Britain’s ‘brutal’ cuts to overseas aid put African science projects in peril

Lifesaving research on fighting drought and climate change at risk after snap decision to halt crucial fundingFor two years, the Rwandan-born scientist Anita Etale has been leading efforts to develop cheap methods to clean contaminated water supplies, a widespread problem in Africa.Based at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa, Etale had a £300,000 grant from Britain’s Royal Society in 2019 to build a team of researchers, who went on to develop cleaning filters using maize and sugarcane stubble. “Finding cheap source materials is crucial to make affordable filters,” Etale said Related: Leak reveals UK Foreign Office discussing aid cuts of more than 50% Continue reading...