In the Guardian:

Image by Nana Kofi Acquah courtesy of the Guardian At first glance, Republic, a revolution-themed bar in one of Accra's busiest nightlife districts, could be any of the Ghanaian capital's hotspots. Artsy residents, office workers and expats sit on plastic chairs in front of its wooden façade as dusk turns to night, ordering caipirihnas or snacks such as thick-cut chips and bowls of soup.

But look a little closer and all is not as it seems. The caipirihnas are made from akpeteshie – a traditional Ghanaian palm spirit also known fondly as Kill Me Quick, the chips are… ( Read on! )

Founded by James “Bim” and Nicola Adedeji, Bim's Kitchen is a:

...hand-crafted and inspired line of sauces using a variety of African ingredients/spices/seasonings from baobab and peri peri peppers to egusi (agushi) seeds, hibiscus, and alligator pepper- Betumi

They describe themselves as:

...a small family business that has started producing a unique range of own-recipe African-inspired products using a variety of African spices and other ingredients. Some of our recipes have long been enjoyed by friends, family and work colleagues who actively encouraged us to develop a range of… ( Read on! )

Africa is a Country speaks with culinary entrepreneur Pierre Thiam:

Image courtesy of Africa is a Country Are there other African food chefs we should be looking out for on the continent and in the diaspora? In addition, when should we be expecting the next restaurant venture from you in NYC?

Fortunately, there are many African chefs to look out for globally. Here in New York: Chef Abdoul Gueye at Abistro in Brooklyn, Ivorian chef Samuel Beket (Hill Cafe), another Ivorian chef, Morou Ouatara (Farra Olivia), to name a few. Of course, there is the Swedish-Ethiopian celebrity chef Marcus… ( Read on! )

Engineering For Change reports on the Baobab PSU Processing Initiative:

image courtesy of Penn State In Benin and elsewhere in Africa, rural villagers depend on the fruit of the giant baobab tree as a much-needed cash crop. But processing it is a chore. The baobab fruit is about the size of an American football with a shell as hard as a coconut and workers have to beat it with large mortars and pestles. Now, working with a women’s cooperative in Benin, a group of Pennsylvania State University engineering students have mechanized part of the task. They created a device that separates the… ( Read on! )

From the Worldwatch folks:

Photo credit: PROTA African nightshade is sometimes referred to as black nightshade or garden huckleberry. There are numerous African words for the plant, including: mnavu (Swahili), managu (Kikuyu), namaska (Luhya), and osuga (Luo). The species name Solanum nigrum is often incorrectly used for all of the Solanum species occurring in Africa, including the broad-leafed African nightshade.

Unlike some other nightshades, the fruit of the African nightshade is not eaten. The bud, flowers, and fruits are removed, and the leaves and fresh shoots eaten as a cooked… ( Read on! )