News about Africa

Students address menstrual health challenges in Kibera at the SDG Innovation Challenge 2026

Through collaboration, creativity, and design thinking, 40 students from different universities came together at the UCPH SDG Innovation Challenge 2026 to explore solutions for menstrual health challenges in Kibera.

Cecilia Passanti discussed the “Agora of the Digital” at the Social Innovation Pavilion in Nairobi

Postdoc Cecilia Passanti contributed to Georges Eyenga Macaire chapter titled ‘Digital technologies in support of material security and the rule of law’ - with her idea of the ‘agora of the digital’. She presented this…

CAS featured on Radio IIII on Ebola outbreak in DR Congo

Associate professors Stig Jensen and Karen Lauterbach feature on three different episodes of Radio IIII regarding the Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo.

Critical Perspectives on the 2026 World Cup

In a recent Politiken article, Associate Professor Stig Jensen and our former CAS student, Buster Emil Kirchner highlights the need to approach the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada with the same level…

Leapfrogging Care in Africa: Reflections from the Point Süd 2026 Conference at Makerere University, Kampala: Uganda

From 18 to 22 May 2026, Edwin Ambani Ameso joined the Point Süd 2026 Workshop on Green and Digital Futures: Rethinking the Twin Transition in Africa in an Era of Multiple Crises, hosted at the College of Humanities and…

Green initiatives can cause conflict and inequality in Africa

Several African countries are keen to brand themselves through ambitious climate projects. But these green initiatives can, in some cases, fuel conflict – and because they are part of the global green transition, they…

CAS welcomes new researchers on the ERC Starting Grant Modelling African Futures

The Centre of African Studies is pleased to welcome two new postdoctoral researchers, Edwin Ambani Ameso and Cecilia Passanti, as well as PhD Fellow Timothy Elikem Harvor. All three join the ERC-funded project Modelling…

Elephant genomes reveal a past of continental connectivity and a future of increasing isolation

In the largest genomic mapping of Africa's elephants, an international team of researchers shows that elephant history is defined by the ability to move across large distances and exchange genes throughout the African…

MA student presenting at the conference of the International Society for the Study of African Jewry (ISSAJ)

On 9-10 March 2026 our MA student Teis Fælling participated in the conference of the International Society for the Study of African Jewry (ISSAJ), held at the Museum of Jewish Art and History in Paris.

New Book Strengthens Teaching on Sustainability and the Green Transition

Fourteen researchers from across the University of Copenhagen have contributed to a new interdisciplinary textbook on sustainability and the green transition for upper secondary education.

Seychelles – Podcast Episode with Stig Jensen

In episode #5 of the podcast Vild med verdenskortet, Associate Professor Stig Jensen discusses the Seychelles.

Study trip to Ghana with CAS

The Centre of African Studies (CAS) is organising another educational trip to Ghana for students to explore culture, heritage, history, religion and memory in the country!

Understanding environments: nature, knowledge production, and development practice in Northern Kenya

Since 2024, Mads Yding, postdoctoral researcher at CAS, has led the project 'Understanding Environments: Nature, Knowledge Production, and Development Practice in Northern Kenya'. The project is funded by the Carlsberg…

Francis Benyah, new book release: Cosmologies of Mental Health

We are pleased to announce the release of a new book, Cosmologies of Mental Health, by Francis Benyah. Abstract from the website: The book investigates and presents empirically grounded cases of persons…

PlastiCITIES: New project will research changing waste work in urban Kenya

How are efforts to tackle plastic pollution changing the lives of those who make a living from waste in Kenya? Researchers at the Centre of African Studies at the University of Copenhagen, in partnership with researcher…

From data collection to innovation: Student perspectives on health challenges in Kibera

15 students from the University of Copenhagen participated in the Study and Innovation Programme in Kenya, and came up with innovative solutions for health challenges in Africa's largest informal settlement.

Researchers Warn: Climate Change Could Expand Habitats for Malaria Mosquitoes

If we fail to curb climate change, malaria mosquitoes could significantly expand their habitats across Africa, exposing hundreds of millions of people to a higher risk of infection.

DR Podcast: The Next Act in Sudan’s Civil War

In a recent podcast episode of Verden Ifølge Gram on Danish Radio, Associate Professor Stig Jensen discusses the growing conflict in Sudan.

CRIC co-organised regional seminar on energy transition and climate change in East Africa

CRIC co-organised the regional seminar at Makerere University on 29 September 2025: “Cooking Fuels, Energy Transition, and Climate Change in East Africa.”

CAS welcomes new MA students

On the 8th of September 2025 new master students in African Studies went on a trip to Sommerladen, a special music venue north of Copenhagen managed by Danish musician Katrine Suwalski who has a long history of…

Remembering Holger Bernt Hansen // Mindeord om Holger Bernt Hansen

Professor Emeritus, Dr. Phil. Holger Bernt Hansen passed away on August 20, 2025, at the age of 89. He played a key role in the establishment and development of the Centre of African Studies (CAS) at the University of…

New Associate Professor in African Studies to explore the relationship between statistics and welfare

On 1 September, Alena Thiel takes up her position at the Centre of African Studies. She brings with her the five-year ERC project ModelFutures, an ethnographic study of how official statistics are produced in practice.

CAS welcomes Johanne Rebsdorf as a new PhD Student

The Centre of African Studies welcomes Johanne Rebsdorf as a new PhD student, starting September 1st, 2025.

Millipede species named in honor of Louis A. Hansen

A new species of millipede is named in honor of Louis A. Hansen, who collected the specimen in Tanzania in 2006.