SIAO: Crafting a recovery for Mali’s artisans?
It’s been a tough couple of years for Malian artisans: since security started deteriorating in the north, tourists and professional buyers have stopped coming. But Burkina Faso’s arts & crafts fair SIAO is providing a lifeline for struggling craftspeople. Read the full story here. Published in Think Africa Press, 12 November 2012. Continue reading SIAO: Crafting a recovery for Mali’s artisans?
Women to get access to innovative contraceptive
Up to three million women in sub-Saharan African and South Asia could soon benefit from a simplified, more accessible contraceptive injection, it was announced at the Family Planning Summit in London on 11 July. The new contraceptive, depo SubQ Provera 104, was developed by a partnership comprising of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), US aid agency USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, … Continue reading Women to get access to innovative contraceptive
The Sahel: Hungry Again
Nearly 19 million people are short of food in the Sahel. This is the third major food crisis to hit the region in seven years: there must be better ways of keeping famine at bay. Read the full story here. Article published in The Economist on 6 July 2012. Continue reading The Sahel: Hungry Again
Of Madagascar’s culinary wonders
Madagascar conjures up images of leaping lemurs, primeval rainforest and idyllic shores. But few people think of the island as a gastronomic destination. Thanks for successive waves of migrants, who all brought with them a little something from home, Madagascar is queen of the fusion genre. Read the full story here. (UK residents will need to use a proxy server to read the article.) Published … Continue reading Of Madagascar’s culinary wonders
Morocco turns the sea taps on
As water becomes scarcer in Morocco, authorities are turning to desalination not just for drinking water but for industry and agriculture too. Read the full story here. Published in The Africa Report, April 2012. Continue reading Morocco turns the sea taps on
Tropical medicine teaching in Africa, finally
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London has just launched a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene in east Africa. Incredibly, it is the first of its kind on the continent outside of South Africa; about time, say its new graduates. Read the full story here. Published in Economist.com. Photo courtesy of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Continue reading Tropical medicine teaching in Africa, finally
Madagascar’s wondrous wildlife
Madagascar is well-known for its biodiversity; 5% of all animal and plant species known to man live here and only here (70% of the fauna and 90% of the flora are endemic). For travellers, admiring this modern-day Noah’s Ark is a highlight of a trip to the Red Island. Here are 10 of our wildlife highlights and the best time and place to find them. … Continue reading Madagascar’s wondrous wildlife
Boosting Madagascar’s water sector
Private sector participation in Madagascar’s water sector stalled following the presidential coup in 2009. Now, the country’s leading private water proponent, Sandandrano, wants to kick-start investment. Read the full story here. Published in Global Water Intelligence, October 2011. Continue reading Boosting Madagascar’s water sector
Can Africa learn from SE Asia’s mistakes with palm oil?
With unprecedented investment into the development of Africa’s palm oil industry, governments in the region are trying to avoid past environmental mistakes made in Asia. Read the full story here. Published in This is Africa. Continue reading Can Africa learn from SE Asia’s mistakes with palm oil?
Grassroot environmental activist wins ‘Green Nobel’
Ursula Sladek has taken on Germany’s coal and nuclear power companies to start a renewable energy cooperative. Her vision for a more sustainable future has been vindicated: she has won the 2011 European Goldman Prize for environmental grassroot activism. Read the full article here. Published in Sun & Wind Energy. Photo courtesy of the Goldman Environmental Prize. Continue reading Grassroot environmental activist wins ‘Green Nobel’