Forum for Trade and Development

At present cities in sub-Saharan Africa are among the most expensive in the world for businesses and will stay closed off to the world unless policymakers reform urban land markets and invest in infrastructure according to the World Bank.   Economies in sub-Saharan Africa are struggling to keep pace with their rapidly growing populations, the … More The World Bank Calls On African Leaders to Implement Policy and Investment Reforms

This week DfID launched its new ‘Economic development strategy – prosperity, poverty and meeting global challenges’. The heavy focus on trade, job creation and the expansion of local industry in developing countries was unsurprising given Secretary of State Priti Patel’s statements since her appointment. It nevertheless underscores the strength of her Department’s commitment in following … More DfID’s New Strategy Champions Aid for Trade

‘What would men be without women? Scare, sir, mighty scarce. Mark Twain   As editor of FFTD and someone with a deep rooted interest in women’s equality and a belief that economic empowerment, grass roots engagement and cultural sensitivity are key for not only the betterment of women but a global reduction in poverty, it … More FFTD Reviews: Half The Sky

As we enter 2017 there are some big questions facing the development community this year.   The most obvious is how Trump’s election will impact the development spending of one the world’s largest aid donor by volume. The proposed 2017 foreign aid budget for the U.S. put forward by the Obama administration stands at over … More Big Questions for 2017

Britain was one of 6 donors to meet or exceed the UN’s target for international aid spending during 2015. Against a backdrop of anti-aid sentiment, data compiled by the OECD has showed that the UK’s aid spend in 2015 – which sat at 0.7% of GNI was exceeded by only five countries: Demark, Norway, Luxembourg, … More Current Negativity Surrounding Our 0.7% Aid Budget Could Do Some Good

Political support for ‘Aid for Trade’ initiatives continues to grow, both because their nature and impact is becoming more widely understood and because the reality of persistent sluggish global economic growth and tighter government budgets mean that today resources must often be deployed to pursue multiple objectives simultaneously.   The sceptics of ‘Aid for Trade’ … More Aid for Transparent Trade

As a blog that advocates the advantages of opening up trade to serve development objectives we are always looking for examples of case studies where governments and their partners are able to demonstrate impact. The measuring of this impact has become particularly important in recent times because while developed nations remain committed to spending 0.7% … More Uganda Celebrates Trade Facilitation Partners

In 2010 it took three weeks for a shipping container to travel the 1,100m from the port of Mombasa to Kampala, the Ugandan capital. These delays were predominantly the result of unnecessary red tape between the two countries and poor infrastructure. 6 years on the development community seems to have recognised that by boosting trade … More Africa Powering Ahead With Free-Trade Areas

This week the UK government has been accused of undermining its own commitment to transparency on aid spending in light of the news that DfID will increase funding that is channeled through the private sector arm of the UK’s aid programme.   With a renewed focus on aid for trade a new draft bill has … More UK’s Aid Transparency in Question with Rise in Aid Funding to Private Sector

COP22 got underway yesterday in Marrakech, like Paris in 2015 the main objective of the convention and its related activities is to stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, preventing any further damage to climate systems. Essentially COP is there to help ensure the preservation of the environment for the benefit of present … More Exclusive or Inclusive? COP22, The Landless and Developing Communities