Pambazuka News 407: Canada in Africa: the mining superpower
Pambazuka News 407: Canada in Africa: the mining superpower
I have a problem ; 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.
In response to ; 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.
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.
Taking up the example of the small village of Dumasi in Ghana’s Western Region and drawing upon her experience of filming a documentary entitled , Alexandra Sicotte-Lévesque discusses the destructive action of the Canadian Golden Star Resources mining company and its pressure on local people for forcible resettlement. While Canada’s anti-poverty agenda cancelled some CAD$18 million of Ghana’s debt in 2004, the author highlights the core contradictions of a Western nation that is conversely unwilling to accept any extraterritorial responsibilities in conflict with the needs of its own domestic economy. As Sicotte-Lévesque underlines, the principal poverty faced by local Ghanaian communities is above all one rooted in a lack of information, a lack underpinning a vicious cycle characterised by poor communities getting poorer as mining companies get richer.
Mikhael Missakabo reveals the extent to which Canadian mining companies are benefiting from instability and weak institutions in the Democratic Republic of Congo to reap huge profits while paying little attention to the ecological and human cost of their actions. These companies have become adept at hedging their bets in the ongoing conflict and negotiating contracts that literally impoverish the host country. All that remains in their wake is environmental and economic and social ruin.
With vivid examples of the unapologetically exploitative approach of multinational mining corporations in Tanzania, Evans Rubara highlights some of the glaring malpractice of rapacious foreign companies operating on Tanzanian soil. In a sector supported by lax tax collection by the country’s government and whose only concern is for profit, companies such as Barrick Gold Corporation have much to answer for in the face of widespread environmental degradation, the displacement and forcible removal of local people, and criminalisation of local mining activities. Drawing on the information collected within damning reports such as A Golden Opportunity?, Rubara documents the extent to which mining companies operate with impunity in Tanzania, an impunity giving rise to sustained abuse of local people’s rights and wholesale stealing of national resources.
Highlighting the slow progress around the implementation of greater Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) by the Canadian government and Canadian mining companies, Ian Thomson describes the efforts of diverse groups of civil society organisations to hold mining companies to account for their actions in African countries. In the face of these broad struggles, the author argues that lasting progress will derive principally from the ability of African and Canadian civil society organisations to work in solidarity against the negative environmental and human rights concerns associated with the mining sector.
cc. The 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.[email protected] 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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Stephen Marks does a roundup of China-related news for Africa and around the world.
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.
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 [email][email protected]
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?
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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’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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.