Blogs
China: Predatory Lender or Development Partner in the Developing World?
All roads lead back to China The ancient Silk Road is experiencing a revival and reinvention through China’s ambitious infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Arguably one of the largest infrastructure plans in history, China’s reach now stretches…
Seven facts you didn’t know about the global food landscape
Globally, food systems are facing a number of challenges, from climate change to a projected population of 10 billion people by 2050. Following LIDC and Nature Food’s debate Beyond Foresight to the Frontier of Food: The Global Food Landscape in…
Are our current food systems equipped to withstand shocks?
We are rapidly approaching the projected global population of 9.8 billion in 2050. As a result, we began debating the sustainability and effectiveness of current food systems, and strategising new models and policies to prepare. However, years have passed and…
Four More Development News Stories
A lot has happened in the development world since our September update. Here are three of the most important events in the last few months and a couple of successful development projects for inspiration. 1) COP25 takes place in Spain…
Who Knows Best? Unpacking the Idea of an ‘Expert’
Over breakfast, a Ugandan government worker scoffed at the idea of international ‘experts’ coming to solve a crop yield issue. “A foreigner with a degree in agriculture isn’t the expert. The expert is the old man who farmed here his…
How can rural Pakistani communities’ electricity needs be met?
Have you ever been without electricity for a day? For a week? For a month? How did you cope? 840 million people are still without access to electricity, with plenty more facing regular breaks in their electrical supply. This lack…
Working with the grassroots to push the national development agenda
Malawi is one of the countries in southern Africa that could benefit from effective and efficient use of resources in ways that positively impact its citizens’ quality of life, half of whom live in poverty. As a Monitoring and Evaluation…
CAN CHILD MALNUTRITION IN AFRICA BE SUSTAINABLY ADDRESSED?
Poverty, food insecurity, and poor nutrition and health are eroding quality of life and limiting economic productivity in Africa. In 2016, when the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) era started, Africa accounted for just over 60% of global poverty. Today, it…
Applying a decolonial lens to research structures, practices and norms in higher education: What does it mean and where to next?
In recent years, commentators have challenged ethnocentric and racialised paradigms of knowledge rooted in colonial histories and power politics. This reflects movements to decolonise curricula, pedagogy and theoretical thinking in higher education. However, we have given much less attention to…
TECH CENTRES IN GHANA: EXPLORING POTENTIAL GROWTH AND RISKS
Africa’s population is growing and will continue to do so. Ghana alone has an estimated population of 30.4 million people and faces problems such as pollution and access to quality healthcare. As a result, it makes an interesting place to…