Huffington Post: Sustainable Intensification: Making Science the Solution for African Agriculture – Michael Hoevel, Deputy Director of Agriculture for Impact, writes “science-based agriculture offers a solution to tackling food insecurity and to managing scarce supplies of land and water to minimize carbon emissions and post-harvest losses…across the agricultural value chain from agricultural research laboratories to

Financial Times: Nigeria’s economic growth slows slightly – Nigeria’s economic growth slowed slightly to 6.56 per cent in the first quarter of 2013 due to a shrinking oil sector and the effects of an insurgency in the north. A World Bank report published this week said that Nigeria’s “short term macroeconomic outlook looks generally strong,

AP: International donors pledge billions to rebuild Mali as a viable state after military push – Various nations and international organizations pledged 3.25 billion euros ($4.22 billion) to help reconstruct the conflict-ridden West African nation Wednesday. “This conference was a total success,” Mali’s interim president, Dioncounda Traore, said. The fact that the conference raised twice

BBCNews: ‘More transparency’ needed in natural resource governance – According to The Revenue Watch Institute, more transparency is needed in how natural resources are managed around the world; 32 out of 58 countries do not meet “basic standards of resource governance”. The report says revenue from oil, gas and minerals can create huge natural wealth,

WSJ: David Cameron: A British-American Tax and Trade Agenda – In advance of the G8 meeting in June, David Cameron wrote about the need to sweep away trade bureaucracy. “An EU-U.S. deal is just one building block of a more dynamic world economy…if G-8 countries complete all of their current trade deals and those in

AFP: G8 told to be tough on those bleeding Africa – Kofi Annan recommended that G8 leaders back new rules on disclosure of company ownership and simultaneously crackdown on tax havens when they gather for the June summit in Northern Ireland. “In many African countries natural resource revenues are widening the gap between the rich

New York Times: Stop the Plunder of Africa – “With Africa’s economies riding the crest of the global commodities wave, there is an unprecedented opportunity to convert the region’s vast resource wealth into investments that could lift millions out of poverty, create jobs, and bring hope to future generations…seizing that opportunity will require strengthened governance

Chicago Tribune: Food aid for the 21st century (Opinion) – A co-authored an op-ed  by Kerry, Vilsack and Shah, praisesPresident Obama’s proposed 2014 Budget reforms to Food for Peace that would feed up to 4 million more hungry people every year, maintaining America’s leadership as the world’s greatest force for good while saving an estimated $500

European Voice: EU prepares for Mali conference – The EU will host a donor conference next week aimed at coordinating international efforts to help Mali overcome its security, political, and humanitarian crises. Attendees will include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, several African heads of state, and the head of the World Bank, as well as French

AFP: Surging African economies must tackle poverty: IMF – IMF deputy managing director David Lipton told the AFP, “Africa is beginning to deliver on its economic potential,” but warned, “there can be no complacency about Africa’s current success.” “Poverty rates remain high – even where they have come down, such as here in Mozambique.” “Sub-Saharan

AllAfrica: WEF to ‘Deliver On Africa’s Promise’ – Over 1,000 global business, government and academic leaders will converge on Cape Town from Wednesday to Friday to focus on driving Africa’s economic growth, boosting strategic infrastructure and unlocking the continent’s talent as part of the 23rd World Economic Forum on Africa. BusinessDayLive: Food production faltering in