Week # 116, Dated18 - 24 April, 2010
POLITICS OF SECURITY AND CONFLICT ISSUES
West Africa: In Ghana President John Evans Atta Mills has indicated that he will not be influenced by calls by some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to dismiss some District Executives (DCEs) for alleged nonperformance.
In Liberia last week visiting US under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William J. Burns, disclosed that the United States Government will provide US$19.75 million this year to support the capacity of the Liberia National Police (LNP).
The Cameroonian Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation (MINATD), Marafa Hamidou Yaya announced last week that Governors of the nation’s10 Regions will have to better coordinate and ensure the harmonious functioning of external government services that contribute to effective and efficient execution of the decentralization process in Local and City Councils.
A senior UN official said last week that Guinea requires continued support from the United Nations and its partners now that the West African country is preparing to transition from military rule to a civilian Government once elections scheduled for 27 June are held.
A Dutch court has overturned the acquittal of Mr. Kouwenhoven accused of supplying arms to Liberia during the presidency of war crimes suspect Charles Taylor, referring the case for a retrial. Meanwhile another defense witness has again contradicted Mr. Taylor's testimony regarding the whereabouts of Sierra Leonean rebel leader Foday Sankoh prior to the invasion of Sierra Leone.
South Africa: The rise of an organized poor people's movement in South Africa's most populous province, KwaZulu-Natal, is being met with increasing hostility by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) government, which claims to be the legitimate representative of the poorest of the poor.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s controversial visit to Zimbabwe last week has been condemned by Mugabe's opponents as a meeting of despots which could further isolate Harare. Meanw
hile Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has backed Iran's controversial nuclear programme and accused the West of seeking to punish the two countries for asserting their independence.
Security forces in Madagascar arrested 19 people last week on suspicion of plotting a coup, the latest in a series of plot rumors to hit the Indian Ocean Island’s capital in the past few weeks.
Central Africa: In Rwanda Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire, the leader of the yet-to-be registered political party, FDU-Inkingi, was arrested last week accused of association with a terrorist group, propagating the Genocide Ideology, Revisionism and Ethnic Division. Ingabire has been granted bail on condition that she will report to the prosecution, once a week and stay within the boundaries of Kigali City.
Meanwhile the leader of Rwanda’s opposition United Democratic Forces (UDF) has said that President Paul Kagame’s government is determined to prevent her from participating in the upcoming election scheduled for August 9. President Kagame’s government has often accused the FDLR of playing a part in the country’s 1994 genocide.
Two of Rwanda's most senior army officials were arrested after a major shake-up in the military was announced by President Paul Kagame last week. Allegedly suspended due to serious charges of corruption and misuse of office, Lt-Gen Muhire was formerly the head of Rwanda's air force while Maj-Gen Karenzi was one of the country's highest ranking soldiers and a member of the military's ruling elite.
The top United Nations envoy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has pledged to strengthen military presence in the northwestern province of Equateur to help the Government provide better protection for civilians following a deadly raid by rebels earlier this month on the regional capital.
Heads of state from the Central Africa Economic and Monetary Community inaugurated a new regional parliament CEMAC but are facing problems since lack of fiscal coordination, uneven business and visa regulations hamper cooperation.
Gabon's opposition National Union party, uniting several major parties since March, has finally been recognized by authorities and can now function officially as a main opposition political party.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN DOMESTIC POLITICS
West Africa: The 2009 US State Department Human Rights Report on Liberia, concluding pervasive corruption at 'all levels" of the government, has again come under attack, with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf describing it as "erroneous".
The Chairman of the Upper East Regional Inter-Sectoral Gender Network (RISEGNET) has called upon all Political parties to support more aspiring assemblywomen to contest the forthcoming District Assembly election scheduled for the third quarter of this year.
South Africa: Human Rights Watch has said in a recent report that Zimbabwe's power-sharing government has not carried out critical media reforms as promised under the country's September 2008 Global Political Agreement.
Central Africa: Last week Canada's Governor General, Michaelle Jean, apologized on behalf of her government for the unresponsiveness and inaction of the international community in the lead up to, and during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi.
Fighting in western provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo has displaced more than 100,000 people. Some are seeking refuge across the border in Congo-Brazzaville where relief officials say they have only enough supplies to feed one-third of the refugees.
According to the UNHCR more than one third of recorded cases of rape, in the first three months of 2010, are in North and South Kivu provinces in eastern DRC, which hosts some 1.4 million internally displaced people. Authorities are highly alarmed by the disturbing figures at an average of almost 14-assaults each day.
HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND DOMESTIC POLITICS
West Africa: A new strain of meningitis, strain NMX, also known simply as strain 'X', has broken out in Burkina Faso, where it caused just over half the new cases reported in the past week. Six of Burkina Faso's 13 regions are at epidemic level.
South Africa: The Lesotho Highlands Water Project will move into its second phase in 2010. The first phase has been praised as a shining example of trans-boundary water sharing in Africa, but community dissatisfaction may mean a rough ride for its extension.
Last week SA President Jacob Zuma launched a national campaign to test 15 million South Africans for HIV by June, 2011.
Central Africa: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that Countries in West and Central Africa have been hit by a measles outbreak affecting more than 22,000 children, with a shortage of resources for vaccination threatening to roll back progress on limitation child death in the region.
The third ordinary session of the conference of the African Union (AU) on youth has elected Rwanda to chair the Conference of Ministers in Charge of Youth (COMMYIII) for the next two years.
POLITICAL ECONOMY
West Africa: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has asked the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), the umbrella organization of media entities and journalists in the country, to give comprehensive account of the US$100,000 donated to the Union by her government.
Turkish Airlines is now to connect Accra, Ghana through Lagos during the summer season as part of its expansion policy in Africa. Meanwhile Pineapple producers in Ghana faced problems because of the lack of flights to Europe caused by volcanic ash. Also Ghana International Airlines (GIA) has pegged its revenue losses so far as a result of the Icelandic volcanic disruptions at a provisional figure of approximately US$ 500,000.
Ghana’s Tullow Oil PLC's shares fell as much as 3.3% last week after the U.K.-listed company said it failed to find oil or gas at a test well off Ghana's coast. Meanwhile Ghanaian stocks rose to a seven- month high, the second-biggest gain worldwide, as investors bought stock in Standard Chartered Plc’s local unit before its dividend deadline and SIC insurance declared a payout.
Also the Gross International Reserves position of the Bank of Ghana which increased to 3.2 billion dollars in December 2009 grew further by 4.4 % in the first quarter of 2010 to 3.3 billion dollars.
The Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry is soon to start doing business with their Iranian counterparts according to a memorandum to this effect signed by a recent visiting delegation to Iran.
In Cameroon two projects piloted by the Ministries of Scientific Research and Innovation and that of Industries, Mines and Technological Development seek to modernize oil palm production in the country.
Dr. Fu Ziying, Vice Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China led a delegation to visit Liberia from April 22 to 25, 2010 as part of his five-nation (Chad, Central Africa, Gabon, Liberia and Congo (Brazzaville) tour in Africa.
South Africa: The African Department Director at the International Monetary Fund has said that Sub-Saharan Africa is proving surprisingly resilient in emerging from the global financial crisis compared with previous downturns.
According to projections Foreigners will inject 13 billion rand into South Africa's economy during the World Cup, helping the soccer spectacular boost economic growth by 0.5 % points.
According to stock exchange Chief Executive Emmanuel Munyukwi controversial new policies to give black Zimbabweans majority stakes in foreign companies in the country have scared off investors from abroad. Meanwhile the controversial policy will reportedly begin in the key mining sector. Uncertainty over South Africa's land reform programme meant to hand over 30 % of farm land to the country's black majority by 2014 has also slowed investment in its sugar sector.
According to South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom the nation will face a power supply crunch between 2011-13 and 2018-24 unless more power plants than are planned are built.
Central Africa: According to the Rwanda Revenue Authority Government has recorded large sums of tax revenue from alcohol, and tobacco products. According to data from last year government collected Rwf952 million from wines and liquors and Rwf3 billion from cigarettes. §
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