Meet the seaweed farmers of Zanzibar. These women are pioneers in a profitable industry, which was previously dominated by men. They’ve used their profits to support their community and uplift women and girls in Zanzibar’s society. Now, that all could change. If they can’t adapt to the very real impacts of climate change, this $8 million industry, and these women’s livelihoods, are at risk.  But these women aren’t giving up. How these women broke barriers Seaweed farming began in Zanzibar in the 1980s...
Before COVID-19, 135 million were experiencing hunger so severe that it threatened their lives and livelihoods. Now with COVID-19, that number could double by the end of 2020. Pandemics and hunger crises go hand in hand. COVID-19 is no different. The economic impact of the pandemic translates into poverty as millions of people’s sources of income fall due to job losses. Remittances to low-and middle-income countries are expected to fall by 20% in 2020, more than double international aid to...
What policy measures have African governments taken so far during the COVID-19 pandemic? How many ventilators, hospital beds, and intensive care units do countries currently have? What have the economic shocks from COVID-19 meant for food security and remittances? While the virus itself has been slower to impact Africa than other parts of the world, the drastic declines in global trade and travel — combined with measures like quarantines — are significantly impacting economies and well-being across the continent. To better...
Growing up with her grandparents on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Lisa Michael Jones has witnessed the hardships of Tanzanian farmers. She remembers the time in 2016 when her grandfather invested in a large portion of land to start production of watermelons, just to see the harvest fail and return home empty-handed. “After that loss, I haven’t seen my grandpa cultivate a large piece of land again. Now he just farms at a small plot close to our house,”...
To celebrate International Day for Rural Women, women across Senegal gathered at a three-day event to share their success stories and challenges and learn from each other. ONE joined the celebrations organised by Group of Initiatives for Social Progress/West Africa Region (GIPS/WAR), alongside Oxfam, village leaders, religious leaders and local authorities. Water -- the stuff of life The festivities kicked off with a visit to Thiar village, about 70km east of the capital Dakar. We saw the ground-breaking work of a group of...
Three thousand young people from across Nigeria gathered in the capital Abuja in October to launch #VoteYourFuture and tell Nigerian leaders “we count”. And they’re going to prove it during presidential elections in February 2019 when they cast their votes. #VoteYourFuture is about young people creating the future they want to see. It’s about making every vote count by understanding the issues that affect Nigeria. And, it’s about voting for a President based on their policies, not who they are. There...
This blog is co-authored by Razaq Fatai, Fiona Robertson and Anita Okemini of ONE’s policy team. For nearly a decade, Nigeria’s government has indicated interest in increasing its focus on agriculture, with the aim of ensuring food security and sustainable development. There are obvious reasons for doing so, as agriculture accounts for about a quarter of the country’s GDP and nearly half of its workforce. Aside from representing the largest share of non-oil exports in Nigeria, agriculture has the...