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Since childhood, I’ve never been overweight or obese . But i have friends who are struggling with obesity. I came across one of them recently and her story was harrowing to say the least. Her obesity epidemic is accompanied by the lagging epidemics of diabetes and heart disease, as well as a raft of other chronic conditions that has seen spending tens of thousands of dollars in seeking treatment over the last couple of years. As my mother told me couple of decades back, prevention is the cornerstone of an individual’s response to the obesity epidemic . Back then, there were few people who were gaining weight compared to the current situation and those I knew as a teenager were already obese facing serious health problems. In the case of my friend, the life of being obese has become unbearable. The most critical issue in developing therapies for obesity is the durability of weight loss and I encouraged her that she can successfully lose weight, but she will need to manage to keep it of

In recent years, African videogame industry has been trying to carve a niche for itself with no much success. There have been moments of success and moments of decline, but the sector’s true potential has never been realized according to an industry insider your blogger spoke to. African countries policy making and support for local videogames development has been intermittent, half-hearted and often poorly targeted. Not even a single government has shown interest in supporting the industry .Concrete policy and program commitments at the country level especially in South Africa through the Film and Games Development Fund have supported local developers and seen the survival of games scene concentrated in Cape Town and Johannesburg.Many of the South Africa developers studied in a recent research emphasised the favourable regulatory and taxation frameworks enjoyed by developers in other countries. They proposed that the lack of similar frameworks and schemes in South Africa meant that t

Those who’ve been to Africa know that the drugs addiction problems are increasing every day. But its important to note that its nowhere near to the levels of addictions we’ve seen in western world and Asia. A new report that your blogger has obtained shows the drug market in Africa makes for sombre reading. Released recently, it reveals that more drugs are heading into Africa and certain forms of drug usage are increasing. A variety of crime groups are playing a role in the drug trade .Cocaine, Heroin, Methylamphetamine have been the subject of much scrutiny in recent times and concern is growing among African authorities. Some countries are known to be holding inquiries into drug’s impact in their country and some governments have in the recent past released drugs action plan in response. Known as Drugs intelligence documents, in some countries they help inform the debate around drugs and what practical lessons the society and law enforcement can draw from it.According to the 2016 da

Cocaine use and dependence have grown dramatically in South Africa over the last five years according to latest data. The past five years has see use increase by 55% and abuse dependence by 70%. And the demographics of cocaine use have evolved as well. Before, cocaine was less prevalent and more specific to marginalized individuals in low-income areas and inner cities of South Africa like Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town among others . However, currently the use and dependence have increased among all demographic groups. Cocaine use has also doubled among those who have historically had low rates of use, women and wealthy individuals.The epidemic has the potential to affect anyone. I know this firsthand from the death of my South African friend brother, who died two years ago from acute intoxication involving cocaine. As cocaine use and dependence have become more prevalent, the chances that each of an average South African knows someone dependent on cocaine have climbed. A friend, fam

Biosecurity is defined as preventive and quarantine measures to reduce the risk of invasive pests or diseases arriving at a specific location that could damage crops and livestock as well as the wider environment. But beyond that, biosecurity also encompasses much more including managing biological threats to our people, industries or environment. These may be from exotic or endemic organisms but they can also extend to pandemic diseases and the threat of bioterrorism. In a challenging environment like Africa, protecting itself from exotic pests and diseases is difficult because of the enormous border countries need to protect. International trade is increasing, and ships, planes and people are moving in increasing volumes across Africa . This means there is more pressure than ever on Africa biosecurity surveillance and response systems.African countries like South Africa and Egypt have an enviable biosecurity and quarantine system. But there is no such thing as zero risk.Invasive alie

In coming years, Africans will have access to an internet service that is more than one  hundred times faster than the current fourth generation network commonly referred to as 4G . What this means is that industry must work with regulators to make the next generation wireless system a reality.Africa has not taken the lead on the development of 5G, which will help smartphone users embrace the new tech era of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, big data, the Internet of Things and robotics. The 5G wireless network service is expected be to so efficient it will be theoretically possible to download a high-definition movie almost instantaneously.Despite the buzz, global standards for the metrics that will define the 5G network are yet to be determined.In a chat with a friend involved in trials of the 5G technology, African industry would need help from regulators on spectrum pricing, availability and taxes so that the full potential of 5G could be realized in the continent. In spit

If you think the 10 best Ugandan female singers are just known in their native country or the greater East African region, think again.  Perhaps many outside of East Africa may not know them but watch out, Ugandan female artists are unstoppable as they are rising into fame . One of them is Cinderella Sanyu, a talented and experienced singer who recently released a song  Run This City , a track i learned about through a Ugandan friend. It’s amazing how she has had her unique story that actually made her have fans and supporters outside of Uganda. Popularly known as Cindy, the Ugandan singer is a former member of defunct all-female group Blu3, that was extremely popular in Uganda and across East Africa in the noughties. Cindy is a talented singer and few would argue about that. As a singer, if you don't believe in yourself, no one will but Cindy believes in herself and thats why she’s a success story compared to the other two members of Blu3 Jackie Chandiru and Lillian Mbabazi. Her s