In the bustling neighborhoods of Kinshasa, Sivi Malukisa recalls the early days of her entrepreneurial journey when she had a vision but no production facility or funding. Today, her company, Manitech Congo, produces tons of peanut butter and chili sauces monthly, employs dozens, and supports local industries. Her success story is emblematic of the broader… [Read More]
Labor
106 Governments Pledge 191 Commitments to Accelerate Beijing Declaration for Women and Girls
In a historic multilateral move, 106 governments from all regions have pledged 191 commitments to advance gender equality and accelerate progress for women and girls by 2030. UN Women launched the Beijing+30 Priority Actions Dashboard to track these voluntary commitments, highlighting that gender equality continues to be a central rallying point for global cooperation. Sima… [Read More]
Pushing for Pay Equity: A Complete Guide for Employees and Employers
The gender pay gap remains a persistent global issue, with women earning on average 80 per cent of what men earn, and the disparity is even wider for women of colour, migrant women, those with disabilities, and mothers. These wage inequalities have significant real-life consequences, affecting not only women but their families and communities, particularly… [Read More]
RightsCon 2025 Highlights: Care, Cybersecurity, and the Connect, Defend, Act! Initiative
In 2025, digital rights advocates, technologists, journalists, and civic leaders from around the world convened in Taipei, Taiwan, for RightsCon, one of the leading forums on human rights and technology. The summit provided a critical space for reflection and strategy, particularly for organizations navigating the increasingly restricted civic space in Southeast Asia. For Hivos’ Connect,… [Read More]
A New Chapter in the Amazon: Protecting Rainforests and Wildlife
Hivos has launched a new project in Colombia, Living Forests, Strong Communities, aimed at empowering Indigenous communities to use legislative tools to protect their lands and endangered forests. Colombia is home to some of the world’s most biodiverse regions, with Indigenous peoples managing over 30 million hectares of forest. These communities, however, face multiple threats,… [Read More]
Billion-Dollar Military AI and Innovation Boost Through Strategic Partnership
The UK is set to become a global leader in defence innovation through a new strategic partnership with Palantir, designed to unlock up to £1.5 billion in investment, create hundreds of high-skilled jobs, and strengthen national security. The partnership, signed on 18 September 2025 by Defence Secretary John Healey, will see Palantir establish its European… [Read More]
Ireland Hits €1 Billion in Horizon Europe Grants for Research and Development
Ireland has officially surpassed the €1 billion mark in funding secured from the EU’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe, according to Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless. This achievement places Ireland ahead of its national target of €1.5 billion (1.6%) of Horizon Europe’s €95.5 billion budget… [Read More]
WHO Raises Alarm Over Rising Suicide Rates in Eswatini
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concern over the rising number of suicides in Eswatini, urging urgent and coordinated action to save lives. The Kingdom of Eswatini ranks second globally in suicide rates, highlighting the gravity of the situation. Speaking ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day in Mbabane, WHO Eswatini Representative Dr. Susan Tembo… [Read More]
Modern Laboratory Enhances Côte d’Ivoire’s Fight Against Polio
Côte d’Ivoire has taken an important step in strengthening its fight against poliovirus with the launch of an upgraded laboratory in Abidjan. The facility, based at the Institut Pasteur of Côte d’Ivoire, is designed to improve the detection and timely response to polio cases, ensuring children are better protected from the debilitating disease. The new… [Read More]
EBRD Supports Infinity Power’s First Greenfield Wind Farm Project in Egypt
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a financing package worth US$ 74.1 million to support the development of a 200 MW wind farm in Ras Ghareb, Egypt. The project, jointly owned by Infinity Power and Masdar, will receive an EBRD senior loan of up to US$ 60.7 million, a concessional loan… [Read More]
Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: Strategic Partnership Empowers Youth with Careers and Opportunities
Jim Bowman, Chairperson of the New Jersey Advisory Board for Think Big for Kids, recognized the need for a strong alliance to advance the organization’s mission of breaking the cycle of poverty for teens and young adults. Drawing on his long-standing commitment to the nonprofit, Bowman turned to the Association for Corporate Growth New Jersey… [Read More]
Africa Leads the Way: Kigali Roundtable Champions Responsible AI for Inclusive Development
Kigali became a hub for responsible artificial intelligence (AI) on August 20, 2025, as the Canadian High Commission in Rwanda, IDRC, and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) co-hosted a high-level roundtable alongside the annual Deep Learning Indaba, Africa’s premier gathering of machine learning and AI experts. The event spotlighted African-led AI innovations… [Read More]
Africa Accelerates Circular Economy Shift at 2nd Africa Climate Summit
African nations are turning their circular economy ambitions into action, marking a key milestone at the 2nd Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Addis Ababa. For the first time since the African Union (AU) adopted its Continental Circular Economy Action Plan (CCEAP) in July 2025, leaders, entrepreneurs, and development partners gathered to outline concrete steps for… [Read More]
UK Secures Record £150bn Investment During US State Visit
During a historic US State Visit, the UK unveiled a record-breaking £150 billion investment package, set to create more than 7,600 high-quality jobs across the country. The investment spans key sectors identified in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, including clean energy, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and AI. Major commitments include a £100 billion pledge from… [Read More]
Atlantic Council Launches MENA Futures Lab, Appoints Khalid Azim as Inaugural Director
The Atlantic Council has launched the MENA Futures Lab, a new flagship initiative under the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East aimed at advancing innovation, entrepreneurship, and human capital development across the Middle East and North Africa. Khalid Azim, a seasoned financier, academic, and public servant, has been appointed as the inaugural director of… [Read More]
How Cooperatives in Senegal Connect Farmers to Finance and Markets
The International Trade Centre (ITC) supports farmers in Senegal and other countries by helping them establish farm cooperatives, enabling small producers to gain more value from their products rather than selling raw goods. One notable example is the Agricultural Cooperative Society for Inclusive Development of the Niayes (COOPADIN), which operates in four towns near Dakar… [Read More]
DBS and Franklin Templeton Partner to Launch Tokenized Money Market Fund Solutions with Ripple RLUSD
DBS, Franklin Templeton, and Ripple have partnered to offer accredited and institutional investors innovative trading and lending solutions through tokenised money market funds on the XRP Ledger blockchain, using stablecoins like Ripple USD (RLUSD). Formalized via a memorandum of understanding, the collaboration combines DBS’s position as one of Asia’s largest financial institutions, Franklin Templeton’s expertise… [Read More]
EU Provides €250 Million in Macro-Financial Assistance to Support Jordan’s Economy
Today, the European Commission disbursed the first instalment of €250 million in Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This payment is part of the €500 million EU MFA IV programme, approved by the European Parliament and the Council in April 2025. The disbursement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by… [Read More]
How AI Is Helping 38 Million Farmers With Advanced Weather Predictions
This summer, 38 million farmers in India received AI-powered forecasts predicting the start of the monsoon season, giving them vital information to decide the best time to plant crops. These forecasts were powered in part by NeuralGCM, a Google Research model that integrates physics-based weather modeling with machine learning to deliver more accurate and efficient… [Read More]
West African Development Bank Joins Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty
The West African Development Bank (BOAD) has officially joined the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, an initiative led by the Brazilian Presidency of the G20. The Alliance focuses on eradicating hunger and poverty while reducing inequalities by supporting low-income countries, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, and 10). BOAD’s membership,… [Read More]
Start-up Funding in East Africa: Insights on ‘Follow the Money’ and the African ‘Valley of Death’
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has launched a call for proposals, inviting applications by 3 October 2025 to conduct a comprehensive study on start-up funding in East Africa, with a particular focus on Kenya and Tanzania. Commissioned through the UK Kenya Tech Hub, the East Africa Research and Innovation Hub, and the… [Read More]
African Development Bank Approves Equity Investment in The Currency Exchange Fund
The African Development Bank Group’s Board of Directors has approved an equity investment of USD 25 million in The Currency Exchange Fund (TCX), a global leader in providing long-term local currency hedging solutions in emerging and frontier markets. This investment will strengthen TCX’s capital base, expand its risk-bearing capacity, and increase its ability to offer… [Read More]
WTO Hackathon Highlights Youth-Led Solutions for Trade and Food Security
The World Trade Organization (WTO), in collaboration with the Geneva Trade Platform and CropLife International, held the finals of its first global policy hackathon on trade and food security on 16 September. The event gathered 58 student teams from over 30 countries, tasking them with designing innovative solutions on how trade rules could support the… [Read More]
