Predicting Dengue fever outbreaks, and other news (19 November 2019)

Each week we highlight some of the international development stories from across the globe that have caught our attention:

• Oxford Policy Management helped to produce a D-MOSS system, aimed at forecasting Dengue fever outbreaks up to six months in advance. The system has been shared with stakeholders from seven countries during a workshop organised by the United Nations Development Program, World Health Organisation, and Ministry of Health Vietnam. Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne virus present in more than 150 countries. Read more in Bao Nhanh.

• Access Bank Ghana have launched a ‘fly now, pay later’ service which would allow business owners and traders who are customers of Access Bank Ghana to pre-finance travel packages and repay within 12 months. Access Bank Ghana have recently partnered with OPM and MasterCard Foundation to introduce access to financial services for over 250,000 underserved women in rural areas. Read more in Modern Ghana.

• The Niger State Government has started its comprehensive programme to increase the potential of rapidly growing urban centres to boost economic and social wellbeing. This is part of an initiative supported by the UN Human Settlements Programme to develop a Niger State Urban Policy, which will then be used as a pilot development plan for cities within Niger. Read more in The Guardian (Nigeria).

• The African Development Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Development Finance Corporation to support growth in Africa through collective funding for health, housing, and infrastructure projects – alongside others – over the next five years. Read more in Ghana News Agency.

• USAID has announced its five year Digital Health Activity programme in partnership with the Ministry of Health Ethiopia to train health workers and policymakers at all levels to utilise technology for serving patients across the country. They will also work with universities to encourage youth engagement in developing digital solutions across the health sector. Read more in Business Ghana.

• New research shared during the Nairobi International Conference on Population and Development Summit suggests that $264 billion would be needed over the next ten years to educate and empower women around safe motherhood to ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in reducing health risks during pregnancy, and rights-based violence. Currently only $42 billion of development assistance is being spent in this area. Read more in Ghana Business News.