Introduction Africa is rich in natural resources, with immense potential to lead the world in renewable energy. However, the continent’s future depends on shifting from aid dependence to sustainable investments. As global attention turns to Africa’s role in green energy, UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for increased investments to unlock Africa’s economic power. With abundant solar, wind, and mineral resources, Africa is poised to become a “renewable superpower.” This article explores why Africa needs investments, not aid, to secure a prosperous future. From Aid to Investment: A Necessary Shift For years, Africa has relied on international aid to address its development challenges, with billions…
Author: Development Reporting
In Nigeria’s cities, apps and algorithms are driving a shadow economy of hookups and survival sex. Behind the coded chats and “digital hustles” lies story of women risking everything in a market fuelled by poverty, technology, and silence. By Juliet Buna She sat at the edge of a bar stool, tired eyes scanning the busy bar in Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State, in South-West Nigeria. The sound of Afrobeats filled the air, and her half-filled glass of beer sat untouched. “Abeg no mind my hair like this,” she chuckled, adjusting the wig without care. “I dey serve customers before you come.…
On 15 March 2020, a massive explosion ripped through the Soba community in Abule-Ado area of Lagos State, killing many. Official reports blamed the blast on activities along the right-of-way (ROW) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline. Five years on, encroachments have resurfaced, rekindling fears of another disaster. In this investigation, TheCable returns to the scene of one of Nigeria’s most devastating urban explosions and uncovers how trespassers bribe their way back to the danger zone while the government looks on. One hundred and eight! That was the number of stitches Oyerinde Damilola’s body bore after she was…
At least 4,722 people were kidnapped in at least 997 incidents, in which no fewer than 762 people were killed in various violent attacks in Nigeria between July 2024 and June 2025. According to SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence, a geopolitical research firm report, kidnappers demanded over N48 billion from victims and their families within the same period. The research firm, in its latest report, titled ‘Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry,’ said out of the total amount of N48 billion demanded as ransom, only N2.57 billion was received. “Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis has evolved into a lucrative criminal enterprise, with N2.56 billion…
Nigeria finds itself at a decisive moment, with inflation surging, exchange rates surging, and the removal of fuel and electricity subsidies plunging millions into hardship, even as some of the country’s most powerful corporations report record profits. Despite this turmoil, the economic “bubble” hasn’t burst for a select few, particularly those with real estate holdings and financial assets. This disparity raises urgent questions: How can government at all levels – Federal, States, and LGAs- act swiftly to alleviate suffering among the poorest Nigerians? And why are the rich remaining cushioned while the poor bear the heaviest burden? This article offers…
Home to more than 15 million people, Kano, long known for cultivating grains and groundnuts, is now buckling under the strains of increasing desertification, erratic rainfall, and soaring temperatures. But a young female scientist, Alawiyya Musa, is at the forefront of the fight against a worsening climate crisis. By Conrad Onyango, Bird Story Agency For Ms Musa, who was born and raised in Kano State, Northwestern Nigeria, the devastation is personal. “I have witnessed how climate change worsened poverty and food insecurity, especially in rural areas where people struggle to feed their families due to drought, flood, and degraded land,”…
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has advised the candidates who sat the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to stop panicking over the perceived challenges in their efforts to upload their Senior School Certificate Examination results. The examination body disclosed that candidates will be offered an opportunity to re-upload their results to its portal due to the abrupt recall of the results of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) earlier released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). JAMB confirmed the development exclusively to DevReporting following an inquiry on the options available to WASSCE candidates…
For the umpteenth time, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the umbrella body for lecturers across Nigerian universities, has threatened that unless the Nigerian government takes a final position on the report of the renegotiation committee of the FGN-ASUU 2009 Agreement, its members may be forced to withdraw their services soon. ASUU said various committees set up by the government had reviewed the renegotiated agreement, noting that the last committee, chaired by the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, submitted its report eight months ago. The union, in a statement dated Friday, 8 August but…
The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Chris Piwuna, a professor, has offered insight into the current situation on Nigerian university campuses, accusing the Nigerian government of deliberately impoverishing lecturers to kill public education. Speaking in an exclusive interview with DevReporting, Mr Piwuna, a professor of medicine at the University of Jos, Plateau State, highlighted the frustrations of ASUU members over the unimplemented 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement. He spoke on other issues of national interest, including the union’s withdrawal from INEC activities, the issue of breakaway bodies like CONUA, among others. He added that the patience of…
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) announced on Monday the release of the results of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) for school-based candidates, recording the worst performance in many years. The development may not be unconnected to the logistics problem encountered by the examination body during the conduct of the examination in May, when students were kept at centres late into the night. WAEC said a total of 1,973,365 candidates registered for the examinations across 23,554 secondary schools in the country, but 1,969,313 sat the examinations. The Head of Nigeria’s Office (HNO) of WAEC, Amos Dangut,…