On July 19, MASHAV and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United nations signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in Eastern Africa, to promote strong technical collaboration as well as the development of capacity building strategies that will benefit government services, the civil society and the private sector in Eastern Africa.

The MOU was signed following an overall agreement on cooperation signed on November 2008 in Roma, FAO headquarters with the aim to assist developing countries to achieve the Millenium development goals (UN MDGs).

World Cup-bound Norwegian cyclist teaches Eritrean refugees about the internet

Pupils at the Eritrean Refugee School in Sudan are learning internet and social media platforms with a former professional football player! another way to reach the outside world.
http://www.unhcr.org/4b9fb8cb9.html

Could stopping aid to Africa help the continent?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlW-ucSzdGI

A recent interview of Dambisa Moyo (feb.5, 2010) on the issue of foreign aid and its effectiveness. Not everybody likes her but this is pretty interesting.

Africa blocs draft giant free trade roadmap

from REUTERS Africa. The roadmap would bring together 26 states, from South Africa to Egypt.


"Three African trade blocs that have agreed to form a free trade area covering more than half a billion people created a long overdue roadmap on Monday.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC), East African Community (EAC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) agreed to the plan in October 2008, but the roadmap was due to have been completed six months later.
"Almost half of Africa is part of this grand free trade area," EAC Secretary-General Juma Mwapachu told reporters after a meeting of trade bloc officials in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
He said the unpublished roadmap was a major achievement".

read the article:
http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE5A80PU20091109?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

Four African Economies among the Top 10 fastest growing in 2010

Every year for the past 9 years, compulsory reading for any economist has been the excellent ‘The World In’ series that is released in November annually predicting the upcoming year for economies, politics to new innovations in industry, and more often than not, they see what the future has in store. What they have predicted well has been the rate of growth of African economies that have hit double digits in many cases, with five African countries in the global Top 10 growers in 2009, and four expected in 2010.
Development Afrique- Oct. 16, 2009