Election season is fast approaching in Tanzania, but retiring President Kikwete continues to take stock of his tenure with a series of events, not least the inaugural Africa Open Data Conference that was hosted in Dar es Salaam last week. …
I have been something of a habitual weekend flier to and from New York over the last year (although I still barely know the city outside the vicinity of the UN) and I’ve clocked up a few UN General Assembly …
Two years have whizzed past since I first arrived to work in Tanzania and was sent straight down to the capital Dodoma to attend the Parliament (Bunge) budget debate. I’m now at the likely mid-point of my assignment, so it’s …
Every week we hear about Pakistan's appalling poverty indicators, some of the worst in the region. Every week somebody declares an 'emergency'. Every week a politician says we must do better. Every week a disillusioned public refuses to believe it …
Those of a certain vintage might recognise the title of a Johnny Nash single from 1972. The lyric goes on "And the more I find out the less I know". I sympathise with the sentiment. I arrived in the Pakistan …
I recently travelled to Mazar-e-Sharif with my colleagues Zoe and Chris to get a better understanding for how we can help the central government in Kabul improve its delivery of core services for local people – from schools to healthcare to …
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I recently travelled to Bamyan and Uruzgan to see whether Strengthening Provincial Administration and Delivery (SPAD) – a UK/Denmark funded programme - can make a difference there. Bamyan is a province in …
Democracy in Africa – is it worth the effort? And why should foreigners help a country like Kenya to run its elections? It's Monday 4 March, and millions of Kenyans are already standing in long queues – many in intense …
What comes to mind when you think of Kenya? Lions and elephants on the plains of the Maasai Mara, the world's best marathon runners, innovation in mobile phone technology? Or tribal hatred, political crisis, and running battles in desperate slums? …
Late on Sunday evening, something happened for the first time ever. Whilst the UK public was frantically voting on X Factor, Ghanaians had been taking part in a democratic exercise of their own. All day Friday, and on Saturday in some delayed …
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