South Africa and China Deepen Artificial Intelligence Partnership

 The South African Government News Agency posted on 20 July 2026 a press release titled "South Africa, China Deepen AI and Science Partnership at Global Summit."

South Africa and China recently agreed to expand cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, joint research centers and laboratories, space science and astronomy, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and the Young Scientists Exchange Program.  

A Russian Analysis of Russia-Africa Relations

 The Valdai Discussion Club published in November 2024 a paper titled "Russia-Africa: Overcoming Challenges" by Vladimir Shubin, Institute of African Studies, Russian Academy of Science.

This paper offers a Russian view of Russia-Africa relations by a well known academic who has specialized in African affairs.  He offers a history of Soviet Union/Russia relations with Africa and operates on the assumption that "Russia and Africa need each other."

The author concludes that Russia has had more success enhancing political relations with Africa than economic ties.  Trade and Russian investment have fallen short of expectations.  Russia is expanding its soft power.  For example, 34,000 African students are now studying in Russia. He sees Russian advantages over the West because Moscow does not have a colonial history in the continent. 

China-Africa Science and Technology Collaboration

 Springer published in 2024 an open access book titled "China-Africa Science, Technology and Innovation Collaboration" edited by Mammo Muchie, Angathevar Baskaran, and Mingfeng Tang.

The book is based on papers presented at a conference with the same title sponsored by the Chinese embassy in South Africa.  About half of the authors are Chinese.  The preface comments that "Africa must also learn from the great success China has achieved.  There is a lesson Africa must learn how China managed to deal with and respond to external powers." 

The chapters cover the following sectors:

--China-Africa Collaboration to Higher Education.

--China-Africa Research Collaboration and Training.

--China-Africa Collaboration in Agriculture, Food Security and Environmental Management.

--China-Africa Collaboration in Telecommunications and Space.

--Evolution of China-Africa Collaboration in Science, Technology and Innovation.

--China-Africa Collaboration in Digital Technologies.

--China-Africa Collaboration in Finance and Renewable Energy.

--China-Africa Collaboration in Health Sector.

--China-Africa Collaboration in Manufacturing.

China-Africa Space Cooperation

The China Africa Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies published in May 2020 a working paper titled "China, Africa, and the Rest: Recent Trends in Space Science, Technology, and Satellite Development" by Julie Michelle Klinger.

The paper reviews the range of bilateral and multilateral space endeavors through which African countries partner with China and several other international entities.  China's successes in providing relatively low-cost, reliable, and comprehensive satellites to African counterparts have been helpful to both sides. 

Red Sea Coral, Climate Change, and Regional Cooperation

The Swiss Connection recently posted a ten minute podcast titled "Science and Diplomacy Hope to Save Red Sea Coral" by Julia Crawford.

Scientists explain that corals in the Red Sea are more resistent to climate change than in most other parts of the world. But it is critical that littoral countries take steps to avoid pollution that can damage or kill existing coral reefs, which if properly managed can be an important tourist attraction. This is another reason for cooperation among countries bordering the Red Sea.

China-Africa Science and Technology Cooperation

The Conversation posted on 29 August 2019 an article titled "What Patents and Publications Reveal about China-Africa Science Collaboration" by Swapan Kumar Patra and Mammo Muchie, both at Tshwane University of Technology.

Between 1975 and 2017, China and Africa collaborated in 12,700 publications and patents. In 2007, there were only 263 collaborative research papers; by 2017, the number had reached 3,211. Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa dominated the publication and patent collaboration with China.

Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite

Spacewatch recently posted an article titled "Ethiopia to Build and Launch Remote Sensing Satellite with Chinese Help."

Ethiopian scientists and engineers are building a small earth observation satellite in cooperation with and with funding from China, which will be launched from China in 2019. It will be used to gather data on water, agriculture, climate change and the environment.

Zambia and Russia Sign Nuclear Science Contract

The Zambia Daily Mail Limited published a story on 28 May 2018 titled "Zambia-Russia Nuclear Science Deal" by Doris Kasote.

The agreement will result in the establishment of the Centre for Nuclear Sciences and Technology in Zambia. As a result of the project, Zambia hopes to become a regional hub for nuclear technology.

English Scientist Disappears in Somalia

Foreign Policy published on 31 May 2017 an article titled "The Watson Files" by Laura Heaton, a journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya.

This is the story of a UK climate change scientist, Murray Watson, who after 10 years living in Somalia disappeared from Puntland in 2008. He was kidnapped, presumably by al-Shabaab. His family could not pay the ransom, variously said to be $2 million or $4 million. While he has never been seen since, interest in his climate change work continues.

China and Brazil in African Agriculture

World Development published a special issue in 2016 titled "China and Brazil in African Agriculture."  It contains the following articles pertaining to China, all of which are open access:

--A New Politics of Development Cooperation? Chinese and Brazilian Engagements in African Agriculture by Ian Scoones, Kojo Amanor, Arilson Favareto and Qi Gubo.
--South-South Cooperation, Agribusiness and African Agricultural Development: Brazil and China in Ghana and Mozambique by Kojo Amanor and Sergio Chichava.
--Chinese State Capitalism? Rethinking the Role of the State and Business in Chinese Development Cooperation in Africa by Jing Gu, Zhang Chuanhong, Alcides Vaz, and Langton Mukwereza. 
--Chinese Migrants in Africa: Facts and Fictions from the Agri-food Sector in Ethiopia and Ghana by Seth Cook, Jixia Lu, Henry Tugendhat, and Dawit Alemu.
--Chinese Agricultural Training Courses for African Officials: Between Power and Partnerships by Henry Tugendhat and Dawit Alemu.
--Science, Technology and the Politics of Knowledge: The Case of China's Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centers in Africa by Xiuli Xu, Xiaoyun Li, Gubo Qi, Lixia Tang, and Langton Mukwereza. 

China and Brazil in African Agriculture

The China and Brazil in African Agriculture Project has just published online a series of studies concerning Chinese and Brazilian support for African agriculture.  They will appear in an upcoming issue of World Development.  The six articles focusing on China are available below:

--A New Politics of Development Cooperation? Chinese and Brazilian Engagements in African Agriculture by Ian Scoones, Kojo Amanor, Arilson Favareto and Qi Gubo.
--South-South Cooperation, Agribusiness and African Agricultural Development: Brazil and China in Ghana and Mozambique by Kojo Amanor and Sergio Chichava.
--Chinese State Capitalism? Rethinking the Role of the State and Business in Chinese Development Cooperation in Africa by Jing Gu, Zhang Chuanhong, Alcides Vaz and Langton Mukwereza.
--Chinese Migrants in Africa: Facts and Fictions from the Agri-food Sector in Ethiopia and Ghana by Seth Cook, Jixia Lu, Henry Tugendhat and Dawit Alemu.
--Chinese Agricultural Training Courses for African Officials: Between Power and Partnerships by Henry Tugendhat and Dawit Alemu.
--Science, Technology and the Politics of Knowledge: The Case of China's Agricultural Technology Demonstration Centres in Africa by Xiuli Xu, Xiaoyun Li, Gubo Qi, Lixia Tang and Langton Mukwereza. 

Sixth FOCAC: What is Africa Seeking from China

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published on 19 November 2015 a commentary titled "Rebalancing an Unbalanced Relationship" by Peter Fabricius, ISS consultant.  The piece suggests that Africa wants help from China with infrastructure, investment, debt relief, industrialization, market access, science and technology transfer, cultural exchanges, agriculture, and education. 

India-Africa Forum Summit

Leaders from Africa and India met on 29 October 2015 in New Delhi at the Third India-Africa Forum Summit.  They agreed on a wide ranging India-Africa Framework for Strategic Cooperation. 

The participants also signed on to the Delhi Declaration 2015. 

Ethiopia: Scientists Recover First Genome of Ancient Human from Africa

The New York Times published on 8 October 2015 an article titled "Scientists Recover First Genome of Ancient Human from Africa" by Carl Zimmer.  The article reports the recovery from a 4,500 year old human skeleton in Ethiopia of the first complete assemblage of DNA retrieved from an ancient human in Africa. 

African Space Programs

The January 2015 issue of The African Technopolitan contains an article titled "From Ethiopia to NASA" on pages 38-41 that discusses the development of space programs in several African countries.  It also highlights the career of Ethiopian Dr. Tilaye Tadesse Asfaw, a postdoctoral fellow at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 

La Medecine Chinoise au Mali

Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme published in February 2014 a study titled "La Medecine Chinoise au Mali.  Les Economies d'Un Patrimoine Culturel" by Francoise Bourdarias, Jean-Pierre Dozon, and Frederic Obringer.  It offers a history of the evolution of traditional Chinese medicine in China, a review of the dynamics of local traditional medicine in sub-Saharan Africa and a study of Chinese traditional medicine in Mali. 

The World's Muslims: Africa

The Pew Research Center published on 30 April 2013 a book length study titled "The World's Muslims: Religion, Politics, and Society."  The report examines the social and political views of Muslims around the world.  It is based on public opinion surveys between 2008 and 2012 in 39 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.  African countries included in the survey are Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, DRC, Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal.

The study looks at sharia, religion and politics (democracy, religious freedom, Islamic political parties, extremism and suicide bombing), morality, women in society (veiling, divorce, inheritance, and women's rights), relations among Muslims, interfaith relations and religion, science and popular culture.