IMAGE CREDIT: CHATGPT
Long before rice and wheat dominated dinner tables, Africa had already given the world a powerful gift: pearl millet. That alone should make you proud as an African.
But what should make you even prouder is new research showing that this humble grain, first domesticated in the Sahel region of West Africa, was being grown in South Asia as early as 2500 BCE—centuries earlier than scientists once believed. Previous studies had suggested pearl millet only reached South Asia around 1900 BCE.
According to a paper in Scientific Reports, archaeologists working in the Indus Valley, in present-day Pakistan, uncovered tiny charred millet grains dating back more than 4,500 years. These are the earliest directly dated pearl millet remains in South Asia and proof that Africa’s food heritage was already spreading across continents in ancient times.
Pearl millet is no ordinary crop. It grows where other plants fail: in sandy soils, with little rain, and under scorching heat. For thousands of years, it has been a lifeline for African communities, and today it feeds millions in both Africa and India. An estimated 30 million tons of millet are produced annually worldwide, and half of that is pearl millet.
For me, this discovery shows that Africa was not just a recipient of global knowledge, as history is often told, but also a source of innovation and agricultural experiments that left an indelible mark on the world.
We have pearl millet because farmers in the Sahel experimented with wild plants until they developed a grain strong enough to withstand harsh climates. That innovation didn’t stay in Africa—it traveled quickly, carried by traders and sailors across the Indian Ocean, reaching the thriving cities of the Indus Valley civilization.
For Africans, this is more than an archaeological detail. It’s a reminder of how deeply the continent has contributed to the world’s survival for centuries. And in an age of climate change, when farmers everywhere are searching for crops that can resist drought and poor soils, pearl millet is once again being seen as a grain of the future.
A must read
While I have written a brief piece, I highly recommend that you read Isaac Samuel’s fascinating essay on the invention of agriculture in Africa, in which he explains plant domestication and the spread of African crops to Asia and the Americas.
“Africa contributed many crops to the global cornucopia, beginning with the transfer of African cereals to Asia during the 2nd millennium BC, and continuing into the Columbian Exchange in the 16th century, when several African crops spread across the Americas, Europe, and Southeast Asia,” he wrote in August, 2025.
From his piece, you will learn more about pearl millet and many other crops that originated in Africa and spread across the world.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Can you guess! That is me with colleagues on an assignment earlier this week. We had to walk several kilometres in a forest reserve to document the threats facing the only breeding sites of a critically endangered vulture in Uganda…The story? Coming soon.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We need to walk the talk and create opportunities to expand AI in Africa, positioning ourselves as both consumers and creators of AI,” Agnes Kiragga impressed by African parliamentarians after a chat with them on positioning AI in Africa.
RESEARCH HIGH LIGHTS
African chimpanzees may be getting tipsy in the wild without realizing it: A new study shows that chimps eating ripe fruits like figs and plums can take in the alcohol equivalent of about two human drinks a day. Scientists tested over 200 fruits from chimpanzees’ favorite trees in Africa and found that some contained surprisingly high alcohol levels.
This supports the “drunken monkey hypothesis,” which suggests humans’ taste for alcohol has deep evolutionary roots. Millions of years ago, our ape ancestors may have gained an advantage by eating fermented fruits rich in sugar and energy. While chimps don’t appear drunk, alcohol may influence their food choices and social behavior—hinting that our own drinking habits began in the trees. Reference, Science Advances]
Malaria treatment delays threaten children in the Horn of Africa: Almost half of children under five in the Horn of Africa experience delays in malaria treatment, with only 52% receiving care on time. The pooled prevalence of delayed treatment was 48%, higher after the COVID-19 pandemic when health systems shifted focus. Key reasons for delay include long distances to health facilities, high transport costs, low income, and fear of drug side effects.
Mothers with no formal education were also less likely to seek timely care. In contrast, middle-income families and educated mothers were more likely to act quickly. Researchers recommend better health education, affordable transport, and easier access to clinics to ensure children get life-saving treatment without delay. [Reference, PLOS ONE]
How colonialism shaped South Africa’s DNA: A genetic study of over 1,200 people across South Africa shows how European colonizers, Indigenous Khoe-San, and enslaved people from Africa and Asia all contributed to today’s population. Researchers found that European ancestry mostly came from men, while Khoe-San ancestry was more often passed down through women. Enslaved people from equatorial Africa, South Asia, and Indonesia also left a lasting genetic mark. These mixed ancestries were strongest in Cape Town, the center of Dutch colonization, and became weaker farther away. [Reference, American Journal of Human Genetics]
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