Oct 07, 2009

Rwanda: Now the Tragedy has Irony

Rwanda is a place where the generally accepted and reported narrative is increasingly diverging from the facts on the ground. The narrative is well-known: Since the genocide, Rwanda has made steady progress in economic growth, stability and reconciliation under the benevolent and enlightened leadership of President Paul Kagame who is attracting economic investment from the business community rather than by soliciting aid.

But the narrative is breaking down at all levels. Rwanda is starting to look much more like a bitter tragedy than an inspirational new model.

Jun 22, 2009

The Food Crisis, Hovering at the Margins,

A year ago the global food crisis was front and center in international circles. Today, you’d be hard pressed to find the phrase appear at all. But the problems so evident last year have not been solved, they’ve mostly just been displaced from their position at the top of the crisis list. With the rapid spread of Ug99 wheat stem rust, we could be facing a food crisis soon that utterly dwarfs the last two years.

Feb 18, 2009

Follow Up: Investing in the Future of Rwanda and Congo

The Rwandan government’s current joint military operations with the Congolese army to finally dismantle the remains of militia groups that participated in the 1994 genocide creates an unequivocal opportunity for philanthropic investment no matter how one feels about the politics of the Rwandan government. For those concerned about the future of East and Central Africa and finally ending the various conflicts that have claimed more than 5 million lives, ensuring that remnants of Hutu militias can create peaceful livelihoods should be a top priority.

Dec 03, 2008

Cell-Phone-Assisted Development Gets a Real Boost

A recent study of cell phone use by grain traders in Niger adds evidence that cell phones can have a strongly positive development impact by improving information flow in markets. As a result buyers see lower average prices, while sellers get higher average prices. Nokia’s introduction of a low cost handset and Internet service in India may be one of the most promising development initiatives, public or private, of the late 2000’s. 

Sep 03, 2008

Preparedness Pays Off for Disaster Recovery

May 29, 2008

The AIDS Crisis and The Invisible Cure

Philanthropy Action interviewed AIDS journalist and activist Helen Epstein on her views of current treatment and prevention programs in Africa and how Western money can do better work for the African AIDS crisis.

May 20, 2008

Interview: AIDS Journalist Helen Epstein on The Invisible Cure

Philanthropy Action sat down with Helen Epstein, author of The Invisible Cure: Africa, the West and the Fight Against AIDS, to discuss her book, Uganda, and how Western dollars could best make a difference in the African AIDS crisis.

Mar 19, 2008

More News of an Africa on the Economic Upswing

The commodities boom and bust in the 1980’s left most developing nations worse off than they started. Particularly hard hit was sub-Saharan Africa.

Mar 05, 2008

Ethiopian Exchange Looks Promising

A group of donors, including the Ethiopian government, the World Bank and a few countries, such as the US, are funding the creation of a grain exchange in Addis Ababa

Feb 13, 2008

The Bottom Billion in the News

Recent news events from some of the world’s poorer regions are providing more real-life examples of Paul Collier’s main theories from The Bottom Billion. In his book, and illuminated in our recent interview, Collier argues that there are four under-researched “traps” that lock a handful of the world’s countries, with a total population of close to one billion, in a cycle of despair.