Author | Lightnews

Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · 7d

Urbanization is a megatrend on the African continent: Africa is one of the fastest urbanising regions globally. The number of people living in urban areas in Africa is projected to double from roughly 700 million today to about 1.4 billion by 2050.

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‘Every day’s a fight’: join the commuters in Africa’s rapidly growing cities | Matthias Rompel

Urbanization is a megatrend on the African continent: Africa is one of the fastest urbanising regions globally. The number of people living in urban areas in Africa is projected to double from roughly...

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Sep 29

Reporting on the Kenyan - German partnership:
www.linkedin.com/pulse/invest...

Investing into potentials in Kenya: labor migration, skills, and community success stories

I just returned from a visit to Kenya, where I examined the portfolio of German - Kenyan Cooperation. Kenya is an established democracy and driver of economic growth, also making key contributions to ...

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Sep 9

Discussing the work of German Cooperation with Tanzania and EAC

www.linkedin.com/pulse/suppor...

Supporting biodiversity and inclusive development in Tanzania

Last week I was in Tanzania and toured the portfolio of GIZ Tanzania and EAC together with Petra Warnecke. We had a very dense schedule, visited different places and spoke with partners and colleagues...

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Aug 17

Reporting from my recent trip to Uganda: www.linkedin.com/pulse/refuge...

Of refugees and resilience in Uganda

This week, I had the great pleasure to visit Uganda, tour the German Cooperation portfolio, and talk to counterparts and people benefitting from the joint work we do in partnership with the government...

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Jul 20

„East Africa has made greater strides towards the free flow of people crossing borders and seeking work than most of Africa.“
Interesting reflections on the state of play, and on success factors of regional integration and free movement of people in East Africa.

theconversation.com/east-african...

East African countries and open borders: great strides, but still a long way to go

The East African Community has been ambitious in creating a regional common market. This includes making it easy for people to move between countries.

theconversation.com

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Jul 15

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Congratulations! | Matthias Rompel

Congratulations! This is a great success and a strong appreciation for our teams working on digital solutions to leapfrog development in African countries! It also showcases how international cooperat...

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Jul 4

Reflections on the 4th UN International Conference on Financing for Development, convened against a geopolitical backdrop in which international cooperation and humanitarian aid are more needed than ever, but at the same time under pressure than never before.

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#ffd4 #sdgs | Matthias Rompel

The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development has just been closed in Sevilla, Spain. From 30 June to 3 July, around 70 heads of state & government and over 12,000 delegates from s...

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Jul 4

Unfortunately, we see unfolding, what scientists predicted for decades: Climate change is driving droughts. A recent UNCCD report shows that global climate patterns of the previous years set the stage for severe drought impacts worldwide that are continuing into 2025.

www.unccd.int/resources/pu...

Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025

This report identifies the regions of the world that were most severely affected by droughts in 2023–2024, with some continuing into 2025.

www.unccd.int

Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Jun 27

Worth a read: „Europe must move beyond its traditional role. It needs to act as a strategic ally to the #GlobalSouth, it needs to co-design solutions.“

feps-europe.eu/publication/...

Europe’s strategic role in global development - Foundation for European Progressive Studies

A call for ambition and reform

feps-europe.eu

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Jun 27

Powerful reflections: „Decolonizing expertise in IOs demands more than just diversifying expert pools; it requires dismantling the epistemic hierarchies that sustain the status quo. It means creating spaces where knowledge is co-produced rather than extracted ….“

Decolonizing Expertise: Reflections on Power, Knowledge, and Governance in International Organizations (IOs)

By Marine Gauthier / part of our “Share your Decolonising Story” project A Personal Reckoning with Expertise My engagement with international development has always been entangled with postcolonial…

www.developmentresearch.eu

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Jun 19

Identifying mutual interests: How both donor and recipient countries benefit from international cooperation

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Identifying Mutual Interests: How both recipient and donor countries benefit from international cooperation

Economists of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy point out in a recent issue of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germanys leading newspapers: “Development cooperation (DC) is not only ...

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Jun 15

Learning and Unlearning: Sowing the Seeds of a Decolonising Mindset

EADI @eadi.bsky.social · Jun 12

"In Botswana, I also learned about the importance of starting out from the existing knowledge and life experience of the learners. I realised very quickly the school students had an incredibly deep knowledge of their own contexts"
www.developmentresearch.eu?p=2146

Learning and Unlearning: Sowing the Seeds of a Decolonising Mindset

By Peter Taylor / part of our “Share your Decolonising Story” project Beginnings I grew up in an industrial town in the North of the United Kingdom, and as a child my experience of agriculture was …

www.developmentresearch.eu

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Jun 2

„International cooperation is and will remain a highly relevant and crucial policy area for Germany, quite particularly against the backdrop of radical global upheavals. This makes it all the more important to reform and adapt it so that we are well equipped for the future.“

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) @giz.de · Jun 2

🌍 Europe is struggling to find its place in the world – caught between war, climate change, and authoritarianism.

💬 Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer explains why cooperation with the Global South needs a reset – on #GIZakzente and June 2 at #HSC25.

👉 akzente.giz.de/en/guest-art...

Portrait of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer with short hair and glasses against a dark background; to the left, a quote on the importance of international cooperation for Germany

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · May 25

Food for thought: „… a shifting global economic landscape offers Europe an opportunity to start engaging with Africa on equal terms.“

www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/e...

Europe Must Change Its Approach to Africa | by Carlos Lopes - Project Syndicate

Carlos Lopes envisions a new relationship based on equality and engagement with continental institutions.

www.project-syndicate.org

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · May 25

Happy Africa Day to all people living in Africa, to all people of African descent, and to all friends & partners of Africa! 25th May marks the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) 1963, now African Union (AU). This year’s theme: “Revisiting Our History, Shaping Our Future”.

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Reposted by Matthias Rompel

Global Policy @globalpolicy.bsky.social · May 23

Opinion

In search of a Plan B: The Future of Global Development Lies in ‘Like-Minded Internationalism’

www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/22/05/2...

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · May 18

Driving digital transformation and private sector development - insights about my recent trip to Rwanda

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Driving digital transformation and private sector development in Rwanda

I visited my GIZ colleagues in Rwanda this week to discuss how we deal with the current challenges in our work, how to improve impacts and cost-efficiency, and how to harness digitalization efforts. D...

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · May 14

Growing disparity between the rich & poor remains a critical challenges of our days, affecting countries across all continents: Particularly in Africa, where the richest 1% of Africans received 27% of the total revenue from growth on the continent.

What causes inequality in African countries? New book traces a vicious cycle

The richest 1% of Africans received 27% of the total revenue from growth on the continent. This is one of the inequalities that needs to change.

theconversation.com

Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Apr 28

We all have witnessed the popularity of the term “Global South” in recent discussions. Benedicte Bull & Dan Banik just published an enlightening reflection on the “The Rebirth of the Global South: Geopolitics, Imageries and Developmental Realities.“ Worth a read!

www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

The Rebirth of the Global South: Geopolitics, Imageries and Developmental Realities

You have to enable JavaScript in your browser's settings in order to use the eReader.

www.tandfonline.com

Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Apr 27

„Sudan’s World War“ - a stocktaking of of two-years of a civil war in Sudan:
„Over 150,000 people are estimated to have died. Sudan is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. It’s also the world’s worst displacement crisis: 13 million people have fled from their homes.“

Joshua Craze, Sudan’s World War — Sidecar

Two years of conflict.

newleftreview.org

Reposted by Matthias Rompel

IDOS_research @idos-research.bsky.social · Apr 22

How are African states, government representatives, and civil society actors responding to the foreign policy shifts under #Trump? A new blog series on @megatrends-afrika.de features contributions from authors across the continent to answer this question. ➡️ www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/

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Reposted by Matthias Rompel

Henrik Maihack @henrikmaihack.bsky.social · Apr 10

The English translation of my five suggestions for #Africa policy for the incoming German government is now available here ⬇️

library.fes.de/pdf-files/in...

@fesonline.bsky.social

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Apr 7

„With 1.2 billion people, Africa is a rich continent, one of the world's largest markets. It's high time the continent unleashed the potential“

open.substack.com/pub/africapa...

Now is the time to strengthen African domestic markets

Africa has relied on the export of natural resources and agricultural produce for too long. The continent should strengthen its fledgling internal market and make full use of a customs union.

open.substack.com

Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Mar 24

Germany‘s prosperity depends on international cooperation!

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Partnerships | Matthias Rompel

Germany‘s prosperity depends on international cooperation! In the current trying times international cooperation has come under tremendous pressure, and has…

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Matthias Rompel @matthiasrompel.bsky.social · Mar 22

On 21st March, Namibia celebrated 35 years of independence. On this day,
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been officially inaugurated as the fifth President & the first female President of Namibia. She has appointed a female-dominated Cabinet, with 9 women among 14 ministers announced. Congratulations!