Back Issues

Selected headlines from Pambazuka News 169

2004-08-12

SMS FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS

* Use your mobile phone to sign the petition in support of the ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. Send a message to: +27832933934, with the word ‘petition’ and your name in the message. You will only be charged the cost set by your network provider for sending an international SMS. More information http://www.pambazuka.org/petition/smssocial.php or sign online at http://www.pambazuka.org/petition/

HOW TO SUPPORT THE SMS PETITION

* Send text messages to your colleagues and friends alerting them to the petition and informing them how to sign by SMS. You can also use email and word of mouth to help spread the word.

* Distribute leaflets about this initiative. If you work in a human rights or social justice organisation in Africa, volunteer to distribute leaflets for us about the petition to your networks and contacts. Send your details to sms-support@pambazuka.org and we will post you pamphlets to distribute.

Selected headlines:

* Conflicts and Emergencies: Oil profits behind West’s tears for Darfur
* Human Rights: AU decision should not undermine African Court, Amnesty says
* Women and Gender: Women’s discrimination a global concern
* Elections and Governance: Zimbabwe: Changes to politburo
* Development: G20 leaders succumb to divide and rule tactics
* Corruption: Zimbabwe: Secrecy could threaten access to food
* HIV/AIDS: Senegal: Renewed focus on Aids
* Education: The tragedy of Africa’s education
* Social Welfare: Zambia: Finance minister debates social findings
* Books and Arts: WS: A Life in Full

Mercenaries in Africa: From soldiers of fortune to corporate warriors

Eva Dadrian

2004-08-12

Foreign or African, mercenaries are back into action in Africa. Having changed their name and their image, today's mercenaries are not any more the rug-tug soldiers of fortune of the past. Since the war against Iraq, “corporate warriors” as the new mercenaries are now called, have come to the fore and offer their services to governments. Gone are the “dogs of war” connotations linked to these “killing machines” of the 1960s and 70s.

Mercenaries of the new millennium are Armani-clad gentlemen who rub shoulders with the greats of this world while running their businesses from glass and chrome offices where Bond girl receptionists welcome business clients. These respected businessmen are highly sophisticated, well read, knowledgeable in world politics and especially very well connected. Combining engineering skills and military know how with business acumen, these former military officers who served in the armies of Britain, Canada, the US, former Soviet republics or South Africa, cultivate good relations with either powerful friends in governments or are themselves political heavies in their respective countries.

Their transformation has been swift and easy. From the ideologically motivated early days, mercenaries were paid to support particular governments or regimes in, for example, Namibia, Angola, Ghana, Zaire and Congo-Brazzaville. These warriors metamorphosed into “security” groups protecting the interests of the multinational mining and oil companies. In the early 1980s, Chevron paid and armed local militias to defend its oil fields in Southern Sudan, but other companies have made use of the services of "security" firms like Executive Outcomes (South Africa) and Sandline International (UK). Their services were already highly paid, but additional revenue was generated when they succeeded in exchanging their services against stakes in the mining concessions they were contracted to protect.

In the 1990s, the mining arm of one of the most active of these “security” companies was Branch Energy Ltd. Established to carry out mining operations in Angola, Sierra Leone and Uganda, Branch Energy was a subsidiary of Diamondworks Ltd., which had a variety of gold and diamond concessions in Sierra Leone and in Angola. Branch Energy was registered as a wholly owned subsidiary of Diamondworks, and the two may not have had corporate links with each other, but directors, partners, owners and/or executives of one entity were also directors, partners, owners and/or executives of the other entities. These arrangements were made in such a way that for each mining venture, be it in Uganda, Sierra Leone or Angola, a company was set up with some government and local businessman/men participation.

For example, in Sierra Leone, Branch Energy had a 60% stake in Branch Energy Sierra Leone, the government had 30% while a local businessman/investor held a small stake of 10%. The same pattern was repeated in Angola and in Uganda. Branch Energy's African assets were mainly concentrated in countries where civil wars and rebellions were raging, so was it just pure luck or coincidence that these countries were selected? In fact the selection appears to have been guided by very defined criteria: the potentials in minerals (diamonds, gold and oil), a bankrupt national economy and armed rebellion threatening the ruling strongman.

With their associates, this Third Generation of mercenaries specialises in security matters, engineering, arms, transportation, finance, recruitment, consultancy, and other businesses related to security and defence. Their network is like a giant octopus that spreads all over the world but more specifically in Africa and the Middle East where the pickings are easy and very lucrative. At the height of the fighting in Sierra Leone, the now disbanded Sandline International was accused of helping the British government to exporting weapons illegally to that country.

Providing high technology military capabilities, their services cover not only like in the past combat operations, but also strategic planning, intelligence gathering and troop training. Specialised magazines such as Soldiers of Fortune or Cover Action advertise the many career opportunities available “both domestically and world-wide” in “international police monitoring in Kosovo, Bosnia and East Timor” to “Qatar Security Guard Forces”. An article published in International Security in 2002 spells out the range of services these businesses can provide. Just like the armed forces of most western powers, they can deploy capabilities ranging “from a team of commandos to a wing of fighter jets”.

Strange as it may sound, these mercenaries do not work any more under cover. They have come out of the closet and operate in the open because governments have come to recognise the role these "private military companies” can have in peacekeeping and peace enforcement. In the corridors of power in Washington or London, the supporters of this new global policing and peacekeeping vision believe that emergency response to conflicts around the world must be “privately provided” as a public service. Though some UN members are still reticent to make use of these private “peacekeepers”, the organisation has also been considering the use of these groups for peacekeeping in conflict areas.

Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, is reported to have said that during the 1994 Rwanda crisis when he was the UN Undersecretary General for peacekeeping he “considered hiring a private firm”. Not long ago, in 2002, Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that a strong and a “reputable private military sector might have a role in enabling the UN to respond more rapidly and effectively to crises”. Opportunities in Africa for these “corporate fighters” are made available by the very fact that national armies in many African states have been transformed into “operetta” armies, good enough only for welcoming state visitors and staging military events.

Next to being pampered, cajoled and looked after, these “Republican Guards” or “Presidential Guards” are hand picked “loyal” fighters from the ethnic group of the elite in power. The relationship that exists between them and their employer is like a vicious circle: as long as their employer remains in power, they will continue enjoying extra privileges and vice-versa. So loyalty depends on how much and how long will the privileges last. When the situation changes and the state disintegrates - Mobuto's Zaire comes to mind - loyalty ceases and these special units disappear in the wilderness, taking with them the last few dollars left in the coffers. In many parts of Africa these “special units” are still active. Often they become “uncontrollable monsters” and continue to operate for their own benefit, even when their employers try to disband them. In Sudan, despite the promised efforts of the regime to disarm the Janjaweed, militias loyal to the regime and accused of genocide in Darfur are still killing people, destroying villages and terrorising refugees in the camps. In Chad, the Guarde Republicaine of President Idriss Deby composed of the Zaghawa tribesmen who helped him into power, have today their own agenda.

According to many observers, some 10,000 trained and highly qualified soldiers of fortune roam the African continent. They have been joined by colleagues from Eastern Europe and former Soviet republics and offer their services - either in the old fashion or in new style operations - to the highest bidder. The 70 suspected mercenaries held in Harare and accused of plotting to overthrow the regime of the Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema are a sad indication that mercenaries in Africa are here to stay.

* Eva Dadrian is an independent broadcaster and Political and Country Risk Analyst for print and broadcast media, who currently works as a consultant for Arab African Affairs (London) and writes on a regular basis for AFRICA ANALYSIS (London), for Al Ahram HEBDO Echos Economiques and Al Ahram WEEKLY (Cairo) and contributes to Africa Service BBC WS (London). Published reports include: Religion and Politics in North Africa; The Horn of Africa: Country Risk Analysis; The Nile Waters: Risk Analysis; State and Church in Ethiopia; Policing the Horn of Africa; Religion and Politics in Sudan; Can South Sudan survive as an independent state?

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org

A Children's Bill to Heal a Nation

Carol Bower

2004-08-12

South Africa is a country with a poor human rights record. This is an understatement. We are a country trying to make right the wrongs of that history - this is also an understatement. But the task is difficult because we come to it scarred by the legacy of our colonial and apartheid history, by the consequences of the systematic denigration and dehumanisation of the majority by the minority. Colonisation laid the foundations of many of the ills that beset our society, apartheid perfected and legislated this base, and even claimed god's blessing for it. We play out still what we did to each other, and learnt from each other, before 1994, no matter which side we fought on (or even if we thought we weren't fighting on any side at all!).

Balanced against our Constitution, our strengthening economy, our increasing global stature, our beautiful country and its wonderful people lie some horrible truths. We have a very high rate of rape and sexual abuse. We have the highest rate of rape homicide in the world (Martin, L, 1999, reporting on her research at the Salt River Mortuary). We have an extraordinarily high rate of family murders. Violence within our communities is endemic. Our HIV crisis is deepening, depleting the economically active population and leaving increasing numbers of children without adult care-givers. Millions of South Africans live in deep poverty, and we have one of the highest (and growing) gaps between the “haves” and the “have nots”. All over South Africa, children are taking turns to eat. Within this context, children are increasingly vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and neglect.

We say that children are our future. The fact is, they are also our present, and their future (and ours) is shaped by present reality. If we are truly to become a whole and humane society, we have to give the next generation a better shot at it. We have to proactively put in place and resource a national agenda which redresses our horrendous past and levels the playing fields. We have to ensure a country “fit for children” (one of the many international promises we have made) - and in so doing, create a country fit for all of us. We know this - why else have we ratified several international conventions which commit us to the protection and promotion of the rights of children?

We have a golden and possibly never-to-be-repeated opportunity of giving that next generation their chance, their shot at it. We have this opportunity because we are currently formulating a new dispensation for children. We are poised to put into place a Children's Bill which will provide the framework within which children will be born and raised for the next 20 to 30 years.

We need this Bill to achieve a great deal, because we know that, in the end, prevention is better than cure, and it's cheaper in every way. We need a Bill which:
- articulates and legislates our international obligations to protect and promote the rights of children;
- places great emphasis on primary prevention and early intervention;
- provides a framework and the means of supporting families to raise physically and emotionally healthy adults;
- enhances the capacity of communities to take greater responsibility for vulnerable children;
- ensures the availability of appropriate, trained and resourced early intervention services; - maintains tertiary-level intervention services for children for whom there is no alternative within their homes and communities - which must include services to facilitate healing and rehabilitation;
- ensures the protection of the most vulnerable children - those living in poverty, those living in violent and abusive homes, those who are disabled or chronically ill, those affected by HIV, those living and working on the street.

If we put our resources and energy into building the capacity and wherewithal in families to raise children who can and will become self-sustaining and productive members of a peaceful, just and democratic society, we will truly fulfill the promise of our young democracy. This means they must have access to nutritious food, shelter and warm clothing, primary health care and education, irrespective of the ability of their parents to provide these things. If we put our resources into developing and maintaining good systems for identifying children and families at risk, and give additional support at that point, we increase the possibility that the family will be able to provide the basics for their children, thus preserving the family and decreasing negative effects of being taken into care.

If we are creative and more flexible (although no less careful) about where we place those children for whom it is impossible to remain in their family homes, the chance of them growing up in an environment conducive to future happiness is greater.

And if we put our resources into a criminal justice system focussed on restorative justice, victim empathy and rehabilitation, we reduce the number of children who grow up shattered by rape and sexual abuse, by violence in their homes and communities.

What will it cost? I have no idea, although I know that it will be expensive. But we have to try to afford it. Sound prevention strategies can cost around nineteen times less than failure to prevent abuse, neglect and exploitation. A study undertaken in Michigan came to this conclusion after considering factors including birth weight, infant mortality, special education needs, protection services, foster care, juvenile and adult criminality, and social services (Caldwell, R: Child Abuse Prevention: Michigan's' Experience, 1992). We cannot claim to be unable to afford it when the medium and long term advantages will save us so much in financial and human terms.

As the Children's Bill moves through Parliament in August, we urge all concerned to think very carefully about what is put into place, and what we can and cannot afford. We have the opportunity here to make right the wrongs of our traumatic past, and to facilitate an environment for healing and recovery. I trust we are brave enough to do it.

* Carol Bower is Executive Director of RAPCAN

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org

What kind of intervention will work in Darfur?

Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem

2004-08-12

The humanitarian crisis in Darfur shows no signs of abating at the same time as the national, regional and international politics of the conflict take on new dimensions.

Last week the UN finally agreed to a watered down resolution requiring the Government of Sudan to disarm and bring to justice the leaders of the Janjaweed militia that have been killing, maiming, raping and destroying the peoples of western Sudan. There is a deadline of 30 days. A stronger version of the UN resolution including the threat of imposition of sanctions had to be modified thanks to the combined opposition of China and Russia at the Security Council and also other dubious allies of the Sudan government in the General Assembly, principally Arab and Muslim states and their fellow travellers.

China's interest is quite clear. Its national oil company is the largest foreign investor in the new oil industry of Sudan. Russia is always cautious about UN intervention and censure against governments maltreating their own peoples. The Russian army has been committing atrocities in Chechnya for years without many cries from the UN or the usual self-appointed global policemen and guarantors of international peace and security.

The position of the Arab and Muslim countries is one informed by a herd instinct and a long historical misunderstanding of the basis of conflict in the Sudan. The herd instinct is further enhanced by the current global Islamophobia consequent to 9/11 and the criminalisation of every Muslim as an Al Qaeda suspect. The War against Afghanistan/ Iraq and the continuing tragedy of Iraq under the Anglo-American occupation has underpinned this 'need' for Muslims to stick together. Since Sudan is considered a Muslim country, therefore it must be supported against its enemies even if those 'enemies' happen to be the majority of her own citizens.

The racialist aspect of the Sudan conflict is one that sees the country as an Arab country therefore both North African and Middle East Arab states must express solidarity with it, right or wrong.

Both the religious and racial allies of Khartoum are wrong. Any Muslim should be outraged at what the NIF government has been doing in Sudan since 1989 when it came to power. Muslims must stop associating Islam with dictatorial regimes. In Darfur the Arab Militia, aided and abetted by the Khartoum government marauding through villages and towns and destroying people and property is supposedly Muslim. The peoples of Western Sudan that are victims of Khartoum and the Janjaweed are all Muslims too. So which kind of Islamism is this that kills fellow Muslims?

The Arabist view of Sudan is the most ridiculous. How many of these so-called Sudanese Arabs are really Arabs? The name of the country itself is a good give away: Balad al Sud. It means Land of the Blacks. Many are Arabised but not really Arabs and have taken to that identity as part of the power politics in the country and its unequal historical ties with Egypt and other Arab countries. In Darfur you will even find a significant part of the population to be of West African origin.

While identity, religion, race and other social factors may be part of the conflagration, the centre of it is power - unaccountable and illegitimate power exercised by a tiny oligarchy in the military, merchant families, hegemonic Muslim sects and clergy and their political infrastructure and networks. Darfur is for instance a victim of the split within the National Islamic Front personified by detained former spiritual leader of the organisation, Dr Hassan Al Turabi and his former protégé, General Omar Al Bashir, the President. Al Turabi's support is very strong in Darfur and because of that Darfur is enemy territory for the government.

What kind of intervention will work in Darfur? The American poodle in Britain, Mr. Tory Blair, is already talking about moral obligation to intervene and is reportedly considering sending British troops. This will not help in any way. Any direct British or American military intervention will not be helpful because it will muddy the waters given their bad record in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Supposedly Christian crusaders against allegedly Muslim soldiers again? Whose interest will this serve?

The Darfur crisis is a great opportunity for the new AU to show that it is really different from the old OAU. The Chairperson, Konare, has been upfront on the Darfur situation and he needs the support of Africa's leaders and the rest of the international community. The peace monitor group the AU has sent into Darfur is too small. And even smaller still are the 300 member troops that are supposed to guard them and also protect civilian victims. The mandate needs to be expanded to include peace keeping and peace enforcement including disarming, arresting and bringing to trial the perpetrators of the killings. The UN and other members of the international community who want to help should back the AU effort not to set up parallel initiatives.

Darfur is Africa's problem and the AU must show the leadership. One symbolic action that will show Khartoum that Africa means 'Never again' to genocide is to stop Khartoum from hosting the next AU summit as planned. How can we confer such diplomatic and political legitimacy on a government that is killing its own citizens?

* Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem is General-Secretary of the Pan African Movement, Kampala (Uganda) and Co-Director of Justice Africa (Tajudeen28@yahoo.com or Tajudeen@padeap.net)

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org

Noting language

David Mozer

2004-08-12

I would encourage you to encourage your writers not to use the word "tribe" (Pambazuka News 167). For a complete explanation see www.ibike.org/library/language.pdf Thank you for your consideration.

Extract from above URL:

Tribe does not convey the depth of history, tradition, arts, social structure, cuisine, dress, ethics and rituals that these groups developed. We don't speak of the "tribes of Europe," usually "ethnic group" or nationality is used. Similarly Native Americans had their "nations" and confederations. Another choice is to refer to a "people". Again if possible and appropriate be more specific; "the Hausa people," "the Mande ethnic group," or "the Zulu nation."

Oil and corporate recklessness in the Niger Delta

Sokari Ekine

2004-08-12

Joel Bisina has written an informative article on the Niger Delta (Pambazuka News 167). However there are a few points I would like to add.

Apart from a very brief mention of Ken Saro-Wiwa and Odi, Bisina fails to mention the state sponsored violence that has been taking place for the past 14 years. Nor does he mention the issue of demands for autonomy and resource control made by all the ethnic nationalities (please let us throw the word tribe into the dustbin of colonialism) of the Niger Delta.

When he does mention violence it is in the context of "inter tribal and inter communal conflicts". This implies the conflicts are nothing to do with oil. On the contrary the Federal Government has used divide and rule tactics to fuel conflicts between the different ethnic minorities by favouring one community over another at different times, by redrawing boundaries between communities and by arming one community and instigating murder.

Bisina also fails to include any gender dimension to his article. He mentions the "ethnic militias" and illegal bunkering that takes place by a minority of people but fails to mention the many activist groups and organisations that are fighting to expose the crimes and human rights abuses of the multinationals and their partner, the Nigerian government.

JOEL BISINA REPLIES: Thank you Sokari Ekine, I fully and wholly agree with you that some of the issues you raised are fundamental and are worthy of mention, but I want you to appreciate the fact that the Niger Delta question is as old as the Nigeria Federation and so are the issues and the facets to the issues. Any attempt in a singular write-up in trying to address all will amount to writing an encyclopaedia. So you would excuse my brevity.

I need to state here that I am very conversant and actively involved in the entire Niger Delta struggle at various levels in my professional capacity and as someone from the Region who lives and works there. Just trying to look at state sponsored violence alone will produce volumes. From the days of King Koko of Nembe Brass to the most recent military invasion in Egbema communities of Ogbudugbudu, Idebagbene and Itsekiri communities of Orugbo etc.

>>>>> Click on the link below for the rest of Joel Bisina's response.
The level of human rights abuses going on there now is worse than the situation in Sudan. But no one is paying attention to it. I have tried to address some of these issues in some of my previous papers.

Whether we agree or not, as much as I believe strongly that the corporations have introduced strongly the concept of divide and rule and divide and exploit to set communities against communities, tribes against tribes, the issue of tribal conflict is one issue staring at us in the face. That the Ijaws and The Itsekiris have in the past seven years destroyed communities and killed and maimed one and another which have rendered more than 20000 homeless on both sides is a reality. I was actively and am still actively involved in peaceful resolution of the numerous conflicts that have continued to plague the region.

The role of woman in this whole struggle is not underestimated here. I had a capacity building training with women, youth and traditional rulers, in Escravos,Abiteye(Kenya gbene), Gbokoda and asantuagbene Ajudaibo, shortly before the most popular women protest lead by the Ijaw and Itsekiri women that gave birth to the landmark Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed with Ijaw and Itsekiri leaders and ChevronTexaco in 2001. The point I am trying to make here is that no one volume in my own estimation can decisively address all the issues of the Delta. At the time of writing, those were the issues that resonated given the time and space. The biggest challenge here is how do we mobilise resources, both human and material to carefully and comprehensively documents all that has happened and that is still going on there? I am available and willing to collaborate and partner with interested persons to do a study and document all the key issues for public awareness and for the records. I hope you understand.

More...

An Anthology of Contemporary Ghanaian Poems

Woeli A. Dektsey & John Sackey

2004-08-12

http://www.africanbookscollective.com/acatalog/lit_index.html

This book of poetry by established and younger writers from Ghana represents a rare effort to compile and publish an anthology of contemporary Ghanaian poems. Some of the writers included are Kobena Eyi Acquah, Ama Ata Aidoo, Kofi Awoonor, Kwesi Brew, Gifty Selorn Odoom, Doris Adabasu Kuwornu, Rex Quarterly and Lade Wosornu.

Art for Humanity call for proposals

2004-08-12

http://www.afh.org.za/news032004/

Art for Humanity (AfH) is issuing a call for partners for its upcoming project 'Women Artists and Poets Advocating Children's Rights'. The mission of AfH is to awaken society at large to a sense of moral and social responsibility for Human Rights through an innovative use of visual arts. AfH's proposed project, 'Women Artists and Poets advocating Children's Rights' is in essence about inspiring moral responsibility of children's rights through the art works created by female visual artists and poets. Read more in their latest newsletter.

Energy Services for the Urban Poor in Africa

Edited by Bereket Kebede and Ikhupuleng Dube

2004-08-12

http://zedbooks.co.uk/

Africa has been experiencing higher rates of urbanization than any other continent, and today about one-third of the continent's population live in urban areas. This book examines the affordability of modern energy sources for the poor; the relevance of energy subsidies; the impact of subsidies on public finances; and how electricity tariffs affect the operations of small and medium enterprises, the main source of livelihood for the majority of the urban poor outside the formal economic sector.

Southern Africa Report online

2004-08-12

http://www.africafiles.org/sar.asp

Southern Africa Report (SAR), was published by the Toronto Committee for the Liberation of Southern Africa (TCLSAC) that later became the Toronto Committee for Links between Southern Africa and Canada (TCLSAC). Volume 1 Number 1 was published in June 1985. 15 years and 68 issues later, in October 2000, the magazine closed with Volume 15 Number 4. Posted on AfricaFiles is the full text of all articles published during the last eight years of the magazine - from Volume 8 Number 1 (July 1992) to Volume 15 Number 4 (October 2000) - with a linked contents page for these issues, and the usual search engine facilities.

The Colonizer and the Colonized

Albert Memmi

2004-08-12

http://www.africanreviewofbooks.com/

It is difficult to discern the motive behind the republication of Albert Memmi’s classic examination of the political psychology of colonialism. The illustration on the front of this new edition is clearly of white US troops looking down imperiously from their armoured vehicle over a black society, probably Somalia. If the choice of image seeks to suggest that contemporary US interventions are a modern expression of the colonial condition Memmi sought to explore in 1957, with its then sharp contemporaneity yet heavy historical burden, this is clearly mistaken.

WS: A Life in Full

Compiled & edited by Bankole Olayebi

2004-08-12

This is a beautifully designed and produced picture biography of Wole Soyinka, published in honour of his 70th birthday in 2004. Soyinka, as a dramatist, poet, novelist, essayist, teacher, political activist and literary scholar, is perhaps Africa's most brilliant cultural ambassador and critic. He is a notable commentator on world affairs, and a Nobel laureate, being in 1986 the first African to win the Nobel Prize For Literature. In 2004, he delivered the BBC Reith lectures. His career as a creative artist began at the age of 23, when his first plays were performed in Ibadan and London. Since then, he has produced an extraordinary body of work: over two dozen plays, novels, autobiographies, hundreds of essays, collections of poetry, two films and an album of satirical songs.
WS: A Life in Full
Compiled & edited by Bankole Olayebi

This is a beautifully designed and produced picture biography of Wole Soyinka, published in honour of his 70th birthday in 2004. Soyinka, as a dramatist, poet, novelist, essayist, teacher, political activist and literary scholar, is perhaps Africa's most brilliant cultural ambassador and critic. He is a notable commentator on world affairs, and a Nobel laureate, being in 1986 the first African to win the Nobel Prize For Literature. In 2004, he delivered the BBC Reith lectures. His career as a creative artist began at the age of 23, when his first plays were performed in Ibadan and London. Since then, he has produced an extraordinary body of work: over two dozen plays, novels, autobiographies, hundreds of essays, collections of poetry, two films and an album of satirical songs.

Featuring some 600 photographs, dating from 1934 until the present day, from many sources close to home, the international press, and from individuals and institutions, the work traces the extraordinarily full life that Soyinka continues to lead. It considers him in the guises of the creative genius, activist, celebrity, ‘citizen of the world’ and as a man of many laurels. Pictorially, the work documents his life from his childhood, through his decades’ involvement in creative work and political turmoil, to his numerous public and personal engagements in later life. Many photos illustrate his life in the theatre and his plays, as well as the real dramas of his life: the time spent abroad, and his engagement in the political struggle for justice, often at the risk of his own life. The book includes examples of his creative achievements in the poetic medium, an extract from his Nobel lecture, and many photographs of his art collection. As a whole, the assemblage of photographs presents a fascinating mosaic of this multi-faceted personality, who is at once one of the most engaging individuals of our time, and one of Africa’s living legends.

For the special occasion of Soyinka’s 70th birthday and the publication of this book, fellow writers, colleagues, friends and family members from Nigeria and further afield were commissioned to write on various aspects of Soyinka and his life. These contextualise the photographs and provide space for creative reflection. Niyi Osundare is inspired to poetry, which is sprinkled throughout the book, and Soyinka’s first son, Olaokun Soyinka, contributes a personal account. There are further pieces or citations from Bola Ige, Abiola Irele, Femi Johnson, Okey Ndibe, Ulli Beier, Martin Banham, Ben Okri, Femi Osofisan, Justice Kayode Esho, Ngugi wa Thiongo and Nadine Gordimer. In the memorable final contribution, fellow Nigerian poet and scholar, Niyi Osundare, acclaims Soyinka as a generous, resilient and lucky man, in spite of the appalling circumstances he has had thrust upon him. He characterises him as a ‘rooted cosmopolitan’, and as being ’to Africa’s literature what Mandela is to its politics’.

Bankole Olayebi is publisher, writer and illustrator based in Ibadan, Nigeria, with a strong interest in literature and the arts, scholarship, film and photography. In the preparation of this book, he benefited from generous access to a multitude of archives and sources, assistance from Soyinka’s colleagues and friends. Most important of all, he received generous-spirited encouragement and assistance from Wole Soyinka himself, who has made a distinguished imprint on the book.

Cased edition
ISBN: 9782030414
269pp.
col.ill.pl.
2004 Bookcraft
£44.95

Paperback edition
ISBN: 9782030422
269pp.
col.ill.pl.
2004 Bookcraft
£28.95

For orders or further information, please see www.africanbookscollective.com or email abc@africanbookscollective.com

More...

Africa/Global: Women suffer double, triple, quadruple discrimination

2004-08-12

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=25002

Although both men and women belonging to ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples suffer discrimination, it is women who do so in a multi-pronged fashion, argue Fareda Banda and Christine Chinkin, researchers with the Minority Rights Group (MRG). ''Sexual violence of nearly epidemic proportions and multiple forms of discrimination against minority and indigenous women could be better prevented,'' say the experts.

Africa: Women's discrimination a global concern

2004-08-12

http://www.peacewomen.org/news/International/Aug04/rights.html

More time, not a new deadline, is needed for universal ratification of the convention to eliminate discrimination against women, says Feride Acar, chairperson of the U.N. committee on the convention. The initiative to have the treaty signed by all the world's nations could get a boost from the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Acar suggested in an interview Tuesday.

Eritrea: Advocates Battle Obstetric Fistula

2004-08-12

http://www.womensenews.com/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1942/context/archive

Fistula is a condition caused by difficult, protracted labor in which the fetus' head presses against the mother's pelvis so hard that it cuts off the blood supply to the area and kills the surrounding tissue. The result is a small, abnormal pipe-like opening, or "fistula," usually between the bladder and the vagina, that causes the woman to leak urine and stool uncontrollably. Surgery to repair a fistula usually only takes about 15 minutes, but in parts of the world where poverty has limited or eliminated women's access to natal care, the fistula problem is dire.

Nigeria: Abortion Law Takes a Toll

2004-08-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200408080009.html

The fight for human rights in Nigeria has received ample coverage, as has that for fairer distribution of oil revenues - and the battle to curb endemic corruption. But, Nigerian women have another, and often more pressing fight on their hands - for abortion rights. In Nigeria, abortion is only permitted if the procedure is needed to save the life of a woman. Abortion under other circumstances is punishable with up to seven years imprisonment for the woman concerned, while the doctor who performs the procedure can spend 14 years in jail.

South Africa: Campaign to create awareness on sexual offences law

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42560

South African NGOs involved in gender violence issues are to launch a week-long campaign in Johannesburg on Monday to create public awareness around the Sexual Offences Bill, currently before parliament. "Since the parliament is in session this month, the awareness campaign is also an attempt to lobby for the bill's enactment," Lisa Vetten of the Johannesburg-based Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation told IRIN.

South Africa: Saluting the courage of women

2004-08-12

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/109180164795.htm

In South Africa, Women’s Day commemorates the courage of the thousands of women who marched to the Union Buildings in 1956 to protest against the pass laws. This action placed women at the centre of the struggle against Apartheid. Today South Africa has a new constitution that protects the rights and dignity of women. The government has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women. Yet South Africa has the 3rd highest rape statistics in the world, young women are in the high-risk category for HIV infection and one in six women are abused in their own homes.

Zimbabwe: Action against gender inequality needed to defeat AIDS

2004-08-12

http://www.plusnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=3747

Urgent action against gender inequality is required to tackle the high rate of HIV-infection among women and girls in Zimbabwe, a report prepared by a regional task force has warned. Nearly 80 percent of all HIV infections in the 15 to 24 age group were among young women, said the Zimbabwe country report of the UN Secretary-General's Task Force on Women, Girls and HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa.

Africa/Global: Human rights commission adopts resolutions

2004-08-12

http://www.unog.ch/news2/documents/newsen/sc04018e.htm

The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights has adopted 21 resolutions and decisions on the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including policies of racial discrimination and segregation in all countries; economic, social and cultural rights; and on the prevention of discrimination. Under the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all countries, the Sub-Commission recalled that all forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment constituted violations of the peremptory norms of international law; and recommended that all States develop independent and effective domestic mechanisms as well as concrete measures to combat torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Africa: African Union Assembly's decision should not undermine the African Court, Amnesty says

2004-08-12

Amnesty International has written to the Chairman of the African Union (AU), President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, expressing grave concern about the future of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (African Court). During its Third Ordinary Session in July, in Addis Ababa, the African Union's (AU) Assembly took a decision to integrate the African Court and the Court of Justice of the AU into one Court. "This decision is inconsistent with an earlier decision taken by the AU Assembly in Maputo in July 2003, to the effect that the African Court 'shall remain separate and distinct from the Court of Justice of the African Union'," the organization said.
Amnesty International
Press release, 09-08-2004

Amnesty International has written to the Chairman of the African Union
(AU), President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, expressing grave concern
about the future of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights
(African Court).

During its Third Ordinary Session in July, in Addis Ababa, the African
Union's (AU) Assembly took a decision to integrate the African Court and
the Court of Justice of the AU into one Court.

"This decision is inconsistent with an earlier decision taken by the AU
Assembly in Maputo in July 2003, to the effect that the African Court
'shall remain separate and distinct from the Court of Justice of the
African Union'," the organization said.

"This decision, if implemented, will further delay, undermine or stop the
full establishment of an effective and functioning African Court," Amnesty
International's Secretary General, Irene Khan warned in an open letter to
President Obasanjo.

While the Court of Justice established under the AU Constitutive Act has
jurisdiction to resolve disputes between member states that have ratified
the Court's Protocol, the African Court is empowered to hear cases
challenging violations of civil and political rights as well as economic,
social and cultural guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and
Peoples' Rights and other relevant human rights instruments.

Furthermore, unlike the judges of the African Court who are required to be
competent in human rights issues, the judges of the Court of Justice are
only required to "possess the necessary qualifications required in their
respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices".

Amnesty International believes that the African Court is an essential
mechanism that would increase the protection of human rights regionally
and nationally. Since the African Court is supposed to work together with
the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Court could also
contribute to the long-term effectiveness of the Commission.

"At a time when the human rights of individuals are under great pressure
in the region, it is essential for the AU to ensure and maintain the
integrity of the justice system it has established," Irene Khan said

The AU Chairman should "initiate consultations with member states ,
especially those that have ratified the African Court's Protocol and
nominated judges to the Court, on the possible impact of the AU Assembly's
decision on the protection of human rights on the continent. The full
participation of civil society organizations, including human rights
non-governmental organizations, in these consultations is essential for
ensuring the long-term effectiveness of the African Court," Amnesty
International said.

"We urge you to encourage AU member states to reaffirm their expressed
commitments to the African Court, and to support the principles embodied
in the Court's Protocol," Irene Khan told the AU Chairman. "AU member
states should not allow the AU Assembly's decision to prejudice, restrict
or weaken the essence of the African Court, which is to provide an
effective remedy in individual cases."

More...

DRC: Armed Congo Groups Accused of War Crimes

2004-08-12

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4405685,00.html

U.N. human rights experts accused all armed groups in Congo's troubled northeastern Ituri province of war crimes and said Rwanda, Uganda, and the former Congolese government contributed to “the massive abuses,” according to a report. At least 8,000 civilians were deliberately killed or were victims of the indiscriminate use of force in Ituri in 2002 and 2003 and more than 600,000 civilians were forced to flee their homes, according to investigations by the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo and other human rights groups.

Namibia: Government Slams Human Rights Report

2004-08-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200408100606.html

Government has rejected claims of human rights violations contained in the latest National Society for Human Rights for Namibia (NSHR) annual report, which was released last week. The report, titled Namibia Human Rights Report 2004, according to the Government, paints a grossly distorted picture of the human rights situation in the country, portraying it as dramatically depreciating over the past months of review, and the Government being out of touch and losing hold.

Nigeria: End harassment and Intimidation of Activists

2004-08-12

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/08/11/nigeri9227.htm

Human Rights Watch has written to police in Nigeria to express concern about an incident which occurred on July 10, 2004, in K-Dere, Ogoniland, Rivers State, when two British activists, Tim Concannon and Tim Nunn, were taken into custody, questioned and held for more than ten hours, first by the police, then by the State Security Services (SSS). “Our concern relates not only to this particular incident, which happens to involve two British nationals, but to a broader pattern of harassment and intimidation of Nigerian activists by the security forces, particularly by the police and the SSS,” the letter said.

Rwanda: UN Security Council Calls For Support to UN Tribunals

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42536

The president of the UN Security Council last week called upon states in the region to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and for all member states of the UN to pay their dues. The Tribunal is currently facing a US $50 million funding gap and with more than half its cases yet to go to trial, will struggle to complete all of its work by 2010, the official date set for its closure.

South Africa: Bishops Want Action on Zimbabwe & Sudan.

2004-08-12

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1571417,00.html

Stronger action is needed to end the 'ongoing human suffering' in Zimbabwe and Sudan, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) said this week. “The Catholic bishops decry the ongoing human suffering of their brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe and Sudan, and calls on Southern African Development Community governments, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations to take stronger action, including the consideration of targeted sanctions,” a statement said.

Zimbabwe: Union leaders freed

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42577

Four leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) have been released on bail after a short court appearance on Monday, the labour body reported. The four - secretary-general Wellington Chibebe and colleagues Lucia Matibenga, Sam Machinda, and Timothy Kondo - were arrested on 5 August under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) in Gweru, south of the capital, Harare, while attending a workshop on the impact of taxation and HIV/AIDS on workers.

Africa/Italy: Migrant deaths spark fears about Italy security

2004-08-12

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5904756

About 60% of the 42 000 Liberian refugees mostly residing in the Buduburam Refugee Camp in the Central Region will now have the opportunity to undergo training in Information Communication Technology, the Vice President for the Association for the Reconstruction of Liberia, an Accra-based NGO, Mr. James B. Kollie Snr said. This is in addition to 1000 refugees who are expected to enrol in Ghanaian Universities and Polytechnics throughout the country.

Angola: Expulsion of illegal miners resumes

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42564&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=angola

Angolan security forces are again arresting and expelling illegal Congolese and West African diamond traffickers but there have been few signs of a repeat of the violence seen earlier this year, according to aid and humanitarian workers. "It is clear the operations started again on 16 July in Uige, Malanje and Lunda-Norte. At the moment we have not received any allegations of human rights violations," one senior humanitarian officer told IRIN.

Burundi/DRC: UNHCR begins relocation of newly arrived Congolese refugees

2004-08-12

http://tinyurl.com/4evnx

The UN refugee agency has begun relocating some of the 20,000 refugees who fled fighting in the South Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in June. They are currently crammed in three transit centres along Burundi's volatile Cibitoke border. "We are relocating the bulk of these new arrivals to a better and safer location away from the DRC border once we have agreed with the Burundi government on a suitable site," said UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis at a briefing in Geneva.

CAR: Coup fallout finds donors unresponsive

2004-08-12

http://www.db.idpproject.org/Sites/idpSurvey.nsf/wViewSingleEnv/Central+African+RepublicProfile+Summary

More than a year after the coup of March 2003, which followed six months of intense fighting, insecurity and small-scale displacement persist. The UN estimates that there are 200,000 internally displaced people as of June 2004, but the absence of IDP camps and the intermittent nature of the current displacements make it hard to establish figures accurately.

Eritrea/Ethiopia: Deadlock in demarcation process delays IDP return

2004-08-12

http://www.db.idpproject.org/Sites/idpSurvey.nsf/wViewSingleEnv/EritreaProfile+Summary

At the height of the 1998-2000 border war with Ethiopia there were 1.1 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Eritrea. This number has fallen sharply but there are still some 59,000 people who cannot return home because of the tensions that persist around the border demarcation process.

Ghana/Liberia: Reconstruction of Liberia begins in Ghana

2004-08-12

http://db.ghanaian-chronicle.com/thestory.asp?id=2837

About 60% of the 42 000 Liberian refugees mostly residing in the Buduburam Refugee Camp in the Central Region will now have the opportunity to undergo training in Information Communication Technology, the Vice President for the Association for the Reconstruction of Liberia, an Accra-based NGO, Mr. James B. Kollie Snr said. This is in addition to 1000 refugees who are expected to enrol in Ghanaian Universities and Polytechnics throughout the country.

Liberia: Security fears and poor infrastructure will limit repatriation of refugees

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42524

Concerns over security in some parts of rural Liberia and the battered state of the country's infrastructure will limit the number of refugees able to return home from neighbouring West African countries later this year, the UN refugee agency UNHCR has warned. "We do not want a situation where more (refugees) than we planned return because most of them would end up in internally displaced camps since the facilities are not adequate to receive large numbers of people," Golam Abbas, the deputy head of UNHCR in Liberia told IRIN.

Uganda: Refugee children continue lessons in Uganda's schools

2004-08-12

http://tinyurl.com/4bab4

Education does not end with exile. In fact, it starts in exile for many of the over 65,000 primary school-aged refugee children in northern Uganda. Even after they have been displaced by Uganda's own civil conflict, these refugee kids are given access to free primary education alongside local students.

Angola: Relations sour over delay in election date

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42578

Relations between the Angolan authorities and the main opposition party, UNITA, appeared to have soured once again over the delay in announcing a date for the country's first post-war elections. On Monday a senior UNITA official told IRIN that the party would continue to boycott the constitutional commission laying the groundwork for a national poll until "the government showed real commitment" to establishing an electoral timetable in preparation for the national poll.

Burundi: Main rebel group turns into political party

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42584

Around 500 members of the former rebel movement the Conseil national de défense de la démocratie-Forces de défense de la démocratie (CNDD-FDD), took a formal decision of becoming a political party at a congress held from 7 to 8 August in the central province of Gitega. In accordance with a ceasefire agreement, Burundi’s Ministry of Home Affairs will automatically approve the new political party once combatants begin cantonment.

Ethiopia: Ethiopia to invite monitors for polls in 2005

2004-08-12

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=87&art_id=qw1092135602725B231

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has averted a possible boycott of 2005 elections by opposition parties by agreeing to their demand to invite international observers, his ruling party said on Tuesday. Ethiopia banned international observers from monitoring the last vote in 2000, restricting the observer status to Ethiopian civil societies, the then Organization of African Unity (OAU) and diplomats resident in its capital Addis Ababa.

Ghana: Election battle hits the road

2004-08-12

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=24935

The campaign trail for Ghana’s general election in December is taking a detour through South Africa this week, with the visit of opposition leader John Evans Atta Mills. Addressing journalists in the country’s commercial centre of Johannesburg Tuesday, Aug. 3, the head of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) sounded upbeat about his prospects in the poll.

Ghana: Many NGOs To Be Delisted

2004-08-12

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=63600

A total of 1,465 out of the 2,000 registered non-government organisations (NGOs) in the country have failed to submit annual reports to the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment since 2003. Consequently, the Ministry has threatened to withdraw its recognition from the defaulting NGOs and to recommend that they be denied exemption from paying duty on goods they import for their activities.

Ivory Coast: Ivorian rebels rejoin government

2004-08-12

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3548700.stm

Ivorian opposition ministers and rebels have attended their first cabinet meeting after a four-month boycott. The ministers, including rebel leader Guillaume Soro, left the power-sharing government after 120 people died during a banned opposition protest in March. A recent peace summit in Ghana made the resumption of the cabinet a priority for the country to return to peace.

Sierra Leone: UNASMIL Hands Over Security

2004-08-12

http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/sierra/2004/0809handover.htm

The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) past Wednesday handed over security primacy for the Eastern Province to the Government of Sierra Leone at a colourful and emotional ceremony in the eastern provincial headquarters town of Kenema. It was the last of the country's three provinces to be handed back. The handover of security primacy by UNAMSIL will culminate in September when the Western Area, including the capital Freetown, is given back to the Government.

South Africa: Mbeki Hails NNP's historic ANC Move

2004-08-12

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=qw109196514138B253

President Thabo Mbeki, the leader of the ANC, this week described the New National Party's decision to join the ANC as an historical development. The NNP announced last Saturday that they would fight all future elections under the banner of the ANC. In a statement released soon afterwards the ANC said that they "view this move as a positive step in South Africa's political development and believe it will contribute to building an inclusive and non-racial society."

Swaziland: Residents angry after political violence

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42586

Angry residents of an informal settlement outside the central commercial town of Manzini have declared their neighbourhood a no-go area for Swazi police following a clash at the weekend between the security forces and political demonstrators. "The police invaded our homes [on Saturday] and beat up anyone they found inside. It is best they stay away to allow us to take care of our own affairs," said Philemon, a resident of Mbhuleni.

Zimbabwe: Changes to politburo

2004-08-12

http://www.sarpn.org.za/newsflash.php#1799

President Robert Mugabe's succession, for long considered a political hot potato, will not come up for discussion at the ZANU PF congress slated for December, but drastic changes to its supreme decision-making organ, the politburo, and the presidency are in the offing as the party gears up for the 2005 parliamentary poll. Party insiders confirmed this week that President Mugabe and his "inner circle" were mulling far-reaching changes in the politburo.

Africa Losses $148bn Annually To Corruption

2004-08-12

http://admin.corisweb.org/index.php?fuseaction=news.view&id=114672&src=dcn

An African Union Report has estimated that Africa losses approximately $148 billion annually to corrupt practices - a figure which represents 25% of the continent's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In comments made to the press last week by Mr Babatunde Olugoji, Chairman of the Nigerian Independent Advocacy Project, it was also noted that the African Development Bank estimates that lower income households spend an average of two to three percent of their income on bribes.

Kenya: Ministers' Bid To Cash In On Famine

2004-08-12

http://www.eastandard.net/headlines/news11080411.htm

The Kenyan Newspaper, The East African Standard, is alleging that two companies associated with top politicians are to clinch the tender to import 180,000 tonnes of relief maize. Originally six companies were supposed to be picked to import the maize, but according to the newspaper, lobbying by the politicians might have secured it for the two companies. The announcement of the winning companies was due last Monday, but has been delayed by the Government.

Nigeria: IMF Offers To Help Nigeria Repatriate Looted Funds

2004-08-12

http://admin.corisweb.org/index.php?fuseaction=news.view&id=114653&src=dcn

The IMF has announced that it will assist Nigeria in whatever way to repatriate her funds stashed in foreign countries by corrupt leaders and government officials. "We will give our support for any action, legal action, whatever that is taken to guarantee corruption-related revenue are taken into the judicial procedure and returned to the Nigerian people," said the Managing Director of the IMF, Mr Rodrigo de Rato, at a press briefing to end his visit to Nigeria. An estimated $4bn is believed to have been placed in foreign accounts by the late military leader, Gen. Sani Abacha and his associates.

Nigerian: President Angry at Dodgy Police

2004-08-12

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1571270,00.html

Nigeria's President Oluseun Obasanjo has accused the police of hiring guns to armed robbers for economic gains, his office announced on Wednesday. Obasanjo was quoted as saying at the opening of a two-day security summit in Abuja that a situation whereby 'police hire their guns to robbers' was criminal and worrisome.'

South Africa: Government To Convene Anti-Corruption Summit Before Year End

2004-08-12

http://www.sabcnews.com/politics/parliament/0,2172,85109,00.html

The South African Government has announced that it will convene a second national summit against corruption towards the end of 2004. A spokesperson for the Cabinet announced that “the objectives of the Summit will include an assessment of strategies, achievements as well as challenges in dealing with this scourge”. It was confirmed that the government would consult with the private sector and civil society before convening the summit.

South Africa: MP Travel Scam: More Heads To Roll

2004-08-12

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20040812051533879C897143

South Africa's Scorpions have submitted the names of 23 parliamentarians wanted for questioning in connection with a multi-million-rand travel scam estimated at R16-million. In an interview a Scorpions spokesperson, Sipho Ngwena told the press on Wednesday night that “This is the first group of people we want to talk to. There will be more.”

Southern Africa: Anti-Corruption Laws: A Case for Harmonisation

2004-08-12

http://www.sahrit.org/index.php?op=book&bid=13

This publication is a report on the study on the harmonization of anti corruption regional legal frameworks. The publication shows the synthesis of anti corruption national reports and related legislation of specific SADC member states with a view to identifying weaknesses, needs and omissions that exist in the current legislation and how the respective national legislation can be brought into line with the provisions of the SADC Protocol Against Corruption (Protocol).

Zimbabwe: Secrecy Could Threaten Access to Food

2004-08-12

The Zimbabwean government’s lack of transparency on grain availability in the country could jeopardize access to food for millions of Zimbabweans in the coming months, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper. Human Rights Watch called on the Zimbabwean government to make this information public immediately. “By withholding vital information on grain availability, the Zimbabwean government is gambling with its citizens’ access to food,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division. “Under international law, the government must take all necessary steps to fully ensure its citizens’ right to adequate food.”
For Immediate Release
Zimbabwe: Secrecy Could Threaten Access to Food

(New York, August 13, 2004) —The Zimbabwean government’s lack of transparency on grain availability in the country could jeopardize access to food for millions of Zimbabweans in the coming months, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper released today. Human Rights Watch called on the Zimbabwean government to make this information public immediately.

The 11-page briefing paper, “The Politics of Food Assistance in Zimbabwe,” documents how the Zimbabwean government threatens its citizens’ access to sufficient food by concealing the basis for its 2004 crop-yield estimate, the size of its strategic grain reserve and the details of the government’s Grain Marketing Board’s operations in food distribution and assistance.

“By withholding vital information on grain availability, the Zimbabwean government is gambling with its citizens’ access to food,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division. “Under international law, the government must take all necessary steps to fully ensure its citizens’ right to adequate food.”

In May the Zimbabwean government announced that this year’s harvest would produce 2.4 million metric tons of maize, a figure significantly higher than last year. While there is general consensus that the 2004 crop was better than that of 2003, U.N. agencies, donor countries and nongovernmental organizations have challenged the government’s estimate for this year. In June a member of parliament raised questions about the government’s estimate, leading Parliament to authorize an investigation.

Based on its estimate, the government has decided not to renew its appeal for general international food aid. As a result, despite skepticism concerning the government’s estimate and the widely held belief that Zimbabwe will experience food shortages this year, the World Food Program has been unable to make plans and raise money for providing general food assistance to Zimbabwe.

“Without international food aid, the government’s grain board will be the only source of assistance for many Zimbabweans in need,” said Takirambudde. “In recent years, the grain board has been widely accused of discriminating against supporters of the political opposition.”

The briefing paper also notes that while the donor community has supported limited food assistance in the former commercial farm areas, where land was expropriated and resettled under land reform, political considerations continue to influence the donors’ programs. In addition, the World Food Program and international relief agencies have made strong efforts to prevent and rectify any interference in the process of identifying those eligible to receive food aid. However, Human Rights Watch remains concerned that the process used to register food beneficiaries may still leave out certain highly marginalized groups like households headed by children.

The briefing paper can be accessed at: http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/zimbabwe/2004/

For further information, please contact:
In New York, Peter Takirambudde (English): +1-609-468-4802 (mobile), +1-212-216-1223 (office)
In New York, Kate Fletcher: +1-212-216-1235
In Brussels, Vanessa Saenen (English, French, German, Dutch): +32-2-732-2009

More...

Africa/Global: HIPC Sunset Clause: Haven't We Been Here Before?

2004-08-12

http://www.eurodad.org/articles/default.aspx?id=546

The World Bank and IMF have produced a paper entitled "Enhanced HIPC Initiative - Possible Options Regarding the Sunset Clause". The paper provides a brief background to the sunset clause and discusses the implications of its expiry at the end of the year before going on to discuss four possible policy options and concluding remarks. Eurodad, the European Network on Debt and Development, comments that any extension would: "...embarrassingly for the WB and IMF, represent the fourth extension to the initiative. We argue that this demonstrates the severe technical shortcomings (and therefore credibility) of the initiative."

Africa/Global: why developing countries must unite to fight violation of labour rights

2004-08-12

http://www.id21.org/society/s7cac1g1.html

Many analysts of international trade decry the concept of a 'social clause' as an attempt by rich developed countries to protect jobs and dominate markets by stipulating minimum labour standards. However, little attention is given to competition between developing countries to gain access to markets in richer countries, which is equally detrimental to labour standards. In the absence of a common set of minimum labour standards, destructive competition deprives workers of the benefits of economic growth.

Africa: China embraces trade with Africa

2004-08-12

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/08/international/asia/08china.html

Though starting from a modest base, China's trade with the African continent reached $18.5 billion in 2003, an increase of 50 percent since 2000, and it is on track for another big increase this year. China's push into Africa is all the more remarkable because it comes when that continent has become the virtual stepchild of the international trade system, a mere footnote - or worse, simply unmentioned in discussions of global commerce.

Africa: Ending the charade of unaffordable debt cancellation

2004-08-12

http://www.jubileeplus.org/

“Jubilee Research has long called for 100 per cent cancellation of the unsustainable debts of poor countries, and we have always considered that the criterion of an ‘unsustainable’ debt is a country’s inability to discharge that debt without infringing the human rights of its population. Since the establishment of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals nearly four years ago, it has also become clear that most of the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs) in Sub-Saharan Africa will be unable to reach these goals without a total cancellation of their debt and additional aid.”

Africa: G 20 Leaders Succumb to Divide-and-Rule Tactics

2004-08-12

http://www.focusweb.org/main/html/Article408.html?POSTNUKESID=23fdaf01d1857a239683d3830a9211a7

"During and after Cancun, the G20 was seen in some circles as representing a major power shift in the global trading order. Some even saw the G20 as the dynamo for a reinvigorated “New International Economic Order.” The reality is that the G20, and in particular Brazil and India, have been accommodated into the ranks of the key global trading powers, but it is increasingly becoming clear that the price for this has been their diluting the strength of the negotiating position of the South. More than ever, the South needs leadership. Many had expected the leaders of the G20 to fill this role. In the first decisive post-Cancun encounter, the latter have not lived up to expectations." This is according to an article by Walden Bello and Aileen Kwa, Executive Director and Research Associate, respectively, of the Bangkok-based Focus on the Global South, about the outcome of the recent post-Cancun WTO meeting in Geneva.

Africa: Official IMF evaluation finds flaws in PRSP process

2004-08-12

http://www.sarpn.org.za/newsflash.php#1802

The IMF's Independent Evaluation Office has just released a major new report on the PRSP process. The report argues that PRSPs have the potential to encourage country-owned development, but that achievements so far fall considerably short of their potential. This echoes findings in the World Bank's recent evaluation of PRSPs. The report calls for greater country ownership of the process and a more country-specific flexible approach to policy design.

Africa: Condoms Should also be Targeted to General Population

2004-08-12

http://www.psi.org/resources/issue-brief.html

Condom promotion to the general population - not only high-risk groups - is necessary and effective in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS, especially in countries with high HIV prevalence, according to an Issue Brief released by Population Services International (PSI), a nonprofit organization implementing HIV/AIDS prevention programs in more than 60 countries.

Africa: Evolve or die

2004-08-12

http://www.hst.org.za/news/20040446

A resounding silence surrounds an event to take place at the end of this month that, in theory at least, has great significance for the health of the people of Africa. Dr Ebrahim Samba is to step down after serving his maximum two terms of office as Director of WHO's Africa Region (WHO/AFRO). Such disinterest in a new UN health leader in the continent with the world's most pressing disease burden seems at first glance astonishing. However, a little familiarity with WHO and its African Office makes the lack of debate more understandable.

Africa: PHM-Africa and AIFO announce call for articles by African NGOs engaged in health care

2004-08-12

AIFO/Italy and People's Health Movement Africa invite articles in English, French, Portuguese and Italian from activists, non-governmental organisations and grass-roots organisations based in Africa related to experiences of innovative approaches linked to promotion of any aspect of better health for different community groups. Articles selected by an international jury will be part of a book to be released and distributed at the Second People's Health Assembly (PHA-II) in Ecuador in 2005 and will also be made available on the AIFO website. Three best articles will receive a cash prize of 500 Euros each. Last date for sending entries is 15 October 2004. It is possible that some selected partners from this initiative will be sponsored by AIFO to participate in the PHA-II. A decision regarding this will be taken before the end of 2004. In addition, authors of the three prize winning entries may also be invited to an award ceremony in Italy. For more details write to: sunil.deepak@aifo.it

Africa: The Promise of Cairo: Can We Get There from Here?

2004-08-12

http://ippfnet.ippf.org/pub/IPPF_News/News_Details.asp?ID=3677

When the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) met in Cairo, 1994, human rights and choice were put on the agenda and at the centre of policies on population and development. Goals were agreed to improve reproductive health for everyone, meet young people’s needs, and empower women - because it was their right. Reaching the Cairo goals would save lives, build families, fight poverty, and hasten population stabilization. Ten years later, the degree of progress made is variable.

Burundi: Campaign to increase breastfeeding

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42617

A nationwide campaign to increase public awareness on the importance of breastfeeding began on Monday, with a workshop in Burundi's capital, Bujumbura. World Breastfeeding Week had taken place the week before. Medical workers and journalists attended the Bujumbura event, which was organised by the National Programme for Reproductive Health in conjunction with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Ghana: Ghana to Lose More Doctors Through Brain Drain

2004-08-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200408091346.html

The services of 408 doctors trained at a cost of 24.4 million dollars are likely to be lost by 2006 if the present trend of brain drain among the country's health professionals continued unchecked. Within the same period, it is projected that 591 pharmacists and 1,883 nurses would join the bandwagon of medical professionals leaving the country.

Ghana: Global Fund urges wider use of impregnated mosquito nets

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42547

Ghana lags behind most of Africa when it comes to using insecticide-treated malaria nets and the government needs to go on an offensive to promote them, the head of the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said last Thursday. Just three percent of the Ghanaian population string up the treated nets over their beds, whereas the average in most African countries is between 25 and 40 percent.

Guinea: Cholera epidemic kills 23 people

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42562

Torrential rains and inadequate supplies of safe drinking water have led to a cholera epidemic in Guinea which has so far killed 23 people, Health Minister Amara Seisay said. He told state television last Thursday night that 183 cases of the highly infectious disease had been reported throughout the country, of which 93 came from the district around Kindia, a provincial town 120 km east of the capital Conakry.

Namibia: Government Expands HIV Treatment Programme

2004-08-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200408091223.html

Last Friday the donor community heaped praise on the Ministry of Health and Social Services for expanding to several hospitals its anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to HIV/AIDS patients and the prevention of mother to child transmission programme (PMTCT). As a result of the launch, the rollout programme of anti-retroviral therapy will cover six additional state hospitals at Engela, Outapi, Grootfontein, Otjiwarongo, Gobabis and Omaruru, one hospital managed by Lutheran Medical Services at Onandjokwe in the Oshikoto Region and three health facilities run by the Catholic Health Services at Oshikuku in the Omusati Region, Andara and at Nyangana in the Kavango Region.

Rwanda: Rwanda to Offer Free Generic AIDS Drugs

2004-08-12

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0804/164067.html

Rwanda will use international aid to offer free generic drugs by year's end to 90,000 people infected with HIV and AIDS, a 20-fold increase in the number of people receiving treatment, an official said last Thursday. The program would treat some 100,000 people by 2007 and would be funded by $85 million in aid from the U.S. government, the World Bank and the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Senegal: Renewed focus on Aids

2004-08-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200408100907.html

In contrast to most sub-Saharan African countries, Senegal's successful attempts to check the spread of HIV/AIDS has transformed the country into a model over the last two decades - a source of inspiration in the global fight against the epidemic. Twenty years on Senegal is still having to battle against some die-hard attitudes, including risky sex behaviour among the youth, whose reticence to test - because of societal stigma attached to HIV positive status - is raising tremendous concern.

South Africa: Counting the cost

2004-08-12

http://www.health-e.org.za/news/article.php?uid=20031082

Rushed in as a last minute substitute speaker for the Minister of Health, the head of the national health department's HIV/AIDS cluster, Dr Rose Mulumba, has told students that prohibitive costs were the reason for the long delay in providing antiretroviral treatment in the public health sector. When Dr Rose Mulumba first confronted the figures on her computer screen that showed her how much it would cost to treat South Africans requiring antiretrovirals she had to get up, “clear my head” and recalculate the numbers.

Swaziland: New radio drama spreads AIDS awareness

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42629

A new radio drama aimed at transforming Swazis' knowledge of AIDS into a change in personal behaviour began broadcasting this week. "The show's purpose is to give information, but I think it is fundamentally different from other attempts at AIDS communication in Swaziland during the past 15 years," said Alan Brody, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) country representative, who is sponsoring the drama.

Togo: Battling third highest HIV-rate in West Africa

2004-08-12

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42557

Togo lies smack bang in the middle of West Africa's main trade and transport corridor and health experts say the tide of people passing through this narrow strip of territory have helped to land it with the third-highest HIV prevalence rate in the region. According to government statistics, six percent of Togo's five million people are HIV positive, putting the country just behind Cote d'Ivoire with 10 percent and Liberia with an estimated eight percent.

Zambia: What the Zambian Government Won't Say

2004-08-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200408100160.html

Zambia's minister of health, Brian Chituwo, recently boasted that 6,000 out of a targeted 10,000 people living with AIDS, have accessed the government's cheap anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs since a roll-out began last August. What he does not mention is that even though women make up the majority of people living with AIDS in this southern African country, they constitute less than 10%of those accessing ARV drugs.

Africa/Global: Priority areas for attention in achieving the MDGs in education for girls

2004-08-12

http://www.eldis.org/cf/search/disp/DocDisplay.cfm?Doc=DOC14048&Resource=f1educ

This report is designed to facilitate consultation with civil society, experts and the international community on the priorities and strategies of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on education for girls, in preparation of the final report to be completed in December 2004. It first discusses the MDGs on education and gender equality, and international data and trends in gender and education. The report then sets out the Task Force’s six main points, supported by evidence from a survey of selected literature.

Africa: The Tragedy of Africa's Education

2004-08-12

Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than half of primary-school age children go to school; enrolment in secondary school in 22 countries is below 20%; and less than 10% of the workforce has matriculated. Please circle one of the following: These conditions ensure: a) present and future economic competitiveness; b) strong participatory democracy and nation building; c) an end to mass poverty; d) none of the above. The answer is as obvious as the statistics are alarming. Education ought to lie at the core of Africa's development strategies, the primary means by which the continent works to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of stability, prosperity and prowess.
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The Tragedy of Africa's Education
Children languish as leaders fumble to meet even minimal goals; 10 points that need attention

THROUGHOUT Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than half of primary-school age children go to school; enrolment in secondary school in 22 countries is below 20%; and less than 10% of the workforce has matriculated.

Please circle one of the following: These conditions ensure: a) present and future economic competitiveness; b) strong participatory democracy and nation building; c) an end to mass poverty; d) none of the above.

The answer is as obvious as the statistics are alarming. Education ought to lie at the core of Africa's development strategies, the primary means by which the continent works to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of stability, prosperity and prowess. As Carol Bellamy, executive director of the UN Children's Fund, notes, education may be the closest thing to a 'silver bullet' for the kind of acute developmental challenges affecting Africa's children.

But it has not turned out that way. While the average child in South America can expect to attend more than 12 years of formal schooling, according to the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), a typical child in Niger or Burkina Faso enjoys no more than four years in the classroom.

In the four decades since African countries started to gain their independence from foreign rule, their education systems - with few exceptions - have been marked by inadequate teaching, lack of resources like textbooks and chalkboards and colonial curricula and modes of instruction that often impeded the learning process.

Now, all African governments have pledged to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals, which include providing universal primary education by 2015. The idea is hard to argue with on paper. But there is growing evidence that such a narrow aim is having adverse consequences for broader education needs. And important questions about government commitment persist: While the global average annual state expenditure per child on primary education is $629, in Africa that figure is just $48. 'The problem with policy is not generating it, it is implementation and management,' says Keith Lewin, an education specialist at Sussex University in Britain.

For a continent with the lowest levels of global competitiveness, the stakes are evident. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, only South Africa and Seychelles spend more than 1% of GNP on science and technology research and development - and most economists consider even that too low to attract significant foreign investment or retain the most highly skilled Africans. According to studies by UNESCO, Sub-Saharan Africa has less than 0.5% of the global scientific community.

Or consider this: A World Bank study of 65 countries released in June 2004 at a conference on women and higher education found that a country's GDP increases by 1% if the number of girls in school is doubled. Fertility and HIV/AIDS infection rates also decline. But in Sub-Saharan Africa, of the 42 million primary-aged children not in school, 62% are girls, according to the Forum for African Women Educationalists.

Neither the problem nor the outlook has changed significantly since 1999, when the British relief organisation Oxfam first published this conclusion in a study on education in Africa: 'Governments have failed to develop a coherent plan of action for mobilising the political will, popular involvement and financial resources needed to deliver on the promise of education for all. If the current inertia is not overcome … the costs of such a failure for Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of lost opportunities for poverty reduction and economic growth would be immense. It would signal the end of any realistic chance of the region achieving the human development targets set by the international community by 2015.'

Literacy rates for Sub-Saharan Africa, meanwhile, averaged 62% in 2001 compared with 89% in Latin America. While many countries claim to offer universal primary education, definitions vary widely. Some offer only two or three hours of instruction per day. Others, such as South Africa, offer six. The proportion of Africans living on less than $1 a day, meanwhile, now exceeds 60%.

The Millennium Development Goals, which include benchmarks for providing health care, sanitation and clean water and universal primary education, were meant to jolt listless governments and aid agencies into making tangible progress after years of stagnation.

But in key respects, evidence is starting to indicate the MDGs have backfired by stifling a broader debate on education in Africa. Where schools once coped with one teacher for 50 students, many have more than 100 students per teacher. Hit by HIV/AIDS and already inadequate teacher training colleges, many African countries - Tanzania, for instance - have made teachers out of high school graduates, often using those not good enough to move on to university. In Uganda, 17% of teachers have not been trained at all and 57% need to upgrade their qualifications.

The result? The quality of teaching has plummeted in many countries that have embraced universal primary education - the opposite of the intended effect. More damaging, the demands of such a provision have drawn funding and attention away from other crucial components of public education. In Malawi, for example, which committed itself in 1995 to providing universal primary education, 60% of the education spending goes to primary education, 30% to tertiary and only 10% to secondary.

The MDGs have opened a debate about government performance in meeting the needs of citizens, but all the evidence shows that governments need to take dramatic action to improve many aspects of education beyond the primary level. Despite the significant social benefits of increasing the number of primary-age children attending school, argues Jacob Bregman, a leading educationalist at the World Bank, secondary education is vital to development and economic growth.

Asia provides important lessons. Four decades ago, countries like Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia were as poor as Ghana at its independence. Africa largely defined its problems in monetary terms, and since the 1960s has received more than $1 trillion in aid and loans. Asia looked in a different direction, concentrating on improving education in their formal school systems and helping business acquire technologies to make them more competitive.

Today Asia thrives while Africa continues to lag far behind.

Africa is increasingly marginalised in the world. Critically, the value of what Africa produces is steadily declining. To improve its economic posture, the continent needs a comprehensive solution to its education crisis, says Mamadou Ndoye, the executive secretary of the Association for Development of Education in Africa. 'When creating an education system, you need to look at what African societies are today and what we want them to be tomorrow,' he says.

Based on conversations with a range of education specialists across the continent and farther afield, here are 10 neglected areas affecting education that African governments must address in order to create a more prosperous future:

1. HIV/AIDS

The epidemic is forcing a rapidly rising number of children to abandon school to care for ailing parents, orphaned younger siblings and family farms. A dangerous cycle is setting in: AIDS is decreasing the opportunity for children to become educated, and less education deepens poverty, which in turn increases the vulnerability to infection, according to a report by the Global Campaign for Education.

Zimbabwe and Zambia, which once had close to universal enrolment, are experiencing sharp declines in learner participation as household incomes plummet and children take on increased domestic responsibilities due to the epidemic. AIDS-related infertility, a declining birth rate and rising infection rates among children also lower enrolment rates, the report found.

Studies by UNAIDS in 17 African countries show that receiving at least a primary school education can halve the risk of young people contracting HIV, even if they are never exposed to specific AIDS-related education programmes. The more girls are educated, the longer they are likely to refrain from sexual activity and the more likely they are to require their partners to use condoms.

'Education,' observed South Africa's former education minister Kader Asmal, 'is the only anti-HIV vaccine that there is.'

HIV/AIDS, therefore, must be at the core of education policy for both teachers and learners. The continent has an estimated 12.4 million AIDS orphans, and that figure is projected to rise rapidly. Enabling those children to acquire an education requires a range of state interventions, including school-feeding schemes, removal of fees and the provision of financial incentives for parents to send their children, especially girls, to school. In Brazil and Nicaragua, for example, enrolment and completion rates increased measurably when governments gave money to poor families who sent their children to school.

The epidemic is also decreasing Africa's already inadequate supply of teachers. An estimated 19% of male teachers and 29% of female teachers in Zimbabwe are HIV-positive. In Zambia, research funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), the foreign development office of the British government, found the number of deaths among primary school teachers rose from two per day in 1996 to four per day in 1998. This is equivalent to the loss of two-thirds of the country's cadre of newly trained teachers per year.

To curb and manage HIV rates among teachers, studies show, African governments should provide for more HIV testing as well as medical support including anti-retroviral drugs for those who are infected; regular prevention programmes; and work-based counselling and support groups. Increased funding for teacher colleges is also necessary.

2. Teacher quality and quantity

The provision of free public primary education has greatly increased the number of students and, therefore, demand for teachers, which has compounded a longstanding problem: Africa needs to radically improve the quality of its teachers.

'Almost everywhere,' says Adriaan Verspoor, an education researcher at the World Bank, 'large numbers of teachers have been recruited without professional training, lacking the skills necessary for good quality instruction.'

Studies by the World Bank estimate that Africa has about 2.5 million teachers and will need an additional 1.36 million teachers to meet the goal of universal primary education by 2015. That translates into a 3% increase in teachers every year for the next decade.

The problem must be tackled at four levels. First, the output of new teachers must be increased. That means more teacher colleges or more places in existing colleges. Second, the quality of instruction at teacher colleges must be improved. Adding more teachers will not solve the problem if they are not adequately qualified. Third, countries must take a disciplined approach to retiring under- or unqualified teachers and replacing them with new teaching graduates. Fourth, governments must work to improve teachers through in-service training. If teaching workshops are not feasible, school principals and senior teachers should monitor teachers in their classrooms and offer constructive advice on teaching technique. Studies by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) stress the importance of school-based support for educators and the lead role of head teachers in changing the way teachers teach. To be effective in their work, teachers need the support of principals, the broader education system, parents and communities, Verspoor argues. But this requires education ministries to empower local school managers and demand performance from them.

Martial Dembélé, associate director of the Centre for International Development in Education, says continuing professional development for teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa is successful when it is 'a team rather than an individual effort; focuses on what teachers feel they need, with priority given to the teaching of basic subjects; is linked with student learning; and is conducted in or close to the classrooms of participating teachers' with extensive practice, outside experience and sufficient material support.

3. Measuring results

Improving quality requires evaluating outcomes. That is a basic tenet of modern management too often neglected in African education.

Three research programmes attempt to measure academic achievement on a regional basis: SACMEQ (Southern Africa), PASEC (Francophone Africa) and MLA (Sub-Saharan Africa). Initiated in 1992, these studies conclude that about half of the pupils in Africa have not achieved the minimum skill level defined independently by the authorities in each country.

Another study conducted by ADEA last year examined the extent to which students met the skills goals necessary to complete primary school successfully. Using the schools' own definition of success, the study found that at the end of primary learning less than a third of children have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary to perform at the secondary level.

According to Khadim Sylla, an education expert at the International Institute for Educational Planning at UNESCO, these studies confirm 'the general observation of the low level of educational quality in Africa' and should become a routine part of educational stocktaking on the continent, together with more qualitative assessments.

To make consistent progress, education ministries need to build into their budgets funds and staff to test and evaluate students and teachers. Zambia is a good example of what can happen when this is done. At independence, the country decided to teach all students in English. But in 1995, after three decades, the country finally began testing and found that three-quarters of students were functionally illiterate after seven years of schooling. Officials heard of successful approaches that taught students to read first in their mother tongue and then made a transition to English after three years. A trial programme found that mother-tongue instruction dramatically improved literacy.

4. Incentives for maths and science

Africa 'cannot begin to be fully integrated into the global economy,' said South African President Thabo Mbeki 'if we do not develop the necessary skills to participate in the increasingly knowledge-based communication society.' He argued that a growing number of South Africans were 'unemployable' in a modern economy.

To be globally competitive, Africa needs more graduates trained in maths, science and information and communication technology. To increase at least the potential of creating more future scientists and engineers, primary and secondary teachers need to make learning in these subjects interesting, relevant and fun.

At the university level, many students avoid technical fields - despite the job opportunities they offer - because they have had a poor foundation in math and science in primary and secondary school. To address this shortcoming, universities should offer reduced tuition or bursaries in needed technical fields and tutoring centres to support students willing to pursue such studies.

South Africa's University of Pretoria, for example, fully sponsors 140 black students in mathematics and the sciences every year. To help alleviate the high drop-out rate among ill-prepared first year students, the university offers a 'foundation year programme' that gives intensive, practical instruction in chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, computer literacy, English and study skills. In East Africa, the Carnegie Corporation recently provided $4 million to Makerere University and the University of Dar es Salaam to boost enrolment of women undergraduates especially in science and technology.

5. Corruption

African politicians sometimes excuse corruption as a minor problem no worse in Africa than other regions of the world, but it is a direct threat to development - which is more critical on this continent than elsewhere - because it robs social sectors of available funds. In Kenya for example, principals have been accused of bribery, favouritism and stealing directly from schools. In an editorial to Kenya's nearly 4,000 principals in June, the editors of the East African Standard lashed out at the 'petty corruption that permeates day-to-day transactions in schools.' Irregular admissions, private coaching during class time, collusion, impersonation and other forms of cheating during national exams are commonplace, the editors noted.

To address corruption in education, departments, principals and school governing bodies need to adopt a zero tolerance approach to corrupt practices. Political leaders also need to send a strong message that corruption at all levels of government is inadmissible.

6. Skills training and non-formal education

Nepad's 2004