Roxanna Samii blog

Thanks to DJ Titus Twish, a slice of #sfrome makes it to The Economist

2012-01-01T22:08:00.001+01:00

One of the best moments of the week, is when I get around to read one of the latest issues of The Economist, as typically I have to catch up with two and sometimes three issues! What ever the case may be, I love that fraction of a second when I go the pile in my room and pick the latest issues, because I know I’ll be spending a couple of gratifying hours. The readers of IFAD Social

ZNFU4455: An SMS service offering smallholder producers in Zambia a brighter future #ict4d

2011-11-12T15:09:00.001+01:00

Once a luxury item, mobile telephony is now a catalyst to bring about economic development and social inclusion in developing countries, especially in Africa. For economist Jeffry Sachs “mobile telephony is the single most transformative technology for development”. Mobile phone numbers talk for themselves. According to International Telecommunication Union (ITU) the number of mobile phone

My take on “what everyone is too polite to say about Steve Jobs”

2011-10-11T23:40:00.000+02:00

The other day, my friend and colleague Gauri Salokhe shared this article on the “dark side” of Steve Jobs. When I finished reading it, I thought to myself, is there anyone on the face of this earth who does not have a dark side? It made me think, if Jobs was not so demanding both of himself and of his team, if Jobs wasn’t such a perfectionist, if Jobs had not called a spade a spade, if Jobs had

The tale of two lakes: Lake Ahémé and Nokoué

2011-07-17T15:30:00.001+02:00

Last week as I was leaving Cotonou for Rome, I promised myself to spend the weekend and finalize the last blogpost of the Benin series. Despite all my good intentions, I did not quite manage to do so. And back in the office, I literally got swamped and swallowed by a web of meetings, emails, phone calls and process work. Despite the delay, I sincerely hope that the text that follows recreates

Learn, adjust and aim high

2011-07-17T15:14:00.005+02:00

We’re about to wrap up the Benin mission. Before leaving, I need to thank Daouda Aliou, the Fisheries and Environment Specialist of IFAD-funded Participatory Artisanal Fisheries Development Support Programme (PADPPA), who was my guide and mentor for the last three days. I had the pleasure of spending three days with Aliou and have learnt so much from him. He took me to many project sites, and

Once a fisher always a fisher? Maybe not...

2011-07-17T15:00:00.001+02:00

WOW, I had one of the most productive days in a long time. It was a day with no meetings, no emails, no phone calls, no deadlines and no process work. Wondering why it was so productive? Well, I had the privilege of spending an entire day meeting and listening to the stories of smallholder producers who benefitted from the IFAD-funded Participatory Artisanal Fisheries Development Support

What does it mean to be an empowered woman in a man's world?

2011-04-13T06:26:00.002+02:00

Last week while visiting the IFAD-funded Central Kenya Dry Area Smallholder Community Services Development Project and Mount Kenya East Pilot Project for Natural Resources Management, I had the privilege to meet inspiring and successful women such as Jane Njaguara, Lizz Wangari Bundi and the Wangu Environmental Conservation Women’s group. As development workers we are always trying to get hold

Personal reflection on what it means and takes to become a learning organization

2011-02-14T13:48:00.001+01:00

What does it mean to be a learning organization? What are the underpinning drivers for becoming a learning organization? What does an organization aspiring to become a learning organization need to do? The literature says that a learning organization is one that “facilitates learning of its members to continuously transform themselves and enables them to remain competitive”. What does being

The journey from arms to agriculture

2010-12-24T16:21:00.001+01:00

In November 2010, I had the pleasure of meeting an extraordinary person: Dominique Kenga who is helping the young people of Congo to surrender their arms and engage in active and peaceful income-generating activities. Here is Mr Kenga's story: The turbulent history of the Republic of Congo with its troubled transition from centralized planning under a Marxist government to a market economy,

Berlin calling: Development world, please wake up. There is an urgent need to put back #ICT4D on the global development agenda

2010-11-21T11:44:00.003+01:00

The ICT for Rural Economic Development conference jointly organized by GTZ and BMZ from 18-19 November 2010 in Berlin, concluded on Friday 19 November with an engaging panel discussion on “What role can development cooperation play in ICT for rural economic development?” The two day event brought together numerous practitioners, policy makers, donor organizations and private sector players. The

Ghana has another Yaa Asantewaa: A powerful lady cassava producers and community leader sets up shop in rural Ghana

2010-11-09T20:40:00.000+01:00

The best part of my job is meeting, talking with and interviewing some of the remarkable people who have benefitted from an IFAD-funded project and programme. Yesterday, at the 2010 West and Central Africa Implementation workshop, I attended the Rural Entrepreneurship session where I met an extraordinary lady by the name of Faustina Agyeiwaa Sakyi. This morning, thanks to Moses’ facilitation,

Enough with pilots, let's get serious and start investing in m-development and m-applications #ict4d #m4d

2010-09-05T13:37:00.004+02:00

In March 2009 I wrote a blogpost entitled: Mobile phones: the silver bullet to bridge the digital divide? 18 months later, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates show that over 40 percent of Africa’s rural population has access to mobile phones, that at global level there are 4.6 billion mobile subscribers and ITU forecasts that by end of 2010 there will be 5 billion mobile

57 Twitter tools to make the most of your Twitter experience

2010-08-19T17:02:00.014+02:00

I owe my presence on Twitter to my friend and colleague @mongkolroek and I cannot thank him enough for introducing me to this wonderful world. Over the last two years, thanks to my interaction on Twitter, I’ve learnt some much, met some absolutely fantastic and remarkable people. I’ve made new friends and by keeping in touch with my peers, colleagues and friends and by mutually sharing

Can members of diaspora be reliable and unbiased reporters?

2010-08-18T18:38:00.001+02:00

It is hard to imagine media outlets of 21st century and internet era struggling to get first-hand and verified news. Yet, there are times where they are unable to get their people on the ground. So, how do they report and where do they get their news from? More and more media outlets are encouraging and relying on citizen journalism. They should all thank the web2.0 revolution and courageous

A new paradgim for organizational incentive:it's not about money but purpose!

2010-06-19T17:17:00.013+02:00

As knowledge management practitioner time and again I hear phrases such as "to mainstream KM in the organization we need to put in place an incentive system " or "people are not sharing knowledge because they have no incentive". Personally I never understood why anyone would need an incentive to do something so natural as learning and sharing! And I was always made to feel as if I was completely

Learning routes: the quintessence of knowledge sharing

2010-05-26T18:13:00.002+02:00

The IFAD social reporting blog ran a series of blogposts called “Africa meets the new world - Procasur learning route…. Well, guess what, the “Learning Routes” colleagues came to Rome!Over the last two days I had the privilege of sitting in on two brainstorming and learning and sharing events organized by our Procasur and Latin America and the Caribbean colleagues.In the true spirit of learning

Untimely loss of a friend and the impact of social media on human relationships

2010-05-02T14:43:00.014+02:00

On Thursday 29 April 2010 at 11:27am I got an email - the subject was :( and carried the text below:“In Memoriam: In utter disbelief, with the heaviest of heart and unimaginable sadness, i heard today of the passing away of my dear friend and treasured colleague, Ramin Rafirasme. Life brings tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry, the smile fades, but the memories live on forever..........”I

Eritrea fishery sector: An untapped and renewable gold mine

2010-04-09T18:41:00.005+02:00

I first visited Eritrea in 2008 and it was love at first sight. In December 2009 when I landed in Asmara airport, I felt like I was back home. I spent my first couple of days visiting the irrigation schemes in zoba Debub and then went east to zoba Northern Red Sea where I visited Massawa, the capital city of Northern Red Sea Zoba which is the centre of Eritrea’s fishing industry. Massawa is one

Social media is rural development’s best friend!

2010-03-15T21:02:00.008+01:00

The advent of social media and Web 2.0 has democratized how citizens interact with people in power, be it members of parliament, donor organizations, international bodies, civil society and the media. Social media tools have paved the way for citizens to build a “personal” relationship with their rulers and their peers. These tools allow everyone – those in power and the normal citizens - to

Interview with CNN anchor Jim Clancy: How has social media changed mainstream media

2010-02-17T18:02:00.004+01:00

This week I had the honour and pleasure to meet CNN's Jim Clancy. Yesterday, I asked if I could interview him about social media. Jim, being very modest, said he does not know much about social media.... But I can tell you he knows A LOT and he's an advocate for social media.This morning he kindly agreed to grant an interview. You can't imagine my excitment. A little nobody interviewing the

The unique challenges of #Haiti’s emergency logistics

2010-01-18T19:24:00.004+01:00

Over the last days I’ve been so frustrated by media reports out of Haiti pointing fingers at aid workers and my UN colleagues. I’m lucky enough to have a sister who did her doctoral thesis on logistics of humanitarian organization during disaster response. So I asked her to write a piece explaining the complexity of a relief operation in Haiti’s context.Here is what she had to say:As the

Impact of climate change on Eritrean agriculture sector

2009-12-11T15:05:00.003+01:00

As world leaders gather in Copenhagen to seal the deal on climate change, I saw, first hand, the devastating consequences of climate change on Eritrea’s agriculture and livestock sector.Crop cultivation and animal husbandry account for 60 per cent of rural incomes in Eritrea. Recent models and estimates show that the effects of climate change have an adverse impact on the country’s agriculture

Slowly but surely knowledge sharing methods are making a signficant dent

2009-12-02T14:14:00.009+01:00

Over the last weeks I was on cruscade to convince colleagues to use a series of knowledge sharing methods for a regional event. This morning I saw the results of my efforts.In a plenary session bright and early I laid out the plan for the day. We started off with three parallel chat shows, moved to three parallel world cafes and finished off with a speed geeking session.Knowledge sharing

World Summit on Food Security (#wsfs09) show is on the road!

2009-11-16T08:20:00.004+01:00

The World Food Summit on Food Security will officially start in less than 45 minutes. The FAO building is buzzing. The angels in orange T-Shirts are colleague colleagues and delegates to get on-line. Journalists have started filing their first reports.In the press area we have live feed from Viale Aventino to keep track of arrival of dignitaries. You can follow the proceedings at http://

KM search and rescue operation: Looking for intelligent and KM-enabled indicators!

2009-10-04T11:30:00.006+02:00

I'm faced with the challenge of measuring the progress and impact of knowledge management activities using indicators!I must confess that indicators and I do not get along very well. I believe indicators are one-dimensional and not flexible enough to assess progress in a multidimensional manner. Another reason why I do not like indicators is that often they are devised and used to justify our

Battle of giants: Social media, web 2.0 vs letters to editors and press releases

2009-07-27T08:57:00.002+02:00

The other day I came across a beautiful and inspiring quote by George S. Patton "If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."Reading this quote made me realize that if I am not thinking like everyone it does not mean I am completely crazy, but it actually means I am thinking….I've been thinking about how Web2.0 tools and social media have democratized the way we communicate and

Three Rome-based agencies share their blogging and microblogging experiences

2009-06-29T18:45:00.003+02:00

Earlier this month my FAO colleagues Gauri Salokhe (@gaurisalokhe), Luca Servo (@neoluk), Michael Riggs (@mongkolroek) asked me to participate in their web2.0 session on blogging. I always thought that guest appearances were only the prerogative of celebrities… Well, guess what, also development workers can be guest stars!!!I guess I will never quite make it to Oraph or Larry King's show, but

Knowledge sharing: How can we encourage people to share knowledge without feeling threatened

2009-06-22T14:00:00.002+02:00

Quite for sometime I've been thinking what motivates people to create, share and use knowledge?I believe creating and using knowledge are part and parcel of our life. It is like breathing, we just do IT without realizing that we are doing it, and if we stop doing it we'll put ourselves at risk.What will happen if you stop breathing? Well, pretty much the same thing may happen when you enter the '

Philanthropy - Give and count the cost

2009-05-10T18:38:00.002+02:00

This week's Economist carried an article entitled "Philanthropy - Give and count the cost". I must admit I was surprised by the tone of the article and how the journalist failed to make a distinction between charity and sustainable development, as these two ARE NOT synonymous and should not be confused with each other! The article reads "Governments hope that charities can fill the gap", but

World Café makes a world of difference

2009-04-22T16:26:00.002+02:00

Last night I promised I would write about my World Café experience. As mentioned I had to fight my way to get a World Café session in the agenda. For me what was disconcerting was to come to know that a "KM officer" had indicated that we should not pursue using knowledge sharing methods such as World Café.I hope by reading the summary of the World Café and listening to some of the participants we

Chat show brings about euthanasia of powerpoint presentations

2009-04-21T21:21:00.005+02:00

Over the last weeks I've been preparing for a regional KM event in Africa. I had a goal in my head to introduce a number of knowledge sharing methods and tools and more importantly to make sure that the event was an exciting, innovative and "unconventional" event. Some of my partners were on board and welcomed my suggestions. Others wanted to do a "business as usual event", with BORING and DEADLY

Graffiti the forefather of Web2.0

2009-04-18T22:01:00.002+02:00

Many of us associate graffiti with rebellion, poverty, gangs and other urban malaise. We have little or no respect for it, consider it as an eye sore and something that degrades our urban cities.Recently I got interested in this form of art and did a little research and came to realize that graffiti art has a lot in common with web2.0. OK – you are now thinking I am completely crazy. Maybe! But

Appreciative leadership

2009-04-11T16:39:00.005+02:00

I've been fascinated by appreciative inquiry and appreciative leadership. Earlier this year, I wrote about Benjamin Zander wonderful gig "Art of possibility" at Davos. Earlier this month, I witnessed a great example of appreciative leadership - in the speech delivered by IFAD's President Mr Kanayo F Nwanze.Why are these two episodes different from the traditional leadership we are used to?

KM self-assessment

2009-03-16T21:19:00.006+01:00

Last week I used Geoff Parcell's KM self-assessment tool to assess the KM maturity level of my organization. I have documented the entire process, namely the three separate sessions with different audiences, the wrap-up session with our KM champion and a summary explaining the process and how we customized the tool. If you happen to have conducted the self-assessment using this tool I would love

Mobile phones: the silver bullet to bridge the digital divide?

2009-03-07T10:28:00.020+01:00

Dear reader, you may also wish to read the sequel to this blogpost: Enough with pilots, lets’ get serious and start investing in m-development and m-applications The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that there are 3.3 billion mobile subscribers. The vast majority of these mobile users never part from their ubiquitous mobile phone. For those living in developed countries,

IFAD had its "Yes we can" moment

2009-02-18T17:37:00.013+01:00

10 minutes ago, IFAD's Governing Council appointed Dr Kanayo Felix Nwanze as the next President.IFAD too, had its "Yes we can" moment! Mr Nwanze, a Nigerian national, served as IFAD's Vice-President. During his tenure as Vice-President Mr Nwanze was involved in numerous institutional processes, such as the Entreprise Risk Management, Quality Assurance, Knowledge management and many more.As KM

Investment in the livestock sector is helping poor Eritrean farmers cope with their many challenges

2009-02-15T12:06:00.002+01:00

In drought-prone Eritrea, livestock is a farmer’s most valuable asset. Eritrean farmers consider animal husbandry as one of their main lifelines and a form of insurance in times of drought and other types of disasters.Recent World Bank statistics show that agriculture constitutes 18 per cent of GDP in Eritrea and that livestock plays a vital role in generating food and income. Livestock

Sudanese Hamerenya cattle help Eritrean pastoralists earn a better living

2009-02-15T11:22:00.003+01:00

South of zoba Debub in Eritrea, lies Adi Quala, an agricultural town with 14,000 inhabitants. Here, a special breed of cattle imported from neighbouring Somalia has led to benefits for Eritrean pastoralists.To help improve the livelihoods and enhance the food security of poor farmers in Eritrea, the IFAD-funded Post-Crisis Rural Recovery and Development Programme distributed 113 Sudanese

Liquid gold helps Eritrean farmers defy the looming risk of drought

2009-02-14T22:09:00.002+01:00

Logo Anseba is a subregion in Gash Barka. It is located in the highlands, 1,600-2,400 metres above sea level, and has a semi-arid climate. The farmers of Logo Anseba – like any other Eritrean farmer – grow crops and are engaged in horticulture and livestock activities. Household plots range from a quarter hectare and one hectare, and barley, sorghum, millet, maize, wheat, chickpeas, beans and

Eritrean farmers contribute to reducing green house emissions by embracing biogas technology

2009-02-14T17:27:00.005+01:00

Biogas provides many rural poor women and men in developing countries with clean energy, electricity and cooking fuel all year round, and on a sustainable basis. The sustained energy source generated by biogas means that children have electric light to study in the evening. It allows women to engage in value-adding activities instead of collecting firewood. Thanks to biogas, rural kitchens are

An ancient form of water management helps Eritrean farmers meet their water needs

2009-02-14T13:20:00.002+01:00

Water scarcity is one of the many challenges faced by Eritrea. The country has two perennial river systems, the Setit River, which forms the border with Ethiopia and drains into the Nile basin, and the Gash Barka system, which collects the run-off water from the highlands. All other rivers in the country are seasonal and carry water only after rainfall, which means that most of the year they are

Women entrepreneurs in Eritrea contribute to rural household income

2009-02-14T13:13:00.007+01:00

Women have always played an important role in Eritrean society. During the struggle for independence, they helped transform Eritrean society and today they contribute substantially to the agriculture sector and to the income of their households.Like all women around the world and especially those in developing countries, the women in the Gash Barka region of Eritrea start their daily activities

Art of possibility

2009-01-29T22:15:00.002+01:00

I am a Davos fan. Each year I tune in and stay tuned for the entire duration of the World Economic Forum and I am never disappointed. If you are interested in an alternative leadership and want to know more about "art of possibility" you cannot miss the Davos session with Benjam Zander entitled: "Managing Complexity: A Different Approach"Benjamin Zander website

Who made the Knowledge Share Fair possible

2009-01-25T22:20:00.008+01:00

Well, it looks like all our efforts and hard work of the last 10 months was worth every bit of it. The Share Fair seems to have been a positive and rewarding experience and has created a certain buzz. On Friday my colleagues came up to me saying: "The Share Fair was great, I learnt so many new things, met interesting people and caught up with old friends and colleagues".We are running a survey to

Waltz With Bashir

2009-01-25T21:47:00.002+01:00

Ari Folman is a courageous man. His film Waltz with Bashir is a powerful and thought provoking film. It is one of those films that everyone, starting from politicians to young kids who think war and killing is really cool stuff, should almost be forced to see.Folman tells the harrowing story of innocents being killed in a senseless war. It is incredible how almost three decades later we have not

Let's build on the Share Fair energy and momentum to bring about change

2009-01-22T23:46:00.006+01:00

Seven hours ago the Share Fair came to end. As of 5pm today we have approximately 700 people more colleagues who have a better understanding of knowledge sharing and see the value-added of knowledge sharing. 700 people established new contacts and networks. 700 people learnt something new and shared something with others. And most importantly 700 people had fun.I commend my colleagues for having

Knowledge Share Fair a unique event - bringing about change and the gender dimension of KM

2009-01-19T07:27:00.003+01:00

In about 27 hours the Knowledge Share Fair show will start its 3 day journey. The fair's inauguration coincides with President-elect Obama taking oath of office. While history is being made across the Atlantic, in Rome, we too are taking an important step to bring about change by demystifying knowledge management and showing that KM is not a fad but a fact and a way of living.The preparatory work

I recently met a Tanzanian mother Teresa: Pauline Samata, the "bamboo saint"

2008-12-07T16:03:00.011+01:00

The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) estimates that approximately 1.5 billion people depend in some way or another on bamboo and rattan. Bamboo not only is deemed to be the fastest growing plant on the planet but it is also a viable replacement for wood, essential structural material in earthquake architecture, it is a renewable source for agroforesty production. This makes

Yes we can

2008-11-10T08:12:00.007+01:00

Senator Obama's election as the 44th President of the United States personifies the President's elect slogan "Yes we can". Now the entire world has realized that indeed nothing is impossible. Over the last decades we've seen a lot things that we thought were impossible, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, how new technology and new ICTs have revolutionized our lives. Now we see an

Mobile phone killed radio star

2008-09-27T21:22:00.003+02:00

Watch video: Mobile phone revolution in rural AfricaMobile phone killed the laptop star?View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: onlyconnect ifad)Presentation by Roxanna Samii (IFAD) at the World Conference on Agricultural Information and IT - Atsugi, August 2008SlideShare Link

A landmark book showing how education and empowering women and young girls leads to progress

2008-09-07T18:36:00.004+02:00

Three cups of tea is perhaps one of the best humanitarian and development related books I've read recently. Greg Mortenson eloquently tells his ordeal of bringing a glimmer of hope into remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He shows when girls and women are empowered, they take their future and destiny in their hands.He should be rewarded for his stamina and believing in the people who he has

Casting the net beyond the lagoon

2008-08-10T08:26:00.012+02:00

Overfishing in the lagoons of Mauritius and Rodrigues has a destructive effect on the coral reef and the marine life it harbours. To increase the incomes of small-scale fishers and relieve pressure on depleted marine resources, the IFAD-funded Rural Diversification Programme has encouraged fishers to give up lagoon fishing. Policy framework for managing fisheries

Mauritius: tackling social exclusion on Rodrigues Island

2008-08-09T18:35:00.013+02:00

In the 1980s Nobel laureate Amartya Sen challenged fellow economists by stating that poverty has important "non-economic" dimensions. He said, "No concept of poverty can be satisfactory if it does not take note of the disadvantages that arise from being excluded from shared opportunities enjoyed by others."Today there is consensus within the development arena that poverty is multidimensional. "

Rodrigues Island, Mauritius: Soaring food and fuel prices eat into poor people’s livelihoods

2008-08-09T08:15:00.012+02:00

The fish stock in the spectacular lagoon of the island of Rodrigues is becoming depleted. As a result, octopus fishers like Lima Casmir need to find alternative sources of income. Agriculture: the engine of growthThe IFAD-funded Rural Diversification Programme has helped Casmir diversify her livelihood. Now agriculture is her main income-generating activity."I know

Turning a commercial flight into a Disney roller coaster ride

2008-07-23T12:57:00.008+02:00

This morning at 6:30am I boarded a flight from Port St Louis to Rodrigues island after an 11 hour flight from Paris to Port Louis. Rodrigues is 600 km away from Mauritius. The flight is approximately 1hr30 minutes.The airport was vibrating with the chatter, laughter, squeaky voices and enthusiasm of these kids. It was quite a scene to see these kids running around the airport and having fun. It

Active inertia

2008-07-19T13:56:00.005+02:00

On 14 July, The Economist published an article on Active interia. In this article Donald Sull, an associate professor at London Business School talks about how managers often get stuck in a rut, so when an entirely new situation arises they revert to old responses. Active inertia, Sull says, is “management’s tendency to respond to the most disruptive changes by accelerating activities that

Youssou N'Dour Africa's ambassador

2008-07-06T10:46:00.005+02:00

Youssou N'Dour is indeed one of the best African ambassadors. His crie de coeur for Africa in the form of music and chanson is so powerful that moves you to tears.Last night I attended one of his absolutely superb concerts. His voice, the power of his messages, his engagement with his compatriots and his people moved me to tears.The world needs more Youssou N'Dours! The world needs more committed

Consequences of under investing

2008-05-24T10:58:00.003+02:00

Who has not heard "there is no budget this year for this activity" or "you have to do more with less" or "resources need to be diverted to another area"?When we hear such edicts, we try and layout the pros and cons of the proposed cuts. How many of you out there have been successful to convince your leadership that the proposed cuts will undermine corporate operations and under-investing in

Different types of leadership

2008-05-11T16:02:00.004+02:00

Recently I was reading an article on different types leadership: command leadership, manipulative leadership, paternalistic leadership, contingency based leadership, and values based leadership. The description of the manipulative leader was one that I am sure everyone has come across: "manipulative leader has greed or personal gain as a driving force or a major motivation, and will use deceitful

Pausa di reflessione

2008-04-13T14:29:00.003+02:00

What a relief not to see the face nor hear the voice of Italian politicans for 48 hours!!!!! Since the political crisis in Italy which brought down the Prodi government, the Italian public has been subjected to incessant and continuous 'political debates'....... They have been subjected to yelling matches and insults of various politicans......What a relief to turn on the TV on Saturday and not

Philanthropy: The beginning of the end of development

2008-01-26T09:43:00.000+01:00

It is great that Microsoft, Dell, Google and other big private sector movers and shakers want to join the global battle of fighting hunger and poverty. The question we should ask ourselves is how can they and how will they reconcile their quest to make money and profit with serving the most needy..... Will pumping in money solve the problem? Will parachuting inappropriate technology solve the

A thousand splendid suns

2007-12-02T10:40:00.000+01:00

I just finished reading Khaled Hosseini's second book - A thousand splendid suns. I wonder why Hosseini does not spend some time and energy telling the world about the wonderful and rich history, tradition and culture his country. As Hermann Hesse said: "And even the unhappiest life has its sunny moments and its little flowers of happiness between sand and stone", so does Afghanistan!

Tides of change: a project makes a difference in the livelihoods of artisanal fishers

2007-11-09T08:54:00.001+01:00

Fighting rural poverty is a multifaceted challenge. It is not only about increasing the incomes of poor rural people, and providing them with access to safe water, health and education. It is also about transferring knowledge and know-how. And more importantly, it is about implementing policies that empower people and lead to reducing rural poverty. This is what the IFAD-funded Sofala Bank

Small-scale farmers become entrepreneurs

2007-11-09T08:49:00.001+01:00

Have you ever wondered where the cabbages, potatoes, tomatoes and green beans sitting on supermarket shelves come from? In Mozambique if you shop at Shoprite, Africa's largest food retailer, which has operations in 16 countries, you'll be buying vegetables produced locally by small-scale farmers.Read full story

How leaders create and use networks

2007-10-27T11:32:00.000+02:00

According to Herminia Ibarra, successful leaders have a nose for opportunity and a knack for knowing whom to tap to get things done. These qualities depend on a set of strategic networking skills that nonleaders rarely possess.She talks about importance of networking. She says, "typically, managers rise through the ranks by dint of a strong command of the technical elements of their jobs and a

Leadership has nothing to do with titles

2007-10-27T11:27:00.000+02:00

J. Frank Brown, the Dean of INSEAD has just published a marvelous book called the The global business leader. In this book he says he has met a lot of CEOs in his two-and-a-half decades in business and many of them are little more than LINOs – Leaders In Name Only. Read more at the following url: http://knowledge.insead.edu/contents/FrankBrown.htmBrown believes there are seven hallmarks of a

Finally people are understanding the philosophy behind the One Laptop per Child

2007-10-05T08:20:00.000+02:00

A big thank you to David Pogue of New York Times who very eloquently has explained the philosophy behind the One Laptop per Child programme. Read his article at the following url: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/04/technology/04pogue.phpHe is absolutely right in saying that "clearly, the XO's mission has sailed over people's head [cynics] like a 747".People should better educate themselves

Give One Laptop per Child a chance

2007-09-28T18:11:00.000+02:00

Last week there was a frenzy of good and bad media on "one laptop per child"Prof Negroponte had an innovative idea before everyone else came into the picture. His philosophy is a noble one “the future is shaped by children” so let’s help them get educated. This project is not about laptops. It is about enabling children in developing countries to have access to primary education - something that

When bureaucrats become leaders

2007-08-17T09:34:00.000+02:00

When was the last time you searched Google for "leadership" and "leadership and management"? Well, I did it the other day. I got 166 million results for leadership alone and 195 million for leadership and management. Although not all these millions of articles may be useful, undoubtedly some are.Now how many leaders do you know ; or rather how many people do you know who claim to be or want to be

My trip to Mauritius and Rodrigues island

2007-07-21T13:53:00.000+02:00

Earlier this month I went to Mauritius for work. Mauritius is known for its beautiful beaches and tourist resorts. Many forget that although Mauritius is a middle income country, it still has large pockets of poverty and a percentage of its population lives below the poverty line. I visited Rodrigues island, 640 kilometres off the island of Mauritius, where I met some powerful ladies who with

Reflections on women leadership and management course

2007-05-31T08:28:00.000+02:00

Last week I attended an extraordinary training course for women leaders and managers. The course was absolutely a precious and priceless GIFT. In my life, I've never had so much time devoted to ME nor so manypeople paying attention to ME.I was lucky enough to attend the course in a very particular moment in my work life. At the end of the course I felt energized and realized that I needed to get

Change management: common mistakes

2007-05-05T15:15:00.000+02:00

Management literature is flooded with dos and donots on change management. Organizations spend considerable amount of money and effort to lead and manage change management programmes. At the same time they supposedly 'study' this literature or at least try to get inspired by it. Yet, most of the times they end up falling in all or some of the traps identified by the literature they've avidly read

Geeky gadgets get a shot of high-fashion bling

2007-04-06T14:42:00.000+02:00

On 22 March, the International Herald Tribune (IHT) published an article entitled: Geeky gadgets get a shot of high-fashion blinghttp://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/21/business/gadgets.phpThe article argued that there is a gap in the market for lifestyle electronics and unveiled an alliance between Philips, the consumer electronics giant, and Swarovski to entice women to use technology products

ICTs, knowledge and rural livelihoods

2007-03-26T18:50:00.000+02:00

As I was preparing a meeting on ICTs, knowledge and rural livelihoods, I searched my memory lane to find a non-work related example of how ICTs can help knowledge dissemination and improve rural livelihoods.In the 60s there was land reform in my country. As a result of land reform, the land was handed over to the farmers. However, the farmers and the village head maintained a cordial relationship

Bridging the digital divide

2007-03-12T22:34:00.000+01:00

10 years ago everyone talked about the challenge of bridging the digital divide. Today there is less and less concern about bridging the divide. The panacea and the magic potion was the cellphone. Today the Massai carry a cellphone next to their spears, the indigenous people of latin america have one. All these people use mobile phones in an innovative manner, anything from getting market prices

Davos - World Economic Forum: Voices of Iran

2007-03-11T14:24:00.000+01:00

For those who may have missed this wonderful discussion which took place at Davos during the 2007 World Economic Forum: Voices of IranBeyond the headlines and stereotypes, Iran must be understood through a deeper appreciation of its rich heritage and complex internal dynamics. Join a conversation with Iranians from a broad spectrum of society as they discuss their aspirations, their country and

Development

2007-03-11T09:09:00.000+01:00

The language of development has changed so many times in the last 5 decades. Today the new buzz words are results framework, managing for development and indicators.History has demonstrated that these things come in cycles and have a life span of approximately a decade, so would be correct to assume in 10 years time, today's language will be replaced with some new thing? Will the common wisdom

Creative thinking

2007-03-10T20:23:00.000+01:00

Last week I attended a creative thinking course. It was absolutely wonderful. It was amazing to realize how our brain reacts to certain things and how by just consciously controlling our animal and human instincts we can be constructive rather than destructive.One the main message I took away was: defer judgment, analyze the problem, diverge and then converge.It may all seem straight forward and