University of Melbourne, Australia - Devastating cost of future coastal flooding for many developing nations predicted in new study

Title:

Devastating cost of future coastal flooding for many developing nations predicted in new study

 

Source:

University of Melbourne

 

Published:

ScienceDaily, 7 February 2023

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230207144251.htm

 

Summary:

New global modelling predicts the devastating socioeconomic impacts of future extreme coastal flooding for developing nations caused by climate change, with Asia, West Africa and Egypt facing severe costs in the coming decades. 

 

Do you know about FEWS NET, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network?

Organisation:

FEWS NET, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network

 

From the About Us webpage:

FEWS NET, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, is a leading provider of early warning and analysis on acute food insecurity around the world.  

 

Created in 1985 by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in response to devastating famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides unbiased, evidence-based analysis to governments and relief agencies who plan for and respond to humanitarian crises. FEWS NET analyses support resilience and development programming as well. FEWS NET analysts and specialists work with scientists, government ministries, international agencies, and NGOs to track and publicly report on conditions in the world’s most food-insecure countries.

 

This organisation reports on:

* Monthly reports and maps detailing current and projected food insecurity 

 

* Alerts on emerging or likely crises 

 

* Special reports on factors that contribute to or mitigate food insecurity, including weather and climate, markets and trade, agricultural production, conflict, livelihoods, nutrition, and humanitarian assistance 

 

* Access to data, learning, and analysis of the underlying dynamics of recurrent and chronic food insecurity and poor nutritional outcomes, to improve early warning and better inform response and program design 

Click here for the FEWS NET website

 

A Rare, Isolated Script Invented From Scratch Holds Clues to The Evolution of Writing [ScienceAlert, January 2022]

Title:

A Rare, Isolated Script Invented From Scratch Holds Clues to The Evolution of Writing 

 

Author:

Tessa Koumoundouros

 

Published:

ScienceAlert, 12 January 2022

https://www.sciencealert.com/rare-script-from-a-long-isolated-liberian-language-holds-clues-to-the-evolution-of-writing

 

From the article:

A rare script from a language in Liberia has provided some new insights into how written languages evolve.  

 

"The Vai script of Liberia was created from scratch in about 1834 by eight completely illiterate men who wrote in ink made from crushed berries," says linguistic anthropologist Piers Kelly, now at the University of New England, Australia.

 

ALSO SEE

 

Title:

The predictable evolution of letter shapes: an emergent script of West Africa recapitulates historical change in writing systems

 

Authors:

Piers Kelly, James Winters, Helena Miton & Olivier Morin

 

Published:

Current Anthropology (The University of Chicago Press Journals), 3 January 2022

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/717779

AFRICA - 10 poorest countries in Africa; how do they live and what needs to be done?

Title:

10 poorest countries in Africa; how do they live and what needs to be done?

 

Author:

Emmanuel Abara Benson

 

Published:

Business Insider Africa, 16 October 2021

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/top-10-poorest-countries-in-africa-in-2021/qrsbhj9

 

From the article:

* Most of the world's poorest people are concentrated in Africa. These people live in abject poverty, many of them on less than a dollar per day. 

 

* The ten poorest African countries are scattered across West Africa, Southern Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean. 

 

* There are two common characteristics similar to them all – man-made and natural disasters.

 

FREE ONLINE ENACT SEMINAR (21 May 2021) - Tackling complexities of child trafficking in Central and West Africa [Simultaneous French and English translations will be available]

Title of event:

Tackling complexities of child trafficking in Central and West Africa

 

Host:

Side event at the 30th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.  

* ENACT is funded by the European Union.

 

Description:

Child trafficking is a booming illicit trade and a serious organised crime in many parts of the continent. In West and Central Africa, an array of social and economic factors contribute to the problem. Effective laws and policies, particularly for cross-border operations and responses in fragile and post-conflict settings, are also lacking.  

 

This event will examine current child trafficking trends and drivers in West and Central Africa. Speakers will also consider national and regional prevention strategies. 

Date & Time:

Friday, 21 May 2021

09:00 to 09:50 (GMT+2)

 

Language:

Simultaneous French and English translations will be available

 

Chair:

Oluwole Ojewale, Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator – Central Africa, ENACT, ISS Dakar  

 

Opening remarks: 

Lada Parizkova, Programme Officer, European Commission, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments

 

Speakers:  

Mouhamadou Kane, Research Consultant, ISS Dakar  

Yann Le Cloarec, Criminal Intelligence Analyst, INTERPOL, Abidjan  

Baltazard Cesaire, Head, INTERPOL Criminal Analytical Unit, the Congo

 

For more information and to register [registration required]:

https://enactafrica.org/events/tackling-complexities-of-child-trafficking-in-central-and-west-africa

 

'Sacred forests' in West Africa capture carbon and keep soil healthy - by Michele Francis [The conversation, April 2021]

Title:

'Sacred forests' in West Africa capture carbon and keep soil healthy

 

Author:

Michele Francis

Researcher, Department of Soil Science, Stellenbosch University

Published:

The Conversation, 8 April 2021

https://theconversation.com/sacred-forests-in-west-africa-capture-carbon-and-keep-soil-healthy-158325

From the article:

In parts of West Africa, patches of forest have been preserved for long periods of time because of their cultural or religious significance. These “sacred forests” are believed to be inhabited and protected by gods, totem animals or ancestors. Local communities have their own rules prohibiting reckless harvesting of timber and game, which have protected the sacred forests over many generations.

Short Article - Studying in the UK is a mixed bag for West African students

Title:
Studying in the UK is a mixed bag for West African students

Author:
Louise Owusu-Kwarteng

Published:
The Conversation, 27 April 2020

From the article:
"West African students have been travelling to study in the UK since the 1700s. Yet there’s limited research into the experiences of students in British institutions and how they adjust to life and learn in Britain.  

In my paper, I explore educational experiences of undergraduate and postgraduate students from three West African countries – Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone – based at a London university. I examine their reasons for studying in Britain, how they adapted to teaching and learning and how far these factors enhanced or undermined their education."

To read this article:
https://theconversation.com/studying-in-the-uk-is-a-mixed-bag-for-west-african-students-136406