Economy

Making WASH work in Burkina Faso’s cities

OUAGADOUGOU, 17 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Earlier this year Denis Ouedraogo, a tailor living in the Tampouy neighbourhood just north of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, connected his mud-walled home to the water network for the first time. “Even without electricity, having enough water can make you happy,” he said. full report

Briefing: Restive northern Kenya sees shifting power, risks

 GARISSA-NAIROBI, 17 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - The presence of foreign militias in parts of northeastern Kenya, and their collusion with security officials and business people there, may be to blame for a rise in insecurity in the region, where multiple gun and grenade attacks have been reported over the past two years. full report

Microcredit helps small businesses buck the system in Madagascar

 TOLIARA, 16 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Justine Sija, 60, begins her day at 4am, when she buys catch from local fishermen to hawk on the streets of St Augustin Village, in Madagascar’s southern Atsimo-Andrefana Region. The work is hard, but in the last year, access to microcredit has boosted both her business and her hope for the future. full report

Pastoralism’s economic contributions are significant but overlooked

 NAIROBI, 16 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Pastoralism is often regarded as an antiquated practice ill-suited to the modern economy, yet trade between pastoral communities in Africa - much of it informal and illegal - generates an estimated US$1 billion each year, according to a new book published by the Futures Agriculture Consortium. full report

Call for oil revenues to improve living standards in Congo

 BRAZZAVILLE, 15 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Congo, which is heavily dependent on revenue from the oil industry, has been declared as “conforming to” a global standard that aims to ensure transparency of payments for natural resources; NGOs hope the announcement will improve the lives of the poor. full report

Briefing: Egypt rethinks its subsidy system for the poor

 CAIRO, 14 May 2013 (IRIN Middle East) - The Egyptian government has taken tentative steps towards reducing the roughly US$20 billion subsidy system that supporters say provides vital aid to the one-in-four Egyptians in poverty, and critics say is unsustainable and enriches the corrupt. full report

Analysis: Getting governments to cough up for DRR

 AQABA, 9 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - Investing in preparation for potential disasters is a “no brainer”, Elizabeth Longworth, director of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), told a recent disaster risk reduction (DRR) conference in Aqaba, Jordan. full report

Hunger projects stalled in Guinea-Bissau

 BISSAU/DAKAR, 9 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - The World Food Programme (WFP) has not received the money it needs to run basic nutrition and food security schemes in Guinea-Bissau, leaving projects in jeopardy or at a standstill. full report

Semi-synthetic artemisinin promises to boost global malaria gains

 NAIROBI, 9 May 2013 (IRIN Global) - The UN World Health Organization has accepted the first semi-synthetic version of artemisinin, the key ingredient for malaria treatment globally, for use in the manufacture of drugs, boosting hopes that more people will have access to life-saving medication. full report

Trading conflict for coffee in DRC

 GOMA, 8 May 2013 (IRIN Africa) - Entrepreneur Gilbert Makelele wants armed groups in his part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to wake up and smell the coffee. full report

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