Development Challenges, South-South Solutions: May 2011 Issue
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A new project aims to utilize Africa's biodiversity to combat tropical diseases that severely impact the continent, which suffers from a high disease burden yet receives minimal investment in medical research. The initiative, supported by a CAD $1 million grant, will focus on identifying and testing local plants for their potential medicinal properties, fostering local pharmaceutical industries, while also addressing the urgent public health needs of rapidly growing populations. By empowering local scientists and providing accessible remedies, the project hopes to stimulate economic growth and innovation in African health solutions.
Development Challenges, South-South Solutions: May 2011 Issue
- 1. Development Challenges, South-South Solutions May 2011 Issue Stories 1) African Botanicals to be used to Boost Fight against Parasites More than 1 billion people in the developing world currently suffer from tropical diseases, which leave a trail of disfigurement, disability and even death. Yet only 16 out of 1,393 - 0.01 percent - of new medicines marketed between 1975 and 1999 targeted tropical diseases (International Journal of Public Health). A combination of poverty and lack of political will means disease-ridden countries do not invest enough in research and development to find new medical remedies to save lives. A pioneering project hopes to turn to the continent's plants to dig up new remedies to tackle the many diseases borne by parasites. It seeks to boost prosperity in Africa while taking on the many diseases that harm and kill people and hold back economic progress on the continent. If successful, it will make disease-fighting part of the future prosperity of African science - and boost the woefully neglected field of tropical medicine. What is at stake is the future of Africa, as the continent has the lowest life expectancies in the world. With just 15 percent of the world's population, Africa carries a high disease burden, for example it has 60 percent of the global HIV/AIDS-infected population. Access to clean water is poor, with only 58 percent of people living in sub-Saharan Africa having access to safe water supplies (WHO). This leaves people exposed to water-borne parasites like Schistosoma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schistosoma), which infects hundreds of millions and is the most crucial parasitic disease to tackle after malaria. Africa's biggest killers in order of severity are HIV/AIDS, diarrhoeal diseases, tuberculosis, malaria, childhood diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, meningitis, tropical diseases, Hepatitis B and C, Japanese encephalitis, intestinal nematode and leprosy. Health resources are not being proportionately allocated: only 10 percent of financing for global health research is allocated to problems that affect 90 percent of the world's population. This has been called the 10/90 gap (www.globalforumhealth.org/About/10-90-gap). "The untapped potential of African innovation capacity is enormous," explains Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro, an adjunct professor of practice for public and private sector partnerships at Canada's McGill University Institute for the Study of International Development (ISID) (http://www.mcgill.ca/isid). Her research interests focus on innovation in global health and sustainable development.
- 2. "Using African biodiversity to produce solutions to local (and global) problems will provide a generous return on investment in an area of the world that is destined for growth." Ubalijoro was recently awarded, along with Professor Timothy Geary, director of McGill's Institute of Parasitology, a Grand Challenges Canada (www.grandchallenges.ca) grant of CAD $1 million (US $1.04 million) to address parasitic disease through African biodiversity. The Grand Challenges Canada grants are "dedicated to improving the health and well-being of people in developing countries by integrating scientific, technological, business and social innovation." It's predicted Africa's growing population will reach between 1.5 and 2 billion inhabitants before 2050: a lot of people needing affordable remedies and treatments. Innovators have spotted an opportunity to simultaneously improve public health while also boosting Africa's income from discovering new drugs. Traditional knowledge can play a critical part in the evolving innovation and commercialisation of Africa's medicines and treatments. Turning to these remedies and botanicals needs careful stewardship: Africa has a terrible reputation for counterfeit medicines, which kill and harm many people every year. The medicines also need to be affordable and accessible. In some Asian and African countries, 80 percent of people use traditional medicines for primary care at some point (WHO). There may be sceptics amongst those used to name-brand medicines but traditional African medicines have a rich cultural heritage and have sustained Africans over the centuries. It is estimated the continent has over 50,000 plants to draw from, with fewer than 10 percent so far investigated to tap their potential medical utility. From the start, most of the new funding for the McGill project will be spent in Africa. Out of the CAD $1 million dollar grant, more than half the funds will go directly to partners at the University of Cape Town and the University of Botswana. At first, the funds will be used to screen local biodiversity for promising leads. These will then be subjected to chemical testing in the lab to extract their potential utility for treatments. "This system allows selection of natural product compounds that act on multiple target sites in the parasite,” according to Ubalijoro, “thus reducing the chances of developing resistance to the kinds of novel drugs that we hope to develop based on promising leads derived from this effort."
- 3. The approach being taken by the project hopes to reduce the time it takes to get drugs to market and to shift the power and initiative to local solutions and scientists, rather than waiting for outsiders to come to the rescue. The project hopes to contribute to not only improving people's health but to stimulating local economies. This will be done by growing local pharmaceutical industries, retaining local talent which often now leaves the continent and doing rewarding and dynamic science within Africa. In short: making being in Africa attractive. It is hoped the success of the project will breed more success, as has happened in other places - think Silicon Valley in California, or Bangalore in India. "Success in this project will diminish the risk for technology-based investments related to health innovation," said Ubalijoro, "helping to encourage local venture capital to help grow African science entrepreneurs. The overall benefit is improved livelihoods and prosperity locally as well as reduced spread of disease threats locally and internationally as we travel globally. " By bringing the science closer to those who need the help, it is hoped the painfully slow process of new drug development will take on a greater urgency. "Discovery to production of a marketable drug can be a lengthy process," said Ubalijoro. "But as novel methodologies are used to decrease candidate drug failure through the development and clinical processes, we can decrease the time it takes to bring drugs to market while empowering local innovation systems to lead the process instead of waiting for others to do so. "The sense of urgency felt by local scientists to solve local problems can stimulate innovation and safe delivery of new medicines for African populations." Ubalijoro wants to see greater cooperation across disciplines and for people to come together in "innovation clusters," that bring together policy, business and technical capability. "I would like to see local investment in innovation coming from the public, private and NGO sectors," explained Ubalijoro. "I would also like to see women scientists taking an active role in leadership and in becoming the next generation of innovating African scientists.” Ubalijoro says that for those with money to invest, this is a vast opportunity waiting to be tapped. And she would like to see a dedicated African Innovation Fund set up for this purpose "The message for venture capitalists and investors is simple: by cultivating local talent, we can help African scientists and entrepreneurs explore
- 4. indigenous-based solutions to local health problems while taking advantage of the most advanced technologies available globally to ensure that quality, risk mitigation and profits can grow hand in hand with healing the ailments of African populations." LINKS: 1) RISE-AFNNET: African Natural Products Network: RISE-AFNNET works to develop Africa's rich biodiversity into a natural products industry of social and economic significance. Building on an already active research network of 10 member countries called NAPRECA, RISE-AFNNET expands existing research programs and formalizes educational activities in such natural products (NP) fields as engineering, biochemistry, environmental science, pharmacology, economic development and nutrition. Students work on natural product research projects in the context of poverty alleviation, gender equity, and Millennium Development Goals. Website: http://sites.ias.edu/sig/rise/rise- afnnet 2) GIBEX: The Global Institute for Bioexploration is a global research and development network that promotes ethical, natural product-based pharmacological bio exploration to benefit human health and the environment in developing countries. GIBEX was established by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Both are leading US universities with strong records of building successful international programs in discovering and developing life-saving medicines. Website: http://www.gibex.org/index.php 3) Screens-to-Nature Training: Scientists Learn New Way of Screening Plants for Pharmaceutical Applications. Website: http://www.gibex.org/article.php?id=132 2) Floating Bank Floats New Dreams for Brazilian Middle Class Brazil's booming economy has seen a dramatic increase in the size of its middle class. More and more people have been lifted out of poverty as a growing, stable economy overcomes years of political and economic instability. In 2010, Brazil's economy grew by a record 7.5 percent, surpassing a previous peak in 1986 (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) (IBGE) (www.ibge.gov.br/english). The country's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 3.67 trillion reais (US $2.21 trillion) in 2010, making it Latin America's largest economy. This strong growth is being fuelled by growing domestic demand in Brazil. One key component in building personal wealth is the ability to save and bank. It is common across the global South for the poor and lower middle classes to be ignored by traditional banking services. Freezing large numbers of people out of banking services is a double problem. Individuals are being denied a safe way to store and grow wealth
- 5. and borrow to improve their economic situation, and the wider economy suffers because many millions are left out of the mainstream economy and can neither consume high-value products nor use services beyond those that meet the basic needs of daily survival. This leaves many economies experiencing what can be described as a whirlpool effect: wealth spiralling around small clusters of people - for example those with privileged access to natural resources - but failing to spread across the whole of society. This has the effect of discounting the contribution made by the majority of a nation's people. That majority is a market that needs tending to, not ignoring, as pioneers like the late C.K. Prahalad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._K._Prahalad) have shown. In Brazil, one major bank has woken up to this fact and is pioneering services for millions of the nation's "unbanked" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unbanked). Even wealthy countries like the United States have large numbers of unbanked people, often those living paycheck to paycheck and with little or no savings. In the US in 2009, 7.7 percent of the population fell into this category (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) (FDIC). Banco Bradesco SA (www.bradesco.com.br) has pioneered reaching the poor and marginalised by opening branches in long-neglected places like the impoverished and crime-ridden shanty town favelas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favela) that surround major cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. It is creating a path other businesses can follow. "Every bank will care about these people eventually," Odair Rebelato, the executive heading Bradesco's retail banking outreach programme, told The Wall Street Journal. According to FEBRABAN (http://www.febraban.org.br), the Brazilian Banking Federation, the number of bank accounts in the country has tripled in the past decade. It has surged from 42 million in 1997, to 126 million by the end of 2008. That still leaves around 50 million Brazilians who do not have bank accounts. It's not just poverty that cuts many Brazilians off from banking services - there is also the problem of isolation. Brazil is home to the largest portion of the vast Amazon rainforest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Rainforest), whose population is spread out in isolated villages reachable only by boat. The capital of Amazonas state, Manaus, is the economic hub of the region but transport links only connect it to major cities and not the region's many isolated villages. A solution to both problems comes in the form of Bradesco bank's Voyager III, a three-deck riverboat converted into a floating bank. Launched in November 2010, the white-and-blue 38 metre riverboat ventures up the Solimões River on a journey to 50 isolated communities in 11 municipalities.
- 6. "It was something never seen before in the world - a floating branch," Nézio Vieira, a Bradesco bank manager in São Paulo, told Monocle magazine. "We are now present in 100 per cent of Brazil's municipalities." Luzia Moraes is a former housewife and now the manager of the Voyager III's floating bank. The bank offers savings and checking accounts, personal loans and direct deposits. Most of the customers are public servants, pensioners and the poor. It is a simple operation: a red banner is hung in a cramped former storeroom on the boat. Sitting behind a desk, Moraes has just three tools to offer the full banking services: a laptop computer, a printer and an automated teller machine. Enterprising and adventures, Moraes even uses canoes and rafts to reach out from the riverboat to even remoter villages. "Before, there were cases where people would take 10 to 12 hours by boat to get to a bank. It wasn't worth it," Vieira said. "To be able to serve these river- dwellers you need to go to them. Today the Voyager goes there." The Voyager III has signed up more than 1,000 new account holders by touring the river. It heads off every two weeks from Manaus, reaching as far as a remote town on the border with Colombia and Peru, Tabatinga. The boat's computers communicate with a satellite, allowing 24-hour access to the bank's servers so people can access accounts and apply for loans. A regional lifeblood, the Voyager III also carries 500 tons of beans, chicken, bleach and other goods to sell on the 1,609 kilometre river journey. The boat can carry around 200 passengers for the trip. "People don't know what to think," Moraes told The Wall Street Journal, "but it's not hard to explain that a bank can make things easier." LINKS: 1) Kenya’s Equity Bank: By offering Kenya’s poor people savings accounts and microloans, Equity Bank has captured 50 percent of the Kenyan bank market. Website: http://www.equitybank.co.ke 2) Safaricom M-PESA: Mobile phone banking in Kenya is proving highly successful. Customers can deposit, transfer and withdraw money using their mobile phones. Website: http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=123 3) Indonesian Food Company Helps Itself by Making Farmers More Efficient The current global economic crisis is taking place at the same time as a global food crisis. Food inflation took off at the beginning of 2011. This is having a
- 7. devastating affect on countries dependent on food imports and experiencing decreasing domestic production capabilities. The least developed countries (LDCs) saw food imports rise from US $9 billion in 2002, to US $23 billion by 2008 (UNCTAD), prompting Supachai Panitchpakdi, secretary general of UNCTAD, to say “the import dependence has become quite devastating.” Garuda Food (www.garudafood.com), one of Indonesia’s leading snack food and drink manufacturers, has been boosting its own productivity by investing in improving the productivity of domestic small-scale farmers. This led to a doubling of crop purchases from peanut farmers between 2007 and 2009. By stabilising the market for peanuts and better guaranteeing income, it has attracted more people into becoming peanut farmers in the region. This is crucial for the future of feeding the planet: we need more farmers. Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country, with a population of over 238 million, spread out over a network of islands. Peanut farmers in West Nusa Tenggara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Nusa_Tenggara) (one of Indonesia’s poorest places) are a key part of the region's wealth. Peanuts are the area's third largest crop after rice, maize and soybeans, and the region supplies six percent of the country’s peanut production and 10 percent of Garuda Food’s needs. Garuda Food says investing in farmers has raised its own productivity by a third. Turning past practices on its head, this large agri-food company is supporting small-scale farmers and helping them to boost their productivity and incomes. Conventional wisdom had been to view small-scale farmers as an inefficient hold-over from the past - the quicker they were driven out of business, the better. The Indonesian peanut farmers were using traditional farming methods and local seeds. Knowledge of more sustainable farming methods and land management techniques was poor. The farmers were also beholden to the whims of local buyers and fluctuating market prices. Then Garuda Food stepped in. The company's field staff offer the farmers training, and through its subsidiary PT Bumi Mekar Tani, it spreads knowledge about new agricultural practices and provides the farmers with quality seeds and farming equipment. The company buys crops directly from the farmers, rather than from middlemen, increasing the amount the farmer makes. A premium is also paid if the farmer achieves better quality for their crop. "We receive substantial supply from peanut farmers in NTB (West Nusa Tenggara) and we hope the arrangement will continue," Garuda Food's managing director Hartono Atmadja told the Enchanting Lombok website. Garuda Food's initiative, with support from the World Bank's International Finance Corporation and AusAID, through the Australia Indonesia
- 8. Partnership, has raised the productivity for 8,000 small-scale farmers by 30 percent: an income boost for the farmers of 3.9 million Indonesian rupiah (US $456) per hectare annually. Peanut farmer H. Sajidin told the IFC (International Finance Corporation): "My farm's productivity doubled, my income improved significantly, and I can sleep peacefully at night knowing that Garuda Food will buy my crops at agreed prices." Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System (http://stuffedandstarved.org/drupal/frontpage), has grappled with the conundrum of how to feed a rapidly growing planet. He finds the world is not lacking in food, but distributes its bounty very poorly and wastefully, leaving a planet where some people are literally ‘stuffed’ with too much food (the well- documented global obesity crisis) and others left to starve. He finds the solution is often local. "It turns out that if you're keen to make the world's poorest people better off, it's smarter to invest in their farms and workplaces than to send them packing to the cities," Patel wrote recently in Foreign Policy. "In its 2008 World Development Report, the World Bank found that, indeed, investment in peasants was among the most efficient and effective ways of raising people out of poverty and hunger.” Patel uses the example of the southern African nation of Malawi, where "according to one estimate, the marginal cost of importing a ton of food-aid maize is $400, versus $200 a ton to import it commercially, and only $50 to source it domestically using fertilizers." LINKS: 1) Emprapa: The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation's mission is to provide feasible solutions for the sustainable development of Brazilian agribusiness through knowledge and technology generation and transfer. Website: http://www.embrapa.br/english 2) Divine Chocolate: The highly successful global chocolate brand from the Kuapa Kokoo farmers' cooperative in Ghana, West Africa. Website: http://www.divinechocolateshop.com 3) Olam: The highly successful global food product supplier brand which got its start in Nigeria, West Africa. Website: www.olamonline.com 4) Insects as food: Tapping the world’s vast insect population offers many ways to supplement world food sources. Website: http://ssc.undp.org/other/e- news/newsletters/april-2008/ 5) Cooperhaf: The Brazilian farmers’ cooperative Cooperhaf: Cooperativa de
- 9. Habitacao dos Agricultores Familiares, has put together what it calls a “social technology”, combining housing and farm diversification to support family farmers. Website: http://www.cooperhaf.org.br 4) Indian Toilet Pioneer Champions Good Ideas Access to adequate sanitation and toilet facilities is critical to making development gains. Yet this simple fact of life often gets overlooked, especially in fast-growing cities where populations are on the rise or in transit. Out of an estimated 2.6 billion people in the world without toilets, two-thirds are in southern and eastern Asia (World Toilet Organization). It is easy to take toilet technology for granted in developed countries, but in the fast-growing urban world of the global South, increasing access will be the dividing line between a future of good human health and dignity, or misery and poor health. The biggest gains in human health always come about once people have access to clean water and sanitation. Yet this proven fact gets lost in many places for a wide variety of reasons. One country currently failing to meet the needs of its population is India. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, by 2030, 70 percent of India’s jobs will be created in its cities, and 590 million Indians will be city-dwellers. An enormous infrastructure task lies ahead for India: a city the size of Chicago needs to be built every year. But so far this challenge is not being met, leaving the country with the largest number of urban slum dwellers anywhere in the world. Housing is just not keeping up with populations’ needs. As K.T. Ravindran, a professor of urban development, told the New York Times: “We require radical rethinking about urban development. It is not that there are no ideas. It is that there is no implementation of those ideas.” It is this ability to act that makes the Sulabh International Social Service Organization stand out. The Indian non-governmental organization (NGO) sees itself as a movement and is a passionate advocate for toilets and toilet innovation for the poor and underserved. Sulabh was founded in 1970 by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, who saw the vast task ahead. "I thought the challenges to provide toilet facilities have been overcome in rich countries; it has still to be met in developing countries like India," he said. So far, Sulabh has brought together 50,000 volunteers across the country to build toilets and sanitation facilities. The organization’s success flows from understanding that it needs to do more than supply the ‘hardware’ of the toilets; it also needs to address the ‘software’: ideas and innovation and concepts. The organization has directly built 1.2 million household toilets - but the
- 10. government of India has built a further 54 million toilets based on the designs made by Sulabh. It's an example of a good idea multiplying its impact when picked up by others. While 10 million Indians use a Sulabh-built sanitation facility each day, according to the group's website, an estimated 300 million are using a toilet based on Sulabh’s designs. Most influential is Sulabh's two-pit, pour-flush toilet (www.sulabhenvis.nic.in/Sulabhtechnology.htm). It consists of a toilet pan with a steep slope using gravity to flush the pan. Water is poured in to the pan to flush the toilet and the waste goes into either one of two pits. As one pit fills up with waste, waste is diverted to the second pit. After around 18 months, the first, filled pit's waste becomes a safe, organic fertiliser suitable for agriculture and the fertiliser's value covers the cost of emptying the pit. The successful design has been evaluated and approved by UNDP and the World Bank. Sulabh has also been designing ways to get power and energy from toilets, building 200 biogas plants that turn the gas generated from the human excrement deposited in the toilets into a source of energy. Biogas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas) is a clean-burning gas that can be made from animal, plant and human waste with the right technology and is a green solution to the need for gas to cook and run electricity generators. Pride of place for the NGO is its vast toilet and bath complex at the holy shrine of Shri Sai Baba in Shirdi, Maharashtra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharashtra). Millions flock to the shrine every year, but it lacked proper sanitation facilities. To solve this problem Sulabh’s local branch has built a vast complex occupying two acres. The brightly coloured and palace-like facility has 120 toilets, 108 bathing cubicles, six dressing rooms, and urinals and can serve 30,000 people a day. There are telephones and 5,000 lockers for tourists to keep possessions safe. There are also three biogas plants connected to the facility, generating electricity and hot water for bathing used by the toilet and bath complex. This solves the puzzle of how to fund the utilities. Water discharged from the facility is used to irrigate the surrounding green spaces. Sulabh has also built a museum dedicated to toilets and toilet technology (http://www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org). The museum places the toilet as a critical part of human civilisation and shows how it fits in with the cultural context of India. Toilets and toilet designs from around the world and throughout history are gathered together and make a fascinating journey through this essential human need. LINKS: 1) World Toilet Organization: World Toilet Organization (WTO) is a global non- profit organization committed to improving toilet and sanitation conditions
- 11. worldwide. Website: http://www.worldtoilet.org 2) World Toilet Day: On November 19 every year, this event draws attention to the lack of access for 2.6 billion people. Website: www.worldtoilet.org 3) Dirt: The Filthy Reality of Everyday Life: An exhibit by the prestigious Wellcome Collection on the human relationship with dirt and hygiene in history. Website: http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats- on/exhibitions/dirt.aspx 4) World Toilet College: Established in 2005, the World Toilet College (WTC) started as a social enterprise, with the belief that there is need for an independent world body to ensure the best practices and standards in Toilet Design, Cleanliness, and Sanitation Technologies are adopted and disseminated through training. Website: http://worldtoilet.org/ourwork3.asp Window on the World Books Consumptionomics: Asia’s Role in Reshaping Capitalism by Chandran Nair, Publisher: Infinite Ideas. Website: www.amazon.com World 3.0: Global Prosperity and How to Achieve It by Pankaj Ghemawa, Publisher: Harvard Business School Press. Website: www.amazon.com How the West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly – And the Stark Choices Ahead by Dambisa Moyo, Publisher: Allen Lane. The new book from challenging thinker Moyo, it argues the West needs to start following China’s economic model or face economic ruin. Website: www.amazon.com The China Miracle: Development Strategy and Economic Reform by Justin Yifu Lin, Publisher: The Chinese University Press. Website: www.eurospanbookstore.com Africa in the Global Economy by Richard E. Mshomba, Publisher: Lynne Rienner. Website: www.eurospanbookstore.com The Recession Prevention Handbook: Eleven Case Studies, 1948-2007 by Norman Frumkin, Publisher: M. E. Sharpe. Website: www.eurospanbookstore.com The Roller Coaster Economy: Financial Crises, Great Recession and the Public Option by Howard J. Sherman, Publisher: M. E. Sharpe. Website: www.eurospanbookstore.com Global Slump: The Economics and Politics of Crisis and Resistance by David McNally, Publisher: PM Press. Global Slump analyzes the global financial
- 12. meltdown as the first systemic crisis of the neoliberal stage of capitalism. It argues that – far from having ended – the crisis has ushered in a whole period of worldwide economic and political turbulence. In developing an account of the crisis as rooted in fundamental features of capitalism, Global Slump challenges the view that its source lies in financial deregulation. Website: https://secure.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=271 Aftershock: Reshaping the World Economy After the Crisis by Philippe Legrain, Publisher: Little, Brown. Website: http://www.philippelegrain.com/aftershock/ Creative Ecologies: Where Thinking is a Proper Job by John Howkins, Publisher: UQP. Website: http://www.creativeeconomy.com/think.htm The Global Crisis: The Path to the World Afterwards by Frank Biancheri, Publisher: Anticipolis. Website: http://www.anticipolis.eu/en_index.php The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society by Frans de Waal, Publisher: Crown. Website: www.amazon.com Arrival City by Doug Saunders, Publisher: Pantheon. A third of humanity is on the move. History’s largest migration is creating new urban spaces that are this century’s focal points of conflict and change — centres of febrile settlement that will reshape our cities and reconfigure our economies. Website: http://arrivalcity.net/ China: And the End of Poverty in Africa – Towards Mutual Benefit? by Penny Davis, Publisher: Diakonia and the European Network on Debt and Development. Website: http://www.eurodad.org/uploadedFiles/Whats_New/Reports/Kinarapport_A4.p df Globalization and Competition: Why Some Emergent Countries Succeed while Others Fall Behind by Luiz Carlos Bresser Pereira, Publisher: Cambridge University Press. Website: http://www.networkideas.org/book/jan2010/bk12_GACL.htm Tourism and Poverty Reduction: Pathways to Prosperity by Jonathan Mitchell and Caroline Ashley, Publisher: Earthscan. Website: http://www.earthscan.co.uk/?TabId=92842&v=497073 State of the Field in Youth Enterprise, Employment, and Livelihoods Development Publisher: Making Cents International. Website: http://www.youthenterpriseconference.org Urban World: A New Chapter in Urban Development Publisher: UNHABITAT Website: http://www.scribd.com/doc/31244004/Urban-World-A-New-Chapter- in-Urban-Development
- 13. Papers and Reports Information Economy Report 2010: ICTs, Enterprises and Poverty Alleviation Publisher: UNCTAD. Website: http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=13912&intItemID=2068 &lang=1 State of China’s Cities: 2010/2011: Better City, Better Life Publisher: UNHABITAT. Website: http://www.scribd.com/doc/39882697/State-of-China- s-Cities-Report-2010-2011 Still our Common Interest: Commission for Africa Report 2010 Publisher: Commission for Africa Website: http://www.commissionforafrica.info/2010- report World Economic Outlook Update: Restoring Confidence without Harming Recovery Publisher: IMF. Website: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/update/02/index.htm Trade and Development Report, 2010: Employment, Globalization and Development Publisher: UNCTAD. Website: http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=13740&intItemID=2068 &lang=1 Empowering People and Transforming Society: The World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers 2011 Publisher: World Economic Forum. Website: http://www.scribd.com/doc/35953976/Technology-Pioneers-2011 The Emerging Middle Class in Developing Countries Publisher: OECD. Website: http://www.oecdilibrary.org/oecd/content/workingpaper/5kmmp8lncrns-en (PDF - 2.09 mb) The BRICSAM Countries and Changing World Economic Power: Scenarios to 2050 by Manmohan Agarwal, Publisher: The Centre for International Governance Innovation. Working Paper: Shifting Global Power. Africa and Mexico has the potential to change the balance of economic power in the world. This paper analyzes this potential building on developments in these economies over the past four decades in the context of the evolution of the world economy. Website: http://www.cigionline.com/sites/default/files/Paper_39-web-1.pdf The Implications of China’s Ascendancy for Africa by Hany Besada, Publisher: The Centre for International Governance Innovation. Working Shifting Global Power. This paper examines the extent to which China’s engagement with Africa has produced mutual benefits for both and whether Africa is reaping the necessary benefits required for poverty alleviation and economic development. Website: http://www.cigionline.com/sites/default/files/Paper_40-web.pdf
- 14. Europe-North Korea: Between Humanitarianism and Business? Edited by Myungkyu Park, Bernhard Seliger and Sung-Jo Park, Publisher: LIT. Website: www.gpic.nl/EU - North Korea book.pdf Global Economic Decoupling Alive and Well Emerging economies decouple from the US, come closer to Europe. Website: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article23670.html The Global Financial Crisis and Africa’s “Immiserizing Wealth” Research Brief, United Nations University, Number 1 2010. Website: http://www.unu.edu/publications/briefs/policy- briefs/2010/UNU_ResearchBrief_10-01.pdf Where Western business sees ‘risk’, Chinese entrepreneurs see opportunity by Dr Jing Gu. Dr Gu and her China based team from the China-Africa Business Council (CABC) and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) have had direct access to private Chinese companies working in Africa, including 100 in-depth interviews with Chinese firms and business associations and officials in both China and Africa. Website: http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/news/where-western-business-sees-risk-chinese- entrepreneurs-see-opportunity Can China Save Western Economies From Collapse? Website: http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article19484.html China's economic invasion of Africa Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/06/chinas-economic-invasion-of- africa Africa begins to make poverty history: US economists challenge conventional view that the continent is a basket case Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/03/africa-makes-povery-history On the Web Blogs and Websites mDirectory: The mDirectory is the most comprehensive database of information on mobile tech for social change on the Web: case studies, mobile tools, research, and how-to guides. Website: http://mobileactive.org/directory Global Development: Launched in September 2010, this new website from the Guardian newspaper will track progress on the MDGs, encourage debate on its blogs, offer a rich store of datasets from around the world, and feature monthly podcasts and resources for schools. Website: www.guardian.co.uk/global-development Latameconomy Website Launches Latameconomy.org is the latest evolution of the annual Latin American Economic Outlook report, essentially bringing its trusted, high quality content
- 15. into the digital age. Its wide country coverage and methods of analysis are essential for anyone seeking to understand the economic, social and political developments of Latin American countries. Website: http://www.latameconomy.org/en/ International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs) International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs) is a pluralist network of progressive economists across the world, engaged in research, teaching and dissemination of critical analyses of economic policy and development. Website: http://www.networkideas.org/ OECD: Tackling the economic crisis website The global economic crisis is entering a new phase amid signs of a return to positive growth in many countries. But unemployment is likely to remain high and much still needs to be done to underpin a durable recovery. This website will track the recovery. Website: http://www.oecd.org/document/24/0,3343,en_2649_201185_41707672_1_1_ 1_1,00.html The Global Urbanist: News and analysis of cities around the world: planning, governance, economy, communities, environment, international. Website: www.globalurbanist.com ICT Update: A bimonthly printed bulletin, a web magazine, and an accompanying email newsletter that explores innovative uses of information technology in agriculture and rural development in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Website: http://ictupdate.cta.int/en/Regulars/Perspectives/%28issue%29/56 Youth-Inclusive Financial Services (YFS-Link) Program website: The first space for financial services providers (FSPs) and youth-service organizations (YSOs) to gather, learn and share about youth-inclusive financial services. Website: www.yfslink.org Triple Crisis Blog: Global Perspectives on Finance, Development and Environment Website: http://triplecrisis.com/ Full Disclosure: The Aid Transparency Blog: A Devex blog, written by members of the international community. Website: http://www.devex.com/en/blogs/full-disclosure Africa Portal: An online knowledge resource offering researchers and opinion leaders a forum to share their insights on Africa and publish their work on pressing areas of concern to policymakers and the public. It aims to fill the gap in accessibility to research and information on policy issues on the continent. Website: www.africaportal.org
- 16. African Economic Outlook: A unique online tool that puts rigorous economic data, information and research on Africa at your fingertips. A few clicks gives access to comprehensive analyses of African economies, placed in their social and political contexts. This is the only place where African countries are examined through a common analytical framework, allowing you to compare economic prospects at the regional, sub-regional and country levels. Website: www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en Africa Renewal: The Africa Renewal information programme, produced by the Africa Section of the United Nations Department of Public Information, provides up-to-date information and analysis of the major economic and development challenges facing Africa today. Website: http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/ Timbuktu Chronicles: A blog by Emeka Okafor With “a view of Africa and Africans with a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, practical remedies and other self-sustaining activities.” Website: http://timbuktuchronicles.blogspot.com/ AfriGadget: AfriGadget is a must-read for African invention junkies. They are always on the look out for ingenious innovation that is new or a repurposing of existing technology in a new way, interesting in the sense that the story captures the imagination of others, inspiring others to see solutions in uncommon ways, practical ideas that solve problems in a demonstrable way, and entrepreneurs who are inventing new products or solutions. Website: www.afrigadget.com/ Interesting Blogger Olunyi D. Ajao: An Internet entrepreneur & technology enthusiast with strong interests in web design and hosting, writing about mobile communications technologies, and blogging. Topics are aimed at web designers, SEOs, bloggers, Internet entrepreneurs and people with general interests in Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and the rest of Africa. Website: http://www.davidajao.com/blog/ Social Media Africa Entrepreneurship Platform This ground breaking initiative is created as a forum to showcase innovative ideas and businesses from Africa that have the ability to scale internationally, driving job creation and sustainable economic development between Africa and the Americas. Website: www.sacca.biz AfriGadget on Facebook: ‘Solving everyday problems with African ingenuity’: Website: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2402629579 Start-up Funding
- 17. Crowdfund: A South African-based venture fund for technology start-ups in Africa. Website: http://www.crowdfunding.co.za/ Global Social Benefit Incubator: A US $20,000 Bottom of the Pyramid Scholarship Offered by Santa Clara University’s Global Social Benefit Incubator, it selects 15 to 20 enterprises from developing countries and provides an eight-month mentoring process. This ends with a 10-day process in Santa Clara, where entrepreneurs work with their mentors. Website: www.socialedge.org The Pioneers of Prosperity Grant and Award This competition is a partnership between the OTF Group and the John F. Templeton Foundation of the United States, and promotes companies in East Africa by identifying local role models that act as examples of sustainable businesses in their country/region. It is open to businesses from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. Five pioneers will receive US $50,000 to re-invest in their business. It is open to for-profit businesses that provide high wages to their workers and that operate in sustainable ways. Website: http://pioneersofprosperity.org/index.php Oxford Said Business School Youth Business Development Competition Open to youth between 16 and 21 across the world, the competition is run by students at Oxford University to promote social enterprise. A prize fund of £2,000 in seed capital is up for grabs. It calls itself the ‘world’s first global youth development competition’. Website: www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/oba/se/ybd Echoing Green: Social Entrepreneurs Fund Website: www.echoinggreen.org/ Commonwealth Teams up with Private Equity Firm to Deliver up to $400 Million in Investment in Africa Small and medium enterprises across Africa are set to benefit from a multimillion dollar investment fund set up by private equity firm Aureos Capital (http://www.aureos.com/) with the Commonwealth Secretariat’s assistance. The Aureos Africa Fund, launched in November following feasibility and due diligence studies funded by the Secretariat, will provide long-term capital and support for promising and successful businesses across the continent. Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith, speaking at the launch of the fund at the Marriot Hotel in London, UK, on 2 November 2009, hailed the fund’s launch. He warned that investment in Africa was “critical” if recent development gains were not to be lost amid the current worldwide recession. “This fund has the potential to make a real contribution to Commonwealth countries in Africa, by helping ordinary businesses to reach their potential and boost much needed growth and jobs across the continent,” he said.
- 18. Website: http://www.thecommonwealth.org/news/215560/021109aureoscapital.ht m The Africa Land Fund The fund has raised almost €2 billion from an American pension fund to invest in African agriculture. The Africa Land Fund, created by the UK-based hedge fund Emergent Asset Management, wants to raise a total of €3 billion and is canvassing a range of investors. It plans to invest in agricultural land and livestock, including African game, which will be sold on to private reserves and safari parks. The fund also plans to develop bio fuel crops on marginal land, saving prime agricultural acreage for crops to feed people. Email: info@eaml.net Tel: +44 (0) 1428 656 966 Fax: +44 (0) 1428 656 955 Challenge InnoCentive (http://www.innocentive.com/) is a challenge to the world’s inventors to find solutions to real scientific and technological problems affecting the poor and vulnerable. It is an open marketplace where anybody with a problem can post it, and rewards for effective solutions stretch up to US $100,000. They use rigorous intellectual property protection so ideas are not stolen without credit being given to the inventor. Website: www.rockfound.org/about_us/news/2007/0720first_seeker.shtml Video Forum for the Future: Compelling animated videos exploring the hard choices of an urbanizing world and the need to promote sustainable development and environmental harmony. Website: http://www.youtube.com/user/forumforthefuture96 Events 2011 Have an event you would like the South-South community to know about? Then send details to developmentchallenges@googlemail.com. Check out our new website: www.southsouthspark.org Our new magazine, Southern Innovator, is on the way: throughout 2011 we will be launching more media products building on the success of the Development Challenges, South-South Solutions e-newsletter: stay tuned for more developments. May
- 19. Broadband World Forum Asia 2011 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (10-11 May 2011) The largest broadband event in the Asia-Pacific region. Bringing together over 2,500 experts including 1,000's of fixed & mobile operators from both developed and emerging markets across Asia. Website: http://www.broadbandworldforum.com/asia E-Health Week Budapest, Hungary (10-12 May 2011) eHealth week is a platform for all stakeholders in the Health IT community and compliments your national conference, by: Offering answers by high-level speakers; Presenting a modern and wide-ranging exhibition, including an interoperability showcase to demonstrate how data can travel across different suppliers and borders; Allowing you to network with government- and industry leaders from across the European continent; an opportunity rarely seen at other European conferences. Website: http://www.worldofhealthit.org/ Internet World: Setting the Digital Agenda London, UK (10-12 May 2011) Over 300 solution providers and 12,000 visitors, combining five shows in one event, Internet World is the event for digital marketing and online business! The Internet is worth over £100 billion to the UK economy. Fast changing, ever adapting and creating more competition every second the need to be ahead of the game has never been more important! Website: http://www.internetworld.co.uk/ World Summit on the Information Society Geneva, Switzerland (16-20 May 2011) ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP welcome all WSIS Stakeholders to the WSIS Forum 2011 website. WSIS Forum 2011 will be held from 16th to 20th May 2011 and will provide structured opportunities to network, learn and to participate in multi-stakeholder discussions and consultations on WSIS implementation. This event builds upon the tradition of annual WSIS May meetings, and its new format is the result of open consultations with all WSIS Stakeholders. WSIS Forum 2010 marked the way forward in creating a reflection of the “WSIS spirit” and the euphoria felt during the Geneva and Tunis Summits. WSIS stakeholders participated enthusiastically and eagerly in all the interactive sessions and debates, and the new forward-looking WSIS campaign “Turning Targets into Action” mirrors their ambition to achieve the WSIS targets by 2015. Website: http://groups.itu.int/wsis-forum2011/Home.aspx World Economic Forum on the Middle East 2011 Dead Sea, Jordan (20-22 May 2011) In the coming decade, the Middle East region will undergo transformational change, both economically and geopolitically. As many countries reach a demographic tipping point, their trade relations mature and their position in the global energy industry is reshaped, the promise of a regional economic boom is not without challenge. The meeting in Jordan aims to provide a forward-
- 20. looking perspective on this transformation. Will new governments in Iraq and Egypt, Turkey’s new leadership, volatile Arab-Israeli relations, sanctions on Iran and the US withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan usher in a revision of business strategies? Will the regional powers be able to shape climate change negotiations and the global response to risks associated with the energy-water-food equation? How will Europe’s management of its sovereign debt and increasingly protectionist trade policies affect the economic landscape in the region in the near term? Website: http://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-middle-east- 2011 6th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (25-27 May 2011) eLearning Africa 2011 will focus on youth but it will also highlight the importance of skills, skill development and employability. Is it appropriate then to refer to Africa’s youth as ‘digital natives’ or ‘Generation Y’? Whilst the majority of Africa’s young population can be more appropriately considered as ‘digital outcasts,’ there are layers of African youth who have had varying experiences with ‘growing up digitally’. What are these experiences and how are they manifested? Website: http://www.elearning-africa.com/ Global Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Creating Sustainable Businesses in the Knowledge Economy Helsinki, Finland (30 May to 4 June 2011) The Government of Finland will host the 4th Global Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a biennial infoDev flagship event that convenes a global grassroots innovation and entrepreneurship community to discuss issues of interest, explore new business models, ideas and methodologies, as well as to network with one another. Previous Global Forums were held in India and Brazil and convened over 1,000 professionals from more than 70 countries. The 4th Global Forum will feature the following activities: An Innovation policy roundtable convening developing country policymakers who have put innovation and entrepreneurship at the forefront of their development agenda. A Technology Venture Showcase to facilitate international market access and early-stage financing for technology entrepreneurs and start-ups. Website: http://www.infodev.org/en/Project.118.html UN Conference on Least Developed Countries Istanbul, Turkey (30 May to 3 June 2011) The purpose of the conference is to: 1. Assess the results of the 10-year action plan for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) adopted at the Third United Nations Conference on LDCs in Brussels, Belgium, in 2001. 2. Adopt new measures and strategies for the sustainable development of the LDCs into the next decade.
- 21. Preparations for the conference are in progress, with activities at national, regional and global levels. It is an inclusive process involving the participation of all stakeholders, including governments, international organisations, civil society organisations, academia and the private sector. Website: http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/ldc/home June Two Decades of Democracy and Governance in Africa: Lessons Learned, Challenges and Prospects Dakar, Senegal (20-22 June 2011) International Conference on: Two Decades of Democracy and Governance in Africa: Lessons Learned, Challenges and Prospects organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Addis Ababa, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Dakar and Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC Website: http://www.iag-agi.org/spip/Two-Decades-of-Democracy- and,1758.html Will the ‘BRICS Decade’ continue? – Prospects for Trade and Growth Halle, Germany (23-24 June 2011) The IAMO Forum 2011 will focus on growth and trade in the world’s leading emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRICs) and the repercussions on the world economy. Website: http://forum2011.iamo.de September 2011 Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference Washington, DC, USA (7-9 September 2011) This 5th anniversary conference will provide a learning platform for the world's leading funders, practitioners, technical assistance providers, policy makers, and academics working to increase and improve economic opportunities for young people. Join 400 professionals from over 60 countries to share lessons learned, promising practices, and innovative ideas through technical workshops, engaging plenary sessions, and interactive networking. The result? Higher-impact programming, breakthrough solutions, and proven approaches. Website: http://www.youtheconomicopportunities.org/ Email: conference@makingcents.com. Rethinking Development in an Age of Scarcity and Uncertainty York, UK (19-22 September 2011) New Values, Voices and Alliances for Increased Resilience. The EADI-DSA 2011 joint conference seeks to be one convening space to fundamentally revisit and rethink the development paradigm(s) in all its dimensions in an era of plurality, uncertainty and change. The EADI-DSA 2011 conference seeks to maximise the opportunity of working together and to revisit and rethink ‘development’, to generate new ideas, new narratives and new thinking whenever possible globally co-constructed with partners in global-South.
- 22. Website: http://www.eadi.org/gc2011 November Social Singularity Summit Amsterdam, Netherlands (11 November 2011) A gathering of thinkers and entrepreneurs to explore the opportunities and visions of Social Singularity. The summit has been organized to further the understanding of how to speed up and use the newest technologies to make the world a better place. Website: http://www.nowmovement.org/detail/events Fourth High Level Forum: The Path to Effective Development Busan, South Korea (29 November to 1 December 2011) Ministers and specialists will not only take stock of what has been advanced since 2008, but also set out a new framework for increasing the quality of aid in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Developing countries have named their priorities for HLF-4 as: predictable aid; use of country systems; an end to policy conditionality; country-driven capacity development; mutual accountability and reduced transaction costs. Website: http://www.oecd.org/document/12/0,3343,en_2649_3236398_46057868_1_1 _1_1,00.html 2012 Earth Summit 2012: Towards a World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2012 Rio, Brazil (TBC 2012) The United Nations General Assembly agreed to a new Earth Summit in December. The Summit will be in 2012 and will be hosted by Brazil. The themes are the Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, the institutional framework for sustainable development, emerging issues and a review of present commitments. This site will keep you abreast of all the developments and latest news. Website: http://www.earthsummit2012.org/ Awards and Funding Zayad Future Energy Prize The world is in desperate need of innovative solutions to create a new, sustainable energy future. No one knows who or where the next great energy solution will come from. Solutions and technologies that could change the world are being developed globally, and the $2.2 million Zayed Future Energy Prize, managed by Masdar in Abu Dhabi, recognizes and rewards innovation, leadership, and long-term vision in renewable energy and sustainability. Website: http://www.zayedfutureenergyprize.com/ Philips Liveable Cities Award
- 23. Philips is looking for individuals and community or non-government organizations and businesses with ideas for “simple solutions” that will improve people’s health and well-being in a city to enter the Philips Liveable Cities Award. To help translate these ideas into reality, three Award grants totalling €125,000 are on the line. One overall winning idea from any of the three categories outlined below will receive a grant of €75,000, while the two additional ideas will receive grants of €25,000. Website: http://www.because.philips.com/livable-cities-award/about-the- award Piramal Foundation in India Has established a US $25,000 prize for ideas that help advance full access to effective public health care in India. The Piramal Prize is a $25,000 Social Entrepreneurship Competition focused on democratizing health care in India that seeks to encourage and support bold entrepreneurial ideas which can profoundly impact access to higher standards of health for India’s rural and marginalized urban communities. The award recognizes high-impact, scalable business models and innovative solutions that directly or indirectly address India’s health-care crisis. Website: www.piramalprize.org Special Award for South-South Transfer - winners announced! UN-HABITAT, the Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF) and the UNDP Special Unit for South-South Cooperation are pleased to announce the winner of the Housing and Urban Development South-South Transfer Award, a special joint initiative which seeks to recognise housing and urban development practices that have been successfully transferred to other countries in the global South. The winner of the Housing and Urban Development South-South Transfer Award is Un Techo Para mi País (A Roof for my Country), Chile, awarded for mobilising thousands of youth volunteers and transferring its innovative approach to 19 countries across Latin America. The aim of the award is to identify, provide visibility, and honour those who have successfully shared their projects and approaches internationally, thereby increasing the impact of the initiative. The winning practice receives US$15,000 to further transfer the awarded practice to other communities in developing countries. Website: www.southsouthexpo.org South-South Experience Exchange Facility Supported by Mexico, China, India, Denmark, Spain, The Netherlands, and the U.K. and now Colombia, the South-South Experience Exchange Facility is a multi donor trust fund that promotes the idea that developing countries can learn from the successes of other developing countries in overcoming similar challenges. In the past 12 months, the trust has given out 35 grants to countries for learning activities ranging from working with at risk youth in the Caribbean to outsourcing IT services in Africa. Website: www.southsouthcases.info
- 24. African Writers Fund Together with the Ford Foundation, the Fund supports the work of independent creative writers living on the continent. The Fund recognizes the vital role that poets and novelists play in Africa by anticipating and reflecting the cultural, economic and political forces that continuously shape and reshape societies. Website: http://www.trustafrica.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&I temid=90&lang=fr Joint NAM S&T Centre - ICCS Fellowship Programme Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre) and International Center for Chemical Sciences (ICCS), (H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry and Dr. Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research), University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan Click here for more information or contact: namstct@vsnl.com, namstct@bol.net.in, apknam@gmail.com US$250,000 for Best Lab Design AMD and Architecture for Humanity have announced a prize of $250 000 for the best design for a computer lab that can be adapted and implemented in third-world countries. The Open Architecture Prize is the largest prize in the field of architecture and is designed to be a multi-year program that will draw competition from design teams around the world. Website: www.architectureforhumanity.org PhD Plant Breeding Scholarships at the University of Ghana The University of Ghana (www.ug.edu.gh) has been awarded a project support grant by the Alliance for a Green Revolution (www.agra-alliance.org) in Africa (a joint venture between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation, for the establishment of a West African Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI). This is available to scientists working at NARIs, universities and international centres in West Africa. Women scientists are especially encouraged to apply for a fellowship under this programme. Website: http://www.acci.org.za/Default.asp?nav=Home&idno=10 Genesis: India’s Premier Social Entrepreneurship Competition Is a social entrepreneurship competition aiming to bring together social entrepreneurs, students, NGOs, innovators, incubators, corporations and financiers and encourage them to come up with innovative ideas which are socially relevant and feasible. Website: http://genesis.iitm.ac.in/
- 25. Training Ongoing Jobs and Careers Weitzenegger’s International Development Job Market: Website: http://www.weitzenegger.de/new/jobmarket.php Global Knowledge Inititative The Global Knowledge Initiative seeks to build global knowledge partnerships between individuals and institutions of higher education and research. It seeks to help partners access the global knowledge, technology, and human resources needed to sustain growth and achieve prosperity for all." Website: www.globalknowledgeinitiative.org/ ExportHelp - Promoting and supporting access to the European market The European Commission runs a database for the explicit support of market players in developing countries who want to bring their products to the EU market. The database gives an overview on the EU´s preferential trade regimes established for developing countries as well as lists all tariffs, taxes and other requirements for goods imported into the EU. Website: http://exporthelp.europa.eu Development Executive Group Devex Networking Website Over 90,000 global experts can network and connect and learn about more than 47,000 registered projects. Website: www.devex.org Website Offers Career Advice to Young Africans Set up by the Commonwealth Secretariat, Africancareerguidance.com is aimed at providing career guidance to African youth and helping them to link with prospective employers. AfricaRecruit is a human resources organisation that provides skills training for African professionals in the Diaspora and on the continent. The website has an inbuilt email subscriber list for all its users and offers a searchable database of career profiles for job seekers and prospective employers. It also offers skills and interest assessments and advice on CV and résumé preparation. It provides tips about interviewing techniques, as well as information on internship and volunteer opportunities, and entrepreneurial skills. Website: www.africacareerguidance.com African Diaspora Skills Database This database was compiled to provide an overview of qualified African Diaspora professionals with varied areas of expertise and experience. The African Diaspora contributes substantially to the social, economic and political development of Africa, and this database is set up to further mobilize this considerable potential. Website: www.diaspora-centre.org/NEWSLETTER/Database
- 26. Aid Workers Network (AWN) Aid Workers Network (AWN) is an online platform for aid, relief and development workers to ask and answer questions of each other, and to exchange resources and information. AWN is registered in the United Kingdom as a charity. You will find discussions about a range of questions and issues on the AWN forum from aid, relief and development workers all over the world and representing a variety of fields, with new threads or responses posted daily. The forum is a great way to get in contact with other aid and development workers in your geographic area or working in a similar area of work. Website: www.aidworkers.net Bizzlounge Bizzlounge is where people committed to ethical behaviour meet, who want to establish and maintain business contacts in an exclusive and relaxed environment. Website: http://bizzlounge.com Business Action for Africa Business Action for Africa is a network of businesses and business organisations working collectively to accelerate growth and poverty reduction in Africa. Website: http://businessactionforafrica.blogspot.com Business Fights Poverty Business Fights Poverty is a professional network for all those passionate about fighting world poverty through the power of good business. Website: http://businessfightspoverty.ning.com Business in Development Network (BiD) The BiD Network Foundation runs the BiD Challenge to contribute to sustainable economic development by stimulating entrepreneurship in developing countries. Website: www.bidnetwork.org Zunia By Development Exchange, it offers news, publications and networking opportunities with the world’s development community. Website: www.zunia.org Catalogue of Poverty Networks UNDP is organizing an online catalogue of Poverty Networks as a means to facilitate access to knowledge and sharing this to a wider audience in 189 countries. Poverty Networks are web-based platforms that provide space for sharing and disseminating development-related information and initiatives. Below you will find information on IPC’s collaborating networks, which help foster dialogue between researchers, policymakers, civil society and multilateral organisations. Website: www.undp-povertycentre.org/povnet.do
- 27. Connections for Development (CfD) CfD is a UK, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) led, membership based organisation committed to ensuring that UK BME communities, and the organisations they are involved in, are supported in the process of shaping and delivering policy and projects that affect their countries of origin or interest – collectively ''our world”. Website: www.cfdnetwork.co.uk Development Crossing Development Crossing was set up in 2006 by a small group of friends with diverse backgrounds ranging from business consulting to international development. In a world where the environment, corporate responsibility, and sustainable development are becoming increasingly intertwined, our goal was to create a site where individuals that shared our passion could keep up-to- date with relevant happenings in the world and connect with like-minded individuals. The idea behind Development Crossing is to provide a social network that brings together people from a variety of sectors, countries and professions to discuss corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Website: www.developmentcrossing.com DevelopmentAid.org The one-stop-information-shop for the developmental sector, DevelopmentAid.org is a membership organization that brings together information for developmental professionals, NGOs, consultancy firms and donors. Website: www.developmentaid.org dgCommunities on the Development Gateway (now Zunia.org) dgCommunities, a free online service by the Development Gateway Foundation is devoted to knowledge-sharing and collaboration for people working to reduce poverty in the developing world. Website: http://topics.developmentgateway.org Diaspora African Forum This Forum exists ''to invite and encourage the full participation of Africans in the Diaspora in the building of the African Union, in its capacity as an important part of the Continent''. We will provide the vital linkage for Diaspora Africans to become involved in Africa's development as well as reap the fruits of African unity. Website: www.diasporaafricanforum.org Business Planet: a new data map on Entrepreneurship Business Planet, an interactive Google map, now includes data on new business creation around the world. Measures of entrepreneurial activity are based on the number of total and newly registered corporations. Click on color markers to learn more about each country. Website: http://rru.worldbank.org/businessplanet/default.aspx?pid=8
- 28. • Africa Recruit Job Compendium • Africa Union • CARE • Christian Children’s Fund • ECOWAS • Find a Job in Africa • International Crisis Group • International Medical Corps • International Rescue Committee • Internews • IREX • Organization for International Migration • Oxfam • Relief Web Job Compendium (UN OCHA) (1) • Relief Web Job Compendium (UN OCHA) (2) • Save the Children • The Development Executive Group job compendium • Trust Africa • UN Jobs • UNDP • UNESCO • UNICEF • World Bank • World Wildlife Fund (Cameroon)