As part of its “Shared Innovation” series, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is showcasing innovative programs that have been developed in its partner countries.

Kheira Benaissa, head of the Algerian start-up, Green AI, has developed an innovative process that combines household gas production with environmental preservation. Kheira, a PhD student specialising in waste management, has been awarded the Emerging Mediterranean 2022 Special Prize for Female Entrepreneurship.

Maïtena Master 2 is a two-year master’s degree program created through a partnership between Université Senghor (Université de la Francophonie) and Campus AFD. The program provides capacity building for managers in African countries who work on development project management, be it in the public or private sector, in NGOs, or in civil society organizations. On April 18, 2022, the first class year was officially launched at the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Numerous African communities dependent on agricultural imports are vulnerable to the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Both countries are major exporters of grains and important foodstuffs worldwide, especially to much of Africa. Price rises are exacerbating food insecurity in countries already struggling with climate change and Covid-19. But AFD is stepping in, with flexible financing and regional solidarity.

July 28 was “Overshoot Day,” the date in 2022 by which humanity consumed all the natural resources that the Earth can regenerate in one year. One way to address the challenge of resource consumption is through the unprecedented opportunities offered by satellite technologies. By signing the International Charter of the Space Climate Observatory (SCO), Agence Française de Développement is reaffirming its ambitions as a climate donor and consolidating the French commitments made at COP21.

Creating more climate resilient societies requires the full commitment of the private sector. To this end, AFD group is supporting the Dominican Republic in creating an environment conducive to private sector investments that are in line with the country's commitments to fight climate change.

A scam is attempting to extort money, in the name of AFD, in exchange for promising a job. We ask you to be extremely vigilant and draw your attention to the principles of our recruitment process.

The Emerging Mediterranean “Digital Talk” competition, a program that supports start-ups to develop positive innovation in Mediterranean countries, has just announced its list of winners. It is a driver of “Tech for Good” in this region of the world.

RISE (Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs) is a unique project for young entrepreneurs from Western Balkans. After a successful first phase, AFD is financing the second part, which seeks to strengthen the program and accelerate the development of social entrepreneurship in the area.

The carbon stored by marine and coastal ecosystems, called blue carbon, is one of the overarching themes of the 2022 UN Ocean Conference (2022 UNOC) organized in Lisbon from 27 June to 1 July. AFD is promoting the ongoing dynamics around this sector through a new coalition, the Global Coalition for Blue Carbon.

Climate change is currently having a major impact on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean. Rising sea levels and increasingly frequent and intense hydro-meteorological disasters are putting communities, economic infrastructure and basic services at risk. There is an urgent need to redesign island cities and transform them into areas of climate resilience innovation. In the lead-up to the World Urban Forum in Katowice, Poland, below is a review of the methods deployed by the AdaptAction program.