Dear newsletter subscriber,
there’s always something happening in a city like Nairobi. There are many problems, but just as many ideas for solutions, ranging from neighbourhood initiatives to municipal programmes. However, what benefits some people doesn’t always represent progress for others, especially given diverse urban social structures.
In Nairobi I live so to speak on the border between two different worlds: between the more prosperous and green Loresho neighbourhood and Kangemi, which is for the most part an informal settlement – one of many in the city, without running water or safe housing and with an inadequate power supply.
A big market is held every day on the Kangemi side. I was recently in the area with one of the electric motorbike taxis, the number of which seems to be growing every day. My driver pointed out that one particularly chaotic part of the market had been cleared and replaced virtually overnight by fancy paving stones. It looks very nice, and the rubbish has certainly disappeared. But where have the people gone who used to sell their stuff here? The driver shrugged.
So whose lives in Nairobi have improved as a result? The articles in our new issue attempt to find answers to the question of what it takes to make a city liveable for everyone.
We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter. 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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© David Amen, original artwork enhanced with AI. Original publication: rioonwatch.org/?p=63779 |
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Our latest Digital Monthly:
Liveable cities |
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© picture alliance/Zoonar/Michael C Turner
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How delivery services are reshaping cities
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Colourful motor scooters delivering food or shopping are now a familiar sight in many cities. Delivery services have created thousands of jobs, especially in countries with high unemployment – even if working conditions are often precarious. Marcela Guerrero Casas and Dustin Kramer are urban development experts and, in their contribution, use Cape Town as an example to analyse the impact of this sector on urban centres.
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Nairobi’s floods showed why urban plans need to be made with the poor
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How marginalised urban communities in Africa are driving innovation
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Examples from the Zimbabwean capital Harare show that people living in slums have long had solutions to problems that shape everyday urban life in their communities. Governments and research projects must take advantage of these innovations in order to achieve truly meaningful change in cities. |
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is the annual growth rate of the population in African cities – an unprecedented urbanisation rate in human history. To put it in other words (and numbers): Of the billion people by which the continent’s population is projected to grow by 2050, 80% will live in cities.
On the one hand, the rapid growth is attributed to improved healthcare systems and higher life expectancy. On the other hand, alongside economic pull factors, a number of push factors, such as conflicts and food insecurity, are driving migration to urban areas.
At the same time, the Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies warns that urban areas themselves are increasingly becoming battlegrounds for armed conflicts. It also emphasises the issue of organised crime, which could worsen due to high youth unemployment, informal settlements and weak security forces. Investments in infrastructure, youth employment initiatives and other preventive measures are therefore essential. Other challenges – but also opportunities – in urban areas worldwide are discussed by our authors in the current D+C Digital Monthly.
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In 2025, three countries – Georgia, Timor-Leste and Suriname – were declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). Suriname became the first country in the Amazon region to join the list of now 47 countries which, according to the WHO, are free of the disease.
WHO officials credited the three countries for their resolute action against the disease, including early detection and treatment, community engagement and efforts to prevent its spread. However, maintaining this status requires ongoing efforts to prevent the reintroduction of malaria.
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| What has also caught our interest |
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Many people are familiar with the term greenwashing. But who has heard of greenhushing? An article in the Harvard Business Review shows that despite loud headlines about the alleged end of sustainability in companies – especially in the US, where there has been political pressure since Trump took office – most companies are sticking to their climate goals. They are just doing so more quietly.
The article is based on a study of 75 large global companies. In fact, only eight percent are actually scaling back their sustainability programmes, while the majority (53 %) are continuing or even expanding them (32 %) – but without much public fanfare. This strategic silence is intended to avoid political attacks, but at the same time it lacks transparency and misses opportunities for joint momentum and capacity for action. Nevertheless, the analysis makes it clear that if you take a closer look, you will see that sustainability has long been part of core business in many places – and that workarounds can be found even for Donald Trump’s manoeuvres.
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The IRC Emergency Watchlist 2026 paints a bleak picture of the global humanitarian situation. Published annually by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Watchlist identifies the 20 countries where the humanitarian situation is expected to deteriorate most severely in 2026. At the top of the list are Sudan (for the third consecutive year), Gaza, and South Sudan – three crisis contexts in which violence, hunger, and state collapse are likely to continue to escalate. Particularly alarming is the fact that these 20 countries are home to only about 12 % of the world's population, but nearly 90 % of all people in humanitarian need.
The report also shows how closely armed conflicts, political instability, climate shocks, and the erosion of multilateral cooperation are now intertwined – and how much these dynamics reinforce each other.
At the same time, international aid is declining dramatically: Germany has halved its emergency funding compared to 2024, and worldwide, 83 % of USAID-funded programmes have been cut – with deadly consequences for an estimated 1.8 million people in 2025 alone. Humanitarian workers are also increasingly being targeted: the vast majority of attacks on them occurred in countries on the watch list.
The IRC warns urgently of a “new world (dis)order” in which geopolitical interests are supplanting solidarity. Without a decisive change in political course, 2026 threatens to see a further escalation of crises that have long since spiraled out of control in many places.
By the way: In our March issue, we focus on global humanitarian aid.
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Less than two percent of all human genomes analysed to date come from Africans – even though the continent accounts for 17 % of the world's population and has the greatest genetic diversity. Ghanaian start-up Yemaachi Biotech wants to close this massive research gap. With the Africa Cancer Atlas, the team led by immunologist Yaw Bediako is currently building Africa's largest genetic and clinical cancer database – with data from up to 7500 patients.
The project aims to provide new insights into cancer in African populations, enable the development of more effective drugs and reduce existing inequalities in cancer treatment. The data will be made available to African researchers free of charge; international partners such as the pharmaceutical company Roche are providing financial and technical support for the project.
Bediako also draws attention to structural problems: global genome research is characterised by exclusion and racist distortions, he says in this Guardian article – with consequences for the effectiveness of drugs worldwide.
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| In this section, we occasionally highlight small projects that are making a difference at the community level – because local engagement is just as important as major international decisions. |
AgeWatch Africa Foundation (AgeWatch) is a Kenyan-based nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to improving the well-being, dignity, and care of older persons across Africa through person-centered care models, advocacy, and capacity building. In partnership with UNHCR, AgeWatch has recently begun work supporting older refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northern Kenya, addressing their unique health, social and protection needs. AgeWatch programmes span home-based care, community training, and the development of age-inclusive systems in humanitarian and development contexts.
As the organisation enters a new phase of growth, AgeWatch is currently seeking additional Board Members who can offer strategic guidance, governance support, and long-term commitment. Ideal candidates bring experience in humanitarian action, development, health, or donor engagement and are willing to engage through interviews and a brief statement of purpose. Strengthening the Board will help ensure sustainable impact and responsible scale of AgeWatch's work across the region.
Interested candidates can reach out to Richard Waindi: richard@agewatchafrica.com
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The KIT Fund offers scholarships to talented health professionals from low- and middle-income countries to study at a Master’s programme at KIT Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Scholarship opportunities are regularly published on the fund’s website.
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Depaul International, Ruff Institute of Global Homelessness and Famvin
Homeless Alliance (FHA) will be jointly hosting a webinar on 5 February, exploring the consequences of global climate-, health- and education-related challenges for homelessness worldwide. It takes place from 2 pm to 3:30 pm GMT and will be joined by experts from the climate and global health fields. |
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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
Website: www.fazit.de | Managing Directors: Jonas Grashey, Hannes Ludwig |
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