Latest news with #EasternAfrica
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Soap operas as a learning tool for small cross-border traders in Africa
A creative blend of storytelling, soap-opera-style drama, and culturally tailored content has changed the way small-scale cross-border traders work in Eastern and Southern Africa. This innovative training programme by the International Trade Centre (ITC) has empowered 2,500 traders, helping them navigate border procedures and formalise their businesses. By aligning training materials with traders' everyday experiences, the programme turned complex technical concepts into practical, engaging lessons that are easier to understand. The ITC SME Trade Academy 's Scalable Workshop methodology was adapted using digital content pre-loaded onto portable media hubs, ensuring consistent delivery even in areas with limited internet access. Training modules were developed in English, French, Bemba, and Nyanja, helping to overcome language barriers. Many small-scale cross-border traders, especially women, often deal with complex procedures, harassment, and corruption. Since cross-border trade is essential in Africa, this new approach can help other regions make small trade more official and improve how traders and government work together. Historically, many traders have operated informally, with limited understanding of official processes. In response, ITC developed a comprehensive Trade Facilitation Training Programme tailored specifically for traders with low literacy levels and limited digital access. The five-module curriculum covers essential topics, including border procedures, legal compliance, and managing corruption. Local ownership for long-term impact One of the programme's most significant achievements lies in its sustainability through local ownership. Five Cross-Border Trader Association branches continue to run training sessions independently, adapting the content to suit their specific contexts. In total, 1,855 additional participants have been trained. In some instances, sessions were even conducted in church venues when formal training spaces were unavailable. The programme's impact goes beyond education. Trader associations report that trained participants now follow legal border procedures more consistently, leading to greater compliance and improved operational efficiency. The practical knowledge acquired is being actively applied in daily business operations, resulting in better-informed decision-making. Some of the reported ripple effects are: Increased membership in trader associations due to growing trust and recognition More traders taking steps to formalize their businesses Stronger collaboration among traders through group activities Greater awareness among government officials of local trader associations New entrepreneurial ventures initiated by programme participants The programme reached several key border crossings, including Mwami/Mchinji (Zambia/Malawi), Chirundu (Zambia/Zimbabwe), Kasumbalesa (Zambia/Democratic Republic of Congo), Nakonde/Tunduma (Zambia/Tanzania), and Moyale (Kenya). This initiative formed part of the COMESA Cross-Border Trade Initiative, funded by the European Union. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Trade Centre.
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Experts issue warning over slow-moving 'catastrophe' threatening food and water systems: 'The worst I've ever seen'
Experts issue warning over slow-moving 'catastrophe' threatening food and water systems: 'The worst I've ever seen' A new report warns that drought is fueling a global hunger crisis, with more than 90 million people in Africa on the brink of starvation and key food supplies disrupted worldwide. Experts say this slow-moving disaster, worsened by a warming world, threatens water, food, and energy systems across continents. What's happening? The dire report issued by the National Drought Mitigation Center and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification says that the world has experienced some of the largest and most destructive droughts ever recorded since 2023. "Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025" was produced with support from the International Drought Resilience Alliance. It outlines how droughts exacerbate poverty, hunger, energy insecurity, and the breakdown of ecosystems. "Over 90 million people across Eastern and Southern Africa face acute hunger," according to a news release about the report. "Some areas have been enduring their worst ever recorded drought." The report notes that drought-ravaged southern Africa saw a staggering 68 million people, or roughly one-sixth of its population, in need of food assistance in August 2024. "This is not a dry spell," said Mark Svoboda, the founding director of the NDMC and co-author of the report, per The Guardian. "This is a slow-moving global catastrophe, the worst I've ever seen." Why is this report on drought around the world important? "Drought is a silent killer," said UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw in a summary of the report. "It creeps in, drains resources, and devastates lives in slow motion. Its scars run deep." Per the news release, the report says that "women, children, the elderly, pastoralists, subsistence farmers, and people with chronic illness" are most vulnerable to the health risks raised by drought, which include "cholera outbreaks, acute malnutrition, dehydration, and exposure to polluted water." "Drought is no longer a distant threat," added Thiaw. "It is here, escalating, and demands urgent global cooperation. When energy, food, and water all go at once, societies start to unravel. That's the new normal we need to be ready for." Our overheating planet is supercharging many forms of extreme weather. The United States Geological Survey warns that our warming world is making droughts more frequent, longer, and more intense. Do you worry about the quality of the air inside your home? Yes — often Yes — but only sometimes Only when it's bad outside No — I never do Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. What's being done about severe droughts? The NDMC and UNCCD report recommends urgent investment in stronger early warning systems, nature-based solutions, resilient infrastructure, gender-responsive adaptation, and global cooperation as ways to mitigate the devastation caused by droughts. It cautions that drought disproportionately impacts people who have the fewest resources to deal with it. Advances in technology provide hope for finding ways to help people hit hardest by drought. U.S. researchers have developed a solar-powered device that can produce clean drinking water from saltwater day and night, even after sunset. Rwandan farmers are increasingly relying on solar-powered irrigation for their small-scale farms, leading to better harvests and lower expenses across the drought-prone country. Talking to friends and family members about climate issues and donating to organizations focused on our climate can help. Supporting pro-climate politicians who are fighting for the future of our planet is another way to make a difference. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Zawya
23-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
IFC raises $17mln in Rwanda's second ‘Umuganda' bond
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has raised Rwf24 billion ($17 million) through an Umuganda Bond to support the development of Rwanda's capital markets, the second such instrument in more than a decade. The eight-year amortising bond is expected to help attract more international borrowers to issue bonds in the country. The money raised through the bond, IFC's first onshore Rwanda franc-denominated bond in 11 years, will go towards a digital infrastructure project in the country to help mitigate risks associated with currency fluctuations that occur when borrowing in US dollars or another international currency.'We are excited to return to Rwanda's domestic capital markets with this bond that will support critical infrastructure and deepen domestic capital markets in the country,' said IFC's director for Eastern Africa Mary Porter Peschka in a statement on July 21.'The bond offers investors exposure to IFC's triple-A rating, while also enabling IFC to provide local currency financing to an important project that will enhance digital connectivity.'IFC issued its inaugural Rwandan franc-denominated onshore bond in 2014, when the term 'Umuganda' for domestic Rwanda franc issuances by non-resident entities was coined, marking the first placement by a non-resident issuer in Rwanda's domestic capital markets. The latest bond, listed on the Rwanda Stock Exchange, attracted diverse investors, including pension funds, insurance companies, banks and asset managers. It was 1.75 times oversubscribed and carries a coupon of 10.5 percent, about. 0.55 percent below the interpolated government yield. BK Capital and Rand Merchant Bank are the co-lead managers.'IFC's second Umuganda bond will support our work to deepen domestic capital markets in Rwanda,' said Yusuf Murangwa, Rwanda's Minister of Finance and Economic Planning IFC has been supporting capital market reforms through programmes such as the Rwanda Capital Market Development project, a joint IFC-World Bank engagement that provides advice on increasing secondary market liquidity in the government bond market, increasing the supply and issuance of non-government bonds, and developing a more diversified, professional investor base. This is aimed at increasing access to long-term local currency finance for key sectors in Rwanda. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Statement on the Loss of Lives, Inlcuding a Young Girl, During the Saba Saba (7 7) Protests in Kenya
UNICEF expresses its condolences to the families who lost loved ones during the Saba Saba (7 7) protests in Kenya. We especially extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family of a young girl who was tragically killed by a stray bullet while sitting innocently in the sanctity of her own home. UNICEF is also deeply concerned by reports of children being arrested during the protests. Detention should be the last resort as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Africa Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Minors who have been detained must have immediate access to appropriate legal assistance, family contact and should be separated from adults while in custody for the shortest time possible. Children must be protected from harm – ̵at all times and under all circumstances. It is their fundamental right. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pulsing Magma in Earth's Mantle Drives Tectonic Plates Tearing Africa Apart
A spot in eastern Africa called the Afar Triangle marks the meeting point of three rift zones—lines where Earth's crust is being rent apart. Researchers haven't been sure exactly what drives this rifting, but a new study in Nature Geoscience suggests it is caused by rhythmic pulses of molten rock from deep below the surface. Scientists first proposed in the 1970s that a hot upsurge of material from Earth's mantle, known as a plume, was occurring below this spot. Since then researchers have debated whether a single plume, multiple smaller 'plumelets' or something else entirely is pushing the plates apart. Emma Watts, a geochemist at Swansea University in Wales, wanted to settle the question, so she and a team of geophysicists, geochemists and computational scientists put their heads together and came up with a likely answer. 'The more I look into it, the more I see that you've got to have all the pieces of the puzzle to see the big picture,' she says. [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] The team analyzed 130 rock samples from volcanoes in the Afar region. Chemical signatures from each sample helped the scientists piece together the movement of the molten rock below Earth's surface: The researchers calculated the ratios of concentrations of elements such as lead and cerium, which can indicate whether deep mantle material has surged upward, as well as the ratios of different isotopes that each originated from slightly varying reservoirs within the mantle. After comparing their data to computational models of various permutations of mantle plumes, the researchers have found that the best explanation for their observations is a single plume that moves upward in pulses. The pulses appear to exert varying pressure that pushes on each rift zone differently, depending on the way the rift moves and the thickness of the crust on either side. The Afar Triangle's fast-spreading Red Sea Rift has pulses that move farther along the rift zone and that are more frequent than those of the slower-spreading Main Ethiopian Rift in the western part of the triangle. 'The rifting rates are really controlling what we're seeing in the plume,' Watts says. 'What we think is that [the Red Sea Rift is] spreading out faster..., so it has more space to move, and it's being stretched out easier.' The relationship between the mantle movement and the geochemical fingerprints is 'exciting because it suggests geophysics and geochemistry can be married to infer large-scale geodynamic processes,' says Catherine Rychert, a geophysicist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who was not involved in this research. This is one of the first known examples of a dynamic mantle plume that responds to the tectonic plates above, so more research is needed to confirm the finding, Rychert says. Watts hopes this technique could be used in other rift systems and that more data from this system could give researchers a more precise view of what is happening deep below Earth's surface.
