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This week, in honour of Africa Day (25 May), we highlight positive recent developments from across the African continent, including a record-breaking swim in Ghana, four Zambian superhero girls going global, and scuba rice getting an upgrade.

Top news

Scuba rice upgrade: Two new flood-resistant rice varieties may better enable African countries to weather the impacts of climate change. The varieties – created through a joint effort by scientists at the Africa Rice Center and International Rice Research Institute – can survive for more than two weeks submerged in water. That’s a significant advancement, considering 40% of Africa’s rice farmland is susceptible to frequent flooding. They also outproduce the yields of existing varieties by as much as two tonnes per hectare in wet conditions, and perform comparably in years without floods. The varieties build on “scuba rice,” a high-yielding, flood-tolerant rice released in Asia in 2009. With the G7 continuing to dither on its belated promise to provide climate vulnerable countries with $100 billion in annual support, it’s good to see concrete action on climate adaptation.

Girl (super)power: A global launch date of 20 July, 2023, has been set for “Supa Team 4,” Netflix’s first African animated original. The brainchild of Zambian writer Malenga Mulendema and designed by Cameroonian illustrator Malcolm Wope, the show follows the adventures of four superhero teen girls living in a futuristic Lusaka, Zambia. Mulendema wanted to create a series that enables African children to see characters that look like them on TV. And now Netflix’s global audience of 230 million subscribers will get to watch too.

Representation by design: For the first time, the Venice Biennale of Architecture (an international exhibition of architecture) is being curated by an African and features many works by African citizens and the African diaspora. The Ghanaian-Scottish architect and novelist Lesley Lokko is using the opportunity to explore the issues of decolonisation and decarbonisation, giving a platform to those previously under-represented. It’s a marked shift from previous biennales, which tended to centre the perspectives of architects and artists from the Global North. A similar recentering of representation is needed elsewhere: Germany, with a population of 84 million, has more voting power at the IMF than all 54 African countries combined, with a population of 1.4 billion. Similar power disparities exist at the World Bank, the UN Security Council, the G20, etc. etc.

Swimmer with a cause: A Ghanaian-British entrepreneur, athlete, and activist has set a new record for the longest recorded swim in Ghana’s history. Yvette Tetteh became the first person to swim the Volta River from Buipe to Ada, a distance of 450 km (279.6 miles). Tetteh was accompanied by the appropriately named “The Woman Who Does Not Fear,” a research vessel operated by The Or Foundation, which conducted research into microfiber pollution stemming from textile waste. The source of that waste? The 15 million donated secondhand clothing items from countries in the Global North that enter local markets each week. Up to 40% of that clothing is discarded, some of which ends up in Ghana’s waterways and on beaches. Tetteh used her swim to raise awareness about this unintended consequence of good intentions.

Keeping the peace: A Ghanaian peacekeeper became the first from her country to receive the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year award. Captain Cecilia Erzuah leads a platoon of 22 peacekeepers in Abyei, a contested, resource-rich area on the border of Sudan and South Sudan that is claimed by both sides. The award recognizes the dedication and efforts of a military peacekeeper in promoting the UN’s principles on women, peace, and security. Erzuah spearheaded dialogues with community members to establish trust and better understand their concerns. That helped build strong relationships that improved safety in a volatile region, particularly for women. Let’s hope her empathetic leadership will help persuade more Sudanese that women deserve an equal chance at leadership roles.

From the ONE Team

• David McNair spoke to NPR about why political leaders should be treating the debt crisis as the emergency it is.
• Gbemisola Joel-Osoba breaks down the just-released African Economic Outlook 2023 report.
• 277 ONE Youth Ambassadors urge the French government to champion MDB reform and an international financial transaction tax at the International Summit for a New Global Financial Pact.
• ONE is co-hosting a dialogue on the AfCFTA and job creation on 27th May, 10 AM - 1 PM (GMT). It will be live-streamed on Facebook.
• ONE Aftershock’s Data Fellow Nelly Madegwa looks at whether GMOs can help alleviate food insecurity in Kenya.

The numbers

• 6 African filmmakers are vying for prestigious awards at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where a record number of African films are premiering.
• 5 African economies are predicted to be among the world's 10 fastest-growing economies in the next year.
• 73.95 million in Special Drawing Rights (about US$98.6 million) has been provided to Rwanda, the first country to receive rechanneled SDRs from the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility. Advanced economies have pledged (but thus far failed) to rechannel US$100 billion in SDRs.

Quote of the week

"It is so magical... to step away from security and have a new experience."

–Yvette Tetteh, Ghanaian-British entrepreneur, athlete, and activist

What you should read, watch, and listen to:

• The G7 must accept that it cannot run the world. (Financial Times)
• Goodbye syringe? Measles and rubella patch demonstrates its worth. (Gavi)
• Get familiar with the African women shaping and shaking up the climate change space. (Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Center for Women and Development)
• An investigation into how Nigeria’s LGBTQ+ community is being targeted by criminal gangs. (BBC Africa Eye)
• The threat climate change poses to global rice production. (New York Times)
• Africa needs international help to avoid a lost decade. (Financial Times)
• Take a survey about Kenya’s declining birth rate. (Africa Women Journalism Project)

A look ahead

Ongoing through 30 May: World Health Assembly, Geneva, Switzerland

30 May - 1 June: SDG 16 Conference, Rome, Italy

31 May - 1 June: 153rd session of the World Health Organization Executive Board

The ONE Campaign’s data.one.org provides cutting edge data and analysis on the economic, political, and social changes impacting Africa. Check it out HERE.

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