Post by remit.ug. Congrats to our pitching team Stone Atwine and Collins Mugume who represented Redcore Ltd. Switzerland, here we come!
I attended the reading of ‘Just Me, You, and the Silence‘, by fellow Ugandan JUDY ADONG. During the panel discussion, which included notable, and often “quotable” Binyavanga Wainaina, an audience member asked what they could do to help Uganda and Ugandans, now that the anti-gay bill had already passed. Could they call or email their […]
Google’s reported plans to roll out a fleet of satellites likely won’t make its efforts with drones or balloons obsolete. Tim Farrar, a consultant who worked for a company that tried to offer satellite-based internet access in the 1990s before its $9 billion project was halted, told the WSJ that the technologies complemented each other, […]
Consumers who pay extra for coffee or other products with Fairtrade labels may not be helping the lives of the world’s poor, a new study suggests. Researchers from SOAS, University of Londonm spent four years looking at coffee, tea and flower workers in Ethiopia and Uganda. The study finds some at Fairtrade sites earning less […]
Up to 20,000 migrants have died at sea trying to reach Europe over the past 20 years. Instead of engaging thoughtfully and constructively with this tragedy, a Dutch daily newspaper published a stereotypical cartoon mocking migrants who make the journey. I think it is sad that a nation that has its founding in maritime success crossing […]
Join me and a distinguished list of discussants for an evening of discourse about the state of remittances and economic growth in Africa. The Africa-America Institute’s next Speaker Series panel discussion will explore the role remittances can play in bolstering economic growth and prosperity on the African continent. The panel discussion entitled “Can Remittances from the […]
David Brooks’ op-ed at NYT this week, The Real Africa, is worth a read if you want to put #Bringbackourgirls into perspective of the whole continent: But this is more or less the opposite of the truth. Boko Haram is not the main story in Africa or even in Nigeria. It is a small rear-guard […]
The power of a hashtag to go global on a very local issue is very inspiring to me. That said, global narratives can be for good, as in #BringBackOurGirls or disastrous, as in the case of #Kony2012. What I like about the former is that it was a collective effort by Nigerians and Africans calling […]
Duncan Green writing for Oxfam’s From Poverty to Power blog: ‘Remittances to Africa are rising. In 2013, transfers to the region were valued at $32 billion, or around 2% of GDP. Charges on remittances to Africa are well above global average levels. Migrants sending $200 home can expect to pay 12% in charges, which is […]
Rafia Zakaria has a great piece on The White Tourist’s Burden for Al Jazeera America: In recent years, the ethics of voluntourism, especially its underbelly of exploitation, have been questioned by academics and activists alike. Most of the debate, however, is limited to questioning whether volunteer vacations do more harm than good or how it […]