Obama visit to father's birthplace is all about the business
It's not unusual to run across children named Barack Obama in his father's birthplace of Kogelo, Kenya, and when their namesake arrives in Kenya in late July he might get to meet some of them.
But although much attention will be given to his familial connection to Kenya, President Obama's fourth trip to Africa is actually geared toward further developing business ties and entrepreneurship opportunities in a country many describe as an engine of the region's economic growth.
The president is attending the July 25-26 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya's capital Nairobi. He also is visiting Ethiopia, where the African Union is based.
He will be building upon the relationships and commitments of last summer's U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, when 50 heads of African states traveled to Washington, D.C., said Susan Stigant, director of Africa programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace. During that summit, Mr. Obama announced $7 billion in new financing for U.S. investments in and exports of goods and services to Africa.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/obama-visit-fathers-birthplace-business/
By Annabel Raw
The Southern Africa Litigation Centre's health rights programme was established in 2007 to advance human rights and the rule of law in southern Africa in relation to the HIV pandemic. Our work under this programme demonstrates the importance of human rights and the rule of law in issues of HIV and health in the region.
Southern Africa has the most severe HIV epidemic in the world. There is a close link between the denial of human rights and increased vulnerability, discrimination and stigma and the inhibition of effective responses to prevent and treat HIV. While law is not a panacea, it is a vital component of the response. Applying human rights law has the potential to protect people against policies that sacrifice human wellbeing over political rhetoric, it can be used to enforce rational, evidenced-based interventions, and to protect people living with HIV who are vulnerable to discrimination.
http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/southernafricalitigationcentre/2015/07/01/civil-society-plays-key-role-in-promoting-health-rights-in-southern-africa/
South Sudan military is accused of widespread abuses
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan's army has burned people alive, raped and shot girls, and forced tens of thousands from their homes, according to interviews with survivors by The Associated Press and corroborated by human rights groups.
The scorched earth campaign is apparently aimed at driving civilians out of the rebel-controlled parts of an oil-rich state, according to Human Rights Watch. South Sudan's military is trying to depopulate the rural areas of Unity state through violence and hunger, said the group. The tactics, which include the alleged burning of grain stocks and the looting of life-sustaining property like cattle, are believed to be part of efforts to drain the rebels of their support base.
"They are trying to destroy our lives," said survivor Angelina Nyaboth Chap Tang, who fled to a U.N. base in the state capital of Bentiu. "I lost my son. I lost my grain. I lost my cattle. Everything has been destroyed."
http://www.heraldstandard.com/news/world/africa/south-sudan-military-is-accused-of-widespread-abuses/article_acfc07d7-863d-577f-ac56-b1ea5b1c1487.html
Empowering African Women through the Tech Revolution
African women are to play an ever-increasing role in the telecoms industry and with this will come a whole new way of thinking that is set to revolutionise the tech industry
An increasing number of African women are taking the lead in the technology space, bringing with them a whole host of meaningful innovations and thought-leading ideologies that promise to impact the development of the continent; bridging the gender gap in a field that has long been dominated by men.
The mobile technology revolution offers not only a wealth of social and economic opportunities, but new fortuity to empower female entrepreneurs in Africa's developing and emerging markets who can benefit from the ever-expanding mobile value chain.
Women entrepreneurs offer significant advantages to the field – such as blue-sky thinking and the ability to access new markets - often resulting in attainment of a senior position at a top telecommunications company in Africa, in recognition of this high level of continuous commitment and market understanding.
Research conducted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2013 alluded to an increase from 10 to 30 percent in the number of women-led enterprises over the past decade. In Uganda alone, women account for at least 40 percent of businesses and, as the number of women entrepreneurs and innovators increases across all business areas, their voices can no longer be ignored.
http://www.africaoutlookmag.com/news/empowering-african-women-through-the-tech-revolution
Can foreign aid be the solution to Africa's problems?
That this new funding will help in the treatment of HIV, TB and Malaria. This reminded me of what an Italian old lady said to me four years ago while I was in Rome.
She said that, ever since she began understanding at around five years old up to now, a lot of money is being collected from Western countries to help Africa to develop.
But up to now nothing is effected. She went on and said that surprisingly we Africans still believe in Western Aid as the solution to our problems. She told me that in 1985 UN held a special session on Africa to boast aid to Africa. The same thing was done in 1996 where a launch of $25b for developing Africa.
Dollar 500b dollars were pumped into Africa between 1960 and 1997 as aid. In July 2005, Tony Blair made aid for Africa a centerpiece of British presidency of the G8 meeting in Gleneagles in Scotland. President George Bush too tripled aid for Africa to $43b in 2001. Even Japan favoured a $200m to improve Africa's investment climate.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/670443-can-foreign-aid-be-the-solution-to-africa-s-problems.html
Africa's Low-Carbon Revolution
by Kevin Watkins-LONDON – Imagine you woke up tomorrow without access to modern energy. You have no refrigerator, cooking stove, or air conditioning. Your kids cannot do homework after sundown. You cannot charge your mobile phone. Welcome to the world of Africa's unconnected – and to a market failure that is destroying opportunities for development on an epic scale.
Almost 150 years after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, some 620 million Africans – two-thirds of the region's population – live without access to electricity. An even greater number use biomass for cooking, with over 90% of people in rural Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique using straw, dung, and firewood. The resulting household air pollution contributes to 600,000 deaths annually – half of them children under the age of five.
The international community has set the goal of guaranteeing universal access to electricity and modern energy by 2030. Yet the number of people lacking access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa is on the rise. Based on current trends, there will be 15 million more people living without electricity in the region in 15 years.
http://www.mareeg.com/africas-low-carbon-revolution/
AU signs agreement to strengthen science, technology education in Africa
The African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening the teaching and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) on the continent. According to a statement issued here Tuesday, the signing took place at the headquarters of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the AU Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST), Dr. Martial De-Paul Ikounga underlined the importance of science, technology and innovation in the quest for Africa's rapid development. He recalled the AU summit decision establishing a committee of ten heads of state and government to champion the cause of education, science and technology in Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, from June 2015.
http://en.starafrica.com/education/au-signs-agreement-to-strengthen-science-technology-education-in-africa.html
Learning from social enterprises: How to solve youth unemployment in Africa
The issues that are the most pressing today will shape the legacies of the most powerful African political and business leaders of our time.
For the continent, the youth population boom and issues of employment are at the top of the list of priorities. Leaders at national, continental and global levels discuss these topics in the halls of the United Nations, the African Union and within talent-strapped businesses operating in the region. When it comes to the political and economic agendas of a continent dubbed "the most youthful" and projected to become the home of half of the world's youth population by 2040, the "youth bulge" and the unemployment statistics inform the entire dialogue. Clearly, there is need for urgency, action and collaboration to create sustainable impact on a large scale.
Nonetheless, many of these conversations among leaders continue to emphasize the magnitude of the problem or present similar sets of solutions: national tax incentives, "create-a-job-for-each-young-person" schemes, and skills training to increase employability. They overlook opportunities for experimentation to catalyze innovation, which turn issues upside down and question key assumptions: How should we define (redefine) what a "job" is in 21st century Africa? How is the system of education or employment limiting the learning and working mindsets of youth?"
https://www.devex.com/news/learning-from-social-enterprises-how-to-solve-youth-unemployment-in-africa-86444
Côte d'Ivoire's President launches West African Energy Leaders Group
Côte d'Ivoire's President Alassane Ouattara headed a top-level line-up of political and business leaders on Tuesday, June 30 in Abidjan to launch the African Energy Leaders Group (AELG) in West Africa, with concrete plans to drive sector reforms and a pipeline of bankable investment projects for sustainable energy access across the region.
Sub-Saharan Africa, where 600 million people live without electricity, has the lowest level of energy access in the world, and West Africa has the highest levels of energy poverty on the continent. Electricity and clean cooking facilities are fundamental building-blocks for prosperity and wellbeing, from basic health and education to industrial and agricultural development.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has estimated that funding of around $42 billion per year will be needed to meet Africa's energy demand by 2040, including a tenfold increase in private investment over current levels. But significant barriers exist, notably the lack of public policies that create the right conditions for such investment, and a shortage of suitable projects.
The AELG, conceived under the United Nations Secretary-General's Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative, creates a platform for governments and business leaders to build dialogue and partnerships to break down these barriers, fostering the necessary reforms and encouraging investment through both traditional and innovative channels.
Nutrition Champions unite for a stronger voice in West Africa
SUN Civil Society Network / Cara Flowers
On 15th June 2015, Civil Society Alliances from Benin, Guinea, Senegal, Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Chad, Cameroon and Liberia, came together in Dakar, Senegal to for a three day Advocacy Training followed immediately by a one day Regional Workshop. The event was organised by Action Contre La Faim (ACF), the SUN Civil Society Network and supported by UNICEF with additional facilitation support from RESULTS and WASH Advocates. Additional participants from the UN Network and Academia were invited to participate in the Regional Workshop.
http://scalingupnutrition.org/news/nutrition-champions-unite-for-a-stronger-voice-in-west-africa
