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Kenya: Unsung peace heroes

2008-11-21

http://www.peaceheroes.ushahidi.com/

On November 21st 2008, a new campaign aimed at identifying and recognizing those who played a positive role during and immediately after the post elections chaos in Kenya will be launched. Who were the people that were prepared to risk their own lives to save others?

Canada in Africa: The mining superpower

Denis Tougas

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/52095

cc. FreeFotoThe time when Canada's presence on the African continent was primarily characterised by numerous missionaries and food donations is well and truly over! In countries such as Congo, Mali and Tanzania, when it is learned that you are from Canada, you are immediately asked if you work for the ‘mining’, a perception entirely consistent with reality. Canada is now a superpower in the African mining sector, a position the country intends to maintain and develop using all means at its disposal.

The salient presence of Canadian mining is relatively new in Africa and is rooted principally in the programmes of liberalisation of the sector from the early 1990s. These programmes have been driven by the World Bank, which from 1992(1) had begun defining the extractive sector as the main engine of development for many countries.(2) The privatisation of state enterprise – promoted as a means of encouraging the entry of foreign investment – has opened the door to foreign companies. At the head of this development, especially with regard to the smaller exploration companies known as ‘juniors’, are Canadian companies. These companies have an immense commercial presence in Canada: of the 1,223 mining companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the largest in the country, more than 1,000 are juniors!(3)

A HUGE EXPANSION

Currently, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources Canada (NRC), only the Republic of South Africa, with over 35% of assets and investments, is just ahead of Canada in the African mining industry. But with South Africa’s assets concentrated on its own territory, Canada dominates the rest of the continent.

The data compiled by the NRC demonstrates the speed with which the value of Canadian mining assets in Africa has grown over the last twenty years: at US$ 233 million in 1989, this figure grew to $635 million in 1995, and $2.8 billion in 2001, growing further to $6.08 billion in 2005, and $14.7 billion in 2007.(4) This total value is estimated to reach $21 billion by 2010.


In 2001, Canadian companies had operations in 24 African countries, a figure that had risen to 35 by 2007.



And 91% of Canadian investments were concentrated in eight countries, with the order of countries’ importance being the following: South Africa (25.6%), DR Congo (17.8%), Madagascar (13.8%), Zambia (9.9%), Tanzania (9.5%), Ghana (6.5%), Burkina Faso (4.7%) and Mauritania (3%).


It remains to be seen whether Chinese investment projects in the region will threaten Canada’s position of overall dominance.

BENEFITS FOR CANADA

The development of the Canadian mining sector and its expansion has affected all continents. Africa represented 11% of Canada’s US$25.8 billion in cumulative mining assets in 2001, a proportion which had risen to 17% of the total $85.9 billion in the same assets by 2007.


This growth has generated substantial profits for companies in the country: in 2001 the sector accounted for 4% of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with $64 billion in exports and $30 billion in capital expenditure, while employing a total of 400,000 people. In addition, activities related to exploration and mining led to the development of a large number of economic activities affiliated with mining and covering a wide range of goods and services: providing equipment, training, legal and financial advice, along with other types of expertise. In 2000, there were at least 2,200 Canadian companies related to the mining industry.

This data helps us better understand the reasons behind the Canadian government’s strong support for a sector that has become crucial for the growth in an ever globalising and competitive world economy.

POLITICAL INCENTIVES

This global increase is the result of political decisions of a government under considerable pressure from powerful mining associations, most notably the aforementioned juniors.

Canada, rich in minerals, has a long tradition in the mining sector. Over the course of its history, the state has regularly passed laws to promote the development of the country and mitigate the impact of sporadic crises in the sector. And since the 1990s, under the influence of industry associations, the Canadian state has implemented a comprehensive strategy to support the expansion of investments and activities abroad, one including measures targeting businesses and investors.

On the corporate side, Canada has been quicker than other countries in its adoption of fiscal measures designed to be attractive to mining interests, some examples of which include:
• Tax deductions for expenditure incurred abroad
• Deductions for debt (and interest) accrued abroad
• Tax exemptions for profits repatriated to Canada
• Deductions of up to 100% for investments in exploration and development projects when undertaken by companies themselves
• Opportunities for companies with several projects abroad (exploration and exploitation) to deposit their respective finances in a single account when calculating taxes due in Canada, enabling larger profits accrued in more profitable ventures to be combined with less profitable exploration projects, thus reducing the overall tax paid
• Deductions for depreciation and accelerated depreciation.

All these measures mean that in Canada ‘the average tax rate on large corporations, including on capital, is below the US rate and will be so by more than 6% in 2008.’(5)

And this doesn’t take into account the programmes offered by different ministries looking to further aid mining businesses, such as for example helping enterprises to improve their technical capabilities in relation to exploration. Nor does it take into account the financial support granted by Export Development Canada (EDC) to facilitate Canadian investment abroad. According to its 2007 annual report, the EDC has supported projects totalling $22 billion worth of exports and investments in Canadian companies in the extractive sector!

From an investment point of view, special tax measures will promote the expansion of ‘junior’ exploration registering on the stock exchange: thus, the Investment Tax Credit for Exploration (ITCEE) allows the deduction of 15% for 3 years for buyers of ‘accredited’ shares issued by exploration companies with the backing of the government.

According to the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), this programme of accredited shares allowed Canada to maintain its comparative advantage in this area on the world stage, making it the envy of other competitors such as Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Chile and Peru.(6)

A MADE-TO-MEASURE GRANT

Finding financial support for mining operations is especially crucial at the exploration stage. Here too has Canada taken the lead by developing special place for on the stock exchange for those companies deemed to be undertaking risky operations. Greater risk must lead to greater reward! The Vancouver Stock Exchange (VSE) has for a long been the point of reference for this type of transaction and a centre of attraction for the smaller mining companies involved in exploration. The numerous associated scandals that have come to light, that of Bre-X notably, have ended up ruining operations.

The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) had however already restructured its activities in the 1960s in order to facilitate juniors’ entry and accommodate this type of risky capital (TSX Venture). The advantages are many: financing for initial stages, the conversion of debt, private placements, debt balance while projects are developed, etc. In short, the Toronto exchange dominates the global market for financing. In 2007 in Canada, there was a rise of $4.2 billion in the share value of mining companies collectively. Australian stock exchanges, in the meantime, occupied second position with $1.3 billion in shares, while their American counterparts occupied fifth position with $500 million. Thanks to its mining expertise, the TSX is now in seventh position for values traded globally.

ASSAULT ON AFRICA

These rigorous policies of support go some way to explaining the rapid ascent of Canadian mining companies across the African continent in countries open to foreign investment, as much in countries with a strong mining tradition such as Ghana and Tanzania as in those just discovering their mining potential like Mali, as well as in countries experiencing conflict where the risks are great, like the DR Congo. These businesses have found in Canada the support, backing, and finance necessary for all these mining ventures.

In much the same vein, Canadian diplomacy is very much at the service of business interests and the general extension of Canadian influence within this domain. In this regard, the country at times pursues objectives seemingly at odds with its development agenda, some examples of which include:

- In 1996, the Canadian High Commissioner in Tanzania intervened on several occasions to influence revisions to mining legislation as a means of promoting Canadian business interests. And, specifically, in order to counter the legal claims of local miners questioning the legitimacy of the mining company Sutton and designs on Bulyanhulu deposits(7)
- In June 2008, the staff of the very same High Commission energetically intervened in Tanzanian parliamentary affairs to ensure that the country’s politicians rejected the conclusions of the Presidential Mining Sector Review Committee on revisions of the mining sector. The Committee had recommended a greater proportion of profits generated by higher prices be kept for the country itself(8)
- In 2004, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations had criticised a part of a report produced by the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the DR Congo, in which nine Canadian companies were accused of violating OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) guidelines during the country’s protracted war.

And now, in order to ensure formalise the sector’s acquisitions over the last decade, Canada has signed its first Foreign Investment Protection Agreement (FIPA) plan with mining countries, with Tanzania and Madagascar in first place. This FIPA, already established within many Latin American countries, has among its aims the removal of current agreements through placing them under international arbitration.(9) New legislation on the issue by host countries could not be applied without significant compensation. Supposedly of high importance to Canada, the principles of ‘good governance’ could hardly apply.

It’s a safe bet that Canada’s image as a moderate country and disinterested development partner in Africa is now thoroughly outdated.

* Denis Tougas is the director of the L'Entraide missionnaire (L'EMI) in Montréal, Canada, an inter-agency supported by religious and secular institutes of francophone Canada. L’EMI responds to training needs, along with consultation and mobilisation. Tougas has worked in solidarity with the Congolese people over the last 18 years.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/

(1) World Bank, Strategy for African Mining, World Bank Technical Paper no. 181, Africa Technical Department Series, Mining Unit, Industry ands Energy Division, Washington D.C., World Bank, 1992
(2) For a deeper analysis of the World Bank's political orientation, please consult the work of the Groupe de recherche sur les activités minières en Afrique (GRAMA) at the University of Québec in Montréal (UQAM).
(3) Without exception, the majority of the statistics mentioned in this article come from the Ministry of Natural Resources Canada (NRC) and have been taken from Fode-Moussa Keita, 'Les sociétés minières canadiennes d’exploration et de développement du secteur de l’or; les impacts de leurs activités en Afrique de l’Ouest', political science thesis at the University of Québec in Montréal (UQAM).
(4) September 2008 estimate.
(5) Fode-Moussa Keita, op. cit. p. 123.
(6) Ibid., p. 125.
(7) Paula Butler, 'Canada’s 21st Century Colonial Interests in the "Good Governance" of African Minerals', 2003, pp 24-30.
(8) http://tinyurl.com/6mwhxu

When silence is golden

Alexandra Sicotte-Lévesque

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/52091

‘This is pure gold’ Joanna Nkrumah told me as she carefully opened a small bag to unveil her grandmother’s jewellery, which had been passed on to her by her mother. The beautifully crafted necklace and earrings had been made over fifty years ago by local goldsmiths, probably around the time when Ghana became the first country in Africa to gain independence from colonial rule. ‘There are no goldsmiths here now. There is no gold anymore,’ Joanna explained. ‘No one can get gold, except the company.’

I met Joanna while preparing a documentary film on the impact of Canadian gold mining operations in Ghana. A fervent activist in her community, Joanna is an incredibly strong woman who won’t ever give up a fight. Her family has been living for centuries in Dumasi, a small village in Ghana’s Western Region and a few miles away from Prestea, a former major mining town now in decline. The family house, which she shares with her widowed father and some of her brothers and sisters, overlooks a large open pit mining operation. Joanna showed me around her farmlands, most of which have now been destroyed by the surface mining activities of Golden Star Resources, a Canadian company registered in Ghana as Bogoso Gold Limited (as per Ghanaian law, all mining companies in the country are partially owned at a rate of 10 per cent by the Ghanaian government.) ‘We are jobless, formerly we are all farmers, now we don’t have anything to do’, Joanna told me. Some of her farmlands have been compensated for, but not always fairly she claimed. Since Golden Star has been operating near the village, cyanide spillages have occurred in nearby streams, farm lands expropriated and the open pit menacingly expanding closer to Dumasi. Today Golden Star is planning to resettle the entire village to mine the gold the community is sitting on.

A NEW MILITARY RULE?

Ghana has been praised in recent years for its economic stability and for being a haven of peace in a region often in turmoil. It is the second producer of gold in Africa, following South Africa, and democratic elections have taken place twice in the last decade. For such reasons, Canada has made Ghana one of its main beneficiaries of international aid on the African continent. So one can’t help but be surprised to see the Ghana Armed Forces roaming the areas near Dumasi and Prestea, to protect, according to locals, the interests of Golden Star.

As surface mining increased in Ghana in the past few years, so did conflicts regarding land use. Indeed, foreign mining and exploration companies can acquire large stretches of land from Ghana’s Minerals Commission while using only 50% for actual mining. In most cases, local communities are not allowed to farm on mining concessions unless permission is granted by the company.

Prestea, a historic mining town, has been at the centre of controversies for the operations of Golden Star. In 2001, the low price of gold (before its increase in 2002) caused financial difficulties for the Prestea underground mine owned at the time by a Ghanaian company. Not having paid its employees’ salaries for more than five months, it decided to sell its site to Golden Star. Golden Star closed down the underground mine and began surface mining right in the centre of town, which caused much uproar in the Prestea community. Indeed, this meant that most employees of the underground mine were going to lose their jobs while others would lose their farms. Moreover, the community expressed worries about the environmental degradation that would occur because of the new surface mine. Conflicts also arose within the community, as the head of the traditional area, Nana Kyie, was accused of receiving monies from Golden Star on behalf of the community without accounting for it. Riots occurred when two young men were shot dead by security forces. In June 2005, more riots occurred as the Prestea community gave the authorities of Golden Star 21 days to cease all operations that were destructive their environment. Once again, seven people were injured as shots were fired at the demonstrators. In an interview granted for the film, Ghana’s Minister of Mines did express his discontent with the actions of Golden Star.

However, conflict did not only arise in the area because of environmental degradation and loss of farmland caused by the presence of Golden Star. Traditional small-scale mining, locally known as galamsey (meaning ‘gather and sell’) has been an important livelihood in the area for generations. To this day individuals often risk anything, even their own health (mercury is a common chemical used in the process) to find nuggets of gold that will give them enough money to feed their families. The Ghanaian government attempted a few years ago to formalise this sector of the local economy by requiring that all small-scale miners obtain licences in the capital Accra. But as Gavin Hilson, a Canadian lecturer in environment and development at the University of Reading, has explained ‘all of the land is under the concession of mining and exploration companies…so it makes it very difficult for these small scale miners to obtain a licence to work as a legitimate small-scale miner.’ The persistent poverty in the region and the absence of alternative livelihoods undoubtedly encourage individuals to resort to small-scale and illegal mining activities in order to make a living.

In 2007, Golden Star lobbied the government for military intervention in order to stop galamsey activities taking place on its concessions. Under pressure from such important economic forces, the government eventually sent its soldiers and operation ‘flush-out’ took place. As small-scale miners were forced to cease all activities in the area, more conflict arose with a few people getting injured. To this day, local communities complain of intimidation by the military.

To what extent then, is Golden Star involved with the military in the region? In an interview included in my documentary film, Mark Thorpe, Golden Star’s Vice-President of Sustainability in Ghana, admitted that the company had lobbied the government. ‘We assisted the government operation at the time with a little bit of logistics’ he said, ‘but in terms of the actual planning of the operation, that was all organised by the central government.’ I was able to convince the military to take me with them on patrol in the nearby hills. Day and night, long after operation ‘flush-out’, the military still roamed the area in search of illegal miners. We rode in an unidentified pick-up truck, likely owned by Golden Star (as I tried to jump in the back of the truck, a soldier inadvertently asked me if I had insurance with the company) and the driver wore a Golden Star employee card. One of the soldiers even informed me that one of their commanders, who would wear civilian clothing and a construction vest, was directly assigned to work with the company. ‘It’s the corporate players who are behind the financing of the military,’ Gavin Hilson explained to me. ‘If I’m making $50 a month as a soldier,’ he said, ‘and you have Golden Star Resources come around and say I’ll give you a few hundred dollars if you help me get these guys off the property, of course I’m going to do it.’

The first day I spent filming the documentary in Dumasi, locals told me that the night before a few huts near the Golden Star open pit had been burnt down, probably by soldiers. When my crew and I visited the site, we found Nana Ofouri, a local farmer, in a rage. The roof of his hut had been burnt with most of his belongings inside. Nana usually used this hut as shelter when farming and considered himself lucky that he had decided to sleep instead in his house in the middle of Dumasi. Why would soldiers have destroyed such property, I asked? But no one could give me an answer. Months later, when I came back to Dumasi, I noticed that the area where the hamlets originally stood was now covered in waste from Golden Star’s open pit. Perhaps the company had tried to warn the community to stay away as they expanded their operations near Dumasi. Nana Ofouri’s fish ponds were also destroyed by mining waste, but Golden Star refused to compensate him as they claimed that these were ‘speculative’ fish ponds built after the company had announced their intention to work in the area.

Because of the proximity of Golden Star’s operation to Dumasi, Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had banned the company from mining near the community. But after an agreement with local leaders in 2007, Golden Star started digging again close to the Dumasi community. Such negotiations in Dumasi have engendered much distrust between the community, Golden Star and government agencies. In attempts to respect local social structures, traditional chiefs often serve as prime representatives for communities during negotiations. For Daniel Owusu-Korenteng, the executive director of WACAM, a grassroots organisation raising awareness about mining activities and of which Joanna is a key member, one of the ‘mistake[s] is that people think that chiefs represent the interest of the community. But they have a different outlook on mining.’ Golden Star has since attempted to negotiate a resettlement package with Dumasi local leaders. The company hired Canadian consultants specialising in resettlement to assess needs and possible procedures. Last time I visited Dumasi, the process was well underway. I learned that Golden Star had resettled another community a few hours away from Dumasi. I then decided to take Joanna, Nana and others to visit the new village to see for themselves what resettlement could mean. Although at first glance the new town seemed pristine with concrete pink houses as opposed to wooden or tin structures, we quickly realised that the constructions did not respect local ways of life. Joanna was shocked. ‘It looks like a cemetery’, she said,‘ there is no economic activity here, and it all looks like government housing.’ Traditionally, locals cook outside under a thatch roof, but no cooking area had been provided inside or outside the houses. Golden Star had also instructed the community not to build any additional structures. The new village was also far from the community’s farms and no transportation had been provided. After visiting the town, Joanna swore she wouldn’t let Golden Star resettle Dumasi. To this day, the company still has not been able to move forward with its resettlement plans.

CANADA’S SILENT RESPONSE

Throughout the production of the film, I tried to get reactions from the Canadian government about their different policies, or lack thereof, regarding Canadian extractive industries in Africa generally and Ghana specifically. I was refused interviews with the then Minister of International Trade, former Prime Minister Joe Clark, and many others. One of my visits to Ghana coincided with the Governor General’s trip to the country and I had the chance to meet with the head of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) who seemed apprehensive about my film. He later formally refused an interview. I finally was granted a meeting with the commercial section of the Canadian High Commission in Accra; I was however not allowed to quote or directly use anything said in the meeting for the film. The meeting was cordial but I could feel my interlocutors were on the defensive. I was asked how long would my film be, and when I responded that it would likely be about one hour, I was told: ‘That’s a long time for such a small country like Ghana.’

There are staggering contradictions in Canada’s policies towards Ghana. In 2004 Canada relieved Ghana’s debt of CAD$18 million in an effort to help combat extreme poverty in Africa. The same year, a Canadian company operating in Ghana, Bonte Gold Mines, went bankrupt and left over US$18 million in debt to different Ghanaian government agencies and private companies. Still the Canadian government did not assume any extraterritorial responsibilities. Most Canadians’ pension plans are financing the operations of Golden Star Resources in Ghana. Therefore, many have argued that as long as the Canadian economy is benefiting from resources in less developed countries the Canadian government should ensure that the activities of Canadian companies do not infringe human rights, good governance and development. As Gavin Hilson said to me, ‘there is a reason why these companies are operating in countries like Ghana: laws are generally lacking and are not enforced.’

Some say that the Canadian government cannot have exterritorial responsibilities towards the actions of its citizens abroad. But Canada does acknowledge its indirect extraterritorial responsibilities regarding child sex tourism. In 1997, Canada was one of the first countries in the world to enact extraterritorial legislation allowing for the prosecution of Canadians who sexually exploit children overseas. As Craig Scott of the University of Toronto has noted, ‘there is a good reason to believe that transnational regulation of child sex tourism may well prove to be the Trojan horse for a new paradigm of extraterritorial human rights responsibility.’ It is therefore clear that Canada does recognise to some extent its obligations in ensuring that no impunity prevails when it comes to certain human rights violations committed by Canadians abroad.

Although CIDA’s primary sectors of intervention in Ghana are basic human needs and governance, none of its framework mentions the mining sector or communities affected by mining. In its programming framework, CIDA does acknowledge that Ghana has ‘one of the world’s richest and largest gold reserves’ and that ‘the need for efficient management of natural resources has become more urgent in light of the rapidly increasing population.’ Still, the content of its programs ignores this important aspect.

Therefore, CIDA does not collaborate with Natural Resources Canada (NRC) for any of its projects in Ghana. This is unfortunate as Canada is the prime example of a country that has been able to use its natural resources to develop its economy for the general benefit of its population. It could therefore be constructive for Canada to share this experience with less developed countries so that they can too make the best use of the resources on their territory.

In an interview granted for the film Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Ireland, emphasised the notion of responsibility. ‘I think it’s important to look at the different responsibilities,’ she said. ‘The companies themselves have a direct responsibility if they are violating human rights…but I also think that where governments are aware that companies that they lobby for, support, negotiate for sometimes, they also need to accept that they have a responsibility to ensure that there is not a track record of abuses and a country like Canada shouldn’t overlook that if that’s the case.’

WHAT NOW?

In a few decades Ghana’s mineral wealth will have significantly decreased while the potential negative economic, social and environmental impacts will still be felt by generations to come. This underlines the urgency of the current subject matter.

Mining has thus exacerbated social inequalities in Ghana where communities affected by mining are becoming poorer as their natural resources are being depleted. A vicious cycle is thus taking place where the plight of communities affected by mining is silenced while poverty increases and the power of mining companies is strengthened.

Some positive steps are being taken to address the situation affecting mining communities in Ghana. In June 2008, several months after the release of my film, Ghana’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice published a draft of an investigative report pronouncing several mining companies, including Golden Star, guilty of human rights abuses in their host communities. The Canadian government held national roundtables on extractive industries to consult civil society and companies on recommendations for ensuring the respect of human rights abroad. But to this day, the government has yet to respond to the report submitted following the roundtable process.

Looking back at the time I spent in Dumasi, I now realise that the major obstacle facing the community is lack of information. Whether through the company or local authorities they have never been able to access information pertaining to their situation. This is something Joanna understands too well. ‘If I had known that the mining act says that compensation must be prompt, fair and adequate, and they should give me life expectancy of my crops’ she told me, ‘I wouldn’t have given them all my family lands for them to mine on it without giving me anything.’

Today, Joanna is going back to school to improve her English and perhaps proceed on to college. ‘I am learning and I will learn, so that maybe I will become a parliamentarian or a lawyer so that I will defend my community,’ she proclaimed proudly. ‘I won’t sit there and let the company cheat them. I will use the law.’

* The author is the Co-Founder of Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and the director of a documentary film also titled ‘When Silence is Golden’ made possible thanks to a Global Youth Fellowship from the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation in Toronto. For more information on the film, please visit: www.when-silence-is-golden.org
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/

Footprints and paradoxes of Canadian mining in the DRC

Mikhael Missakabo

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/52092

Without doubt, public or private discussion about Africa’s socio-economic context rarely revolves around foreign investment. However, at the 2006 Indaba, a senior official from a Canadian mining concern urged his colleagues to take advantage of the ‘unusual conditions’ and venture to invest in the DRC. This in spite of the dire press reportage coming out of that tortured country. Cape Town formed an idyllic backdrop far removed from the mining areas of Africa, for the Indaba, an annual meeting bringing together the different players in the mining industry interested in African adventure. Strange, and yet true, this illustration of the paradoxes that characterise relations between Africa and the West.

Without delving too deeply into this paradox, we will attempt to cast light on the consequences of Canadian mining operations in the DRC. Their numerical superiority makes them stand out. It is clear that every Canadian mining company leaves a footprint. This footprint is not merely ecological, but also socio-economic. Unfortunately, this is not all; alas, these effects are felt even at the level of human rights.

By ‘unusual conditions’, this official was referring to the favourable juridico-legal and fiscal environment offered by the DRC government to those investing in the mining sector. The DRC is considered a fiscal and juridical paradise for mining companies. The reasons for this are both multiple and intricate.

The DRC has been steeped in crisis for the last two decades. The country is abundantly blessed by nature. The climate is ideal, water is plentiful, fauna and flora abound. The ground is replete with vast mineral reserves. However, the commercial exploitation of these resources has not translated into development. In other words, the living standards of the Congolese people have not improved. On the contrary, one may venture that mining has in fact led to the deterioration of the people’s living standards.

Mining has always dominated the DRC’s economic landscape, and served as its main driving force. Mining contributes approximately 70% of the country’s annual budget. Gécamines is the largest mining concessionaire in Katanga. Today, however, Gécamines is defunct as a result of the mismanagement and looting of the Mobutu regime. Given that Gécamines was previously the largest employer in Katanga, one can imagine the effects of its collapse. Following the collapse, the government took the decision to allow artisan and small-scale mining of copper/cobalt. The justification for this was the creation of a Congolese middle-class to serve as a conveyor-belt for harmonious development. When Gécamines closed down, it was necessary to ‘create jobs’ for former employees who had been laid off. Ten years earlier, a decision had been taken to liberalise artisan and small-scale diamond mining in Kasai. Sadly, the artisan and small-scale mining of Copper/cobalt, diamonds and coltan benefits small capitalist expatriates who use Congolese as middlemen and labourers.

Under pressure for the World Bank, the government developed the Mining Code to guide the liberalisation of the mining sector. By and large, the Code concretises the liberalisation of the sector. The playing field may be level, but the players are not of the same calibre, or in the same class for that matter. Consequently, mining companies are making a beeline for the DRC. One would no doubt expect abuses, blunders and pitfalls. However, the Congo has ended up falling victim to its own initiative. Forced to negotiate from a position of weakness, the government has been issuing lop-sided contracts. In some cases, the contracts actually gave the concessionaires the very means to subvert the aims of liberalisation. This sabotage is in turn stifling the growth of the indigenous middle-class. Following pressure from international NGOs and Congolese civil society, the contracts were reviewed in an effort to correct the imbalances. Apparently, the mining companies use loopholes in the mining code, and other means to safeguard their interests.

According to Alain Denault, author of ‘Noir Canada: Pillage, corruption et criminalité en Afrique’, Canadian mining firms operating in Africa are involved in levels of abuse worse than those perpetrated by the former colonial empires. In the early 1990s, just after the World Bank-inspired privatisation wave, Canadian firms were profiting from the Mobutu regime. Shortly after, Laurent Kabila’s rebellion erupted. Within a few weeks, the conflict was full-blown. The mining firms – including the Canadians – went over to the winning side. Mining contracts signed by Kabila were soon distributed. By the same stroke, Kabila received the financial means to support his war effort, and de facto international economic legitimacy, even before the fall of the Mobutu regime. For Canadian companies like Banro Corporation or Barrick Gold, so long as business remained lucrative after as before, the regime did not matter.

Banro, Kinross-Forrest, Barrick Gold, Emaxon, Lundin (Tenke Fungurume Mining), Mindev, and Anvil Mining are among the more prominent Canadian companies involved. Some of these provide us with exemplars of the Canadian firms’ footprints in the DRC. An exhaustive list of these companies involved would be long and assorted. Such would include both private and publicly funded Canadian companies, operating bank accounts and holding addresses in tax havens. While some are privately owned, others are listed on several Canadian stock exchanges. Toronto’s TSX is the more attractive of the stock exchanges because it tends to be less demanding with regard to mining companies and their declared values. Some analysts have even asserted that, unlike the American exchanges, the TSX turns a blind eye to baseline evaluations of exploratory mining. These allow mining companies to speculate on the real value of resources and increase their profits exponentially. This little digression helps to explain the situation with Gécamines.

In Katanga and Kasaï Oriental, the local economies are dependent on mining. Gécamines is a parastatal operating in Katanga and as mentioned, it is in decline, and one of the first consequences of this is that employees are going without salaries. In addition, there are a lot of small to medium companies sub-contracted to Gécamines that are now suffering. To avoid open rebellion Mobutu liberalised the mining sector. Artisan and small-scale mining boomed and with this came ecological disaster and rock falls that claimed lives.

FOOTPRINTS

Mutoshi is a small neighbourhood of Kolwezi in Katanga. Since 2007 Mutoshi has seen a gold-rush, with thousands of artisan and small-scale miners, many of them former Gécamines employees, arriving to pan a rich abandoned mine. This mine is adjacent to the little town. Following a joint-venture with the Canadian firm Anvil Mining, operations resumed here and the artisan and small-scale miners were chased off. Desperately seeking a means of survival, these miners carried on mining, following rich seams located under houses and streets in Mutoshi. One can imagine the net result: homes and roads in the town under assault by artisan and small-scale miners.

Today, Canadian firms own in excess of $300 billion worth of assets in the DRC, most of it acquired through dodgy contracts signed with mining parastatals. Following pressure from civil society, opposition parties and international NGOs, the government has revisited some of these contracts. One particular contract between Gécamines and Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) is worth a mention. This Canadian company (a branch of Lundin Mining) controls an area containing 13 identified fields that together hold the planet’s largest reserves of coltan. In 2007 TFM’s capital investments were estimated at $900 million. In 2008, Gécamines suddenly realised that TFM had increased its capital investment to $1.75 billion, and an extra $850 million was ploughed in without informing or consulting its principle partner. TFM underhandedly decreased Gécamines’ share of the joint-venture from 45% to 17.5%, using improvements to infrastructure and rising costs as an excuse. TFM is thus over-invested in the operation, considering that the Mining Code allows investors to recoup their initial outlay on a sliding scale. This means that TFM will be able to recoup its over-investment within the first few years of production, and during this time, Gécamines and the government will get nothing.

Other Canadian companies have also benefited from this scenario. A contract signed in 2005 between Gécamines and Kinross-Forrest granted 75% of the shared value to the latter. According to the contract the capital outlay, including any interest accrued, can be recouped in less than five years after the start of effective production. Kinriss-Forrest is thus helping itself to the lion’s share of production at the expense of the Congolese state and its citizens. Another Canadian company Emmaxon has also delivered a masterstroke by obtaining exclusive rights to diamond mining.

Anvil Mining operates three sites in Katanga, but it is the Dikulushi one that caught the attention of the Commission. A clause in the 1998 contract granted Anvil and its sub-contractors an exemption from taxes and royalties for a period of 20 years. As for the Mutoshi site, the consequences are clear, with residents sacrificing their town and their homes to mine copper/cobalt. Ecological impact is certainly not a key concern for artisan and small-scale miners. For some mining companies, human rights are not a major concern. In 2005, Anvil Mining is said to have provided logistical support for the transportation of army troops during an operation in which civilian lives were lost. Among the dead were scores of women and children.

This year the town of Likasi witnessed violent confrontations between authorities and artisan and small-scale miners, resulting in one death and 32 injured. The cause of the clash was the expulsion of the miners from an old abandoned Gécamines mine in Kamatanda (about seven kilometres from Likasi) that had subsequently been transferred to a Canadian company.
The ecological impact of mining is becoming increasingly evident. A large quantity of chemical effluent from the mines is contaminating the water table. Streams and rivers are littered with chemical waste. A few days ago, the nationwide station Radio Okapi broadcast a worrying report by the Centre for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law condemning the pollution of drinking water in Lubumbashi, a city of four million and the capital of Katanga. The NGO points the finger at mining companies and highlights ‘the occurrence of congenital birth defects at various hospitals in the town. This could be a consequence of drinking polluted water.’

THE PARADOX

Approximately 60% of mining companies operating in Africa are Canadian-owned or funded with Canadian capital. Everywhere that mining takes place in Africa there are serious problems. These challenges are not only socio-economic. They are also ecological, and the impact on human rights. Obviously, Africa does not deserve that which is good for Canada, an attitude which seems to pervade the decisions and actions of companies operating in the continent.

The Peter Munk Cardiac Center and the Peter Munk International Center at the University of Toronto benefit from the generosity of the president of Barrick Gold. Teachers’ pensions, OMERS, Canada Pension Plan, and others all invest in Canadian companies mining in the DRC. Everybody is benefiting! Meanwhile the royalties that these companies pay to the DRC government amount to a mere 5%.

75% of the country’s 60 million inhabitants (around 45 million people) survive on less than a dollar a day. Production costs are very low, there is rampant unemployment, and efforts at organised labour are frequently scuppered. The Banro Corporation controls 13 mining permits in south Kivu, covering concessions that hold approximately 2178 million ounces of gold. Two years ago, Banro claimed to have contributed the welfare of the local population by donating a small kitchen to the local hospital.

CIDA and SNC-Lavalin spent about $2 million on a feasibility study for the construction of the Inga 3 hydroelectric dam. The dam would produce electricity for export, meaning the local residents would have to continue cutting down trees and burning charcoal for cooking, thus further destroying the environment. At the last project meeting held in London, civil society and DRC government representatives were not given a voice. According to Alain Denault, ‘it is worrying to see government agencies like CIDA giving development aid to certain African countries whose resources Canadian companies continue to pillage. CIDA markets Canada while masking the atrocities committed by Canadian companies.’

One wonders why the legal and moral obligations that apply to mining companies in Canada are not applicable in the tropics. It is obvious that the mining companies’ primary objective is profit. But this should not preclude the respect for the engagement conditions of host countries. These companies largely resort to means that would be scarcely acceptable in Canada: rapacious financial practices, human rights violations, violations of ecological standards, stockpiling of undervalued resources. All of these place the future of Africa at risk.

We can echo Alain Denault’s question: ‘What good is served through the shameless extraction of diamonds and gold in Africa, as in Canada, particularly since the profits only accrue to shady companies who continue to threaten the common good?’

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/
* Mikhael Missakabo is a science teacher at George Brown Community College in Toronto . He came to Canada from the Democratic Republic of Congo some 20 years ago, and follows developments there very closely.

Mining and colonial practices in Tanzania

The return of Victorian era exploitation?

Evans Rubara

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/52093

Multinational mining activities are introducing another era of colonialism in Tanzania as they hold major decisive positions on the use of prime land areas, and profit greatly from the mining of valuable mineral resources.

In the recent past, Tanzanians have raised concerns on how the multinational mining companies plunder the natural resources at the expense of the local people.

Because of the prevalent high rates of this pillaging of the national stock of natural resources, the citizenry have woken with an uproar to question the government’s stance on ensuring land security for its people, and benefits from their resources.

The presidential commission appointed by President Kikwete (2007) and chaired by Judge Mark Bomani (also known as the Bomani Commission), set up to probe the accusations of ‘theft’ of natural resources and gross human rights violations, found that Tanzania does not benefit sufficiently from the multitude of natural resources in the land.

The report states that, ‘Despite the presence of such a huge amount of mineral reserves, the contribution of this sector to the national economy and community development seems not to be meeting citizens’ expectations compared to other sectors of the economy.’

The Canadian company, Barrick, and the South African firm AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) are the main giants in the mining industry in Tanzania. Two Canadian companies, Barrick and Tanzania Royalty Exploration Corporation control over 50% of Tanzania’s gold projects. Barrick owns three of the seven major gold mining projects in Tanzania, while TRE controls over 60% of the mining rights in the mineral rich area of Lake Victoria.

COMPENSATION

‘The process currently used is for the mining companies to collaborate with district leadership without involving the local citizens who will be displaced. Consequently they do not know their rights and the amount of compensation they ought to eventually receive. The government evaluator is used in valuing the compensation amounts for each property without informing and involving the citizens and after the valuing exercise the people are paid through the office of the District Commissioner,’ reads part of the report.

The mining policy states that The Land Act (1999) and The Village Land Act (1999) are currently the two main acts responsible for land issues including compensation. These two laws provide a legal basis on ownership and compensation on land matters. However, there are other laws also with provisions on land acquisition for different uses including starting a mine.

In Tanzania these laws are not well applied. The multinational mining companies take advantage of the locals who are ‘not enlightened about the compensation process, their rights and the responsibility of the new land owner in compensating them’. Sometimes the companies use administrative and other corrupt measures to avoid making payments.

The Mining Act (1998), section 96 states that, ‘The license offered shall be utilized without causing any harm to the land owner or the rightful resident. Section 96(3) states that compensation for the resident should match the market value, rightful and sufficient. Under section 96(5), the Act states that in case of any dispute relating to the compensation paid under section 96(3), the complainant may submit the complaints to the Commissioner of Minerals who shall address them using his authority rendered to him under Part VIII of the Mining Act.’

Despite the compensation guidelines set out in the Land Act, 1999, it is apparent that some of the criteria are not applied during the preparation and the actual payment of compensation.

‘The citizens do not know the basic criteria for computing the compensation amounts. Basically, the real situation shows that the whole compensation process is not clear and not fair – hence, unsatisfactory. Valuing for compensation is usually done without heeding the key issues identified in the law (i.e. disturbance, transport and the value of the properties depending on where they are). Many people have been displaced without being paid the compensation or being allocated alternative places,’ states the Bomani Commission.

LOBBYING

In the Bomani report, it is also evident that the Tanzanian government has been ‘manipulated’ by the mining companies to leave her citizens in the merciless hands of the mining companies. As a result, the government is slated for making bargains with the mining companies without consulting the local communities.

In July 2008, THISDAY reported that the Canadian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Janet Siddall, and other officials from the embassy in Dar es Salaam were in Dodoma on an intense mission to lobby MPs about their positions on the Bomani committee report findings.

Parliamentary sources confirmed that the Canadian delegation had been in private talks with influential legislators from both the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and the Opposition.

’’They were keen to ensure that Parliament does not endorse the Bomani committee report for immediate implementation, because that would have quite negative consequences for that country’s business and investment interests in Tanzania,’’ one source told THISDAY.

The report is in line to be debated in the National Assembly during the ongoing budget session, and may involve amendments to the Mining Act which will tighten operating regulations and increase revenue to the government.


While the investors have been accused of ‘arm-twisting’ by the government for a deal that favours them, the government have also been blamed for giving ‘big portions of land to multinational mining companies without considering the real use of it by those who owned the place.’

All these revelations in the Bomani report reveal that the multinational companies like Barrick Gold Corporation have found weak points in the government’s policies and practice by which they plunder the country of her wealth that should be used to enrich the lives of her people.

In a recent meeting between a group of 29 journalists and Barrick Gold Corporation Bulyanhulu Mining site in Kakola village, Kahama district, the delegation was informed by the general manager, Greg Walker, that Barrick have requested the government to be lenient in enforcing some of the demands. ‘We have been in dialogue with the government on a number of the newly proposed policies on mining. There are those which are harsh to an operation like ours and we have asked them to review them if at all we are going to help Tanzania make economic advancement from mining activities,’ Walker said.

Besides this it was revealed that Barrick, as an investing company in Tanzania, owns land not being put to good use while the government is seeking appropriate land for her citizens. ‘We have been holding discussions with the government on whether the Kakola – Bulyanhulu residents should remain on the land where they are right now for a long time but until now we have not reached a consensus. Seeing what the people go through, we have decided to give them the land. Actually it is not yet theirs but we are finalising legal documents to finally hand over the land to Kakola people. This goes hand in hand with our allowing installation of electrical power lines to commence,’ said Barrick Gold Corporation’s general manager at Bulyanhulu Gold Mine site, Greg Walker.

TAXATION REVENUES

There are also the issues touching taxation in the mining sector in Tanzania. The government has been described as not benefiting enough from the multinational mining activities in the land. This is attributed to the low royalty rates and unpaid corporate taxes.

The report ‘A Golden Opportunity?’ released by the Christian Council of Tanzania (CCT), the National Muslim Council (BAKWATA) and the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) in collaboration with Christian Aid (UK) and Norwegian Church Aid shows that the government and its people do incur great losses of tax revenue in the extractive industry. ‘We calculate that Tanzania has lost at least $265.5m in recent years as a result of an excessively low royalty rate, government tax concessions that allow companies’ to avoid paying corporation tax and possibly even tax evasion by some companies if allegations are true. This is a very conservative estimate, in that it does not cover all the gold mining companies or all figures for recent years (which are not publicly available). Neither does it cover the financial costs of other tax incentives such as VAT exemption, which are extremely difficult to estimate. These extra revenues could of course provide a huge boost to tackling poverty in Tanzania,’ reads the executive summary of the second edition of the report.

Commissioned by the three main religious bodies in Tanzania and concerning a South African company, this report states that, ‘Company figures show that AngloGold Ashanti has paid taxes and royalties totalling US$144m in 2000–07 and over the same period has sold around $1.55bn worth of gold, meaning that it has paid the equivalent of around 9 per cent of its exports in remittances to the government. Barrick, meanwhile, does not state on its website how much in taxes and royalties it pays to the Tanzanian government – our calculations show that it is paying a figure equivalent to around 13 per cent of its export sales in remittances to the government.’

On their visit to the Bulyanhulu Gold Mine site owned by Barrick Gold Corporation, the general manager, Greg Walker, told the journalists that Barrick ‘[is] not paying corporation taxes, we will only start paying corporation taxes in 2014 when we will begin realising profits.’

This is confirmed further by the report ‘A Golden Opportunity?’ which states that, ‘Few mining companies have paid corporation tax (levied at 30 per cent of profits) because they have consistently declared losses. Our analysis, drawing on AGA and Barrick company reports, shows that both companies are making gross profits in Tanzania.’

The report also pinpoints the loopholes from the government of Tanzania’s tax regime which give the investors in the extractive industry opportunities for manipulation.

‘The country’s generous tax concessions mean that they and other companies are able to avoid declaring a taxable income. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) presented a report to parliament in February 2007 noting that mining companies declared losses of US$1.045bn between 1998 and 2005. It put the losses down to the capital expenditure allowance and weak documentation of records by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals,’ reads the report.

While the investors in the mining sector declare losses all the time, in the wake of the uproar from the citizens about the rampant looting of the natural resources, the government contracted for an independent audit which found that the mining companies were fabricating their losses.

‘An independent audit conducted by Alex Stewart Assayers (ASA) in 2003, and leaked to the media in 2006, alleged that four gold mining companies, including Barrick and AGA, overstated their losses by US$502m between 1999 and 2003, indicating that the government lost revenues of US$132.5m. The audit also noted that thousands of documents were missing that would have shown whether royalties valued at US$25m were, in fact, paid.’

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Furthermore, the mining companies have been accused by local communities of polluting the environment in the localities where they conduct operations, subsequently endangering the lives of local people.

In North Mara where Barrick has a mining site, the tailings dam is freely running into the pastures and fields, and the heavily contaminated waters from the processing plant adversely affect the local people by leaking into their water sources.

‘During a meeting with village leaders from 7 Wards surrounding North Mara mine, it was reported by members of the environment committees from the respective wards that their sources of water have been polluted by the waste water coming from the mining area which leaks from the pond in the mine. This has affected the health of the people around the mining area together with their livestock and crops. Complaints have been forwarded several times to leaders but the situation remains the same,’ reads ‘Mining for Life’ a report by the Religious Leaders in Tanzania on mining issues.

Apart from the environmental degradation, the ‘Mining for Life’ report says that, ‘The technology and equipment used by the mining companies break down the environment in the mining area. We witnessed little activity for environmental conservation compared to the level of destruction that is taking place in all mining areas. We saw a very good and strong example of such destruction when the team visited Buhemba Gold Mine which is now out of production. Some questions are still lingering: How did reclamation fund help in restoring the destruction. Was it given to the authorities? In addition to the situation, if funds were not provided and the company closed its business what would be the fate of the open pits left in the area?’

SMALL SCALE MINING

Small scale miners are another victimised group listed by the Bomani report, A Golden Opportunity?, and Mining for Life. In the reports, the government and the mining companies are accused of acting like ‘playboys’ who are often not serious on issues affecting the peoples’ livelihoods.

The Bomani report states that, ‘Collectively these groups of small scale mining investors were demoralized because of being left out in law and protocol enforcement in the mining industry.’ This group of people has always fought with the multinational mining companies and are an after-thought in the government’s mind when allocating land for mining activities.

The A Golden Opportunity? report states that large-scale mining operations have impoverished Tanzanians far more than those of artisan mining: ‘Studies by the UN’s trade body, UNCTAD [United Nations Conference on Trade and Development], show that the ‘employment effects [of large-scale mining] are negligible’ and that ‘large-scale mineral extraction generally offers limited employment opportunities, and hence has little impact on employment, at least at the macro level.’ Some estimates are that mining in Tanzania has created around 10,000 jobs in the past decade. The country’s six major gold mines employ a total of 7,135 people. However, large-scale mining has made many more unemployed. Before the arrival of multinational companies, small-scale artisan miners dominated gold mining; they used simple tools and techniques, providing small incomes for a large number of people who were generally uneducated and poor. One study estimated that by the late 1990s, the sector employed between 500,000 and 1.5m people. By 2006, a report commissioned by the World Bank estimated that there were around 170,000 small-scale miners in Tanzania. Comparing these figures, large-scale mining may have made around 400,000 people unemployed, part of the A Golden Opportunity? report claims.

There are also many complaints of actual killings of artisan miners and the removal of small scale miners from Bulyanhulu before Barrick Gold took over from Sutton Resources (another Canadian mining company). These families’ lives are currently full of hardship and uncertainty; their resettlement from Bulyanhulu left much to be desired.

‘My sons were buried alive in the mining shafts when they went back to continue with artisan mining activities by permission from the government. I know that Barrick will not let the truth be known but will continue to call us into meetings which have no other purpose than to silence us with empty promises,’ said Melania Baesi, an artisan miner and a mother whose two sons were allegedly buried alive in the takeover operation.

TREATMENT OF WORKERS

Among other complaints directed at it, Barrick Gold Corporation in Tanzania heads the list of shame for the way it treats its employees. In October 2007, it fired over 1,370 employees after the latter demanded their rights. The employees complained before the journalists who visited them at the end of November 2008 of how Barrick creates problems in order to get rid of the enlightened employees standing up for their rights.

‘We were asking the company to make clear issues relating to medical insurance as they always fired workers who were affected by the chemicals used in the operations. But there were also salary, capacity building and other benefits which other employees from other countries enjoy but not accorded to local manpower who do most of the most dangerous jobs in the dark tunnels,’ said Salum John, former employee of Barrick Gold Corporation’s mining site in Bulyanhulu.

The concluding comment of the Bomani Commission’s report says, ‘Most of the officers said the contribution of the mining industry in the mining zones was not satisfactory compared to the magnitude of the mining companies with the economic improvement in the foresaid zones. They said in most cases, aid is given out without considering the intended community…it is also in the mining zones where locals have remained poor instead of being economically stable after the coming of foreign large scale mining companies.’

* Evans Rubara is a theologian cum investigative journalist. He is the Programme Officer on Communications & Advocacy at the Norwegian Church Aid Tanzania. Evans is actively involved in the struggles common to all human rights activists in Tanzania. His work involves a journalistic approach to media advocacy training, awareness creation, sensitisation and social mobilisation for an equitable society.

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/

* Pdf version of the report A Golden Opportunity? How Tanzania is failing to benefit from Gold Mining. This is the second edition of this report. The first was launched on 4 March 2008 in Dar es Salaam. Since then there has been a lively debate on mining in Tanzania and the Botany commission entrusted by President Kikwete to consider mining issues has now issued its report. This second edition has been updated to reflect this debate and comments on some of the content in the Bomani commission report. The debate on how to review the mining legislation in Tanzania is likely to continue for a long time. We hope this report will continue to be useful for this debate.

Mandatory, not voluntary: Holding Canadian companies accountable

Ian Thomson

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/52094

A friend of mine from Toronto was travelling in Africa a couple of years ago, and when he presented his passport at the airport customs desk, he was asked, ‘So, are you a prospector?’ He smiled. There’s a good chance that a white, middle-aged Canadian guy arriving at an airport in sub-Saharan Africa is employed in the mining industry, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth in this case. As a matter of fact, he was working for my organisation, KAIROS, a Canadian inter-church agency, to develop solidarity partnerships with mining activists and communities affected by Canadian mining companies in Africa.

KAIROS is far from alone. Trade unions, faith-based groups, environmentalists, human rights groups and other civil society groups in Canada have been leading a focused campaign over the past several years to hold Canadian mining companies accountable for their human rights and environmental record internationally.

In response to public pressure and an alarming parliamentary committee report adopted in June 2005, the Canadian government hosted a series of national roundtables on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the Canadian extractive industry in developing countries. The year-long process brought together industry reps, human rights experts, academics, civil society organisations and responsible investors to discuss and debate how Canada could promote more responsible practices in the overseas operations of Canadian mining, oil and gas companies.

Civil society groups in Canada formed the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability (CNCA) to engage in the roundtable process. The CNCA brings together a diverse group of NGOs, churches and trade unions calling for more accountability mechanisms in Canada to regulate the overseas activities of Canadian companies. The rallying cry for the network has been: ‘Mandatory, not voluntary!’ Voluntary codes of conduct and self-regulation have been seen as a failure in the extractive sector. Hence the need for government action to ensure internationally recognised standards are being met by Canadian companies operating abroad. In March 2007 following the CSR roundtables, a groundbreaking consensus report with 27 policy recommendations was submitted to the Canadian government, which included a proposal for a new Canadian CSR Framework as its centrepiece. The framework consists of CSR standards for extractive companies overseas, public reporting requirements, and an extractives ombudsman to receive complaints from interested parties who want to report instances of non-compliance with the standards. If adopted, the CSR Framework will put Canada at the forefront of corporate responsibility in this sector. The framework would make government support to the mining sector conditional on compliance with the CSR standards. For example, Canadian embassies and high commissions abroad will often play a critical role in opening doors for mining companies. Under the new framework, embassies would be required to assess a company’s social and environmental performance against the CSR standards before offering anything more than the minimum consular services available to all Canadian citizens. Likewise, diplomatic support would not be extended to projects that are found to violate the standards.

The same would be true of financing through public agencies like Export Development Canada (EDC). A crown corporation wholly owned by the Government of Canada, EDC facilitated CAD$22 billion in mining, oil and gas business internationally through its financing and insurance activities in 2007. These business transactions would be subject to investigation by the proposed extractives ombudsman.

However, the Canadian government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has not yet adopted the roundtable recommendations or even issued a formal response to the roundtable process.

It hasn’t helped that the industry association for junior mining companies, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), participated in the roundtable process only to turn against it once it was concluded. No sooner had the ink dried on the roundtable recommendations did PDAC reverse its position and start lobbying against some of the key policy recommendations. Without the support of the junior mining companies, the government may have lost the political will to implement even the modest recommendation from the roundtables.

Why modest? Because the roundtable consensus represents only a first step towards greater accountability for Canadian mining companies operating internationally. Some crucial elements of a robust accountability framework, such as legal mechanisms to hold Canadian companies accountable for complicity in human rights violations internationally, were left out of the consensus recommendations. In addition, the need to obtain the free and informed consent of communities prior to developing mining projects is mentioned in the final report of the roundtables as a contentious issue that could not gain consensus from all stakeholders.

It’s instructive to look at these two contentious issues – legal accountability and community consent – within the broader context of Canadian foreign policy. The lack of legal accountability mechanisms in Canada for corporate activities abroad has left affected communities with few options to pursue justice and seek redress. As a result, more indirect routes are being tried. For instance, the Presbyterian Church in Sudan is currently pursuing Canadian-based Talisman Energy in US courts for its alleged complicity in human rights violations committed while operating in the oil fields of Sudan. Why in US courts? Because foreign nations can launch civil suits against companies registered in the US under an obscure piece of legislation called the Alien Tort Claims Act, or ATCA (Talisman also has operations in the US). The Government of Canada has done everything it can to side with Talisman and have the case dismissed. The Canadian embassy in Washington has even liaised with the US State Department, possibly in an effort to bring political pressure to bear on the case. However, the one thing Canada has not done is provide an avenue for the case to be heard in Canadian courts by enacting legislation similar to the ATCA. Earlier this year, a private member’s bill was introduced in the House of Commons to establish such an act, but the bill died on the order paper when an election was called in September 2008.

Recognition of communities’ rights to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is an equally if not greater challenge. While the term ‘policy vacuum’ might best describe the state of legal accountability in Canada, ‘outright hostility’ would better capture the current government’s position regarding the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights internationally. In 2007, when the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was being finalised, Canada led the charge to block its adoption. The Declaration was eventually adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2007, against the Canada’s wishes and those of a handful of other standout nations. Canada’s opposition to the Declaration is believed to be driven largely by concerns about natural resources, and who controls the rich mineral and petroleum reserves in the northern reaches of our country.

Clearly it will be challenging to persuade this government that it is on the wrong side of history on this particular issue, and that reconciliation with indigenous peoples in Canada will never occur while their rights are systematically denied. Fortunately the three major opposition parties in Canada’s parliament support the UN Declaration, and will continue to press the government to reverse its position. For the CNCA, the right of indigenous peoples, including the need to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of communities at the earliest stage of a project, must be included in any CSR standard that applies to the extractive industry if it is to be credible and effective.

Civil society groups have likewise kept up the pressure on the government to develop and implement corporate accountability measures for the extractive sector since the CSR roundtables concluded at the end of 2006. For instance, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper travelled to Tanzania in November 2007, the CNCA highlighted the fact that he put more emphasis on meeting with Barrick Gold, the Toronto-based gold mining giant, than with a Tanzanian civil society concerned about the impacts of foreign controlled mining operations in its country. Since Harper’s visit, Canadian civil society has continued to investigate how Canada’s high commission in Tanzania may be interfering with attempts to reform the country’s mining code. In July 2008, the Africa-Canada Forum (ACF), a Canadian NGO coalition whose work focuses on Africa, wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, demanding to know what the Canadian high commission was doing in the ongoing mining reform process in Tanzania. This fall ACF had follow-up meetings with officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs, calling for Canada not to meddle in decisions regarding the setting of royalties and revenue sharing schemes being considered by legislators in Tanzania. The CNCA has witnessed a pattern of Canadian embassy and high commission interventions when developing countries attempt to reform their mining codes to garner a larger slice of profits or to introduce stronger social and environmental regulations.

The one tangible policy change to come out of the 2006 roundtable process was Canada’s long-awaited endorsement of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI). This global initiative championed by the UK government encourages resource-rich countries in the global South and extractive sector companies to report publicly on royalties, taxes and other revenues. Revenue transparency in the extractive sector is largely an anti-corruption measure, but could potentially be harnessed by civil society groups in the South to hold their governments to account for how a country’s resource wealth is allocated. Canada was a late joiner, but finally did sign on to the EITI in 2007.

Revenue transparency is a goal that Canada can now support but when southern countries demand more of those revenues, it seems that our diplomats see it as their job to fight a rearguard action and ensure more of the wealth flows home to Canada. As we continue to see this pattern repeated, the lessons of the CSR roundtables do not seem to be sinking in within the Canadian foreign service.

The key to cracking the legislative impasse in Canada will no doubt be forging more North-South alliances for corporate accountability. Struggles in the South to win respect for indigenous rights, to keep natural resource wealth for the benefit of local populations, and to oppose environmentally destructive mining projects will continue to grow. Likewise, efforts by Canadians to win corporate accountability measures at home to control corporate activities overseas will rely on the strength and conviction of partners in the South who can communicate their demands and stories to the people of Canada and to our elected leaders.

As more and more Canadians hear about the impacts of Canadian-based companies in the developing world, they are calling for action to regulate these practices and end the associated human rights violations and ecological destruction. Who knows, one day Canadians might even be able to travel abroad again without being taken for prospectors and plunderers.

* Ian Thomson coordinates the Corporate Social Responsibility Program of KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, which unites 11 Canadian churches and church agencies working for justice and peace. Ian also acts as the chair of the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/

Pambazuka News 77: A study of the history of humanity

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/summaryfr/52082

Should the DRC “be done away with”? a study of the history of humanity.
Jacques Depelchin - 2008-11-14

Jacques Depelchin traces the roots of the DRC crisis to the pathological need to ‘be finished with’ that began a long time ago. At independence, it was seen as necessary to ‘be finished with’ Lumumba, and all that he represented in terms of hope and true independence for his country and his people – an idea that was too threatening for those who had, hoped to continue benefiting from the country’s riches. Depelchin calls for a return to humanity and its pure ideals, and a greater sense of agency for those who suffer the most form injustices.



The real enemies of African farmers
Moussa Touré - 2008-11-14

In a follow-up piece to the fifth International Conference of the Via Campesina movement held in Maputo, Mozambique in October 2008, Moussa Touré singles out the comments of Mamadou Sissoko, honorary president of the Réseau d'Organisations Paysannes et des Producteurs Agricoles de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (ROPPA), for special attention. In a break from the emphasis put on foreign multinationals, Sissoko was also keen to point the finger at the role of African leaders for the range of problems faced by farmers across the continent. Taking up Sissoko’s argument, Moussa Touré surveys the post-colonial experiences of farmers and the progressively greater dominance of a self-interested bourgeoisie within individual African countries, underlining the importance of the Via Campesina movement and other farmers’ interests groups in ensuring greater representation and power for local groups.

30 out 60 in!

Liberty

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/52088

In response to Rwanda vs. France: Who is trying whom?; One thing it seems you dont know about the Arusha Peace Agreement is that the French troops left Rwanda in August,then the RPF came into Kigali with 600 strong force to protect its own political officials.as former members of rpf say it wasn't only those 600. There was a plan to take power by force. They had to cook for themselves and fetch wood too. But when 30 men went out in a truck 60 were brought inside hidden. That's how at the end of march more than 3000 trooprs were in Kigali ready for the final assault. Only inhabitant of Kanombe know who shoot down the plane.

A case for lowering expectations

Japhet M. Zwana

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/52083

In reply to Obama and the continent of Africa: Barack Obama is the son of an african Kenyan. During his pursuit for the WH fleece, he made a great deal about his mother and grand mother who are White and very little about his father. What is it about Africa that he would be thankful for so as to go out on a limb to show special favor?

Methinks Obama will be limited by his scanty knowlegde about the continent and preoccupation with the erstwhile wars facing his administration. I doubt that he has made a call to any African leader nor has received any calls from any of them since his lightening victory. Achille is on point. We have to lower the decible on lofty expectations.

Bond is wrong about Obama

Millie Be

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/52087

I have a problem Bond's parochial article; it's resting on a shaky premise. Just because somebody told Obama that Volcker is a "legend" does not mean that Obama will let Volker totally spearhead the new administration's economic agenda. Additionally, Bond dredged up the only negative consequence of Volcker's tenure at the Fed and is using that as a premise for suggesting that the same measures will be relied on to tackle the current economic mess, much to the potential detriment of Africa. This doesn't make much sense. Obama has always maintained the importance of seeking varied expert opinions to guide his decisions. I believe that will be his approach to managing the economic crisis – and that approach puts paid to Bond's concerns about Volcker influencing Obama's entire economic approach.

I would have found more value in Bond's article if, in addition to pointing out the problems of the so-called "Volcker shock", Bond had also suggested how the Obama administration could turn the economy around without recourse to the so-called "Volcker Shock" of the seventies. But Bond made no useful suggestions so his article leaves me rather exasperated. The world has changed so it is very unlikely that the Volcker shock would be effected in the exact same manner, if at all. This is 2008, hardly similar to the seventies!

Having said that I am not at all concerned/surprised that Volcker is one of Obama's economic advisors. The most urgent issue on Obama's agenda right now is the economy. Volcker, from America's standpoint, had effectively addressed excess credit in the past. Volcker's statements on Paulson's handling of the crisis were on point from the very beginning. Volcker wants to curb consumer spending - and Lord knows it needs to be curbed! If I were Obama, I would be listening to him too.

At the risk of sounding too simplistic, the economy is in its current state, primarily because of gaps in oversight that led to excessive & risky borrowing by consumers (i.e. sub prime loans) and risky derivative gambles by banks, etc. That's just one aspect of this problem; there are also questions of enforcement, fraud prevention, etc. It's a multi-faceted problem requiring a litany of economic talents to address it. Volcker is just one of the people involved. There are others and Obama does not need Bond prodding him to consult widely, the man is already doing that.

Clearly Bond has paid little attention to what could actually drive Obama's economic agenda: progressive philosophy. Bond needs to read the issues articulated by the Center for American Progress whose CEO, John Podesta, is on Obama's transition team; that should allay Bond's fears.

The Swedes diviners!

Sam

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/52084

This posting, Barack Obama and the Swedish Way might be of interest to your readers:

In 1944 a Swedish economist by the name of Gunnar Myrdal published a seminal work on race relations in the US titled, An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. Over six decades later we have a black man of African descent running for the highest office of the most powerful nation on earth. Will the dilemma at long last find a historic resolution? Has Western democracy matured to a point of accommodating aspirations of black people?

The Swedes seem to have an answer to all that. They answered that by awarding the Nobel Prize to another economist by the name of Paul Krugman. Mr. Krugman, if you ever read the New York Times, is the guy who consistently tried to straighten president Bush on his 'misguided' economic and political doctrine. And Krugman supports Barack Obama. Go figure.

The award could not have come at a worse time for the Republican Party nominee John McCain. The economy is in shambles. As a top economist, Krugman has said, McCain is "more frightening now than he was a few weeks ago."

Well, the Swedes must have divined it. The award is typically shared by two or three researchers. Why couldn't the Nobel Committee wait a little longer until they found at least a second researcher to share with Mr. Krugman? We believe $1.4 million is more than enough for two in these financially trying times. By their timing the Swedes seem to have been in some existential hurry to realize the overdue quest of their countryman, of blacks, White America, and modern democracy itself. We wish them luck.

Blogging for community and conservation

Sokari Ekine

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/blog/52070

The number of wildlife conservationist blogs across the continent are steadily growing. Many of them are part of the Wildlife Direct project which was started 4 years ago to bring African conservationists and supporters together by providing a portal for publishing blogs. The site is also seen as a way for funders to keep in touch and follow the work of their supported projects and those that work in the field. Other conservationist blogs are based on a particular wildlife park such as Gorilla.cd the blog of the Virunga National Park in the Congo and Mara Triangle which covers the north-west area of the Massai Mara game reserve in Kenya.

Zebra in the Massai Mara - “He survived the crocs but was eaten by lions”

The blogs not only focus on work with wildlife but take a much more holistic ecological approach by including the reports on environmental issues, communities and in the case of the DRC how the conflict in Kivu provinces is impacting on local people lives.
Some like Mara Triangle also use Web 2.0 technologies such as You Tube and Twitter to supplement their blog posts. Recently Mara Triangle had an online fund raising campaign to raise $200 to provide sanitation for a whole village. The appeal was placed on their blog and then Twitter “live blogging” was used to update as donations came in. This was such a great idea to get people to donate as followers could see straight away what a difference their money was making.
“Just $200 needed to dig toilets and improve sanitation for a whole village.
There's been a recent update to the site - Kisaru Maasai Community Projects - it's a completely brilliant organisation founded by Ben Longisa and is from where we have seen projects grow like the bio-gas at Enkereri Village. Another one of Ben's projects is to improve sanitation levels by constructing long-drop toilets at each Maasai boma in the area (about 40 in total).

Gorilla.cd “Protecting the mountain gorillas of Virunga” covers the whole of the Virunga National Parkland in the DRC which falls with the Kivu region. Conservationists have been drawn into the conflict as local communities have been subjected to displacement and violence by rebel and Congolese forces. The post Ranger witnesses the murder of his father shows how park rangers are caught up in the violence.

“Benjamin Mujinya is a Ranger from the Kalengera Patrol Post, which is on the road between Rumangabo and Rutshuru. He arrived at the refugee camp in Goma this morning with a horrific story to tell.
Last Tuesday his village was taken over by rebels. He witnessed his father Etienne Mujinya being shot dead along with 20 other neighbours. Here is a video filmed at the camp this morning in which Benjamin tells Eddy his tragic story.

The tensions for land between wildlife and farm animals is highlighted in this story from Lions Guardians. The good thing in this story is that the guilty lions were collared so tracking them was easy.
“We showed the owner of the injured cow how we track collared lions, and with him we found out which lions were responsible. He was very interested, and said that he would not kill the lions if they came back, but would just chase them away. Here he is using the telemetry equipment to see which lion attacked his cow, and where they have gone now.”

For those interested in bugs in the wild Dudu Diaries is the place to meet scorpions, ants, moths, beetles and spiders to name a few. In this post we learn about Hawkmoths and moths tongues!
In response to the question about the moth’s tongues - they can be very long up to 12″ or even more! There are mainly two groups of hawkmoths - those with medium-length tongues and those with super-long tongues… Here you can see examples of both a short-tongued and long-tongued moth.

The Lamu Marine Conservation project based in Kenya, brings together a local community and protecting the local turtle and bee population. In their monthly newsletter, project coordinator, Atwaa Salim shows how the three come together. The turtles are monitored from hatching by tagging them. Elders from the community are involved with turtle conservation and run awareness raising in sustainability of their ecology system. Children are also involved through the mobile education programme with 4 schools in the area.

Next roundup – some community projects in Botswana, Kenya and Uganda.

* Sokari Ekine blogs at www.blacklooks.org/

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at www.pambazuka.org/

Africa and the world crisis

Stephen Marks

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/africa_china/52120

The impact of the world crisis will be felt for years to come, warned South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel as he reported back from the ‘G20’ meeting of heads of government and finance ministers in Washington. But "Our financial sector in South Africa is working much better than most," he claimed.

The reason? South Africa's financial sector has been largely cushioned from the banking crisis due to exchange controls that limited exposure abroad and because of relatively conservative lending practices. And the National Credit Act, introduced in 2007, guards against excessive lending.

On the eve of the Washington meeting, African leaders urged the G20 leaders to give more weight to Africa

At the meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao called for international efforts to help developing countries and the least developed countries cope with the global financial crisis.

Former World Bank Chairman James Wolfensohn stressed the importance of the fact that the‘old boys club’ of the G7 was giving way to the wider G20 grouping.

‘The G-7’s dominant role in international affairs over the past half-century was explained by its collective economic weight: Between 1965 and 2002, it accounted for a remarkably constant share of global output — about 65 per cent’ he pointed out.

‘In recent years, however, the G-7 began an evanescence. Its share of global output has fallen to 52 per cent. By 2030, it is likely to be down to 37 per cent; by 2050, to a mere 25 per cent....Against this backdrop, it is inconceivable that today’s global challenges could be addressed without the support of China, India, Brazil and other emerging powers. This is not simply a matter of fairness or generosity but one of efficacy and realism.

Thus the G-20 is the correct body to tackle a crisis of this magnitude. Its members account for 90 per cent of global output and two-thirds of the world’s population. It is diverse — with five countries from Asia, three from Latin America, two from the Middle East and one from Africa — and represents our rapidly globalising world.

‘Western leaders must be careful not to slip into old habits in dealing with their new partners. The tendency to summon others to meetings or to see dialogue as an opportunity to educate others as to their best interests is a vestige of a bygone era’. he stressed.

South Africa’s clothing industry is waiting to see if the quota on Chinese imports will be renewed for another year. But one clothing industry consultancy argues that ‘The China syndrome that has dominated the discourse of South Africa's apparel sector is no longer as relevant as it was in the past’. China’s own clothing industry is itself facing competition from lower-cost producers. The quotas themselves have been widely evaded by fraudulent relabelling of Chinese goods. But most important, in the consultant’s view, is the failure of South Africa’s government to come up with a long-promised strategy to re-equip and upgrade the country’s own clothing industry.

The former Portuguese outpost of Macao is playing a key intermediary role in trade links between China and the Portuguese-speaking world, including former Portuguese Africa, as was made clear by a recent trade forum.


Asia-Pacific forum

India and China's ability to resist the global economic slowdown will greatly influence whether the crisis drags the world into a depression, a top Pacific Rim trade community economist said on the eve of a summit of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.

When Hu Jintao, China's president, arrived in Lima for the meeting he was accompanied by twelve ministers and almost 600 business leaders and support staff. He signed a bilateral trade agreement that could see China overtake the US as Peru's main trading partner.

China is clearly developing its Latin American presence with a comprehensive strategic approach reminiscent of its African intervention.

China’s multibillion boost

Stephen Wong, writing in the Asian Times, was not convinced that China’s $586bn economic package would do more than repeat the traditional boost to state-driven infrastructure investment, while doing little to aid domestic consumption and the private sector; not to mention the likelihood that it would simply represent a

mega-buck banquet for corrupt officials.

But his pessimism was not shared by a leading China economist with the Royal Bank of Scotland in Hong Kong."I think in a decade, we'll be looking back at this moment and saying, 'This was it. This was when things really changed and China's economy transitioned from externally, export-oriented to an internal focus,'" Ben Simpfendorfer told Time magazine.

The World Bank also gave the package a favourable reception. So did the Bank’s President Robert Zoellick in his

report on the G20 meeting.

Despite factory closures in the south, and fears for the future, some Chinese economic indicators show a continuing vigour. In the first 10 months of 2008 foreign direct investment in China increased by 35% compared to the same period in the previous year. And China’s retail spending in October was up by 22% over October 2007.

But one writer warned that ’Attempting to reshape China into an American-style mass consumer economy… is a recipe for economic, environmental, and probably political, disaster’.

However there seemed little sign of such warnings being heeded by some local officials as it was reported that environmental restraints were being relaxed to boost the economy

At the same time there were reports from some provinces of minimum wages being fozen to help struggling firms and in two provinces firms were told to seek official approval before laying workers off

‘Mass incidents’

The ‘Chinabeat’ blog, has an interesting discussion of recent shifts in how the Chinese media reports ‘mass incidents’, as riots and protests are officially described. Some observers see a more sophisticated response by the authorities in response to the growth of the internet and a more assertive and informed public opinion.

This changing official response is variously seen either as a move to greater openness and accountability, or just greater sophistication in media manipulation. But there is also the interesting question, whether the increasing coverage of ‘mass incidents’ in the western press just reflects a greater interest in the topic, now that it can be related to the running story of the impact on China of the global recession.

Going shopping?

The crisis could provide an opportunity for cash-rich China to go on a spending spree for foreign assets. There have even been reports thatChinese automakers could buy GM and Chrysler.

But China’s own auto industry is pressing Beijing for a bailout

Pirates

China has not been immune from the actions of pirates off the Horn of Africa

India’s navy won battle honours by sinking a Somali pirate vessel.

‘The world should not be surprised if China builds an aircraft carrier; but Beijing would use such a vessel only for offshore defence, a senior official of the Chinese Ministry of National Defence told the Financial Times.

Admiral Timothy Keating, head of US Pacific Command, said in Beijing last year that Chinese development of a carrier should not be the cause of any unnecessary tension, and that the US would even be willing to lend a helping hand.

∗ Stephen Marks is a research associate with Fahamu’s China in Africa programme.

Angola: Infrastructure Report Q4 2008

2008-11-20

http://tinyurl.com/5vcg83

Angola is currently experiencing a post-war construction boom, funded largely by the proceeds of its oil exports. Most of the foreign investment is from firms in China, Portugal, Brazil, and South Africa; however, recently there has been something of a scramble as European countries look to capitalise on the perceived opportunities. There is huge demand for housing and transport infrastructure, as well as considerable potential for the development of a hydro-electricity industry.

China to give full play to China-Africa Cooperation Forum

2008-11-20

http://tinyurl.com/5nf8f9

China will work together with African countries to give full play to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), a senior official said before leaving for the 6th FOCAC senior official meetings in Egypt. “Promoting the China-Africa new type strategic partnership serves as the common aspiration of the two sides,” Xu Jinghu, director-general of the Department of African Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.

Chinese balm for South Africa's miners

2008-11-20

http://www.resourceinvestor.com/pebble.asp?relid=48028

China’s $586 billion package will be spent on affordable housing, rural infrastructure, railways, water provision, environmental protection and its power grid, things that will boost domestic consumption. To do this it will have to import resources found in Africa, which could be of some comfort to our ailing resources sector.

Chinese Fair set for Zimbabwe

2008-11-20

http://www1.sundaymail.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=728&cat=8

China's economy is huge and expanding rapidly. In the last 30 years the rate of Chinese economic growth has averaged 8 percent per annum. The economy has grown more than 10 times during that period, with Chinese GDP reaching US$3,42 trillion by end of last year.

Crisis could mean bargains for China

2008-11-20

http://tinyurl.com/5759c5

Chinese companies are shopping for companies in Europe and around the world, undeterred by the global financial crisis. In fact, they are hunting for bargains. Analysts and business leaders say the economic meltdown that has pummelled global stock markets may be bad news for the West, but it could be a boon to Chinese companies flush with cash and looking for places to put it — despite being burned on earlier investments.

Lusophone countries want greater economic and business communication with Beijing

2008-11-20

http://www.macauhub.com.mo/en/news.php?ID=6417

Portuguese-speaking countries are focussed on improving economic and business communication with Beijing, via the Forum Macau, which they see as strengthening relations between China and the Portuguese-speaking world. The overall positive balance and the promise of greater future efforts came from the Session on Mutual Investment between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, organized in September by the Forum Macau, which recently published the speeches made by the participants.

Nigeria: Chinese exporters "destroying textile industry"

2008-11-20

http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/21900/43/

Manufacturers' Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association (NTMA), has raised alarm over the systematic and deliberate destruction of the Nigerian textile industry and economy by unscrupulous Chinese textile exporters and called on the Federal government to engage the Chinese government over the matter.

South Africa: Food inflation link to Chinese food imports

2008-11-20

http://tinyurl.com/6x7qqa

In an era where global food prices have rapidly risen the objective of this report is to examine the link between food inflation in South Africa and agricultural food imports into China. Our hypothesis is that these burgeoning Chinese imports are at least one of the factors behind rising global food prices, and this is having a direct impact upon South African import prices and, consequently, domestic food prices.

South Africa: Review of quotas on Chinese clothing and textiles

2008-11-20

http://tinyurl.com/57f2rj

In late 2006 South Africa imposed quotas on the importation of selected clothing lines from China. In the past 18 months tralac has been monitoring on a periodic basis, the changes in the selected quota imports and making preliminary assessments as to whether they may be indicating that they are meeting their specific goal of slowing the trade flows of clothing imports from China.

South Africa: Round and round the needle we go

2008-11-20

http://tinyurl.com/5c6x7d

The current question on most peoples lips within South Africa's clothing industry is will the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) extend the quotas on Chinese apparel and textiles that are due to end this year? However, I feel extension or no extension will make very little difference to the economics of this industry sector. Admittedly, if the quotas do end we may see a sudden influx of imports from China as they offer price incentives to our clothing importers in order to recapture market share.

What do Chinese scholars know about Africa?

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/africa_china/52086

The Chinese Society of African Historical Studies in collaboration with Shanxi University’s School of History and Culture organised a symposium under the theme: Sino-African Relations and the Contemporary World, in Taiyuan on October 15-18, 2008. The Sino-African symposium was of particular importance because it broadened the scope of the society’s activities compared to similar events in the past. It brought together more than 120 participants, including Chinese academics and, for the first time, two African scholars and ten African students in China.
China-Africa relations: What do Chinese scholars know about Africa?

The Chinese Society of African Historical Studies in collaboration with Shanxi University’s School of History and Culture organised a symposium under the theme: Sino-African Relations and the Contemporary World, in Taiyuan on October 15-18, 2008.

The Sino-African symposium was of particular importance because it broadened the scope of the society’s activities compared to similar events in the past. It brought together more than 120 participants, including Chinese academics and, for the first time, two African scholars and ten African students in China.

Another first was the financial support the event received from the German Böll Foundation.

Apart from the Chinese and African academics, Chinese volunteers with experience working in Zimbabwe and a number of Chinese entrepreneurs with business interests in Africa took part in the forum and shared their first-hand knowledge of the African continent.

Various presentations from the Chinese participants showed their concern about the challenges China faces as a new actor in Africa, a continent traditionally regarded as a sphere of influence of Western powers. Some of the issues addressed were China-Africa cooperation and its implications for the West, competition between the West and China in Africa, Western Nations’ ODA and African democratization. The USA AFRICOM and implications for China’s strategy to Africa also formed part of the deliberations. Through these discussions, the Chinese scholars argued that China still had lot to do to secure stable, long-term relations with African nations.

The Darfur crisis was considered a critical issue in China-Africa relations and Chinese scholars offered presentations on the China-Sudan weapons trade and comparisons between the Chinese and US policies on Darfur. The researchers expressed their anxiety about the impact of the Darfur issue not only on China-Sudan relations but also on China-Africa relations in general. Professor Li Guangyi of Xiangtan University defended China’s weapons sales to Sudan, saying they complied with relevant international laws and that China was a non-partisan actor in the Darfur crisis. But, other Chinese participants, including Jiang Hengkun of Zhejiang Normal University said China needed to take more action to settle the crisis, given that China claims to be a responsible player in world affairs.

Other bilateral topics of particular interest amongst Chinese participants were China-South Africa educational exchanges and cooperation, and the development of science education in Nigeria.

But apart from Sino-African relations, it was rewarding to see Chinese research on specific national and societal phenomena in Africa, reflecting the deepening understanding of African civilisation. The topics debated ranged from the activities and impact of religious non-government organisations in Africa, African literature, population pressures in Tanzania and Cairo to South Africa’s domestic political environment and debates around President Mbeki’s resignation. Others presentation included assessments of South Africa’s world heritage protection and management and an analysis of contemporary Ethiopian civil society.

A number of younger Chinese scholars argued that there were not enough resources in China to study Africa and its people. Peking University student Yuan Ye criticised the lack of teaching of African languages in China, pointing out that fewer than four universities in the entire country provided courses in Swahili or Hausa languages and class sizes were very limited. Yuan said a better understanding of Africa rested on training more Chinese students in African dialects because official western languages in most African nations did not reveal the nature of African culture. He said learning African languages could help Chinese scholars gauge a better understanding of African culture and develop original empirical findings. Chinese anthropologist Ma Yankun agreed, saying that by developing such knowledge Chinese researchers had engage closely with African societies and communities. Only then could Chinese policy towards Africa be well developed.

African participants used their presentations to highlight the need for reciprocity in China-Africa relations. Speaking on China-Africa Relations in an Era of Globalisation: The Role of African Trading Communities in China, African scholar Adams Bodomo, from Hong Kong University concluded that African traders in Guangzhou, Guangdong province were important actors and played significant roles in the commercial and cultural relations between China and Africa. He suggested Chinese authorities examine these [African] traders’ contributions to the development of China-Africa relations and facilitate their settlement in China.

On the question of cultural cooperation, another African researcher argued that although China seemed to be engaging in wider cultural exchanges with African nations, there were just three Chinese cultural centres on the continent despite more than 50 years of relations with Africa. While Chinese Confucius Institutes have begun to emerge at various African universities, their numbers are still few compared to expectations. The African scholars concluded that although China still had work to do in introducing its culture to Africans, its investment in the field had already yielded much. As for the African nations, they still had to make much more effort to introduce their culture to Chinese people. After 50 years of cultural exchanges, there is no African cultural symbol in China. China and African nations should work together to also reach a win-win situation in the domain of cultural exchanges.


In conclusion, the symposium revealed an interest among Chinese scholars in current China-Africa ties as well as an eagerness to know more about the history and societal phenomena across Africa. It is no exaggeration to say that the Chinese scholars know Africans better than Africans know China and that there was a strong call for mutual development in this regard. In order to develop responsive policies towards China, African scholars, and not just African governments, need to be better informed about China and understand its core.

* Summary compiled by Maurice GOUNTIN PhD in China’s Contemporary Diplomacy based at Renmin University, China.

Elders to arrive despite efforts to blockade them

2008-11-21

http://zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=4978&cat=1

FormerUnited States President Jimmy Carter and former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan are arriving in Southern Africa on Friday to make a first hand assessment of the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe. They will be joined in this assessment by fellow Elder and international advocate for women's and children's rights, Mrs Graça Machel.

NCA activists still in custody, 7 days on without charge

2008-11-21

http://www.swradioafrica.com/News201108/NCA201108.htm

Eight activists from the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) who were arrested last Thursday, are still locked up in Mutare Remand Prison, even though they are yet to be formally charged. NCA spokesman Madock Chivasa told Newsreel police in Mutare picked up all the known activists from the group, without offering any explanation or justification for the arrests.

South Africa to withhold aid until impasse is resolved

2008-11-21

http://zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=4979&cat=1

SOUTH Africa's cabinet says it will withhold $28m of agricultural aid to neighbouring Zimbabwe until a representative government is in place. South Africa's cabinet said the impasse was creating a humanitarian crisis. The current outbreak of cholera was a clear indication that Zimbabweans were becoming "victims of their leaders' lack of political will", it said.

South Africa: Cabinet statement on Zimbabwe

2008-11-21

http://zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=4980&cat=3

"Cabinet is extremely concerned about the political impasse that is creating a humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. The reported outbreak of cholera in parts of that country is a clear indication that ordinary Zimbabweans are the true victims of their leaders' lack of political will and failure to demonstrate seriousness to resolve the political impasse.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights wins award

2008-11-21

http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/media/index.php?id=2332

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights is the winner of Rights & Democracy’s 2008 John Humphrey Freedom Award in recognition of its courageous pursuit of justice for victims of human rights abuses inside Zimbabwe. The organization has played a leading role in the promotion and protection of human rights across Zimbabwe since its founding in 1996.

Zimbabwe: Health system collapses, cholera crosses border to SA

2008-11-21

http://www.health-e.org.za/news/article.php?uid=20032130

Zimbabwe’s doctors have sketched a picture of a health system that has collapsed with hundreds of people dying from a cholera epidemic which has now crossed the border into South Africa. Limpopo Health Department spokesperson Phuti Seloba confirmed that 81 people were being treated at Mussina Hospital with three deaths recorded so far.

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Divas against Violence

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/zimbabwe/52125

From 25 Nov to 10 December Zimbabwe will once again join the rest of the world to focus on ‘16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN’ - a global campaign to “SAY NO!” to violence against women, which is now in its 18th year and sweeping the world.
16 DAYS’ CONCERT: HARARE DIVAS AGAINST VIOLENCE*

Saturday 29 November 2008, 2-7pm The Book Café, Harare

From 25 Nov to 10 December Zimbabwe will once again join the rest of the world to focus on ‘16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN’ - a global campaign to “SAY NO!” to violence against women, which is now in its 18th year and sweeping the world.
In a music-filled afternoon and evening on Saturday 29 November, Pamberi Trust’s gender programme FLAME and its participating artists join the world in standing up against violence at an exciting music concert at The Book Café on
Fife Ave from 2-7pm.

Featuring top women artists of Zimbabwe who are widely acclaimed household names, alongside up-and-coming young women who have emerged in the course of the year, the concert will relay a strong message against violence against women.

The 2008 campaign theme is “Human Rights for Women, Human Rights for
All”, and seeks to help dismantle obstacles and overcome challenges posed by social attitudes and policies that continue to condone and perpetuate gender based violence. It brings sharply into focus a call for all nations of the world to recognize and act upon all forms of violence against women as human rights abuses.

Artists confirmed to perform at The 16 Days Concert at The Book Café are Busi Ncube, Dudu Manhenga, Rute Mbangwa & Jazz Sensation, Edith Katiji, Vimbai Zimuto, Hope Masike & Kakuwe, Eyahra Mathazia & Kibo, Anjii Greenland, Carmen Hwariri and Louisa Mlambo with African Destiny, and dynamic young poets Batsirai Chigama, ERS Muchemwa, Black Heat, Xapa, and Kadeija.

This amazing line-up offers great entertainment across the genre board, from traditional mbira to jazz, rhythm & blues to afro pop and reggae, and a strong message through poetry - ‘the spoken word’.

Pamberi Trust’s gender project officer, Penny Yon said “As women artists, we have a special voice which is heard far and wide, and an important role to play in spreading this important message to all those who hear; the message is simply this No to Violence! Women are naturally builders and growers and we do not accept violence as any part of our many cultures. All artists performing in this concert have welcomed the opportunity to lend their wonderful voices to be heard in the land, and we’re excited to be joined by some of the top female artists of Zimbabwe, and others who are just emerging - putting the message out there with a great lineup of music and poetry.”


Significant dates of the 16 Days campaign are:
International Day Against Violence Against Women (November 25th),
International Women Human Rights Defenders Day (November 29th), World AIDS Day (December 1st), the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre (December 6th) and International Human Rights Day (December 10th).

F.L.A.M.E.
Pamberi Trust’s gender project ‘FLAME’ (Female Literary Arts & Music Enterprise) is supported by HIVOS and designed to help bring female performing artists into the mainstream of the arts. Since 2006 the project has been working with both established and emerging women artists to strengthen and equip them to be taken seriously as professionals in the mainstream of the arts industry in Zimbabwe. All artists performing at the 16 Days concert have participated in training workshops, promotions and events in the FLAME programme.


Along with live events to promote different artists, workshops have included “Divas Deliberate”, “Workshops for Women Artists by Women Artists”, “Scriptwriting”, “Songwriting”, “Mbira Renaissance”, “Bass Workshop”, “No Sex Combatants” and “Women in Performing Arts” which resulted in the establishment of a representative body for women in the performing arts, which is currently underway.

THE 16 DAYS CAMPAIGN
Since 1991, the 16 Days Campaign has helped to raise awareness about gender violence and has highlighted its effects on women globally. Each year, thousands of activists from all over the world utilize the campaign to furthertheir work to end violence against women. The campaign has celebrated victories gained by women’s rights movements, it has challenged policies and practices that allow women to be targeted for acts of violence, it has called for the protection of people who defend women’s human rights and it has demanded accountability from states.

INTERNET DISCUSSION
Join the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence email listserve discussion, which lets activists share work against violence, build partnerships with others worldwide, and develop strategies and themes for the annual 16 Days Campaign. To join the discussion, visit
https://email.rutgers.edu/mailman/listinfo/16days_discussion

Africa: Addressing formal and substantive citizenship

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/5sffok

This essay presents an overview of key issues in literature on gender justice, citizenship and entitlement in the sub-Saharan Africa region. The essay begins with definitions of the key terms, making a special effort to draw from literature generated within the region. The second section, constituting most of the essay, is a review of the key literature, arranged by problem areas on which the literature on gender justice has focused.

Africa: Cultural sensitivity critical to development

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/66c6nm

Development strategies that are sensitive to cultural values can reduce harmful practices against women and promote human rights, including gender equality and women's empowerment, affirms The State of World Population 2008 report from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

Africa: Gender equity 'vital for development'

2008-11-21

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29017

Without gender equality Africa will be unable to achieve lasting development as it confronts the recent food, financial and energy crises, according to speakers at United Nations-backed conference now underway in Addis Ababa.

Africa: Time for action on violence against women

2008-11-21

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=44806

Continued violence against women is one of the focuses of a continental meeting reviewing progress made towards achieving gender equality in Africa. Participants in the sixth African Development Forum (ADF VI) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital are putting their leaders to task over their failure to implement international declarations made to end violence against women.

Ethiopia: Saving lives with trained birth attendants

2008-11-21

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81264

Like many teenagers in rural Ethiopia, Shekuria Mume, 19, became pregnant, quit school and got married at 15. The birth of her first baby remains one of her most traumatic experiences, as an untrained traditional birth attendant (TBA) delivered her. "I had heard that some women die while giving birth so I was scared most of the time during my pregnancy; I didn't sleep much," Shekuria told IRIN.

Morocco: Increase in underage marriages worries women's groups

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/5rj4mu

Meriem and her friends, while washing their families' clothes in a stream near their rural homes, used to dream and giggle about having a romantic wedding someday. Her fairy tale would turn into a nightmare when she was 14 years old, however, when her father decided to give her away in marriage.

Somaliland: "One message" on FGM/C

2008-11-21

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81261

Hawa* is determined her young daughter will not undergo female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), which is widespread in Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland. An estimated 90 percent of girls still undergo the procedure.

Zimbabwe: Chief wants to ban women from politics

2008-11-21

http://www.swradioafrica.com/News201108/Chiefban201108.htm

A traditional chief in Manicaland with strong ZANU PF links, has instituted civil proceedings to ban women from holding political posts in his chiefdom. So incensed is Chief John Rukweza about the emergence of an influential female MDC councillor in his area that he wants to ban her and all other women from political activities.

Zimbabwe: Pregnant women in grave danger, say doctors

2008-11-21

http://zimbabwejournalists.com/story.php?art_id=4977&cat=2

The Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights ZADHR is deeply concerned that the lives of pregnant women have been placed in jeopardy by the closure of the only 2 government maternity hospitals in Harare. If these women develop complications and are unable to afford private hospital care, they will no longer have access to lifesaving surgical and other forms of emergency obstetric care.

Burundi: Alarm sounded over brutal murder of albino girl

2008-11-21

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28991

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working with authorities in Burundi to better protect the country’s albino children in the wake of a brutal crime in which a six-year-old girl was shot and dismembered, apparently in the mistaken belief of some locals that the body parts have magical qualities. Media reports say the girl was shot dead at the weekend in Burundi’s eastern province of Ruyigi, close to the border with Tanzania, and then her head and limbs were removed by her attackers.

Equatorial Guinea: Torture is rife in prisons - UN

2008-11-21

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28998

Detainees kept in police custody in Equatorial Guinea are victims of systematic torture, and prisoners suffer inhuman conditions, an independent United Nations human rights expert said in a press statement today, blaming a break down in the country’s judicial system.

Kenya: Police 'murder hundreds'

2008-11-21

http://www.bulamwa.co.ke//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=109&Itemid=39

A damning report containing evidence of a high-level policy to murder suspected criminals and troublemakers in Kenya threatens to undermine the reputation of the government of President Mwai Kibaki.

Nigeria: Closing arguments for Bowoto v Chevron planned for Nov. 25

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/67kjym

On Monday Chevron will present its final day of testimony and evidence. Closing arguments will be given on Tuesday, November 25 and jury deliberations will begin on Wednesday, November 26, the day before Thanksgiving. It’s unknown how long the jury will deliberate, but this landmark case could hear a verdict very soon.

Nigeria: Forced confessions condemn hundreds

2008-11-21

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44371

Amnesty International says that hundreds of those awaiting execution on Nigeria's death row did not have fair trials and may therefore be innocent. At an Oct. 21 press conference in Abuja, the capital, releasing its latest report on the death penalty in Nigeria, co-authored by the Nigerian rights organisation Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), Amnesty called for an immediate moratorium on executions in the country.

South Africa: Trafficking in persons - Not just a cross-border problem

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/59pu8u

IOM and USAID has released a new six-month study, entitled “No Experience Necessary: The Internal Trafficking of Persons in South Africa.” This qualitative study is the first survey research on the trafficking in children, women and men for labour and sexual exploitation within South Africa.

Sudn: New trials could condemn more to death

2008-11-21

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44518

The number of people sentenced to death for their alleged role in the rebel attacks on Khartoum last May could rise if the government carries through its plans to set up more special anti-terrorism courts, according to human rights lawyers. So far, 50 people have been condemned to death for laying siege to the nation’s capital on May 10. The attack was led by one of Darfur’s most prominent rebel groups, the Justice and Equity Movement (JEM).

DRC: Firewood distribution to reduce vulnerability

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/5l82kj

“Women and girls are in urgent need of protection as fighting continues in North Kivu,” Bob Kitchen, International Rescue Committee (IRC) country director in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has said. “Vulnerable to sexual violence and abuse in a highly unstable environment where armed groups roam with impunity, women and girls are particularly at risk of harm when they have to leave camps or population centres to collect firewood for cooking,” he added.

DRC: Rush to complete new camp

2008-11-21

http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/492595da2.html

The UN refugee agency and its partners have been taking advantage of relative calm in the eastern Congolese province of North Kivu this week to step up work on a new camp for up to 30,000 displaced people. UNHCR and the provincial authorities want to move almost half of the 67,000 internally displaced people (IDP) currently staying in two camps in Kibati to the new Mugunga III camps, located to the west of the provincial capital, Goma.

Sudan: IRC provides essential healthcare for refugees

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/6299b6

Since August 2008, International Rescue Committee teams have been providing vital medical care, including feeding programs for malnourished children and reproductive health services for women, to around 31,000 Darfuri refugees in Bredjing camp, near the town of Hadjer Hadid in remote eastern Chad. Around 250,000 refugees have fled Darfur (West Sudan) for camps in eastern Chad where they remain exposed to security threats such as banditry, rights abuses and the presence of both Chadian and Sudanese rebel groups.

Africa: Guinea is worst union oppressor

2008-11-21

http://www.afrol.com/articles/31756

Guinea is ranked second worst trade union oppressor in the world under leadership of President Lansana Conte, International Trade Union Confederation Annual Survey has revealed. President Conte's regime is directly linked to the killing of 30 unionists during brutal repression of union-organised public demonstrations against corruption and violations of fundamental rights.

South Africa: Letters from David to Goliath

2008-11-21

http://antieviction.org.za/

The battle continues. Gugulethu residents are continuing to oppose the R350-million Guguletu Square Mall. We are in solidarity with all other South African’s who are being sidelined to make way for elitist projects such as the proposed AmaZulu World in Durban.

Africa: Keen on democracy despite mixed results

2008-11-21

http://www.ipsterraviva.net/europe/article.aspx?id=6772

Over the last twenty years, the ballot box has replaced military coups as a means of political change across Africa, says Professor Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, a political scientist from the University of Ghana. However the results of democratic practices are a mixed bag of sand and sim-sim. "There has been a significant departure from the mode of politics of the past," he says.

Africa: Mauritius best African state for children

2008-11-21

http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/21751

Mauritius and Namibia are the most child-friendly governments in Africa, a report said while Eritrea and Guinea-Bissau ranked as the worst. Among the least child-friendly governments were Central African Republic, Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Liberia, Chad, Swaziland, Comoros and Guinea.

Guinea-Bissau: Security Council welcomes peaceful staging of legislative polls

2008-11-21

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29029

The Security Council has welcomed last weekend’s legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau and called on the political parties in the troubled West African country to respect the results. Last Sunday’s polls were held on schedule “in an orderly and peaceful manner,” and both the Government and the people deserve commendation for their efforts, the Council said in a press statement read out by Ambassador Jorge Urbina of Costa Rica, which holds the presidency of the 15-member panel this month.

Mozambique: High turnout for local elections

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/elections/52101

Long queues of people waiting to vote in most municipalities have been reported by our correspondents. In general polling stations opened on time and have been well organised, with only minor problems. In Beira, where independent candidate Daviz Simango had warned of possible police intimidation, our correspondent reports that police were “nearly invisible”. There are long queues and voting is going smoothly.
Long queues of people waiting to vote in most municipalities have been reported by our correspondents. In general polling stations opened on time and have been well organised, with only minor problems.

In Beira, where independent candidate Daviz Simango had warned of possible police intimidation, our correspondent reports that police were “nearly invisible”. There are long queues and voting is going smoothly.

But there were complaints of police too close to polling stations in several places, including Lichinga and Xai Xai.

There are a few reports of polling stations opening up to 30 minutes late. This is not normally serious, but rain and enthusiasm caused problems in Sofala. At Agostinho Neto primary school in Beira, when the 4 polling stations had not opened by 7.20, voters invaded the school classrooms, causing two minor injuries. In Dondo at Eduardo Mondlane primary school, voters anxious to get out of the rain pushed into the classroom before the polling station opened.

In three municipalities in Gaza there were complaints of campaigning in queues and of election materials in polling stations.

Mozambique: Massive turnout overwhelms Renamo & voting system

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/elections/52114

People were still voting at midnight November 19, as the massive turnout totally overwhelmed the polling stations, forcing many to remain open well after the official 6 pm (1800) closing.
People were still voting at midnight last night, as the massive turnout totally overwhelmed the polling stations, forcing many to remain open well after the official 6 pm (1800) closing.

Renamo is also heading for a major defeat. Of the five cities where it had the mayor, it has already lost Marromeu and Angoche. It has also lost Ihla de Moçambique but there are indications of fraud there.

In Beira, Manuel Pereira, the Renamo candidate imposed the party president Afonso Dhlakama is doing very badly, while Daviz Simango, the previous Renamo mayor, standing as an independent, seems to be heading for a clear victory. In Beira, Frelimo is currently ahead for municipal assembly and is claiming victory.

In Nacala partial results are too close to call.

Frelimo is winning in all other municipalities. So far, only in Gurue was the result close – the Frelimo candidate for mayor gained 50.3% of the vote and avoided a second round only by 129 votes.

Nigeria: Top army officer, 6 others jailed

2008-11-21

http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/21709

A top army major and five other ranks have been sentenced to life imprisonment for stealing and selling arms to The Emancipation of Niger-Delta Militant Group (MEND). A military tribunal in Nigeria heard that their operation took place between the periods of January 1st 2000 to December 2006.

Uganda: Police and Judiciary most corrupt institutions

2008-11-21

http://www.afrol.com/articles/31757

Ugandan Inspectorate of Government (IGG) said police and judicial are most corrupt government institutions according to public perceptions. Newly released 2008 Inspectorate of Government National Integrity Survey report which investigated prevalence and incidences of corruption and administrative injustice in public service and the reasons for it, suggest that corruption has been glorified.

East Africa: EAC demands development funding for EPAs

2008-11-21

http://www.tralac.org/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?cmd=cause_dir_news_item&news_id=56413

The East African Community (EAC) has effectively linked future EU trade negotiations with greater funding for development projects. The Trade Ministry PS has signaled his intent to put pressure on the EU to pursue a stronger development agenda than is currently funded through the European Development Fund.

Global: Seized: The 2008 land grab for food and financial security

2008-11-21

http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=212

Today's food and financial crises have, in tandem, triggered a new global land grab. "Food insecure" governments that rely on imports to feed their people are snapping up farms all over the world to outsource their own food production and escape high market prices. Private investors, hungry for profits in the midst of the deepening financial crisis, are eyeing overseas farms as an important new source of revenue.

South Africa: Lessons from a Green Revolution

2008-11-21

http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=568

The latest rescue plan for Africa is another Green Revolution. GRAIN, alongside a host of others, has written and commented extensively on the Alliance for a Green Revolution for Africa (AGRA) and the impacts it will have on the continent. In the meantime, this model of a Green Revolution has already been implemented for the past five years in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It provides us with a case study and an indication of the likely outcome of such an approach in other parts of Africa.

Southern Africa: Information, regional integration and policy making in SADC

2008-11-21

http://africanki.blogspot.com/

Regional integration issues featured strongly in a recent call by Professor Peter Katjavivi, Director General of the Namibian National Planning Commission, for improved dialogue between researchers and SADC governments: the call was made at a gathering of SADC universities hosted by the University of Namibia.

Africa: Bed net usage increases, but 90m children still exposed to malaria

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/hivaids/52103

The use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) to protect children from malaria has risen six-fold in the past seven years, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust. Despite this success, however, 90 million children still do not have access to this simple protective tool, and remain at risk from the life-threatening disease.
Media release from the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust (UK) and Oxford University

Bed net usage increases, but 90 million African children still exposed to malaria

The use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) to protect children from malaria has risen six-fold in the past seven years, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust. Despite this success, however, 90 million children still do not have access to this simple protective tool, and remain at risk from the life-threatening disease.

Malaria kills nearly a million people in Africa every year. For over 15 years it has been known that sleeping under a net treated with an insecticide can substantially reduce the chances of a young African child dying. When African heads of state met in 2000, the Abuja Declaration stated that they would work towards protecting 60% of their vulnerable populations with insecticide treated nets. Now, a study published in the Lancet today highlights what has been achieved since this historic declaration.

Kenyan and British scientists have published data from 40 African countries which shows that at the time of the Abuja meeting in 2000 just over 3% of Africa’s young children were protected by a treated mosquito net. Seven years later this increased to only 18.5%. In 2007 90 million children have not yet received this simple protective tool, and remain at risk from life-threatening malaria. Most of these children live in only seven African countries; one country in particular stands out – a quarter of all African children living without nets are Nigerian.

The authors report that bed net use increases faster in countries that distribute them free of charge compared to countries that make people to pay for them. Usage rises to an average of 25% when they are given free, but is much lower at 4% when people have to pay for them.

The research was conducted by Dr Abdisalan Noor, from the Kenyan Medical Research Institute in Nairobi, who says. “Our analysis clearly shows that countries that provide insecticide treated mosquito nets free to their rural populations have achieved the highest levels of coverage in Africa in 2007. Making poor people pay the full costs of life-saving interventions like treated nets doesn’t increase coverage.”

The success of ITN coverage in a few countries, including Kenya, shows what can be achieved in a few short years, with adequate funding, political will, and a good distribution network. The researchers believe this success can be replicated in other places, and the research shows that attention increasingly needs to turn to areas where progress has been minimal.

Professor Bob Snow from the University of Oxford, who heads the group in Kenya , is working with colleagues to develop the Malaria Atlas Project (MAP), which aims to identify areas where malaria risk is greatest.

“Maps of where people live in relation to risk and current coverage of interventions are powerful tools to guide future public health investment”. What is clear says Snow is “despite 20 years of scientific evidence the challenge for donors and governments to protect children with a bed net is a battle only just beginning. New donor money must be targeted to areas where needs are greatest.”

One of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals aims to ensure that at least 80% of vulnerable children sleep under ITN within 6 years. Recently, however, even more ambitious malaria targets were announced. Last month the UN agencies pledged to renew commitments to malaria eradication worldwide. Given that our progress on extending net coverage so far has been modest, this target appears unimaginable for much of Africa.

However, Dr Melanie Renshaw of UNICEF’s health section in New York, says: “We now have a stronger commitment backed by more funding to universally protect Africa’s children with treated nets and hopefully the map of net coverage in Africa will look very different by 2015.”

Press Office Contacts
Juliette Mutheu
Public Relations Officer
Malaria Atlas Project
KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Programme
Nairobi

T: +254 (0)20 2720163; 2715160
Mob: +254 (0)722 290087 or 721490166 or 733 636049
E: jmutheu@nairobi.kemri-wellcome.org

Craig Brierley
Media Officer
The Wellcome Trust
T: +44 (0)20 7611 7329
E: c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk

Jonathan Wood or Ruth Collier
Press Officer
Medical Sciences
University of Oxford
T: +44 (0)1865 280530
E: jonathan.wood@admin.ox.ac.uk

E: Ruth.Collier@admin.ox.ac.uk



Authors and possible commentary contacts
Dr Abdisalan Noor: anoor@nairobi.kemri-wellcome.org (Tel: +254 20 2715160 or 2720163)
Professor Bob Snow: rsnow@nairobi.kemri-wellcome.org (Tel: +254 20 2715160 or 2720163)


Possible commentary contacts
UNICEF New York - Dr Melanie Renshaw: mrenshaw@unicef.org (Tel: +1 212 303 7966)
Global Health Institute - Sir Richard Feachem: FeachemR@globalhealth.ucsf.edu (Tel: +1 415 5979276 or 415 5974660)
Against Malaria Foundation - Mr Rob Mather: rmather@againstmalaria.com (Tel: +44 (0)20 7371 8735 and +44 (0)7711 263 725)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Dr Laurence Slutsker: lms5@cdc.gov (Tel: +1 800 232 4636)

Images available for reproduction from Dr A Noor: anoor@nairobi.kemri-wellcome.org or visit http://www.map.ox.ac.uk
Notes for editors

1. Noor AM, Mutheu JJ, Tatem AJ, Hay SI, Snow RW. (2008). Insecticide treated net coverage in Africa: mapping progress in 2000-2007. Lancet, 372: xx-xx
2. The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk
3. The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is a Kenya government parastatal with the responsibility for health research to improve the health of Kenyans. It is one of the most well developed national research institutes in Africa with a network of centres across Kenya.
4. Oxford University's Medical Sciences Division is one of the largest biomedical research centres in Europe. It represents almost one-third of Oxford University's income and expenditure, and two-thirds of its external research income. Oxford's world-renowned global health programme is a leader in the fight against infectious diseases (such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and avian flu). Key to its success is a long-standing network of dedicated Wellcome Trust-funded research units Kenya, The Gambia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Long-term studies of patients around the world are supported by basic science at Oxford and have led to many exciting developments, including potential vaccines for TB, malaria and HIV, which are in clinical trials. http://www.ox.ac.uk
5. The Malaria Atlas Project (MAP) is funded by The Wellcome Trust (UK) to assemble medical intelligence and survey data to provide informed statistical maps on the distribution of malaria risk, human population, disease burdens, mosquito vectors, financing and control worldwide. Evidence-based malaria risk maps generated by MAP are the first of their kind since 1968 and the results of a collaboration between malaria scientists in Kenya, UK, Vietnam, Indonesia and Ecuador. For further information visit http://www.map.ox.ac.uk

Botswana: Excellent outcomes after five years of ARV use

2008-11-21

http://www.aidsmap.com/en/news/09EF7EDA-7DA5-471C-8A22-C1B62FC1FA4C.asp

The first five years of a large-scale antiretroviral programme have resulted in excellent, sustained rates of virologic suppression, CD4 cell count increases, and improved clinical outcomes among adults in Botswana, according to a study reported in AIDS. The Botswana Antiretroviral Treatment Program (commonly known as MASA, from the Setswana word for "new dawn") began providing free access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in January 2002 through Princess Marina Hospital in the capital city of Gaborone.

Burkina Faso: Finding new ways to feed HIV-positive people

2008-11-21

http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=81559

High food prices and cuts in food aid to HIV-positive people are forcing relief organisations in Burkina Faso to take another look at local foods to keep people healthy. "We are all working with sustainability in mind, and we cannot always continue to rely on external support," said Dr Joseph Aimé Bidiga, who runs the health division at the national AIDS control council, CNLS.

Global: Bamako 'Call to Action' unites 69 countries on health research

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/58wnnx

Ministers from across the developing world say they want to take control of their own health research agendas as part of a wish list presented at the Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health yesterday (19 November). Launching the much-awaited 'Call to Action' at the closing event of the Forum they said they want to prioritise policies dealing with research for health and improve coordination between ministries so that their respective countries can have more ownership of research.

Kenya: MSM hit hard by HIV

2008-11-21

http://www.awcfs.org/content/view/530/1/

In major nightclubs in Nairobi, a new phenomenon is taking shape: the number of male sex workers is on the rise as more men turn to the act as away of eking a living. While many people have associated Mombasa with men who sell anal sex, it is emerging that Nairobi is now a hot-spot for this business. Men who engage in this act for commercial reasons are easy to come by than was the case in the past, says Dr Joshua Kimani, whose research work has enabled him to come into contact with some of them.

Kenya: Renewed interest in prostitutes with unique immunity

2008-11-21

http://www.awcfs.org/content/view/529/1/

Puzzled by a section of prostitutes in Majengo slums who had managed to resist HIV infection even after being exposed to it, a group of scientists decided in 1987 to understand why this was the case. This amazing finding made them follow these women keenly for over five years to find out what made them tick.

Lesotho: Safeguard rights in HIV testing

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/5s29r4

Lesotho's drive to test all of its citizens age 12 or older for the virus that causes AIDS fell short of its goals, both in carrying out the program and in safeguarding the rights of those tested, said Human Rights Watch and the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa in a new report.

South Africa: Early treatment of infants saves lives

2008-11-21

http://www.health-e.org.za/news/article.php?uid=20032132

Testing infants at risk of HIV as soon as possible, and treating those infected with the virus immediately, dramatically enhances their chances of survival and reduces the likelihood of devastating disease progression in their early life.

Zimbabwe: Education system endangers students

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/5kxqvp

Zimbabwe’s educational system is now in the morgue. The state of our education system is clear testimony to how self-destructive Zimbabwe has become. In a word, Zimbabwe is structurally deficient and in a desperate need for repair and construction.

Global: ILGA promises improved relations with its regions

2008-11-21

http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=AfricaAbroad&id=2000

The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) hosted its 24th world conference in Vienna, Austria on 3 to 6 November 2008. This assembly, which was attended by more than 80 member countries of the world aimed to, among other objectives, create and strengthen networks between activists campaigning in all regions of the world.

Nigeria: Government aims promoting homophobia

2008-11-21

http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=nigeria&id=2003

With the media perplexing lives of gay people in Nigeria, the government there plans to clamp down on them. This comes after Nigeria’s State and Federal governments announced to arrest all homosexuals and to ‘bring to book’ Rev Jide Macaulay of House of Rainbow Metropolitan Community. Macaulay’s church was closed two months ago after the media in that country claimed it was an exclusively homosexuals church.

South Africa: Solidarity during 16 days, regardless of sexual orientation

2008-11-21

http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=southafrica&id=2002

“The 16 days of activism campaign responds to issues troubling all South African women regardless of their sexual orientation.” So said Zanele Muholi, a lesbian women’s rights activist who believes that the 16 days should be a period of solidarity among women to uphold the rights of all citizens and restore the dignity of the most vulnerable members of society.

South Africa: Teen gets 169 years for racist murder spree

2008-11-21

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4AK0KK.html

A white South African teenager who killed four blacks, including a three-month-old baby, in a racially-motivated shooting spree was sentenced on Friday to 169 years in prison, the SABC reported. A court in North West province imposed the sentence on Johan Nell, 19, after he pled guilty to murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition in connection with the January 14 shootings in a shantytown near Swartruggens, the broadcaster said.

Africa: Addressing the climate vulnerabilities of urban Africa

Call for proposals

2008-11-21

http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-131052-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

To better prepare Africa’s urban settlements for climate variability and change, the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) program invites combined research and capacity building proposals that address the vulnerabilities of Africa’s urban centres to climate change, and will help urban stakeholders work together in developing adaptation options.

Madagascar: Daewoo to cultivate land for free

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/69brk2

Daewoo Logistics of South Korea said it expected to pay nothing to farm maize and palm oil in an area of Madagascar half the size of Belgium, increasing concerns about the largest farmland investment of this kind. The Indian Ocean island will simply gain employment opportunities from Daewoo’s 99-year lease of 1.3m hectares, officials at the company said. They emphasised that the aim of the investment was to boost Seoul’s food security.

Uganda: No land for women

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/5rdxwu

Ms Lucia Namuganga lost her husband to HIV/Aids a couple of years ago. Before a month elapsed, in-laws chased her away from their land, accusing her of infecting their son with the virus. Confused and frustrated, she went back to her parents’ home with five children thinking that she would be able to till part of their land and fend for herself and the five orphans.

Malawi: Case against journalist dismissed by court

2008-11-21

http://www.misa.org/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?category=2&id=1227186325

The Magistrate's Court in Lilongwe acquitted Nation Publications journalist Maxwell Ng'ambi of the charge of providing false information to a public officer. Ng'ambi was arrested on 17 May, 2008 at Maula Prison where he was suspected of planning to interview a former speaker and minister of education, Sam Mpasu, who is serving a jail term.

Morocco: Journalists find little to celebrate on National Press Day

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/5fpq8s

National Press Day in Morocco, observed on Saturday (November 15th), launched a fresh campaign by journalists discontented with what they see as an environment hostile to the conduct of free press. Among the various targets of their scrutiny was the March 2008 ruling against independent newspaper Al Massae, which was ordered to pay 6m dirhams for libel against four deputy royal prosecutors who the court said the newspaper accused of homosexuality.

Sudan: Statement on the erosion of the right of freedom of expression

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/52090

Over the last year repression of freedom of expression and of the media has intensified in Sudan. Daily newspapers have been suspended, printed newspaper editions and equipment confiscated, in addition to increased harassment, arrest, detention and interrogation of journalists and preferring of criminal and civil charges.
Statement on the Erosion of the Right of Freedom of Expression in Sudan

Submitted to the 44th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights
Abuja, Nigeria
14 November 2008

Over the last year repression of freedom of expression and of the media has intensified in Sudan. Daily newspapers have been suspended, printed newspaper editions and equipment confiscated, in addition to increased harassment, arrest, detention and interrogation of journalists and preferring of criminal and civil charges.

In particular, the government authorities have begun to once more employ an old tool to undermine independent media, a procedure which had not been used since before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). This pre-censorship process involves the appointment of a security officer attached to each newspaper who every evening reviews the text of the edition and decides which articles are to be cut or re-written, columns excised or whole pages and sections removed. On some occasions the entire edition has been pulled. Where last minute censorship is imposed on a newspaper there is, of course, little which can be done in terms of re-framing, and significant financial and reputation loss can result if the newspaper cannot issue – or indeed more if the entire print run is confiscated. This impact of this practice has been exacerbated by the fact that the censorship criteria are not fixed and it is very difficult to predict and prevent being censored.

The current escalation in repressive measures against the independent media began in February 2008, immediately after the attempted coup in Chad in which the government of Chad alleged the government of Sudan was complicit. The authorities called a meeting with editors, warning of the need to be very sensitive about writing about the events in Chad – this of course sent a clear message that the matter should not be reported. Media which ignored this warning suffered censorship and harassment and some newspapers were temporarily closed.

The 10 May attack on Khartoum by the opposition Justice and Equality Movement only exacerbated the situation. Newspapers were prevented from reporting on both the nature of the attack itself and the response by the government of Sudan, including extrajudicial killings and the subsequent widespread arrests of civilians, mostly of Darfurian origin, followed by incommunicado detentions and unfair trails. Even reporting on humanitarian efforts was subject to control. The work (activities/press conferences) of the National Committee for the Defence and Protection of the Affected Persons of the 10 May events – the civil society initiative which attempted to bring together all parts of Sudanese civil society in solidarity to respond to the targeting of Darfurians—was reported internationally but not in Sudan due to censorship.

The request of the Prosecution of the International Criminal Court for an arrest warrant for the President of Sudan, Omar El Bashir, in July 2008 started a third, more severe and all-encompassing wave of censorship. In fact the censorship targets are no longer specific events but seem to encompass any opinion or fact reporting which tends to criticize or reflect negatively on the National Congress Party, the senior government partner. This has impacted everything from analysis of the actions of government officials, criticism of the People of Sudan Initiative on Darfur, to discussion of the fight against corruption and writing about higher education policy. An absolute line has been drawn with respect to any discussion of issues such as justice—even objective legal analysis—security measures, criticism of the president, and also of the large scale development induced displacement ongoing in the North of the country.

In November 2008 independent journalists and civil society, led by the newspaper Ajrass Alhurria, began to organise in resistance to these security measures against the independent media through demonstrations, a publishing strike of five leading independent newspapers for three days (Ray Alshaab, Almidan, the Citizen Khartoum Monitor and Ajrass Alhurria) and a 24 hour hunger strike. In response, the authorities cordoned off the office of Algrass Alhuriya during its press conference on these actions, preventing the access of international media and photographers and journalists.

Cases are pending before the Sudanese Constitutional Court to confirm that current statute law and practice on freedom of expression and media regulation is in conflict with the CPA and Interim Constitution and law reform of the publication and press act, the national security and the penal code has been planned. These measures are unquestionably unconstitutional and contrary to Sudan’s international law obligations, including those under the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

The attempt to further curb freedom of expression in Sudan is dangerously undermining the independence and professionalism of journalists and the media, at such a critical political moment for the future of Sudan. These security measures have serious direct implications for the protection of human rights, democratic transition and international cooperation more broadly, affecting inter alia reporting on the Darfur and other related conflicts, monitoring of the implementation of the CPA and prospects for the free and fair conduct of the upcoming elections in 2009.

Further, at a time when the government of Sudan is eager to demonstrate to the international community that it is serious about finding a solution to the conflict and human rights catastrophe in Darfur, protection of the right of freedom of expression is a critical indicator of a credible intention.


Submitted by the Rencontre Africain pour la Defense des Droits de l’Homme on behalf of Sudan Centre for Justice and Peace, Khartoum Centre for Human Rights and Environmental Development, The Darfur Consortium, The Darfur Bar Association, and Strategic Initiative on Women in the Horn of Africa

Swaziland: Attorney-General threatens journalists

2008-11-21

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29343

Reporters Without Borders condemns the attorney general’s threatening remarks to journalists on 17 November. He said journalists who criticise the government could be arrested under a new anti-terrorism law that has just been used to crack down on opposition groups.

US: System owes Troy Davis another day in court

2008-11-21

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2008/11/18/sessionsed_1118.html

It is wrong to execute an innocent man. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit will now consider whether it is constitutional. Troy Anthony Davis, convicted of murder, is asking the courts to hear evidence that key government witnesses have repudiated their testimony against him. But so far the courts have decided that, while he may be innocent, procedural rules prevent them from taking a second look.

Africa: German president wants more help for the Congo

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/52106

With violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo continuing unabated, German President Horst Köhler says it is time for Western countries to help the UN bring the conflict to an end. France, too, would like to see a robust UN mandate for more peacekeepers.

DRC: 'Elite troops' needed

2008-11-21

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7741258.stm

The 3,000 extra UN troops being sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo need to be elite soldiers from Europe, the UN's ex-peacekeeping chief says. Jean-Marie Guehenno told the BBC there was an urgent need for an effective international force in the east.

DRC: What else must happen in before the EU really helps?

2008-11-21

http://euobserver.com/9/27135?print=1

Fighting in eastern Congo continues to put the lives of thousands at risk. The need for an urgent response only grows. But Europe shamefully continues to fail to take the kind of action that is most needed - sending in a rapid-response military mission.

Ethiopia: Flash floods: UN prepares to respond

2008-11-21

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29014

United Nations humanitarian agencies are preparing to send emergency supplies to southern and eastern Ethiopia, where flash floods following heavy rains have displaced locals and damaged about 2,000 hectares of cropland. Food, water, health care and other non-food items are needed to help the inhabitants of the Somali and Oromiya administrative regions of Ethiopia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. The Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR) is also affected.

Somalia: Fierce gun battle rocks Mogadishu

2008-11-21

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7741212.stm

At least 15 people have been killed after insurgents attacked the Somali capital, Mogadishu, witnesses say. Heavily armed men were repulsed after they attacked the house of district commissioner Ahmed Da'i just after dawn prayers, resident Ahmed Mumin said.

Sudan: First warrants requested for peacekeeper attacks

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/5vgo3s

The request on November 20 by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for arrest warrants for three rebel leaders believed to be responsible for attacks on international peacekeepers in Darfur is an important step toward protecting those who protect civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. Repeated attacks on international peacekeepers have severely compromised the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations in Darfur.

Africa: Cheaper fibre prices will put the squeeze on national backbone prices

2008-11-21

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/current1.html

Africa’s operators say they cost their national backbone prices based on distance. The basis is that the further you want your traffic carried, the more it costs. However, this logic will soon be challenged by new, cheaper international bandwidth costs. If it costs more to send traffic from Johannesburg to Cape Town or from Lagos to Abuja than it does from any of these places to Europe, then national arbitrage will have well and truly arrived. Russell Southwood looks at what is likely to happen.

Africa: Connecting gender, agriculture and the information society

2008-11-21

http://genardis.apcwomen.org/en/node/42

Seven women and thirteen men from Anglophone and Francophone Africa and the Caribbean met during the last days of September in Gorée Island, Senegal. They have many things in common, but one in particular is their ability to make innovative connections in gender, agriculture and information and communication technologies (ICTs). This ability has led them to be finalists of the Gender, Agricultural and Rural Development in the Information Society (GenARDIS) small grants fund.

Africa: Terrestrial broadband study begins

2008-11-21

http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/telecoms/2008/0811211042.asp?O=FPTOP&S=Broadband&A=BRO

The e-Africa Commission has initiated a study on the feasibility of its Umoja terrestrial network – marking key strides in the development of a broadband infrastructure network for Africa. “The study will determine what the cost of the Umoja network in the various regions will be. This input will then determine what the SPV (special purpose vehicle) will need to make the network a reality,” said Dr Edmund Katiti, policy and regulatory advisor for the e-Africa Commission.

Egypt: Bloggers reveal hardships in video

2008-11-21

http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=1

Freedom House released a video examining the challenges that Egyptian bloggers face at a conference on internet governance held in Cairo, Egypt November 2-7. In the film, Egyptian bloggers speak of overcoming torture, political intimidation and censure as they push against government restrictions on freedom of expression.

Lyon conference on digital solidarity

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/5pgknz

On November 24th 2008, Lyon will be hosting an international conference on digital solidarity at the invitation of President Nicolas Sarkozy, on a proposal made by the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, and under the French presidency of the European Union. Almost 300 personalities are expected, including several heads of state and government and leading members of territorial authorities, international organisations, NGOs, companies and foundations.

Sierra Leone: Stones instead of PCs to collect health data

2008-11-21

http://tinyurl.com/6ll2cw

A new health data system has been introduced to rural parts of Sierra Leone, where lack of electricity and widespread illiteracy has prevented authorities and UN agencies from collecting reliable data about infant mortality and other health indicators. The method: Counting stones

Africa: Changes at Urgent Action Fund-Africa

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/fundraising/52117

The Board of Directors of UAF-A announces with pleasure and excitement, the appointment of Ms. Jessica Nkuuhe as our new Executive Director. Ms. Nkuuhe will succeed our founder director Ms. Kaari Betty Murungi. Jessica will take over this responsibility on March 1, 2009.
The Board of Directors of UAF-A announces with pleasure and excitement, the appointment of Ms. Jessica Nkuuhe as our new Executive Director. Ms. Nkuuhe will succeed our founder director Ms. Kaari Betty Murungi. Jessica will take over this responsibility on March 1, 2009.

Ms. Jessica Nkuuhe has about twenty-five years of experience doing women's rights work in Uganda, in Africa and internationally. Passion and commitment to women's human rights is the core of her being. Her skills include research, documentation, advocacy and compassionate service provision. She has worked on wide-ranging issues including domestic violence, cultural violence, violence during conflict, HIV-AIDS, religious fundamentalisms and issues around sexuality. She is well integrated in African feminists networks and is resourceful in her own right. We are convinced that with her experience and skills, she will consolidate UAF-Africa's leadership position in feminist philanthropy in Africa and take it to even greater heights.

The Board, the out-going Executive Director and the staff of UAF-Africa are committed to do all we can to support Ms. Jessica Nkuuhe as she makes the move to Nairobi and integrates into the UAF-Africa family. We ask you to join us in welcoming Ms. Nkuuhe in the leadership position of the UAF-Africa team. We request that you extend the same support, solidarity and cooperation to Ms. Nkuuhe that you have all along extended to her predecessor, Ms. Murungi. Your support and cooperation is vital to her successful integration and performance as the new Executive Director.

Global: 2009 HRAP applications open

2008-11-21

http://hrap.hrcolumbia.org/application/

The Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP) is a capacity building program designed to strengthen the skills, knowledge, and networks of proven human rights defenders from the Global South and marginalized communities in the United States.

Call for papers: Special issue of the European Journal of Development Research

China, India and Sub-Saharan Africa

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/52081

China and India – the Asian Driver economies – have a rapidly increasing presence in sub-Saharan Africa. This provides both opportunity (complementary impacts) and threat (competitive impacts). These impacts are evidenced both directly as a consequence of growing bilateral links with SSA economies, and indirectly as a consequence of the growing global footprint of the Asian Driver economies. The impacts are felt in a wide variety of spheres – including on the economy; in politics; in the flows of people, culture and ideas; and on the environment.
China and India – the Asian Driver economies – have a rapidly increasing presence in sub-Saharan Africa. This provides both opportunity (complementary impacts) and threat (competitive impacts). These impacts are evidenced both directly as a consequence of growing bilateral links with SSA economies, and indirectly as a consequence of the growing global footprint of the Asian Driver economies. The impacts are felt in a wide variety of spheres – including on the economy; in politics; in the flows of people, culture and ideas; and on the environment.

The European Journal of Development Research calls for papers for a Special Issue to be devoted to the impact of the Asian Driver economies on SSA. Submissions can be in any discipline in the social sciences and preference will be given to scholarly submissions from SSA, or involving SSA co-authors. However, submissions will also be considered from sources if they directly address the impact of the Asian Driver economies on SSA.

As examples, papers may address the political impact of China and India on and in SSA; on the environment, on industry, on the agricultural sector, on services; and on flows of aid, investment and people.

Funding permitting, a workshop will be held to discuss the penultimate drafts of all papers accepted for publication. Submissions should be addressed to either of the joint editors by end-December 2008, with a view to publishing the Special Issue in 2009.

Submissions should follow EJDR guidelines - www.informaworld.com/fedr Online submissions should make reference to ‘Ajakaiye/Kaplinsky special issue’ in the cover letter.


R.Kaplinsky@open.ac.uk

Olu.Ajakaiye@aercafrica.org

Global: Call for Applictions - SEPHIS

Fellowship available for research into the History of Sexualities and Modernities

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/52098

The South-South Exchange Programme for Research on the History of Development (SEPHIS) is currently running a research project on ‘Sexualities and Modernities’ sponsored by the FORD Foundation. The objective of this programme is to allow researchers to gain a deeper historical and comparative understanding of the complex interplay between cultural contexts and the politics of sex- and gender-based claims of identity. Dissemination to advocacy groups and into the public sphere is an essential part of this endeavor.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Fellowship available for research into the History of Sexualities and Modernities

The South-South Exchange Programme for Research on the History of Development (SEPHIS) is currently running a research project on ‘Sexualities and Modernities’ sponsored by the FORD Foundation. The objective of this programme is to allow researchers to gain a deeper historical and comparative understanding of the complex interplay between cultural contexts and the politics of sex- and gender-based claims of identity. Dissemination to advocacy groups and into the public sphere is an essential part of this endeavor.

As part of this project SEPHIS has already offered several fellowships to candidates at the post-doctoral, PhD and MA level to research any area to do with the history of sexualities in the South. In addition to this four more scholarships will be offered from January 2009 onwards. Funding of up to $10, 000 is available to the successful applicant who will have 12 months (until December 2009) to complete a substantial written research report as well as an academic article of around 10.000 words. The latter will be published as part of a collection of articles. Contributions should be received by 1 December 2009. The successful applicant will be required to attend a week-long research workshop in March 2009, to be held at a venue in the South.

The applicant will be expected to present and discuss his or her progress with fellow researchers from other countries in the Global South, all to encourage the formation of a South-South network on the history of sexualities, and in keeping with the networking aims of SEPHIS. Throughout the project, the candidate will be expected to submit short, four-monthly reports on his or her progress.

Eligibility: Applicants should be based in the South and have a Masters degree preferably in History or the Social Sciences. Those who have already conducted research as part of the MSc/MA requirement or completed fieldwork for a PhD on relevant issues are especially encouraged to apply. Proposals based on any of the following crosscutting themes will be given special attention:



* Masculinity, Sexuality and Modernity
* Sexually Transmitted Diseases, the Social Construction of Illness and Identity Politics
* Youth, Sexual Health Education, and Constructions of Religiosity
* Sexuality, Nationalism/State Politics, and Gender Identity Constructions
* Constructions of ‘Heteronormativity’, Modernity and the Post-colonial Context



Applicants should fill up the attached application form (page 3) along with:

1. a letter of recommendation from a thesis supervisor
2. a sample of written work, attesting to the applicant’s ability to write and finish an assignment (this may be an essay or an article or the MA thesis)

The deadline for applications is 10 December 2008.
Applications should be emailed to:
Imtiaz Saikh
Coordinator Sexualities Programme
simtiaz00@gmail.com

SEPHIS
International Institute of Social History
Cruquiusweg 31
1019 AT Amsterdam
The Netherlands
www.sephis.org

Global: Women, Leadership & Mosques

Changes in Contemporary Islamic Authority - Call for Papers

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/52122

We are seeking proposals for fresh papers to be presented at a small, publication-driven conference on female religious authority in the modern Islamic world at Oxford University in May 2009. Please submit 500-750 word abstracts by 31 December 2008 to hilary.kalmbach@sant.ox.ac.uk
Call for Papers - Women, Leadership & Mosques: Changes in Contemporary Islamic Authority
Conference & Edited Volume
University of Oxford, St Antony’s College, May 8-9 2009
Contact - Hilary Kalmbach: hilary.kalmbach@sant.ox.ac.uk

We are seeking proposals for fresh papers to be presented at a small, publication-driven conference on female religious authority in the modern Islamic world at Oxford University in May 2009. Please submit 500-750 word abstracts by 31 December 2008 to hilary.kalmbach@sant.ox.ac.uk

The ability of women to exercise various types of Islamic religious authority has increased significantly since the early twentieth century, especially during the last two or three decades. Existing scholarship, however, has focused overwhelmingly on certain facets of this increase, in particular female leadership through Sufi groups and attempts to reinterpret Islam to accommodate gender equality, whether through an explicitly ‘feminist’ framework or not.
Missing from the literature is serious analysis of the growing acceptance of women within mosques and madrasas, spaces which have long been centres of Islamic authority but from which women have traditionally been excluded or marginalised. The acceptance of female leadership and activities in these spaces is a significant change from historic practices, signalling the mainstream acceptance of (some forms of) female Islamic leadership. The nature, dynamics and scope of female leadership activities within mosques vary widely, with differences between (and within) North Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and diaspora communities in North America and Europe.
Very few scholars have attempted to apply the exciting work on changing structures of Islamic authority to the activities of women, despite the fact that these changes are what have enabled women to take a much more active role within the religious sphere. Crucially, a fully-contextualised account of the activities of these groups often requires time-intensive fieldwork, making it difficult for a single author to consider multiple contexts in a monograph.
This conference will energize scholarship on Muslim women by bringing together scholars with geographically-diverse expertise to focus specifically on female leadership in mosques and madrasas and the structure of religious authority that enable or limit these activities.
The papers presented at this conference will investigate
• how women active in mosques and madrasas construct their authority as leaders,
• the impact they have on their students and the wider community, and
• how they use public space in mosques and madrasas,

and present the rich social, political, economic and historical contexts of these activities.
Women draw on a wide variety of sources - scholarly credentials, charisma, family ties, teaching experience - to construct their authority as leaders and teachers. This authority is not limitless, however, and both the constraints placed upon their activities and their ability to influence society are important parts of the overall picture.
Scholars already attending include
• Maria Jaschok (Oxford University), a specialist on China,
• Nelly Van Doorn (Valparaiso University), a specialist on Indonesia, and
• Catharina Raudvere (University of Copenhagen), whose current work focuses on Bosnia.

TIME FRAME:
• 31 December 2008: ABSTRACTS DUE (500-750 words, sent to hilary.kalmbach@sant.ox.ac.uk
• 10 January 2009: Participants notified by email
• Friday 8 May - Saturday 9 May, 2009: Conference at St Antony’s College,
University of Oxford
Papers will be circulated beforehand to maximize time for discussion and exchange of ideas. Authors will have the option of resubmitting papers after the conference for publication. Funding to cover travel expenses will unfortunately be limited and applicants are strongly encouraged to seek assistance from their home institutions.
WHO WE ARE:
The conference is being organized by Hilary Kalmbach, Masooda Bano and Walter Armbrust.
• Masooda Bano is an ESRC postdoctoral fellow at Oxford’s Department of International Development and has an article in the Journal of Islamic Studies (18:1, 2007) as well as a forthcoming monograph on Pakistani madrasas.
• Hilary Kalmbach is an Oxford doctoral student whose master’s thesis on the religious authority of female mosque instructors in Syria won the 2007 BRISMES Graduate Article Prize and was subsequently published in the British Journal for Middle Eastern Studies (35:1, 2008). Her current work includes looking at the historical dimensions of this phenomenon.
• Walter Armbrust is Hourani Fellow and University Lecturer in Modern Middle Eastern Studies, as well as the resident anthropologist at Oxford’s Middle East Centre. He looks at structures of authority in his work on patriarchy in twentieth and twenty-first-century Egypt.

Kenya: Land and indigenous peoples’ rights workshop

5 – 8 December 2008, Nairobi - Call for participants

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/52100

Do you work with indigenous peoples? Are you concerned about their land rights? Would you like to learn new HRBD strategies and tools to enrich your work? Then this workshop is for you! As a side-event to the ESCR-Net General Assembly, Equalinrights will be organizing a workshop on Land and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights.
Call for participants: Land and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Workshop,
5 – 8 December 2008, Nairobi

Do you work with indigenous peoples? Are you concerned about their land rights? Would you like to learn new HRBD strategies and tools to enrich your work? Then this workshop is for you! As a side-event to the ESCR-Net General Assembly, Equalinrights will be organizing a workshop on Land and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights. This workshop aims to:
· Create space for practitioners from different cultural, political and social contexts to meet and interact with each other in order to learn from each other
· Encourage practitioners to reflect on their current practices, compare and consider different methodologies and strategies to learn new tools that would enable them to better support the realization of land rights by indigenous peoples from the bottom-up
· Provide opportunity for establishing new partnerships between practitioners that may lead to further processes of interaction, support and learning beyond the workshop
· Serve as a starting point for a collaborative project on land and indigenous peoples’ rights; and
· Introduce a shared online platform for future collaboration

Hopefully at this workshop we can explore possibilities of collaborating and perhaps pursuing a joint project together! If you are interested, please send an email to Mariam Munang <intern@equalinrights.org> as soon as possible because spaces are limited!

Kenya: Security sector reform: Rethinking security forces

25th November 2008

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/52118

Never before has the question of peace and security been more pertinent on the African continent. The increasing militarization of Africa through external and internal forces as well as the rise of unstable democratic arrangements that have disallowed opportunities for expression of dissent and the exercise of freedoms is an indicator of the increasing need for this discourse.
SECURITY SECTOR REFORM: RETHINKING SECURITY FORCES

“Of the 12 women who were gang-raped, five said their attackers wore police uniforms,” (Diana Wambui, Fida, Daily Nation, 17/11/08)

UN reports have documented examples such as the MONUC civilian and military personnel who were accused of 150 cases of sexual exploitation and general abuse of civilians in the DRC (Mulgavh et al 2005).

Never before has the question of peace and security been more pertinent on the African continent. The increasing militarization of Africa through external and internal forces as well as the rise of unstable democratic arrangements that have disallowed opportunities for expression of dissent and the exercise of freedoms is an indicator of the increasing need for this discourse.

On the occasion of the International day on Violence against women, the conference reference group is pleased to contribute to ongoing debates and deepening analysis on impunity for sexual and gender based violence. Through a public forum on Security Sector Reform, we will engage in a critical analysis of the security sector’s attitudes towards gender violence how can the sector reform desirably. It is the aim of this forum is to begin to move the discussion of Sexual and Gender Based Violence to the broader domain of the security of civilians and the responsibility to protect.

Programme: 3.00 – 5.30

Panel Discussion:

Ms. Muthoni Wanyeki – Executive Director, Kenya Human Rights Commission Rtd. General

Rtd. General Lazaro Sumbeiywo - Chief IGAD Mediator, Sudanese Peace process.

Dr. Annie Chikwanha - Senior Researcher, African Human Security Initiative (AHSI) - Respondent

Public debate: 5.00 – 6.00

Moderated by Ms. Muthoni Wanyeki – Executive Director, Kenya Human Rights Commission

5.30: Tea and guests depart at leisure

Facilitated by:
ACORD in alliance with The Kenya Human Rights Commission, Action Aid International-Africa, The Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace - AMANI Forum, African Women’s Development Fund, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Fahamu and Urgent Action Fund-Africa.

When: 25th November 2008

Where: Panafric Hotel; 3.00 – 6.00 p.m.

Mozambique: AACC 9th General Assembly

7-12 December, 2008

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/52108

The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) is inviting Media houses to the largest gathering of the African Church who, together with the Civil Society, will meet in Maputo, Mozambique from 7-12 December, 2008 under the auspices of the AACC 9th General Assembly whose theme will be Africa, Step Forth in Faith.
The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) is inviting Media houses to the largest gathering of the African Church who, together with the Civil Society, will meet in Maputo, Mozambique from 7-12 December, 2008 under the auspices of the AACC 9th General Assembly whose theme will be Africa, Step Forth in Faith.

The media fraternity is invited to witness and to capture this momentous occasion as the faith community deals with the challenges of Africa when new ground will be broken, barriers brought down and new partnerships forged, by Africans in Africa together with Africans in the Diaspora.

The Church and all participants will together explore various issues of social, cultural, economic and political concern to the continent as captured under the themes here below:

* Entrenching Human Rights in Africa
* Political and Economic Liberation
* Spirituality and Environmental Conservation
* Global Pan African Solidarity
* HIV and AIDS
* Women as Agents of Peace and Reconciliation
* Youth Responding to Challenges of Renewal of Africa
* The Challenge for Moral Regeneration in the Continent
* The Challenge of Urban Mission

The five-yearly event will also be graced and addressed by among other dignitaries: Her Excellency President Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, former President of South Africa His Excellency Thabo Mbeki, Rev. Dr. Sam Kobia, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches and former UN Secretary General Dr. Kofi Annan.

Founded in Kampala in 1963, AACC brings together 173 member churches and Christian Councils in 40 African Countries. It is the largest ecumenical organization in Africa representing over 120 million Christians.

Any media wishing to cover the event will receive accreditation and are invited to fill in the accreditation form obtainable via: www.aacc-ceta.org, or email: ninthassembly@aacc-ceta.org./ catherine@aacc-ceta.org

Finally, please let ME (cfouke@churchworldservice.org - a secunded member of the AACC Assembly Communications Team) know by Nov. 25 latest whether you:

1. Want releases by email from the Assembly (if I don't hear anything from you I will assume that you DO).
2. Do not want releases, but someone else in your organization does (please tell me who + email!).
3. Do not want releases, and no one else in your organization does.

Senegal: 3rd Short Course on Gender Media and Conflict

15th to 19th December 2008 - Mbodiène

2008-11-21

http://www.fasngo.org/pan-african-centre.html#3rdcourse

The main focus of the course is the role of Media in conflict prevention and conflict transformation, Media coverage of women in conflict and feminist media. It will also tackle how the media perpetuates patriarchal behaviors in different cultures and critical analysis and debates on Media and its role in and influence on concepts of Power and Gender will be fostered.

The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs

Special Issue – China in the Commonwealth: a benign dragon? Call for Papers

2008-11-20

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/52085

This special issue will focus on the nature of Chinese-Commonwealth relations and the function China is playing in the political and economic development of countries in Africa, South East Asia, and the Caribbean. Contributions are sought on topics such as: the threats to good governance and human rights as a result of China’s policy of ‘non-interference’ in the affairs of foreign states, the economic opportunities and risks of Chinese engagement, the role of the Chinese diaspora, the influence of Chinese-Commonwealth cooperation on the international stage, the views within the Commonwealth of greater Chinese engagement, and the external responses to the deepening relationship. Papers can incorporate specific countries, regions, sectors and/or themes.
The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs
Special Issue – China in the Commonwealth: a benign dragon?

Call for Papers

The role of the People’s Republic of China in the developing world has grown notably in recent years mirrored by its very rapid economic advance at home. A number of priorities frame China’s foreign policy in the developing world including the search for natural resources to fuel its economy, the securing of its one China policy vis-à-vis Taiwan, and the support for third world solidarity and the so-called Beijing consensus. As part of China’s growing foreign presence it has established increasingly strong ties with a number of countries across the Commonwealth. This special issue will focus on the nature of Chinese-Commonwealth relations and the function China is playing in the political and economic development of countries in Africa, South East Asia, and the Caribbean.

Contributions are sought on topics such as: the threats to good governance and human rights as a result of China’s policy of ‘non-interference’ in the affairs of foreign states, the economic opportunities and risks of Chinese engagement, the role of the Chinese diaspora, the influence of Chinese-Commonwealth cooperation on the international stage, the views within the Commonwealth of greater Chinese engagement, and the external responses to the deepening relationship. Papers can incorporate specific countries, regions, sectors and/or themes.

If any one wishes to submit an abstract before starting work on the final paper, this is welcomed. Papers should conform to The Round Table guidelines – see www.moot.org.uk For further information contact the editors of the special issue, Dr Peter Clegg at peter.clegg@uwe.ac.uk, or Dr Jianxiang Bi at jianxiang.bi@uwe.ac.uk, or the Editor of The Round Table, Dr Venkat Iyer at theroundtable@hotmail.co.uk

Contributors are asked to submit their papers by Monday 16th February 2009. The special issue is scheduled to appear in October 2009.

East Africa: Jobs at Twaweza

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/52135

Twaweza, meaning "we can make it happen" in Swahili, is a newly established ten-year initiative that seeks to enable people in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to improve their quality of life through a bold, citizen-centered approach to information access and public accountability. Twaweza's core purpose is to enable millions of ordinary citizens in East Africa. Twawea is looking for unusually creative, capable and committed people for the a number of posts.
Twaweza, meaning "we can make it happen" in Swahili, is a newly established ten-year initiative that seeks to enable people in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to improve their quality of life through a bold, citizen-centered approach to information access and public accountability. Twaweza's core purpose is to enable millions of ordinary citizens in East Africa to:

• exercise agency – i.e. express views and take initiative to improve their situation and hold government to account; and
• access basic services of better quality, and exercise greater control over resources that have a bearing on services.

Twaweza is funded by a multi-donor group and hosted by Hivos. The Initiative's main office will be in Dar es Salaam with sub-offices in Kampala and Nairobi.
Its budget for the first 5 years is US$ 68 million. We are looking for unusually creative, capable and committed people for the following posts:

Program Manager/Chief Executive Officer (Dar es Salaam)

The job: Reporting to the Head of Twaweza, you will manage Twaweza's programs and operations, including grant-making, with quality, depth, rigor and innovation. You will develop powerful partnerships; inspire and support staff; manage workplans and budgets; incorporate lessons learned and undertake quality assurance; and oversee the office.

Qualifications: You have a strong affinity with the Twaweza concept, a strong analytical mind, at least a masters' degree, 7 years' relevant working experience, and a keen understanding of socio-political dynamics in (East) Africa. You are a superb manager who can get things done on time, with demonstrable capabilities in program, personnel and financial management, including grantmaking.
You have excellent communication skills in English (and Swahili, or willingness to learn).

Learning & Communications Manager (Dar es Salaam)

The job: Reporting to the Head of Twaweza, you will develop and foster a culture of monitoring, learning and innovation within Twaweza and among its partners. You will manage monitoring and evaluation and liaise with the independent entity appointed to measure impact. You will coordinate Twaweza's mentor and student placements. You will document and communicate key lessons in a way that stimulates broad learning and debate.

Qualifications: You are conceptually strong and a compelling and powerful communicator, with excellent writing skills in English (and Swahili, or willing to learn). You have at least a masters' degree and 5 years working experience. You have research experience and are good at monitoring and evaluation of complex social change processes. You are a good facilitator who asks interesting questions that stimulate thoughtful learning and debate. You are well organized and can meet deadlines.

Country Coordinators (2 posts, Dar es Salaam and Nairobi)

The job: Reporting to the Program Manager/CEO, you will be responsible for initiating and cultivating Twaweza's programs and partnerships in your country that can engage millions of citizens, consistent with Twaweza's citizen agency concept. You will prepare and monitor country workplans and budgets; incorporate lessons learned and undertake quality assurance; and oversee country office.

Qualifications: You are a national of your country. You have a strong affinity with the Twaweza concept, a powerful analytical mind, and at least a first degree (masters' preferred). You are a good networker and manager with ability to get things done with quality on time. You will have excellent communication skills in English and Swahili.

An initial 2-3 year contract will be offered to successful candidates. Remuneration is competitive with international levels. For more information on Twaweza, Hivos and the full job descriptions visit www.hivos.nl/twaweza or alternatively contact Rakesh Rajani, Head of Twaweza at rrajani@post.harvard.edu or Allert van den Ham, Hivos Director of Programs at allert@hivos.nl

Applicants should send a CV, two samples of your writing (in English or Swahili), and a cover letter explaining why you want this job to: Hivos Bureau IZ, Raamweg 16, 2596 HL Den Haag, Netherlands or via e-mail to iz@hivos.nl with reference code 'vacTwaweza'. Applications are requested within 3 weeks of this advert; thereafter positions will remain open until filled.

Sudan: Darfur emergency programme manager - HelpAge

2008-11-21

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/52102

HelpAge International is working to ensure the protection of older people and their dependents in West Darfur through the ongoing crisis. We seek to address the immediate needs of older people, while at the same time affecting some longer-term change. We are based in El Geneina, close to the Chadian border, where a high number of those displaced by the conflict are found. As Emergency Programme Manager, you will be responsible for the implementation, management and administration of HelpAge International's humanitarian programme in Darfur. Closing date: 28 November 2008.
Emergency Programme Manager Based in Darfur, Sudan
£26,140- £28,642 gross per annum dependant on relevant experience, hardship allowance- £150 per month plus benefits
One-year contract with possible extension
Unaccompanied status post

HelpAge International (HAI) has a vision of a world in which all older people fulfil their potential to lead dignified, healthy active and secure lives. Older people may be marginalised today, but they offer an enormous potential for development tomorrow. HAI works to ensure everyone knows how much older people contribute to society and must enjoy their rights to healthcare and social services and the economic and physical security they need. Established in 1983 our global network today spans more than 70 affiliate organisations in 50 countries.

HelpAge International is working to ensure the protection of older people and their dependents in West Darfur through the ongoing crisis. We seek to address the immediate needs of older people, while at the same time affecting some longer-term change. We are based in El Geneina, close to the Chadian border, where a high number of those displaced by the conflict are found.

As Emergency Programme Manager, you will be responsible for the implementation, management and administration of HelpAge International's humanitarian programme in Darfur.

The Emergency Programme Manager will have significant emergencies experience, including designing and monitoring emergency interventions in the African context. You will be a strong leader with good experience in staff management and development, particularly in insecure and politically sensitive environments. You will have a clear understanding of the emergencies environment and in ensuring accountability and safety of staff and programme.

Closing date: 28 November 2008

Due to the urgency of the post candidates will be shortlisted and interviewed before the closing date

For application details, please visit www.helpage.org at the jobs section overseas vacancies.

If you have difficulties accessing the website, email

hai-hr@helpage.org, Tel: +44 (0)20 7278 7778,

Fax: +44 (0)20 7713 7993. Quote ‘DarfurManager08’

HelpAge International is an equal opportunities employer

Fahamu