Full Coverage: Development

28.03.2008 Despite being the locomotive of the global economy, the Asia-Pacific region still faces enormous challenges like food, energy and water security. UNESCAP’s Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2008 reveals that by making agriculture both economically and socially viable, the region can achieve sustainable and inclusive growth.

28.03.2008 Revitalisation of agriculture is crucial to eradicate poverty, says UNESCAP’s Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2008 released globally on March 27. The survey highlights key challenges arising from economic hardships and social inequality in the Asia-Pacific region and calls for concerted policy actions.

27.03.2008 Malawi Information and Civic Education Minister Patricia Kaliati on Friday said that the country will have a booming information and communication technology services after successfully piloting ICT telecentres in some districts of the country. To be regulated by the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), the telecentres will be run by women as a way of involving them in ICT activities, the minister said.

24.03.2008 Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) invites nominations from South Asian countries for the Manthan Award 2008 to recognise the best e-content for development. The Manthan Award, after its four years of interventions in India, has now decided to cover Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

21.03.2008 Hospitals in rural Tanzania have designed ways to communicate with doctors in referral hospitals using the Internet. The Bugando Referral Hospital in Mwanza has a telemedicine unit that connects Rubya and Kibondo hospitals. The remote hospitals are supplied with a computer, a scanner and a digital camera

21.03.2008 BROSDI uses a multistakeholder approach by engaging government, private sector and civil society in knowledge sharing as a means of rural development. This is through using ICT methods, inclusive of online social networking applications and participatory methods

21.03.2008 A new local technology podcast, hosted by a group of high profile tech journalists, was launched recently. A group of well-known technology journalists have started what they believe will become the country’s pre-eminent podcast about developments in the local and international technology industry. Known as ZA Tech Show, the podcast is recorded weekly and is available at www.zatechshow.co.za or through Apple’s iTunes Store.

21.03.2008 Two villages in Maharashtra in western India tell of two different tales of survival. While one village is lush green with abundant water and yielding fields, the other in Vidarbha’s cotton belt has rising debts, shrinking incomes and desperate homes.

19.03.2008 BROSDI uses a multistakeholder approach by engaging government, private sector and civil society in knowledge sharing as a means of rural development. This is through using ICT methods, inclusive of online social networking applications and participatory methods

17.03.2008 National Treasury's decision to decline funding for Infraco's West Coast undersea cable project has forced the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) to throw its lot in with the Nepad Broadband Infrastructure project, Uhurunet. In a presentation to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises, the department revealed it had requested R2.09 billion over the next three years to fund Infraco's national long-distance and West Coast undersea cable project.

14.03.2008 On Wednesday,Zambians commemorated “Youth Day”, a programme that falls on the 12 of March every year. The event in the capital city,Lusaka was held at the freedom statue in Kamwala where thousands of youths came to witness activities planned for the day. President Levy Mwanawasa in his key note address said youth of Zambia, represented more than half of the population and thus constitute a vital and vibrant human resource.

11.03.2008 An area where young people have an edge is the emerging information society driven by new technologies. Young people are often the leading innovators in the use and spread of information and communications technologies. They adapt quickly and are generally quite hungry for the great quantities of information, locally and globally, that can be provided through emerging information and communication technologies.

11.03.2008 Savvy text messaging and cheeky ring tones are the new face of cost-effective political campaigning in Zimbabwe in the run up to the 29 March election, despite the creakiness of country's cell phone networks.

10.03.2008 Delhi based Centre for Science and Environment invites participants to an intensive summer course on the policies, politics and practices of environmental management in India. Held from June 4 to August 2, 2008, the course will attempt to address the complexities underlying the environment-development debate.

10.03.2008 The real challenge confronting the non-profit sector today is sustainability of resources. At an event hosted by Times Foundation at New Delhi, leading development consultant and fundraising guru Mal Warwick shared some of the international best practices while stressing on local resource mobilisation.

04.03.2008 Changing an economy through introducing ICT is akin to trying to set up a whole row of spinning plates. Without infrastructure, you can’t get media, services and applications. Without media, services and applications, you can’t get critical mass. Without critical mass, there’s no-one to e-mail or exchange videos with, so why bother? And that’s before you get on to all the “nice things” that might happen if African governments delivered their services better

04.03.2008 The Workplace HIV and AIDS Policy Manual was developed to support resource persons working with companies, Ministries, agencies and organisations in Zambia. It may be freely used, reviewed, quoted, reproduced, translated or distributed, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The document may not be used for commercial purposes or for profit

04.03.2008 Google, the world's most popular search engine, had to tailor its offerings to work better on cellphones if it was to make real headway in Africa, the group said last week. In a continent with a dearth of computers, the cellphone is the only way most people can get online. And as only 22% of cellphone users have computers, even in relatively wealthy SA, Google's local branch is making mobile search technologies its priority.

03.03.2008 International Institute for Environment and Development invites applications for the 2008 SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development. The annual awards are a recognition of distinguished entrepreneurial initiatives that generate environmental and social benefits.