997. D’origine ghanéenne et togolaise, elle a été inspirée par des bénévoles du monde entier qui avaient consacré leur vie à aider son peuple.

« Il y a près de 30 ans, Mercy Ships a conquis mon cœur », a expliqué Clémentine. « Voir des personnes issues du monde entier se mobiliser pour venir en aide à l’Afrique m’a donné envie de consacrer ma propre vie à cette mission. Aujourd’hui, retourner au Ghana, c’est comme rentrer chez moi. C’est un privilège de servir mon peuple et d’accueillir chaque patient avec dignité, compassion et espoir. Lorsque des personnes qui se sentaient autrefois délaissées ou abandonnées repartent en se sentant aimées, acceptées, respectées et valorisées, c’est là que je trouve un sens profond à mon travail. »

Au cours des dix prochains mois, cet esprit de partenariat au service des populations réunira une nouvelle fois des bénévoles du monde entier et des professionnels de santé ghanéens afin de réaliser des interventions chirurgicales qui transforment des vies, tout en renforçant les systèmes de soins chirurgicaux du pays pour les générations à venir.

Distribué par APO Group pour Mercy Ships.

À PROPOS DE MERCY SHIPS :
Mercy Ships exploite des navires-hôpitaux qui fournissent des interventions chirurgicales gratuites ainsi que d’autres services de santé aux personnes ayant un accès limité à des soins médicaux sûrs. Organisation internationale confessionnelle, Mercy Ships se consacre entièrement, depuis plus de trois décennies, à des partenariats avec des nations africaines. En collaboration avec des partenaires locaux, Mercy Ships propose également des formations aux professionnels de santé et soutient la construction d’infrastructures médicales dans les pays afin de laisser un impact durable. 

Chaque année, plus de 2 500 professionnels bénévoles issus de plus de 70 pays servent à bord des deux plus grands navires-hôpitaux non gouvernementaux au monde, l’Africa Mercy® et le Global Mercy™. Des professionnels tels que des chirurgiens, dentistes, infirmiers, formateurs en santé, cuisiniers et ingénieurs mettent leur temps et leurs compétences pour accélérer l’accès à des soins chirurgicaux et anesthésiques sûrs. Mercy Ships a été fondée en 1978 et dispose de bureaux dans 16 pays ainsi que d’un Centre de Services Afrique à Dakar, au Sénégal. 

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Uganda: ‘All medical interns to get Shs1 million allowance’

Source: APO

Government has stayed the proposal that would have seen the suspension of facilitation for medical interns.

This will now see the current cohort of medical interns all earning a monthly net allowance of Shs1 million.

The Minister of Health, Hon. Chris Baryomunsi made the revelation during the House sitting on Tuesday, 18 August 2026 following weeks of public debate, media reports and strikes by interns opposed to the provisions contained in the National Education and Training for Health Policy.

“Cabinet recommended that we suspend that provision on facilitation and pay them as it has been. The current cohort of interns will all receive a net pay of Shs1 million,” Baryomunsi said adding that, ‘traditionally, government has been paying all interns but a new proposal had been passed that we distinguish those who were sponsored by government at university training from those who were privately sponsored. This has been giving interns discomfort’.

Under the contested policy, government-sponsored interns would continue receiving the full allowance while privately sponsored interns would only receive support for meals.

Baryomunsi said that government has expanded the number of internship centres to 77 and deployed 2,490 medical interns including doctors, pharmacists, dentists, graduate nurses and midwives.

The minister has been tasked by Cabinet to review the policy and prepare a comprehensive paper addressing human-resource challenges in the health sector, including the number of health professionals Uganda should train, their absorption into public service and appropriate remuneration.

Baryomunsi also announced the reversal of a proposal requiring medical students to undertake internship before graduation saying that students will continue graduating after completing their academic requirements, while internship will remain a separate requirement for professional practice.

The minister also revealed that they will engage the other government agencies to see that the medical interns who were arrested as they demonstrated against the earlier proposal, are released.

The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi welcomed the decision but urged government to review the Shs1 million allowance saying its value had been affected by inflation.

“The interns deserve more. Times have changed; the terrain is different. That Shs1 million of many years ago cannot remain the same,” Ssenyonyi said.

He also asked government to establish a sustainable arrangement extending beyond the current cohort. 

“At least government has acknowledged that interns are medical doctors who need to be facilitated.  This particular rescinding is for this cohort meaning I will be back here complaining; we need to continue to facilitate these people. Let us have a discussion about facilitating these people,” Ssenyonyi said.

The Chairperson of the Committee on Health, Hon. Julius Rude called for internship facilitation to be entrenched in the national budget and urged government to provide safe accommodation for interns near their deployment facilities.

The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa who chaired the sitting urged ministers to brief Parliament about Cabinet decisions with far-reaching consequences instead of allowing MPs to learn about them through the media as it was the case with interns pay.

“There are critical decisions you take in Cabinet which have far-reaching impacts. When you take them, come and update us so that we do not pick them from the public,” Tayebwa said.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

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Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Calls for Calls for Equitable Finance and Stronger Implementation Ahead of United Nations (UN) Biodiversity COP17

Source: APO – Report:

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South Africa has called for adequate, predictable and accessible financing, stronger capacity-building and equitable international cooperation to accelerate implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).

The call followed the conclusion of the seventh meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-7), held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4 to 12 August 2026. The meeting was a key final preparatory milestone ahead of the 2026 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, which will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October 2026.

SBI-7 reviewed collective progress towards the 23 targets of the KMGBF and developed recommendations for consideration by the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) and the meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols.

South Africa participated actively in the negotiations, including through interventions on behalf of the African Group and the Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries. The country emphasised that global ambition must be matched by the financial resources, technology transfer and institutional capacity required by developing countries to implement their commitments.

On resource mobilisation, South Africa expressed concern that international biodiversity finance remains below the level required to achieve Target 19(a) of the KMGBF, which calls for biodiversity-related international financial flows to developing countries of at least USD 20 billion annually by 2025 and USD 30 billion annually by 2030. South Africa maintained that the international biodiversity finance architecture must provide predictable, adequate and accessible support.

South Africa also supported continued oversight of the Cali Fund by the Conference of the Parties. The country stressed that contribution thresholds should not weaken the multilateral mechanism for sharing benefits arising from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources. Non-monetary benefits should include access to technology, know-how, scientific cooperation and research results.

During discussions on the global review of KMGBF implementation, South Africa cautioned against creating new obligations or increasing reporting burdens. The country maintained that findings should be interpreted in accordance with national circumstances, capacities and development priorities.

South Africa further advocated for biodiversity to be integrated into the policies and practices of sectors such as mining, agriculture, fisheries and tourism, linking biodiversity conservation with sustainable development, economic transformation and poverty reduction. Parties were also urged to support cities and other local authorities in developing local biodiversity strategies and action plans, while addressing barriers that prevent local institutions from accessing finance.

On communication, education and public awareness, South Africa, on behalf of the African Group, welcomed the draft global plan of action for education on biodiversity. At South Africa’s proposal, the draft recommendation acknowledges the country’s hosting of the 2026 global celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity under the theme, “Acting Locally for Global Impact.” South Africa also called for stronger alignment between the global plan and national biodiversity strategies and action plans, supported by adequate financial and technical resources.

The country supported the proposed thematic action plan on synthetic biology, while underscoring the need for dedicated and timely financing for capacity-building, technology transfer and knowledge-sharing. South Africa also advanced proposals to strengthen implementation and assessment of the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, including the operationalisation of access and benefit-sharing checkpoints, improved communication and regional cooperation.

South Africa further highlighted the technical and scientific support centre hosted by the South African National Biodiversity Institute and called for its full operationalisation as part of broader efforts to strengthen capacity-building and scientific cooperation.

While SBI-7 adopted several recommendations for consideration at COP17, significant differences remain, particularly on international finance and the operation of the multilateral mechanism on digital sequence information. South Africa will continue engaging constructively towards outcomes in Yerevan that translate global biodiversity commitments into equitable, adequately resourced and measurable implementation.

– on behalf of South African Government.

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Bénin: Ouverture des registres d’inscription dans les Centres de Formation Professionnelle et d’Apprentissage (CFPA), au titre de l’année d’apprentissage 2026-2027

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French


La Ministre des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises et de la Promotion de l’Emploi, en charge de la Formation Professionnelle porte à la connaissance des jeunes, des artisans, des maîtres d’apprentissage, des parents d’élèves ainsi que du public que les registres d’inscription dans les Centres de Formation Professionnelle et d’Apprentissage (CFPA) publics, pour le compte de l’année d’apprentissage 2026-2027, sont ouverts sur toute l’étendue du territoire national, du lundi 17 août au vendredi 25 septembre 2026.

Les personnes désireuses de s’inscrire, pour la rentrée prévue pour le lundi 28 septembre 2026, sont attendues dans les treize (13) Centres de Formation Professionnelle et d’Apprentissage publics situés à Abomey, Agoua, Agouagon, Athiémé, Covè, Djidja, Dogbo, Djougou, Kouandé, Nikki, Pahou, Sè et Zè , où sont affichés les métiers de formation développés. Ces métiers peuvent également être consultés sur le site du ministère à l’adresse suivante : https://pmepe.gouv.bj.

Les formations ouvertes conduisent à l’obtention du Certificat de Qualification aux Métiers (CQM) et du Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle (CQP), conformément aux textes réglementaires en vigueur dans le sous-secteur de la formation professionnelle.

Peuvent faire acte de candidature pour l’obtention des différents diplômes, les jeunes filles et garçons remplissant les conditions ci-après :

  • Pour le Certificat de Qualification aux Métiers (CQM)
    • être âgé de quatorze (14) ans au moins au 31 décembre2026 ;
    • être motivé à apprendre un métier et à s’insérer durablement dans la vie professionnelle.
  • Pour le Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle (CQP)
  • être déscolarisé ;
  • être titulaire du Certificat d’Études Primaires (CEP) et avoir achevé la classe de quatrième (4ème) au moins ou avoir le niveau d’études exigé par le programme de formation du métier choisi ;
  • être âgé de quatorze (14) ans au moins au 31 décembre2026 ;
  • être admis au test de sélection.

La liste des pièces constitutives du dossier d’inscription se présente comme suit :

  • une fiche d’inscription précisant la formation et le métier choisi ainsi que le ou les établissement (s) souhaité(s), à retirer sur les lieux de dépôt de dossiers ou à télécharger gratuitement sur le site du ministère à l’adresse : https://pmepe.gouv.bj ;
  • une copie de l’acte de naissance ou tout autre document tenant lieu ;
  • la quittance de droit d’étude de dossier de mille (1000) francs CFA, obtenue après versement des frais d’étude de dossiers aux lieux de dépôt de dossiers ou au Trésor Public sur le compte BJ6600100100000010160845 intitulé Direction des Etablissements Techniques.

La date limite de réception des dossiers d’inscription est impérativement fixée au Vendredi 25 septembre 2026 à 17 heures.

Le catalogue des offres de formation par Centre est disponible sur les lieux de dépôts des dossiers.

Distribué par APO Group pour Gouvernement de la République du Bénin.

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Uganda: Parliament approves motion on geriatric care, demands increase in Senior Citizens Grant for the Elderly (SAGE)

Source: APO

Parliament has approved a motion calling for improved geriatric healthcare and stronger social protection for older persons with legislators pressing government to honour its commitment to increase the Senior Citizens Grant for the Elderly (SAGE) from Shs25,000 to Shs35,000 a month.

Sironko District Woman Representative, Hon. Asha Mafabi moved the motion on Tuesday, 18 August 2026 amid concerns that Uganda’s growing population of older persons is struggling to access specialised healthcare, social protection and money meant to support them.

The debate also exposed the gap between government’s announcement of a higher SAGE and its implementation with the Minister of State for Elderly Affairs, Hon. Jacqueline Mbabazi admitting that the Shs35,000 payments was not provided for in the 2026/27 national budget.

She said government nevertheless needed to find the money because older persons were supporting millions of dependants.

“The people above 60 are looking after families with a population of 7.2 million people and they are the only ones looking after these people. And therefore, it is important to get that Shs35,000,” she said.

The motion noted that Uganda has more than 1.4 million people aged 60 and above many of whom face age related and non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, cancer and dementia.

Mafabi called for dedicated geriatric units, trained health workers, age friendly facilities, regular health check-ups and expanded community and home based healthcare, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

MPs also raised concerns about the accessibility of SAGE payments.

Kole South MP, Hon. Boniface Okot said older persons often travel long distances to receive the grant and urged government to explore alternative payment platforms.

“Government should consider accessible platforms like mobile money so that the older people do not travel these long distances,” Okot said.

He also questioned the cost of administering the programme saying about Shs30 billion of the approximately Shs120 billion allocated to SAGE goes towards administration.

Okot called for investment in specialist training noting that Uganda currently lacks institutions offering geriatric medicine at master’s level.

The shortage of specialists was echoed by Hon. Mbabazi who said Uganda has only three geriatric nurses and no formal training programme for geriatric healthcare personnel.

“As a ministry, we are engaging the Ministry of Health so that we discuss this area of geriatric care,” she said adding that government is also engaging Makerere University to introduce geriatric doctors and nursing training.

The Chief Government Whip, Hon. Jane Ruth Aceng however, said geriatric care had already been incorporated into the National Development Plan IV, including provisions for training doctors and nurses.

Aceng also cautioned against creating a health insurance scheme exclusively for older persons arguing that a national scheme based on solidarity will provide better protection.

“If we are to have an insurance targeted only to the elderly, as a country we are likely to fail. We need an insurance scheme that covers all of us, including the children because the principle is solidarity,” she added.

Rukiga County MP, Hon. Patrick Kiconco said reducing the eligibility age to 65, as previously announced by government will increase beneficiaries to about one million and require substantially more funding.

He proposed a phased expansion beginning with older age groups before eventually covering everyone aged 65 and above.

Kiconco said the current programme supports about 316,000 older persons and warned that the 65-year threshold requires an additional Shs252 billion bringing the total annual requirement to Shs373 billion if the grant is set at Shs35,000.

Older Persons Representative, Hon. Catherine Mavenjina Akumu urged government to introduce health insurance for older persons as they await the promised increase in SAGE.

Ntenjeru County South MP, Hon. Fred Baseke described support for older persons as a national obligation saying many remained in poverty while dealing with chronic illnesses and limited access to healthcare.

“Investing in older persons is not a burden on government. It is an investment in dignity, welfare and social stability,” Baseke said.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

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Millions of Africans are displaced without crossing a border – and their needs are often overlooked

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By David James Cantor, Director of the Refugee Law Initiative, School of Advanced Study, University of London

The eruption of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2026 sparked a major crisis.

Transmissions and deaths are skyrocketing, and no vaccine is currently available.

This virus is notably prevalent in settlements and communities for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and communities. This happened too with the Mpox outbreak that started in the Congo in 2025 and spread to the rest of the world.

But who are “internally displaced persons”? And why are they disproportionately affected by disease outbreaks such as Ebola and mpox?

Across Africa, there were estimated to be 31.7 million people living in internal displacement camps as of the end of 2025. More than 29 million of them were displaced due to conflict and violence.

Sudan hosted the largest number of internally displaced people of any country in the world – approximately 9.1 million of its total population of around 52 million. Another 2.8 million remained displaced outside the country as refugees.

Over 20 years ago, I began doctoral research in Colombia with more than 40 displaced communities living in conflict-affected regions. This has since extended to include research on Mexico, central America and Yemen. I then helped set up networks to support researchers and policymakers working on internal displacement in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. This work led to the recently published Handbook of Internal Displacement.

Based on this work, it’s become clear that the issue of “internal displacement” remains poorly understood despite the very large number of people involved and their significant role in shaping social trends.

This may be about to change. The Handbook includes expert input from over 70 researchers globally. Its 45 thematic chapters offer a comprehensive reference point for work across many different fields. These include sociology, politics, economics, history and law, as well as development, humanitarian, migration and conflict studies.

The Handbook opens up new ways of thinking and engaging with the consequences of internal displacement in Africa and beyond.

It also offers a crucial resource. It highlights the fact that internally displaced people – rather than refugees – make up the bulk of displacement globally. This points to the need for resources to be allocated to the challenges that come in the wake of displacement.

Internally displaced people

Global policy describes internally displaced people as those

who have been forced (…) to flee or to leave their homes (…) and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border.

The term is a convenient policy label to distinguish them from cross-border refugees. But, within their own countries, IDPs are really just “the displaced”.

Africa records the highest levels of war-related internal displacement of any region globally. In 2025, even with the new wars raging in the Middle East, Africa remained the epicentre with 14.5 million new internal displacements.

In 2024, it saw vastly more displaced people (11.5 million) than every other region combined (8.5 million).

The scale of displacement reflects the high number of countries in Africa that are in conflict, as well as the large, protracted wars that displace huge numbers of people each year. This includes the DRC, which reported 9.7 million war-related internal displacements in 2025.

Yet war is just one driver of displacement.

What’s driving displacement

In Africa, a multitude of climate-related hazards – such as cyclones, flooding and drought – generate cascading risks. In 2025 alone, they pushed an additional 2.9 million internal displacements.

Other displacement drivers in Africa include criminal, extremist and terrorist violence and large-scale development projects.

Each driver further weakens people’s ability to cope, while displacement itself creates additional pressures. In many African nations, war and disasters occur simultaneously and can interact in ways that intensify internal displacement.

The impact

Internal displacement can disrupt lives to a shocking extent.

It has wide-ranging effects on society, affecting the communities that host IDPs, the places they pass through and the home communities to which some eventually return.

Unlike refugees, IDPs stay within their country and remain exposed to the dangers and devastation caused by the conflicts and disasters they fled.

Although they may be citizens, they are often treated with suspicion and end up marginalised and hidden in local populations. Where they lose access to land, housing, work, and social and family support networks, they often experience high levels of poverty.

These accumulated disadvantages often make IDPs, such as those in the DRC, more vulnerable to illness and death than other war-affected populations (including refugees).

African countries have traditionally relied on settlements and camps as a way of responding to displacement.

The “protected villages” policy in Uganda was an early example of encampment, resettling displaced people into villages ostensibly removed from the conflict between the government and the Lord’s Resistance Army in the 1990s. More recently, the majority of the 4 million displaced Ethiopians in 2023 lived in camps or camp-like settlements.

Internal displacement in Africa is increasingly an urban phenomenon, and feeds into wider trends towards urbanisation.

As a result, cities and towns, such as Mogadishu and Baidoa in Somalia, now host many displaced people. This creates a whole new set of development challenges.

The losses caused by displacement can undermine development. National development plans can also be thrown off course when people are no longer where those plans expect (or want) them to be.

In cities, heightened pressure on local services also creates a need for flexible and imaginative urban planning.

What needs to change

Africa is the only region globally where governments have created regional legal treaties for protecting IDPs.

For example, in 2006, countries in central Africa created a pioneering Protocol on the Protection and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons. The African Union then spearheaded the Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa in 2009.

But IDPs still attract relatively little political interest or funding from the wider international community. Unlike refugees, they are too often seen by donors as a faraway problem confined to poorer parts of the world.

This is wrong. Disasters create many IDPs each year, even in countries like the US. What is more, the low profile of internal displacement has real-life consequences for IDPs in regions like Africa. One study found that between 2010 and 2019, per capita health aid to people displaced by conflict was less than one-seventh of that provided to refugees.

Aid cuts by major donors like the US, the UK and Germany in the 2020s have exacerbated the problem. This has forced aid agencies into “hyper-prioritisation” – using scarce resources only for the most urgent needs – since 2025.

Across its many chapters, the research in the Handbook of Internal Displacement underlines that internal displacement – and the vulnerabilities it creates and worsens – cannot be ignored. The needs of internally displaced people (and host communities) must be properly factored into social assistance, humanitarian and development interventions.

The Handbook offers detailed guidance on how this can be done, while supporting the efforts of displaced people to protect themselves during crises and overcome displacement-related vulnerabilities.

– Millions of Africans are displaced without crossing a border – and their needs are often overlooked
– https://theconversation.com/millions-of-africans-are-displaced-without-crossing-a-border-and-their-needs-are-often-overlooked-289499

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The soil’s early warning system: microbes can predict desertification before plants start to die

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Marc Van Goethem, Microbial ecologist, University of Pretoria

Microbial ecology (the study of how tiny microbes interact with each other and their environment) underpins the health of every ecosystem on Earth. The microbes living in soil recycle nutrients, support plant growth and help ecosystems respond to environmental change. In this explainer, microbial ecologist Marc Van Goethem tells us why microbes are critical to human life. They can also provide an early warning if Africa’s drylands are approaching ecological tipping points, offering new ways to monitor and protect vulnerable landscapes.

What is microbial ecology, and why is it an important field of research?

Microbial ecology is the study of how microorganisms, like bacteria, fungi and the viruses that infect them, interact with one another and their environment. Together, microorganisms exert considerable influence on their immediate environment. Some examples include the breakdown of organic matter to release nutrients into the soil, digesting the food in our guts, and storing carbon dioxide.

Studying microbial ecology is an effort to make sense of these combined biological and chemical processes in nature. This information can then be used to predict how an environment might respond to future changes or why, for example, crops grow better in one field compared to another. Microorganisms quietly shape our lives even though they get less recognition than more easily observed animals and plants.

What are soil microbes and why do they matter?

Soil microorganisms are very small (micrometres); we can only see them under powerful microscopes. Their small sizes, however, make their roles in nature even more profound. In soils, bacteria, fungi and viruses form microbial communities that operate like mini-cities. We call these communities “microbiomes”.

On a single grain of sand you could find thousands of bacterial cells interacting by sharing nutrients and genetic material. They also compete for space and resources by producing antibiotics, which are compounds that kill other bacteria. Around 70%-80% of clinically used antibiotics originate from soil bacteria like Streptomyces.

The soil microbiome is central to the carbon cycle. Microbes can absorb carbon and bury it in the soil, or degrade plant and animal matter, which releases carbon into the atmosphere. These processes are extremely sensitive to environment changes. Increasing temperatures, caused by global warming, may increase microorganism activity. Buried carbon may be sent back into the atmosphere. Too much atmospheric carbon acts as a blanket and increases global temperatures – and the cycle escalates.

Your work suggests that changes in microbial communities could provide an early warning of desertification. How can organisms we can’t see tell us so much about the health of an ecosystem?

My work hinges on the knowledge that microorganisms respond fast to environmental changes – faster than plants or animals can. Microorganisms detect and react to signals that we can’t perceive. Some examples include changes in soil pH, moisture content or temperature.

Microbial responses are leading indicators of changes to temperature, water or physical disturbance in soil and the health of the above-ground ecosystem. I believe we can use this knowledge before we see visible changes like plant death.

What do you hope your work will reveal about how Africa’s drylands respond to climate change and how could that knowledge help scientists and policymakers better protect these landscapes?

The central aim of this work is to identify the tipping points at which drylands begin to lose the resilience provided by the soil microbiome. The proposed research will collect representative soil samples from four African deserts: the Namib, Kalahari, Sahara and Sahel. I hope to provide meaningful data points, like data about which microbes are present or absent in soils, and what they are doing under various environmental conditions across drylands to map the microbiome across stages of desertification. Desertification is the process in which fertile lands in dry areas completely lose the ability to support plant, animal and human life.

These samples I hope to collect will come from

  • intact ecosystems

  • at-risk ecosystems

  • degraded soils.

Through metagenomic sequencing (where we sequence the genomes of the entire microbiome simultaneously) and associated metadata (climate and soil chemistry information) we hope to identify the markers of desertification. This could be in the form of a specific microorganism disappearing and the mini-city then collapsing, or the microbiome losing an important function such as making nitrogen available to a plant.

Using these insights, I hope to provide a measure that shows the difference between healthy dryland microbiomes and those actively experiencing desertification.

This information will be provided as a reference accessible by researchers and policymakers to compare data from their drylands to estimate whether their landscapes are at risk of desertification.

– The soil’s early warning system: microbes can predict desertification before plants start to die
– https://theconversation.com/the-soils-early-warning-system-microbes-can-predict-desertification-before-plants-start-to-die-289000

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What happened when a South African school switched from English to bilingual science tests

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Robyn Tyler, Senior Researcher, University of the Western Cape

South African no-fee primary schools use African languages as well as English for teaching and testing. Before 2025, children started learning in their home language in the first three years and then switched to English in Grade 4 (aged 10 and 11). Now, bilingual education is extending gradually into the upper primary grades.

South Africa’s public basic education system serves roughly 12.7 million learners. Eighty percent of these learn through a language that is not their home language.

I am an education researcher with a special interest in language across the curriculum in multilingual contexts. In a recent case study of a bilingual science learning intervention in a Cape Town school, I wanted to know how effective it was to teach and test in more than one language, and what parents thought of the approach. Past studies hadn’t made it clear whether parents usually supported it.

The study found that teaching and testing science topics in the children’s home language and English produced much better results than using English only, and that parents were in favour of it.

The results suggest that bilingual classroom teaching and assessment could be used more widely, and it’s important to make sure parents understand why.

Better test results using two languages

The study took place in a school in Khayelitsha, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town. The no-fee school attracts learners from a wide area because it is well run. At the time of the study, the school language policy was English medium in all subjects in Grade 4, including science. The principal, however, agreed to try the bilingual approach in science for the study.

We gave 168 Grade 4 learners a bilingual science textbook in English and isiXhosa, their home language. The same teacher taught four classes bilingually, and learners used both languages in writing in their exercise books. One class was given a bilingual test while the others wrote the conventional English-only test.

The findings showed that children were more engaged in their learning in class compared with similar aged children who were learning in English only. In our study children contributed more to class discussion and wrote more in their exercise books.

In addition, those who wrote the bilingual test, with all questions written in isiXhosa and English, scored an 86% pass rate. Those who wrote the English-only test scored a 51% pass rate.

What parents said

The parents of the children in the study said during a feedback session after the test was written that they were very happy with the programme. They commented on how the bilingual textbook connected them with their child’s learning at home. Parents said their children taught them about science while at home – making links between the world around them and the concepts they were learning at school.

One parent said:

My child came back home more interested in things happening around us.

Another mentioned their own ability to get more involved in their child’s schoolwork when using their own language:

Sometimes a parent may be busy cooking, so when they ask a question you are able to answer even if you didn’t see the question.

Similarly, a parent said:

I went through the pages and read for myself without calling my child and asking what it said.

Parents also described how using more than one language was common in their neighbourhoods. Their children were multilingual and translated for one another when something was not understood. Therefore, the bilingual model of language use at school was closer to language use at home.

One parent noted that they had high hopes for their child continuing with science as a career one day because of this strong start. Parents also wanted to know if mother tongue based bilingual education would be rolled out across the country and in all grades.

None of the parents expressed a concern about their children losing out on English.

Debates on language in the classroom

This last point is important because the dominance of English in society leads to a popular belief that the earlier children learn through English only, the better equipped they will be for the world of higher education and the workplace later on. Teachers report feeling a pressure from parents to avoid code-switching from English into an African language.

Read more: In South Africa, science should be taught in only one language – how about English?

In reality, research shows that English-only education contributes to the low achievement of South African children, especially in subjects such as mathematics and science.

When parents have been surveyed on their opinions about language in education, they have usually been given an unenviable choice between monolingual English or monolingual African language instruction.

Furthermore, parents have had little to no exposure to strong models of bilingual education in English and an African language to draw on in their responses. Often the only association Black South Africans have with home language teaching is with Bantu Education, the inferior system that the apartheid state designed for Black children between 1953 and 1979.

Bilingual programmes can succeed

The bilingual science study demonstrates that when a bilingual programme is well resourced with teaching, assessment and bilingual learning materials it can produce excellent results.

Furthermore, when parents are well informed about bilingual learning, they support it. Parents can appreciate the positive impact of children’s full participation in their learning, both for school and for life outside school.

– What happened when a South African school switched from English to bilingual science tests
– https://theconversation.com/what-happened-when-a-south-african-school-switched-from-english-to-bilingual-science-tests-289528

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NCOP KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Delegation Targets Stalled Infrastructure Projects in KZN

Source: APO


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A delegation of the KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) permanent delegates to the NCOP has launched a firm accountability drive aimed at unblocking delayed and incomplete infrastructure projects across the province.

The delegation is in the province as part of the NCOP’s annual flagship NCOP’s Provincial Week programme. As part of the programme, the delegation will summon provincial departments, municipalities and implementing agencies to account for undertakings made during the 2024 and 2025 oversight programmes.

The delegation will inspect Woodlands Primary School, the Umkomaas Water Project, the Kennedy Road Housing Project, and the Aquadene and Mega housing projects.

The leader of the delegation, Mr Mzamo Billy said: “Communities cannot live on promises, presentations and repeatedly revised completion dates. We want evidence of progress, clear explanations for delays, named responsibility and enforceable timeframes for completion.”

The delegation will independently verify whether official reports reflect the reality on the ground. Where undertakings have not been honoured, the responsible departments and municipalities will be required to explain the failure and provide credible recovery plans.

The successful completion of Menzi High School in uMlazi demonstrates the value of sustained parliamentary oversight. The project had suffered repeated delays and criminal disruption linked to the construction mafia before being completed earlier this year.

“Menzi High School proves that stalled projects can be rescued when oversight is followed by cooperation, accountability and political will. Provincial Week is not a ceremonial visit or a talk shop. Our objective is to unblock projects and secure tangible results for communities,” Mr Billy said.

The delegation acknowledged the cooperation of Premier Arthur Thamsanqa Ntuli, Legislature Speaker Nontembeko Boyce and Legislature Chief Whip M. B. Gwala.

“We expect every participating institution to approach this programme with urgency. Delayed infrastructure denies communities education, water, housing and dignity. Excuses will not build schools, deliver water or provide homes,” Mr Billy concluded.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.