Green housing in Jordan, and other news (10 Jun 2018)

From supporting the unbanked in Nigeria to a social transfer programme in Mauritania

Every Tuesday we highlight some of the international development stories from across the globe that have caught our attention.

  • Efficient delivery of financial services for the ‘unbanked’ in Nigeria can be enhanced by financial technology. Speaking at a roundtable, Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access emphasised the need for foreign collaborations to achieve the needed growth. Read more in Punch (Nigeria).
  • In Jordan, a Green Affordable Homes project – led by the Jordan Green Building Council – is seeking to ensure that all families, particularly the most vulnerable, have the right to a healthy home, with reduced energy and water consumption. Read more in the Jordan Times.
  • The president of Ghana has pledged that a minimum of 1% GDP will be spent on research and development on science, technology, and innovation, including the launch of the Ghana Innovation and Research Commercialisation Centre. Read more in Modern Ghana.
  • Rates of out-of-school children in Nigeria are between 8.5 and 10.5 million, and particularly high in north Nigeria. In response, UNICEF is running a pilot cash transfer project in Sokoto and Niger states to encourage school attendance. Read more in The Guardian (Nigeria).
  • A social transfer programme in Mauritania, Tekavoul (‘solidarity’ in Arabic) is looking to improve the lives of the country’s most vulnerable households. By 2020, the programme aims to have targeted 100,000 households, breaking the cycle of poverty. Read more in Dev Discourse.
  • Nepal is aiming to reach middle-income status by 2030 – and disaggregated data is essential for tracking and improving progress. Read more at the World Bank.
  • Kenya faces droughts and high temperatures, but new technology has meant the camel milk business can thrive. It is particularly growing in popularity in Wajir, in the north east, and part of the Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters programme has helped them with refrigeration and transport. Read more in Thomson Reuters Foundation News.