🔅 Nigeria’s New Boarding-School Boom: British Prestige, Naija Vibes

How One Ranch Is Jump-Starting the Revival of Rhinos

Good morning from… Can you guess where in Africa this is? (Answer at the bottom!)

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Nigeria’s New Boarding-School Boom: British Prestige, Naija Vibes

Photo by MChe Lee

British boarding schools have long been the trophy of well-heeled Nigerian parents—but guess what? Some top UK institutions have decided: “Why not come to the party, right in Lagos?” Charterhouse, Rugby School, and others are now taking their stiff-upper-lip approach to education straight to Africa’s most populous country. For the kids, it means a British school experience minus awkward flight connections and soggy cafeteria fish and chips. For their parents, think five-star bragging rights plus the perk of preserving Junior’s “Naija-ness.”

Shipping teenagers across the pond isn’t as cost-friendly as it once was. With the tumbling naira and UK schools’ new 20% VAT on private tuition, the “I’ll wire you some spending money” conversation is getting more complicated. Then there’s the cultural angle: Nigerian parents love that British curriculum edge but aren’t exactly thrilled if their kids come home giving them side-eye and skipping Sunday church, and the local branches have promised to adapt to Nigeria’s laws and customs.

Tuition at these Nigerian-based British schools is far lower than on the home front—partly because employing local staff cuts costs. Meanwhile, foreign teachers still bring the Hogwarts flair. This is welcome news for families who want to avoid the visa nightmares and hefty airfare.

If boarding in the UK is out, college abroad can also be tough, thanks to forex issues and stricter visas. British universities might follow suit and set up shop in Nigeria—mimicking the University of Ibadan’s roots as a University of London outpost.

So, while parents weigh up Naira vs. Pound Sterling, or Cultural Retention vs. Cultural Confusion, one thing’s clear: Nigeria is rolling out the red carpet for British schools. And there’s a line of parents in starched Ankara outfits, checkbooks at the ready, thrilled their kids can stay local yet come away quoting Shakespeare.

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Uganda’s Rhino Comeback: How One Ranch Is Jump-Starting a Species Revival

Photo by redcharlie

Years ago, Ziwa Ranch in central Uganda was all about cattle. Now, it’s teeming with white rhinos – the only ones in the country living on natural land. This is the result of a grand reintroduction plan: bringing a species back from local extinction (courtesy of decades of poaching and political turmoil under dictator Idi Amin) to roam free once more.

Way back when, Uganda boasted both black and northern white rhinos, but by the early ’80s, they’d vanished. And so in comes a newly formed nonprofit, Rhino Fund Uganda, which convinced Captain Joseph Charles Roy (ex-pilot and ranch owner) to ditch the cows and let “rhino colossi” stampede on in. Six southern whites arrived in 2005-6 (some overland from Kenya, and some from Disney’s Animal Kingdom via Roy’s very own cargo airline).

Fast-forward to now, and Ziwa’s got 48 rhinos – including five newborns in just the last few months. It’s a baby boom that outperforms other Ugandan facilities, and the rhinos aren’t done expanding their brood. Problem is, the ranch’s capacity is reaching that “We have no vacancy” sign. Plans are in motion to relocate around 20 rhinos elsewhere by early 2026.

Part of Ziwa’s success story involves a crack team of rangers, each assigned to watch a family of rhinos around the clock, because security is no joke: With poachers always in the wings, rangers maintain a constant presence and gather intel that helps shape rhino conservation strategies for the rest of the continent.

Ultimately, Uganda hopes to eventually reintroduce Rhinos across other national parks like Kidepo and Murchison Falls, giving safari-goers a chance to see these majestic creatures roaming free.

So keep an eye on Ziwa’s growing population – it’s a feel-good conservation story in the making.

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Gabon’s Brice Oligui Nguema: From Coup Leader to (Almost Certainly) President

Nineteen months after gently booting the Bongo dynasty out of power, Gabon is gearing up to vote for a new president.

Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the man who led the bloodless 2023 coup, is swapping fatigues for fitted suits and campaign slogans, running against seven others. He’s very likely to win. His biggest rival is Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze (ACBBN if you’re into acronyms), who happens to be the last prime minister under the ousted regime.

Nguema has kept things calm at home and charming abroad. Unlike military leaders in Mali and Burkina Faso who have embraced the “down with the West” vibes, he has kept cozy with France, even teaming up to repurpose a French army base into a joint training center. Très diplomatique.

Meanwhile, back home, he’s been checking off the public’s wish list: launching infrastructure upgrades, freeing political prisoners, and snatching up oil assets from foreign companies. Basically, he’s positioning himself as the rare transitional leader who actually transitions.

But if (or rather, when) Nguema wins this weekend’s election, the real test will finally begin. So far, he’s had a pretty easy ride – because public euphoria over ending the Bongo reign can do that. But hereafter, all eyes (and complaints) will land squarely on him. Gabon’s oil and rainforest wealth could make dreams come true – or crash spectacularly if expectations aren’t managed.

The country still needs better jobs, services, and rural protections, all while balancing oil drilling dreams. And with heavyweights like trade unionist Jean Rémy Yama and veteran activist Marc Ona Essangui lurking around, Nguema might soon find that winning the presidency was the easy part.

The hard part will be on actually delivering on the hype.

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Food for Thought

“Hope kills nobody.”

— DRC Proverb

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And the Answer is…

The photo is taken from Bamako, Mali! You can also send in your own photos, alongside the location, and we’ll do our best to feature them.