The Globe and Mail: Cash crunch forces Zimbabwe to seek aid – Zimbabwe is still “suffering the hangover of a decade-long recession widely blamed on Mugabe policies,” and has struggled to attract funding from the likes of the IMF and World Bank because of external debt. Thus Zimbabwe is turning to South Africa and Angola for help in filling a $400-million hole in its budget due to a “lack of foreign investment and aid from its traditional Western donors.” (Nelson Banya)
Financial Times: Rwanda seeks to reduce reliance on aid – The Rwandan government has launched a development fund meant to wean the country off of aid and to offset donor funding shortfalls. In just two weeks, the government has raised $12 million from public sector workers and independent domestic and diaspora donations. John Rwangombwa, the finance minister, said that the fund should reach $100 million and will be used to “leverage investment from international capital markets.” (Katrina Manson and William Wallis)
Huffington Post: Two Party Platforms, Two Foreign Policies – The contrasting foreign affairs platforms of Republicans and Democrats “provide Americans and the world a clear picture of their differences.” While Democrats support “development assistance as essential to growing the world economy,” Republicans contend that “limiting foreign aid spending helps keep taxes lower, which frees more resources in the private and charitable sectors” who tend to have more effective and efficient donations. (Jeffrey Laurenti)
VOA: East African Farmers Plant Seeds of Innovation – Frequent droughts, erratic seasonal rains and floods in East Africa have put food security at risk, leading regional farmers to begin innovative agricultural methods. Farmers have adapted by using varieties of crops with shorter growth cycles, including drought resistant crops, which allows them to adapt to heat and water scarcity. Farmers are also planting trees to stop erosion and boost water and soil quality. (Joe DeCapua)
