It is ironic how light skinned people want darker “tanned” skin. This is thought to be a sign of health and wealth. Having a tan all year round shows that an individual has the means to travel – or visit salons – to get that desired tone. However, light skin is also associated with wealth and prosperity. Darker skinned people sometimes desire a lighter tone because it is believed to be linked to higher life chances. As we see, “The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence.”

Quand il s’agit de la recherche agro-alimentaire, les résultats « doivent aller jusqu’à la table », insiste Philippe Thonart, professeur de bio-industries en Belgique. Mais ce n’est pas si facile, parce que « ça peut coûter 1 franc pour faire une découverte scientifique, telle que l’isolement d’un microbe utile dans la production de yaourt, mais 100 francs pour [...]

  When it comes to agro-food research, “results must make it to the dinner table,” insists Philippe Thonart, professor of bio industries in Belgium. But that is not so easy, because “it may cost 1 franc to make a scientific discovery, such as isolating a microbe useful in food fermentation processes, but 100 francs to [...]

La planification stratégique est unique à chaque organisation. Elle donne un cadre et une direction et permet de déterminer comment orienter l’action et investir des ressources limitées pour réaliser une vision partagée. Elle permet également au personnel de l’organisation, aux membres du Conseil, et aux autres parties prenantes et partenaires de s’approprier les orientations stratégiques. [...]

Strategic planning is unique to each organisation. It provides direction and helps determine how to invest limited resources to achieve objectives. It also helps create buy-in and ownership for strategic directions among staff, Board members, and other stakeholders and partners. “[A] strategic planning process enables an organization to see around corners in general terms. It [...]

La croissance économique dépend des chemins d’innovation, a soutenu le professeur Martin Hall lors d’une conférence récente à Dakar. Cela signifie, explique t-il, de l’innovation à petite échelle mise en œuvre sur une période de temps, et non pas des événements ou des balles magiques. « L’innovation durable provient des effets cumulatifs de la mise en [...]

Economic growth depends on innovation pathways argued Professor Martin Hall at a recent lecture in Dakar. This means, he explains, small scale innovation implemented over a period of time, not events or magic bullets. “Sustainable innovation comes from the cumulative effects of implementing small scale, useful ideas over quite long periods of time.” There is [...]

What will we do and talk about after 64 games (or matches), Ghana’s entry into the quarter finals, and Spain’s victory in South Africa? The 2010 World Cup was also a victory for the African continent and went a ways in creating a sense of worldwide and African solidarity. I was surprised to hear, when [...]

Que ferons-nous et que dirons-nous après 64 jeux (ou matchs), l’entrée du Ghana en quarts de finale, et la victoire de l’Espagne en Afrique du Sud? La Coupe du Monde 2010 a été aussi une victoire pour le continent africain et a contribué à créer un sens de solidarité dans le monde entier et en Afrique. J’ai [...]

Knowing that the quality of university research impacts the quality of education at all levels, as well as shapes the overall landscape in which research happens, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), through its West and Central Africa Regional Office (WARO), initiated a process to better understand what is actually happening when it comes to [...]