Stories on economy and employment

Schwarz-weiße Zeichnung eines Mannes mit lockigem Haar und kariertem Hemd vor hellblauem Hintergrund.

Three questions

‘Creating sustainable jobs with purpose: balancing profit and impact’

Kaleab Getaneh Zewelde is the co-founder and CEO of Mela for Her. The Ethiopian company for reusable menstrual products not only stands for sustainable goods with a social impact, it also offers attractive employment opportunities for women.

A woman with long brown hair wearing a blue blouse sits at a conference table in a modern office with glass walls and round ceiling lights in the background.

Interview

‘The responsible use of AI could be a game changer in Africa’

In our interview, Member of the GIZ Management Board Anna Sophie Herken discusses why women leaders are necessary for a just transformation through artificial intelligence (AI) and why GIZ has launched the FemAI Leaders for Africa Initiative.

Gezeichnetes Porträt einer Frau mit langen dunklen Haaren und Hemd vor einem strukturierten türkisblauen Hintergrund.

Three questions

‘Being a park ranger is a dream job for many of us’

Laura Díaz is one of 105 women park rangers in Costa Rica’s conservation areas. Women are still outnumbered as rangers. Yet Costa Rica is employing more and more women rangers in biodiversity protection and climate action.

In einem dichten, von Sonnenlicht durchfluteten Blätterdach ist eine gut getarnte Schlange mit hervorschauendem Kopf auf einem Ast versteckt.

Background

‘Nature’s not interested in geopolitics’

Biodiversity is crucial to our future and needs to stay on the global agenda. GIZ biodiversity expert Silke Spohn joins us to look at how biodiversity is faring.

Zwei Männer tragen eine solarbetriebene Messboje durch flaches Wasser, im Hintergrund sind Berge und eine Sandbank zu sehen.

Report

AI for climate resilience meets local know-how

A visit to remote islands in the Indonesian archipelago, where artificial intelligence experts are working with coastal communities to strengthen climate resilience and build digital expertise. GIZ is supporting this special initiative.

Ein Mann mit Brille, schwarzem T-Shirt und Jeans steht inmitten eines dichten, tropischen Regenwaldes mit üppigem Farnbewuchs und hohen Bäumen.

Interview

‘Closing the digital divide between urban and rural areas’

In Indonesia, GIZ is working with the non-profit organisation Common Room to support rural communities with AI-driven pilot projects for climate adaptation. An interview with the head of the organisation, Gustaff H. Iskandar.

Background

Ensuring everyone benefits from AI

GIZ is working on developing and using fair artificial intelligence with partner countries. Petra Zimmermann-Steinhart and Bernd Lakemeier explain what that looks like and how it is helping hundreds of millions of people in Africa and Asia.

Eine Frau mit schulterlangem blondem Haar trägt eine farbenfrohe Bluse mit abstraktem Muster und spricht auf einer Veranstaltung in Brüssel an einem Rednerpult mit einem Mikrofon in der Hand.

Interview

‘GIZ’s expertise is incredibly valuable’

Hildegard Bentele, Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Development, talks about learning from crises, the EU’s place in the current geopolitical rivalry and what GIZ offers in international cooperation.

Ein lächelnder Mann in einem hellen Sakko und blauen Hemd steht vor einem modernen Bürogebäude mit Glasfassade.

Portrait

A lawyer for inclusion

How a blind lawyer from Ethiopia ended up at GIZ in Bonn and why he feels very much at home there.

A woman with long blonde hair stands smiling with her arms crossed in a warehouse full of boxes.

Interview

‘Sustainability is part of my corporate responsibility’

Antje von Dewitz is Managing Director of the successful German outdoor brand VAUDE. In this interview with akzente, the entrepreneur talks about the corporate identity of the family business, cooperation with GIZ, and the Green Button and Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (PST) initiatives.

Interview

‘Every woman has the right to a self-determined life’

Sara Nuru rose to fame as a winner of Germany’s Next Top Model. She is now a successful entrepreneur, supporting women in Ethiopia. In 2018, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) appointed Sara Nuru as an ambassador for fair trade. In this interview for akzente, she reports on how her own association, nuruWomen, is supporting economic independence for women.

Ein traditionelles Steinhaus mit kleinen Fenstern, Holzdetails und der roten Fahne Albaniens steht inmitten grüner Bäume mit Bergen im Hintergrund.

Report

New horizons

Albania will take centre stage as the official host country at the ITB 2025 travel trade show in Berlin. Located in the Western Balkans, Albania has so much to offer visitors. GIZ is supporting a number of local partners to ensure that the upsurge in tourism also benefits rural areas. A visit to the cultural and architectural heart of northern Albania.