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 …
The Paris Agreement that was reached on 12 December 2015 delivered a universal accord on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a level that would keep the planet well below 2 degrees Celsius warming. Following that agreement, implementation is key and countries now have the task to accelerate the pace …
The exposure of low-income countries to natural disasters has a significant impact on food production and food security. This paper provides a framework for assessing a country’s vulnerability to food crisis in the event of natural disasters. The paper finds that macroeconomic and structural indicators that are crucial for ensuring …
Breathing polluted air may be doing more than simply harming your lungs, it could also be making you overweight. Rats that were left to breathe the smog which envelops Beijing for three weeks gained more weight than those who were given clean air, even though they were fed the same …
UNCTAD's first report on the state of biofuel technologies in 2007 highlighted a sector with great potential, but at the time that was a long way off from markets. In 2015, countries made commitments toward a more environmentally balanced future through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and now seek to …
Until recently there has been little, if any, concern over revamping let alone improving wastewater management system in Zimbabwe’s urban areas given the dominance and institutionalised water-borne system. Yet, the current constraints in this system and the immensity of urbanisation in the country begs and compels planners, engineers and systems …
A new push to give farmers in developing countries better access to markets, led by the United Nations' food aid agency, could fall short of its goals if it does not prioritize helping poor farmers adapt to climate change, experts have warned. Aimed at boosting incomes and improving food security, …
The newly-formed Global Innovation Fund (GIF) has announced its first tranche of investments in London today (9 February), with £3m being allocated to eight social innovation projects in the developing world. GIF-funded projects include Poa Power – a pilot scheme in Kenya that provides off-grid communities with affordable clean energy …
The researchers extracted data on iodized household salt from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys conducted in 2000 and 2010. As part of the surveys, household salt samples were tested for iodization by standardized rapid-test kits that yield results to indicate whether salt is not iodized, inadequately iodized, (less than 15 parts …
‘Climate-smart agriculture’ (CSA)—agriculture and food systems that sustainably increase food production, improve resilience (or adaptive capacity) of farming systems, and mitigate climate change when possible—has quickly been integrated into the global development agenda. However, the empirical evidence base for CSA has not been assembled, complicating the transition from CSA concept …
Paralleling the increasing disparities in income and wealth worldwide since the 1980s, cities in developing countries have witnessed the emergence of a growing divergence of lifestyles, particularly within the middle classes, reinforced by the widening gap between the quality of public and private educational and health care institutions, spatial segregation, …
Diarrheal disease is the world’s second leading cause of death among young children. It claims more than half a million lives of children under five years old each year, accounting for 9% of global child deaths. It is also a leading cause of morbidity in children, including chronic malnutrition. The …
DEHRADUN: In the first ever global Nitrogen footprint study, China (20%) has been identified as world's top nitrogen emitting country followed by India (11%). Both the nations have been tagged as Net Exporters which means that the total nitrogen emissions are higher for their exports than their imports. Due to …
Childhood obesity is reaching alarming proportions with India reporting around 22% prevalence rate over the last 5 years in children and adolescents aged between 5-19 years. A new report by a commission formed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified “marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages“ as a …
The genetic diversity of livestock can play a vital role in feeding the world in the face of hotter weather and the other effects of climate change, yet many valuable breeds continue to be at risk, the United Nations agricultural agency warned today, calling for stronger global efforts to safeguard …
Rapidly falling renewable technology costs and new business models mean that decentralized energy solutions hold great promise to accelerate universal sustainable energy access. Across developing countries, women are typically the primary household energy managers. Close to their customers, women entrepreneurs have the potential to lower customer acquisition and servicing costs …
Childhood obesity has reached alarming rates globally and become an "exploding nightmare" in the developing world, including Africa where the number of obese and overweight children under five has nearly doubled since 1990, a WHO commission said on Monday. The authors of the report from the commission on ending childhood …
Fisheries data assembled by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggest that global marine fisheries catches increased to 86 million tonnes in 1996, then slightly declined. Here, using a decade-long multinational ‘catch reconstruction’ project covering the Exclusive Economic Zones of the world’s maritime countries and the High Seas from 1950 …
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has sharpened the focus on renewables when he said recently, "As fossil fuels put the planet in peril, hopes for future prosperity in the developing world now rest on bold initiatives." He added, "Solar technology is evolving, costs are coming down and grid …
Says gains of higher growth, more jobs and better public services also short of expectation, recommends more focus on access Despite rapid adoption of digital technologies across the world, the anticipated dividends of higher growth, job creation and better public services are well short of expectation, says the World Bank …
