The World Development Report (WDR) is the World Bank’s flagship annual publication, providing in-depth analysis of major global development challenges and how countries can address them through effective policies and institutions. It is published once a year. The latest WDR, released on 11 December 2025, emphasises that standards are not peripheral technicalities, but central drivers…

Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once said we cannot solve our problems by pretending they don’t exist. Yet, that is exactly what some of us see as happening in East Africa. Agreed. East Africa has taken plausible action to match rhetoric in its resolve to move ahead as a model socio-economic grouping of a people who confess…

Antibiotics are among the most powerful discoveries in modern medicine. They have saved millions of lives by treating serious bacterial infections that were once deadly. However, one dangerous myth still persists: the belief that antibiotics can cure almost any illness. The truth is simple but important — antibiotics do not cure everything and using them…

We were enjoying a fantastic morning dugout canoe trip on the Kilombero River, with excellent views of the Purple Heron, Pel’s Fishing Owl, the elusive African Finfoot and many other resident species. The marshy fringes of the river were alive with waterbirds of all sizes and shapes. Suddenly, we watched a surge of water as…

I listen to the radio regularly. The other day, I tuned into a talk show where a caller said, “God is great, while the devil is weak.” Before he could continue, he was abruptly cut off — leaving me to wonder: Was there a conspiracy between the announcer and the phone company or was it…

To many, he was a crazy man. Some 73 years ago, on 9 April 1953, a captain of the communications industry, Mark Sullivan—President and Director of the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company in Pasadena, San Francisco, USA—made a futuristic prediction about what the telephone of the future would look like. He was addressing fellow captains…