Introduction Sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA) food systems have been transformed by science-driven gains in productivity and market access, yet a health crisis is intensifying within its vast informal food environments. Agricultural research and technology investments have strengthened smallholder systems (Shilomboleni & De Plaen, 2019) and expanded food availability (Clark & Hobbs, 2023), while rising socioeconomic conditions escalate nutritional demands (Blekking et al., 2022; Djurfeldt, 2015) and propel calls for dietary diversity (Paulo et al., 2024; Usman & Haile, 2022). However, these advances are harshly undermined by the burden of foodborne diseases. An estimated 91 million people in Africa fall ill annually from food-related illnesses, generating over US$15 billion in medical costs and 137,000 deaths (Nigussie et al., 2025; World Health Organization [WHO] Africa, 2019), with downstream economic losses in tourism (Chen et al., 2021). Agrochemical residues, poor hygiene, and weak legislative enforcement in Africa’s largely informal food sectors drive this burden. Here, we synthesize health threats in informal food environments and call for an urgent agenda to protect public health across SSA. This viewpoint provides a snapshot of health-risk exposures across the three dominant value chains: fruits and vegetables, livestock, and aquatic foods. It emphasizes that while food availability, affordability and accessibility reduce food insecurity, they mask uncontrolled hazards. Addressing this demands research to characterize risks, quantify health and economic burdens, and develop context-specific interventions. Integrated science-policy action must follow to safeguard populations relying on these environments.
Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD), a preventable disease of poverty, disproportionately affects women of reproductive age, highlighting a crisis at the intersection of cardiac and reproductive health. Despite effective interventions, RHD remains neglected in policy priorities. This paper uses the case of reproductive health dilemmas to demonstrate the need for the application of equity frameworks. We analyse how consequentialist, communitarian, and feminist principles can guide policymakers toward more effective and just interventions. The paper proposes a community-based model, justified through this ethical lens, and calls for policies prioritising equity to finally address RHD’s preventable burden.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the enforcement mechanisms and compliance challenges in Africa’s Continental Trade Regime. This study employed the qualitative doctrinal and policy research design to explore the issue of the enforcement of transport services regulatory matters within the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The study adopted a doctrinal analysis of the AfCFTA instruments with a combination of thematic policy reviews; hence, it relied exclusively on secondary qualitative data obtained from authoritative legal and institutional sources. Primary data sources and materials comprise the AfCFTA Agreement, Protocol on Trade in Services, the Dispute Settlement Protocol, and relevant annexes that govern regulatory cooperation, market access, and nontariff barriers. The data collection procedure involved a systematic desk review and thematic analysis for qualitative studies to analyse the data. The review shows four main enforcement mechanisms of the regulatory framework of transport services under the AfCFTA. These include legal obligations and notification requirements, institutional oversight by AfCFTA bodies, peer review and political accountability, and dispute settlement mechanisms are some of the most outstanding aspects of the AfCFTA Agreement. Factors including regulation fragmentation, the absence of enforcement powers, non-transparency, and restrictive market access conditions, insufficient professional standards in commonality, insecurity, and transport barriers challenges the effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms. The authors conclude that the design of the AfCFTA alone is not adequate in facilitating the opening of the transport service. The study therefore provides pragmatic measures to strengthen the institutional capacity, harmonise the regulations, and monitor compliance better. These reforms can influence the reduction of trade costs, the improvement of supply chain reliability, and the attainment of the AfCFTA's broader aim of economic integration across the continent.
The knowledge base and institutional integration of twin transitions in higher education institutions within the sub-Saharan African context was explored, using the University of Ghana as a case study. A total of 1,011 students, lecturers and management staff participated in a survey, with data analysed descriptively. Findings show that, from management’s perspective, the university is advanced in integrating digitalization into teaching and administration. Lecturers demonstrated strong knowledge of digital tools for education and research. Students reported having digital skills for learning and content creation. On sustainability, lecturers were highly knowledgeable about climate and environmental issues, whereas students required more exposure to understand the links between social factors and environmental consequences. The university was seen to be supporting green initiatives such as recycling, energy efficiency and waste reduction. The study highlights a gap between institutional goals and classroom reality, and management sees strong progress on the twin transition.
Taxonomical Keys have been used in the identification of dung beetle species due to their cost-effectiveness and accessibility. The aim of this study was to determine the DNA barcoding and phylogenetic relations of dung beetles in north-eastern Namibia. Sampling of dung beetles was done using baited pitfall traps. The collected Dung beetles were preserved in DNA/RNA Shield solution. The genomic DNA was isolated using blood and tissue Quick-DNA Miniprep Plus Kit. COI universal primers were used for PCR amplification. The sequence FASTA files were aligned using the multiple alignments ClustalW software, and the Phylogenetic relationships by neighbour-joining analysis were performed using the MEGA12 software. A total of 62 DNA barcodes of dung beetle species were accomplished, from which 15 species from 27 sequenced samples were identified with a percentage of 95–100
