Nobel Prize given for global poverty alleviation, and other news (15 October 2019)

A child mortality survey in Nigeria, and the Nobel Economics Prize is awarded for work towards global poverty alleviation

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

  • The Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences has been awarded to Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, and Michael Kremer for their work in global poverty alleviation, in particular their development of new randomised control trials methodology. Duflo and Banerjee are researchers on OPM’s Economic Development Institutions programme, which includes research using randomised control trials to understand how government service awareness affects voting patterns in India. Read more in News.Az.
  • The Government of Nigeria is collaborating with USAID to conduct a National Population Commission survey on child mortality under five years, in an effort to produce meaningful intervention measures. Currently almost 75% of deaths of children under the age of five happen in the first year of life. Read more in Leadership (Nigeria).
  • An inclusive eye health project has been launched in Tanzania. The DFID funded project will provide free eye tests to 150,000 marginalised and disabled people, alongside cataract surgery and free glasses. Additionally, the project will train 500 health professionals in primary eye care, as well as gender and disability inclusion. Read more in IPP Media.
  • USAID has provided $7.5 million to aid recovery efforts in Grand Bahama following widespread destruction by Hurricane Dorian in September. Working with the organisation Samaritans Purse, the funding is aimed at providing transitional shelter and repairing water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure. Read more in The Free Port News.
  • Doctors in Zimbabwe, who have not worked for over 35 days due to poor and lack of pay, have appealed to the World Health Organization and United Nations to supplement their salaries, which cannot be paid by the Zimbabwean Government. Read more in All Africa.
  • Saudi Arabia’s Government has given citizenship to 50,000 displaced persons and has issued ID for over 800,000 people living in Saudi Arabia without correct documentation. This measure gives displaced persons access to healthcare and education, and allows them to work. Read more in Saudi Gazette.
  • The US have signed a memorandum of intent with Libya to provide support for strengthening governance and economic activities to promote stability and increase the country’s self-reliance. Read more in Libya Herald.