Archive for 'economy'
With all the media's attention focussed on Libya and other Middle Eastern countries, you might have noticed Afghanistan has slightly fallen off the media radar recently. That's not necessarily a bad thing – it means those of us who work here can quietly get on and do what we want to do without the world’s [...]
Most week days, I wake up at around 6.30am to go for a run, do some yoga or go to the gym. It makes me feel alive and ready for the day, and I am usually more productive and focused at work as a result. Over time, it also ensures I look healthy and hopefully [...]
A number of you have asked me in comments on my blog about how we involve local communities in our roads programmes. And I'm overdue to tell you about my recent field visit, which I mentioned in my blog on DFID's Bilateral Aid Review announcement. These two issues fit together neatly. My visit was to [...]
I live in Scotland. A lot of people are often surprised at that. They’re also often surprised to hear that DFID has a large office in Scotland, just on the outskirts of Glasgow. From my desk on the top floor I can see rolling hills and woods. On a sunny day, it’s pretty beautiful, and [...]
There's nothing quite like a drive in the country to understand the scale of a country's development needs. Whether in an armoured vehicle back in Helmand, on a field trip in Zambia in a previous role to see what scope there was for helping farmers adapt to climate change, or last week driving along roads [...]
Hi – my name's Francesca, and I've just arrived in Afghanistan to work for DFID. Over the coming months, I want to share with you my thoughts on the country, on our work here and most importantly - what life is like for ordinary Afghans. As I stepped nervously off the plane, surrounded by the snow-capped [...]
One of last week's editions of the Financial Times featured an article by John Kay, a top UK economist, saying that "clarity of thought and clarity of expression tend to go together". And he's right – presenting complexity in a simple way is powerful. I read Kay's article on my way to a conference where, [...]
I've been working with two of our Asian country offices this week – Vietnam and Indonesia – helping them focus their programmes on low-carbon and climate-resilient growth. Travelling back and forth to the offices, I've noticed some sharp contrasts between the two's capital cities. Hanoi is full of hundreds of motorcycles, whizzing about and jam-parked [...]
I’ve been a Senior Economist in DFID for just over a month. Many friends and colleagues are excited about my new role…even people I don’t know that well. My first challenge has been giving a clear answer to the question “what do you ACTUALLY DO?”. Most people know what doctors, engineers, lawyers, even bankers and accountants [...]
Last week, because of the weather, you may have had to walk to work. But when you get into your car most mornings you probably don't think twice about the journey ahead. Roads are built and maintained in the UK everyday. And if you're like me, you take all this work for granted - except [...]
