Every week, RuralReporters.com collate reports on development issues in rural Africa and its environs.

This report includes some of our top picks from recent must-read research, interviews, blogs, and in-depth articles, carefully selected to help you keep up with global issues.

Here are some of the updates you may have missed from the previous week:

Improved mud houses: Solution to Ghana’s housing needs

Ghana’s rural areas continue to depend on it as the main component of building material. Availability is never in doubt as about 70 percent of the country’s total surface area is made up of laterite.

The Centre for Settlement Studies is convinced it has the answer to Ghana’s housing challenges. An experimental mud house built in 1970 at the centre is a testimony.

Many are however still skeptical about the durability of what is locally known ‘Atakpame’ house because it easily gives in to the weather, especially, heavy rains

Rural Malawians happy with SIM registration suspension

Malawians in rural areas have backed government for suspending the mandatory SIM cards registration exercise that was being conducted by mobile services providers.

Minister of Information Nicholas Dausi announced on Monday that the process should be suspended until a time when Malawians especially those in rural areas have been civic educated.

In a snap survey that Malawi24 did in rural areas of Nkhotakota, many Malawians in the areas said government has done the right thing since people have to be first sensitised on the programme.

Financing, commercialisation of Ghana’s agriculture: An analysis

There is the need to have a look at the concept of Agricultural Financing. AgriculturalFinancing concerns the provision of financial services ranging from short, medium and long-term loans, to leasing, crop and livestock insurance, covering the entire agricultural value chain namely, input supply, production and distribution, wholesaling, processing and marketing. Usually, the term is used interchangeably with rural financing, which comprises the provision of a full range financial services including loans, savings, insurance, and payment and money transfer services for use in rural areas by household and enterprises. Thus, rural financing encompasses agricultural financing(http://www.mfw4a.org).This article will primarily focus on agricultural financing as a necessary element for commercialisation of Ghana’s Agriculture.

Achieving zero Hunger in Africa is possible

An African proverb says that “wisdom is like a baobab tree — no one individual can embrace it.” The same can be applied to the fight against hunger in Africa. Collective action is fundamental to achieving the aim of the Malabo Declaration (end hunger by 2025) and Sustainable Development Goal number two (eradicating hunger and all forms of malnutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture).

The increase in hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2016 is directly linked to conflicts and the impacts of climate change, such as the prolonged drought that affected the rural areas of many countries. Low levels of productivity, weak value chains and high levels of vulnerability to crises have also contributed to negatively affecting food and agriculture systems and rural livelihoods, especially in relation to the poorest people.

Farm and non-farm activities hold enormous potential for unemployed African youths, but more effort is needed to transform rural economies. Successful, inclusive transformations encourage agricultural productivity growth, a shift of people and resources from agriculture toward manufacturing, industry and services, and massive increases in per capita income, as well as steep reductions in poverty and hunger.

In Africa, Rural Electrification Is Driven By Technology & Crowd Investments

Looking at the developments over the last five to six years, one can see that this shortfall of traditional grid development might turn into a long-term advantage of these economies. Falling solar panel prices have led to a steep surge of economically viable off-grid solutions all over the world — as well, and especially, in sub-Saharan Africa.

Combining a small solar panel with a storage battery and energy efficient LED lights creates a very affordable lighting solution for rural off-grid households in India, Kenya, and Tanzania. Millions of these lanterns and small solar home systems have been sold in recent years, improving the lives of families all over the developing world. But real electrification does not end with the provision of lighting and phone charging.