Institute of Development Studies

As climate shocks become more frequent across East and Southern Africa, building resilience is critical to reducing poverty and improving wellbeing. Listen to this episode on your favourite podcast provider: Acast | Spotify | Apple | YouTube | Soundcloud Image: Bushra Saleem/IDS.

Dans la plupart des pays africains, l’apprentissage informel, est largement répandu. Il est considéré de loin, comme la source de formation professionnelle la plus importante en Afrique de l’Ouest. Il est ancré dans les traditions et la culture locale et obéit à un grand nombre de règles informelles diverses comme les coutumes ou les valeurs culturelles.

In most African countries, informal learning is widespread. In West Africa, it is widely regarded as by far the most important source of vocational training. It is rooted in local traditions and culture and is governed by a wide range of informal rules, such as customs and cultural values. In Côte d’Ivoire in particular, informal apprenticeships are the training route most commonly taken by young people, as opposed to school-based private or public technical and vocational training.

Join us as we celebrate 60 remarkable years of shared memories, lasting friendships and the enduring IDS community! Image: Bill Black/IDS. This special reunion is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old friends, look back on cherished memories and celebrate the people and experiences that have shaped IDS through the decades. All proceeds from the event will support the IDS Fund.

If you live in the United Kingdom in 2026, you do not have a right to adequate food. You do if you live in India, which joined the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR – which contains the human right to food) in 1979 and has subsequently recognised the right to food in its constitution and in a legally-binding set of programmes and policies grounded in the law.

Allan Savory’s memoir has recently been published – UnSavory: African Stories of Wildlife, War, and the Birth of Holistic Management. It’s a fascinating read. Full of Rhodesian derring-do but some important reflections on the value of field ecology and the dangers of bureaucratically policed received wisdoms. The book covers the period from his birth in 1935 until around 1980, although there are some reflections on more recent events in the Epilogue.

International development is at a crossroads. The closure of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the reduction in UK’s Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to record low levels, and funding cuts by other European countries are forcing the development and humanitarian sector to rapidly change. The first wave of this change is to stop targeted disability-inclusive programming and to fast-track mainstreaming disability inclusion. Mobile educator with Ganga and her father in Nepal.

The Democratic Republic of Congo became a lithium producer for the first time in its history this year. In June 2026, the Chinese major mining group Zijin Mining began exporting lithium sulphate from the Manono deposit in the DRC’s Tanganyika Province – one of the largest and highest-grade undeveloped lithium deposits in the world.

Convened by the REPAiR Project, this event will explore the roots and legacy of myths about fire in rangelands. Although careful use of fires can be a crucial practice, many myths persist, leading to severe restrictions and a portrayal of fire as overwhelmingly destructive. Image: Patricia Hajasoa. We are delighted to welcome Kevin Kirkman and Elliot Convery-Fisher as guest speakers for this discussion, which will be chaired by Amber Huff and Bat Vorontsova.

IDS has become an official member of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, following widespread engagement by IDS researchers to support the aims of the Alliance since its launch at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2024. December 2023: Feeding young people in a public school in the city of Ibicui, Brazil.