The rising cost of agricultural inputs, particularly inorganic fertilizers, has posed a significant challenge for smallholder farmers in Malawi, limiting their productivity and threatening food security. Many farmers, unable to afford these costly inputs, often experience poor harvests that barely meet their household consumption needs, especially in areas affected by land degradation. To address this… [Read More]
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U.S. Education Department Bars Federal Funding for Political Activism on College Campuses
The U.S. Department of Education has withdrawn Biden-era guidance that permitted Federal Work Study (FWS) funds to be used for paying students engaged in certain partisan and nonpartisan political activities. In new guidance, the Department emphasized that FWS funds should be directed toward jobs that provide meaningful work experience, rather than political activism. This decision… [Read More]
Civic Space Under Threat: How Restrictions on Civil Society Undermine Global Development
An open and inclusive civic space is fundamental to achieving social change, yet it is increasingly under threat in the UK and across the world. Civic space refers to the environment in which civil society can exist and operate, encompassing the political, legal, regulatory, social, and security conditions that shape freedoms of expression, association, assembly,… [Read More]
Australian Government Awards $50.4 Million in Grants to Boost Innovation
Since 2016, the Cooperative Research Centre Project (CRC-P) grants have played a key role in funding new technologies, products, and services that support Australian businesses. These grants are designed to back short-term, industry-led research projects that deliver practical, real-world solutions while addressing Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities. The latest round of funding is supporting… [Read More]
Australian Innovative Businesses to Receive $28.7 Million from Industry Growth Program
The Australian Government is strengthening support for startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through the Industry Growth Program, designed to help innovative businesses overcome challenges in bringing their ideas to market. Recognizing the vital role SMEs and startups play in driving economic growth, the program offers tailored advisory services and matched funding grants to… [Read More]
Education Cannot Wait and Donor Partners Commit $7 Million to Support Education in Niger
Children in Niger are facing a worsening multidimensional crisis that threatens both their education and their future. Conflict, internal displacement, climate change, and poverty have combined to put immense pressure on the education system, leaving many children out of school and without protection. In response, Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and its strategic donor partners have… [Read More]
Norway Pledges Increased Direct Funding to Support Indigenous Peoples in Brazil
The Norwegian Embassy in Brazil has revised its funding strategy to channel more resources directly to Indigenous-led funds rather than through NGOs or multilateral agencies. By 2026, its Indigenous Peoples Programme (NIPP) aims to direct over 90% of its annual budget to Indigenous-led associations and funds. This marks a significant shift from past approaches and… [Read More]
Driving Finance Towards Greater Investment in Nature and Biodiversity
In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, awareness of nature’s role in sustaining economies has become increasingly prominent. International frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity emphasize the importance of aligning both public and private finance with nature-positive development, ensuring that natural capital is restored at a rate that maintains ecological balance. The UNDP… [Read More]
Japan Pledges $550 Million to Gavi Vaccine Alliance Over Five Years
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has announced that Japan will contribute $550 million over five years to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which supports immunization efforts in developing countries. The pledge was conveyed during a meeting with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who leads the Gates Foundation, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo. Tetsuo Saito, leader of… [Read More]
Ethiopia Faces Calls to Drop Proposed Civil Society Organization Law Amendments
Amnesty International has strongly condemned proposed changes to Ethiopia’s Civil Society Organization (CSO) law, warning that the draft amendments should not be enacted. The organization cautioned that if approved, the changes would severely restrict civic space in the country. The CSO Proclamation of 2019 currently regulates both national and international civil society groups operating in… [Read More]
NIH Awards $17 Million Grant to The Wistar Institute for Personalized HIV Cure Research
The Wistar Institute has announced that it has received a five-year, $17 million research award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish the iCure Consortium, a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to developing individualized cure regimens for HIV. The consortium’s mission is to advance personalized medicine strategies that move beyond treatment management toward a functional… [Read More]
Airtel Africa Foundation Launches Tech For Her Program to Upskill Women in Africa
Airtel Africa Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Airtel Africa plc, has launched its Tech For Her Program to empower young women in Zambia, Uganda, and Kenya with in-demand digital skills. Delivered in partnership with Tertiary DNS, the five-week online program provides intensive training in areas such as Linux Administration, Cybersecurity, and Data Analytics, helping participants… [Read More]
AND Global Secures $21.4 Million Funding to Drive Financial Inclusion
Leading global fintech company AND Global has successfully raised $21.4 million in a Series B funding round led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of The World Bank Group, and AEON Financial Service, a major Japanese financial group operating in 11 Asian markets. This milestone marks a significant step forward for the company’s… [Read More]
IIM Calcutta Launches ₹50 Crore Fund to Support Cleantech and Sustainability Startups
The IIM-Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) has announced the launch of a dedicated INR 50 crore fund to support early-stage cleantech and sustainability ventures. The fund will be deployed over the next 12 to 18 months to back startups working in areas such as clean energy, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and waste-to-value solutions. According to IIMCIP… [Read More]
A Silent Emergency: Battling Deadly Epidemics in Conflict Zones
In the quiet halls of the Mapendo health centre in Kiwanja, North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the emergency unfolding is silent but relentless. Patients arrive steadily, many carrying children suffering from fever, infections and diarrhoea, reflecting a region where accessing care is an everyday struggle. Stella Sifa, who returned to her… [Read More]
Foundations Pledge $36.5M Emergency Funding to Safeguard Public Media in Vulnerable Communities
Six major philanthropic organizations — the Knight Foundation, Pivotal, the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, the Schmidt Family Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — have announced nearly $37 million in emergency relief for public media stations facing closure after the loss of federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The federal rescission… [Read More]
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire Partner to Build Cross-Border Agricultural Value Chains and Agro-Park
Stakeholders from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana convened in Abidjan on 15 August 2025 to review a draft assessment report on cross-border cocoa and rice value chains. The initiative, led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC) and ECOWAS, seeks to enhance diversification, value addition, and… [Read More]
Unitaid and Jhpiego Launch $26.5M Program to Fight Antimalarial Drug Resistance in Africa
Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have been the primary treatment for malaria since 2001, but rising resistance to artemisinin now threatens decades of hard-won progress against the disease, which claimed more than 600,000 lives in 2024. Recent studies have confirmed partial resistance in several regions of Africa. Although resistance to the ACT partner drugs has not… [Read More]
KCDF Awards Ksh 53 Million Grants to Support Young Environmental Innovators in Kenya
On August 14, 2025, the Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) awarded a total of Ksh 53 million in grants to ten community organizations and two individuals to support their innovative initiatives in environmental sustainability and conservation. The recipients were the finalists of the second edition of the Young Environmentalist Innovation Challenge (YEIC), a KCDF initiative… [Read More]
Resident Coordinators Driving Innovation and Impact with the Joint SDG Fund
At the Fourth Financing for the Development Dialogues (FFD4), discussions focused on how development financing can be reshaped to better respond to today’s complex global challenges. Among the key voices was Mohamed El Zarkani, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Saudi Arabia, who emphasized the evolving role of the UN in high-income countries and highlighted… [Read More]
Mozambique Launches Industry-Focused Training to Empower Youth
The International Labour Organization (ILO), through its IFAD-funded Projecta Jovem Project, has partnered with the Government of Mozambique and the National Institute for Employment Promotion (INEP) to enhance youth employability and practical skills. The initiative provides professional and paid internships in collaboration with private sector companies, already benefiting 432 young people. Recently, ten Technical and… [Read More]
ILO Launches Livelihood Recovery Initiative in Earthquake-Affected Myanmar
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched an initiative in Myanmar to support livelihood recovery and strengthen community resilience in areas devastated by the recent earthquake. The project is designed to rebuild destroyed buildings while providing decent work opportunities for affected communities by hiring local workers. Known as the Enhanced Livelihood Recovery and Community Resilience… [Read More]
Stronger Humanitarian-Development Partnerships Key to Refugee Inclusion in Social Protection
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a new brief marking World Humanitarian Day, underscoring that stronger collaboration between humanitarian agencies and development actors is essential to integrating refugees into national social protection systems. Titled Social protection and forced displacement – Lessons learned from a decade of ILO operations, the brief draws on ten years… [Read More]
