Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – The sound of children at play echoes through the verdant lanes of one of the dozens of refugee camps on the outskirts of Cox’s Bazar, a densely populated coastal town in southeast Bangladesh. Just for a moment, the sounds manage to soften the harsh living conditions faced by the more than one…
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has attributed Africa’s stagnation to a combination of poor leadership, endemic corruption, overdependence on foreign aid, and the continent’s adoption of a democratic model ill-suited to its realities. Speaking at the 32nd Annual Meeting of Afreximbank in Abuja on Thursday night, Obasanjo argued that Western liberal democracy, inherited from colonial powers,…
The U.S. State Department announced Thursday that the Trump administration had approved $30 million in funding for the controversial, opaquely run private food distribution organization known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been criticized by a United Nations agency as “a death trap” for hungry Palestinians in the war-torn enclave. It is the first…
As US assistance recedes, African governments and investors must reframe risk and embrace long-term capital that promotes resilience For decades, foreign assistance from the United States, especially USAID, brought a sense of certainty to African economies. That certainty came at a cost. Aid helped address urgent challenges. It built hospitals, distributed vaccines, and provided food…
New York — The world is losing interest in investing in others, especially when it comes to humanitarian aid. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has slowed to critical levels, weakening emerging markets and further slowing growth across developing nations. As of 2025, FDI has dwindled to its lowest levels yet, largely due to heightened trade tensions…
Israeli forces have killed 23 Palestinians after opening fire on crowds gathered near an aid distribution site, witnesses and medics say. Tanks and drones fired at thousands of people near a distribution centre in central Gaza run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the witnesses and medics said. The Israel Defense Forces…
A funding shortfall is forcing WFP and other humanitarian organizations to cut assistance to some of the world’s most vulnerable people Omnia and her young son stand in line under a harsh midday sun, waiting for the daily hot lunch for newcomers at Uganda’s Kiryandongo refugee settlement. Exhaustion is etched on the face of this…
Scidev.Net — As Africa reckons with shrinking foreign research support and looming health threats, scientists across the continent are pushing for a more self-reliant future. Long dependent on external funding and expertise, African institutions are now building infrastructure, training local talent, and taking control of critical research operations, from genomic sequencing to diagnostics manufacturing. One…
– In the wake of the deepest funding cuts ever to hit the international humanitarian sector, the top United Nations aid official today presented the global “hyper-prioritized” appeal aiming to help 114 million people facing life-threatening needs across the world. The plan seeks US$29 billion in funding. It further prioritizes, but does not replace, the…
Security camera footage shows the moment Israeli forces boarded a yacht that was carrying activists towards Gaza, to deliver humanitarian aid. The 12 activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, were detained and their boat, the Madleen, was towed to the Israeli port city of Ashdod. The Madleen’s journey was organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition,…
