Dear newsletter subscriber,
the men’s football World Cup kicks off on June 11. In the final on 19 July, just outside New York, multimillionaires will face off on the pitch, revered as demigods. It’s possible that some of those who watch the action unfold will have paid over $ 2 million for their tickets. In late April, that was the price quoted for one ticket on the official resale website of world football’s governing body FIFA. The original price was $ 8860.
To put this into context, the annual per capita gross national income in Senegal is $ 1680. If Senegal reaches the final, fans from there could find it difficult to come and cheer on their national team. FIFA President Gianni Infantino calls the World Cup “inclusive” nonetheless. He had already displayed his lack of judgement in December when he awarded Donald Trump the newly created “FIFA Peace Prize”. Less than three months later, the award-winner started a war.
I already watched a final last year. It was to decide which of Kenya’s regional teams would be promoted to the third league. The mood certainly did not need to shy away from comparison with the spectacular World Cup events that we can expect to see in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
On the day, I was supporting the NGUVU Homeboyz – a team created by a social sports project on which I volunteer. The young men from deprived backgrounds play to stay away from drugs and crime, but also because the project provides them with hot meals and vocational training. The “Sport for Development” approach is nothing new in development cooperation. It works for any sport – but football projects are at the forefront worldwide.
A sport that many people can agree on is a good thing in today’s divided world. As the articles in our new edition show, the appeal of football manages to bridge ethnic divides and, increasingly, gender divides as well. And if you’ve ever watched a regional league match on some dusty pitch somewhere, you’ll know that football doesn’t need any FIFA glitz and glamour to have impact.
Please feel free to share your opinions, criticisms and suggestions by emailing us at euz.editor@dandc.eu. |
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Kind regards,
Katharina Otieno
editor at D+C |
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Our latest Digital Monthly:
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Football:
More than just a game |
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For poor communities in Kenya, football is more than just a game
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© picture alliance / Hans Lucas / Issam Zerrok
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“Hospitals before stadiums”: Morocco’s youth protests over football
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© picture alliance/ASSOCIATED PRESS/Evan Vucci
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Does international football need to reinvent itself? |
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per year could be saved by G77 countries under a debt relief scenario proposed by Development Finance International (DFI). In a recent report, the organisation outlines various measures for debt relief and for reducing borrowing costs, including halving financing costs and special relief for countries vulnerable to climate change. It argues that this could help developing countries narrow their SDG financing gaps and double their spending on all social and environmental SDGs.
Drawing on DFI’s Debt Service Watch database, the report finds that G77 countries are currently paying $ 8.8 trillion annually on debt service. Describing the situation as the “worst ever debt-provoked development crisis,” the report further finds that 5.1 billion people in the Global South now live in countries where debt service exceeds total social and environmental spending.
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The Goldman Environmental Prize is arguably the world’s most prestigious award for environmental activism – and this year it recognises the increasingly important role women play in environmental protection. Each year, the prize is awarded to one person from each of six global regions. This year’s recipients are Iroro Tanshi from Nigeria, Borim Kim from South Korea, Sarah Finch from the United Kingdom, Theonila Roka Matbob from Papua New Guinea, Alannah Acaq Hurley from the United States, and Yuvelis Morales Blanco from Colombia. This marks the first time since the prize was established in 1989 that the award, worth $ 200,000, has gone exclusively to women.
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| What has also caught our interest |
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| Why the violence in Mali is not simply “terrorism” |
Violence is escalating once again in Mali. Those who attribute this solely to “terrorism” are failing to explain enough, write political scientists Olayinka Ajala and Darrin Patrick McDonald in The Conversation. The authors also view the recent, well-coordinated attacks at the end of April 2026 as an expression of long-standing grievances surrounding the Tuareg: for years, the ethnic group has denounced a lack of political representation, the marginalisation of the north, cultural disregard, control over resources, and a state that is primarily present in the periphery in the form of the military. And where the army acts with a heavy hand and civilians suffer, it unwittingly provides extremist groups with arguments for recruitment. The article outlines a possible way forward, looking at how the Tuareg in Niger were integrated into state institutions under Mahamadou Issoufou, and how the group’s demands were addressed through decentralisation and investment in infrastructure.
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| What does nature conservation look like without US money? |
What happens when the key source of funding disappears overnight? In The Guardian, Michelle Nijhuis describes how the withdrawal of USAID funding has wreaked havoc on conservation projects worldwide. Particularly striking is the example of the Liberian “Eco-Guards”: people from forest communities who patrol against poaching and illegal logging – and whose salaries were suddenly cut off. One young woman says, in essence: without pay, she would have to go back to doing “what she used to do” – hunting illegally. The article shows that in many places, nature conservation is also linked to social politics. At the same time, the sector is looking for ways out: short-term emergency funding, more European and private money, new funds – and the attempt to save knowledge and functioning projects. Nevertheless, the question remains as to how “locally led” nature conservation can really be when the big money fails to materialise.
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In this AP report, farmers in Senegal show that you don’t necessarily have to dance to be successful on TikTok. They mainly use the app to sell their produce directly and share knowledge. Senegalese farmer Pape Fall, for example, shows his cucumbers in a video, stating the quantity and a phone number (“1.5 tonnes, available tomorrow, God willing”) – and now sells the majority of his crops via the app. Then there are agricultural influencers like Nogaye Sene, who uses Instagram and TikTok to attract customers, explain technology and specifically target young women. At the same time, attempts at fraud, misinformation, expensive data volumes and the fact that many farmers do not even own a smartphone are holding the influencers back. Nevertheless, those with an online presence can bypass middlemen, negotiate better prices and learn from one another.
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The Impactpool Virtual Career Fair for Middle Eastern and North African Nationals 2026 takes place online on 24 June and connects MENA professionals with recruiters from international organisations such as the ICRC, AIIB and OHCHR. The event is aimed at candidates with at least three years of international work experience, strong English skills and a postgraduate degree.
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The Urban Studies Foundation’s international scholarships provide support to urban researchers from the Global South who are in the early to mid-stage of their careers, funding a three- to nine-month research stay at a host university anywhere in the world. The programme is intended for researchers who have already completed their primary data collection and analysis and now need time, mentorship and institutional support to turn their work into publishable academic outputs. Eligible applicants must have earned their PhD within the last 10 years, be affiliated with a research institution in an OECD DAC-listed country and secure both a mentor and a host institution before applying.
Deadline: 6 July |
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Imprint
Publisher information: ENGAGEMENT GLOBAL gGmbH Service für Entwicklungsinitiativen
Publisher: Fazit Communication GmbH, Pariser Straße 1, D-60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)69 7591-3110 | Email: euz.editor@dandc.eu
Webseite: www.fazit.de | Managing Directors: Jonas Grashey, Hannes Ludwig |
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