[Greece may be far from East Africa but problems in the European nation are sending shockwaves across Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, reducing the countries’ currencies to slices.The Tanzanian currency has slid by 13 per cent against the United States dollar during the past one year. It was being exchanged at an average of Sh1,379 against $1 in July last year but has since dropped to an average exchange rate of Sh1,570. ]
BURUNDI :
Burundi: Le chef de l’Etat appelle les exilés politiques à revenir au pays
Pana/ 01/07/2011
Afrique centrale – Burundi .Le chef de l’Etat burundais, Pierre Nkurunziza, a profité de son adresse à la nation, jeudi, à la veille de la célébration du 49ème anniversaire de l’indépendance nationale, pour lancer un appel aux politiciens qui sont à l’extérieur à revenir au pays. Plusieurs leaders de l’opposition sont partis en exil sur fond de contestation des résultats des élections municipales de 2010. On attribue à certains d’entre eux l’insécurité résiduelle qui prévaut, surtout dans Bujumbura-Rural, une province frontalière dans la capitale burundaise où s’observent encore des tueries sélectives à caractère politique. ‘Qu’ils reviennent au pays afin que nous échangions des idées qui contribuent à la construction commune de notre pays et que, d’ailleurs, ils commencent à se préparer pour les élections de 2015’, a insisté le président Nkurunziza.
‘De cette façon, ils obtiendront une victoire pour laquelle ils auront travaillé’, a-t-il enchaîné.
‘Mais comme nous l’avons déjà dit, tous ceux avec qui nous allons dialoguer devront garder à l’esprit qu’ils ne remplacent pas le peuple, qu’ils ne remplacent pas les institutions’, a toutefois avisé le chef de l’Etat burundais.
Dans l’œuvre de consolidation de l’indépendance, le président Nkurunziza a encore invité les Burundais et tous ceux qui habitent au Burundi à ‘se lever comme un seul homme et travailler au renforcement de la paix et de la sécurité si chères à nous tous’.
Pour lui, ‘la sécurité est un travail de tout instant, de tous les jours, dans tous les pays, car l’on rencontre encore des pêcheurs en eau trouble qui voudraient tirer profit de l’insécurité’.
Le président Nkurunziza a terminé son message à la nation en revenant sur les festivités du 1er juillet 2011 qui ont été placées sous le thème de ‘Consolidons la sécurité et la réconciliation en redoublant d’ardeur au travail, c’est la pierre angulaire pour le renforcement de l’indépendance nationale’.
BAD : Don de 67 millions de dollars US au Burundi pour un projet routier
jeu.30.06.11/ www.tunisiait.com
Le Conseil d’administration du Groupe de la Banque africaine de développement (BAD) a approuvé aujourd’hui un don de 67.23 millions de dollar EU (42 millions d’unités de compte) pour le financement de la Phase II du projet routier de Gitega-Ngozi – Nyangungu au Burundi.
Ce don sera utilisé pour financer le segment Gitega-Nyangungu de la route.
Sur ce total, 51.22 million de dollars EU sont issus des ressources de la Facilité pour les Etats Fragiles (FEF) et 16,01 millions de dollars EU du Fonds africain de développement, (FAD, guichet concessionnel du Groupe de la Banque).
Cette intervention vient en complément de la première phase du projet approuvé par la Banque en septembre 2010. Cette phase couvre l’aménagement et le bitumage de la section Gitega-Nyangungu, la réhabilitation de 22 km de pistes rurales, la construction de ponts piétonniers, un parking pour poids lourds à Gitega, et l’aménagement d’infrastructures socio-économiques et marchandes.
La réalisation des activités du projet s’étalera d’août 2011 à mars 2015. La zone du projet s’étend du centre au nord du pays, et la population est estimée à 775.000 habitants. Gitega et Ngozi sont respectivement la deuxième et troisième ville du pays.
La zone du projet dispose d’un fort potentiel agropastoral et touristique qui n’a pas encore été suffisamment exploité pour cause d’enclavement
L’intervention de la Banque repose, après analyse de la situation économique et sociale actuelle du pays sur la nécessité d’appuyer le gouvernement du Burundi dans la mise en œuvre de sa stratégie de désenclavement du pays et spécifiquement des régions à potentialités économiques avérées, et contribuer à la réduction de la pauvreté dont l’incidence est particulièrement élevée au Burundi, à 67 pour cent.
La conception du projet fait suite à l’actualisation des études détaillées, réalisées en 2009, qui a conclu à la nécessité de réaliser les investissements en vue d’adapter la route aux besoins nouvellement exprimés.
La stratégie d’assistance de la Banque vise à appuyer le pays dans la mise en place des conditions nécessaires à l’atteinte des objectifs de la vision Burundi 2025, à savoir une croissance économique à deux chiffres et une réduction de moitié de la pauvreté.
A ce titre, la Banque a approuvé en mai 2011 l’éligibilité du Burundi pour un deuxième cycle d’appui de la FEF.
Le présent projet s’inscrit dans le programme d’amélioration du réseau routier qui sert d’appui aux secteurs productifs. Il est aligné avec le document stratégie pays pour la période 2008-2011.
La CNIDH fait ses premières investigations sur un cas d’exécution extrajudiciaire
Joël Ndereyimana./www.afriquinfos.com/ Jeudi 30 juin 2011
BUJUMBURA (Xinhua) – La Commission Nationale Indépendante des Droits de l’Homme du Burundi (CNIDH) a mis en place une commission ad hoc qui va faire des investigations beaucoup plus poussées sur le cas d’un certain
La Commission Nationale Indépendante des Droits de l’Homme du Burundi (CNIDH) a mis en place une commission ad hoc qui va faire des investigations beaucoup plus poussées (les premières depuis sa prestation de serment le 07 juin 2011) sur le cas d’un certain Joël Ndereyimana, un voleur qui a été assassiné dans des conditions obscures alors qu’il avait été remis par la population à une position de police le 22 juin 2011, comme l’indique le président de cette Commission.
« Après analyse de la situation, et s’étant assurée de la réalité des faits portés à sa connaissance d’où il ressort qu’il s’ agirait d’une exécution extrajudiciaire, la CNIDH, en vertu des dispositions des articles 42 et suivants de la loi no 01/04 du 5 janvier 2011 portant sa création, a mis en place une commission ad hoc composée de deux de ses membres pour faire la lumière sur les faits conformément aux dispositions des articles 36 et suivants de la loi précitée », a indiqué jeudi à Xinhua Frère Emmanuel Ntakarutimana, président de la CNIDH.
Cette commission s’est alors rendue dans la zone des événements pour recueillir les informations sur la victime et d’éventuels témoignages qui ont indiqué que la victime avait été surprise en train de voler par la population qui l’a alors remise à une position de police locale de Ndava- Busongo en province de Bubanza à l’ouest du pays dont le responsable était l’agent de police principal de 1ère classe Juvénal Minani.
« Les témoins confirment sa mort par balle », ajoute le président de la Commission. Frère Emmanuel Ntakarutimana a indiqué qu’il a demandé au procureur de la République en province de Bubanza de diligenter de façon urgente les procédures requises pour que les éventuels auteurs de l’assassinat de cette personne soient identifiés et traduits en justice.
De son côté, « la CNIDH, en vertu de son mandat, poursuivra les investigations et rendra publics les résultats de ses investigations », conclue le président de la CNIDH qui s’engage à « préserver la liberté, l’égalité et la justice au Burundi ».
RWANDA :
Rwanda: Military High Court Extends Rugigana’s Detention
Edmund Kagire/The New Times/1 July 2011
Kigali — The Military High Court (MHC) sitting at Kanombe yesterday once again turned down the bail appeal of of Lt. Col. Ngabo Rugigana and ruled that his provisional detention be extended by 30 days.
After several adjournments of the bail ruling this month, a panel of Military Judges led by Maj. Bernard Ndayisaba, upheld the request of the prosecution to extend Rugigana’s provisional detention to allow investigations to continue.
“After thoroughly examining the case of both the prosecution and the lawyers of the accused, as provided by the law, court can decide to extend the provisional detention of the accused if it deems it necessary,”
“The Military High Court decided to consider the application by the military prosecution submitted on June 22, giving reasons why Lt. Col Ngabo Rugigana should not be accorded bail considering how his release could jeopardise investigations,” Ndayisaba ruled.
He further noted that Rugigana is facing serious criminal charges, which, according to the law, the accused can be denied bail.
Military prosecutors said that if released, he could escape and jeopardise investigations into his case.
Rugigana’s lawyers had applied for his release as investigations continue. they had, in the bail application, said that he has a known address and family which would guarantee his availability when needed, but court rejected his argument.
Maj. Ndayisaba, said the MHC accepted the prosecution’s request for extended detention “because it was presented in a manner and time that respects the law,” adding that such a request can be made several times when the period for provisional detention elapses and the case has not yet gone into substance.
“The Military High Court dully accepts the request of the prosecution. It has ruled that 30 days be added to the provisional detention, the counting of which starts from June 23,” Judge Ndayisaba ruled.
Looking healthy and flanked by two family members, Rugigana, fully dressed in army uniform, listened carefully as the bail verdict was being read.
A former head of the Engineering Regiment in the Rwanda Defense Forces, Lt Col Rugigana is accused of threatening national security.
His brother Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, is a dissident who was last year convicted and sentenced to 24 years in prison for allegedly forming a terrorist group, threatening state security, undermining public order, promoting ethnic divisions and insulting the person of the President.
Military prosecutors have told court that Kayumba, whose terror network has since been exposed, used Rugigana to rally demobilised soldiers as well as civilians with the aim of forming a subversive militia group.
Six people with links to the fugitive General and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwandan (FDLR) militia, were arrested by security agencies earlier this month.
Rwanda: Continental Capacity Building Body to Support African Youth
Eric Kabeera/The New Times/1 July 2011
Malabo — in a bid solve the chronic unemployment affecting African youth, the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) seeks to provide support to African countries through a variety of training programs.
This was confirmed yesterday in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea by Dr. Frannie Léautier, Executive Secretary of ACBF while presenting the foundation’s perspective on the issue of youth unemployment in Africa.
African leaders are currently attending the 17th AU Summit in Equatorial Guinea under the theme “Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development”.
“ACBF’s new strategy gives pride of place to emerging issues in African development.
The critical role of capacity development and employment creation for the youth is to strengthen the enabling environment and enhance governance, in order to unlock the potential of the youth, either for self-employment or for their integration into the productive sectors,” she said.
“ACBF will do this by developing skilled individuals through training and continuous learning; creating an enabling policy environment and a critical mass of policy makers who shape the job,” she added.
Dr Frannie noted that ACBF in collaboration with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) will work closely to ensure the elimination of problems that affect the African youth.
“Working with NEPAD’s Capacity Development Strategic Framework, we expect to support African countries in their identification and strategic use of capacity development to solve development problems, including those of creating jobs for young people,” she stated.
Frannie added that it was important to understand the needs of African youth and opportunities provided by their ideas on national and regional level in order to design and implement the right policies aimed at unlocking their innovativeness and creativity.
The Chief Executive of NEPAD Agency Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, highlighted that ACBF is committed to working with the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency to enhance collaboration and streamline capacity development initiatives in Africa.
In an interview with The New Times, a Rwandan youth, Silvia Mbabazi, welcomed the ACBF decision saying that it would be beneficial to involve the youth in government institutions.
“The initiative of empowering youth is good to Africa. ACBF’s decision means that the world has started realising our significance in the development,” she said.
“Therefore, for the effective realisation of that, African government must employ youth in government institutions and not rely on old people,” she asserted.
According to the 2011 statistics of the International Labour Organization, about 60 percent of the unemployed people in Sub-Sahara Africa are the youth with an average of 72 percent of them living on less than US$2 a day.
Rwanda: Bank of Kigali Floats 45 Percent of Its Shares
Saul Butera/The New Times/1 July 2011
Kigali — Bank of Kigali (BK) Limited yesterday launched its Initial Public Offering (IPO), floating 45 percent of its shares for the public to acquire a stake in one of the biggest banks in the country.
The lender is targeting to raise Rwf 37.5 b from the over 300 million shares as part of the government’s broader strategy to divest from companies in which it owns shares, to facilitate the development of capital markets and increase alternative sources of long-term capital for business entities.
“The government is pleased to offer 133,467,400 ordinary shares of Bank of Kigali to the public.
The shares being offered by the government are in addition to the 166,837,000 newly created shares that will also be offered to the public, through the IPO,” the Minister of Finance, John Rwangombwa, said in the prospectus.
“This offer of shares by the government, is a continuation of the efforts and determination to develop the capital market within the overall framework under the Financial Sector Development Programme (FSDP) that was launched in 2007,” he explained.
In the IPO, East Africans are eligible to apply only for the 82,591,440 Offer Shares reserved under this sub-pool, employees and Directors are eligible to apply only for the 7,500,000 shares reserved under this sub-pool.
Rwandans who are incorporated or registered in Rwanda, are eligible to apply only for the 45,045,600 Offer Shares reserved under this sub-pool, while foreign investors who are not East Africans, employees and directors are eligible to apply for shares under the international pool.
The offer which opened yesterday will close on the July 29th this year.
The minimum application is 100 shares each at Rwf125. The announcement of the allotment results will be made on August 12, 2011.
“The last date of making payments of shares under international pool will be on August 19th. While shares will start trading on August 29th on the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE),” officials announced.
BK’s Performance
According BNR data, BK is the leading bank with 27 percent market share by assets, 31 percent net loans, 26 percent customer deposits, and 56 percent profitability as of 31 December2010.
In the financial year 2010, the bank posted Rwf6.1b net profit compared to Rwf5.2b realised in 2009. In the first quarter of 2011, the lender’s net profit increased from Rwf 849.9m in the first quarter of 2010 to Rwf1.9b.
Currently, the bank has 38 branches and service centres spread across the major commercial centres in the country. It intends to expand its branch footprint to over 60 branches and service centres in the next two years.
“BK has a five-year business plan and we plan to have 40 branches by the end of this year and 85 in our business plan in order to serve our clients,” BK’s CEO, James Gatera said. .
Latest statistics by the central bank indicate that the performance of commercial banks in the country improved significantly largely due to the state of economy which registered a growth of 10 percent in the first quarter of 2011 compared to the same period last year.
RDC CONGO:
L’Avenir : Joseph Kabila s’engage à suivre Lumumba et Mzee
jeudi 1er juillet/ radiookapi.net
L’Avenir : Joseph Kabila s’engage à suivre Lumumba et Mzee
L’Avenir consacre sa manchette à la célébration du cinquante et unième anniversaire de l’indépendance de la RDC. Une occasion pour le Chef de l’Etat de faire le bilan de cette législature, la première de la troisième République et qui se termine à la fin de la première année du second cinquantenaire de la RDC.
Joseph Kabila a rappelé quelques résultats dans le domaine de la reconstruction du pays. Il a constaté des avancées dans le domaine des infrastructures routières et de la voirie urbaine. Dans tous ces domaines, le défi est en train d’être relevé. Il a reconnu que dans le domaine de l’électricité et de l’approvisionnement en eau potable, le défi reste à relever, indique L’Avenir.
Il a cité des efforts en cours en vue des améliorations des services dans ce domaine. La construction des barrages de Zongo, dans le Bas-Congo, de Kakobola dans le Bandundu et de Katende dans le Kasaï occidental. Pour particulièrement améliorer la distribution de l’électricité dans la ville-province de Kinshasa, le Chef de l’Etat a annoncé la construction d’une deuxième ligne de transport de courant électrique entre le barrage d’Inga et la ville. Joseph Kabila a donné à l’opinion le fil conducteur de son action.
Il suivra l’engagement de Patrice Emery Lumumba et la détermination dans la certitude de Mzée Laurent Désiré Kabila, note L’Avenir.
Le Phare : Joseph Kabila se dit satisfait des progrès réalisés mais note des défis à relever
Sur le chapitre même chapitre de la fête de l’indépendance, Le Phare indique que Joseph Kabila s’est déclaré satisfait du parcours réalisé depuis 2006 et se félicite du processus électoral en cours au pays. Pour le confrère, le chef de l’Etat congolais a minimisé certains soucis, en affirmant qu’en dépit de quelques poches d’insécurité, la situation sécuritaire est stable sur l’ensemble de la République Démocratique du Congo.
C’est en fait un tarissement d’éloges qu’a fait Joseph Kabila sur lui-même, estime Le Phare pour qui le président Kabila s’est dit satisfait des progrès réalisés sur le plan social, économique et des infrastructures.
La Référence Plus : les congolais ont fêté le 51ème anniversaire de la RDC sous le signe de la refondation
La Référence Plus fait allusion au discours qu’a tenu le gouverneur de la ville de Kinshasa devant sa population, le 30 juin 2011. Pour le chef de l’exécutif provincial de Kinshasa, cité par le journal, les 50 premières années furent celles de la venue au monde, du tâtonnement, du trébuchement, du balbutiement, du relèvement, bref de l’apprentissage à la vie, donc des essais erreurs.
La RDC est passée par ces étapes, tel un enfant qui naît, apprend à marcher, à grandir et à se forger un caractère, une personnalité, une intelligence, un savoir-faire pour affronter les dures réalités de la vie, avec tout ce que cela comporte comme aléas et imperfections.
« Le prochain cinquantenaire qui démarre aujourd’hui sonne la trompette de l’élan de la reconstruction, de la démocratie et du développement intégral du pays », a dit André Kimbuta.
Le Potentiel : Joseph Kabila : « Les élections sont incontournables en 2011 »
Les élections sont incontournables en 2011, année post-cinquantenaire consacrant également la fin de la présente législature. Le chef de l’Etat l’a encore réaffirmé hier jeudi 30 juin à Lubumbashi dans son message commémoratif de la fête de l’indépendance de la RDC, le 30 juin, note Le Potentiel.
« Le temps des crises politiques à répétition étant révolu, vivons les élections, rien que les élections », a-t-il déclaré. Exhortant le peuple congolais à faire « pleinement confiance à la Commission électorale nationale indépendante ».
Le temps était ensoleillé le 30 juin 2011 à Lubumbashi, ville qui a accueilli sur la Place Moïse Tshombe (ex-Place de la poste) le chef de l’Etat ainsi que les autorités politiques et judiciaires nationales présentes dans la tribune d’honneur en compagnie du gouverneur du Katanga, province hôte.
Dans son message à la nation, ayant précédé le défilé de deux heures des unités des FARDC et de la Police nationale congolaise (PNC) suivies des forces vives du Katanga, le chef de l’Etat a appelé les Congolaises et Congolais à tourner cette année leurs regards vers les élections.
«Le temps des crises politiques à répétition, de gouvernements de transition et des conciliabules interminables étant révolu, et parce que la légitimité du pouvoir vient des urnes, vivons les élections, rien que les élections », a déclaré Joseph Kabila Kabange.
RDC : UDPS organise un sit-in au siège de la CENI à Kinshasa
30/06/2011 /KongoTimes!
Le parti cher à Etienne Tshisekedi organise ce lundi 04 juillet 2011, un sit-in au siège de la CENI, Boulevard du 30 juin, dans la Commune de la Gombe. Objectif ? Dénoncer les irrégularités constatées dans l’opération de révision du fichier électoral.
L’Udps évoque, en effet, des cas d’enrôlement des mineurs, militaires et policiers. Le parti d’Etienne Tshisekedi y ajoute aussi ce qu’il qualifie de sous-estimation de l’électorat de Kinshasa et dans d’autres circonscriptions électorales.
C’est M. Jacquemain Shabani, SG de l’Udps, qui a donné l’information le mercredi 29 juin, lors d’un point de presse tenu au siège du parti. Aussi, l’Udps exige-t-elle que soit publié le fichier électoral sur le site de la CENI et l’accès à son serveur central, la présence des témoins des partis politiques et des observateurs au centre de traitement et la prolongation de la période d’enrôlement pour toutes les provinces, y compris Kinshasa.
Côté CENI, l’on signale la présence sur terrain, s’agissant de l’enrôlement des mineurs, d’une équipe d’enquêteurs à Kalemie et Moba. Elle est composée, entre autres, du Coordonnateur de la Section Electorale de la Monusco de Lubumbashi, du logisticien du hub électoral de Kalemie, du point focal électoral UNPOL, du responsable de la sécurité (MONUSCO)… Sur place, des investigations sont menées avec la société civile locale, l’Administrateur du territoire et les membres du centre d’inscription incriminé.
A l’issue de toutes ces investigations, signale-t-on, un rapport sera rendu public. L’Union pour la Démocratie et le Progrès Social, le parti cher à Etienne Tshisekedi passe à l’action, dès ce lundi 4 juillet 2011, pour dénoncer les irrégularités observées ça et là dans l’opération de révision du fichier électoral. Ses militants, des dizaines des milliers, se sont donnés rendez-vous ce premier lundi du mois de juillet au siège de la Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante, Boulevard du 30 juin, où ils ont prévu un sit-in.
Cette nouvelle a été livrée par le Secrétaire Général de cette formation politique, M. Jacquemain Shabani, le mercredi 29 juin 2011, au cours d’un point qu’il a animé au siège du Parti à Limete.
Des irrégularités, M. Shabani évoque, entre autres, l’enrôlement des mineurs, des militaires et policiers, la sous-estimation de l’électorat à Kinshasa et dans d’autres circonscriptions électorales de provinces. Ce faisant, l’Udps exige-t-elle la publication du fichier électoral sur le site de la CENI et l’accès à son serveur central, la présence des témoins des partis politiques et des observateurs au centre de traitement et la prolongation de la période d’enrôlement pour toutes les provinces ainsi que pour la ville de Kinshasa.
Notons qu’il y a à peine une semaine lorsque, au sortir de son audience avec Ban Ki-Moon, Secrétaire Général de l’Onu, M. Etienne Tshisekedi avait exprimé des inquiétudes quant à la tenue des élections transparentes et crédibles dans le délai. ‘‘Vous me posez là une question que je me pose moi- même et qui préoccupe tous les congolais. La manière dont les élections se préparent ne garantit pas que nous les aurons cette année-ci d’abord, et si nous les avons, qu’elles seront crédibles et transparentes’’, répondait le lider maximo à une question de la presse sur les irrégularités constatées dans l’opération de révision du fichier électoral. La CENI en avance ? L’on retiendra que parmi les exigences de l’Udps, certaines ont déjà trouvé solution. D’autres, peut-être, sont en voie de l’être.
Au sujet de la prolongation, le mercredi 29 juin 2011, soit le même jour de la tenue de la conférence du SG de l’Udps, la CENI prenait la décision de prolonger de 10 jours, l’opération de révision du fichier électoral dans six provinces, à savoir : le Bandundu, l’Equateur, le Kasaï-Oriental, la Province Orientale et les deux Kivu.
En ce qui concerne la ville- province de Kinshasa, la situation fera l’objet d’un examen et d’une décision ultérieure, signale un communiqué de la CENI. Pour ce qui est de l’électorat de Kinshasa, le Président de la CENI, conscient du faible taux d’enrôlés dans la Capitale, a lancé le samedi 25 juin 2011, à la Foire Internationale de Kinshasa, une grande campagne de sensibilisation, d’éducation civique et électorale à l’intention des Kinoises et Kinois.
Cette campagne est menée sur terrain par les Bourgmestres et les Chefs de quartiers des 24 communes de Kinshasa. A cette occasion, le président de la CENI a exhorté les kinois à atteindre 5.000.000 d’électeurs. Travail que les partis politiques ne font pas. S’agissant de l’enrôlement des mineurs, une équipe d’enquêteurs serait déjà sur terrain.
A en croire un document conjoint Monusco- Ceni- Pnud, une délégation de la Division électorale composée du coordonnateur de la Section Electorale de Lubumbashi, du logisticien du hub électoral de Kalémie, du point focal électoral UNPOL, du responsable de la sécurité (MONUSCO), du Secrétaire exécutif provincial et du chef d’antenne de Lubumbashi (CENI), du responsable DDRR et d’un journaliste de la RTNC s’est rendue le mardi 28 juin à Manono. Sur place, des investigations sont menées avec la société civile locale, l’Administrateur du territoire et les membres du centre d’inscription incriminé.
A Kalemie et Moba, des enquêtes sont en cours. A l’issue de toutes ces investigations, signale-t-on, un rapport sera rendu public. La CENI qui n’entend nullement badiner, a frappé un préposé à la Logistique au territoire de Dekese dans la province du Kasaï Occidental. Il est reproché à celui-ci d’avoir volontairement instruit les membres des centres d’inscription de ce territoire à poursuivre l’enrôlement des électeurs au-delà du délai de 10 jours supplémentaires accordés par le Bureau de la CENI dans son communiqué du 06 juin 2011. La CENI a profité de cette intransigeante décision pour rappeler à tous ces agents, le respect strict des instructions.
C’est donc fort probable que tous ces détails soient fournis aux combattants et combattantes de l’Udps ce lundi au siège de la CENI. Il sied de noter que, selon les statistiques publiées à Kinshasa par la Monusco, quelques 28.187.000 personnes se sont déjà fait enrôler au 26 juin dans l’ensemble du pays, sur 31.000.000 d’électeurs attendus, de loin supérieur à 2006 où 25.000.000 d’électeurs avaient pris part aux opérations de vote.
La Pros.
Published By www.KongoTimes.info – © KongoTimes! – All Rights Reserved.
UGANDA:
Ugandan Opposition Leaders Held Over Protest About President’s Age
20110701/ www.nasdaq.com
KAMPALA, Uganda -(Dow Jones)- The Ugandan police have arrested several opposition party youth leaders after they attempted to hold “a 73rd birthday party” for President Yoweri Museveni in the capital Kampala, a police official said Friday.
The leaders were arrested Thursday after they attempted to lead a procession to the City Square, where the party was scheduled to take place, Vincent Sekatte, the deputy Uganda police spokesman said.
“They were dispersed after they refused to heed to police directives,” he said. “All political party activities in the central business district are not allowed.”
The opposition contends that Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, is 73 years old, and is therefore not eligible to stand again as a presidential candidate when his term expires in 2016. Under the Ugandan constitution, candidates aren’t eligible to stand for the presidency if they are older than 75.
Museveni claims he was born in 1944, making him 67, although he has in the past admitted that he doesn’t know his exact birthday.
Brenda Nabukenya, national youth leader for the Democratic Party, the country’s second-largest opposition party, said opposition parties have been carrying out their own investigation into Museveni’s age and are now “convinced” he is 73.
Nabukenya was among those arrested Thursday.
Museveni faced the most stern challenge to his 25-year rule this year following the outbreak of opposition-inspired anti-government protests across the country over steep food and fuel price rises. However, a brutal crackdown, which left over a dozen people killed and hundreds injured, subdued the protests.
The Ugandan police maintained a heavy deployment in the city Friday.
Uganda, Africa’s largest robusta coffee grower, is poised to start oil production in the next couple of years in its Lake Albertine Rift basin.
-By Nicholas Bariyo, contributing to Dow Jones Newswires; 256-75-2624615 bariyonic@yahoo.co.uk
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
07-01-110300ET
Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Uganda Central Bank Sells ‘Sizeable’ Amount of Dollars to Support Shilling
By Fred Ojambo / www.bloomberg.com/ Jul 1, 2011
Uganda’s central bank sold dollars in the domestic foreign-exchange market for a second successive day to stabilize the shilling after the currency fell to an 18-year low yesterday.
“We are in the market basically still to deal with the speculative tendencies,” Stephen Kaboyo, director of financial markets at the Bank of Uganda, said in a phone interview today from Kampala, the capital. The sale of dollars by the bank today was “sizeable,” he said.
The shilling gained 1 percent to 2,565 per dollar at 11:07 a.m. in the city.
To contact the reporter on this story: Fred Ojambo in Kampala at fojambo@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net
Uganda investment up, says Kajara
Thursday, 30th June, 2011 /By Ibrahim Kasita / www.newvision.co.ug
UGANDA’s planned investments increased by 5.6% in the last financial year, Aston Kajara, the state minister for privatisation, said yesterday.
He said 337 projects were licensed, with 130,732 planned job opportunities.
Kajara revealed that in the 2009/10 financial year, 340 projects worth $1.55b were sanctioned, with 83,659 planned jobs.
“Projects are still Uganda’s highest source of investment,” Kajara said.
He added that of the 337 projects in the last financial year, 140 were Ugandan.
Kajara said Uganda, East Africa’s third largest economy, was on the edge of economic change after the discovery of sh2.5b barrels of oil in the Lake Albert basin.
He said the highest amount of planned investments were in the electricity and the nascent petroleum industry, with $445m and 75,547 jobs created out of only four projects.
Following closely was the financial, insurance, real estate and business services sector which recorded a planned investment of $432m and 15,927 jobs created.
The agriculture sector, which contributes over 60% of Uganda’s livelihood, attracted only 47 projects with a total investment of $280m and14,000 jobs.
“While the figures are impressive, we need to emphasise the issue of job creation and adherence to the objectives of the National Development Plan,” Kajara said.
He said with over 30,000 graduates coming out of universities every year, there was need to put emphasis on vocational training and entrepreneurship skills.
The 2009 private sector investment strategy revealed that net employment increased by 5.3% from 11,791 jobs four years ago to 127,589 by June 2009.
Meanwhile, the minister revealed that a new study funded by the European Union is underway aiming at assessing the actual value of investment and employment generated since the establishment of Uganda Investment Authority in 1991.
The main objective of the study will be to assess the operational status of licensed porjects, the actual levels of employment and the sectoral problems faced by companies, with the view to providing the necessary policy interventions to resolve them.
Kajara said government focuses on strategic interventions “to accelerate economic growth and create more employment with the objective of transforming Uganda’s socio economy into a prosperous one.”
Time for Uganda to prioritise family planning investments
By Jotham Musinguzi /www.monitor.co.ug/ Friday, July 1 2011
Facing severe budget shortfalls at home, many donor countries are considering—or already implementing—cutbacks in their foreign aid programmes. This includes support for crucial international family planning programmes. For example, the United States, the global leader in supporting contraceptive services in the world’s poorest countries, reduced its 2011 international family planning and reproductive health assistance by $33 million.
In the face of this new reality, Uganda must step up its own funding for family planning—not just because the donor community is stepping back, but because it is in Uganda’s own self-interest to do so. The time to act is now.
As Uganda looks for ways to sustain the strong economic growth it has experienced in recent years, it’s important to remember that social and economic progress is linked to improved access to quality family planning services. Such services save women’s lives, save the country money, and create a healthier, more productive society. Failure to support these services now will only end up costing more down the line.
In Uganda, low levels of contraceptive use are already taking a toll. Seven in 10 women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using an effective contraceptive method. As a result, more than half of all pregnancies are unintended.
In rural areas, where 85 per cent of the population lives and where family planning services are scarce, the poorest women now have an average of two more children than they want. These additional births increase economic hardship among the most vulnerable families, leaving them with fewer resources to invest in education, healthcare and other basic needs. Unplanned births also limit women’s ability to work, making the cycle of poverty even harder to break.
Unintended pregnancy is also a serious threat to the health and survival of women and newborns. It often results in a high-risk birth, for instance, one that occurs too soon after a previous delivery or when a woman is too young. This reality is starkly reflected in Uganda’s high rates of maternal and newborn deaths: Thirty out of every 1,000 infants will die before they are a month old; and more than 6,000 women die every year during pregnancy or childbirth, while countless others experience debilitating health problems.
Further, many thousands of women decide they are not in a position to care for a child, or another child, and thus risk their lives by having an unsafe abortion. Nearly 300,000 abortions are performed every year in Uganda, most of them by an untrained provider as the procedure is highly restricted. Not only do these unsafe and clandestine procedures endanger women, they also pose a serious challenge to the public health system, which treats about six in 10 women who receive postabortion care. In other words, Uganda’s already strained health budget now devotes precious resources to treat complications from unsafe abortions. This is the reality today in Uganda, but it doesn’t have to be.
The payoff of robust and sustained investment in quality family planning programmes would be enormous. If all Ugandan women needing modern contraception were able to obtain an appropriate method, unplanned births and induced abortions would each drop by as much as 85 per cent and maternal and infant deaths by as much as 40 per cent. This would improve the health and economic well-being of women and their families and the benefits would extend to the nation as a whole.
This message should resonate not just with public health advocates in Uganda, but also with those in charge of public finances: Every dollar spent on family planning saves more than $3 that would otherwise be spent on health costs associated with unplanned pregnancies. What these numbers make clear is that funding for family planning programmes is an investment, not a cost. For Uganda and other countries in the region and around the globe that are looking for ways to enhance their economic growth, expanding the reach and quality of national family planning programmes is one of the most cost-effective and developmentally sound investments they can make.
Dr Musinguzi is the regional director of Partners in Population and Development, Africa Regional Office. Ms Sharon L. Camp, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, an independent policy and research institute in the field of sexual and reproductive health, contributed to this article.
June inflation snaps 7-month climb
Thursday, 30th June, 2011 /By Samuel Sanya / www.newvision.co.ug
ANNUAL inflation has fallen marginally to 15.8% with a reduction in the food prices in June, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) said in its latest price index yesterday.
The slowing costs in the general price level is attributed to increases in the supplies of most staple foods, moving the inflation figure from 16% recorded at the end of May for the first time in eight months. “During the month, the food prices inflation dropped by 2.5% in most centres. The decrease in prices of these food items is mainly attributed to increased supplies to the market,” Chris Mukiza, the UBOS director for macroeconomic statistics, told journalists at the monthly briefing in Kampala.
He explained that the drop in food prices notwithstanding, the annual core inflation rate, which excludes food crops, fuel, electricity and metered water, increased to 12.2%, up from 11.3% at the end of May.
Mukiza added that the drop in annual inflation would have been greater had it not been for the weakening shilling that feeds into inflation by making imports more expensive.
“Prices of some imported goods, especially new clothing, household and personal goods, went up due to continued depreciation of the shilling,” he said.
Prices for cabbage, egg plant, bitter tomatoes, ground nuts, maize flour and paraffin also went up in most centres.
Soaring food and oil prices and battered local currency sent inflation rate skywards during the first half of 2011.
Analysts said the June slowdown in the inflation rate would likely be temporary.
Uganda: 95 Percent Pass Nursing Exams
Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa/The Monitor/1 July 2011
Uganda Nurses and Midwives Examinations Board (UNMEB) yesterday released the May 2011 examination results, indicating a significant improvement in performance compared to previous years. Of 2,295 candidates who sat the exams, 2,099 candidates passed (95.7 per cent) compared to 1495 (93.0 per cent) last year, indicating a 2.7 per cent improvement in performance.
A total of 45 students scored distinctions, while 1,470 and 584 received credits and passes respectively. A total of 94 failed the exams, representing 4.3 per cent. This implies that more eight candidates scored distinctions compared to last year. “In general, candidates of May 2011 performed better than those of 2010 and it is also worth noting that the number of 2011 was higher by 588 than that of last year,” said Ms Helen Mukakarisa, the executive secretary UNMEB.
Like it has been the case in the last two years, students on certificate courses outperformed their counter parts on diploma and all the 45 distinctions were scored by certificate candidates. A total of 102 diploma candidates sat for the exams.
Ms Mukakarisa attributed this to students who fail to revise extensively for their re-sit papers.Students pursuing diploma courses in comprehensive nursing, nursing, midwifery, pediatric nursing and mental nursing usually sit their papers in November but those who fail get three more chances to re-sit the exams.
According to the results, males constituted only 33.8 percent of all candidates who sat the exams.
While releasing the exams at the Ministry of Education Headquarters in Kampala, Education Minister Jessica Alupo reiterated government’s commitment to train enough nurses and midwives to address the acute staff shortages at health facilities. “I know the issue of remuneration is still a challenge but those are the things we are yet to address because we need provision of quality services,” she said.
Although the recommended tutor to student ratio in nursing schools is 1:20, in many missionary and public nursing schools, it stands at 1:60 and 1:120 respectively. Nursing and midwifery courses are done at 36 nursing and midwifery institutions in the country. To qualify, a student must have excelled in biology and chemistry, and priority is given to female students.
CHINA/AFRICA:
Chinese premier sends congratulatory message to AU summit
English.news.cn / Xinhua/ 2011-07-01
BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday hailed the African Union (AU)’s role in international and regional affairs as the regional organization opened a summit in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea.
In a message wishing full success for the 17th session of the Heads of State and Government of the AU, Wen expressed his hope that African countries, under the leadership of the AU, could keep on making new achievements in revitalizing the continent.
Meanwhile, Wen spoke highly of China-Africa relations. ( He said that China is willing to strengthen coordination with Africa in international and regional affairs, boost bilateral cooperation under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and jointly promote the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership.
The June 30-July 1 summit will focus on major regional issues, including the Libyan crisis, and the challenges associated with empowering the youth and making them forces of development.
Editor: An
Bashir Plays Oil Card to Save Regime .
OnIslam & Newspapers /Friday, 01 July 2011
CAIRO – Facing growing isolation and internal pressures over the looming secession of the oil-rich south, Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir is wooing energy-hungry China in a bid to save his regime.
“With an indictment that continues to complicate his leadership, Bashir is indeed an embattled president,” Zach Vertin, an expert on Sudan for the International Crisis Group, told the Los Angeles Times.
“Infighting between party elites continues … and some see the indicted leader as a growing liability.”
Bashir is facing an international isolation over an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant on charges of war crimes in war-torn Darfur region.
Growing economic difficulties and the looming secession of the south on July 9 are also adding to his woes.
By south’s secession, north Sudan will lose 75% of its oil reserves.
Khartoum, which heavily depends on oil revenues, is in a desperate need to money to reduce a $40-billion national debt.
The north has the pipelines and refineries, which the south need to transport the oil.
The north and south did not yet reach an agreement to share revenues from the country’s production of around 500,000 barrels per day.
Tension has already escalated between the north and south in recent weeks ahead of the south secession.
Last month, northern troops took control of the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei.
Northern troops also swept into South Kordofan state and the Nuba Mountains to attack tribesmen accused of fomenting insurrection.
The escalation was seen as a bid by Bashir to win concessions from the south before its secession.
The north and south have fought for all but a few years since 1955 over oil, ethnicity, religion and ideology. The conflict claimed some 2 million lives and destabilized much of east Africa.
Saving Regime
Playing the oil card, Bashir has traveled this week to China in a desperate effort to consolidate his position.
“President Bashir knows very well that the survival of his regime depends on oil, and the oil is going to be lost,” Alhajj Hamad, a political analyst, told the Los Angeles Times.
“He knew he needed to indulge himself in a war with the south,” he said.
“Now he is getting only 37% of the oil revenues. That is barely enough to pay the staff.
“Food prices are soaring in the north and the mood in the streets is heading toward revolt.”
Beijing has invested heavily in Sudan’s oil, construction and agriculture industries.
In return, Bashir has allowed thousands of Chinese workers into the country and has bought hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons from China.
But the looming secession of the oil-rich south has worried Bashir as energy-hungry China is refocusing its attention on the would-be state in the south.
“China wants to win the oil in the south at a time Western countries also see the south as ripe for investment,” said Hafiz Mohammed, an analyst in Khartoum.
“The north by itself has little the Chinese can benefit from,” he said.
“But China knows that good relations between north and south are important for the stability of the oil refineries.”
China National Petroleum Corporation already pumps much of southern Sudan’s oil.
The official New China News Agency said Wednesday that although Beijing is “maintaining traditional ties with the north of Sudan, China has worked to develop friendly exchanges and expand mutually beneficial cooperation” with the south.
INDIA/AFRICA:
New dawn for Africa-India ties
By Ruchita Beri /www.southerntimesafrica.com/ 01-07-2011
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Addis Ababa, the diplomatic capital of Africa, played host to Indian diplomats, businessmen, artisans and artists that were present as part of the interactions during the Second India-Africa Forum Summit.
India’s relations with African countries have got a boost with the various co-operation initiatives unveiled by the Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.
The Prime Minister emphasized the growing importance of Africa, calling it the ‘new growth pole’ in the world.
There is no doubt that Africa is an emerging priority in India’s foreign policy.
India has often emphasized that its partnership with Africa rests on the triad of skills transfer, capacity building and trade.
The buzzword of India-Africa co-operation is co-development or two-way development.
The Prime Minister’s Summit speech was a landmark event in that it identified Africa as a priority area for India.
The goodies offered to the Africans were similar, if not more, than those offered by the Prime Minister during his annual Independence Day address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort in New Delhi.
India has revealed plans to set up eighty institutions in Africa.
They are to be set up at the Pan-African, regional and bilateral levels. At the Pan-African level, India will co-operate with Africans to set up institutions related to food processing, integrated textiles, weather forecasting, life and earth sciences, agriculture and rural development.
At the regional level, India will help to establish institutions like soil water and tissue testing laboratories, regional farm sciences centres, seed production-cum-demonstration centres and material testing labs for highway development.
At the bilateral level, India and various African countries will jointly establish institutes for English language training, information technology, entrepreneurship development and vocational training.
India will also set up rural technology parks, food testing laboratories and separate centres for food processing, geo-information application and rural development within Africa.
The other initiatives include a US$5 billion line of credit to support Africa’s development goals; an additional US$700 million to establish new institutions and training programmes; and a US$300m line of credit for development of a new Ethiopia-Djibouti railway line.
In the area of human resource development, India has proposed to set up an India-Africa virtual university with 10 000 new scholarships under this proposed university.
It has also raised the number of training slots and scholarships available under the India Technical and Economic Co-operation programme.
The scholarships available to African students under this programme for the next three years will be more than 22 000.
Finally, keeping in view the recurring threat from piracy off Somalia and the grave situation within the country, India has proposed to support the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) with a grant of US$2m.
The framework of India-Africa co-operation, released at the end of the (recent) summit, gives a glimpse of the comprehensive nature of the co-operation encompassing economic, political, health, science and technology, education and others areas.
The main message that the Second India-Africa Forum Summit leaves for all to read is that India is interested in an enduring partnership with Africa.
It is a partnership that is based on fundamental principles of equality, mutual respect, mutual benefit and interdependence.
It has offered a large chunk of concessional loans that contribute to capacity building in the socio-economic sector, human resource development, agriculture and setting up of small and medium enterprises.
India has also sought the co-operation of Africa in reforming the United Nations Security Council.
India has also indicated that it is not reticent in raising its voice against the suffering of common people in North Africa.
It recognizes that winds of change are blowing across North Africa and West Asia region.
It has accepted the right of the people to determine their future through democratic means.
India’s continued support to United Nations’ and the African Union’s peace keeping operations was meant to signal its concern for the establishment of peace and security in Africa as well as for the rise of piracy off the Somali coast.
The African response to the Indian initiatives unveiled by the Prime Minister has been positive.
Most Africans recognize that the Indian approach hinges on enhancing skills and building capacities.
They are also aware that India is ready to share appropriate technology that is affordable and accessible for sustainable development and poverty elevation.
No wonder, African leaders such as President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya have urged African countries to partner with India in order to meet the commercial and technological investment requirement urgently needed to connect with the global economy.
Similarly, President Teodore Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, who is the chairman of African Union, reiterated that: ‘Africa values India’s partnership and called for diversification of cooperation to cover more areas of co-operation.’
Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to Addis Ababa and Dar es Salaam has definitely addressed the criticism and unhappiness within Africa about the lack of high level visits from India.
The initiatives launched by India in Addis Ababa have definitely sent the message that India is serious about building new partnerships with Africa.
It has also recognized that the top six emerging economies are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has promised, ‘We will work with Africa to enable it to realize this potential.’
However, there are concerns about whether the pledges made towards capacity building would be delivered on time.
Therefore, the first challenge for India is to live up to all the promises made in Addis Ababa.
One of the important features of the Indian approach towards Africa is that it is not driven by the government alone.
The Indian industry and corporate world are equally interested in doing business with Africa.
A large number of Indian private sector companies, including Tata, Kirloskar, Mittal and Reliance, have invested in Africa in recent years.
However, it is critical that Indian officials and businessmen work together to meet these deadlines.
India would face competition from other countries that are engaging the Africans – China, Brazil, Malaysia, Turkey, Japan, European Union and the United States.
There is no doubt that over the years India’s trade with Africa has expanded.
It was a little less than US$1b in 1990-1991 and currently it is US$46b.
However, in comparison China’s two-way trade with Africa (grew) to US$115b in 2010.
While the Africans have said that there is enough space for all, India will have to ensure that it works with African leaders and people in a partnership that is effective.
At the same time these initiatives throw up a challenge in terms of enhancing capacities within India – diplomatic, academic and professionals.
Within India’s Ministry of External Affairs there is a need to strengthen the team of officials working on Africa.
As India’s dialogue with Africa increases, it is quite natural that there will be demand for professionals and scholars with expertise in African affairs.
Among the academic institutions, universities, think tanks there is a dearth of experts on Africa.
It is time that these issues are given priority.
Finally, the Addis Ababa Summit has revealed that ‘Brand India’ in Africa is a model that stresses on partnership in enhancing skills and capacity building within the continent.
India will have to tap on all the goodwill that exists within the continent to make this partnership work.
-African Executive
Ruchita Beri is a senior research associate at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis in New Delhi, India.
BRAZIL/AFRICA:
Brazil and Africa Ready to Do the Samba
By Servaas van den Bosch /ipsnews.net/ Jul 1, 2011
WINDHOEK, Jul 1, 2011 (IPS) – African trade with India and China flourished over the past decade but, with unemployment rising and industrialisation failing to take hold, cracks are appearing in Africa’s much-vaunted “Look East” doctrine. Meanwhile, from across the Atlantic, Brazil is making inroads into the continent.
Could relations with the Latin American powerhouse present a more viable alternative to the East in Africa’s South-South relations?
In June a newspaper photo of former Namibian president Sam Nujoma must have raised some eyebrows at breakfast tables across the country. A grinning 82-year old stared up from front pages, intimately flanked by a pair of equally jubilant but scarcely clad Samba dancers.
The former president’s chirpy mood was – at least in part – explained by the Brazilian oil and gas exploration company High Resolution Technology (HRT) hosting a prestigious launch party in the Namibian capital, where the photo was taken.
HRT will be drilling for the black gold off the Namibian coast and expressed confidence that the southwest African nation will soon join the ranks of oil producers.
As remarkable as its 400 million dollar investment is the commitment to the continent’s wellbeing that Brazilian investors express.
In Namibia, Brazil was instrumental in setting up a navy equipped with Brazilian ships and, on the country’s northern border, stores stock Brazilian furniture to service the Portuguese-speaking Angolan market.
HRT Chief Executive Officer Marcio Rocha Mello at the launch praised the country’s stable economy and accommodating legal framework. He also committed one Namibian dollar (0,15 U.S. dollar) per barrel to the preservation of marine reserves.
While perhaps a hollow offer as so far no oil has been found, it’s also a gesture few of the Chinese state-owned firms presently rummaging through the continent for resources would care to match.
And, in a nutshell, it perhaps signifies the different approach the Brazilians are thought to take to investment which, in contrast to China’s no-strings-attached policy, is often accompanied by social programmes or aid.
Of course Namibia is not the only African country targeted by Brazil. Brasilia has historically looked towards Lusophone Africa.
In Mozambique, for instance, diversified Brazilian mining company Vale in May opened a 1.7 billion dollars coal plant, the largest once-off investment the southeast African country has ever seen. In two years the world’s second largest miner will export 11 million tons of coal annually from the Moatizi mine.
At a recent mining conference the company announced it would continue to invest in Africa a total of 12 billion dollars over the next five years.
This is not an isolated event. Some 500 Brazilian companies are active in over 30 African countries. Writing in a recent paper, researcher Gerhard Seibert from the Lisbon University Centre for African Studies says Angola alone hosts more than a 100 Brazilian companies.
Some giants with long-standing interests in Africa are oil company Petrobras, active in Angola since 1979 and now present in virtually every oil-producing country, and construction company Norberto Odebrecht that in the early 1980s started operations in Angola, using the country as a gateway into the continent.
Many companies are supported by extensive credit lines from the state-owned Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES).
While Brazil’s relationship with Africa precedes the recent upsurge in Chinese involvement by decades, President “Lula” da Silva revived Brazil’s interest in the continent, in step with the objectives of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) forum.
During his 12 official visits he doubled the number of Brazilian embassies in Africa and boosted trade from three billion dollars in 2000 to 26 billion dollars in 2008.
“Politically and historically the context of Brazil’s engagement in Africa has changed considerably,” notes Seibert about the “Lula years”.
Adds Sanusha Naidu, senior researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council, a statutory body in South Africa: “Companies have used Brazil’s diplomatic efforts as a springboard to deploy their African activities, especially in the countries with which they have an affinity based on the Lusophone heritage.”
Brazil’s trade with the continent stood at 20 billion dollars in 2010. This is still dwarfed by China’s 107 billion dollars’ worth of trade with Africa, but is not much lower than that of the other emerging market giant India, which stands at 32 billion dollars.
Impressive figures, especially when taking into account the billions of dollars in aid that Brazil poured into Africa during the same time. Still, critics argue Brazil simply doesn’t have the muscle to match China’s African footprint.
“The argument often is that Brazil and, to an extent, India lack the support of the state which in China is the champion of foreign investment,” is Naidu’s analysis. “But you do have an extensive private sector in Brazil that for decades has nurtured its global contacts. The private sector should be the motor of promoting Africa as an investment destination.”
While there is a trade agreement between the Southern African Customs Union and Mercosur (Latin America’s Southern Common Market), observers say this is not used optimally.
Researchers of the Trade Law Centre of South Africa (TRALAC) point out in their analysis of the trade agreement between the two blocs, aptly titled “Shall we Samba?” obvious possibilities for trade, especially in the agricultural sector.
“Of interest, as well, is Brazil’s focus on renewable energy, especially biofuels,” adds Naidu. “Its focus on innovation and research and its willingness to transfer skills make it an attractive partner.”
“Now the question is how will Brazil move into the greater available space in Africa. So far Lula’s successor, President Dilma Rousseff, seems to have adopted his policies and is moving along the same trajectory.” (END)
Brazil’s Graziano elected chief of UN food agency
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press/ 07/01/2011
ROME—Jose Graziano da Silva of Brazil was elected on Sunday as director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization, the U.N. agency tasked with reducing world hunger at a time of near-record high food prices.
Graziano, currently FAO’s regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, won on the second ballot with the support of 92 of the 180 FAO member states voting.
He beat out Miguel Angel Moratinos of Spain, his main challenger, and four other candidates to replace Jacques Diouf of Senegal, whose 18-year tenure prompted a change in the agency’s rules to set term limits.
He takes over the agency at a time when high food prices are putting the lives of millions of already hungry and malnourished
people at further risk and raising fears of a repeat of the high-price-driven social unrest of 2007-2008.
The FAO’s food price index hit an all-time high in February. It has since decreased slightly, but experts warn that food prices remain far too high for many poor communities. The agency put the number of hungry people in 2010 at 925 million, the overwhelming majority living in developing countries.
The Rome-based FAO is the largest U.N. agency, with an annual budget of about $1 billion. It has faced long-standing calls from top donors like the United States for bureaucratic reform, budget cuts and better prioritizing of projects.
In his final campaign pitch to delegates on Saturday, Graziano noted that no Brazilian
heads a top-level position in the U.N. system and that no Latin American had ever headed the FAO. He said he had the credentials, citing his tenure as FAO’s regional representative for Latin America since 2006.
Prior to that, he served as food security minister under former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In that capacity, he helped implement the “Zero Hunger” initiative that helped dramatically decrease malnutrition among Brazil’s 190 million people.
In his speech
Saturday, Graziano promised to deliver FAO’s reform plans and said Africa should remain a priority for the agency, with FAO playing a central role in water and marine resources management.
But Graziano’s emphasis was mostly on the need for a shared vision and bridging gaps between different positions to enhance the organization’s decision-making—saying the consensus surrounding his candidacy shows he’s the right man to bridge those gaps.
True to this notion, he ended his pitch quoting John Lennon: “A dream you dream alone is only a dream; a dream you dream together is reality.”
Aid group Oxfam welcomed Graziano’s victory, saying he had the expertise and commitment to “transform our broken food system and make the
shift toward a new agricultural future.”
In a statement, Oxfam policy adviser Luca Chinotti urged governments to support Graziano implement his goals and cited his work in the Zero Hunger program, particularly his support of small farmers and women gaining rights to land resources.
“We hope that Graziano will advocate for these successful policies to be replicated at a global level,” Chinotti said.
EN BREF, CE 01 Juillet 2011 … AGNEWS/DAM,NY, 01/07/2011
