POLITICS OF SECURITY AND CONFLICT ISSUES
West Africa: Angolan President made an historic visit to Ghana. The visit of President Dos Santos was his first state visit to Ghana in close to three decades of his administration. 
Ghana’s President John Evans Atta Mills, last week met with Vice President of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe, in Pretoria in a closed door session to discuss matters pertaining to the growth path of the African Union (AU), preceding the Union’s summit in Kampala, Uganda between the 24th and 27th of July, 2010.
The Prime Minister of Cameroon, Philemon Yang, on 22 June 2010 visited Commonwealth Headquarters in London and met Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma. During the meeting, the Secretary-General briefed Mr. Yang on current Commonwealth activities on promoting democracy and development among member countries.
Côte d'Ivoire's president has called for an official investigation into corruption allegations against one of his own ministers. President Laurent Gbagbo asked a state prosecutor last week to look into whether Interior Minister Désiré Tagro has been skimming state funds and funds intended for toxic waste victims into his personal account. The minister is also accused of peddling influence to get members of his ethnic group into the national police academy.
A court in Lome, Togo last week dissolved the OBUTS, an opposition party led by the former Prime Minister Messan Agbeyome Kodjo, for "violation of the Charter of political parties". The court acted upon complaints of officials of the party, who were either excluded or had resigned. The seven founding members who were either excluded or had resigned said following their departure, the party no longer had the quorum of two-thirds of national representation of the ethnic groups in the country.
African Union (AU) has said it was satisfied with steps taken to hold Guinea's first presidential elections on June 27 to restore civilian rule. The statement followed the signing into law of a new constitution and the electoral law. The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the AU said the signing into law of a new constitution and the electoral law meant that the return to civilian rule in the West African nation was final and irreversible.
During this recent Guinean election a new SMS texting campaign to allow Guineans to monitor their election and protect their votes was one of the ways the United States Embassy helped further that country's democratic electoral process. A runoff vote would be needed to determine who wins the mineral-rich West African nation's first free election since independence 52 years ago. Former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo garnered about nearly 40 % of vote in last week’s historic poll, well short of the simple majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Ghana and China last week signed a cultural agreement for the period 2010 to 2012 in Accra.
Central Africa: The former chief of staff of the Rwandan army and a leading critic of President Paul Kagame was shot in South Africa, where he lives in exile. He was taken to a Johannesburg hospital where he is undergoing surgery. Earlier this year, Rwandan officials accused Nyamwasa of conspiring with another former army officer against Mr. Kagame's government. Meanwhile the exiled editor of the Umuvugizi newspaper in Rwanda has alleged that Rwandan security killed acting editor Rugambage because the paper was investigating the shooting of Rwandan General Kayumba Nyamwasa in South Africa.
The sons of Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba say they will seek war crimes charges against 12 Belgians they accuse of being involved in their father's death, nearly 50 years ago. Lumumba was the first democratically-elected leader of Congo, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, after it won independence from Belgium in 1960. He was soon ousted in a coup by army chief Joseph-Desire Mobutu and murdered by officials in Katanga province in January 1961.
In Burundi all opposition parties pulled out of presidential election on 28 Jun, saying the ruling party used fraud to win local elections in May. Incidents of violence and opposition boycotts have cast a cloud over hopes for democratic reform.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN DOMESTIC POLITICS
West Africa: In Liberia the Sirleaf Administration, last week, beefed up measures already in place to reform the judicial system and increase the citizen’s access to justice as part of efforts to combat corruption and injustice. As part of the measures, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf dedicated two criminal courts designated Court A and Court B at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, the home of the Liberian Judiciary. She also proposed the establishment of “Special Courts” and threatened to request legislation that would make corruption a “non-bail able offense” in case reform measures took longer than expected in taking roots.
In Ghana Mrs. Augustina Akumanyi, Deputy Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has said that the issue of fewer women participation in elections to occupy public offices had become worrisome.
Meanwhile Mrs. Janet Amegatcher, Director, Mind Freedom Ghana (MFG), a mental health non-governmental organization on Friday called on government to ratify the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
A Sierra Leonean business woman who helped in recruiting fighters to invade Sierra Leone in 1991 last week concluded her testimony as Charles Taylor’s 18th witness, telling Special Court for Sierra Leone judges about her support and loyalty to the Sierra Leonean rebel leader and denying prosecution claims that she was not only supportive and loyal to the Sierra Leonean rebels, but that same support and loyalty extended to Mr. Taylor and his Liberian rebel group.
Meanwhile Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRC-SL) has disclosed that the country is yet to submit a report to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).
Togolese immigration officials at major entry points have commended Ghana for introducing biometric passports as a positive development to resolve problems associated with acquisition of Ghanaian passports.
Central Africa: In Congo-Kinshasa the inquiry into the killing of the human rights activist Floribert Chebeya is to be handed over to the army. The Chief Prosecutor in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Floribert Kabange said any suspects would now be brought before a military court.
Last week UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named a high-profile committee including President Kagame as a co-chair, aimed at combating poverty, assessing and fast tracking implementation of Millennium Development Goals.
HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND DOMESTIC POLITICS
West Africa A Swiss based company that chartered a ship that allegedly dumped deadly waste in the Côte d’Ivoire could be fined two million euros. Seventeen people allegedly died after toxic residues on board the Probo Koala were shipped away from the Port of Amsterdam and redirected to Abidjan, where they were dumped on city waste tips. Meanwhile a new laboratory has been set up in the Ivorian port city of Abidjan to improve the monitoring of hazardous materials under a project backed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that aims to prevent a repeat of the notorious incident in which thousands of people were sickened by toxic waste.
Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says that although Liberia may not meet the deadline set for achieving the Millennium Development Goals in 2015, she is grateful to the World Bank and its partners for positively helping to alleviate poverty on the African continent.
Central Africa: The official death toll stands at 76 after a train accident last week in the Republic of Congo. The train was en route to the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, when it derailed and plunged into a narrow valley near the southern coastal city of Pointe-Noire.
POLITICAL ECONOMY
West Africa: Ghana’s Parliament last week endorsed a credit agreement between Ghana and the BNP Paribas of the United Kingdom for the supply, installation and operation of Vessels Traffic Management Information System (VTMIS).
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry last week hosted a delegation of 20 Ghanaian businessmen, as part of its efforts to reach out to the promising economies of Africa.
US carrier, United Airline began a direct flight from Washington D.C last week for Accra, Ghana. It is part of a strategy to use the African market to build on its strong emergence from the recent global economic downturn that hit the aviation industry.
Ghana’s Annual Producer Price Index (PPI) dropped by 0.77 % points in May, bringing the respective yearly change between May 2009 and May 2010 to 16.14, up from 16.90 %. Meanwhile the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) recorded a total of 257 investment projects with a total estimated value of 619.99 million dollars last year. Also available Statistics from the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) have revealed that revenue generated by the tourism sector in 2009 was 1,615.2 million dollars, compared to 1,403.1 million dollars obtained in 2008.
However Forbes Magazine issued a report on Ghana titled “Ghana Ranked 9th Worst Economy in the World”. It is believe that the report is being done with 2008 and 2009 as the reference years in which case, most of the data and information used have a lot of factual inaccuracies.
Ghanaian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) last week launched a brief guide for civil society on oil and gas, which focuses on issues, challenges and prospects associated with the production of oil and gas in the country.
The ministry of finance and economic development has revealed that Sierra Leone will receive the first tranche of a three-year $45 million International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan in July to boost the nation's economy.
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week completed its fourth review of Togo's economic performance under its Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement and approved an augmentation of access of US$16.2 million. With this augmentation, completion of the review allows Togo to access US$21.1 million immediately, bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to US$106.7 million.
In Sierra Leone oil marketing companies in the country have announced another increase in the pump prices of all petroleum products as government withholds all subsidies on the products with effect since June 21.
Central Africa: As global oil prices continue to fall, a top Rwanda government official revealed last week that the government departments and fuel dealers are set to meet this week to discuss whether pump prices should remain stable or decrease. In the past few weeks, a barrel of oil on the international market has fallen below $76 (Rwf44, 156) from $89 (Rwf51, 709) a barrel amid signs the U.S. economic recovery and demand for crude remains uneven. §
No comments:
Post a Comment