Kenya joins NEPAD, and other news (13 Feb 2019)

From human capital development in Bangladesh to health improvements in Tanzania

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

  • Kenya will become the second east African country to join the key leadership committee for NEPAD, The New Partnership for Africa’s Development. The committee’s duties include setting the agenda for NEPAD to be acted on. NEPAD aims to make the African Union less dependent on donor influence from outside Africa. Read more in AllAfrica.
  • Enugu State is establishing itself as a model state for the non-politicised promotion of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Previously, Nigeria has struggled to make full economic advantage of MSMEs, as they are often financially unsustainable. Enugu State, however, aims to make financial literacy mainstreamed into the teaching curricular for secondary schools by 2020. Read more in This Day (Nigeria).
  • USAID have announced a $48 million development project targeted at improving basic services in southeastern Myanmar, particularly in conflict-affected communities. The project draws on successful methods from the 2011 Shae Thot project, and will work with local organisations. Read more in the Myanmar Times.
  • Bangladesh have signed a €205 million deal for human capital development. The programme, funded by the EU, World Bank, DFID, and UNICEF, among others, focuses on primary education development and technical vocational education and training. Read more in Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (PDF)
  • Tanzania’s Minister for Health thanks the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust’s Trachoma Initiative and the DIFID Safe Program as the number of Trachoma cases has declined from 160,000 in 2010 to 17,000 in October 2018. Only eight councils still need the Zithromax MDA drug and, as the Trachoma Initiative draw to a close, continued efforts will be made to eliminate it entirely. Read more in Daily News (Tanzania).