One of Gabon’s greatest paradoxes is agriculture. Blessed with 5m ha of fertile arable land and a tropical climate with annual rainfall of 1800-4000 mm, it has all the ingredients to feed its growing population. And yet it is dependent on imports for some 90% of its food requirements, costing the country in excess of CFA300bn (€450m) per annum....
The Gabonese Initiative for Achieving Agricultural Outcomes with Engaged Citizenry (Gabonaise des Réalisations Agricoles et des Initiatives des Nationaux Engagés, GRAINE) is part of the government’s ambition to boost agriculture’s contribution to GDP from 5% to 20% by 2025, and, in the process, reduce the country’s dependence on food imports....
Policy measures taken by successive governments to introduce sustainable forestry management and to develop the downstream timber industry are widely expected to offer long-term environmental and economic benefits. However, in the short term they have delivered a blow to the forestry industry, which is still feeling the effects, particularly the...
Buoyed by revenues from the oil and gas industry, education can be considered one of the great economic strengths of Trinidad and Tobago, which stands out among emerging markets by this measure. In its “Global Competitiveness Report 2014-15” on 144 countries, the World Economic Forum ranked T&T as 89th for overall competitiveness, but 44th for the general quality of...
After years of steady state investment, Trinidad and Tobago is reaping the benefits of increased attention to tertiary education. The student participation rate – the share of those aged 17-21 enrolled in post-secondary courses – has risen from 42% in 2010 to 65% in late 2014, compared to 2001, when it was just 7%. One key change has been the introduction in 2004 of the...
Many of the health indicators for Trinidad & Tobago are similar to those of developed countries. Well over 90% of the population has access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation. Regarding childbirth – one of the key health benchmarks for emerging markets – nearly all expectant mothers make at least four doctor visits before giving birth, and virtually all...
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