Rural Banking, Power Grids and Other Reports

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:

NIPOST ventures into rural banking, properties in fresh survival strategy

The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) is venturing into rural banking and property investments in new reforms for the survival of the agency.

Minister of communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, who declared this at a one-day stakeholders’ conference organised by Postmaster General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Postal Service in Lagos, also announced that the NIPOST is venturing into e-commerce in new reforms at the agency.

These, he said, are aimed at turning the agency into the biggest revenue generating parastatal of government.

Mini power grids bring promise of jobs to rural Nigerians: report

Nigeria is on the verge of a boom in mini power grids that could stimulate rural economies and bring jobs to frustrated youth thinking of leaving, researchers said on Wednesday.

Less than half of all Nigerians and only about a third of those living in rural areas have access to electricity, according to the United States Agency for International Development.

Minigrids – stand-alone power systems that often use solar power and can generate electricity for 5,000 to 10,000 people – are starting to take off in Nigeria and could change that, the Rocky Mountain Institute said in a report this week.

Poor service delivery in rural areas fuelling abortion

Poor service delivery in rural areas is said to be fuelling unsafe abortions among teenagers in the country.

This was revealed at a capacity building training workshop on reporting abortion organised by Centre for Solution Journalism at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe on Saturday.

Speaking at the workshop, President of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist in Malawi Dr. Chisali Mhango blamed poor service delivery in rural areas mostly on access to family planning methods as a major cause of concern.

Water access may be more important than electricity for sub-Saharan Africa

For nearly two decades, the United States has strongly pushed for the electrification of rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa to raise the standard of living. It has carried out these goals via the USAID’s Power Africa and the World Bank, and under the UN Sustainable Development Goal on Energy (SDG7). And yet, it remains unclear whether electrification can actually improve living standards in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

As researchers, we have previously documented the positive effects of electrification schemes. Still, we think that money earmarked for rural electrification in sub-Saharan Africa might be better spent elsewhere.

Providing people with clean drinking water and sanitation infrastructure may do more to improve living standards than providing them with electricity.

Africa aims to end cholera by 2030

Health Ministers have pledged to implement key strategies for ending cholera outbreaks in the African region by 2030.

Forty-seven African countries adopted the Regional Framework for the Implementation of the Global Strategy for Cholera Prevention and Control today (28 August) at the 68th session of the World Health Organization’s Regional Committee  for Africa, which is taking place in Dakar, Senegal.

“Cholera is a symbol of inequity,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa. “It’s an ancient disease, which has been eliminated in many parts of the world. Every death from cholera is preventable. We have the know-how and today countries have shown that they have the will to do whatever it takes to end cholera outbreaks by 2030.“

Farmers see promise and profit for agroforestry in southern Kenya

Starved of their natural source of firewood, communities were forced to find new ways to continue obtaining firewood for free, says Kunga Ngece, an independent conservationist.

“Firewood is still [the] biggest source of fuel in many poor homes,” he says. “Agroforestry could provide this resource.”

Continued education about the benefits trees can give to rural communities, like herbal medicines and natural manure for food crops, also inspired a new appetite for agroforestry about a decade ago, Ngece says.

In rural Africa, lessons for the U.S. South about eradicating poverty-related diseases

Adam Weiss has worked on the Guinea Worm Eradication Program at the Carter Center since 2005. Now the senior associate director, he oversees and helps supervisors like Sallau monitor the few remaining programs. Since the program’s inception, the Carter Center has funded and supported National Ministries of Health in each country to develop their own strategy, and worked with other partners like UNICEF to develop clean water initiatives and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide technical assistance. The community volunteers, while supported with resources, aren’t paid like some other programs, which Weiss said is to ensure that outsiders don’t come in to solve problems and then leave.

“These [communities] are so far removed from who has wealth and resources in this world, and the fundamental problem is bridging that disconnect,” Weiss said.

For this to succeed, Weiss added, it has taken “packaging things in a way people can understand, supporting and celebrating people in communities, and creating buy-in to the process.”

Busayo Sotunde is a prolific writer with special focus on Business, Entrepreneurship, Reproductive Health and other development issues in Africa. Her articles have been published by different outlets including Investing Port and Ventures-Africa.com. She has a penchant for reading and sustainable development. Follow Busayo on Twitter @BusayomiSotunde
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