THE contemporary policy and practice of conservation in Africa through isolated national parks and reserves is a relic of colonial romanticism. With the rapid population growth and the concomitant land use change, the paradox at the heart of contemporary conservation is unraveling. The chickens are coming home to roost. Long-term data for 69 large mammal species from 78 protected areas in Africa revealed a 59 per cent decline in larg...

Nairobi is experiencing a water crisis of the kind that lures environmentalists into fits of gloomy Malthusian prognostications on demand and supply. For Nairobians, running taps and showers are almost luxuries of a past that they remember with nostalgia.The water situation in Nairobi is a scourge on our national pride. It undermines the livability and attractiveness of the city. The nickname The Green City in the Sun now only invites sniggers...

In his book Hot Flat and Crowded Thomas Friedman asks how we will know when Africa stands a chance to climb out of poverty. Friedman volunteers an answer to his question, “ it is when I see Angelina Jolie posing next to a vast field of solar panels in Ghana or a wind farm crowded with turbines in Zimbabwe.“ Satellite pictures of the earth at night on Google Maps are incredible. The Americas, Europe and Asia are incandescent. B...

Africa’s higher education is in shambles. For many decades, African governments and development partners have marginalized vocational training and higher education. The Darker summit on “Education for All” in 2000 for instance, prioritized basic education and adult literacy as a key driver of social welfare. Part of the reason higher education has been marginalized is because earlier studies by economists, including Milton Fr...