Africa

“I’ve been drawn to [international] experiences mainly because I love school, and I love the classroom experience, but it just can’t compare to living with people and understanding their way of life and the issues they face every day," says senior Kendyll Hicks.

A force for health equity

Through on-site projects in developing countries and internships in the business world, Kendyll Hicks explores the political and economic drivers of global health.

February 29, 2020

A billboard in Liberia urges people to help stop the spread of Ebola, which was widespread in 2014-2015. A new study shows how a public awareness campaign helped people understand and cooperate with government efforts to control the disease.

How door-to-door canvassing slowed an epidemic

Study finds that in Liberia, volunteers limited damage from Ebola by distributing information within their own communities.

February 26, 2020

Carolina Ortega, a third-year mathematics student at MIT, talks with students as part of a MISTI-Africa program to connect MIT mathletes with their Ghanaian counterparts.

It all adds up

MIT students train teams in Ghana and Uganda for the International Mathematical Olympiad through MISTI-Africa.

February 26, 2020

Alexander Rothkopf (front row, left) joins pharmacy students at Addis Ababa University for the in-person portion of their blended online course.

What pharmacy students in Ethiopia can do with supply chain education

The MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain lab led a blended supply chain management course with Addis Ababa University.

February 19, 2020

"Lately I have been trying to think of African history from the perspective of goodness and basic human decency," says Kenda Mutongi, an MIT professor of history. "Of course, conflicts exist, and do a great deal of damage in our lives, and we must confront them — but we must also allow ourselves to appreciate basic goodness and kindness when we see it."

3 Questions: Professor Kenda Mutongi on Africa, women, power — and human decency

Mutongi discusses the connection between Kenyan widows and the #MeToo movement, myths of African entrepreneurship, and the wider implications of her research.

January 14, 2020

“There is a grand strategy of fear at play here, and to be frank, it is, for the most part, effective,” says Nigerian journalist Shola Lawal. “It’s hard not to self-censor when you know you can be kidnapped or detained and that you’ll only become another statistic.”

3 Questions: Shola Lawal on human rights and social justice

The Nigerian journalist is the recipient of a prestigious fellowship that provides residencies at MIT, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times.

December 17, 2019

Hazel Sive, a globally respected developmental biologist and educator, will become dean of the Northeastern University College of Science, beginning in June 2020.

Hazel Sive named dean of Northeastern University College of Science

Professor and Whitehead Institute member has conducted wide-ranging research in vertebrate developmental biology.

December 16, 2019

Access to irrigation is crucial for food security, especially in arid climates like sub-Saharan Africa. Two MIT research teams working on irrigation in this region were brought together by J-WAFS to share their knowledge.

Collaborating for irrigation access solutions: Where policy and engineering meet

A J-WAFS connection brings together two MIT research teams helping to advance irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa.

December 12, 2019

The fourth annual Inclusive Innovation Challenge (IIC) featured four grand prize winners. Here members of all the winning organizations pose with IIC organizers.

Inclusive Innovation Challenge recognizes startups improving the future of work

Competition awards entrepreneurs from around the world working to ensure technological progress brings greater prosperity.

November 22, 2019

“A lot of what has defined my time at MIT has been the different things that I’ve been able to get involved in,” says senior Adedoyin Olateru-Olagbegi.

Exploring the human side of health care

Senior and “people person” Adedoyin Olateru-Olagbegi brings a human touch to caring for people dealing with medical crises.

November 20, 2019

Left to right: chief innovation officer for the newly created Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation in Sierra Leone and alumnus David Sengeh PhD '15, EECS student Michal Reda, Minister of Tertiary and Higher Education of Sierra Leone Aiah Gbakima, and MISTI-Africa participant and physics and mechanical engineering alumnus Mgcini "Keith" Phuthi ’19.

Expanding education: From Africa to Cambridge and back again

Mgcini "Keith" Phuthi ’19, a native Zimbabwean, uses his experiences at MIT to develop improvements in education policy in Sierra Leone through MISTI-Africa.

November 18, 2019

Nigerian mobility startup Max NG is trying to formalize the delivery and transportation industries of West Africa. Each of the company's mototaxi drivers go through extensive training on basic traffic rules, strategies for driving in inclement weather, and defensive driving tactics. They also must pass a background check, and every bike is tracked to deter crime and poor driving.

Creating a network of drivers to lift a community

With a focus on driver and passenger safety, startup Max NG provides delivery and transportation services in West Africa.

November 14, 2019

During an MIT Professional Education Radical Innovation course in Abuja, Nigeria, acting head of service of the federation Folasade Yemi-Esan declared the era of bureaucracy is over and civil servants must embrace new innovations for better service delivery. During an MIT Professional Education Radical Innovation course in Abuja, Nigeria, acting head of service of the federation Folasade Yemi-Esan...

Homegrown help: Seeding a culture of innovation in Nigeria

MIT Professional Education delivers Radical Innovation course to help civil servants modernize government and promote economic development.

October 31, 2019

Senior Danielle Gleason (right) speaks with Goretti Ariago (center) and Salume Awiyo (left), employees of Appropriate Energy Saving Technologies, in Soroti, Uganda. Gleason has made two trips to Uganda to help streamline the production of charcoal briquettes which offer a low-smoke alternative for home cooking fuel.

Scaling up a cleaner-burning alternative for cookstoves

Mechanical engineering students in MIT D-Lab are working with collaborators in Uganda on a solution for the health hazards associated with wood-burning stoves.

October 22, 2019

MIT economists Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo stand outside their home after learning that they have been named co-winners of the 2019 Nobel Prize in economic sciences. They will share the prize with Michael Kremer of Harvard University.

MIT economists Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee win Nobel Prize

Professors share prize with Michael Kremer of Harvard University, are cited for breakthrough antipoverty work.

October 14, 2019

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