- How Africa and Europe can end illicit capital flight

Every year huge unreported flows of money are leaving developing countries, ending up in rich countries or tax havens. If properly reported this illicit capital flight would generate at least US$160 billion per year in tax revenue - more than one and a half times the total annual aid to the developing world. These are resources that could be crucial in the fight to combat poverty.    

 

Contrary to popular belief, only a small share, three to five percent, of illicit capital flight stems from corruption. Instead, almost two thirds originate from multinational companies evading to pay tax, and one third is a result of criminal activities such as trade with humans, drugs and weapons. Despite the fact that illicit capital flight has severe consequences for developing countries – it cancels investment, undermines trade, hurts competition, worsens income gaps and drains hard-currency reserves – awareness of the measures needed to end it is low.  

 

As a percentage of GDP, capital flight from Africa is larger than from other parts of the world. But Africa cannot stand alone to end it, cooperation and political will is required by decision makers in Europe as well as in Africa.    

 

This new report is a part of Forum Syd's publication series Global Studies. It explains illicit capital flight, how it happens, its magnitude, its consequences for the poor, and measures needed to end it. It also presents illustrative case studies from Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania.

 

To read the entire report, click here

 

From : FORUM SYD IN AFRICA.

Forum Syd is a Swedish democracy and rights organization with the aim to strengthen the role of civil society in its efforts to bring about global justice and sustainable development.

http://www.africaprogresspanel.org/en/our-work/publications/africa-progress-report-2011/

From Africa Progress Panel

Influences and Interests in African Foreign Policy in the 21st Century /by Ross Herbert

SAIIA Occasional Paper No 95, September 2011

Trade relations, strategic military balances, the Eastern bloc and Russia, China, Europe, the Cold War and post-Cold War issues have long dominated global studies of foreign policy. In this environment Africa has been little more than an after-thought, or at best the passive object of other nations’ foreign policies. One consequence of the ending of the Cold War and the subsequent, much discussed ‘uni-polar moment’ has been a renewed interest in multilateral institutions as instruments to restrain unilateral state action. Although still not strong in any military sense or as decisive in action as a nation-state, the United Nations has attracted followers while in trade, economic policy, peacekeeping and crisis intervention, there has been a shift in influence of great consequence to foreign policy practitioners. This is the recognition that the United States and Europe remain highly influential but in power and normative terms can no longer take unilateral action.

In today’s more consensus-orientated world, unilateral coalitions of the willing still can and do act; but greater consideration is being given to the views and policies of nations formerly ignored by the great powers. In many forums African states – which together represent a quarter of all the nations on earth – have a new relevance in international affairs. Of course, they continue to be financially dependent and rarely have the clout to mount spirited foreign policy initiatives. But their votes matter; and Africa is highly relevant to global concerns over issues such as energy security, conflict prevention, terrorism, drug smuggling, illegal immigration, financial regulation, money laundering, development, disease, minerals, wildlife conservation and climate change. The world is still far from coming together as a global village but there have been important moves away from the Hobbesian state of nature that in centuries past, permitted unrestrained conflict between nations.

In this slowly shifting context, it is important to reconsider the dynamics, policy priorities and strategic interests that drive African nations’ foreign policy. Africa may not be leading global debates, but its views certainly are of greater consequence than hitherto, given the greater deference of global institutions to consensus decision-making and regional bloc representation.
Download - English [.pdf]

The Economic Commission on Africa (ECA) has released the 2011 Millennium Development Goals(MDG) Report. 

 

This report is organized as follows. After this first introductory section, Section II assesses progress on each of the eight Goals. Section III takes as its thematic focus social protection programs as they relate to the MDGs in a selected number of African countries. Section IV concludes with recommendations on the way forward. UN Pulse: Permanent Link: 2011 Millenium Development Goals Report

Previous Reports:

2010

2009

South Africa ranked fifth overall in the 2011 Ibrahim Index of governance quality in Africa, but fared poorly in the area of personal safety... From Polity.org.za

From Mo Ibrahim Foundation

Downloads

2011 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (zip format 5MB) 

2011 Ibrahim Index of African Goverance (RAR Files 1.38MB each)
Part 1 of 3, Part 2 of 3 and Part 3 of 3

About the 2011 Ibrahim Index

Interactive data set for 2011 Ibrahim Index

2011 Ibrahim Index of African Governance | Summary Report

Structure of the 2011 Ibrahim Index

Poster of results for all countries in the 2011 Ibrahim Index

Central Africa Region Pack 2011

East Africa Region Pack 2011

North Africa Region Pack 2011

Southern Africa Region Pack 2011

West Africa Region Pack 2011

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is committed to making data on governance quality in Africa freely available and accessible to all citizens of the continent and interested stakeholders. We welcome and encourage any accurate reproduction, translation and dissemination of this material. The material must be attributed to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, but not in any way that suggests that the Foundation endorses you or your use of the material.

The Libyan revolution: Thoughts on a post-Gaddafi era of African integration/ Written by Babatunde Fagbayibo

The first decade of the 21st century, especially as it relates to the quest for continental integration, belonged to Muammar Gaddafi. Like Kwame Nkrumah before him, Gaddafi dominated the discourse on the need for unification by channelling resources, human and material, towards the achievement of the goal. Both Nkrumah and Gaddafi vociferously, albeit at different times and with different strategies, advocated the importance and urgency of establishing a ‘United States of Africa’.

Although the idea of African unity remained on the agenda for several decades, the overthrow of Nkrumah in a military coup in 1966 signalled the end of his goal of creating a single Government for Africa. Gaddafi resurrected the idea in the late 1990s, but the Libyan revolution that swept him from power in August 2011 will in all likelihood ensure that, similar to post-Nkrumah, the “United States of Africa” become a footnote in African realpolitik. This does not mean that all regional integration processes will come to an abrupt end; rather the substance of the debate will shift from a Gaddafi-inspired ‘Union Government of Africa’ to the importance of a gradual approach to African unity. The aim of this discussion paper is to flesh out the implications of the ousting of Gaddafi on African integration.

The Gaddafi era of African integration

A number of reasons have been cited for Gaddafi’s quest for the unification of Africa. Some observers argue that Gaddafi only became a proponent of African unity after he failed in his bid to create an Arab union.(2) Others point to Gaddafi’s gratitude to Africa for the Organisation of African Unity’s (OAU) collective support throughout Libya’s dispute with the United States of America (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) over the Lockerbie affair.(3) A multitude of factors are responsible for Gaddafi’s stance on African unity, but an underlining reason was his ambition of becoming the president of the envisaged single Government of Africa. While he at no point expressly made this claim, some of his actions pointed to this...

Ousting of the brother leader: What implications for African unity?

Since Gaddafi was an autocrat, his decision to spend Libya’s resources on pursuing the unification of Africa was devoid of the consent of his people. The Libyan people had no say on how their money was spent on Gaddafi’s pet project, neither was their opinion on the issue of African integration ever sought. It is against this background that one should consider how the Libyan Government, the National Transitional Council (NTC) and subsequent democratically elected Governments, will react to the issue of African integration. A number of factors point to the fact that a post-Gaddafi Government in Libya will only pay fleeting attention to African integration...

Link to theFull-text of the article

Babatunde Fagbayibo is on the staff of  Consultancy Africa Intelligence’s Africa Watch Unit

 

Putting Young Africans to Work - Addressing Africa's youth unemployment crisis, which draws on a series of Dialogues held in May 2011 with the governments of Zambia, Mozambique and Swaziland, argues that youth unemployment will only worsen unless an environment is fostered in which labour is more productive and opportunities for innovation and growth are created - largely by government setting the right conditions and then getting out of the way. It is business, not government, that will put young Africans to work in sufficient numbers to turn the continent's population time bomb into a demographic boon.

FAHAMU: CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS: Comparative African perspectives on China and other emerging powers in Africa

China's deepening engagement with Africa is receiving increased attention from the global media, the public and private sectors and academic research. This should not however overshadow the activities of other emerging powers in Africa, including India, Brazil and the Gulf states. This call therefore seeks to develop African perspectives in the discourse surrounding the engagement between Africa and these emerging powers. Deadline for receiving applications: 12 October 2011.

For further details please download information here
(http://www.fahamu.org/Fahamucallforresearchproposals2011-final.pdf ).

From: PAMBAZUKA NEWS 547: LINKS AND RESOURCES

Small Scale Agriculture in Southern Africa, from November 9-11, 2009. The aim of the conference was to facilitate deliberations on topical agriculture-related issues that affect the Southern Africa region. The conference brought together civil society organisations, the public sector and other stakeholders to engage in continued debates on development in Africa, and the role of small-scale agriculture in eradicating hunger and poverty.

African states are signatories to the Maputo Declaration of 2003. Under the Maputo Declaration, heads of state of the African Union recognise that it is the responsibility of Africa to invigorate its agricultural sector, increase food production and ensure economic prosperity and the welfare of its people by guaranteeing sustainable food security. Under the declaration, the heads of state acknowledged that 30% of the continent’s population is chronically and severely undernourished. They also recognise that the continent is a net importer of food and the largest recipient of food aid in the world.

To address this dire situation and achieve food sufficiency, food security and economic growth on the continent, the leaders have committed themselves to implement the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), which provides a framework for restoring food security, agricultural growth and rural development in Africa. To achieve these goals, the heads of states agreed to adopt sound agriculture and rural development policies. African leaders also agreed to commit their governments to allocating at least 10% of their national budgets for the implementation of CAADP within 5 years.

It is now more than more than five years since the signing of the Maputo Declaration. Globally, the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the number of people suffering from hunger and poverty by 2015 is halfway through. Yet, development in Africa and the goal of taking its citizens out of poverty leaves a lot to be desired. It is against this backdrop that the conference sought to highlight the gains and challenges faced by the continent in achieving these goals.

The conference brought together Idasa partners from Southern, Eastern, Central and Western Africa who are involved in advocacy, capacity building, and lobbying. Participants also included other stakeholders involved in agriculture and rural development.

• Small-Scale Agriculture in Southern Africa - Conference Report
  Small-Scale Agriculture in Southern Africa - Conference Report.pdf
• Small-Scale Agriculture in Southern Africa - COVER
  Small-Scale Agriculture in Southern Africa - Conference Report (Cover).pdf
• PLEASE FIND BELOW THE PRESENTATIONS PRESENTED AT THE CONFERENCE

  THE TENDENCIES OF THE PUBLIC DEPENSES OF THE STATE FACED BY SMALL SCALE FARMING IN THE DRC

  Please be advised that this is a french presentation.

  Intervention.Idasa.ppt
• Small-Scale Agriculture in Southern Africa - Conference Report (Cover)_

  Small-Scale Agriculture in Southern Africa

  Small-Scale Agriculture in Southern Africa - Conference Report (Cover)_.pdf

• TRENDS IN PUBLIC EXPENDITURE AND SMALL-SCALE FARMING: A Case of Malawi

• SADC Slide by Dr Gabagambi

  Trends in public expenditure and its implications on small-scale farmers in Tanzania

  SADC Slide by Dr Gabagambi.ppt
• IDASA conference - Aliber & Hall - presentation

  The Case for Re-strategising Spending Priorities to Support Small-scale Farmers in South Africa

  IDASA conference - Aliber & Hall - presentation.ppt
• IDASA presentation

  Trends in Public Expenditure and Small-Scale Farming (The Zambia Experience)

  IDASA presentation.ppt

http://www.idasa.org/our_products/resources/output/small_scale_agriculture_in/

The Africa Yearbook covers major domestic political developments, the foreign policy and socio-economic trends in sub-Sahara Africa – all related to developments in one calendar year. The Yearbook contains articles on all sub-Saharan states, each of the four sub-regions (West, Central, Eastern, Southern Africa) focusing on major cross-border developments and sub-regional organizations as well as one article on continental developments and one on European-African relations. While the articles have thorough academic quality, the Yearbook is mainly oriented to the requirements of a large range of target groups: students, politicians, diplomats, administrators, journalists, teachers, practitioners in the field of development aid as well as business people.


The Africa Yearbook is published by Brill (http://www.brill.nl/). Editors: Andreas Mehler, Henning Melber and Klaas van Walraven; sub-editor: Rolf Hofmeier.

On the occasion of the ECAS 2011 Conference, six editions of the Africa Yearbook are now freely available online until 1 August 2011.

Go to http://www.brillonline.nl/public and log in with username: AYB-trial, password: ECAS2011

Africa and its emerging partners
Africa’s trade volumes with its emerging partners have doubled in nominal value over the decade and now amount to 37% of Africa´s total trade. While China represents Africa’s leading emerging partner, having surpassed the United States in volume, the continent’s trade with its other emerging partners, taken together, is even larger than its trade with China alone. China represents more than a third of Africa’s trade with emerging partners.

Find out more

 

http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/

South Africa

AFRICA: ACCESS TO WATER AND PRIVATISATION: why proclaim access to water a fundamental human right?
Jacques Cambon
Despite UN recognition of access ?to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment f life and all human rights,? it is a right that is far from being realised in most parts of the world, writes Jacques Cambon.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73860



THE WATER CRISIS IN AFRICAN CITIES
Michel Makpenon
Access to running water remains in a state of crisis for a huge number if people across Africa, writes Michel Makpenon. With growing urbanisation across the continent, African cities will need the political determination to ensure sustainable water resources based onsocial need rather than commercial concerns, he stresses.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73836



GHANA'S QUEST TO QUENCH ITS THIRST
Alhassan Adam
Ghana has a long history of struggle against the inequitable allocation of water - beginning with protests against colonial water policy and, more recently, with opposition to water privatisation that began in the 1990s. Alhassan Adam writes about the history, the challenge to privatisation and the road ahead.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73856



THE COMMODIFICATION OF WATER AND LAND IN MALI
S'kou Diarra
Mali's Dogon have traditionally seen water as a source of life and a public good, with the right to water "a prerequisite to all other human rights." Now the privatisation of water threatens to exclude citizens from managing their most precious resource, leaving "the task ith a commercially minded technocracy", says S'kou Diarra.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73861



WATER PRIVATISATION: SENEGAL AT THE CROSSROADS
Olivier Petitjean and Elimane Diouf
While the Senegalese government wishes to "disengage financially from the water sector", it is precisely the previous public management of water that has begun to improve infrastructure and people's access to the resource.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73837



WATER MANAGEMENT REFORM IN RURAL AREAS OF SENEGAL
Moussa Diop
Changes to the water sector in Senegal that have seen a disengagement of the state and the promotion of the private sector have had unforeseen effects, writes Moussa Diop. Increased waste in domestic water consumption is one of the contradictions, while existing social relations also have a significant impact on the water delivery environment.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73859



POLLUTION: AFRICA'S REAL RESOURCE CURSE?
Khadija Sharife
A Tanzanian gold mine leaks polluted water into a major river. A mining town in Zambia is listed as amongst the most polluted places in the world. And a water pollution problem in South Africa that is caused by mining threatens national water resources. Khadija Sharife examines the hidden costs behind Africa's resource extraction reputation.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73857



PUBLIC-PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS IN WATER: an overview
David Hall
Donors and development banks have largely focused on private-public partnerships in their attempts to develop water management capacity round the world, overlooking the vast expertise of public sector later operators. But now they too are starting to recognise the benefits of public-public partnerships for the provision of public later and sanitation services, writes David Hall.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73862



STRENGTHENING PUBLIC WATER: South–South–North public–public partnerships
Samir Bensaid
While both North-South partnerships and South-South partnerships have strengths and limitations, linking these in networked models is an effective way to mobilise expertise and funding and achieve success, writes Samir Bensaid, with reference to the example of ONEP (Morocco) and SNDE (Mauritania).
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73858



THE WRONG CLIMATE FOR BIG DAMS: why Africa should shun hydropower megaprojects
Lori Pottinger
Hydropower dams are "well-suited for facilitating industrialisation and exploitation of natural resources, but not for reducing Africa's energy poverty", writes Lori Pottinger. And given the water-security problems posed by climate change, "the proposed frenzy of African dam building could be literally disastrous".
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73863



THE COST OF ADDING CARBON CREDITS TO CLEAN WATER
Shiney Varghese
Linking carbon credits to clean water initiatives as a means of reducing carbon emissions is simply a corporate effort to cash in on measures to tackle climate change, writes Shiney Varghese.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/73834

The Africa Portal is an online knowledge resource for policy-related issues on Africa. An undertaking by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Makerere University (MAK), and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), the Africa Portal offers open access to a suite of features including an online library collection; a resource for opinion and analysis; an experts directory; an international events calendar; and a mobile technology component—all aimed to equip users with research and information on Africa’s current policy issues.

A key feature to the Africa Portal is the online library collection holding over 3,000 books, journals, and digital documents related to African policy issues. The entire online repository is open access and available for free full-text download. A portion of the digital documents housed in the library have been digitized for the first time as an undertaking of the Africa Portal project. Facilitating new digitization projects is a core feature of the Africa Portal, which aims to improve access and visibility for African research.

The Africa Portal is part of the Africa Initiative project.

http://www.africaportal.org/

By Leslie Nyagah, Agricultural Researcher and Project Manager, ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE PROGRAMME / IDASA

SUMMARY
The global narrative on access to food, improved agricultural productivity and how to feed the future has captured the attention of many developed and developing economies that are now grappling with the daunting realities of a stressed and precarious food security system. The magnitude of this reality has conjured an emotive script that places a global challenge right at the doorstep of every country on how financial and political resources should be used to provide adequate and nutritious food for future generations. But this concern is neither new nor surprising since there has been a slow progressive movement towards addressing global food insecurity in recent years, especially against the backdrop of mounting natural, political and socio-economic pressures such as political conflict over natural resources, water stresses, global economic  downturn and concerns on the ability of developing countries to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals

Click on the Link to open the  full text 

This Report seeks to promote new and deeper knowledge of the potential of African young people and the broad conditions that have an influence on this potential. It acknowledges the predicament of African young people today, noting that they share visions and aspirations that are seemingly beyond their reach, yet are essential elements of today’s societies and the future which awaits coming generations. From UN Pulse Permanent Link: ECA-African Youth Report 2011

Front Matter

Executive summary




I. Introduction

II. Analysis of initiatives on youth education and employment

III. Strengthening youth education to harness the employment benefits of globalization

IV. Best practices in linking education to employment in Africa

V. Key messages and Conclusions




Download Full Version of the report

The official website for the General Assembly High-level Meeting on AIDS (8-10 June 2011) has been launched in six official languages: http://www.un.org/en/ga/aidsmeeting2011.  The website features, among others, a UNAIDS video PSA, "Africa Is Moving on AIDS," documents, background material and programme for the meeting. UN Pulse Permanent Link: General Assembly High-level meeting on AIDS website

United Nations Industrial and Development Organization (UNIDO) has published Agribusiness for Africa’s Prosperity, presenting the state-of-the-art of agribusiness development in Africa. This work analyses the challenges, the potential and opportunities of African agribusiness in the current period of dramatic changes in global agro-industrial markets, and builds a case for agribusiness development as a path to Africa’s prosperity. Down load the full report from the web site (full report, pdf)

UN Pulse  Permanent Link: Agribusiness for Africa’s Prosperity

Africa has traditionally been characterised by conflict and underdevelopment, and unfortunately when Cold War scrambling subsided to civil conflict and dictatorship rule, development was only really achieved in a few limited regions. However, Africa’s mineral wealth has been recognised, and subsequent investments have begun to flow freely. The question at hand though is, will this investment continue and be enough to eventually lift up the economies of Africa, or will it subside once the novelty has worn off? This discussion paper will discuss the growing involvement of China in the economic development of the African continent, questioning if this infatuation is healthy for Africa, or if it will benefit only the already deep-pocketed Sino behemoth?...[More] Consultancy Africa Intelligence

The 2011 Economic Report for Africa is now available. Produced by the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the report shows that the continent posted an economic growth rate of 4.7 per cent for 2010, and was expected to reach 5 per cent this year, as it recovered from the global economic crisis.

 

 Read the press release during the launch or visit the web site to download the report in English or French.UN Pulse: Permanent Link: 2011 Economic Report on Africa

Regional Integration and Human Development: A pathway for Africa
[10/05/11] The report discusses four main channels linking integration and human development: income; access to services, empowerment, and sustainability. It assesses how factors common to many countries might condition the impacts of regional integration on human development. This qualitative analysis is supplemented with simulations of regional integration processes within Africa and beyond. more...

Amnesty International's 2011 report reveals a world in which people continue to challenge oppression despite the powerful array of repressive measures used against them. It shows that the communities most affected by human rights abuses are the real driving force behind the human rights struggle.

The year 2010 may well be remembered as a watershed year when activists and journalists used new technology to speak truth to power and, in so doing, pushed for greater respect for human rights. It is also the year when repressive governments faced the real possibility that their days were numbered

Complete Annual Report

Regional  Report: Africa

 A-Z Country Reports

South Africa

Contents:

 

Latest facts and figures

Contents

Introduction: African Challenges and Opportunities|
Sue Onslow
Head of LSE IDEAS Africa International Affairs Programme

Prospects for Growth in Africa: Learning from Patterns of Long-Term Economic Change|
Morten Jerven
Assistant Professor in International Studies, Simon Fraser University

Political Stability: Crucial for Growth?|
Ben Shepherd
David Davies of Llandinam fellow, Department of International Relations,LSE

Emerging Powers and Africa|
Christopher Alden
Senior Lecturer in International Relations, LSE

Thirst for African Oil|
Alex Vines
Director of Regional and Security Studies, Chatham House

African Security and the Securitisation of Development|
Knox Chitiyo
Head of Africa Programme, RUSI

http://www2.lse.ac.uk/IDEAS/publications/reports/SU004.aspx

 UN-Habitat: Sustainable Mobility in African Cities

This report is the summary of the seminar on Sustainable Development of Public Transport in Africa held in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 10 and 11, 2009. The event was jointly organised by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT), UITP (the International Association of Public Transport) and UATP (the African Association of Public Transport). This report can be downloaded here in PDF or from UN-Habitat.  From UN Pulse: Permanent Link: UN-Habitat:Sustainable Mobility in African Cities

UNDP Issue Brief: Urban Water Provision in Sub-Saharan Africa 

This document summarizes results from case studies in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It notes that although small-scale private providers increase water supply coverage and reduce time spent on fetching water, in the absence of a coherent policy framework with effective tariff enforcement and water quality monitoring, services delivery is often costly and of varying quality. This issue brief, (which also contains details of how to obtain copies of the original studies) can be downloaded in PDF here or from the UNDP website.             From UN Pulse: Permanent Link: UNDP Issue Brief: Urban Water Provision in Sub-Saharan Africa

Occasional Paper No 75:

India and Africa: Towards a Sustainable Energy Partnership

By Shebonti Ray Dadwal

 

Occasional Paper No 76:

Evolving India-Africa Relations: Continuity and Change

By Ruchita Beri

 

Occasional Paper No 77:

Before and Beyond Energy: Contextualising the India-Africa Partnership

By Devika Sharma & Swati Ganeshan

 

Occasional Paper No 78:

Africa and the Geopolitics of the Indian Ocean

By Frank Van Rooyen

There is a new report by UN-Habitat titled Infrastructure for Poverty Reduction and Economic Development in Africa.This report evaluates the role of infrastructure in promoting economic growth and poverty reduction in Africa. It is devoted to the study of the complementary physical infrastructure - telecommunications, power, transport (roads, railways, ports and airports), and water supply. UN Pulse: Permanent Link: Infrastructure for Poverty Reduction and Economic Development in Africa

UNCTAD has released a new report on trade-related capacity building in least developing countries in Africa.This study is a contribution to the reflection on trade-related capacity building (TRCB) in the specific context of the least developed countries (LDCs) in Africa, with a focus on the role of academia, both as beneficiaries and as providers of such capacity-building services. This study maps the TRCB needs of these countries, analyzes the various initiatives and actors involved, with a particular focus on the UNCTAD Virtual Institute, and proposes some considerations for future interventions in TRCB in African LDCs. UN Pulse: Permanent Link: Trade-Related Capacity building for academia In African Least Developed Countries

by Berouk Mesfin, Senior Researcher, African Conflict Prevention Programme, Addis Ababa

Link to the full text of the article : http://www.issafrica.org/iss_today.php?ID=1219

...

Many Africans had the opportunity to read through these cables and study the information that they contain about how the US, the lone superpower since 1991, assesses political developments around the world and interacts with other states behind closed doors. They had the opportunity to get what a British commentator described in the Guardian as ‘a deep sense of priorities, character, thought patterns’ in US secret diplomacy. 

It will probably take many years and even decades before the real lessons contained in these informative cables may be drawn. However, African governments and citizens should at least begin to reflect and learn preliminary but valuable lessons from the contents and the style of these informative cables.
 

...

Finally, all things considered, international relations will continue to be the incessant struggle among selfishly motivated states. And, diplomats will continue to be at the forefront of this struggle. They engage in their non-altruistic tradecraft which the British commentator in the Guardian aptly portrayed as ‘finding out what is happening in the places to which they are posted, working to advance their nation’s interests and their government’s policies’.

For better or worse, no mass dumping of classified documents by WikiLeaks – leaks come and go – will change this reality. Everything will go back to normal and US diplomats, discredited but undaunted, will continue to go to great lengths to collect information of the utmost importance, write the frankest assessments and only pursue the most vital of US interests without much concern for the interests of other states.

 

Will economic interest take precedence over democracy?

In the aftermath of the global economic crisis, Africa is one of the regions of the world that are experiencing better-than-expected levels of economic growth.

While this growth may be off a low base, it is not insignificant in relation to the continent’s developmental and economic needs. If the growth continues, it will assist regional integration efforts in different parts of the continent. But the most important challenge this growth presents is with regard to the relationship between economic growth, on the one hand, and democracy and social justice, on the other.

It is in the challenge of linking growth to democracy that South Africa’s role on the continent will be tested. In other words, will South Africa pursue growth and investment opportunities at the expense of democracy and development? Are we going to commit ourselves to an understanding of respect for national sovereignty which is based on the need to deepen democracy in South Africa, while avoiding an insistence on the same elsewhere in Africa if such an insistence poses a threat to economic opportunities? Is South Africa going to hide behind multilateral approaches to avoid taking positions that may alienate powerful leaders who are not committed to good governance and democracy?...[More]

Video clip

From Polity.org.za

 

Assessing the Impact of Increased Global Food Prices on the Poor

Source:  International Food Policy Research Institute

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UNEP has published the Africa Waters Atlas. This Atlas vividly illustrates the importance of Africa’s water resources in supplying millions of people with life-giving water and in supporting activities that are crucial to the ecosystems and economies. This is revealed through 224 maps and 104 satellite images as well as some 500 graphics and hundreds of compelling photos in this atlas.The Atlas is more than just a collection of static maps and images accompanied by informative facts and figures, its visual elements vividly illustrate a succinct narrative describing and analyzing Africa’s water issues and exemplifying them through the judicious use of case studies.UN Pulse: Permanent Link: UNEP: Africa Water Atlas

Report by ActionAid, November 2010

http://www.actionaid.org.uk/doc_lib/calling_time_on_tax_avoidance.pdf

Policy Briefs, November 2010:

The Impact of China-Africa Aid Relations: The Case of Sudan
Available at: http://www.aercafrica.org/publications/item.asp?itemid=647&category=

The Impact of China-Africa Investment Relations: The Case of Nigeria
Available at: http://www.aercafrica.org/publications/item.asp?itemid=646&category=

The Impact of China-Africa Trade Relations:The Case of Mauritius
Available at: http://www.aercafrica.org/publications/item.asp?itemid=645&category=

The Impact of China-Africa Investment Relations: The Case of Mauritius
Available at: http://www.aercafrica.org/publications/item.asp?itemid=644&category=

The Impact of China-Africa Aid Relations: The Case of Angola
Available at: http://www.aercafrica.org/publications/item.asp?itemid=639

The Impact of China-Africa Trade Relations: The Case of Cameroon
Available at: http://www.aercafrica.org/publications/item.asp?itemid=642

The Impact of China-Africa Trade Relations: The Case of Kenya
Available at: http://www.aercafrica.org/publications/item.asp?itemid=643

The Impact of China-Africa Aid Relations: The Case of Uganda
Available at: http://www.aercafrica.org/publications/item.asp?itemid=648

Many of the contemporary conflicts in Africa are characterised by the exploitation of and conflict over valued and lucrative natural resources. These resources include oil, water, natural gas, timber, minerals, gemstones, narcotics and fibres. Conflict over these resources ranges from minor policy issues to explicit violence. Their exploitation facilitated by economic globalisation and the liberalisation of financial markets. Revenues generated are used for the provision of weapons and other military materials; the hiring of mercenaries; personal wealth of warlords and Government officials; and to procure the support of bordering states and relevant groups.(2)

The two main outcomes of resource wars are power and wealth. Conflict often occurs in areas of pre-existing hostility and is intertwined with ethnic, religious and/or tribal rivalry. Even though the often pre-existing hostility can be exacerbated by the conflict over the relevant resources, it often happens that the struggle over the resources can act as the sole reason for conflict.(3) All across the continent, conflicts over these resources have posed a great threat to peace, security and stability. This threat is not only witnessed and experienced on African soil, but also felt across the globe. It is therefore crucial that the international community assist in the prevention and resolution of war, as well as the sustainability of peace often initiated by peacebuilding initiatives... [More]

The African Union, NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency (AU-NPCA), the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UN-OSAA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have joined forces to improve international and regional co-operation for growth and development in Africa. As a first outcome of this partnership, the three institutions released on 11 October a joint study recommending further diversification of African economies.

According to the study titled, "Economic Diversification in Africa: A Review of Selected Countries", an enhanced diversification would reduce African economies’ reliance on natural resource revenues and encourage sustainable growth in other strategic sectors such as telecommunications, agriculture and tourism.

The report looks at how Africa can boost its economic growth and development by investing greater national and regional efforts in business climate reform. The study also aims to improve recognition of the increasingly important contribution of Africa to global economic growth.

Also on the same day, the three international organizations released a series of policy briefs on Africa’s foreign direct investment, infrastructure, debt, and aid.

The report and fact sheets are available below.

Economic Diversification in Africa: A Review of Selected Countries
Policy brief on Aid to Africa
Policy brief on External Debt in Africa
Policy brief on FDI in Africa
Policy brief on Infrastructure in Africa

 

From: http://www.un.org/africa/osaa/OSAA_NEPAD_OECD_partnership.html

Achieving Sustainable Health Development in the African Region
Strategic Directions for WHO 2010–2015

 

As World malaria Day is celebrated on 25 April, some Member States in the African Region report  progress in tackling malaria.

The Solidarity Peace Trust is a non-governmental organisation, registered in South Africa. The Trustees of the Solidarity Peace Trust are church leaders of Southern Africa, who are all committed to human rights, freedom and democracy in their region.

The chairperson is: Bishop Rubin Phillip; Anglican Bishop of KwaZulu-Natal, Republic of South Africa

The objectives of the Solidarity Peace Trust are to assist individuals, organisations, churches and affiliated organisations in southern Africa, to build solidarity in the pursuit of justice, peace and social equality and equity in Zimbabwe.

It shall be the special concern of the Trust to assist victims of human rights abuses in their efforts to correct and end their situation of oppression.

http://www.solidaritypeacetrust.org/

The Africa Center is the pre-eminent Department of Defense institution for strategic security studies, research, and outreach in Africa. The Africa Center engages African partner states and institutions through rigorous academic and outreach programs that build strategic capacity and foster long-term, collaborative relationships.

Sitemap of this web site

UNCTAD has releases the 2010 economic report on Africa.The report discusses the variety of institutional arrangements that are guiding and encouraging these new economic relationships.It provides up-to-date information on African trade with other developing countries outside Africa, as well as on official financial flows and foreign direct investment into Africa from those countries. Finally, it assesses important policy issues that arise from the new relationships in each of these areas. Economic Development in Africa Report: South-South Cooperation: Africa and the New Forms of development Partnership

http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/aldcafrica2010_en.pdf

From UN Pulse : Permanent Link: Economic Development in Africa Report 2010

UNCTAD has launced a report on Economic Development in Africa 2010.This report argues that South–South cooperation has the potential to enhance:

Africa’s capacity to deal with the challenges of poverty and poor infrastructure,

development of productive capacity and

emerging threats associated withclimate change as well as

the food, energy, financial and economic crises.

The report suggests that these potential benefits of cooperation are however not automatic. They accrue to countries that have taken adequate and proactive steps to exploit them. In this regard, there is the need for African countries to mainstream South–South cooperation into their development strategies to ensure that it furthers rather than hinders the achievement of national and regional development goals.

From UN Pulse: Permanent Link: UNCTAD:Economic Development in Africa Report 2010

ECA announces the launch of a new report titled, Enhancing intra-African trade.The report was launched during the annual meetings of the African Development Bank,(AfDB) as a side event organized under the umbrella of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CodA). The launch took the form of a high level policy discussion led by the Chair of the Board of CodA and former President of Botswana, Mr. Festus Mogae. The Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mr. Jean Ping; and the President of the African Development Bank (ADfB) Mr. Donald Kaberuka; attended the launching ceremony. UN Pulse: Permanent Link: ECA: New Report on Assessing Regional Integration in Africa

Lecture by Thabo Mbeki, former President of South Africa, on Africa Day, Tshwane.

Ten years ago, in the year 2000 marking the close of the 20th century, the World Bank published a Report provocatively entitled - Can Africa Claim the 21st Century? ...[more]

From Policy.org.za

Thabo Mbeki Leadership Institute, UNISA  

 

Concretely, reducing funding for HIV treatment and ARV means:

• A reduction in treatment slots. Patients will have to wait longer to start ARV and are at risk of dying before they can have access to life-saving medication. Patients left untreated risk deteriorating and succumbing to opportunistic infections such as TB. More patients will be lost to follow up, even before they can start ART.
• Blockage in the implementation of WHO guidelines allowing for a move away from substandard care and giving patients the benefits of earlier treatment.
• A further squeeze on the available initiation capacity of the Global Fund.
• Knock on effects on already fragile ARV supplies. This means more stock-outs and disruptions, resulting in additional strains on patients’ adherence and health facilities’ workload.
• Further reductions in affected countries’ ambitions for tangible results and inclusion of specific vulnerable groups.

From the field perspective, a donor retreat will change the character of the epidemic, with increasing numbers of patients seeking care, more ill patients and rising mortality in the community — echoing the early 2000s when ART was rationed to the happy few.

• Patients starting with lower CD4-counts (a measure of the number of T cells per cubic millimetre of blood, used to evaluate the immune system of patients infected with HIV) require more frequent, more intensive and more costly care. At the same time, they have lower chances of survival and take longer to recuperate.
• Health facilities’ patient load will increase and health workers will be discouraged by the worsening results among the patients to whom they provide care.
• Patients might start sharing their pills, effectively lowering their dosage and increasing risks of virus transmission and resistance.
• Tensions will rise between those patients on treatment and those not yet on treatment.
• Tuberculosis rates will increase and represent an additional burden on already busy clinics.
• Mortality among adults in the prime of their lives and the number of orphans will rise again in the community.
• Insufficient ARV availability will require a proportional slowing down of testing and counselling activities.

 

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/reports/2010/MSF-No-Time-to-Quit-HIV-AIDS.pdf

Africa Progress Panel members Kofi Annan, Peter Eigen, Linah Mohohlo and Olusegun Obasanjo ...launch[ed] the Africa Progress Report 2010 on 25 May 2010 in Johannesburg. The landmark publication analyses the continent’s progress and issues key recommendations to African leaders and its international partners. Full report

About Africa Progress Panel

The Africa Progress Panel (APP) was formed as a vehicle to maintain a focus on the commitments to Africa made by the international community in the wake of the Gleneagles G8 Summit and of the Commission for Africa Report in 2007.

Under the chairmanship of Kofi Annan, it pays equal attention to the implementation of Africa's commitments as set out in the Constitutive Act of the African Union and landmark international agreements.

The Panel’s members continually assess new opportunities and threats to Africa’s development, including how far previous commitments of Africa are being met. They use their judgment and experience to highlight pressing concerns, inspire honest debate amongst leaders and civil society, help mobilise resources and prompt effective action.

The Panel is composed of the following members:

Mr. Kofi Annan (Chair)
Mr. Tony Blair	Mrs. Linah Mohohlo
Mr. Michel Camdessus	General Olusegun Obasanjo
Mr. Peter Eigen	Mr. Robert Rubin
Sir Bob Geldof	Mr. Tidjane Thiam
Mrs. Graça Machel	Professor Muhammad Yunus

For complete biographies of the panel members, click on the names above or the on photos to the right.

 

 

Highlights

The 2010 Technology and Innovation Report - Enhancing Food Security in Africa Through Science, Technology and Innovation - focuses on the challenges of improving agricultural performance in Africa and the role of technology and innovation in raising agricultural production and incomes of all farmers, including smallholder farms. The report argues that the main challenge is to strengthen the innovation capabilities of African agricultural systems as a means of addressing poverty, improving food security and achieving broader economic growth and development.

Technological innovation is not all composed of radical discoveries, and much of what is relevant to African agriculture relates to the ways incremental improvements in processes, products, inputs, or equipments are needed to adapt existing technologies to the local environment in ways that enhance productivity and lower costs. Such knowledge may come through learning, research or experience, but requires certain technological capabilities in order to be applied in the production of products across sectors, including agriculture. From this perspective, the Report covers the following matters:

• Key issues in the development of African agriculture
• Building innovation capabilities in Africa agriculture
• Agriculture and national food security
• Challenges and opportunities to achieve food security
• Transfer and diffusion of agricultural technology
• Technology mixes for small scale farming

The report also puts forward twelve main recommendations , including

• Smallholder farmers need to be at the centre of policy so that agricultural research, development and extension services meet the real needs of small-scale farmers.
• Policy-making capacities should be strengthened to create an enabling environment for agricultural innovation, and to make possible some degree of policy experimentation.
• Agricultural innovation systems need to be reinforced by focusing on the enabling environment and linking national, regional and international research to innovation.
• It is important to target agricultural investment by putting resources into the physical and scientific infrastructure, linkages and stronger extension services.
• Local agro-ecological conditions should be taken into account so that technologies are tailored to different agro-ecological zones and include appropriate and effective mixes both of low-, medium- and high-tech solutions as well as traditional knowledge and modern science.
• Capacity building and international cooperation on technology transfer and technology sharing should be reinforced.

Full report [PDF, 124 Pages, 1214Kb]

Note

Preface

Acknowledgements

Table of contents

Explanatory notes

Executive summary

Chapter 1 KEY ISSUES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA
1.1	Challenges in african agriculture
1.2	Role of technology and innovation
1.3	Key issues
1.4	Developing and disseminating relevant technology
1.5	The imperative of demand-led approaches to agricultural development
1.6	Rethinking african agriculture from an innovation perspective
1.7	Agriculture and economic transformation of Africa
1.8	Signs of success

Chapter 2 BUILDING INNOVATION CAPABILITIES IN AFRICAN AGRICULTURE
2.1	Introduction
2.2	Innovation systems as a policy tool
2.3	Innovation as an interactive process
2.4	Linkages between farmers, global networks and value chains
2.5	Creating an enabling environment for agricultural innovation
2.6	The role of intellectual property rights in small-scale farming
2.8	Summary

Chapter 3 AGRICULTURE AND NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY
3.1	The determinants of national food security
3.2	Sources of food supply
3.3	New determinants of food security
3.4	The role of agricultural trade in food security
3.5	Summary

Chapter 4 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY
4.1	Agriculture and development: regional comparisons
4.2	The green revolution: a brief regional comparison
4.3	Towards a rainbow revolution in Africa
4.4	Implementing a uniquely African green revolution
4.5	Summary

Chapter 5 TRANSFER AND DIFFUSION OF AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY
5.1	Introduction
5.2	Transfer of technology
5.3	Technology adoption
5.4	International cooperation: emerging modalities in agriculture technology transfer
5.5	Summary

Chapter 6 TECHNOLOGY MIXES FOR SMALL-SCALE FARMING
6.1	Introduction
6.2	Mechanical technology
6.3	Irrigation
6.4	Biological technology
6.5	Fertilizers, pesticides and tillage technologies
6.6	Biotechnology
6.7	Combating crop diseases
6.8	Post-harvest technologies
6.9	Summary

Chapter 7
Recommendations

Africa is in the midst of an urban transition, and getting this transition right is critical. Over the next ten years, Africa’s urban population is projected to increase by over 150 million. Economic difficulties may reduce rural–urban migration, but Africa’s towns and cities are not ready to accommodate anything like this many new residents.

It is tempting for governments to respond to this challenge by trying to discourage rural–urban migration. This report argues that the challenge is not to curb urbanization, but to seize the opportunities it provides, while curbing the inequalities and environmental burdens that market-driven or poorly planned urbanization can bring. Successful urban development is locally driven, but a successful urban transition requires national support and regional collaboration. It is regional collaboration, involving urban centres in at least two different countries, that is the particular concern of this report.

 

The Africa Renewal information programme, produced by the Africa Section of the United Nations Department of Public Information, provides up-to-date information and analysis of the major economic and development challenges facing Africa today. Among the major items it produces is the renowned magazine, Africa Renewal (formerly Africa Recovery), which first appeared in 1987. It also produces a range of public information materials, including backgrounders, press releases and feature articles. It works with the media in Africa and beyond to promote the work of the United Nations, Africa and the international community to bring peace and development to Africa.

The Africa Renewal programme examines the many issues that confront the people of Africa, its leaders and its international partners: economic reform, debt, education, health, women's advancement, conflict and civil strife, democratization, aid, investment, trade, regional integration, rural development and many other topics. It tracks policy debates. It provides expert analysis and on-the-spot reporting to show how those policies affect people on the ground. And, it highlights the views of policy-makers, non-governmental leaders and others actively involved in efforts to transform Africa and improve its prospects in the world today.

Africa Renewal reports on and examines the many different aspects of the UN's involvement in Africa, especially within the framework of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). It works closely with the many UN agencies and offices dealing with African issues, including the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa.

 

Ideas for development blog
Ideas for Development is an international Blog meant to stimulate debate on development issues. It brings together a set of senior professionals engaged in this sphere through their careers and personal convictions. The blog does not belong to any organization or personality, and will remain independent. Several personalities contribute to this blog: Kemal Dervis (UNDP), Abdou Diouf (Organisation de la Francophonie), Donald Kaberuka (African Development Bank), Pascal Lamy (WTO), Supachai Panitchpakdi (UNCTAD), Jean-Michel Severino (Agence française de développement) and Josette Sheeran (World Food Programme).

Millennium Development Goals blog
This Blog has been set up to reach out a broader audience to participate in discussions on major thematic areas related to the Millennium Development Goals prior to the High-Level Event on MDGs. The themes covered by this Blog are; (1) poverty and hunger; (2) health and education; (3) environmental sustainability; (4) gender equality and empowerment of women; and (5) global partnership for development.