Africa in control of its fortune
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013 Posted in Governance, Pan Africa | No Comments »Several African countries are amongst today’s fastest growing economies in the world, boosted in many instances by new discoveries of oil, natural gas and strategic mineral reserves. Extreme poverty on the continent is in decline, and progress towards meeting the ...
Africa’s growth must benefit all its citizens
Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 Posted in Governance, Pan Africa, Press release | No Comments »Africa’s remarkable growth, driven in large part by a minerals and energy boom, is threatened by illicit capital outflows and widening income gaps, international agency Oxfam has warned ahead of a meeting of top business leaders at the World Economic ...
Stopping to listen to those who help themselves
Wednesday, March 27th, 2013 Posted in Aid, Education, Governance, Tanzania | 1 Comment »Sometimes the most valuable insights into communities and development can be found by taking time to stop work and just talk and listen to people. Makarand Sahasrabuddhe reflects on a few days of random conversations in northern Tanzania: A couple of ...
South Sudan: Helping citizens hold politicians to account
Monday, March 25th, 2013 Posted in Governance, South Sudan | 1 Comment »[caption id="attachment_6006" align="alignright" width="300" caption="An MP-public dialogue in Abiriu"][/caption] It’s a common complaint among South Sudan citizens that their politicians have not visited them since their election, have not delivered on campaign promises, and don't inform them how public money is ...
Justice at last for Tanzania villagers owed money by gold mine
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 Posted in Governance, Tanzania | No Comments »[caption id="attachment_5964" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Maimuna Said"][/caption] For the past four years, villagers in Mwime in northwest Tanzania have been waiting for payments promised to them after a new gold mine opened up on their land. Oxfam’s Chukua Hatua project has ...
Citizens and candidates debate ahead of Kenya elections
Friday, March 1st, 2013 Posted in Governance, Kenya | No Comments »In a few days time Kenya holds its national elections, and a lot has been done to increase dialogue between citizens and aspiring leaders. The country recently held its first ever live televised Presidential debates, and Oxfam and local partner ...
Ten biggest food and beverage companies failing millions of people who grow their ingredients
Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 Posted in Governance, Pan Africa, Press release, Women's rights | No Comments »New Oxfam campaign ranks social policies of food and beverage companies The social and environmental policies of the world's ten biggest food and beverage giants are not fit for modern purpose and need a major shake-up, says international agency Oxfam The “Big ...
Playing the resilience game in Uganda
Thursday, February 21st, 2013 Posted in Climate change, Governance, Uganda, Video | No Comments »Staff and trainers from ACCRA - the Africa Climate Change Resilience Alliance - recently visited Kotido district in north eastern Uganda to run a game on climate change adaptation with district officials. The aim is for the ...
South Sudan: Finding local partners when civil society has been weakened by war
Tuesday, February 19th, 2013 Posted in Governance, South Sudan | No Comments »After a difficult start, Oxfam's fragile states project Within and Without the State has been making significant and exciting progress in South Sudan over the last few months. The team are now at the stage of selecting civil society organisation ...
No such thing as the voiceless – just people who don’t listen
Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 Posted in Aid, Governance, Pan Africa | No Comments »Too often is it heard in NGO talk that “we are speaking for the voiceless” or “I represent the voiceless”. When using the term “voiceless”, it is often referring to the masses of women and men who are ...