In the News
Development Economics Success Stories from 2019

31st December 2019
Students spend plenty of time dissecting and discussing development traps. Here is a glass-half full selection of positive development stories from 2019.
The success stories of 2019 from across the world (Guardian)
The success stories of 2019 from across the world https://t.co/4yqTeQQNhb
— Global Development (@GdnDevelopment) December 31, 2019
The rapid rise of mobile money and financial services in Africa
The most significant financial development of 2010-2019 was mobile money. For the 1st time, millions of Africans had banking services (without bank accounts) using mobile phones to transfer and receive money - of great benefit also for informal businesses. pic.twitter.com/98ciET04nA
— James Hall (@hallaboutafrica) December 30, 2019
African nations make substantial progress in increasing renewable energy capacity
African Developments 2010-2019. The growing awareness and gradual application of renewable energies to replace fossil fuels was consistent during the decade, varying from country to country. Morocco finished the world's largest multi-technology solar production site in 2018. pic.twitter.com/NPckkNyLOy
— James Hall (@hallaboutafrica) December 28, 2019
What does this house in rural, off-grid Kenya have in common with the International @Space_Station?
— Azuri - Life Changing Technology (@Azuri_Tech) December 24, 2019
It's energy production!
Solar electricity is reliable, powerful and renewable, powering Azuri TVs across Africa as well as critical life support on the ISS. @NASA #solar pic.twitter.com/F4BkNwNsGQ
With the support of leaders, the African Development Bank moved forward on the "Desert to Power" initiative intended to build the world's largest solar zone all across the #Sahel by adding up to 10 GW of solar generation. #PowerAfrica #YearInReview
— African Development Bank Group (@AfDB_Group) December 31, 2019
👉🏿 https://t.co/4ruwD83h4Q pic.twitter.com/pl96dkYJQX
According to the 2019 HDR presentation there has also been notable (although uneven) progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
"Last year for example, 31 million people across the world had better access to the services they need to tackle poverty; 21 million people registered to vote; 27 million people were stronger in the face of climate change; and 256 million tons of carbon emissions were cut, the equivalent of taking over 50 million cars off the road for a year."
Many African start-ups enjoyed strong growth - FinTech is a fast-expanding sector
The biggest trends in African tech and startups in 2019 https://t.co/mJ7N9RSLez
— Quartz Africa (@qzafrica) December 31, 2019
How thinking and acting local took Africa’s top-selling phone maker to a multibillion-dollar IPO https://t.co/7nERNROBTB
— Quartz Africa (@qzafrica) December 29, 2019
A round up of some of the World Bank Africa's most popular blog posts in 2019
2019 was a year for #humandevelopment. Why were #jobs, #education and #health among the top topics? Take a look at the most engaging #socialmedia posts https://t.co/8J6dyYB7CW #YearinReview pic.twitter.com/0WmRX0Rgzt
— World Bank Africa (@WorldBankAfrica) December 26, 2019
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