Fox News: Navy fighting pandemics in Africa, South America with smartphone app – The Navy is leveraging cell phones to “fight outbreaks and provide better humanitarian support to those in need.” Deployed in Africa and South America, the new, smart and inexpensive project uses cell phones to monitor and chart the spread of disease. According to the Office of Naval Research, “the U.S. military continues to take on a bigger role in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance operations around the globe.” (Allison Barrie)
Forbes: Yes, Africa can be part of the Online Job Economy – There are over 85 million economically-active people and 35 million unemployed people in Nigeria alone. Of the economically active population, there is a high proportion of informal workers, such as mechanics, drivers, cooks, and security guards. Nigeria has a great need for an online platform that helps people find “qualified, reliable and trustworthy informal workers.” MobiTrader is on the verge of tackling this problem with their vision of connecting 1 billion informal workers in Africa to local job opportunities in the next decade. (Joseph Ajao)
AlJazeera: Health workers shot dead in northern Nigeria – Gunmen have shot dead at least nine health workers who were administering polio vaccinations in Kano, a city in northern Nigeria. There were two separate attacks by gunmen at two dispensaries where polio immunization workers were preparing to go out for polio campaigns.
AllAfrica: Kerry Says He Will Keep America’s Promise of Democracy – Secretary of State John Kerry has vowed to “support democracy in ‘quiet corners of the globe’ as well as in tumultuous places such as Tahrir Square in Cairo and South Sudan.” Kerry cited the “broad range of diplomatic actions it can take to reduce conditions that lead to war,” such as the U.S. program to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and helping young girls to pursue their dreams of education in Afghanistan and around the globe. (Phillip Kurata)
