South Africa: Boost for XDR-TB Patients As Cheaper Pills Allowed

 The Medicines Control Council (MCC) has granted humanitarian group Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) access to a cheaper drug to treat extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).   The MCC's decision is the conclusion of a three-year battle for MSF and comes a few weeks after the MSF lodged a high court case against the MCC. This followed the regulatory body's failure to convene a statutory committee to allow MSF to appeal the MCC's December decision barring it from.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 6th September 2014

Tanzanian coffee industry shows promising potential

 A recent report released by Rabobank has suggested that governmental effects will be required to allow Tanzanian farmers to enhance the quality of their beans in order to encourage further growth in the East African country's coffee sector Coffee-beans-advencapThe Tanzanian government's influence on improving coffee production was highlighed in a recent report from Rabobank. (Image source: advencap) According to the report, Climbing Kilimanjaro: Tanzania’s Future in.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 31st July 2014

Kenya launches health for all campaign

 Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Health has Monday launched the universal health for all campaign in Nairobi and noted challenges to realize the vision.   According to James Macharia, it is a daunting task to achieve universal health coverage in developing countries such as Kenya due to financial constraints and the over-reliance on direct payments at the time people need care.   “Kenyan people do not have the culture of prepaying for health. They would.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 31st July 2014

European Union injects US$13.6mn into food research in Kenya

 The European Union (EU) will spend US$13.6mn into developing research on the indigenous crops and livestock in the arid and semi-arid areas of Baringo county to boost food production in Kenya Kenya-farmer-K. TrautmannThe European Union will provide farmers in Baringo county with funding to improve food production in Baringo, Kenya. (Image source: K. Trautmann.) According to the African EU coordinator responsible for agriculture, Dominic Davuu, the EU has issued its research.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 31st July 2014

Zambian government signs US$26 million loan agreement

 The Zambian government has signed a US$26 million loan agreement with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in a bid to provide rural financial services to small-holder farmers Zambia-farmers-wateringcrops Small-holder farmers in Zambia will benefit from a loan deal entered by the Zambian government and IFAD. (Image source: Bread for the World) The Zambia rural finance expansion scheme will receive support from IFAD through a loan of US$10.8mn and funding.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 31st July 2014

ILRI conference discusses accessing finance for livestock and dairy farming

 A guarantee fund needs to be set up to allow financial service providers to hedge their risks in the multi-stakeholder livestock value chains, according to speakers at a recent conference in Nairobi on livestock and dairy farming in Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACT) countries Cattle-Africa-ILRIAccording to speakers at a conference hosted by the ILRI, developing livestock-relevant financial products and services should be a key priority for stakeholders in livestock production..... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 31st July 2014

Africa: Test Could Ease Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in Children

 A new genetic test for tuberculosis (TB) could dramatically improve the accuracy of diagnoses of infected children in developing countries, although a simple diagnostic kit could be some way off. The research, published last month (1 May) in the New England Journal of Medicine, examined the DNA of more than 2,800 children admitted to hospitals in Kenya, Malawi and South Africa with TB symptoms. It identified specific gene sequences that appear more frequently during a TB.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 30th July 2014

Africa: On Trial - Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa

 Increasing agricultural productivity and adapting farming to climate change are central to Africa's development prospects. There are important opportunities to enhance yields and increase resilience through the adoption of improved crop varieties.   In some cases, biotechnology, and in particular genetic modification (GM), offers advantages over conventional plant-breeding approaches.   Accordingly there are a various projects under way to develop new GM varieties.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 30th July 2014

Kenya to adopt e-agriculture services

Kenya's ministry of Agriculture is pushing for the implementation of e-agriculture extension services to enable farmers in rural areas access information on modern production methods and improve productivity as Agriculture remains the most important economic activity in Kenya. The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Romano Kiome said yesterday that plans were underway to establish information desks in all districts across the country as a way of improving information flow..... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 30th July 2014

IFC/World Bank Report : 4 million Kenyans projected to have clean off-lighting by 2015

Lighting Africa will release the findings of the Lighting Africa Market Trends Report – Overview of the Off-Grid Lighting Market in Africa. In Kenya, an estimated 30 million still live without electricity and rely mostly on kerosene for lighting.  Given the current market growth of between 94 – 115% for off-grid lighting products, up to four million Kenyans could have access to clean, safe lighting by 2015. The report provides a snapshot and projects trends in the.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 29th July 2014

Solar powered LED lighting across Africa

Philips has launched a new initiative, which will see the installation of 100 light centres across rural Africa by 2015. These are areas of about 1,000m2, or the size of a small soccer pitch, which are lit using a new generation of highly efficient solar powered LED lighting. The idea is to create areas of light for rural communities which live without electricity thus effectively extending the day and creating numerous opportunities for social and economic activities in the.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 29th July 2014

Liberia and EU sign deal to end 'logs of war'

Liberia and the European Union have signed a deal to prevent illegal timber exports and kickstart the country’s forestry industry. But is it “green” enough? Liberia is home to 45% of the rainforests in West Africa, but for many years its timber industry was rooted in corruption. Former President Charles Taylor, currently on trial for war crimes, was accused of selling “logs of war” to fund his brutal regime, forcing the UN to place sanctions on.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 29th July 2014