Improving cash transfers in Bangladesh, and other news (30 Oct 2018)

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

• Bangladesh has signed a $300 million loan agreement with the World Bank, with the aim of improving its cash transfer programmes, in both transparency and efficiency. Read more in The Daily Star (Bangladesh).

• In Nigeria, there has been a call from Yakubu Dogara – the speaker of the House of Representatives – for the act establishing the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking Persons to be strengthened. Instances of rural-to-urban trafficking remain high in Nigeria. Read more in The Guardian (Nigeria).

• The second round of the Women Entrepreneurship Challenge has been launched by Karandaaz Pakistan; funded by DFID, this challenge supports women-led businesses across the country. Read more in The Nation (Pakistan).

• DFID is working with the Nigeria Communications Satellite Ltd to provide affordable internet to un-served and underserved communities in Nigeria, particularly in rural areas. Read more in Punch (Nigeria).

• There are plans in Nepal to further build the capacity of provincial and local governments to improve their governance. The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration aims to raise $150 million for this purpose, and is seeking the support of foreign donors. Read more in the Kathmandu Post.

• The agriculture sector in Pakistan is under threat from the harmful weed ‘parthenium’. A new awareness campaign has been launched in the country, as part of an action plan to combat the weed and communicate the cost, financial and otherwise, of its spread. Read more in The Nation (Pakistan).

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