Food processing: Investing in progress

Ensuring that Africa can build up indigenous food-processing capacity will improve food security and help build flourishing local companies. The sector has now become a major areas of interest for development finance institutions, commercial investors and governments. Read the full story here. Published in The Africa Report. Photo courtesy of TechnoServe. Continue reading Food processing: Investing in progress

Veolia’s travails in Gabon

A recent study found that Gabon’s water concessionaire is falling short of expectations and will not meet its infrastructure investment targets. The report fails to represent the whole picture, argues Veolia’s Patrice Fonlladosa. The government of Gabon has asked Société d’Eau et d’Energie du Gabon (SEEG), the company in charge of the country’s electricity and water production and distribution, to produce a five-year investment plan … Continue reading Veolia’s travails in Gabon

Nigeria state sets REDD pace for entire continent

The state of Cross River in Nigeria has managed to preserve large swathes of endangered rainforest despite lucrative – and sometimes intimidating – from loggers. It’s also laid the groundwork for a national-scale programme designed to earn carbon credits by saving trees, thus securing its spot in an elite network of states moving forward as UN talks stalk. Read the full story here. Published in … Continue reading Nigeria state sets REDD pace for entire continent

Tapping spirituality to solve water conflicts

Aaron Wolf is a professor of geography at Oregon State University and a trained mediator in conflict resolution, two professions he has melded together when working on the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as numerous disputes in central and southeast Asia and Africa. In this interview, he explains where his quest for spirituality comes from and how we could all learn to listen a little bit … Continue reading Tapping spirituality to solve water conflicts

Can REDD work in the Congo Basin?

The Congo Basin is rich in forests and poor in cash, which makes it hard to resist offers of easy money from loggers.  Carbon credits could, in theory, help save the forests, but the region’s historically low rates of deforestation (and governance) make it difficult to prove you’re saving trees. Published in Ecosystem Marketplace. Continue reading Can REDD work in the Congo Basin?