The Conversation Africa – Page 2

Articles by The Conversation Africa

Africans migrate for jobs mostly within the continent: why regional skills partnerships are needed

In 2024, 25.1 million Africans were living in other countries on the continent. Labour migration has long been a defining feature of Africa’s economic landscape. Migrant workers on the continent are concentrated in certain sectors: agricultural and manufacturing together absorb roughly a fifth of migrant labour. Most migrants hold medium-skilled jobs alongside high and low […]

The Conversation Africa 1 week ago 6 min read

Technology

Archaeology has evolved: Four eras of understanding Africa’s past

What is the past? It may seem a simple question to answer, but it is more complex than we might think at first. As science, politics, technologies and ways of thinking change, so does our understanding of what went before. Tim Forssman is an archaeologist who has conducted research in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and […]

The Conversation Africa 2 weeks ago 7 min read

Politics

Zambia votes: who’s who and what issues are shaping the elections?

Update — 13 August 2026, 22:10 SAST: Polls closed at 18:00 in Zambia and vote counting began on Thursday evening. No verified national presidential result had been declared at the time of this update. The Electoral Commission of Zambia’s published timetable schedules receipt and verification of results from 15 to 17 August and the declaration […]

The Conversation Africa 2 weeks ago 8 min read

Business

The world has changed. African countries must rethink how they grow their economies

The prolonged disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has exposed how vulnerable Africa’s economies are to geopolitical shocks. Fuel prices have remained elevated, squeezing economies that depend heavily on petroleum imports from the Middle East. These include Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. This vulnerability also puts at risk the continent’s […]

The Conversation Africa 2 weeks ago 5 min read

Politics

Burundi refugees talk about life in South Africa after their long journey: hope and heartbreak side by side

Over 250,000 people were registered as asylum seekers and refugees – people displaced by force – in South Africa in 2024. About 4% of them were from Burundi, some 3,000km away. When people think about refugees, they often imagine families fleeing war and finding safety in another country. As social scientists, we’re also interested in […]

The Conversation Africa 2 weeks ago 5 min read

Politics

Running for parliament in Malawi costs a fortune: economic crisis undermines democracy

Malawi’s constitutional court annulled the 2019 presidential election. The 2020 re-run brought an extraordinary transfer of power from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to the opposition Malawi Congress Party, raising hopes for economic and political renewal. However, the new government came to preside over a period of deep economic crisis and growing public discontent driven […]

The Conversation Africa 3 weeks ago 5 min read

Business

Ghana’s housing problem goes beyond numbers – it’s also about quality

For years, Ghana’s housing debate has revolved around one headline figure: a national shortage commonly estimated at about 1.8 million homes. The number is useful. It signals that housing supply has failed to keep pace with population growth, urbanisation and household formation. But it tells only part of the story. A household may have a […]

The Conversation Africa 3 weeks ago 5 min read

Politics

Chad is making Arabic equal to French in schools: the politics behind the move

In most multilingual African countries, language policy is a highly charged and controversial issue. It touches on regional identity, religion and political power – as is evident in Chad, in central Africa. Around 130 languages are spoken in the multi-ethnic and multi-religious Chad. The two official languages are Standard Arabic and French. Neither has its […]

The Conversation Africa 3 weeks ago 5 min read

Politics

Sudan peace: the shadow of the al-Bashir regime looms over talks

Three years into the civil war in Sudan that began on 15 April 2023, a coalition of civilian, political and armed factions has launched a new peace initiative. Announced in the Kenyan capital Nairobi in May 2026, the roadmap seeks to end the conflict and revive Sudan’s stalled transition to civilian rule. Its backers – […]

The Conversation Africa 3 weeks ago 6 min read

Technology

Agriculture in Africa: science and research can’t make an impact without investment and good policies

Agriculture is the lifeblood of Africa. More than 60% of African households depend directly or indirectly on the land for their livelihoods. And the continent has nearly 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land. Farming is a fragile sector, however. It has to deal with climate change, market volatility, weak infrastructure and demographic pressure. Addressing […]

The Conversation Africa 3 weeks ago 4 min read