Overview Our Development Reimagined team joined more than 1,200 delegates at the recent UN Africa Climate Week (ACW) in Libreville, Gabon. Over the course of several days we listened to expert [...]

Yesterday the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) released their eagerly awaited International Development Strategy. It has been an agonizing wait; the international [...]

Updated Every Month As COVID-19 social distancing interventions continue to be relaxed in many countries in favour of vaccine-led strategies, while new variants of COVID-19 continue to emerge, [...]

There have been three key instances in the United Nations where African countries have had the opportunity to express their views on the Russia-Ukraine war and how it relates to international [...]

Updated Every Month March 1st marks one year since COVID-19 vaccines were first distributed by an African country. Since then, African countries have only been able to procure 633 million [...]

Speech by Development Reimagined CEO, Hannah Ryder, at the 2nd China and International Development Forum, hosted by CAITEC. Full Speech Below Distinguished guests, Your excellencies, Vice [...]

Updated Every Month Our infographic series has demonstrated that in a number of ways, African countries are continuing to act in a globally responsible manner to manage COVID-19 despite [...]

Updated Every Month During November 2021, the WHO announced a new COVID-19 variant of concern – B.1.1.529 – now known commonly as Omicron. First detected by South Africa and sequenced by [...]

Updated Every Month African Statistics Day is celebrated on the 18 November every year and the use of good reliable data has never been more important. Our research on COVID-19 – utilising public [...]

Speech by Development Reimagined CEO, Hannah Ryder, at the Nanjing Peace Forum. Full Speech Below Distinguished guests, Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, good morning good afternoon dajia [...]

Speech by Development Reimagined CEO, Hannah Ryder, at The Forum on China-Africa Private Sector Cooperation. Recommendations by the Development Reimagined team for future cooperation regarding [...]

The China-Africa Internet Development And Cooperation Forum Speech by a senior African diplomat in China at the China-Africa Internet Development And Cooperation Forum in Beijing (August 2021). [...]

Updated Every Month To date, African countries have been able to secure just 121 million vaccine doses in order to minimise the effects of COVID-19. Of these, 72% have already been jabbed into [...]

China-Kenya relations are at a critical stage as the two countries face enormous challenges related to debt sustainability, a severe trade imbalance, and the public health crisis brought on by [...]

Updated Every Month Over the last three months, we have consistently shared the data that so far, Africa has received less than 2% of global vaccines. We’ve had people share our data and [...]

Back in September 2020, President Xi Jinping announced China would aim for carbon neutrality by 2060, followed by setting more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2030. Such [...]

In January 2021, China finally published its White Paper on International Development Cooperation. I say finally because – having seen white papers on aid published in 2011 and 2014, some people [...]

Updated Every Month Nearly 1.33 billion vaccine doses have been ordered by African countries and the African Union – that’s enough to fully vaccinate half of the population, getting [...]

After walking out of the COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Nairobi, with my arm slightly sore after receiving my first free dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, I felt hopeful that this reflected a new [...]

I was recently out shopping in Hangzhou to buy a bottle of wine as a birthday gift for a friend. Now, I’m no wine connoisseur, so admittedly I struggled to pick one. But while scanning the [...]

As the co-chair for the upcoming 2021 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Senegal is in a unique position to negotiate a better relationship with China as well as support other African [...]

Updated Every Month Ever since the development of COVID-19 vaccines began, much ado has been made about the acquisition and distribution of vaccines to vulnerable African populations. But as our [...]

I still remember the day I arrived in the quiet city of Natitingou, North-West Benin, after the 7000-mile journey from my hometown in China. I was to be a translator in a Chinese medical team [...]

Notorious for its hyperinflation, and its status as the 10th most fragile country on the Fragile States Index, Zimbabwe is perhaps one of the last countries you would have expected to be [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp relief the highly unsustainable fact that African countries together import over 70% of all pharmaceutical and medical products. Yet, 34 out of 55 [...]

Two types of images have dominated the global media’s coverage of Africa the past year. The first has been pictures of cargo planes packed with medical supplies, framing Africa’s COVID response [...]

Updated Every Month Nearly 1.7 billion vaccine doses have been ordered by African countries and the African Union, but as of early April, only 5.7% of these have arrived, and of those, only 37% [...]

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is among the greatest challenges facing the global community today. While Ethiopia has had an overall successful response to the pandemic with a low rate of [...]

It is widely accepted that vaccination is one of the most important achievements in public health. Yet, in the face of this ‘consensus’, vaccines are constantly challenged by individuals and [...]

On February 14th, 2020, Africa’s first COVID-19 case was reported in Egypt. Since then, there has been widespread speculation about why Africa has not experienced a mass COVID-19 outbreak. At [...]

Updated Every Month 1 billion vaccine doses have been ordered by African countries and the African Union, but only 1.5% of these have been delivered so far. That’s not a headline you will [...]

Updated Every Month As analysts focused on African countries, we often see narratives that underplay and imply skepticism of the capacity of Africans to respond to COVID19. Most of this is simply [...]

 “Is a new debt crisis mounting in Africa?” “Africa’s debt crisis hampers its fight against covid-19” and  “African nations sitting on debt volcano” These are all headlines from as far back as [...]

Updated Every Month Last year, in 2020, we were the first to comprehensively track the impact of COVID19 across Africa with this regular infographics series. We not only published  these week [...]

Image: A woman farmer who works in the maize fields on the Canhumbuca Farm in Huambo, Angola © Anita Baumann (World Bank Blogs) “There is no one model of development” is one of the key [...]

We have been tracking African governments actions since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and calculate that currently, African countries are spending around 2.5% of GDP to combat [...]

Hannah Ryder, CEO Development Reimagined visited Sangua, or ‘Three Melon Community’ in Anhui Province, to understand how private capital can support poverty reduction? Can the same be done [...]

Updated Every Two Weeks Over the last two weeks, news of potential new vaccines to stop the spread of #COVID19 have dominated headlines. Moderna, Pfizer and Astra-Zeneca have all made [...]

China’s medical supplies for 18 African countries arrive at the Kotota International Airport in Accra, capital of Ghana, April 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng) Trilateral cooperation, a buzzword [...]

Updated Every Two Weeks This week, we saw a major dispute unfold between Zambia and private sector lenders, who rejected the government’s request for a 6 month payment holiday, due to [...]

For a moment it would seem that climate change has taken a backseat in the midst of a global pandemic, yet we are increasingly seeing the need to make linkages between COVID-19 response and [...]

In China, e-commerce is everywhere. Walk down any street in a busy city and you come across “Kuaidi” drivers delivering parcels or advertisements for online “Taobao” shops. But beyond China’s [...]

Zhunjing de ge wei laibin, nushimen, xiangshimen, pengyoumen, da jia hão! Vice President Lu Cairong Chairperson Frolick Ambassador Zhao YanBo Distinguished Excellencies, guests ladies and [...]

NOW Updated Every Two Weeks This week, alongside our usual examination of COVID19 cases across Africa as well as support that other development partners are providing to African countries, we [...]

NOW Updated Every Two Weeks We believe there is an intrinsic relationship between the rigorous COVID19 testing done and the vaccine rollout. The ability to detect the number of active cases [...]

(Photo credit: Willem Van Cotthem 2016- Smallholder Sesame farmer in Tanzania) With the COVID-19 crisis disrupting regional and global trade, the Development Reimagined team spoke with H.E Mbelwa [...]

In order to mitigate the ongoing impact of COVID-19, it will be essential to reignite growth – in particular trade, finance and people flows to, from and between African countries. Much of these [...]

Famed for its natural beauty, surrounded by nothing but the Indian Ocean, tiny in size yet densely populated, understanding how Mauritius managed to become the most developed, diversified, and [...]

Whether it is ordering a vegetarian wrap or having a healthy fruit and veggie smoothie, the most sought after ingredient I crave for is avocado! Today, be it Beijing or Shanghai, restaurant [...]

NOW Updated Every Two Weeks As we analysed two weeks ago, the “good news” appearing from the continent in relation to COVID19 cases is continuing.  Africa as a whole is making up a [...]

It’s that time of the year when university students move around the world in pursuit of their dreams, including over a quarter of a million African students. But 2020/2021 could be very [...]

NOW Updated Every Two Weeks We’ve been taking a bit of a break from our infographics covering COVID19 developments in African countries, and as we resumed this week we noticed some [...]

Agriculture is an important piece of Africa’s development puzzle. Resource-wise, the continent is blessed with 60% of the world’s arable land, yet only 17% of the world population. [...]

Blue skies and cows grazing on pristine green pastures. Smiling celebrities. Cultural heritage sites and healthy lifestyle motifs. Milk products with these images fly off the shelves in China. [...]

China has a long history of involvement in agriculture in Africa. As far back as 1959, China offered food grants to Guinea, and especially since the 2007 introduction of China’s “Agriculture [...]

Updated Weekly This week, African countries recorded more recoveries relative to the rest of the world than recorded new COVID19 cases. That said, Africa now, as a whole, makes up almost 5% of [...]

Updated Weekly Do you want to know how your country is coping with COVID19? And how your African neighbours are coping in comparison? Is your government doing all it can to learn the best lessons [...]

Updated Weekly 84% of Africa’s #COVID19 cases have occurred – so far in just 10 countries. This is important. For the other 45 African countries, #COVID19 has been a huge economic [...]

How to ensure food security on the African continent is a major question for African policy makers, businesses and the international community. A recent report by Mckinsey highlighted that [...]

Updated Weekly It’s been 5 months since the 1st COVID19 case was detected on the African continent. How are African countries coping? Our weekly update provides a great, unique snapshot of [...]

Updated Weekly We have been tracking the spread of COVID19 in African countries for over 4 months now, soon after the first case was recorded in Egypt on 14th February 2020. We have also been [...]

As COVID-19 has ravaged the globe, governments have had to face the grim reality of overwhelmed medical systems. The impact has been morbid, with over 7 million confirmed cases and over 400,000 [...]

Updated Weekly What is the latest update on #COVID19 cases and responses across #African countries? As usual, our weekly infographic is here to help you digest the key headlines quickly, with [...]

Updated Weekly This week could mark an important shift for African citizens health-wise. This week saw the African Union launch the African procurement platform, which is aimed at making sure [...]

Updated Weekly There is one word this week that we have been hearing a great deal. Debt. Concerns are being expressed by many international development organisations about the potential for a [...]

Updated Weekly Over the past few months, as we have scored through and collated the data from a huge number of sources, to share our weekly updates on what African countries are doing to tackle [...]

Six months after the emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, the global effort to develop appropriate vaccines and treatments is continuing at a pace. The WHO report that there are now 125 [...]

Updated Weekly Last week, our regular infographic update highlighted the actions and challenges African countries are facing in directly managing the COVID19 health crisis. This week, prompted by [...]

Updated Weekly As world leaders meet virtually for the World Health Assembly this week, is it premature to be talking about winning the COVID19 fight? Over the past few months, as we have [...]

Updated Weekly It’s been close to three months since the first COVID19 case was detected on the African continent. Over those three months we have seen some fairly unprecedented changes in [...]

As COVID-19 spreads across the African continent, an African Union report has suggested that the outbreak could lead to a serious food security crisis in Africa, with as estimated 2.6% to 7% [...]

Updated Weekly As part of our now regular series of infographics on how COVID19 is affecting the African continent, and how governments  in the 55 countries are responding, this week we provide [...]

Updated Weekly COVID19 first entered the African continent on 14th February 2020,  and since then many African governments have been responding with both speed and determination. Last week, we [...]

Updated Weekly For the last two weeks we have been publishing infographics on how COVID19 is affecting the African continent, and how governments  in the 55 countries are responding. Last week, [...]

As an African-led wholly foreign-owned company in China, Development Reimagined is often asked to support Chinese companies with understanding African markets better. Right now, due to rising [...]

Updated Weekly Last week, out of a frustration with the lack of coverage and understanding by our clients as well as the public on how COVID19 is affecting the African continent, we published an [...]

Updated Weekly Over the last few weeks, we have seen many think-tanks, consultancies and experts sharing information around COVID19 cases in Asia, Europe and the United States. But what about the [...]

Chinese military medical personnel attending a patient at a hospital in Freetown during the height of the Ebola crisis in Liberia in December 2014. Photo via Xinhua. Over the last few weeks, we [...]

File photo, Kenyan nurse Lucy Kanyi demonstrates to media the facilities and protective equipment to be used to isolate and treat coronavirus cases, at the infectious disease unit of Kenyatta [...]

A woman wearing mask and gloves at Tunisia Airport Photo Credit: REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi There are only a few cases of Coronavirus reported in Africa, but history shows us that this is to be [...]

A security personnel wearing protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly SARS-like virus which originated in the central city of Wuhan is seen at the entrance of subway station in [...]

The decision whether to evacuate their citizens from China is just the first hurdle for African countries amid the outbreak To evacuate or not to evacuate. That is the question. African [...]

This week, the United Kingdom held the UK-Africa Investment Summit, whereby the country committed to strengthening its economic partnerships with African nations and announced commitments to [...]

President Jin Liqun, President Ahmed, Distinguished leaders, guests, ladies and gentlemen, It is an absolute honor to welcome you all to this conference. Thank you in particular to those who have [...]

The Development Reimagined Infographic series explores which countries are and aren’t signed up to China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative Announced in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, The [...]

Hannah Ryder, CEO Development Reimagined explores how one village in China, that initially grew just one crop, has cut poverty in just a decade… but will it last? Can the same be done elsewhere? [...]

Good afternoon everyone. The title of the keynote I’ve been asked to give to you today is “caught in between the West vs China – can Africa rise to the play?” The way I interpret this is how [...]

Development Reimagined’s infographic series Trade is always changing. It’s a fact of life. According to economic theory, there will always be some countries or areas that have advantages – cost [...]

Development Reimagined’s infographic series With the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) kicking off, all eyes are on China to understand more about the far- reaching Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) [...]

One of the greatest aspects of being a parent is having your child question the way you look at the world. Even more so bringing up a child in Beijing, where toys, for instance, are designed with [...]

This year I got a great, albeit unusual Christmas present. On Christmas Day, my company, Development Reimagined – the first Kenyan Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise in Beijing – was [...]

Today marks the annual ‘World AIDS Day’, and therefore also marks a perfect time to reflect on a series of projects that Development Reimagined delivered for UNAIDS China this year in a bid to [...]

African countries are seeking to industrialize. From Addis Ababa to Dakar, Cape Town to Cairo, the impetus to manufacture is now a priority for much of the continent. As the President of the [...]

The African continent is home to 16% of the world’s population and 19% of its youth. We often hear the negative side of this – with young people making up 60% of unemployed Africans, with [...]

Having kept the meeting date hush-hush until just two weeks ago, governments across the African continent are preparing their final briefings and security plans for the seventh Forum on China [...]

Anyone working in development now knows these days that manufacturing, or industrialization is central to the majority of African countries these days.  Here at Development Reimagined, we [...]

When we advise Chinese companies going abroad, especially to African countries, one of the first questions they ask is: “Is the country stable?”.  We in Development Reimagined know that by [...]

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning! It is my honor to be here today, I am the CEO of an international development consultancy called Rui Na Xin (Development Reimagined), and [...]

Good afternoon distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you so much to Kente and Silk for organising this event, China-Africa Stories, and for the kind invitation to speak today. I must [...]

A Kenyan saying goes, “When two elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers”. News headlines over the past few weeks have been dominated by two “elephants”, the US and China, and what looks like [...]

Thank you so much for the honour and invitation to give the dinner speech today. This is my third year of joining the Yenching symposium in as many years of being in China, and as always it is [...]

Whether you see it as taking place at the beginning of the calendar year or at the end of the Chinese year, the now annual visit by the Chinese Foreign Minister to the African continent is a [...]

The American President’s comment on “shithole” countries may have shocked the world but it is not the first time I have been made to feel that the African continent is viewed [...]

Ask anyone with a basic knowledge of Africa which country is more poised for success – Zimbabwe or Kenya – and he or she will undoubtedly answer “Kenya.” Events of the last week would seem to [...]

Here in China it’s been impossible to miss the fact that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is celebrating its 90th anniversary this week. There’s been a grand parade, numerous [...]

A few months ago, a New York Times magazine cover was emblazoned with the question “Is China the World’s New Colonial Power?” The notion that China is a twenty-first-century colonizer is not new: [...]

Creating jobs and entrepreneurs is key for sustainable development; At least three ways China can use the Belt and Road Initiaitve to create jobs and entrepreneurs across the world; China’s [...]

As a small child growing up in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, our annual family holiday to the beautiful beaches of Mombasa always began and ended with a degree of trepidation.  My sister and I [...]

In Beijing, today is the annual deadline every dog owner dreads – registration time. As this handy guide sets out, if owners don’t register their dogs by the end of May, the dogs risk being taken [...]

Living in China, it’s been impossible to miss the country’s first ever Belt and Road Forum (BRF). The forum concluded on Monday, with outputs including a detailed declaration and numerous — [...]

I remember the day I noticed mo-bikes, the new shared bikes that have literally taken over several cities in China. They had this attractive bright orange design, and I would spot them parked in [...]

尊敬的各位来宾，女士们, 先生们, 大家下午好！Wanawake  na mabwana, Habari zenu! Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. It is a real pleasure to be here today to open this first ever award ceremony aiming to both [...]

One of the most cited statistics about China may well be the number of Chinese who have been lifted out of poverty over the last 35 years. At over 800 million, it is a huge number – and an [...]

“Pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room” was one of the many memorable quotations from President Xi Jinping’s historic speech at the World Economic Forum [...]

There is no doubt that relations between China and African countries are becoming ever more intertwined and important. In what has now become an annual tradition to visit Africa as a priority [...]

The beginning of the year – Western or Chinese – always means its resolution time. For the year of the rooster, I’ve been toying with the idea of trying to cut my social media [...]

As part of my preparation to return to work early next year, I have recently started the search for someone to look after my son full-time during the day. Being in Beijing, I don’t have the [...]

I’ve recently discovered that my 5 month-old son is quite sensitive to cold. As temperatures have dipped in Beijing, he, my husband and I have therefore had two weeks of sleepless nights. [...]

There’s a song by one of my favourite RnB artists Usher, called “You remind me“. In it, Usher tells a new girlfriend that she’s like a previous girlfriend that he [...]

Late last year and early this year African heads of state and Government leaders gathered together at two key events. The first was the 6th summit of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation [...]

Most women, if and when they can, love visiting the hairdresser, especially if the results are good. It’s usually a time to get pampered, and also get an update on the latest styles and [...]

I’ve recently celebrated my first anniversary of working in China, and I can wholeheartedly say it has been fantastic so far. In particular I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by supportive [...]

June is always a busy month for my family, as three of us have a birthday in the space of two weeks. Father’s day also takes place in June, and it’s also my husband and my wedding anniversary. [...]

Before I arrived in Beijing, many friends warned me about one major issue: air pollution. They – and articles such as this in the UK’s Guardian newspaper  – warned me so much that I [...]

As a relative newcomer to China, I do my best to read as much as I can of other people’s perspectives about China. One magazine I often enjoy is “World of Chinese”, a bi-monthly publication, [...]

Just a few weeks ago, my sister got married. The wedding was beautiful, her husband is an absolutely wonderful man from Uganda, and my two other sisters and I were bridesmaids. But there was one [...]

Throughout my career, I’ve worked in large organisations. And every single large organisation – from highly profitable businesses to multilateral institutions – goes through [...]

This month, I had my first visitor to Beijing. My mother-in-law joined me for ten days. Luckily enough, we get on very well, so we had a great time. I prepared a packed itinerary covering her two [...]

Africa isn’t a country. It’s an obvious statement but a while back, even American Vice President Joe Bidden forgot it when he said: “There’s no reason the nation of Africa cannot and should [...]

I’m entering into my fourth week here in Beijing, and one of the experiments I tried last weekend was to order a takeaway. I was tired from a very hectic week of meetings – that was my excuse [...]

A few days ago I arrived in Beijing to begin a new job as deputy country director for UNDP China. In this job, I’ll be heading a team that advises the Chinese government and other Chinese [...]

A couple of days ago, I had coffee with a friend and ended up talking about my move from London to Glasgow, just over a year and a half ago. I told my friend that when I first moved, I started [...]

One of the things I love about my job is getting to meet people from all over the world. Just recently, I had the opportunity to meet a bunch of officials from Saudi Arabia. They were in charge [...]

Chinese and African construction teams work together on a development project in Angola. Picutre: Dieter Telemans/Panos Anyone following my Twitter account will have noticed that I’ve [...]

A couple of weekends ago, the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang made his first ever trip to Africa, visiting Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Kenya. This was a significant date. 50 years ago, the [...]

My primary school had some quite strong incentives to drive up performance. Every end of term, our teachers would test us and rank my classmates and I against each other. It was the extremes that [...]

I sometimes worry that I work too hard. This is the third valentine’s date with my husband that I’ve missed because of working abroad. I’m currently in Nigeria for the fifth [...]

In January, I always enjoy reading the Economist’s World In Year X publication – which sets out their forecasts for big headlines under a number of categories. What I particularly like is [...]

During my teenage years, I had a good number of friends who were determined to be DJs. Personally, I was never very excited by DJ’ing, mostly because I found it rather difficult to a) find [...]

About 4 months ago, I found out that a second cousin of mine who lives in Kenya, a beautiful sweet 5-year-old girl called Blessing, had been having problems walking. Her problems had become so [...]

A boy stands by a WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) programme sign, outside the village of Tshibashi, Kasai Occidental, DRC. Picture: Stephanie Dunga/DFID. When I was a teenager, I lived in [...]

Here in the UK, according to national statistics (PDF 2.44MB) the government spends an average of £8,745 on each person per year providing services. But if you live in a lower middle-income [...]

As a bride-to-be, I remember having quite a few conversations about whether to change my surname after marriage. Apparently, grooms have been increasingly considering this question too. The pros [...]

If you’ve ever watched the seminal British comedy Yes, Minister, you’ll know that “technical” and “bureaucratic” are 2 words often associated with civil servants. [...]

This year I’ve been lucky enough to be one of the Guardian’s International Development Journalism Competition judges, which means I have had my first insight into what it is like to [...]

The coverage of the Tax, Transparency and Trade “Three T’s” agenda for the G8 over the past few days has been excellent. On my twitter feed I’ve seen many commentators, [...]

I have to travel a lot for my work, and over time I have refined my packing to be as compact as possible.  I’m particularly proud of a small see-through plastic zip-up toiletries bag, which [...]

A good friend of mine has started advertising her flat on Airbnb, a website that allows anyone that has a spare bedroom, owns a second property, or just want to rent their place out while they [...]

Did you know that Wikipedia had several predecessors? According to this article, there were plenty, but one of the main reasons they didn’t become as well known was because they [...]

A recent experience brought to life for me some of the issues facing developing countries trying to improve tax collection. I have lots of family in Kenya, and a few days ago, my dad received the [...]

A few months ago, DFID’s Secretary of State Justine Greening announced the beginning of a new, non-aid based relationship with India focused on trade and the private sector. Around the same [...]

A few weeks ago I went to see the new James Bond film Sky Fall. Without giving away too much, at one point in the film James Bond goes to a remote part of the UK. The area is portrayed as far [...]

Happy New Year to all my DFID friends and blog readers! Traditionally, the new year is a time for making new resolutions. Go on that new diet, start that exercise regime, enrol in that evening [...]

The world is definitely changing. The song “Gangnam Style“, made in Korea and sung in Korean, has gone to number 1 in the UK, number 2 in the US, and has broken the record for being [...]

About a year ago, I experienced one of the hardest working days of my life. It was the first day I chaired a meeting of a new 20-ish person taskforce on green growth and poverty reduction. It [...]

It might be over a month away, but my husband and I have already begun to think about the Christmas and New Year holidays here in the UK. In particular, it looks like lots of my family are likely [...]

Economists have a reputation for being sceptical. So much so that there is a book called the Skeptical Economist, and a new book referring to economics as the dismal science. This has a lot to do [...]

Over the past couple of weeks, two big changes have happened in my life. First, one of my sisters has moved to Glasgow from London with her little baby girl. So I’ve become a very busy [...]

Last week, there was a great quotation doing the rounds on Twitter, Pinterest and other social media from the Mayor of Bogota in Colombia.  The quotation was “A developed country is not a [...]

Every morning for the past three months, I’ve been saying a little mantra to myself when I wake up: “I am a marathoner”. I’ve been training for my first marathon and ten [...]

My alarm goes off at 6.15am. I hit the snooze button and realise I’ve been dreaming about work. I must be nervous. Not surprised really. Today’s going to be busy, despite the fact [...]

Sometimes, it seems like we are constantly under pressure to “pitch”. Whether it’s planning your two minute “elevator pitch” for the momentous day you meet your role [...]

I’ve always been a fan of birthdays. Mine falls on June 20th. Last year, I had a wonderful celebration. It wasn’t just because of the presents – I got to spend the weekend in [...]

Winning is great, but is it OK to talk about losing as well? Picture: Marcos Villalta/Save the Children A few days ago I was in a meeting with colleagues from a number of organisations and [...]

It’s Climate Week in the UK, and I’ve been busy working with several enthusiastic colleagues to organise photo exhibits, seminars and leaflets for DFID staff to better understand [...]

It’s the beginning of a new month, and I’ve just celebrated my 1st anniversary of blogging and tweeting about my work in DFID. I have to say I have really enjoyed it so far. [...]

The end of the year is always a time for reflecting on what has gone well and hasn’t: 2011 has been my first full year at DFID, working on the topic of green growth – one of the hottest [...]

The phrase “the benefit of hindsight” has been ringing in my ears as I’ve been reading the reports from the close of the Durban climate negotiations late on Saturday night. In [...]

Over the past few weeks, and as I mentioned in a previous blog post, I’ve been continuing to help the DFID team in Ethiopia design an exciting new programme focused on supporting new small [...]

A few years ago, my grandparents came to visit my husband and me in London. It was a Sunday, so we welcomed them with a lovely, organic roast chicken. Unfortunately, it didn’t go down too well, [...]

A friend of mine has been raving to me about a new iphone app called Instagram. Instagram is a service that allows you to “pretty” up your photos and share them with millions of [...]

Did you participate in Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project last week?  I wasn’t able to because I was working in Ethiopia (my next post will tell you why), so I’ve been reading up on [...]

A few days ago, a report by the UK’s Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), declared that over 5,000 women were missing from the top jobs in the UK. If you’re a development economist, you [...]

I don’t know about you but I always dread “that time of the year” when I have to revise all my contracts – home insurance, energy, water, and so on.  I dread it so much that I usually stick to [...]

On my first day as a civil servant, my new boss asked, “So, Hannah, what would you say are the three key concepts in economics?”  I was tongue-tied – it felt like a trick question. What three [...]

Ok so I admit that’s a provocative title. But in many countries taking action on the two c-words “climate change” just isn’t a key priority. There are, perhaps, good reasons for this. A lot of [...]

“Green growth” is en vogue in the development and international affairs world. The Republic of Korea has created a new Global Green Growth Institute, and a major UN Summit to be held [...]

As a development economist, I’m itching to read Poor Economics, the new book by the amazing Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee. Unfortunately, it’s not yet widely available in UK bookshops. [...]

Most week days, I wake up at around 6.30am to go for a run, do some yoga or go to the gym. It makes me feel alive and ready for the day, and I am usually more productive and focused at work as a [...]

Yesterday, I played a “disaster game”. It was part of an event organised by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), which has brought together development practitioners, [...]

I live in Scotland.  A lot of people are often surprised at that.  They’re also often surprised to hear that DFID has a large office in Scotland, just on the outskirts of Glasgow.  From my desk [...]

I’ve just finished reading “When a Billion Chinese Jump” by Jonathan Watts. It took me a while – it’s a pretty huge book, with copious notes to flick back and forth to. But I am [...]

It’s a big week of change for DFID this week. Despite apparently being in the “sexiest” department in Whitehall (according to the London Evening Standard at least!) we’re [...]

Valentine’s day, and yet another excuse to apply economics to daily life – yes you guessed it, a book called “Spousonomics“. But despite my love of all-things-economics, this [...]

One of last week’s editions of the Financial Times featured an article by John Kay, a top UK economist, saying that “clarity of thought and clarity of expression tend to go [...]

I’ve been working with two of our Asian country offices this week – Vietnam and Indonesia – helping them focus their programmes on low-carbon and climate-resilient growth. Travelling back [...]

I’ve been a Senior Economist in DFID for just over a month. Many friends and colleagues are excited about my new role…even people I don’t know that well. My first challenge has been giving a [...]