Wall Street Journal—Don’t Forget About Foreign Aid
Former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell write in the Wall Street Journal that the United States must continue and strengthen foreign development efforts through the economic downturn. “Our country’s economic health and security are inextricably linked to the prosperity and security of the rest of the world,” they write. “We have a responsibility to use our foreign aid dollars as effectively as possible, to keep our markets open to the poorest countries, and to integrate trade into our overall economic development strategy.”

Associated Press—Gates Foundation CEO outlines agriculture goals
Agriculture is a poverty solution that’s been ignored by poor countries and the large donor nations that give them aid, the leader of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said yesterday. Jeff Raikes, chief executive of the foundation, outlined an agriculture plan that includes spending about $73 million over the next five years to help small farmers in impoverished countries boost yields and reduce costs, among other things.

East African Business Week (Uganda)—Trade Will Save Continent, Says Development Bank
In east Africa, the global recession will see many economies’ growth recede by an estimated 2% this year. In response, the World Trade Organization is advising African leaders and governments not to turn inward, and instead work to open up trade as much as possible. Worldwide, the WTO predicts global trade volumes to contract by nine percent this year.

Public Agenda (Accra, Ghana): Government & the Millennium Development Goals
A newspaper in Accra, Ghana looks at the progress the west African country is making toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and the many challenges that remain.

-Steve Wilson