Stories on economy and employment

A skilled workforce is needed for the transition to a low-carbon economy and successful introduction of new technologies. The Egyptian German Technical Academy shows how good training and quality education go hand in hand with responsibility for our planet.

Digitalisation is an important driver of development, but only if everyone benefits from it equally. akzente has gathered interesting facts and figures to show how much needs to be done to bridge the digital divide.

Edgar Ssensalo, 27, is from Uganda and works as a Software Engineer. For him, artificial intelligence is the most important accomplishment there is – because machines that are able to learn can predict and shape the future, with sophisticated software and intelligent modelling.

Scientists at Chittagong Medical College Hospital on the Bay of Bengal and Frankfurt University Hospital share a fascination for snakes. Under a hospital partnership, they are working and learning together, so that more snakebite victims can be saved. A contribution to global health. 

In the fertile valley of the Senegal River farmers grow rice on vast swathes of land. The foodstuff is part of every meal in the West African country of Senegal. While farmers use traditional methods and tools, they also rely on digital tools to compete in the market.

‘Together we can achieve more’ is a principle that is especially relevant in international cooperation. The global challenges and complexity of the issues at stake are too vast to be tackled by one organisation alone. Donors are therefore bundling their approaches more and more. Cofinancing arrangements involving GIZ are on the rise, and cooperation is becoming increasingly important in implementation.

Ethiopia, a large landlocked country in the Horn of Africa, is a key partner country in German development cooperation. The GIZ country office in the capital, Addis Ababa, is headed by Peter Palesch. akzente spent a day with the experienced country director, who manages to keep calm even when the going gets tough.

GIZ has undergone massive changes and evolved beyond recognition since the merger of GTZ, InWEnt and DED in 2011. It has grown in size and become more diverse.

Svenja Schulze is new to the German Development Ministry but not to Government. Her priorities are climate, poverty, gender, health and crisis prevention. In an interview, she discusses German development policy in flux.

In India, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is empowering women founders and allowing them to act independently as entrepreneurs. As a result, they are becoming role models. Two women describe this inspiring journey.

Vaccines need to be kept cold for them to be effective. A pilot project in Malawi is demonstrating how that can work using digital tools and solar power even in remote african villages.

Water is a precious resource in Central Asia. akzente visits Uzbekistan to see how it can be distributed sustainably and fairly – and how this enhances stability in the region in times of climate change.