Benin is a beautiful nation located in Western Africa. Peace and political stability have improved in the nation over the past few decades, but unfortunately, problems with extreme poverty persist throughout Benin. More than 33% of the citizens of the country are living in poverty. Progress throughout the nation has struggled to move forward, and as a result, the people of Benin lack access to necessities. One of the most significant problems in the nation right now is a struggling health care system that cannot meet the population’s needs.

World Bank

In April of 2022, the World Bank allocated nearly $200 million dedicated to improving their health care system. Access to care is a significant issue in Benin and these funds will improve Benin’s ability to care for their citizens. However, the World Bank country manager said there is still much work to be done to create a successful and robust health care system.

Cancer care in Benin is an area in desperate need of improvements. Throughout Benin, around 5,000 people die each year from cancer, and about 7,000 more people are diagnosed with some form of the disease. These numbers are extremely alarming, but luckily, they are being addressed by multiple organizations and the local government.

In 2022, the government in Benin worked closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency to develop a comprehensive plan to help current and future cancer patients nationwide. The WHO helped provide expertise and insights that will help support the plan that the government is working to implement between 2023 and 2027.

Rays of Hope

As mentioned before, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also been a driving force in improving cancer care in Benin. The plan that has been outlined would certainly not be possible without the help of the IAEA. The agency created a program called “Rays of Hope,” which is dedicated to increasing access to radiation care for cancer patients in areas with struggling health care systems. This new initiative is needed to improve cancer care in Benin.

The IAEA has embarked on a unique mission with the “Rays of Hope” program due to its robust nature. The program does not only provide the necessary equipment for radiation care for cancer patients, but it also includes a variety of other services. The IAEA is working to make sure radiation care is put into place safely through training and fighting for legislation that will regulate the use of the new medical treatments. In Benin, they have worked with the local government to use the new equipment to be able to help identify cancer in patients early on and, as a result, hopefully decrease the number of cancer deaths per year throughout the country.

Final Thoughts

Cancer care in Benin will continue to improve drastically because of the “Rays of Hope” program. The IAEA has stated that they are working hard to increase their impact throughout the world and increase access to radiation. They hope to find new groups and organizations to help them move their new program forward.

– Dylan Lyons 
Photo: Flickr

Over the past few years, it has become increasingly clear that cybercrime attacks are a major problem in South Africa. South Africa experiences the most cybercrimes in Africa, with “more than half of South African firms” being victims in 2022. In 2013, a South African Banking Risk Information Centre report stated that R2.2 billion is lost annually to cybercrime in the country, which greatly impacts the economy — and that number has only risen since. A common form of attack is ransomware, in which important files or entire machines are encrypted and a ransom must be paid to regain access. In most cases, paying the ransom is simpler and cheaper for organizations than attempting to decrypt the files themselves. Such attacks have a particularly strong effect on South Africa’s vulnerable populations, particularly the poor.

How Cybercrime Impacts the Economy and Most Vulnerable

One of the most severe impacts of cybercrime is the negative effect it has on a nation’s economy. Attackers tend to target developing countries, which struggle with unemployment and generally lack defined cybersecurity infrastructure. For example, a 2023 report by Statistics South Africa determined the official unemployment rate to be 32.6%, which is the highest in the world.

The unemployed are both vulnerable to scams and sometimes willing to participate in them to make ends meet. These scams can range from job access to financial services such as banking and the poor sometimes see such methods as ways to make easy money. As a result of the cybercrime in South Africa, fears about fraud can prevent people from taking advantage of online services. For example, online classes or courses are a great way for the poor to access education; however, the potential for cybercrime hinders the ability for them to help reduce poverty.

Solutions

To rectify this worsening situation, several actions are occurring to fight cybercrime in South Africa. For example, INTERPOL worked with AFRIPOL to launch a four-month Africa Cyber Surge II operation in April 2023, which was successful in identifying 14 cybercriminals and more than 20,000 cyber networks. Across the 25 participating countries, there was an estimated loss of $40 million due to these networks. Trend Micro, a private cybersecurity company, also contributed to the INTERPOL operation, assisting in uncovering malicious infrastructure and providing a great example of a positive public-private partnership. This operation was only the start of positive solutions to cybercrime in South Africa.

The government has also taken the help of U.S.-based organizations like the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), working to build solutions that protect against digital threats. South African representatives met with U.S. cybersecurity companies in 2020, working on a reverse trade mission that used American innovation to help strengthen South Africa’s online defenses.

Future Steps

There are several crucial steps that are occurring to continue South Africa’s progress. To start, investing in cybersecurity education can be a critical part of stopping major cybercrime for good. In particular, focusing on vulnerable groups like the poor would allow them to recognize and protect themselves against attacks. Improving the education system would also empower individuals to escape poverty, working toward South Africa’s sustainable development goal to eradicate extreme poverty. One example of such an effort is the creation of the Absa Cybersecurity Academy, which helps marginalized youths gain cybersecurity certification. Not only does this provide a wealth of opportunities to the poor, but it can also ensure that people can better deal with cyber attacks.

Strengthening law enforcement can also help take quick action against cybercrime in South Africa. Data indicates that a high proportion of cyberattack victims choose to pay ransoms to regain access to files rather than using other methods like backups to restore their information. Better law enforcement can help victims explore other options and potentially find and arrest cybercriminals before they can orchestrate multiple attacks. The government has already started to take action, such as with the Cybercrimes Act of 2019, which criminalized several cyber offenses and regulated cybercrime jurisdiction. Additionally, improved systems for reporting and tracking cybercrime can expedite the law enforcement process.

Looking Ahead

As developing countries continue to digitize, cybercrime will continue to be a major threat to general populations — especially the poor. The best way to protect South Africa and other nations’ people is to keep working on solutions through international collaboration and cooperation. The progress that South Africa is making is a great example of how governments and multiple organizations can come together to tackle cybercrime, protecting the poor for generations to come.

– Namit Agrawal
Photo: Unsplash

With food insecurity worsening across the globe, there is an urgent need to address the ever-growing gender nutrition gap. The gender nutrition gap concerns the disparities in access to resources between women and men. Women do not have the same access to food and basic nutrition as men, leading to them being disproportionately affected by food insecurity and malnutrition. This inequality has not only resulted in women being more vulnerable to diseases and other health risks but has also impacted their education and opportunities due to these health risks. 

Factors Contributing to the Gender Nutrition Gap

In sub-Saharan Africa, women make up 40% of the agricultural labor force and yet are still more food insecure than men. Due to social and historical factors, women not only have to work as farmers, but they also have to take on duties within the household, such as childcare and household management. This reduces their productivity in farming compared to men, and in societies that are still heavily patriarchal, women are often left with very little or comparatively worse food than men, and they are thus unable to meet their health and nutrition needs. These patriarchal societies also lead to women having less control over resources and income, further hindering their ability to afford health services. 

Nigeria is Closing the Gender Nutrition Gap

Nigeria is progressing in closing the gender nutrition gap with the World Bank approving $500 million for the Nigeria for Women Program Scale Up (NFWP-SU), which is set to empower women and improve their livelihoods. The NFWP-SU builds on the existing Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP), which supports over 427,887 Women Affinity Group (WAG) members across six states and further benefits 835,573 community members through various developmental interventions. The scale-up will provide even more financial support to the government of Nigeria in helping empower women — by investing in better economic opportunities for women, women will have access to better health and nutrition outcomes, thus helping combat the disparity in food access for women and address their health needs.

With a third of Nigerian households being unable to afford a nutritious diet and putting women and their families at risk of malnutrition, improving economic outcomes for women will help improve their health and resilience. 

Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch and one of the leaders of the NFWP-SU, has emphasized the importance of meeting the nutritional needs of women and girls to combat the pressing issue of malnutrition. She is working to empower women in Nigeria, and at the Women Deliver conference, she emphasized that Nigeria is focusing on five main areas to address the gender gap: 

1. Supporting the Ministry of Health in optimizing the food supply chain by developing a national guideline.
2. Advocating for more women to take on decision-making positions in the state and communities.
3. Ensuring that women have equal access to and control over resources and production.
4. Addressing how the inequality of women’s education can have adverse impacts on nutrition.
5. Uplifting women’s positions in the workplace and empowering them by securing their workplace rights. 

Empowering Women and Improving Their Livelihoods

While food insecurity and malnutrition remain pressing issues for women in particular, these initiatives will enable Nigeria to take further steps in closing the gender gap, and, as a result, help women secure access to food and health services by providing economic security. With the current success of NFWP, the scale-up will certainly continue to address the issue of the gender nutrition gap, not only empowering women economically but also closing the gender disparity in access to food and nutrition.

– Stephanie Chan
Photo: Flickr

Period poverty in Côte d’Ivoire has had widespread implications for women and girls. Gender inequality across society has compromised many women’s menstrual health and hygiene. Menstrual health has also been a major problem in Ivorian prisons. In recent years, several French and international groups have been battling the issue nationwide and across West Africa. 

Period Poverty in Côte d’Ivoire: The Basics 

Period poverty entails severely limited — or complete lack of — access to menstrual products, as well as the safe and private space to use them. In Côte d’Ivoire, social stigmas around menstruation have compounded period poverty and resulted in high rates of school absences among young women and girls. Between 2021 and 2022, UNICEF reported that 20% of women and girls in Côte d’Ivoire failed to attend school for period-related reasons. This compares to approximately 15% in neighboring Burkina Faso.

Menstrual Health in Ivorian Prisons

One specific challenge the country is tackling involves menstrual health and hygiene in prisons. According to Le Monde, roughly 448 women were incarcerated in Côte d’Ivoire at the start of 2021. With the national prison population by the end of that year totalling more than 21,000, the overwhelming majority of inmates are adult males. As such, Ivorian prison facilities are not designed to support the health and well-being of incarcerated females.

Côte d’Ivoire’s largest prison in Yopougon is already severely overcrowded, with an excess of up to 9,000 prisoners, including 300 women. In the town of Aboisso, reports have suggested that cramped cells are holding up to 14 women each. Coupled with a lack of access points for sterile menstrual products, the risk of infection in these spaces is high.

Some local organizations have made efforts to alleviate the conditions of female inmates in terms of period poverty. President of Soutien aux Mères et aux Enfants en Détresse de Côte d’Ivoire (SMED-CI) Madoussou Touré has made efforts to obtain sanitary products from private donors and redistribute them to Ivorian prisons. 

The ‘Outside’: Space, Stigma and Society 

Outside of the penitentiary system, women and girls continue to struggle with period poverty in Côte d’Ivoire. A lack of a private and clean space for period maintenance has been reported by one in five Ivorian women. Economic and infrastructural factors represent only one part of the problem. Social taboos and deeply ingrained patriarchal structures do little to encourage girls to attend school while menstruating. This reality creates a culture of shame and marginalization among young women. Interviews with several locals indicate that gender inequities continue to play into school absenteeism. 

Yet in contrast to other West African societies that view periods as a ‘pollutant,’ some studies have suggested that so-called “menstrual taboos” are not a pervasive element in Ivorian society. Anthropologist Alma Gottlieb investigated practices of the indigenous Beng people of Côte d’Ivoire and has agreed that beliefs around menstruating women are restrictive in terms of work. She does point out, however, that menstruation is instead seen as a symbol of fertility, and not a hindrance or weakness. These findings are hopeful in the sense that puncturing social myths around periods in Côte d’Ivoire may be easier than in other neighboring countries.

What Action Is Being Taken 

A number of French-language NGOs have organized outreach programs and events to combat the issue of period poverty in Côte d’Ivoire. Actu’Elles and Gouttes Rouges, two women’s rights groups who champion menstrual health and well-being, organized the Menstrues Libres festival in Abidjan in May of 2018. The festival addressed period poverty in prisons more directly with a panel of experts and was the first of its kind in West Africa. 

In 2020, UNICEF and UNFPA hosted a symposium to discuss menstrual health and period poverty in West and Central Africa. One topic of note was that the UNFPA, in partnership with Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministries of Education and Health, had developed a menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) guide. The MHH guide is being made available at local and municipal health facilities, and steps are being taken to promote accessibility nationwide.

Several female Ivorian lawyers have also campaigned for the inclusion of sex education in schools. This would hopefully dismantle some of the harmful social taboos around menstruation but also prepare adolescents for future relationships.

Some promising socio-economic indicators have highlighted the importance of fighting period poverty in Côte d’Ivoire. The nation was, as of 2020, one of the fastest-growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the end of the civil war, women have emerged in political and financial sectors, especially in the dominant cocoa market. These opportunities are only possible when a girl’s education is consistent and accessible at all times of the month.

– Cara Jenkins
Photo: Flickr