New York Times: Opinion: Doughnuts Defeating Poverty – “After recent financial crises, plenty of Americans love to hate banks, but many of the world’s poor don’t have that luxury,” which sometimes leads to misuse. Village savings group, supported by international aid organizations, could be the solution. For one African family, the group helped them save money and taught them how to open a small business. (Nicholas D. Kristof)
VOA: WFP Scales Up Operation in Sahel – With rising concerns for another hunger crisis as well as debilitating locust swarms in the Sahel, the World Food Program has promised to enhance its humanitarian actions in order to reach the 10 million people critically short of food. (Lisa Schlein)
CNN: ‘Netflix of Africa’ brings Nollywood to world – Nigerian Internet entrepreneur Jason Njoku introduced Nigeria’s entertainment industry to the globe, founding iROKO Partners to distribute Nollywood films electronically. Described as the “Netflix of Africa,” Njoku’s company launched a new subscription service for exclusive films this week. (Teo Kermeliotis)
Devex: Happy Independence Day, South Sudan – A year ago, the international community greeted South Sudan with promises of monetary aid and engagement. Amid predictions of further assistance with humanitarian relief, infrastructure, basic services and institutional development in the coming years, how has the help stacked up? (Ivy Mungcel)