posted
I DID NOT READ ALL THAT your posts is depressing. anyway you could say that all countries have investments from other countries.no country will be independent like they were in the past.this world today is too connected,so get over it. all you could do is be free as much as can. in your mindset than all countries are control by other states.besides many folks want outside investments.how dare you say what is good for them. by states in africa have agood share of control of the resources.many,if not all control the most of their resources and all control their own land.
Posts: 2688 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
most of the money is coming back into africa,that is another point.that is way gnp is growing faster. AFRICAN STATES SO FAR ARE GETTING THEIR overall act together that is my point. AFRICA ALWAYS DOES NOT GET THE UPDATED GOOD NEWS. THERE needs to be a change on how africa gets the news. most of the money is coming back into africa,that is another point.that is way gnp is growing faster. AFRICAN STATES SO FAR ARE GETTING THEIR overall act together that is my point.zambis for instance,has it's debts cancelled.money is now coming in more so for schools health and other things now.
most of the money is coming back into africa,that is another point.that is way gnp is growing faster. AFRICAN STATES SO FAR ARE GETTING THEIR overall act together that is my point.
Posts: 2688 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Kenndo, It's not just a question of GNP growth. The point is that real development will not take place unless the AU protocols are implemented: regional spaces purged of those silly colonial boundaries, single currencies, less brainwashed and intellectually deficient leadership classes> Cases in point: an African minister of education who steals stae funds to send his children to expensive European schools--just to be brainwashed; and African president who diverts state funds to fly to Europe for a medical check up; and most comical of all: an African head of state who puts his face on his country's currency then has the comedic gall of keeping bank accounts in European currencies.
The problem with Africa to a large extent is psychological: a lack of historical consciousness, an unwillingness to change atavistic beliefs and practices on the grounds that they represent "African culture", a lack of shame and a sense of dignity on the part of the vast majority of the members of Africa's political classes, an unconscious worship of whites, etc.
Posts: 5492 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I witnessed the AU conference held in Banjul, the Gambia a couple weeks ago. It was a total waste of funds with silly and pompous officals and heads of state rolling through town in expensive vehicles(Hummers and all) sirens blaring--just making very irritating nuisances of themselves. The whole thing reminded of small boys playing some silly game.
I want to believe that some 30 million euros were spent on this silly extravaganza with endless hours of welcoming dancers and dull, inspid speeches. It was interesting to see Hugo Chavez and Ahmadinejad there though. Must have caused GB to utter a few loud expletives.
There was just no talk of implementing the AU protocols. No talk of pooling resources. No talk of creating convertible currencies on par with those of Euro-America. [Just heard that the regional currency-the ECO-- for the so-called Anglophone bloc was quietly shelved on the advice of Massa]. No talk of creating regional scientific and medical research centres. No talk of really investing all those African petro dollars in Africa's underfunded. IN FACT NO TALK OF ANYTHING USEFUL EXCEPT THE USUAL PITIFUL BABY CHATTER FROM THE LIKES OF ANNAN AND CO. universities. [In fact his blond wife seemed to get more attention than KO himself. I guess it all boils down to what Fanon wrote many years ago about "negroes" and white women]
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you wrong about that lamin.there has been talk at other times.i will send you something by private email.some links.that is far as i will go here.
Posts: 2688 | Registered: Jul 2004
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You need to post on Egyptsearch more. You should not stop posting just because you disagree with some of the posters. You have alot to offer this forum and the Forum needs people like you. I don't know why you want to stop posting on this forum but I hope you reconsider.
Peace
Posts: 9651 | From: Reace and Love City. | Registered: Oct 2005
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corruption is being stamp out,and progress is being.most black african men still want their black women.don't let the media fool you.
there is progress in consciousness is and there will be more of it. progress is happening,but of course there is away to go.rome and egypt was not built overnight.
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posted
corruption is being stamp out,and progress is being made.most black african men still want AND MARRY their black AFRICAN women.more so than black america ,but even in america most black men go out and marry blcak women.don't let the media fool you.
There is progress in consciousness is and there will be more of it. progress is happening,but of course there is away to go.rome and egypt was not built overnight.
(I still can't edit)that problem needs to be fixed.
ANY MORE OF MY COMMENT WILL BE IN YOUR PRIVATE EMAIL.THAT'S ALL.
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You need to post on Egyptsearch more. You should not stop posting just because you disagree with some of the posters. You have alot to offer this forum and the Forum needs people like you. I don't know why you want to stop posting on this forum but I hope you reconsider.
Peace
Thanks.I WILL still post once in awhile,since iam really getting more busy now these days.Again thanks. Posts: 2688 | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Originally posted by kenndo: corruption is being stamp out,and progress is being.most black african men still want their black women.don't let the media fool you...
Fact is, many African ruling elites are no corrupt than their counterparts in Europe, Americas, southwest and east Asia, and so forth; the problem though, African elites are willing to compromise their national interests to former overtly colonial or present neo-colonial governments, whereby African bourgeois interests is subordinated to those of these neo-colonial parties. The interests of the African working class in turn, is yet further subordinated to those of the ruling African bourgeois. This would place the African working class comparatively worse off than their counterparts in the nations of the neo-colonial ruling elites. Having said that, it may be worth reiterating that Africa too has 'nation states' with varying degrees of socio-economic success and situational problems. Some African governments are less corrupt and reactionary than others, or vice versa, as the case is in any other geographical. location.
Posts: 5964 | Registered: Jan 2005
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kenndo , don't let these sharptons and farrakons depress the hell outta you, heck they probably are african decendants of the africans who sold africans into slavery...just remeber education is key...
nobody knew rubber was worth anything till henry ford started putting them on his cars, the saudis did'nt know oil was worth anything till a "westerner" developed a engine. and egyptions did'nt know they had a tourist industry till the french went there...
everybody can find injustices all over the past everywhere..the key is to not let in bog you down, and look to the future..
half the clowns on here probably wait every 30 days for a welfare check, then complain about it...
don't let the nay sayers win...henry ford did'nt, neither did edison..
-------------------- The ground at Calvary's Cross is level Posts: 1172 | Registered: Apr 2006
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There is STILL a reality of exploitation from the forces of neo-colonialism, exploitation, corruption and other things in Africa. I am not saying that Africa hasnt improved, however, what I am saying is that there are forces AGAINST progress in Africa that STILL threaten progress. Africa CANNOT go forward by FORGETTING its past. Africa CAN NOT forget the 400 years of slavery, genocide and injustice in order to move ahead. These things MUST be remembered, in order for African countries to become DETERMINED to NEVER let these things happen again.
In my mind, there are many things I look for that indicate progress in Africa. The MAIN thing is that African countries need to generate CAPITAL. Capital is the excess money generated in the country as the result of profits made by indigenous business owners. Capital is important because it is the basis of the loans and "investments" that are used to finance OTHER business projects, which in turn will hopefully generate MORE capital. Africa can not move forward on loans and hand outs from the world bank and foreign countries. It has to start generating CAPITAL from its raw materials, resources and MORE IMPORTANTLY, local INDUSTRIES, owned by Africans, that extract and process those raw materials, both for internal as well as external consumption. The next thing I look at is inter African trade. There is NO reason for African countries, in this age of Fed Ex and overnight shipping worldwide NOT to have a comprehensive African trade network. It is LUDICROUS. There is too much money to be made from African countries trading with each other. Also, I look at trade with the west, but not OUTGOING trade, rather than INCOMING trade. How many tractors, dump trucks, cranes and other such heavy equipment items are being traded to Africa? Africa needs access to the equipment and technology of the west in order to succeed in the future. If the west is being STINGY with such technology and equipment, then Africa needs to be STINGY with the raw materials. The "gold" of the west is the technology and equipment it produces, where as the "gold" of Africa is its resources. One cannot have progress if fair trade is not based on the free flow of "gold" between both parties.
Anyway some, interesting info I have come across recently:
I definitely do not trust the world bank and I definitely do not support forcing African countries to finance projects from loans from the world bank. The world bank has a long history of forcing African countries to undertake projects that are useless or worthless and put the country FURTHER into debt to the world bank. Why do you think there are so many African countries that owe so much to it? African countries need CAPITAL, not from the world bank, but from the profits made off the natural resources of the country..... PERIOD. The same natural resources the World Bank FORCES Africa to give to 3rd countries in return for BOGUS economic projects.
Yet,I strongly disagree with calling FOREIGN involvement in African economics in terms of "investment" as being positive. Western countries ONLY do business to MAKE MONEY. NOBODY gives money away (except Africa and other third world countries). Therefore, "investment" is not going to HELP Africa INCREASE CAPITAL. Western "investment" only REMOVES capital from the country making it available to WESTERN corporate as the basis for further "investment" and the generation of more capital for global enterprises. Africa must begin to GENERATE capital for ITSELF, not from hand outs or trickle down economic gimmicks, such as having Western companies build factories and mines to extract wealth while only generating a SMALL amount of money for African countries in terms of taxes and salaries. THIS is what must cease. Africans must have JOINT ventures with Western companies where PROFITS are SHARED and money is allowed to flow DIRECTLY from these profits into other areas of the economy, without the need for the EXHORBITANT loans given out by the world bank. Africans must also thing BIG. African countries have some of the biggest deposits of certain IMPORTANT raw materials found anywhere in the world. There is NO REASON why they should not OWN some of the BIGGEST commercial operations to EXTRACT this material. MOST of the workers, like in South Africa, are black ALREADY. The expertise is THERE, the PROBLEM is that the PROFITS go ELSEWHERE. This can be seen ALL OVER AFRICA.
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posted
There are levels of corruption evryywhere but Africa has not gotten over the centuries of exploitation. There is corription in America while saying there are institutions of self interest with a vested interest in securing the common good. At least most of the time!
Africa has no such institutions and it seems it never will! Tribalism, Arabism, Colonialism, all contribute to stifle city/state goals and initiatives. There are a few good people but that may not be enough to go around.
Posts: 1290 | From: usa | Registered: May 2005
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The reason I say this that you remind me of the general's last words
For those of us, who haven't watched it, could you fill us in on the general's last words.
Obviously, there is much to be learnt about Africans by non-African working classes, whom in my opinion, alongside the African working classes, are yet to be effectively organized in their strategies to advance their interests, in all geographical locations. This requires careful research, allowing for consciousness about the realities of socio-economic conditions in all places involved, and not entirely depending on "Western" mass media. Although not obviously accessible to everyone, being on the ground in various regions and actually interacting with ordinary folks, for instance, is a plus in advancing one's knowledge of African communities.
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quote: Every person in Nigeria should be wealthy. The place is flooded with oil and should be a paradise. the fact that it is not defines the problem. We can only do so much to help there problems.
Nigeria gets 13% of the oil revenues and even that figure is a great improvement that has recently come about. Over 80% of Nigeria’s oil revenues go to foreign Corporations that aren’t even paying their fair share of the taxes in Nigeria. Oil spills and improper Oil drilling techniques are even worse problems in Nigeria.
Yazid904 wrote:
quote: Africa has no such institutions and it seems it never will! Tribalism, Arabism, Colonialism, all contribute to stifle city/state goals and initiatives. There are a few good people but that may not be enough to go around.
Tribalism in Afrika is NOT a major problem versus Arabism and Colonialism, Tribalism has worked quite well in Ghana for instance. Arabism mixed with tribalism is what causes a major problem. Colonialism is tragic and down right ugly in my opinion, because it is the Colonialist who spread the most vicious lies and promote the worst types of hatred towards Afrikans.
Today Afrikans are the MOST hated group of human beings on the planet so until Afrikans begin to accept this reality and start seeking to love and respect each other then that Global hatred that expresses itself in Global Racism will never end. Global Racism means- Arabs hate Afrikans, Europeans hate Afrikans, Indians, Chinese, Japanese etc. hate Afrikans. If people hate you why in the world should they invest with you?
Notice China is trying to promote itself as being friends of Afrikans yet it was the Chinese who sold weapons to Sudanese Arab run government that is being used today to kill Afrikan people, ironically it was Western governments who worked to hold sanctions against the Sudan in order that the Sudanese governments would end the forced labor and the Genocide that is going on there. Chinese voted against Sanctions toward the Sudanese government.
Today Arabs in Libya are calling for one Afrika, which is a total disgrace to pan-Africanism because these ideas of a united Afrika was started by Afrikan peoples who were trying to work together towards solving their own problems, now out of nowhere we have Arabs hijacking these ideas. United Afrika today would be just another Arab state and that does NOT benefit Afrikan people, so until Afrikans remove the Arabs from the mix then Afrika will stay oppressed because if the West sees Arabs oppressing Afrikans and getting away with it then why shouldn’t the Western Nations do the same thing?
Afrika should follow the example of Afrikan Americans and divorce those unwanted Arab parasites that are forever trying to fit themselves into Afrikan issues because they are invaders and not Afrikans, until Afrikans become Afrikans FIRST then Afrikans will be seen as the lower Caste human beings.
quote: Every person in Nigeria should be wealthy. The place is flooded with oil and should be a paradise. the fact that it is not defines the problem. We can only do so much to help there problems.
Nigeria gets 13% of the oil revenues and even that figure is a great improvement that has recently come about. Over 80% of Nigeria’s oil revenues go to foreign Corporations that aren’t even paying their fair share of the taxes in Nigeria. Oil spills and improper Oil drilling techniques are even worse problems in Nigeria. ......
Hotep
Exactly. You cannot look at the situation in Africa with rosy colored glasses and expect the situation to get better. Who CARES why Africans are hated? The point is that Africa MUST stand up for ITSELF and its OWN interests and stop letting itself get USED for everyone ELSES benefit, but not Africa's. A lot of people here talk about GNP figures for Africa, but forget one important point:
quote: GNP: Gross National Product. GNP is the total value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a particular year, plus income earned by its citizens (including income of those located abroad), minus income of non-residents located in that country. Basically, GNP measures the value of goods and services that the country's citizens produced regardless of their location. GNP is one measure of the economic condition of a country, under the assumption that a higher GNP leads to a higher quality of living, all other things being equal.
Therefore, GNP does NOT reflect the total WORTH of all the goods and services in a country, especially if FOREIGNERS are making MORE money than the natives. GNP will NOT reflect the PROFITS of the foreigners who own the diamond mines, gold mines, rubber plantations and other such operations in the country. What you have to look at is the TOTAL value of all goods and products produced in the country, versus HOW MUCH went into the hands of the people IN that country. Trust me, MOST African countries EXPORT more money than they take IN. Of course, these neo-colonial economists WANT to hide the PROFITS of these major multinationals behind all sorts of smoke and mirrors. However, you cannot hide the fact that these companies are RAPING Africa for its wealth much as the colonialists did a 100 years ago. WHAT has changed? It is and always was about HOW MUCH MONEY Africans could make off of their OWN resources. This is WHY Europeans went there in the first place, to TAKE the raw materials they needed to build their OWN countries and make them powerful. This was part of the plan for the ORIGINAL new world order that sought to establish a PERMANENT upper class of WHITE wealthy industrialists who would rule the world for the forseeable future due the the oppression and exploitation of others. Allowing companies to CONTINUE this "order" in the name of "free" enterprise is a MOCKERY of the suffering of Africans and others at the hands of Europeans.
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posted
Was posted earlier, but for some reason the underlying message herein, is just too difficult for some to digest:
**TRIBES**, TRIBAL, TRIBALISM: harsh, contemptuous, condemnatory words that evoke nothing but primitivity, savagery, backwardness, primeval communities and conflicts. Words that are reserved for Africans and those `indigenous` peoples in Asia and South America that are periodically discovered in some remote jungle by National Geographic or featured on Discovery Channel.
But it is modern Africa that has still tribes everywhere, a whole continent that is held to ransom by the primordial pathologies of ancient tribal life. Africans are stamped with tribal marks from birth to death.
Tribes are beyond history, they have always existed in Africa, they explain everything: the poverty, the civil conflicts, the corruption, the dicatorships. European colonialism failed to stamp out the tribe, postcolonial modernization withers in its glare, contemporary democratization has no chance in its suffocating shadows…
Whereas in other parts of the world issues and conflicts may be named as political, economic, social, environmental, class, gender, religious, or cultural, in Africa they are almost invariably about tribes and tribalism.
Nobody of course talks of tribes in Europe, except in reference to the remote past, of contemporary tribal conflicts in the Balkans, in Northern Ireland, in Spain. European groupings are defined as `nations` and their conflicts deemed national or nationalist conflicts and accorded specific characteristics, combatants, causes, closures, and consequences. In Asia people are often divided into ethnic or communal groups and their conflicts termed ethnic or communal. Nations for Europe, ethnicities for Asia, tribes for Africa, a sliding scale of civilizational status and possibilities…
Ms. Jolie was obviouly in good company despite her limited education and obvious ignorance of African histories, cultures, societies, polities, and economies. She was merely repeating received western wisdom on Africa. Tribes may have long been banished from the academic vocabularly in Africanist discourse, but they are alive and well in the mass media. But even in the academy the term sneaks in from time to time as I discovered at a party when I first arrived at Penn State when a head of a certain otherwise progressive department who had done a little comparative research in Africa asked me: What tribe are from? My shocked gasp said it all, but just to make sure that she got the message, I sent her an e-mail explaining the politics of the term `tribe` to which she responded with a groveling apology. But many a western journalist assigned to the hardship African beat defend the use of the term `tribe` on account that Africans themselves use it. One student of mine returned from a four week study abroad in Kenya feeling empowered to use the term and challenged my allegedly western liberal antipathy to it. There was a time when African `groupings` were called `nations` before the rise of colonial racism and academic anthropology, and in my language the term used for African and European groupings is the same, `mtundu`.
**’TRIBE’ is an acquired term of COLONIAL SELF-DENIGRATION, NOT SELF-DEFINITION, let alone SELF-EMPOWERMENT**…
Western reporting on Africa rests on four well-tested mantras: selectivity, sensationalism, stereotyping and special vocabularly.
posted
RAY SUAREZ: With oil at 67 bucks a barrel, why aren't these great times for Nigeria and the oil industry there?
STEVE INSKEEP: Well, to some degree it is a good time for Nigeria and the oil industry; they're getting windfall profits. A lot of money is flowing to Nigeria; a lot of money is flowing to oil companies -- not just Shell - but Chevron, Exxon/Mobile, and a number of others that are drilling there. online news hour quote- A small number of domestic private oil businesses, such as Famfa Oil Limited, have increased their stake in the oil sector, following the Nigerian government's 1990 program to help boost indigenous participation. Those companies, however, represent a much smaller stake in Nigeria's petroleum industry than the multinational firms.
Otherwise, nearly all of Nigeria's oil production and development projects are owned by joint venture operations between the government-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and multinational corporations.
The biggest joint venture operation, the Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd., accounts for more than half of Nigeria's daily oil production and reserves. The massive operation is partly owned by the NNPC, which controls a 55 percent stake and the Netherlands-based Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies, with a 30 percent interest. Elf Petroleum, a subsidiary of the Paris-based TotalFinaElf, owns 10 percent, while Agip, a subsidiary of Italian energy giant Eni, holds a 5 percent stake.
The Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited is the second-largest joint venture operation, of which the NNPC owns 60 percent and the Texas-based Exxon Mobil holds the remaining 40 percent.
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Nigeria: Country Earned Almost $45 Billion in 2005 - CBN Report
This Day (Lagos) July 13, 2006 Posted to the web July 13, 2006 Ayodele Aminu Lagos
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed in its Annual Reports and Statements of Accounts for 2005 that Nigeria earned a princely sum of almost $45 Billion last year. Noting that the total federally-collected revenue exceeded the level in 2004 by 41.5 per cent, the apex bank attributed the rise to the significant increase in oil receipts, particularly in the third quarter of 2005. In the statements of accounts released Monday, CBN said gross earnings from oil alone accounted for N4.76 trillion out of the total federally-collected revenue. This comprises N1.99 trillion from crude oil/gas; N1.9 trillion from petroleum profit tax and royalties, N856 billion from other oil revenue, while non-oil revenues stood at N785 billion. "Analysis of gross revenue showed that oil receipts increased by 42 per cent to N4,762.4 billion, or 85.8 per cent of the total, compared with 85.6 per cent in 2004. Total federally-collected revenue amou-nted to N5,547.5 billion, representing an increase of 41.5 per cent over the level in 2004. "The improved performance was largely attributable to the favourable international crude oil price, which was consistently higher than the budget benchmark price of $30 per barrel. Adherence to the fiscal rule resulted in accumulated savings of $16,808.0 million by the three tiers of government at the end of 2005. The surplus comprised $2,984.1 million unspent from the 2004 savings and the $18,824.0 million accumulated in 2005. Similarly, non-oil revenue increased by 48.8 per cent over its level in 2004," the report stated. It however noted that the fiscal operations of the Federal Government during the period under review recorded a modest improvement in 2005, as the fiscal deficit narrowed from N172.6 billion or 1.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2004 to N161.4 billion or 1.1 per cent. Specifically, the apex bank stated that the primary balance recorded a surplus of N831.0 billion, or 5.6 per cent of GDP, which was indicative of strict adherence to the fiscal rule as well as maintenance of fiscal prudence. Noting that the stock of public debt at end-December 2005 declined to N4,221.0 billion, or 28.3 per cent of GDP, from N6,260.6 billion, or 53.6 per cent of GDP in 2004, the CBN disclosed that Federal Government retained revenue and aggregate expenditure increased by 34.3 and 27.8 per cent respectively over the levels in 2004 to N1,660.7 billion and N1,822.1 billion respectively. "Revenue from non-oil sources increased by 48.8 per cent to N785.1 billion. All the components of non-oil revenue increased relative to their levels in 2004. Companies Income Tax (CIT), Customs and Excise Duties, Value-Added Tax (VAT) and Federal Government Independent Revenue increased by 24.6, 7.2, 11.7 and 260.1 per cent, respectively, over their levels in the preceding year. "The rise in Federal Government Independent Revenue reflected the increases in the operating surpluses of parastatals and agencies. The sum of N532.2 billion was deducted from the gross oil receipts for the Joint Venture Cash (JVC) calls, while N1, 958.9billion was deducted in respect of excess crude/PPT/royalty proceeds. The latter was retained in the names of the various tiers of government and other beneficiaries. "Revenue from crude oil and gas exports amounted to N1,995.7 billion, representing an increase of 33.2 per cent over the level in the preceding year. Similarly, revenue from Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) and Royalties increased by 61.0 per cent to N1,904.9 billion, while domestic crude oil sales increased by 28.3 per cent to N856.9 billion," the report disclosed. While noting that the sum of N3,033.9 billion accrued to the Federation Account in 2005, indicating an increase of 14.2 per cent over the N2, 657.2 billion recorded in 2004, the apex bank disclosed that of the total, N2,643.7 billion was distributed among the three tiers of government and the Derivation Fund. The report also noted that aggregate expenditure of the Federal Government rose by 27.8 per cent to N1, 822.1 billion from the level in 2004. "As a proportion of GDP, total expenditure remained unchanged at 12.2 per cent as in 2004. Non-debt expenditure (i.e. total expenditure less debt service payments) rose by 36.9 per cent above the level in 2004 and was 3.3 per cent below the N1, 477.2 billion budget estimate for 2005.
"Total debt service payments amounted to N394.0 billion, representing 21.6 per cent of total expenditure. At N1,223.7 billion, the recurrent expenditure rose by 18.5 per cent over the level in 2004 and accounted for 67.2 per cent of total expenditure. The increase in recurrent expenditure was attributable largely to personnel and overhead costs," the CBN stated. Meanwhile, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Nigeria's telecommunications sector has hit the $9 billion mark, the Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Adebayo, has said. Adebayo said in a message to the telecommunication seminar, organised by City People magazine Tuesday in Lagos that "at the last count in May this year, over $9 billion has come into the country as foreign direct investment in the telecommunications sector alone".
He said the foreign investments had resulted in massive expansion programmes by the telecommunications service providers and tens of thousands more jobs for the populace while the boom in the sector had also created vast opportunities in the economy waiting to be fully tapped by Nigerians and foreign investors. The minister calculated that the telecommunications sector had also recorded a growth rate of 535 per cent, placing the country's telecoms market as the fastest growing in sub-saharan Africa. He said the nation's teledensity had risen to 18.3 per cent with about 25 million people in the country now using telephones. Adebayo said the Federal Government would soon flag off the National Rural Telephony Project (NRTP) to avail everybody in the country the opportunity of using Information Communications Technology (ICT). "Things like e-agriculture, e-commerce, e-education and e-health will soon be part of our daily life in Nigeria," he said.
According to him, construction of exchange buildings has been completed in 73 sites located in 25 states of the federation as part of the rural telephony project while installation of switching facilities and exchanges had been completed in 14 locations with micro-wave towers built in six locations in the country. Adebayo said the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) was at present, supervising the building of internet exchange points to facilitate an internet gateway for the country. He recalled that the NCC had also realised about N1.83 billion from the sale of licences to four companies to operate the unified access services system.
correction for the above-nigeria earn 54 billion dollars last year.it's gnp ppp was 120 billion in 2004.the updated number is 174 billion,but nigeria does have money than this in real life,LIKE the private economy,underground economy etc.
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posted
Africa set for the big 'EASSy' 06/07/2006 21:52 - (SA)
Nairobi - African countries participating in a project to launch an undersea telecommunications cable agreed on Thursday to start the much delayed project next month.
The Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) project brings together 23 countries in southern and eastern Africa with the goal of launching an undersea fibre optic cable to slash phoning and internet access costs.
Start work in August
"We've agreed ... to move the process forward and sharpen the construction and maintenance agreement then commission the contractors to start the work in August," "We have agreed that those that may not have the funds required can seek funds from various sources including the World Bank," he added, speaking to reporters.
There had been some opposition to member countries getting funds from financiers such as the World Bank.
No SA dominance
"It is important as a matter of government policy to ensure that there is no dominance in respect to South Africa,"
"That is why we supported the principle of equality in participation and shareholding by the companies."
The EASSy project will lay down a 9 900km submarine cable by early 2008, linking Durban in South Africa and Port Sudan in Sudan, with six landing points along the way.
The cable will increase internet bandwidth and could drastically cut subscription costs in a region with some of the highest telecom costs which analysts say are impeding investment in the world's poorest continent.
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Nigeria will launch its information and communication satellite,"NIGCOMSAT-1" in 2006.The communication satellite, when launched, would help to improve telecommunication services in the country.It would also address abroad array of communication needs in the areas of telephony, broadcasting,broadband and Internet services. The satellite would also have a subsidiarypay load for space-based augmentation systems for navigation and globalpositioning systems. Nigeria is to launch its second satellite in 2007, Science and TechnologyMinister Turner Isoun said last week in Abuja. The satellite, christened"NigeriaSat-2"is coming after the pioneer "NigeriaSat-1" launched on Sept.27, 2003 at Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.
[QUOTE=naijalove]Thanks Kendo. Thryve, can you make this sticky? Nigeria has a space agency: http://www.nasrda.org/
I post more news on Nigeria's space developments on this thread. Hopefully, thryve can make this sticky!![/QUOTE]
Sudan to achieve self-sufficiency in weapons: spokesman
KHARTOUM, July 1 (AFP) - Sudan will be capable of producing all the weapons and ammunition it needs by the end of the year thanks to its growing oil industry, the armed forces spokesman said in remarks published Saturday.
Khartoum, which has been fighting a civil war against rebels since 1983, "will this year reach self-sufficiency in light, medium and heavy weapons from its local production," spokesman General Mohamed Osman Yassin was quoted as saying by Al-Share Al-Syasi newspaper.
Yassin told a gathering of student army conscripts that Sudan was now manufacturing ammunition, mortars, tanks and armoured personnel carriers, but he did not specify whether any foreign expertise was involved.
He added that Sudan embarked on the military industry project during its "unprecedented economic boom, particularly in the field of oil exploration and exportation and the remarkable progress in light and heavy industries."
Sudan began exporting crude oil last August and inaugurated a refinery Friday which will produce butane gas for export.
posted
KES18 Billion Port to be built in Lamu, Kenya
Work on Kenya’s second sea port will begin next month, a Cabinet minister announced yesterday.
The port to be built in Lamu is expected to open up northern Kenya, as well as southern Ethiopia and Sudan through a railway link.
"The decision to embark on the project is aimed at stimulating economic activities in eastern and northeastern parts of Kenya and also help to ease congestion at the port of Mombasa," Transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere told guests at the Nyali Golf Club in Mombasa during the Kenya Ports Authority Corporate Golf Day.
International standards
The Lamu port would be built to international standards, Mr Mwakwere said, and warned Mombasa port to be ready for expected competition.
"The Lamu port will take some of the cargo from Mombasa, which is meant for Sudan and Ethiopia," the minister said.
Roads and railway lines would be built to link other towns with the Lamu, he said, adding that the project was not reflected in this year’s Budget because it had been approved by the Government.
At the function, which was also attended by the Mombasa port directors, KPA Chairman Joseph Kibwana said the port was building schools and hospitals among other projects "as a way of benefiting the local communities".
other good news-
Nigerian Foreign reserve hits $36.2bn: Highest in Sub-Saharan Africa By Emmanuel Aziken Posted to the Vanguard Nigeria:
ABUJA —NIGERIA’S foreign reserve has climbed to a record $36.2 billion, the highest ever for a sub-Saharan African country. The disclosures at an interactive session between the CBN and the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions came as the CBN was directed to heed to the provisions of its establishment law requiring it to send half yearly reports to parliament.
CBN Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, led the bank’s senior officials to the parley with the Senate Committee chaired by Senator Gbenga Oguniya. Other Senators present at the session were Committee vice-chairman; Farouk Bello; Sanusi Daggash; Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN); Abu Ibrahim and Isa Maina.
Noting the increase in the foreign reserve, Prof. Soludo equally gave the bank’s determination to stabilise the nation’s investment climate through the stabilisation of monetary and other financial indicators, and notably the exchange rate.
“Our external reserve is now $36.2 billion, it is the highest in our history and the highest in sub-Saharan Africa today. We are fundamentally trying to change the way that the foreign reserve in this nation is managed (and) our proposal will soon come to the National Assembly as a bill. We want to stabilise the naira to enable potential foreign investors plan better,” the CBN Governor said.
On the CBN’s quest for complete autonomy, the CBN boss praised President Olusegun Obasanjo for not interfering with the functions of the bank, saying the autonomy had allowed for the sustenance of policies. Prof. Soludo equally gave the bank’s determination to completely eliminate the use of Ways and Means (printing of money) as a means of increasing government finances even as he defended recent efforts by the apex bank to increase its internal revenue through charging the banks for services rendered.
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Mike Rozier wrote: then why don't african countries drill their own oil? and refine it? --------------------------------------------------
If Afrikan countries did that then the Arabs would invade and take over the Afrikan country the minute they turned on the spigot. I honestly think Arabs think it is their right by some type of law to rule Afrikans.
This is sad to say but having Multinational ownership also gives protection via U.S. Military support in the case that Arabs might want to take over the country. Take Tchad for instance in 2000 they were invaded by Libya and it was the foreign Military aid that gave them the weapons to defeat Libya. Tchad is the only Afrikan country that I have seen who weren't afraid to stand up and fight Arabs.
Now the Sudan another Arab controlled country is trying to invade Tchad and as usual the other Afrikan countries just stand by and watch as the Arabs destabilize a Afrikan country. Mali was found to have a Oil supply and we have seen the Taureg trying to invade, and as usual other Afrikan countries just stand by and watch. Next these same Afrikan countries wonder why they get little respect from foreigners or anybody else.
Well here is some interesting news for Afrikan Americans.
By DULUE MBACHU, Associated Press Writer Thu Jul 20, 6:20 PM ET
quote: ABUJA, Nigeria - African and black American leaders meeting this week debated an unusual proposal to spur investment and interest in the continent — securing African citizenship for American descendants of Africans taken away as slaves.
The idea came out of a summit bringing African governments and the U.S. private sector together in search of partnerships to end Africa's poverty. Presidents from 12 African countries attended the four-day conference, along with former U.S. President Bill Clinton and World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz.
"Just as the people of different races in America have a place they call home, I believe we should have a place we call our ancestral home," said Hope Masters, daughter of the U.S. civil rights campaigner for whom the Leon Sullivan Summit is named.
Anthony Archer, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based lawyer, is heading a committee to consider how citizenship could be awarded.
"Dual citizenship will start the process of mutual and spiritual reconciliation of differences between the two continents that came as a result of slavery," he said. "If we can feel like we really belong, we'll feel more joyful about participating."
Key challenges include determining the ancestral homelands of black Americans, Masters said. The upheaval of the slave trade left many without knowledge of their place of origin.
One possibility is granting continent-wide citizenship to slave descendants through the African Union, Archer said. Another is to work for citizenship of blocs of countries through regional organizations. It was unclear what rights would be granted under those scenarios.
A third proposal would have countries grant citizenship independently to those who seek it.
Masters said the proposal will be further developed before the next summit in 2008. She said African leaders support the concept, noting that Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged black Americans "to see Africa as your home."
Among the Americans attending the Sullivan meeting in Abuja were executives from companies including Chevron Corp., Coca-Cola Co., General Motors Corp., and DaimlerChrysler AG.
The Head Heeb « Land grab | Main | All in the family » January 04, 2004 African regional integration: a spotter's guide Regional integration in Africa isn't a new thing. The Organization of African Unity, the precursor to the present-day African Union, was created in 1963 - only three years after the first wave of post-colonial African nations gained independence - and a strain of idealistic pan-Africanism has existed in continental politics since the colonial era.
In the past decade, though, and particularly during the past five years, regional integration has begun to move from the conceptual to the practical. As in Europe, multinational groupings originally created for economic and diplomatic purposes have developed political and security dimensions, and dormant regional associations have taken on new life. At the same time, integration on the continental level has advanced with the formation of the African Union and the forthcoming African parliament and human rights tribunal. With all that, however, supranational organizations in Africa have fallen far short of their promise.
The two longest-standing African regional groupings are the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which have undergone something of a convergent evolution. ECOWAS was founded in 1975 as a regional trade pact, but has taken on an increasing regional security role with the emergence of failed states in West Africa. During the 1990s, ECOWAS peacekeepers were deployed in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and were deployed again in Liberia in 2003 after the departure of President Charles Taylor. In the past decade, ECOWAS has been the African regional pact that has been most active - although not always most effective - in the field of conflict resolution.
SADC, on the other hand, had a security function from the beginning. At the time it was founded in July 1979, apartheid South Africa was a participant in a number of regional conflicts, and the intent of SADC's founders was to provide collective security as well as reducing economic dependence on South Africa. It had its moments - for instance, when a Zimbabwe-led intervention force halted the RENAMO offensive of 1986 - but wasn't remarkably successful at either.
Since the end of the apartheid era, SADC has undergone a radical realignment, with South Africa becoming its de facto leader rather than its primary target. With the major regional power on board, SADC's security and economic functions have become somewhat more effective; the member states recently approved a treaty establishing a standby peacekeeping force, and the organization has had some success in mediating conflicts in the Comoros and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In other areas, however - particularly the ongoing meltdown in Zimbabwe - it has been relatively timorous about flexing its political muscle.
The Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) was founded in 1981, but was largely dormant until 1998 due to lack of funds. In the past five years, however, the CEEAC countries have begun to phase in free trade and have created a number of technical and development institutions. A brigade-strength standby force agreed to in 2001 has begun to get off the ground and is intended to reduce member states' dependence on mercenaries and paramilitary forces. CEEAC is also scheduled to merge with CEMAC, a monetary union of six Central African states.
The Community of Sahelo-Saharan States (CENSAD), created in 1998, consists of 18 countries in the Maghreb, the Sahel and the horn of Africa. With Nigeria and Egypt as members, CENSAD contains two heavyweights and is a potential bridge between sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. In practice, however, neither Egypt nor Nigeria has been an active participant, and such programs as CENSAD has instituted have primarily been vehicles for Libyan hegemony. The CENSAD development bank and the organization itself are headquartered in Tripoli, and the pact's sole regional security operation to date has been a widely criticized Libyan-led mission in the Central African Republic.
The final African regional political grouping, the East African Community, has its roots in a colonial-era administrative federation of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Some of the institutions of this federation survived until 1977, and regionalism has been a stronger force in East African politics than in many other parts of Africa. It is probably no accident that the reconstituted EAC is among the most ambitious of the continent's regional pacts; political integration is among its stated goals and its institutions include a regional high court and parliament. These regional institutions have been criticized as largely empty, however, and it is likely to be some time before they approach the level of political union.
Other regional associations, which often overlap the political pacts, serve purely financial or economic functions. CEMAC and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) together form the Communauté Financiere Africaine (CFA), which sponsors the Euro-pegged currency used in most of the former French colonies in Africa. The Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which overlaps the SADC, EAC, CEEAC and CENSAD regions, began as "preferential trade area" in 1981 and was reorganized in 1994 to provide phased-in free trade and uniform commercial law. COMESA also sponsors a development bank, banking and insurance institutions, and a court of justice that (unlike many other African regional courts) has actually adjudicated cases.
At the same time that regional economic and security institutions have become stronger, organizations at the continental level have also begun to perform similar functions. In 1991, the OAU countries drafted a treaty to form an African Economic Community with conceptual goals including a common currency, central bank and free trade by 2025. Another major turning point was the 2000 reorganization of the largely diplomatic Organization for African Unity as the African Union, with a charter consciously modeled on the EU.
The African Union also began as a Libyan initiative, but it has taken on a life of its own. The following year, the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) was formed under AU auspices to create areas of cooperation in public health, anti-poverty programs and economic development. 2004 has the potential to be a key year in the development of continent-wide African institutions with the inauguration of a pan-African parliament, a human rights tribunal and a standby peacekeeping force. The protocols for each of these institutions were drafted within the past five years, and have now been ratified by a sufficient number of member nations to enter into force.
As with the East African Community, however, the AU's legislative and judicial institutions are much weaker than their European counterparts. The African Court on Human and People's Rights, unlike the ECHR, will not have jurisdiction to hear cases brought by individuals or NGOs without the consent of the state being sued. In addition, the parliament will have "consultative and advisory powers only" during its first term, although it may thereafter be given legislative authority by the member states. According to the enabling protocol, its "ultimate aim" is "to evolve into an institution with full legislative powers, whose members are elected by universal adult suffrage," but it is likely to be a considerable time before this goal is put into effect. The real development of 2004 is likely to be the creation of economies of scale in African peacekeeping and regional security; the legislative and dispute resolution functions of the AU will take somewhat longer to come into their own.
The example of the European Union, which has turned one of the world's most warlike continents into perhaps the most peaceful, shows that regionalism has considerable potential as a means of peaceful development. Strong supranational institutions can result in a de-emphasis on national borders and a consequent reduction in border-driven conflicts. They can also assist in the creation of regional economies, reduce customs barriers in a continent with too many small nations, facilitate export trade for landlocked countries (of which Africa has more - 14 - than any other continent), permit economies of scale in infrastructure and public health, provide effective dispute resolution mechanisms and establish a regional security force for the instances when such mechanisms fail.
For the most part, however, African regional pacts haven't done this. Although supranational institutions have scored some conflict resolution and peacekeeping successes, these pale beside the number of conflicts that have proven intractable. In the economic sphere, there is little difference in standard of living between the countries that are part of a regional trade pact and those that aren't; prosperity in Africa is more dependent on other variables such as infrastructure, technical expertise, political stability and integrity of public institutions.
Why hasn't regionalism succeeded in Africa to the extent that it has in Europe? In part, the reason is that African regional integration is much newer. Although most of the frameworks for regional integration have existed for more than two decades, the development of free trade, dispute resolution mechanisms and effective political institutions has only begun in earnest in the past five years. To some extent, African supranational groupings are only now getting the tools to fulfill their goals, and should not be judged too harshly for past failures.
Nevertheless, there are also systemic problems. One of the most pressing is adequate funding; with most African countries at or near the subsistence level, there are few resources to spare for creating regional institutions ex nihilo. Political constraints also play a part in inhibiting African regional integration; many African countries, including nominal democracies, have an entrenched and corrupt political class that is resistant to any attempts to reduce its authority. Creation of supranational institutions has also not been an urgent political issue for African electorates, which tend to focus on issues closer to home. Also, since several regional pacts are dominated by a hegemonic local power, the governments of smaller states have been reluctant to cede their sovereignty to multi-national groupings. The result is that, for both financial and political reasons, many regional institutions are either dormant or weak.
Another inhibiting factor is the difference between the legal landscape and the facts on the ground. The existence of a free trade pact matters little if the local warlord or provincial governor is determined to collect a toll. For the most part, neither African states nor multi-state groupings are strong enough to curb the power of local leaders. To some extent, the challenges facing the African Union can be compared to superimposing an EU-style overlay on top of feudal Europe rather than the modern European nation-states. Imagine trying to persuade one of the medieval dukes of Burgundy to abide by a treaty made by the French crown, and you will have some idea of the difficulty of establishing African free trade zones or dispute resolution mechanisms.
There is also the factor of infrastructure. During the colonial era, the physical infrastructure of Africa was geared toward trade with the colonial powers rather than with other parts of Africa, and this has gone largely uncorrected by post-colonial governments. African road and rail networks tend to connect outlying areas of a single country with the capital and port cities rather than connecting major cities on a regional basis. Until recently, customs barriers have provided a disincentive toward the development of regional infrastructure, and physical infrastructure projects are not high on the list of most present-day regional groupings. Without the roads to carry African goods to markets in neighboring countries, free trade by itself will not create prosperity.
Finally, many of the African multi-national organizations overlap in jurisdiction and provide redundant services, in some cases leading to conflict. The relationship between the regions and the African Union has also not been entirely sorted out; the AU protocols call for cooperation with pre-existing regional institutions but leave cooperation mechanisms and areas of authority nebulous. At a time when both continental and regional organizations are increasing their powers, this can easily lead to jurisdictional battles. Some consolidation is in order, preferably accompanied by rationalization of smaller multi-national pacts whose functions are subsumed within the regional groupings.
These factors, particularly when combined with local nationalisms, simmering ethnic conflicts and language barriers, combine to make regional integration in Africa difficult. These problems, however, are not insuperable. The momentum is currently in the right direction, and the difficulties may become more surmountable with time, especially if the initial development of regional institutions creates a virtuous cycle by reducing local warlords' power to impede further integration. In addition, the potential rewards are great. Africa, like Europe, has messy borders and overlapping ethnic groups, and stands to benefit greatly from a political system in which national borders are de-emphasized. In addition, economies of scale are highly important on a continent where many small, financially strapped countries are currently battling daunting public health and poverty crises.
It is possible, then, to imagine a regionalized Africa, circa 2050, in which the end result of current trends toward regional integration is a four-tier continent-wide political structure. At the apex is the African Union, which will be the primary representative of Africa in the geopolitical arena, possibly with a seat on the Security Council. The AU will also be a customs union with internal free trade, free travel and uniform commercial law, and will have responsibility for conflict resolution, peacekeeping and human rights. The next tier down will consist of regions, which will be more responsive than continent-wide institutions and will have primary responsibility for infrastructure development and public health. Depending on the degree of economic integration thus far achieved by the African states, currency and banking might also be regional functions, with the ultimate goal of transferring monetary policy to the continental level.
The third tier - nation-states - would be the primary source of legislation outside the commercial and human rights areas, and would maintain military forces while contributing troops to the AU collective security mission. Finally, local areas existing both within nations and across national boundaries will have internal autonomy and primary responsibility for education and cultural heritage. Thus, while nation-states will continue to exist, borders will no longer be barriers to trade or cultural cooperation, and border-driven ethnic conflicts and separatism will lose much of their impetus. The functions of government that local, national and supranational leaders are now trying to exercise all at once will be transferred to the most appropriate levels.
Posted by jonathan at January 4, 2004 04:21 PM
Comments Good article - I've summarized it here.
I can't help thinking there's a lot of duplication of resources involved in all these organisations.
Posted by: Phil Hunt at January 5, 2004 03:00 AM Just to say thanks for a compact and informative article on a subject I was only vaguely aware of, but which couold be the hope of Africa
Posted by: Tim at January 5, 2004 03:02 AM Informative and concise. A potentially useful article. Thank you. It got me to write about SADC forces in Lesotho in 1998.
Posted by: Rethabile Masilo at January 5, 2004 03:34 AM Jesus, it must be so depressing to be an Africa observer. You mention the difficulties of creating multi-national institutions when society is basically feudal, and even national institutions exist only as cleptocracies; perhaps what they need is the truce of god.
Posted by: Danny at January 5, 2004 08:28 AM The example of the European Union, which has turned one of the world's most warlike continents into perhaps the most peaceful, shows that regionalism has considerable potential as a means of peaceful development.
I found your post extremely enlightening. Can you further support your above claim? One could argue, for example, that Europe has been turned into the most peaceful continent due to other factors: shell-shock after the Second World War; a united anti-Soviet front; desire to be an economic and culture counterweight to American hegemony. Any of these could explain the current peace, which might unfortunately be a lull and not a permanent state of affairs.
Posted by: Zackary Sholem Berger at January 5, 2004 02:16 PM I can't help thinking there's a lot of duplication of resources involved in all these organisations.
There is. Some duplication is inevitable in any multi-layered setup, and sometimes it's even desirable; for instance, municipal governments duplicate some of the services of national governments at a more localized and responsive level. The African regional pacts carry duplication to the point where they waste resources and get in each other's way. In addition, the African Union has its own definition of "region" that doesn't always match the boundaries of the regional pacts.
Efficient regionalism will definitely require some degree of consolidation, with the AU and the regional groupings agreeing on the boundaries of their jurisdiction. There's also room to rationalize some of the smaller regional pacts created in the 1960s and early 1970s - e.g., the Economic Community of Great Lakes Countries, the Mano River Union and the Cross-Border Initiative - that have been superseded by larger groupings.
One could argue, for example, that Europe has been turned into the most peaceful continent due to other factors: shell-shock after the Second World War; a united anti-Soviet front; desire to be an economic and culture counterweight to American hegemony.
I'd say, though, that regional groupings - and particularly the EU - have been the means by which these factors have been translated into practical action.
Posted by: Jonathan Edelstein at January 5, 2004 04:31 PM What a wonderful article. It has given me more energy as a starter pack for my dissertation for my Masters Degree at the University of Botswana in which i will be looking at the Effects of Regional Integration in Africa- Acase of SADC. DYTON MILANZI-MASTERS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (POLICY MANAGEMENT AND ADMIN) October,2004
Posted by: DYTON MILANZI at October 16, 2004 01:14 PM hi!i would like to say its a very informative article and i would like to ask you this, what is the role of regional trading blocs in the integration of small economies into the global economy?with case study. i would be glad if my question will be answered.
Posted by: koketso maele at January 6, 2005 09:25 AM The current state of the EU goes with financial and mental developement so africa can develope its population in terms of education which will itself lead toeconomic developement then definately AU willl be like EU.
Posted by: gatete at February 6, 2005 05:47 AM i was battling with the statement of the problem for the transion of sadcc to sadc as a regional integrational concept
Posted by: george tlhalerwa at February 26, 2005 07:32 AM Its a very informative article.
Posted by: Makokha at June 6, 2005 09:12 AM Truly, most of them really duplicate one another with very minimal, if no, impact on the very common citizens. Are they really vehicles of development as one would expect? Are they regional intergration or regional degradation? Are they fully benefitting the said regions or there are some external forces behind
Posted by: Bernard Arap Okebe, Kenya at October 11, 2005 12:22 PM For papers and round-tables, yes, the intergtions can exist in Africa, but in really they won't exist because of the numerous political, border, econonomic, cultural/religious differences among member countries.
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p.s. things have improved since this article was writte,
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Sudan to achieve self-sufficiency in weapons: spokesman
KHARTOUM, July 1 (AFP) - Sudan will be capable of producing all the weapons and ammunition it needs by the end of the year thanks to its growing oil industry, the armed forces spokesman said in remarks published Saturday.
Khartoum, which has been fighting a civil war against rebels since 1983, "will this year reach self-sufficiency in light, medium and heavy weapons from its local production," spokesman General Mohamed Osman Yassin was quoted as saying by Al-Share Al-Syasi newspaper.
Yassin told a gathering of student army conscripts that Sudan was now manufacturing ammunition, mortars, tanks and armoured personnel carriers, but he did not specify whether any foreign expertise was involved. --------------------------------------------------
This will spell MAJOR disaster for Afrika, mark my words MAJOR disaster.
posted
volume 9, issue #13 - Tuesday, June 29, 2004
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Nigeria should be able to meet its domestic refining needs 09-06-04 Oil industry, expert, Dr Diran Fawibe, has said that Nigeria as an oil-producing nation should be able to meet its domestic refining needs as a matter of national security. Fawibe, a petroleum economist, said that the present hikes in domestic fuel products were largely tied to limited domestic refining capacity as gaps had to be filled with imports at a time when spot market prices have climbed astronomically on the heels of rising crude prices. "Nobody can fault the argument that the refineries are the problem. It is being commonsensical, as a matter of national security, as a matter of national interest that as an oil-producing nation we should be able to refine products locally."
Fawibe, who said that deregulation of the oil downstream was the way out of the fuel price problem, said that price caps on fuel prices would serve as a disincentive to expected multi-billion dollar investments in private refineries which government is depending on to expand local refining capacity. "Our environment of uncertainty tends to discourage investors from bringing in funds. Also you have the problem of the labour unions that is saying you cannot have appropriate pricing for products. So given that scenario any investor will have to think twice before investing in such a venture.”
In other words, the uncertainty in the price situation in Nigeria is a disincentive to investments in refineries in Nigeria. He stressed that the nation's downstream oil sector was in danger of collapse if government backed down on its deregulation policy. He said that high prices of refined products due to the rising prices of crude on in the world markets should not be an excuse for reversing the deregulation policy and revert to a situation where the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation would be sole importer of petroleum products at subsidised rates. He said that price increase under the present situation was inevitable. "We are in a very difficult situation. Once we deregulate, we cannot run away from price increase from time to time. It is rather unfortunate that at this time prices are way up, which is the product of the crises in the world market, but I believe that sooner or later the law of gravity will apply and what goes up must come down."
Fawibe insisted that the government could not wait for another time to deregulate, because the oil shock was a global problem. He pointed to the irony of the situation, as Nigeria was now feeling of what consumer nations were experiencing though it is a producer nation, but said that the absence of mitigating factors was responsible for the high level of opposition to domestic fuel price increases. "We are now dancing to the music we have been playing for others. More money is accruing to the treasuries of producer nations but we are also experiencing what other are feeling and believe that Nigerians would not have agitated as much as there are doing now if there are complementary values for the increase, like alternative means of transportation pending the timethat fuel prices will come down," he said.
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NIGERIA - Privatisation of The Oil Refining Sector.
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Article Excerpt With Nigeria's four state-owned refineries to be privatised, plans for several private oil refining projects are being developed. The federal government of Abuja has issued 18 private refinery licences after opening up the country's downstream sector to local and foreign investors.
In October 2002, President Obasanjo laid the foundation stone of a $1.5 bn project at Tonwei in a ceremony marking the start of construction of Nigeria's first private refinery. The plant will have an initial capacity of 100,000 b/d and it can be expanded to 200,000 b/d.
The government of Lagos state is studying the possibility of establishing...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.
posted
Mozambique gets $1.3 billion World Bank debt relief
Maputo, Mozambique, 07/04 - The World Bank announced Monday the cancellation of most of Mozambique`s debt to its soft loans arm, the International Development Association (IDA), in the amount 1.306 billion dollars.
The debt relief is in line with the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) agreed at the 2005 summit in Scotland of the G8 group of most industrialised nations, a World Bank media statement indicted.
It said, when the amount of World Bank debt relief to Mozambique under the two instalments of the HIPC (Heavily Indebted Poor Countries) initiative is factored in, the total amount of debt to the IDA cancelled rises to 2.361 billion dollars.
Before MDRI, Mozambique was to have paid 32 million dollars in debt service to the IDA in 2007-08, and a further 97 million dollars in 2009-11.
But now the southern African nation owes the IDA nothing for this period.
World Bank country director for Mozambique, Michael Baxter, said: "The debt relief under MDRI will allow the government of Mozambique to allocate more resources for badly needed expenditure on, for example, education, health or infrastructure".
The release added that MDRI has cancelled all debts owed to the IDA, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank (ADB) that were outstanding at the end of 2003.
World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz declared "We have secured a level of financing commitments from donors that allows us to begin implementing the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative.
Additional debt relief will help Mozambique channel resources into programmes that directly help the people who need it most".
This relief has been extended to all 19 countries (15 in sub- Saharan Africa and four in Latin America) that have reached the "completion point" under HIPC.
Seeking a role in Congo's poor, violent market
By Bill Varner Bloomberg News
Published: July 3, 2006
UNITED NATIONS, New York Tae Jang, owner of a Washington construction company, sees a lucrative opportunity to build highways and bridges in Congo - as long as the United Nations pulls off the first free election in four decades in one of Africa's poorest and most violent nations.
Dozens of entrepreneurs, along with companies including Phelps Dodge and Celtel International, share Jang's view that the July 30 national elections in Congo may set off a development surge in the mineral-rich country that has suffered decades of war and graft.
"There are a lot of companies jockeying for position, trying to be part of a success story," said Chester Crocker, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington and a former assistant U.S. secretary of state for African affairs. He called Congo "a treasure-trove country, a high-risk, high-reward environment."
Congo's ambassadors to the United Nations and the United States say they have met during the past year with representatives of companies including Celtel, the Dutch mobile phone company that has operations in 13 African nations; Phelps Dodge, one of the world's biggest copper miners; and Citigroup, the financial company.
Bolstering the interest is a global commodities boom. Copper, one of Congo's principal exports, has doubled in the past year on the London Metal Exchange. Congo's state-owned mining company Gecamines estimates copper reserves at 56 million metric tons, which at the June 30 price of $7,420 would be worth about $415 billion.
The UN ambassador, Atoki Ileka, said that the executives also see profits in Congo's untapped gold, zinc, tin, nickel, uranium, oil and timber reserves. It also has two-thirds of the world's reserves of cobalt and one of the world's largest reserves of industrial diamonds.
The former Belgian colony, once known as Zaire, is still recovering from the war that followed the ouster of the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997. Hutu killers responsible for the genocide in Rwanda took refuge in eastern Congo and started the conflict, which drew in five other nations.
The election will determine whether President Joseph Kabila - who has ruled since his father, Laurent, was assassinated in 2001 - will remain in power. While Kabila is committed to attracting investment, said Faida Mitifu, Congo's ambassador to the United States, "it is very difficult for a country at war to promote business." With the election, he said, "now we have interest."
While Congo's per-capita economic output ranks 227th out of 232 nations on a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency list, the economy has expanded since 2002. Foreign demand for cobalt, copper and timber has pushed the annual growth rate to around 6.5 percent a year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
"We have to evolve, to have a modern banking system, a judicial system that ensures companies their money won't be touched," Ileka said. "There is no bank that has branches in the whole country, and the ones we have make transactions like it's the Middle Ages."
Jang, who managed a construction company that built roads in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, said he was undaunted by Congo's shortcomings, which include having only 300 miles, or 480 kilometers, of paved roads.
Ileka said companies from China, Malaysia and South Africa were "lining up" to invest.
Phelps Dodge has a mining concession for 600 square miles, or 1,550 square kilometers, of territory. It is doing site preparation work, including construction of schools, for a copper and cobalt mine.
Celtel's chief executive, Marten Pieters, said that his company has 1.3 million mobile phone customers in Congo and aims to double that figure after the election.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07...erg/bxcongo.php other african news below. nigera enters space. nigeria and southafrican arms industry and other nigerian industries for the misinformed. nigeria growing computer and computer chip industries.
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the short version from the link- -------------------------------------------------------------------
South Africa is one of the most sophisticated and promising emerging markets in the world, offering a unique combination of highly developed first world economic infrastructure with a vibrant emerging market economy.
World-class infrastructure
South Africa has world-class infrastructure - including a modern transport system, low-cost and widely available energy, and sophisticated telecommunications facilities.
Gateway to Africa
Not only is South Africa in itself an important emerging market, it is also a minimum requirement for accessing other sub-Saharan markets. The country borders with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho, and its well-developed road and rail links provide the platform and infrastructure for ground transportation deep into sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, South Africa has the resident marketing skills and distribution channels imperative for commercial ventures into Africa. The country plays a significant role in supplying energy, relief aid, transport, communications and outward investment on the continent. SA was the largest investor into the rest of Africa between 1990 and 2000, according to a 2003 report by LiquidAfrica Research, with investment averaging around US$1.4-billion, amounting to some $12.5-billion over the decade.
South Africa's exchange rate makes it one of the least expensive countries in which to do business - particularly one with a first-world infrastructure and high living standards. Even though stronger local currency has strengthened against other major currencies in recent years, the rand exchange rate still makes commercial and residential property, quality hotels and restaurants inexpensive by world standards.
South Africa is among the top 30 countries in the world for ease of doing business, according to a 2005 World Bank report.
Industrial capability, cutting-edge technology
The country's manufacturing output is becoming increasingly technology-intensive, with high-tech manufacturing sectors - such as machinery, scientific equipment and motor vehicles - enjoying a growing share of total manufacturing output since 1994.
SA's technological research and quality standards are world-renowned. The country has developed a number of leading technologies, particularly in the fields of energy and fuels, steel production, deep-level mining, telecommunications and information technology.
A number of industrial support measures have been introduced since 1994 to enhance the competitiveness of South Africa's industrial base. These include placing more emphasis on supply-side than demand-side measures (such as tariffs and expensive export support programmes).
The government has provided incentives for value-added manufacturing projects, support for industrial innovation, improved access to finance, and an enabling environment for small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) development.
Industrial development zones have been established in close proximity to major ports and airports, offering world-class infrastructure, dedicated customs support and reduced taxation.
South Africa has a well-developed and regulated competition regime based on best international practice. The Competition Act of 1998 fundamentally reformed the country's competition legislation, strengthening the powers of the competition authorities along the lines of the European Union, US and Canadian models.
SouthAfrica.info reporter, incorporating material from the Department of Trade and Industry
South Africa offers investors a business destination combining a number of ideals: the stability of a developed country ...
Investor confidence grows
South Africa is becoming the investment destination of choice of an increasing number of leading global companies:
British bank Barclays bought a majority stake in South African bank Absa for close on £3-billion (around R30-billion) in 2005 - the biggest single foreign direct investment ever in the country.
In March 2005, Indian industrial giant Tata announced plans to invest US$245-million (around R1.5-billion) in new projects in South Africa, where its business includes IT services, telecoms, bus body building and car distribution.
In April 2005, General Motors announced plans to invest US$100-million in its South African production facilities, after awarding its South African arm a $3-billion contract to manufacture a new global version of its Hummer sports utility vehicle for export to markets outside the US.
In February 2006, British telecommunications firm TalkTalk announced plans to spend £20-million setting up two call centres, one in Cape Town and the other in Johannesburg, in the biggest foreign investment yet in South Africa's burgeoning call centre industy.
Also in February 2006, British communications giant Vodafone concluded a US$2.4-billion deal that gives it an 84% stake (and 90% effective voting interest) in South African investment firm VenFin, giving Vodafone access to VenFin's 15% stake in South African mobile phone operator Vodacom.
Transport, energy, telecommunications: South Africa has the infrastructure of a fully developed country.
South Africa has a world-class and modern infrastructure, including a sophisticated transport system, low-cost and widely available energy, and advanced telecommunications facilities.
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what is nepad? The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is a VISION and STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR AFRICA’s RENEWAL
what are the origins of nepad? The NEPAD strategic framework document arises from a mandate given to the five initiating Heads of State (Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa) by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to develop an integrated socio-economic development framework for Africa. The 37th Summit of the OAU in July 2001 formally adopted the strategic framework document.
WHAT ARE THE NEPAD PRIMARY OBJECTIVES? a) To eradicate poverty; b) To place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development; c) To halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process and enhance its full and beneficial integration into the global economy; d) To accelerate the empowerment of women
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES OF NEPAD? Good governance as a basic requirement for peace, security and sustainable political and socio-economic development African ownership and leadership, as well as broad and deep participation by all sectors of society; Anchoring the development of Africa on its resources and resourcefulness of its people; Partnership between and amongst African peoples; Acceleration of regional and continental integration; Building the competitiveness of African countries and the continent; Forging a new international partnership that changes the unequal relationship between Africa and the developed world; and Ensuring that all Partnerships with NEPAD are linked to the Millenium Development Goals and other agreed development goals and targets.
WHAT IS THE NEPAD PROGRAMME OF ACTION? The NEPAD Programme of Action is a holistic, comprehensive and integrated sustainable development initiative for the revival of Africa, guided by the aforementioned objectives, principles and strategic focus.
7. WHAT ARE THE NEPAD PRIORITIES? a. Establishing the Conditions for Sustainable Development by ensuring Peace and security; Democracy and good, political, economic and corporate governance; Regional co-operation and integration; Capacity building. b. Policy reforms and increased investment in the following priority sectors-
The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
NEPAD Nigeria News Vol. 1, Issue 1, Jan 2006.
News Items
Fish-For-All Summit
Communicating NEPAD at the Country-Level Home-Grown School Feeding and Health Programme
NEPAD Nigeria-Technofuture Digital Dividend Initiative
Fish-For-All Summit
Nigeria hosted the NEPAD Fish for All Summit in Abuja from 22 – 25 August 2005 under the Chairmanship President Olusegun Obasanjo. NEPAD Nigeria was actively involved in the Summit.
The NEPAD Fish for All Summit is the first high-profile Africa-wide event to draw global attention to the vital role of fisheries and aquaculture to meeting Africa’s development agenda. The NEPAD Secretariat, the World Fish Centre and FAO took up an invitation from President Obasanjo, Chairman of NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) and Chairman of the Fish for All Initiative, to hold this event in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Summit comprised a 2-day Technical Symposium, a Nigeria Fisheries Day, an Africa Fisheries Exhibition, and a Heads of State Summit to endorse common African objectives for the future of fisheries and aquaculture in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals.
The Summit produced among other things the Abuja Declaration on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa and the NEPAD Action Plan on Fishery and Aquaculture.
Communicating NEPAD at the Country-Level
NEPAD Secretariat in partnership with NEPAD Nigeria organized a workshop with the theme “Communicating NEPAD at the County-level” from December 1 – 2, 2005 at Bolingo Hotel and Towers, Abuja. The German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) was the sponsor of the two-day event.
The objective of the workshop was to examine progress made in communicating the philosophy of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to Nigerians, to identify constraints and areas that required improvement, and to strengthen existing communication structures with the country and with the continental body. The workshop will serve as a template that for replication in other African countries by the year 2006.
Dr Imeh T. Okopido, former Minister of State for Environment made a welcome statement and declared the workshop open. Other dignitaries who participated in the workshop included Ambassador Tunji Olagunju, Chairman NEPAD Steering Committee, South Africa; Ambassador Olukorede Willoughby, Deputy CEO, NEPAD Secretariat; the Canadian High Commissioner, Mr. David Angell; the Country Representative of the GTZ, Mr Karl Brüning.
Presentations that featured during the plenary sessions include that of Chief (Mrs.) Asika titled “Communicating NEPAD at the Country level: The Nigerian Experience”. Other presenters were Dr Gabriel Gundu, Director, African Peer-Review Mechanism National Focal Point (APRM-NFP) Secretariat, Mrs. Thaninga Shope-Linney, General Manager Communications, NEPAD Secretariat, and Prof. I.L. Bashir, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.
A good number of NEPAD Nigeria State Coordinators and NEPAD Focal Points in Federal Ministries and Agencies were able to attend and participated in the sessions. Some civil society groups, youth organisations and the media were also among the participants.
Home-Grown School Feeding and Health Programme
History was made when the President Olusegun Obasanjo launched the Home-Grown School Feeding and Health Programme (HGSFHP) at Science Primary School, Kuje, FCT on 26th September 2005. The ceremony was graced by Executive Governors and Deputy Governors, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; the Hon. Ministers for Education, the Federal Capital Territory and Agriculture; members of the National Assembly among others. This epoch-making event was the culmination of months of preparation for the implementation of this programme.
The school feeding programme in Africa is the product of collaboration between the World Food Programme, as the lead agency, NEPAD, the United Nations Childrens’ Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Millennium Hunger Task Force (MHTF). Nigeria is one of ten (10) African countries to benefit in the pilot phase of the programme; Uganda, Ghana, Mali and Kenya have already flagged-off similar programmes.
The objectives of the HGSFHP are to:
reduce hunger among Nigerian school children;
increase school enrolment and attendance;
improve the nutritional and health status of school children;
stimulate local food production and boost the income of local farmers.
NEPAD Nigeria is a member of the National Steering Committee and the Senior Special Assistant to the President and Head of NEPAD Nigeria, Chief (Mrs.) Chinyere Asika, was at the occasion and delivered a goodwill message. She stressed the objectives of the programme were in line with the NEPAD Action Plans for Education, Agriculture and Health. She pledged the support of the office through the NEPAD State Coordinators for the implementation of the programme nationwide.
Highlights of the event included the delivery of the keynote address and de-worming of schoolchildren by President Obasanjo.
Related documents: Improving Food and Nutrition Security through Food for Education Programs in Africa
NEPAD Nigeria-TechnoFuture Digital Dividend Initiative
NEPAD Nigeria launched the NEPAD Nigeria-Technofuture Digital Dividend Initiative at a Round-table chaired by President Olusegun Obasanjo, in Abuja on December 22, 2005. The Initiative is a project providing a computerized educational model that teaches learners from kindergarten age to adulthood a unique combination of computer and entrepreneurship skills.
The tool empowers individuals by equipping them with skills that enable them set up their own business, operate optimally at the workplace, and compete more effectively in an increasingly technology-driven world, while making them self-sufficient upon retirement.
Speaking at the occasion at The TransCorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on NEPAD and Head of NEPAD Nigeria, Chief (Mrs.) Chinyere Asika, stressed the importance of NEPAD Nigeria’s involvement in such an initiative, as it will go a long way in facilitating the realization of the objectives of NEPAD ICT Programme.
The NEPAD Nigeria – Technofuture Digital Dividend Initiative is one of the NEPAD Nigeria - Private Sector Partnership Programmes with the following goals:
to facilitate the implementation of NEPAD ICT Programmes in Nigeria;
to fast-track capacity building in the area of ICT, especially as it relates to the promotion of entrepreneurship among various stakeholders in the Public and Private sectors;
to bridge the digital divide by empowering Nigerians with crucial technology and “life skills”, and
to promote economic growth and sustainable development through job and wealth creation.
Technofuture is essentially a well-targeted human capacity-building tool that teaches a unique combination of technology and business skills or life skills, to individuals of all ages starting from the age of four. NEPAD Nigeria and Technofuture will build synergies to sustain this initiative by collaborating with major stakeholders in the Nigerian public and private sectors, multilateral organizations and the academia.
[ Home ] Send mail to webmaster@nepad.org.ng with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: 01/20/06 The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
NEPAD Nigeria News Vol. 1, Issue 1, Jan 2006.
News Items
Fish-For-All Summit
Communicating NEPAD at the Country-Level Home-Grown School Feeding and Health Programme
NEPAD Nigeria-Technofuture Digital Dividend Initiative
Fish-For-All Summit
Nigeria hosted the NEPAD Fish for All Summit in Abuja from 22 – 25 August 2005 under the Chairmanship President Olusegun Obasanjo. NEPAD Nigeria was actively involved in the Summit.
The NEPAD Fish for All Summit is the first high-profile Africa-wide event to draw global attention to the vital role of fisheries and aquaculture to meeting Africa’s development agenda. The NEPAD Secretariat, the World Fish Centre and FAO took up an invitation from President Obasanjo, Chairman of NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) and Chairman of the Fish for All Initiative, to hold this event in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Summit comprised a 2-day Technical Symposium, a Nigeria Fisheries Day, an Africa Fisheries Exhibition, and a Heads of State Summit to endorse common African objectives for the future of fisheries and aquaculture in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals.
The Summit produced among other things the Abuja Declaration on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa and the NEPAD Action Plan on Fishery and Aquaculture.
Communicating NEPAD at the Country-Level
NEPAD Secretariat in partnership with NEPAD Nigeria organized a workshop with the theme “Communicating NEPAD at the County-level” from December 1 – 2, 2005 at Bolingo Hotel and Towers, Abuja. The German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) was the sponsor of the two-day event.
The objective of the workshop was to examine progress made in communicating the philosophy of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to Nigerians, to identify constraints and areas that required improvement, and to strengthen existing communication structures with the country and with the continental body. The workshop will serve as a template that for replication in other African countries by the year 2006.
Dr Imeh T. Okopido, former Minister of State for Environment made a welcome statement and declared the workshop open. Other dignitaries who participated in the workshop included Ambassador Tunji Olagunju, Chairman NEPAD Steering Committee, South Africa; Ambassador Olukorede Willoughby, Deputy CEO, NEPAD Secretariat; the Canadian High Commissioner, Mr. David Angell; the Country Representative of the GTZ, Mr Karl Brüning.
Presentations that featured during the plenary sessions include that of Chief (Mrs.) Asika titled “Communicating NEPAD at the Country level: The Nigerian Experience”. Other presenters were Dr Gabriel Gundu, Director, African Peer-Review Mechanism National Focal Point (APRM-NFP) Secretariat, Mrs. Thaninga Shope-Linney, General Manager Communications, NEPAD Secretariat, and Prof. I.L. Bashir, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru.
A good number of NEPAD Nigeria State Coordinators and NEPAD Focal Points in Federal Ministries and Agencies were able to attend and participated in the sessions. Some civil society groups, youth organisations and the media were also among the participants.
Home-Grown School Feeding and Health Programme
History was made when the President Olusegun Obasanjo launched the Home-Grown School Feeding and Health Programme (HGSFHP) at Science Primary School, Kuje, FCT on 26th September 2005. The ceremony was graced by Executive Governors and Deputy Governors, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; the Hon. Ministers for Education, the Federal Capital Territory and Agriculture; members of the National Assembly among others. This epoch-making event was the culmination of months of preparation for the implementation of this programme.
The school feeding programme in Africa is the product of collaboration between the World Food Programme, as the lead agency, NEPAD, the United Nations Childrens’ Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Millennium Hunger Task Force (MHTF). Nigeria is one of ten (10) African countries to benefit in the pilot phase of the programme; Uganda, Ghana, Mali and Kenya have already flagged-off similar programmes.
The objectives of the HGSFHP are to:
reduce hunger among Nigerian school children;
increase school enrolment and attendance;
improve the nutritional and health status of school children;
stimulate local food production and boost the income of local farmers.
NEPAD Nigeria is a member of the National Steering Committee and the Senior Special Assistant to the President and Head of NEPAD Nigeria, Chief (Mrs.) Chinyere Asika, was at the occasion and delivered a goodwill message. She stressed the objectives of the programme were in line with the NEPAD Action Plans for Education, Agriculture and Health. She pledged the support of the office through the NEPAD State Coordinators for the implementation of the programme nationwide.
Highlights of the event included the delivery of the keynote address and de-worming of schoolchildren by President Obasanjo.
Related documents: Improving Food and Nutrition Security through Food for Education Programs in Africa
NEPAD Nigeria-TechnoFuture Digital Dividend Initiative
NEPAD Nigeria launched the NEPAD Nigeria-Technofuture Digital Dividend Initiative at a Round-table chaired by President Olusegun Obasanjo, in Abuja on December 22, 2005. The Initiative is a project providing a computerized educational model that teaches learners from kindergarten age to adulthood a unique combination of computer and entrepreneurship skills.
The tool empowers individuals by equipping them with skills that enable them set up their own business, operate optimally at the workplace, and compete more effectively in an increasingly technology-driven world, while making them self-sufficient upon retirement.
Speaking at the occasion at The TransCorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on NEPAD and Head of NEPAD Nigeria, Chief (Mrs.) Chinyere Asika, stressed the importance of NEPAD Nigeria’s involvement in such an initiative, as it will go a long way in facilitating the realization of the objectives of NEPAD ICT Programme.
The NEPAD Nigeria – Technofuture Digital Dividend Initiative is one of the NEPAD Nigeria - Private Sector Partnership Programmes with the following goals:
to facilitate the implementation of NEPAD ICT Programmes in Nigeria;
to fast-track capacity building in the area of ICT, especially as it relates to the promotion of entrepreneurship among various stakeholders in the Public and Private sectors;
to bridge the digital divide by empowering Nigerians with crucial technology and “life skills”, and
to promote economic growth and sustainable development through job and wealth creation.
Technofuture is essentially a well-targeted human capacity-building tool that teaches a unique combination of technology and business skills or life skills, to individuals of all ages starting from the age of four. NEPAD Nigeria and Technofuture will build synergies to sustain this initiative by collaborating with major stakeholders in the Nigerian public and private sectors, multilateral organizations and the academia.
[ Home ] Send mail to webmaster@nepad.org.ng with questions or comments about this web site. Last modified: 01/20/06 http://www.nepadnigeria.org/
1 MEDIA RELEASE AFD Signs Grant Agreement to Support NEPAD ICT Broadband Infrastructure Programme Pretoria, South Africa, 29 June 2006. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has today signed a grant agreement with NEPAD e-Africa Commission, through the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), to support NEPAD’s Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Broadband Infrastructure Programme. The occasion that was graced by His Excellency Jean Felix Paganon, the French Ambassador to South Africa, took place at the French Embassy. Other high ranking officials from the French Embassy, AFD, NEPAD and DBSA also attended the ceremony. Ms Christina Golino signed on behalf of DBSA and NEPAD, while Mr Phillipe Lecrinier signed on behalf of AFD. In the agreement, AFD will provide 850 000 Euros (ZAR 7,9 million) grant to the NEPAD e-Africa Commission to support the development of rationalised terrestrial broadband ICT network for Central, Western and Northern Africa. The project will build on the conclusions and recommendations of a meeting held in Dakar in 2005 by the NEPAD e-Africa Commission to initiate the Central, Western and Northern Africa ICT Broadband Infrastructure Programme. The support will enable the Commission to play its coordinating role whilst at the same time, dealing with policy and regulatory bottlenecks that impede investment in ICT infrastructure in the region. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission intends to facilitate the development of investor friendly policies that promote private-public partnerships (PPP) that are critical to ICT infrastructure development. Said Dr Henry Chasia, the NEPAD e-Africa Commission Executive Deputy Chairperson, “We expect that the Central, Western and Northern Africa ICT Project, will contribute to NEPAD’s objective of connecting all African countries to a broadband terrestrial fibre-optic network, and hence, to the rest of the world through submarine cables. The Network will provide abundant bandwidth, easier connectivity and reduced costs. The broadband connectivity will also contribute to the much needed integration of the continent by facilitating trade, social, and cultural exchange between countries” One of NEPAD’s priority objectives is the promotion and the integration of regional ICT infrastructures all over Africa. The NEPAD e-Africa Commission was therefore set up to manage the structured development of the ICT sector on the African continent, by developing policies and broad ICT strategies and by initiating projects. Agence Française de développement is a French financial institution that provides support to developing countries. Together with DBSA, they have already jointly committed 25 millions Rands to finance regional infrastructure projects under NEPAD. This new grant will focus more precisely on regional ICT Infrastructure Broadband projects in French-speaking Africa. Ends 2 For more information about AFD, visit http://www.afd.fr For more information on NEPAD, please visit: www.nepad.org For more information about NEPAD e-Africa Commission, visit: www.eafricacommission.org For further information, please contact: Samuel Mikenga Communications Manager,
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THIS SHOULD BE IT FOR NOW.MORE PROOF THAT AFRICA IS MAKING PROGRESS AND NOT WAITING FOR ANYBODY.
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Nigeria seeks IAEA help for nuclear power plants
Nigeria has asked the world's nuclear watchdog for help in building two atomic power plants to supply electricity to the energy-starved oil exporting nation.
2005-02-14 18:10
Nigerian Science and Technology Minister Turner Isoun made the request during a four-day visit of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency to the West African nation. "We would like to seek the assistance and support of the IAEA for the development of two full scale 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plants for the generation of electricity," Isoun was quoted as saying at a dinner on January21, Reuters reported.
Nigeria commissioned its first nuclear reactor, a small academic research reactor at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, last year. Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and has huge oil and gas resources, but corruption by successive governments and inefficiency in the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) have led to massive shortfalls in power supply. Investors cite constant blackouts as one of the country's top economic hurdles, and they spend millions of dollars every year on diesel-fuelled generators to keep industry running. NEPA, which currently supplies about 2,600 megawatts, has been split into seven generating companies, 11 distribution firms and one transmission company ahead of its planned privatisation later this year.
Nigerian officials insisted that they were seeking nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, and pointed to the country's ratification of the non-proliferation treaty and additional protocols as evidence of that. Formally IAEA cannot reject Nigeria’s request as the world’s nuclear watchdog was established to promote peaceful nuclear energy.
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this is old info from last year.
Posts: 2688 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
NOTE- afew african states ahve become developed,some are really second world and other are third world,but even some of that are called third world have high enough technology and good roads,train system,like ivory coast,zimb. etc.,but their gnp ppp is not high enough to be really called second world yet,or first world but that time would come.
Posts: 2688 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
NOTE- afew african states HAVE become developed,some are really second world WITH GOOD OR FIRST RATE ROADS ETC LIKE NAMBIA and other are third world,but even some of these are called third world have high enough technology and good roads,train system,like ivory coast,zimb. etc.,but their gnp ppp is not high enough to be really called second world yet,or first world but that time would come.
like superacr said africa is not a country,will not yet anyway.
regional developement and blocs is more likely and that is happening as you have read above.
Posts: 2688 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
After all that spam you still missed the point:
Congo has the LARGEST concentration of mineral wealth in the WHOLE continent of Africa. Congo is about the POOREST country on earth. The wars there were fought BECAUSE of Congo's mineral wealth, NOT because of independence movements. Congo should be the WEALTHIEST country in Africa. So, with all these resources and HUGE foreign demand, why cant Congo get rich? The point is that Congo HAS to form JOINT ventures with these foreign companies so that the WEALTH of the country STAYS in the country and can be used to REBUILD. All this talk about the wealth in the ground does NO GOOD if all the money flows OUT of the country.
quote: By Bill Varner Bloomberg News
Published: July 3, 2006
UNITED NATIONS, New York Tae Jang, owner of a Washington construction company, sees a lucrative opportunity to build highways and bridges in Congo - as long as the United Nations pulls off the first free election in four decades in one of Africa's poorest and most violent nations.
Dozens of entrepreneurs, along with companies including Phelps Dodge and Celtel International, share Jang's view that the July 30 national elections in Congo may set off a development surge in the mineral-rich country that has suffered decades of war and graft.
"There are a lot of companies jockeying for position, trying to be part of a success story," said Chester Crocker, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington and a former assistant U.S. secretary of state for African affairs. He called Congo "a treasure-trove country, a high-risk, high-reward environment."
Congo's ambassadors to the United Nations and the United States say they have met during the past year with representatives of companies including Celtel, the Dutch mobile phone company that has operations in 13 African nations; Phelps Dodge, one of the world's biggest copper miners; and Citigroup, the financial company.
Bolstering the interest is a global commodities boom. Copper, one of Congo's principal exports, has doubled in the past year on the London Metal Exchange. Congo's state-owned mining company Gecamines estimates copper reserves at 56 million metric tons, which at the June 30 price of $7,420 would be worth about $415 billion.
The UN ambassador, Atoki Ileka, said that the executives also see profits in Congo's untapped gold, zinc, tin, nickel, uranium, oil and timber reserves. It also has two-thirds of the world's reserves of cobalt and one of the world's largest reserves of industrial diamonds.
The former Belgian colony, once known as Zaire, is still recovering from the war that followed the ouster of the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in 1997. Hutu killers responsible for the genocide in Rwanda took refuge in eastern Congo and started the conflict, which drew in five other nations.
The election will determine whether President Joseph Kabila - who has ruled since his father, Laurent, was assassinated in 2001 - will remain in power. While Kabila is committed to attracting investment, said Faida Mitifu, Congo's ambassador to the United States, "it is very difficult for a country at war to promote business." With the election, he said, "now we have interest."
While Congo's per-capita economic output ranks 227th out of 232 nations on a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency list, the economy has expanded since 2002. Foreign demand for cobalt, copper and timber has pushed the annual growth rate to around 6.5 percent a year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
"We have to evolve, to have a modern banking system, a judicial system that ensures companies their money won't be touched," Ileka said. "There is no bank that has branches in the whole country, and the ones we have make transactions like it's the Middle Ages."
Jang, who managed a construction company that built roads in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, said he was undaunted by Congo's shortcomings, which include having only 300 miles, or 480 kilometers, of paved roads.
Ileka said companies from China, Malaysia and South Africa were "lining up" to invest.
Phelps Dodge has a mining concession for 600 square miles, or 1,550 square kilometers, of territory. It is doing site preparation work, including construction of schools, for a copper and cobalt mine.
Celtel's chief executive, Marten Pieters, said that his company has 1.3 million mobile phone customers in Congo and aims to double that figure after the election.
How much of this "investment" is helping Congo? If Congo is EXPORTING up to $100 billion dollars worth of minerals A YEAR and only seeing less than 1% of that wealth STAY in the country, HOW is that GOOD for the Congo? Common sense should tell you it isnt. Seeing GREEDY foreigners line up to RAPE Congo for its minerals is NOT good news. How can it be? What is GOOD about it? If Congo is dirt poor but has ALMOST A TRILLION dollars worth of minerals in the ground HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? Any ECONOMIC PLAN for Congo that DOES NOT ensure Congo gets the LARGEST share of this wealth is RAPE, pure and simple. Let the people suffer while FOREIGNERS take ALL the money. There is NO REASON why Congo could not recover from the war damage in 5-10 years with the MONEY from its own resources AND NO DESTRUCTIVE LOANS from the World Bank or HANDOUTS from FOREIGN COMPANIES. Handouts and destructive loans are only COVER for the export of HUNDREDS of BILLIONS of dollars FROM a country, while they give only a FEW MILLION BACK in "investment"..... yeah great.
Posts: 8889 | Registered: May 2005
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quote: South Africa trying to give blacks more land
LADYSMITH, South Africa (Reuters) -- Unlike many his age, 26-year-old Zweli Mbhele does not want to leave his rural roots to seek his fortune in South Africa's booming cities.
Mbhele wants to farm -- and his dream has just come true.
Through a government program that aims to erase the country's land disparities, Mbhele and his family recently acquired 5,535 acres of the vast stretches of savannah in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Mbhele, who bought the property with a grant from the Department of Land Affairs, is excited about his prospects.
"I'm passionate about farming ... I grew up on a farm so I thought: Let me own one myself," he said outside the small town of Ladysmith, surrounded by undulating slopes, transformed into a sea of golden grass by the winter frost.
"I know farming is a lot of challenges and risk because you need to buy medicine to inoculate cattle against diseases and have to buy poisons for ticks. All that stuff costs a lot (but) I like to see my cattle grazing," he said, switching between English and his native Zulu.
Everyone agrees it is crucial for South Africa to address historical imbalances by entrusting more land to people like Mbhele. But some say farming may not be the ideal way to create wealth and say the results up to now do not look promising. 90 percent white-owned
More than a decade after the end of apartheid, more than 90 percent of South Africa's commercial farmland is still owned by the white minority -- a legacy of apartheid and colonial rule, which saw blacks kicked off their ancestral land.
So far the government has transferred roughly 4 percent of previously white-owned land to blacks -- far off its goal of 30 percent by 2014.
Frustration with the slow progress has begun to build and activists have threatened to invade land if the process does not speed up.
The chaos that resulted in neighboring Zimbabwe, where whites were often violently forced off their land, is a constant reminder of what can go wrong if the problem is left unchecked.
From President Thabo Mbeki to senior civil servants, there has been growing acknowledgment that the land question needs to be resolved faster -- but officials say an orderly process will be followed, with legal expropriations only used as a last resort.
Studies suggest that in a country where the economic role of agriculture has steadily declined over the decades, and where more and more rural folk are flocking to cities, agriculture should not be seen as a panacea for poverty.
"There's a lot of romanticism about agriculture," said Nick Vink of the University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town.
South Africa's ability to feed itself is a vital source of stability in a region that suffers frequent food shortages.
Department of Agriculture statistics show the sector employed around 940,000 people out of a population of 45 million in 2002 -- the last year for which figures are available -- down from about 1.6 million in the late 1960s. But it is still a crucial source of work in a country with a jobless rate of around 26 percent. Urban landscape
However, South Africa is now a nation of city dwellers.
Nearly 60 percent of the country is "urbanized" and in eight years, that might rise to 70 percent, according to a 2005 study by the independent Center for Development and Enterprises.
"In line with this, most South Africans now see land as a 'place to stay' rather than a 'place to farm'," it said.
"There is no doubt that many black South Africans are strongly attached to South African land in general, and the lands of their ancestors in particular ... However it should not be equated to wanting to farm for a living."
An OECD report earlier this year echoed those sentiments, saying simply handing more land to blacks, without developing neglected rural communities, was meaningless.
Dirk du Toit, deputy minister of agriculture and land affairs, said shortcomings in his department's policy were being ironed out and there was great economic potential in agriculture.
"There are sectors in the agricultural economy that are growing tremendously. Go and look what happened to our wine exports. We are doing very well with beef at the moment and you can go on," he said on a recent trip to KwaZulu-Natal to visit Mbhele's project.
"The land reform program is critically important ...It redresses the past imbalances ... but it's also about the socioeconomic development of poor people in this country."
GOOD news? And, even MORE important than that, what about the MINES in South Africa? The MINES is where the MONEY is, not just farms. HOw on EARTH could South African blacks want just the farm land and NOT the MINES that produce MOST of the wealth. Dont kid yourself with so called GOOD NEWS. Good news is when African blacks are not DIRT POOR in countries with hundreds of billions of dollars in resources being SUCKED out of the country. Good news is when MOST of the land and mines are OWNED by African blacks. THAT is the good news I want to hear, not some trickle down economic NONSENSE pushed by the world bank and foreign companies.
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posted
whites do not own 90% of farmland in south africa.it was always 78% and that wen t down to around 70% in the past few years. iknow i use to get the south african news letter since 1994.
south africa poor is around 15 million for last year out of off. population of 46 million for 2004
the off. population grew to 47 million at the end of last year.south africa added 2 million folks to the upper and middle class in the past three years.most folks in south africa are not poor just like most black americans are not poor,but there is still a large number that is still poor and it seems that both groups are poor but they are not.
anyway here is some more good news.all good things come to tose who fight and not just complain.owning most of the farmland is a good way to go by 2015 that is thw plan.by the way the black led gov. owns a large part of land so white own less than 70%.i think the gov. owns about 20% and they plan to give some of this and most of the land own by whites by 2015.about 30% more of it.pogress is happening and more will come.it has only been 12 years and they don't plan to mess this up like in zimb.
quote-
To help change the situation, President Thabo Mbeki has initiated a policy of "Black Economic Empowerment" (BEE) which is similar to the affirmative action programmes adopted in the United States. Essentially, BEE involves a balancing act of trying to draw blacks into the formal economy without imposing regulations so intrusive that they might end up destroying business. Mbeki has pledged to spend about 2.4 billion dollars to encourage empowerment within the next five years. So far, government has enacted two laws to promote BEE. The first, the Mining Charter, calls for 26 percent of mines to be owned by blacks within a decade. The second law, the Financial Services Charter, seeks to place a quarter of this sector in black hands by 2010. Government is also trying to integrate BEE principles in trade agreements. "Any free trade agreement will have to accommodate black economic empowerment," says Xavier Carim of the Department of Trade and Industry. But a day later Zondi joined IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi and the head of the Solidarity union, Flip Buys, in Pretoria to sign a charter that seeks to address the fears of whites who feel threatened by BEE. Buthelezi said whites were being excluded from appointment and promotion opportunities simply because of their skin colour. Some analysts insist, however, that there is cause for hope in this scenario of apparent doom and gloom. "A great many positive changes took place during the past 10 years," Shoni Makhari of the Johannesburg-based empowerment rating and research agency EmpowerDEX told IPS on Wednesday (Mar. 3). Some of the most noticeable of these changes are at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). "The traditionally pale male boardrooms of JSE-listed companies are slowly beginning to embrace diversity," says Vuyo Jack, Chief Executive Officer of EmpowerDEX. "The number of black directors increased last year in line with a trend dating back to 1992 when only 1.2 percent (from) the top 100 JSE listed companies were black." According to EmpowerDEX's latest survey of directors, blacks now make up 14.7 percent of directors at JSE listed companies. Various big firms have also put BEE policies in place. Anglo American, South Africa's largest company, is spending about 1.7 billion dollars to encourage black empowerment. It hopes to fill 40 percent of its local management positions with blacks in five years. Currently, only 20 percent of the positions are held by blacks.
i think this is a old article,since than more progress has been made and more is coming.
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South Africa's policy of black economic empowerment (BEE) is not simply a moral initiative to redress the wrongs of the past. It is a pragmatic growth strategy that aims to realise the country's full economic potential.
Broad-based growth Black economic empowerment is not affirmative action, although employment equity forms part of it. Nor does it aim to merely take wealth from white people and give it to blacks. It is simply a growth strategy, targeting the South African economy's weakest point: inequality.
"As such, this strategy stresses a BEE process that is associated with growth, development and enterprise development, and not merely the redistribution of existing wealth."
There is a danger, recognised by the government, that BEE will simply replace the old elite with a new black one, leaving fundamental inequalities intact. For this reason the strategy is broad-based, as shown in the name of the legislation enacted in 2004: the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act.
"Government’s approach [is] to situate black economic empowerment within the context of a broader national empowerment strategy … focused on historically disadvantaged people, and particularly black people, women, youth, the disabled, and rural communities," the DTI says.
How to achieve BEE? Black economic empowerment is driven by legislation and regulation. An integral part of the BEE Act of 2004 is the balanced scorecard, which measures companies' empowerment progress in four areas:
Direct empowerment through ownership and control of enterprises and assets. Management at senior level. Human resource development and employment equity.
Indirect empowerment through: preferential procurement, enterprise development, and This scorecard is defined and elaborated in the recently released BEE codes of good practice, which will soon be passed into law.
The codes will be binding on all state bodies and public companies, and the government will be required to apply them when making economic decisions on:
procurement,
licensing and concessions, public-private partnerships, and
the sale of state-owned assets or businesses.
Private companies must apply the codes if they want to do business with any government enterprise or organ of state - that is, to tender for business, apply for licences and concessions, enter into public-private partnerships, or buy state-owned assets. Private companies must apply the codes if they want to do business with any government enterprise or organ of state - that is, to tender for business, apply for licences and concessions, enter into public-private partnerships, or buy state-owned assets.
corporate social investment - a residual and open-ended category.
Companies are also encouraged to apply the codes in their interactions with one another, since preferential procurement will affect most private companies throughout the supply chain.
Different industries have also been encouraged to draw up their own charters on BEE, so that all sectors can adopt a uniform approach to empowerment and how it is measured.
Investor confidence grows International investors are increasingly embracing black economic empowerment - in sharp contrast to a few years ago, when the first round of empowerment deals in the country battled to find foreign support. Fortune 500 company Old Mutual's R7.2-billion BEE deal, launched in 2005, will not only give half a million South Africans an interest in the company - it also sparked a rise in Old Mutual share prices. Also in 2005, Deutsche Bank struck a deal giving black investors and staff a 25% stake in its South African operations (excluding its Johannesburg banking branch).
US investment bank Merrill Lynch announced in February 2006 that it will sell up to 15% of its South African business to black staff, women investors and a local educational trust, describing the move as part of its long-term commitment to the country and black economic empowerment.
Also in February 2006, London-based Blackstar Investors announced plans to help fund BEE deals in South Africa to the tune of £35-million (R380-million), signalling that foreigners are growing increasingly comfortable with BEE financing.
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posted
How about just making the OWNERSHIP of Anglo American MOSTLY black African? That way the MONEY would go INTO the hands of black South AFricans. It is not about making more black managers. It is about DIRECT flow of profits INTO the hands of BLACK South Africans as a form of REPARATIONS for apartheid. Black African labor BUILT South Africa along with the LAND and RESOURCES STOLEN from the people, THIS is why the people are POOR, not because of population density. You also need to get your figures straight. White South Africans still own more than 80% of the land. But all of this is a diversion from the major issue: DeBeers. Debeers is the EPITOME of Apartheid and the exploitation of blacks for ECONOMIC and MONETARY gain by whites, if Black South Africans want to GAIN wealth AND power, they MUST TAKE OVER Debeers and I DONT just mean a few "management" positions either. A development bank should be set up to TAKE the money from the various mines and other large scale operations that have been TAKING wealth FROM black South Africa, for use in BUILDING Black South Africa. Black South Africans SHOULD NOT ACCEPT living in DIRT POOR conditions while whites ENJOY LAVISH LIFESTYLES due to apartheid, as if it is some sort of REWARD for the atrocities committed by blacks. The ONLY ones to make this happen are BLACKS themselves and it WILL NOT come from the WHITES. Dont believe for a second that the WHITES in South Africa intend to give up the ECONOMIC POWER and WEALTH that they have gained from the oppression of BLACK South Africans. This sort of power is not given it is TAKEN. Anyone that believes otherwise is RETARDED. Why else did the Europeans have to MASSACRE so many Black South Africans in the first place, if LAND and WEALTH did not have to be TAKEN by force?
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posted
most blacks are not poor in south africa,but it will take time for more t do well. all good things come for those who wait. by the way things are happening. yelling and screaming about things is not going to change the problems any quicker.progress is happening.blacks own 73 t 70% of the land. that will change,and the economic landscape will change sooner or later.you could believe that.the blacks in south africa are not will to wait like the blacks did in zimb.
oh,most of the land and large part or most of the wealth will fall into black hands in our life time.
from the bcc world news,land.more good news. I THINK they plan to take most of the land by 2014.
bbc news quote- Mbeki may speed up SA land reform South Africa may move more quickly on the emotive issue of land reform, said President Thabo Mbeki as he outlined this year's government's programme.
He promised to "review" the policy of "willing-seller, willing buyer", which could reduce the compensation received by farmers who lose their land.
Mr Mbeki was delivering his state of the nation address at the annual opening of parliament in Cape Town.
He also noted the "mood of confidence" from recent economic growth.
He focussed on measures that the government believes will help to reduce poverty and improve public services.
The land question is an emotive one in South Africa, where the majority of farmland remains under the ownership of white farmers.
Until now, measures to restore land to the black majority have been largely along market lines, but Mr Mbeki hinted this would change.
"The minister of agriculture and land affairs will, during 2006, review the willing-buyer willing-seller policy, review land acquisition models and possible manipulation of land prices, and regulate conditions under which foreigners buy land," Mr Mbeki said, to both cheers and jeers from members of parliament.
Optimism
Mr Mbeki began his address by pointing to surveys that indicated that South Africans in general and business owners in particular were optimistic about the country's future.
"Our people are firmly convinced that our country has entered its age of hope," Mr Mbeki said. He said some 372bn rand ($61bn) would be spent over the next three years to improve services including electricity, water and telecommunications services, and to build houses and other infrastructure.
Service delivery and housing are pressing issues for Mr Mbeki's ANC as it approaches municipal elections in March.
Service delivery and housing are pressing issues for Mr Mbeki's ANC as it approaches municipal elections in March.
He spoke of efforts towards "the attainment of a society free of shack settlements in which all our people enjoy decent housing" and pledged to eradicate the "bucket toilet" system by the end of next year.
Football
He added that "the government will remain focused on the challenge to fight corruption in the public sector and in society at large."
Mr Mbeki pointed out that after this year's football World Cup in Germany, the world of football would be watching South Africa, which is to host the 2010 championship, but which was eliminated in the first round of this year's African Cup of Nations.
"I am afraid that our performance in the current African Cup of Nations in Egypt did nothing to advertise our strengths as a winning nation," Mr Mbeki said, to laughter from the house.
"However, starting today, the nation must make every effort to ensure that we meet all the expectations of Fifa and the world of soccer, so that we host the best soccer World Cup ever," the president said.
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posted
mistake-blacks own about or more than 20%(up to 27%) of the land now.the gov. owns land and that is about 20%.THE GOV. by the way is ruled by blacks. blacks control the country as awhole,so look on the bright side.the white land owners still must obey the law or there butts are grass.
THE pparts of the economy that is not lead controlled by blacks,is still indirectly control by the state.they can't just do what ever they want.
blacks will have more direct control in time.trust me.
What is the situation in South Africa currently? What have been the results of the planned land program the government has announced? Land has always been an emotive issue in South Africa, though it is not yet as politicized as in Zimbabwe. It is bound to become a big political football, though, if the pace of land reform is not accelerated.
Unless the racial imbalance of land ownership is redressed, it will aggravate racial tensions and lead to violent confrontations, as we see happening now in Zimbabwe. It was the failure of the Zimbabwe government's land reform program which unleashed political pressures that in turn pushed Robert Mugabe into collusion with the land invaders.
In the last two years in South Africa, agitation groups like the Landless People's Movement, have become increasingly active. Though still small and unevenly organized, such groups and individuals have spearheaded isolated invasions of state-owned and white-owned land.
There are promising signs of progress in South African land reform as private sector banks and business groups, gazing uneasily at Zimbabwe, have realized the need to throw their weight behind government's reform efforts. And government itself is assigning more money, and developing better practices for land reform.
There are promising signs of progress in South African land reform as private sector banks and business groups, gazing uneasily at Zimbabwe, have realized the need to throw their weight behind government's reform efforts. And government itself is assigning more money, and developing better practices for land reform.
The big question is how rapidly South Africa's reform programs can develop. New state agricultural assistance grants to complement the land purchase grants should go far in helping to sustain the new farmers. The South African government has instituted legislation recently that allows the Land Affairs Minister to expropriate land in cases where "willing buyer, willing seller" deals fail. The legislation drew protest from the commercial farming lobby, who portray it as a Trojan horse maneuver by the government to effect a Zimbabwe-style land grab. But this is mere politicking; the government has always had the power to expropriate land, the legislation simply makes it easier.
In any case, commercial farmers still have the right to challenge the expropriation if they feel the amount that the government is offering is insufficient. The government's biggest failure so far has been its slowness to devise a working strategy. In many cases outdated apartheid strictures on land use and regressive land taxes that encourage unproductive big farms, instead of more affordable and efficient small farms, remain on the statute books.
In your coverage, describe some of the commercial land owners you've met and how they have been affected by land reform? I take it you mean white commercial farmers. The range of views is quite broad, from those who accept the need to reach an accord with would-be black farmers to those who have never, and will never, countenance black ownership of their farms, or even their neighbors' farms.
I have not made a special study of white farmers' views, but speak from experience of having met commercial farmers over the years, and having grown up partly on a farm myself. One white farmer, in the mid-1970s, plowed lime into his corn fields to make them infertile, after he was forced to sell his farm (by expropriation) to the then-apartheid government to make way for the first "independent" black homeland. Such bitter emotions still exist, especially in the more conservative parts of South Africa.
More enlightened white farmers have given their workers shares and joint management of their farms. In many cases of restitution, where white farmers have had to sell their land to the state for return to the historical owners, the new owners have retained the white farmers as managers because they do not have sufficient farming skills themselves. It is a complex relationship, and by no means stereotypical.
What is the sentiment among black farmers you've spoken to who have received land grants and who are now occupying farms that once belonged to white farmers? Have those you've seen been successful in farming the land once it's been distributed? There has not been much to cheer about in the transfer of white farms to new black farmers. The most successful cases seem to be those where the new and old owners reach a joint working agreement. The problem is that few blacks have experience in modern commercial farming.
Large-scale farms these days are highly mechanized and farm owners hedge their crop prices on the futures exchange. It requires financial as well as farming knowledge. One commercial bank has devised a loan scheme geared to emerging black farmers that includes crop insurance and a mentorship arrangement in which skilled white farmers will be retained to help train the new black farmers. The department of agriculture, too, is developing a mentorship program.
In South Africa, have any farms been seized? What kind of force has been used? There have been isolated seizures, but nothing to begin to compare with Zimbabwe. Two years ago when squatters moved on to state land near Johannesburg, the government was quick to remove them. This does not mean that South Africa could not head down the Zimbabwean road. That is still plausible if land reform continues to move too slowly and political pressures grow to the stage that they threaten the dominance of the ANC in government.
What has happened to the white farmers who have lost their land? In Zimbabwe, some have moved to neighboring Mozambique and Zambia, or simply retired to towns or emigrated.
Is there a general consensus among black Africans with whom you've spoken about whether land redistribution is good or bad? A 2001 survey by James Gibson of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa found that 57 percent of respondents felt land reform was "very important". Eight-five percent of black respondents agreed with the statement: "Most land in South Africa was taken unfairly by white settlers, and they therefore have no right to the land today." 68 percent of black respondents agreed with the statement: "Land must be returned to blacks in South Africa, no matter what the consequences are for the current owners and for political stability in the country."
What is the opinion in South Africa about the land seizures going on in Zimbabwe? Are there indications it could spread to South Africa? Yes, increasingly so. The fear of a "Zimbabwe-type situation" developing has prompted business lobbies and white-led interest groups in particular to become more supportive of government land reform initiatives.
my comments-IT SEEMS that the state owns land too like i said.
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South African Blacks to get Land Stolen during Apartheid By Special to the NNPA from IPS/GIN May 5, 2004 quote- Thousands of Black South Africans will soon be able to buy back land taken from them during the apartheid era. Landless Blacks are allowed to claim White-owned farmland. If White farmers refuse to sell, a new law lets the government step in and forcibly buy the land at market price.
So far, about 20 percent of the land has been claimed. In some regions, such as Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, the figure is close to 50 percent. So far 45,000 of the total 70,000 claims have been settled. The government aims to settle the rest by 2005.
The enforced selling law is only expected to be used in about 5 to 10 percent of claims, chief land claims commissioner Tozi Gwanya told Reuters.
And in Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe faced international criticism for allowing Blacks to occupy and take White-owned farms. A number of White farmers were killed in the process.
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posted
one correction blacks own 13% of land commerical farmalnd. 4%more was given to blacks in recent times. the states owns about 5 to 10% i think and the rest is white own,but that will change by 2009 to 2014,or there will be trouble.
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another point of view.sometimes you have to know what othersare saying and up too.
here is a quote from a racist.he has a point however when he says that the states does own some land.i know it is least 10% but below it says higher.I THINK THIS IS RIGHT AS WELL. i could not find a different source for time being but i have read about this and heard it on the news awhile ago.
Editor's note: Longtime WorldNetDaily contributor Anthony C. LoBaido has made no less than six trips to South Africa in recent years and has lived, worked and traveled all over South Africa and neighboring countries.
quote-
Posted: September 3, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern
As South Africa begins its second decade after apartheid's dismantlement in 1994, the ruling Marxist African National Congress has rapidly escalated what some call "the Zimbabwe paradigm" – moving to more aggressively seize its white citizens' farms, possessions and futures. South African President Thabo Mbeki, a devout Marxist, has been a strong supporter of Zimbabwe despite dictator Robert Mugabe's disastrous policies in the former Rhodesia, once known as the breadbasket of southern Africa. Now it appears Zimbabwe's problems have been projected onto South Africa. Almost 1,700 white South African farmers have been murdered since 1994, with another 15,000 recorded attacks. White children, babies and the elderly have been raped and mutilated in these crimes, which often are carried out with archetype military precision and the use of snipers. President Bush visited South Africa during his first term in office and promised to look into the plight of South Africa's white farmers. This after being given a video presentation by Dr. Pieter Mulder of the Freedom Front Plus Party. Thus far, the president has publicly said nothing about the plight of the white Afrikaner farmers and has made Mbeki his "point man" on the Zimbabwe issue. While Bush did sign a presidential directive calling for action against Mugabe, American and British influence on the situation appears negligible. The opposition MDC in Zimbabwe is still cowed into submission while massive socialist and quasi-Maoist agrarian and land reform schemes continue to plunge "Zim" into despair.
Farmers claim they are charging market-related prices for their land, but the ANC has set far different values on the same land. As such, the ANC blames the farmers for slowing down their land reform project. The ANC owns lots of land in South Africa. The problem is the ANC officially doesn't know how much land it owns.
What is known is that the ANC government could invoke the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Act. This Act was passed in 2003 and clearly authorizes the ANC to expropriate land.
ANC-owned land most likely stands at 19.8 percent of the total surface area of South Africa. Between 5 and 10 percent of that land could be redistributed today if need be. The ANC wants to have 30 percent of all commercial farmland under black ownership by 2014. As of December 2004, 3 percent of commercial farmland had been redistributed. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that farming, including genetically modified farming, has become an increasingly high-tech venture, calling for a high degree of intelligence, training and dedication. It is one thing to hand over the land. It is another thing to keep that land fruitful and feed the masses.
Many white South Africans have fled the rape, crime, murder, HIV and all-around social disintegration of this once wealthy, anti-communist nation. Destinations like the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are now home to the de facto Afrikaner and South African Diaspora. Like the Hmong, Karen, Montagnards, South Sudanese and Kurds, the Afrikaners will continue to exist as a people but not as a nation. Because of their Calvinist background and racial and cultural solidarity, white South Africans, especially the Afrikaners, are ill-prepared for the realities of living in post-Christian and post-modern Western Civilization, where someone like Paris Hilton is not only tolerated but celebrated.
According to groups like Genocide Watch, however, what is going on in South Africa's killing fields is not justice, but genocide. There are only about 40,000 white farmers in South Africa. The 1,700 murdered from that group is the highest per capita murder rate in the world. The average murder rate is 7 out of 100,000 worldwide. For the South African farmer it is 313 out of 100,000. The second-highest per capita murder rate in the world is that of the South African police.
my comment-now 4% of land has been giving to the blacks and the anc is not marxist. another point thsi racist got wrong on-south africa has more wealth today and gnp ppp is higher than ever,but this racist doe not want to give blacks credit for sound economic policies and growth.south africa is infact more advanced and more modern under black rule.
zimb. was able to slowed down negative growth and increase it's gnp ppp last year for the first time in years.hopefully a change will happen there soon.
crime is going down too,but racist like this does not like to admit this.
TRAINING IS being done for when the time comes to take over more land,and there are plenty of highly intelligent blacks in south africa.money is coming in for hiv and the state is doing it's part now.aids is stablizing,so that is good news but still have away too go.
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quote:Originally posted by kenndo: I HOPE SOMEONE FIXES THE EDIT PART.I can't edit anything here.
Farmers claim they are charging market-related prices for their land, but the ANC has set far different values on the same land. As such, the ANC blames the farmers for slowing down their land reform project. The ANC owns lots of land in South Africa. The problem is the ANC officially doesn't know how much land it owns. What is known is that the ANC government could invoke the Restitution of Land Rights Amendment Act. This Act was passed in 2003 and clearly authorizes the ANC to expropriate land. ANC-owned land most likely stands at 19.8 percent of the total surface area of South Africa. Between 5 and 10 percent of that land could be redistributed today if need be. The ANC wants to have 30 percent of all commercial farmland under black ownership by 2014.As of December 2004, 3 percent of commercial farmland had been redistributed.
IT is 4% now,maybe higher by now since it is hard to get updated info on any parts of africa.you have to find the info most of the time when it comes to good news. THAT was a quote above was from a racist.he has a point however when he says that the sou the africanstate does own some land.I know it OWN at least 10% but below it says higher.I THINK THIS IS RIGHT. I could not find a different source for time being but i have read about this and heard it on the news awhile ago.
Doug M and Masonic Rebel your points are well taken, though I think you need to realize that RAW MATERIALS and the PRODUCTS made from these RAW MATERIALS are two different items, just because Afrika has the resources that doesn't mean much because it is the finished products that fetch the good prices. Afrikans have to know how to trade and negotiate good deals in order to profit from the resources. It's all about the markets, for example Crude Oil when it comes out of the ground is fairly useless though when this Crude Oil is refined and shipped to it's buyers then that's where the value comes in that's where Afrika loses because Afrika is young and doesn't have much access to all the MARKETS, now this is where Europeans come to play the main role in Markets. Now having Europeans or Africanized European Afrikaners combining with Afrikans then that's a win win situation for both groups. South Afrika has a STRONG future, both for Afrikans and Europeans if they can work out their racial problems and their historical problems. Afrikans and Europeans need to sit together and have strong dialogue with each other towards making concrete steps to ending RACISM, at least in South Afrika and working on those ideas that they discuss because lip service won't help anyone. Martin Luther King and other Civil Rights leaders did the best job towards these problems before so I think South Afrika might want to consult with Civil Rights participants for some good advice towards solving the racial problems in South Afrika. Today numerous Europeans are moving back to South Afrika so we can say that the Economy is doing better and the future of South Afrika looks positive. Now at the end of the day South Afrika has 45+ Million people to feed so I figure the South Afrikan government will do its part in maintaining peace in South Afrika.
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