"Innovation is not simply inventing something new" - How AI-driven projects could change Bangladesh
University of Dhaka Vice-Chancellor Obaidul Islam wants artificial intelligence built for Bangladesh's own problems, not imported wholesale. A small campus robotics lab already backed by an international funder shows what that could look like, if the money follows.
The $2,000 Prosthetic Problem African Labs Are Solving for Under $50
A faulty imported prosthetic can cost an amputee $2,000 to replace. A South African university lab and a British charity's pilot in the Gambia are both now producing custom-fitted replacements, printed from a patient's own scan, for a fraction of that.
An AI Shortcut Just Cut Drug-Testing Time by 94%. Could It Make Drug Manufacturing Cheaper Everywhere?
Brown University's new AI model cuts drug-formulation testing time by up to 94%, precisely the stage where manufacturers in Africa, Asia and beyond already operate but cannot yet compete.
Can Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Actually Stop Malaria, and Why Did a Government Just Shut the Trial Down?
On 11 August 2025, researchers at Burkina Faso's Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante released around 16,000 genetically modified mosquitoes into a village in the country's Western Region, the first release of its kind on the African continent. Seven days later, the government ordered the entire programme shut down.