The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
In a bid to overcome reliance on food imports, countries in Asia and the Gulf have been at the forefront of farmland purchases in the world's poorest continent, where millions survive on subsistence farming. But these so-called "land grabs" have drawn sharp criticism from land activists -- who raised concerns …
A new focus on the impact of farming on climate change could both curb carbon emissions and prod efforts to boost yields and rural incomes in developing countries, delegates told a U.N. climate conference. But curbing greenhouse gases from farms also means confronting complex tradeoffs, especially to try and feed …
Paying people to protect forests can be an effective way to tackle deforestation and climate change, but only if there is good governance of natural resources, says a study conducted by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). The study funded by the Norway's Government and published yesterday, however, …
The economic downturn has claimed the jobs of tens of millions worldwide but most in the thriving climate change sector feel just as safe in their jobs, if not more so, than they did a year ago, a new Reuters survey shows. Some 68 percent of 'green' workers polled in …
Climate change could cost the African continent more farmland than the United States uses to plant its eight major field crops combined, according to a study published in the June issue of Environmental Science and Policy. Farming on up to 1 million square kilometers (247 million acres) of land in …
Africa is taking the lead in creating its own biotechnology agenda, according to researchers based at South Africa's Durban University of Technology and the University of Kwazulu-Natal. They say that sugar-farming countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe are exploring large-scale production of bioethanol, while the use …
Researchers in Gabon and France have discovered a new species of malaria parasite, one that lives in chimpanzees but is closely related to the species most deadly to humans. The new species was described last week in the journal PLoS Pathogens. It was named Plasmodium gaboni, and it is closely …
Climate change is a reality that is already affecting the lives of millions of Africans and will have a profound impact on the programming of public expenditures and public receipts in every African country. If left unchecked it threatens to undo some of the progress made in recent years and …
The challenges facing Africa to fight climate change are enormous and costs are huge though hard to quantify, South Africa's environment minister said on Friday. Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said her peers from more than 30 African countries, meeting in Nairobi, had agreed a joint position on climate change, to be …
Many current global policies propose that farmers can get out of poverty by being (better) linked to markets. Government and NGO programmes thus often promote cheap agricultural input supplies, and support farmers to sell their products through
Honey production is frequently promoted as a pro-poor income generation activity as it is accessible to many members of a rural community, has low start-up costs and requires little land or labour. But while apiculture (beekeeping) presents an opportunity for many African farmers, the potential to create a significant livelihood …
This publication reviews changes in global forest cover and root causes of forest loss, including weak forest governance particularly in public-owned forests. It also highlights innovative practices in conserving forests and securing livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.
With more than 3.5 million animals, Ethiopia has the largest cattle population in Africa. Milk production, however, is very low, and its per capita consumption is lower than the African or the world
This publication reports on the human and economic losses caused by natural disasters in 2008 with figures based on the EM-DAT database with comparisons to previous years. It asserts that although fewer disasters occurred in 2008, events had a larger impact than usual on human settlements. In 2008 once again, …
In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the increasing competition for water between various sectors is aggravated by growing demands for water, climate change and environmental degradation. One of the major consumers of water is livestock keeping, which is an important livelihood strategy for smallholder farmers in Africa. The water consumption for livestock …
