|
This is an exceptionally busy time.
During the last month major proposals were prepared for projects
in Uganda and Egypt, whilst proposals are currently being
prepared for projects in Nigeria, Malawi and Kenya.
It is particularly interesting for
MASDAR to be so active again in Nigeria. We have been
active there for over 30 years, have undertaken more work in
that country than anywhere else and know the country and its
challenges very well. We are currently pursuing work in
land cadastre/mapping (through eMapSite) and agriculture
(through MASDAR).
Currently we are working in South
Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia,
Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania and The Gambia. It is thus clear
that the focus of our activities has moved back to Africa which
is where the company started over 30 years ago. We will
continue to bid for donor funded projects with particular
emphasis on all aspects of rural development and currently have
a requirement for M&E Specialists, Trainers and agricultural
specialists with extensive West African experience.
Reducing poverty, hunger and
malnutrition, as well as vulnerability attached to each of them,
remains, as it has done for the past two or three decades, the
overriding development challenge across Africa. MASDAR is
proud of the leading role it has in managing the Regional Hunger
and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP) funded by DFID and AusAid.
Some of the major achievements of
the Programme to date are:-
Capacity
building:
o
Introduction of improved
vulnerability assessment and analysis (VAA) methodologies
in the six focus countries
o
Training of more than 100
technicians in improved VAA tools
o
Training of over 140 government
officials, NGO and donor staff in the design and
implementation of social transfers (in collaboration with
the Economic Policy Research Institute (EPRI )
Evidence based research:
o
Compilation of comprehensive
social protection inventories and knowledge reviews
for the six focus countries
o
Execution, utilising national
expertise and adopting a “mentorship” approach, of a unique set
of twenty evidence based case studies of social
protection experience in the six focus countries. The findings
were subsequently documented in a series of lesson
learning/best practices case studies and thematic briefs.
This work has also formed the basis of the recently published
book “Social Protection in Africa” by Frank Ellis,
Stephen Devereux and Philip White
¨
Policy and advocacy:
o
Production of a series of
evidence based social protection policy briefs (in
collaboration with the Grow up Free From Poverty Coalition, EPRI
and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS)
o
Development and operation of the
highly acclaimed wahenga.net web site, of which
DFID said “RHVP is applauded for establishing itself as a
unique source of information and support to regional hunger and
vulnerability programmes, principally through Wahenga – its
informative and user friendly website.” (RHVP Mid Term
Review)
o
Production of a series of short
(15 minute) documentary films of specific social
protection case studies and a longer social transfers
advocacy film, introduced by Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
entitled “A Transfer Out of Poverty” (all available on
DVD)
o
Sponsoring and direction of
radio discussion series on social protection issues in
Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia
o
Social protection policy
dialogue engagement with donors, UN agencies, international
NGOs, national civil society organisations and parliamentarians
MASDAR is undertaking a major
marketing initiative in Nigeria in support of the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture's National Food Security Programme.
We would like to hear from you if you have extensive experience
in any aspect of Nigerian Agriculture and would be interested in
returning to work in Nigeria.
eMapSite,
our on-line mapping company is experiencing a period of rapid
growth and expansion. Projected turnover for 2008 is £2.5
million and market penetration has been excellent. We
are delighted to report that eMapSite has just won the "Most
Innovated Service Award " from Ordnance Survey. This
prestigious award puts eMapSite at the very forefront of
internet mapping in the UK. Please visit their
website www.emapsite.com
for further details.
AgriVisual, the specialist media
company within the MASDAR Group continues to fight the war
against Poverty of Information which we believe is a major
handicap to the social, economic and political development in
many countries in Africa.
The most effective weapon in this war against
Poverty of Information is the AV DRUM 21 mobile communication
unit, which can be seen on their website
www.agrivisual.com
|
