Author: Database of Press Releases related to Africa

ABUJA, Nigeria, May 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Rasilimali za Afrika zenye utajiri mwingi zinatoa nafasi ya kipekee ya ufanisi katika uimarishaji wa maisha ya raia wa Afrika, yasema ripoti mpya kubwa iliyozinduliwa leo na Kofi Annan, Katibu Mkuu wa zamani wa Umoja wa Mataifa, lakini mara nyingi sana rasilimali hizi huporwa na maafisa wafisadi pamoja na wawekezaji wa kigeni. Aidha, Ripoti hii inaonyesha kwamba kuongezeka kwa ukosefu wa usawa vilevile kunaizuia Afrika isiikamate nafasi hii ya maendeleo.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/app.png

Photo Kofi Annan: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1052 (Kofi Annan, Chair of the Africa Progress Panel)

Download the Report: http://www.apo-mail.org/APP_Summary_SW.pdf

An audio stream opens up on May 8 at 2PM GMT and closes at 15h00 GMT – journalists need not register and can simply click the link: https://mixlr.com/odi/embed/

Download the Infographic “Africa’s Food Exchange”: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/infog_3_foodexchange.jpg

Download the Infographic “Africa’s Losses: Cost of Illicit Outflows”: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/infog_5_africalosses.jpg

Ripoti hii ya 2014 ya Jopo la Maendeleo ya Afrika (http://www.africaprogresspanel.org), Nafaka, Samaki, Pesa: Kugharamia mageuzi ya Kijani kibichi na Samawati, inawahimiza viongozi wa kisiasa wa Afrika kuchukua hatua hususa sasa ili kupunguza ukosefu wa usawa kwa kuwekeza katika kilimo. Pia, inataka hatua ya kimataifa kuchukuliwa ili kukomesha kile kinachotajwa kuwa uporaji wa sekta za mbao na uvuvi.

“Baada ya zaidi ya mwongo mmoja wa ukuzi, kuna mengi ya kushangilia,” Bwana Annan atawaambia viongozi wa kisiasa na wa kibiashara, wakati wa kuzinduliwa kwa ripoti hii katika mkutano wa Baraza la Kiuchumi la Ulimwengu kwa Afrika (World Economic Forum for Africa). “Lakini ni wakati wa kuuliza kwa nini ukuzi mkubwa wa jinsi hii haujasaidia hata kidogo kuwainua watu kutoka katika umasikini na kwa nini utajiri mwingi wa Afrika umeharibiwa kupitia mazoea ya ufisadi na uwekezaji usio mnyoofu.”

“Afrika ni bara lenye utajiri mwingi, kwa hivyo ni kwa nini fungu la Afrika katika utapiamlo ulimwenguni, na idadi ya vifo vya watoto inaongezeka haraka jinsi hii? Jibu ni kwamba ukosefu wa usawa unadhoofisha uhusiano kati ya ukuzi wa kiuchumi na maendeleo katika hali ya maisha ya watu,” alisema Bw. Annan.

Hata ingawa wastani wa mapato umeongezeka kwa theluthi moja katika mwongo uliopita, kuna Waafrika wengi zaidi sasa wanaoishi katika umasikini-takriban milioni 45- zaidi ya waliokuwepo katika mwisho wa miaka ya 1990. Malengo mapya ya kimaendeleo huenda yakajaribu kuodoa umasikini Afrika kufikia mwaka wa 2030 – lakini kwa mkondo wa sasa, Mwafrika mmoja kati ya Watano bado atakuwa akiishi katika umasikini mwaka huo utakapofika.

Bw. Annan, ambaye aliathiri kwa kiwango kikubwa Malengo ya Maendeleo ya Milenia, asema: “ Mbali na kuahidi kutimiza malengo makuu, nchi zinapojiunga na mfumo huu mpya wa kimaendeleo ulimwenguni zinapaswa kuahidi pia kupunguza mapengo yasiyoweza kutetewa katika bara hili, kati ya matajiri na masikini, maeneo ya vijijini na mijini, wanaume na wanawake.”

Waandishi wa ripoti hii wanatambulisha kilimo kuwa msingi wa ukuzi ambao utapunguza umasikini. Wanadhihirisha kwamba masikini wengi wa Afrika wanaishi na kufanya kazi katika maeneo ya vijijini, na kwa wingi ni wakulima wadogo wadogo.

“Nchi ambazo zimejengwa juu ya misingi ya sekta bora za kilimo – kama vile Ethiopia na Rwanda- zimeonyesha kwamba maeneo ya vijijini yanaweza kuwa kichocheo kikubwa cha ukuzi wa pamoja na upunguzaji wa umasikini,” Bw. Annan atasema katika uzinduzi.

Ripoti hii inahimiza kuwe na “mageuzi ya kijani kibichi ya Kiafrika,” ambayo yanadondoa masomo kutoka kwa mageuzi ya bara la Asia na kubadilishwa ili kufaa hali za Afrika.

Kwa wakati huu, gharama ya uingizaji wa chakula kutoka nchi za nje ni dola za kimarekani bilioni 35, kwa sababu kilimo cha ndani kimekumbwa na uzalishaji wa kiwango cha chini, ukosefu wa uwekezaji, na ujitengaji wa kimaeneo. Kuongezeka kwa uwekezaji katika miundombinu na utafiti kunaweza kuinua kwa kiwango kikubwa mavuno ya eneo hili na mapato ya wakulima. Kwa wakati huo huo, kuondoa vikwazo vya kibiashara ndani ya Afrika kunaweza kufungua soko mpya.

Hata ingawa ripoti hii inakosoa viongozi wa Afrika, Ripoti ya 2014 ya Jopo la Maendeleo ya Afrika inaipa changamoto jamii ya kimataifa kuunga mkono jitihada za kimaendeleo za Afrika. Inadhihirisha kwamba sekta za kilimo na mbao ndizo sekta mbili muhimu zinazohitaji kuimarishwa ili kupambana na uporaji wa rasilimali za asili.

Uvuvi haramu, usiodhibitiwa na usioripotiwa umefikia kiwango cha juu kupindukia katika maji ya pwani ya Afrika. Afrika Magharibi hupoteza takriban dola za kimarekani bilioni 1.3 kila mwaka. Zaidi ya gharama za kifedha, uporaji huu huangamiza jamii za kivuvi ambazo hupoteza nafasi muhimu za uvuvi, utayarishaji na uuzaji wa samaki. Dola zingine bilioni 17 hupotezwa kupitia ukataji haramu wa miti.

“Uporaji wa rasilimali ni wizi uliopangwa na unaofichwa kwa hila katika biashara. Meli za biashara za uvuvi za kigeni, ambazo husajiliwa katika nchi za Kiafrika kwa hila, na kupakua samaki katika bandari ambazo hazirekodi mapato yao, hazina maadili,” alisema Bw. Annan, akiongeza kwamba shughuli hizi haramu hukuza tatizo la ukwepaji wa kodi na kampuni bandia. Ripoti ya 2014 ya Jopo la Maendeleo ya Afrika inahimiza kuwepo kwa usimamizi wenye wahusika wengi wa sekta ya uvuvi ambao utatekeleza vikwazo juu ya meli ambazo hazisajili na kuripoti mapato yao. Ripoti hii aidha inazihimiza serikali ulimwenguni pote kuidhinisha Makubaliano ya Port State Measures, mkataba ambao unalenga kuwazuia waporaji kupakua mapato yao haramu katika bandari.

Viongozi wa kisiasa wa Afrika wameshindwa kusimamia rasilimali za asili kwa masilahi ya wanaozimiliki kihalisi- watu wa Afrika. Pamoja na kupoteza pesa kupitia uporaji na usimamizi mbaya wa kifedha, Waafrika wanapoteza pesa za kigeni, si ambapo wafadhili wanapokosa kuweka hadi zao tu, bali pia wakati Waafrika wanaoishi katika nchi za kigeni wanapotuma pesa kwa familia zao. Inakadiriwa kwamba kila mwaka bara hupoteza zaidi ya dola za kimarekani bilioni 1.85 katika ada za kupindikia zinazotozwa kwa huduma hizi.

Zikiwa na mapato makubwa ya rasilimali, serikali za Afrika sasa zina nafasi ya kutengeneza mifumo bora ya kodi – na kutumia pesa za umma vizurikwa njia ya usawa, ripoti hii inaongeza. Kwa mfano, asilimia 3 ya pato la jumla la eneo (GDP) kwa sasa huelekezwa kwa ruzuku za nishati ambazo kwa sehemu kubwa huenda kwa watu wa tabaka la kati kati. Pesa hizo zinapaswa kugeuzwa na kupelekwa kwa matumizi ya jamii ili kuwapa masikini nafasi bora ya kutoroka mtego wa umasikini.

“Uwezo wa Afrika wa kukabiliana na hali ngumu, na ubunifu ni mkubwa,” asema Bw. Annan. “Tuna idadi kubwa ya vijana wenye nguvu. Wajasiriamali wetu wanatumia teknolojia kubadilisha maisha ya watu. Tuna rasilimali za kutosha kulisha si sisi tu bali na maeneo mengine pia. Ni wakati kwa viongozi wa Afrika – na wawekezaji shirika wenye uwajibikaji – kuibua uwezekano huu mkubwa.”

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the Africa Progress Panel (APP).

Ikisimamiwa na Kofi Annan, Katibu Mkuu wa zamani wa Umoja wa Mataifa, Jopo hili lenye watu kumi hutetea, katika viwango vya juu sana, maendeleo endelevu na yenye usawa barani Afrika. Jopo hili hutoa chapisho lake kuu, Ripoti ya Maendeleo ya Afrika, kila mwaka mwezi Mei. (http://www.africaprogresspanel.org)

Kupata habari zaidi, tafadhali wasiliana na:

Victoria Williams, Hill+Knowlton Strategies – (m) +27 72 452 1772

Barua pepe: victoria.williams@hkstrategies.co.za

Geraldine Trennery, Hill+Knowlton Strategies – (m) +27 82 677 5201

Barua pepe: geraldine.trennery@hkstrategies.co.za

http://www.africaprogresspanel.org

http://www.facebook.com/africaprogresspanelna

https://twitter.com/africaprogress

ABUJA, Nigeria, May 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Africa’s rich natural resources offer a unique opportunity for a breakthrough in improving the lives of Africa’s citizens, says a major new report launched today by Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General, but too often these resources are plundered by corrupt officials and foreign investors. Rising inequality is also blocking Africa from seizing that opportunity, the report shows.

Download the Report: http://www.apo-mail.org/APP_Summary_EN.pdf

Photo Kofi Annan: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1052 (Kofi Annan, Chair of the Africa Progress Panel)

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/app.png

An audio stream opens up on May 8 at 2PM GMT and closes at 15h00 GMT – journalists need not register and can simply click the link: https://mixlr.com/odi/embed/

Download the Infographic “Africa’s Food Exchange”: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/infog_3_foodexchange.jpg

Download the Infographic “Africa’s Losses: Cost of Illicit Outflows”: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/infog_5_africalosses.jpg

The 2014 Africa Progress Panel report (http://www.africaprogresspanel.org), Grain, Fish, Money: Financing Africa’s green and blue revolutions, calls on Africa’s political leaders to take concrete measures now to reduce inequality by investing in agriculture. It also demands international action to end what it describes as the plunder of Africa’s timber and fisheries.

“After more than a decade of growth, there is plenty to celebrate,” Mr Annan will say when he releases the report. “But it is time to ask why so much growth has done so little to lift people out of poverty – and why so much of Africa’s resource wealth is squandered through corrupt practices and unscrupulous investment activities.”

“Africa is a continent of great wealth so why is Africa’s share of global malnutrition and child deaths rising so fast? The answer is that inequality is weakening the link between economic growth and improvements in wellbeing,” he said.

Although average income has risen by one-third in the past decade, there are more Africans living in poverty now – around 415 million – than at the end of the 1990s. New global development goals are likely to aim to eradicate poverty by 2030 – but on current trends, one African in five will still be in poverty when that deadline arrives.

Mr Annan, who played a central role in shaping the Millennium Development Goals, says: “When countries sign up to the new global development framework, they should pledge not only to meet ambitious targets but also to narrow the region’s indefensible gaps between rich and poor, urban and rural, and men and women.”

The report’s authors identify agriculture as the key to growth that reduces poverty. They point out that most of Africa’s poor live and work in rural areas, predominantly as smallholder farmers. “Countries that have built growth on the foundations of a vibrant agricultural sector – such as Ethiopia and Rwanda – have demonstrated that the rural sector can act as a powerful catalyst for inclusive growth and poverty reduction,” Mr Annan will say at the launch.

The report calls for a “uniquely African green revolution” that adapts the lessons provided by Asia to African conditions. Africa currently imports US$35 billion worth of food because local agriculture is dogged by low productivity, chronic underinvestment, and regional protectionism. Increased investment in infrastructure and research could dramatically raise the region’s yields and the incomes of farmers. Meanwhile, eliminating the barriers that restrict trade within Africa could open up new markets.

While critical of African governments, the Africa Progress Report 2014 also challenges the international community to support the region’s development efforts. It highlights fisheries and logging as two areas in which strengthened multilateral rules are needed to combat the plunder of natural resources.

Illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing has reached epidemic proportions in Africa’s coastal waters. West Africa is conservatively estimated to lose US$1.3 billion annually. Beyond the financial cost this plunder destroys fishing communities who lose critical opportunities to fish, process and trade. Another US$17 billion is lost through illicit logging activities.

”Natural resource plunder is organized theft disguised as commerce. Commercial trawlers that operate under flags of convenience, and unload in ports that do not record their catch, are unethical,” Mr Annan said, adding that these criminal activities compound the problem of tax evasion and shell companies. The Africa Progress Report 2014 calls for a multilateral fisheries regime that applies sanctions to fishing vessels that do not register and report their catches. The report also calls on governments around to world to ratify the Port State Measures Agreement, a treaty that seeks to thwart the poachers in port from unloading their ill-gotten gains.

African political leaders have failed to manage natural resources in the interests of the true owners of those resources – the African people.

As well as losing money through natural resource plunder and financial mismanagement, Africans miss out on money from abroad, not only when aid donors fail to keep their promises but even when those in the African diaspora send remittances home to their families. It is estimated that that the continent is losing US$1.85 billion a year because money transfer operators are imposing excessive charges on remittances.

With greater resource revenue, African governments now have the opportunity to develop more effective taxation systems – and spend public money more fairly, the report adds. For example, 3 per cent of regional GDP is currently allocated to energy subsidies that principally go to the middle class. That money should be diverted into social spending to give the poor a better chance of escaping the poverty trap.

“Africa’s resilience and creativity are enormous,” Mr Annan says. “We have a rising and energetic youth population. Our dynamic entrepreneurs are using technology to transform people’s lives. We have enough resources to feed not just ourselves but other regions, too. It is time for Africa’s leaders – and responsible investment partners – to unlock this huge potential.”

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of the Africa Progress Panel (APP).

Chaired by Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, the ten-member Africa Progress Panel (http://www.africaprogresspanel.org) advocates at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa. The Panel releases its flagship publication, the Africa Progress Report, every year in May.

For further information, please contact:

Hill+Knowlton Strategies (d) +27 11 463 2198

Victoria Williams (m) +27 72 452 1772

Email: victoria.williams@hkstrategies.co.za

Geraldine Trennery (m) +27 82 677 5201

Email: geraldine.trennery@hkstrategies.co.za

http://www.africaprogresspanel.org

http://www.facebook.com/africaprogresspanel

https://twitter.com/africaprogress

ABUJA, Nigeria, May 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Locally-owned African seed companies participating in a program to offer high-yield crop varieties to smallholder farmers across the continent have collectively become the largest seed producers in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report released today at the Grow Africa Investment Forum (http://growafrica.com/events/gaif14-abuja-nigeria) alongside the World Economic Forum on Africa. The analysis by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) (http://www.agra.org) reveals 80 small- to medium-size African seed companies in 16 countries are on track to produce over 80,000 metric tons of professionally certified seeds in 2014.

Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/agra.jpg

Photo 1: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1049 (Cassava production in Mozambique (Image credit: SABMiller)

Photo 2: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1050 (FICA Seeds company truck (Photo credit: AGRA)

Photo 3: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1048 (Agro Dealer in Kenya (Photo credit: AGRA)

Photo 4: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1047 (Amount of AGRA-supported seed production in 16 Countries in 2013 (Image credit: AGRA)

Photo 5: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/index.php?level=picture&id=1046 (The number of crops and seed varieties released by AGRA-supported groups (Image credit: AGRA)

“The rapid growth of local seed companies over a very short time period is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit percolating in communities across Africa and to the pent-up demand among Africa’s smallholder farmers for improved, high-yield crop varieties,” said Dr. Joe DeVries, director of AGRA’s Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS.)

AGRA launched PASS in 2007 to inject new energy into Africa’s commercial seed sector, which was failing to provide African farmers with a steady supply of locally-adapted, improved crop varieties—something that farmers elsewhere in the world take for granted. The stagnant state of commercial seed production often is cited as a key reason why yields per hectare in Africa for staple crops like maize are up to 80 percent below what farmers outside of Africa achieve.

According to the report, “Planting the Seeds of a Green Revolution in Africa,” PASS started out working with a handful of companies that together produced about 2,000 metric tons of seed. Today, seven years later, it is partnering with some 80 companies across the continent that produce professionally certified seed for an array of African staple crops including maize, cassava, millet, rice, sorghum, beans, sweet potato, cowpea, groundnut, soybean and pigeon pea. These companies are focusing on varieties “carefully selected by local crop breeders for their compatibility with specific African agricultural environments.”

For example, in Nigeria, Maslaha Seeds was launched in 2006 and produced only about 600 tons of seed in its first year, mostly for high-yield rice—such as the popular “New Rice for Africa” (NERICA) developed by the Africa Rice Center—and for a type of high-yield maize known as a “hybrid.” But it worked with PASS and other partners to rapidly expand and now produces thousands of tons of seed each year for a wide menu of crop varieties, including high-yield sorghum, millet, and cowpea developed specifically for Nigeria’s growing conditions.

“Nigeria has the potential to become one of the world’s great breadbaskets, and giving our farmers access to certified seed for high-yield crop varieties is crucial to fulfilling that promise,” said Ibrahim Abdullahi, managing director of Maslaha Seeds.

There already are indications that increasing access to the improved seed is helping farmers coax far more food out of the same amount of land. A 2013 survey of farmers in nine countries found that the majority of farmers who have invested in improved crop varieties have seen yields rise by 50 to 100 percent.

For example, 69 percent of farmers surveyed in Kenya, 74 percent in Nigeria, and 79 percent in Mozambique said improved maize varieties had allowed them to double the amount of maize harvested per hectare. Meanwhile, 79 percent of farmers surveyed in Ghana reported doubling rice yields, and 85 percent of farmers surveyed in Uganda reported doubling yields from cowpea.

A Local Focus to Strengthening Africa’s Commercial Seed Sector

The analysis of AGRA’s seed program notes that the following successes can be attributed to a strategy focused on addressing weak links across what agriculture experts call the seed “value chain”—particularly education, breeding, production, and distribution.

• Publicly-funded crop breeding programs supported by AGRA since 2007 have released 464 new varieties of 15 important crop species developed for specific African climates and soils. Many breeders employed at a national level work collaboratively with international breeders from the CGIAR Consortium who provide breeding stock and, sometimes, finished varieties. Through public-private partnerships with seed companies, more than 300 of these new varieties already are available to farmers via local seed companies.

• To address the fact that many farmers in rural areas don’t have a shop nearby that sells seeds and fertilizers, AGRA has trained and certified more than 15,000 local small business owners to sell farm supplies. The report found that these modest businesses are having a big impact. The “agro-dealers” supported by AGRA now provide smallholder farmers in 16 countries with 400,000 metric tons of seed and 1 million metric tons of fertilizers each year. Additionally, they have held around 7,000 technology demonstrations and 4,000 “farmer field days” where local growers can examine test plots planted with new crop varieties.

• AGRA’s goal to train a new generation of African crop breeders has resulted in 66 scientists earning doctorate degrees and 135 earning master’s degrees by the end of 2013.

The report also identified challenges to ensuring that the majority of smallholder farmers in Africa have access to improved crop varieties—and to the fertilizers and other inputs required to achieve their full yield potential. For example, national governments need to free up the supply of foundation seed developed by their public-sector breeding programs and offer tax incentives to encourage investments in processing equipment, irrigation technology, and other seed production infrastructure. Also, local seed companies need more access to investment capital, and farmers need to learn more about the benefits of investing in quality seed of superior varieties.

Building on a Success: Focus on Local Companies and Small Farms

Donor countries are increasingly viewing agriculture as the key to alleviating poverty in Africa. Major new initiatives are being launched, such as the New Alliance for Food Security, a shared commitment of African leaders, private sector partners, and donor governments to lift millions out of poverty over the next decade. As part of that initiative, AGRA, with support from Feed the Future through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is accelerating the adoption of high-yield crop varieties and complementary technologies by smallholder farmers in Africa through the Scaling Seeds and Technologies Partnership (SSTP), a US $47 million effort in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal and Tanzania.

“It’s clear that increasing incomes for small farms, and for the local businesses that supply them, is the key to prosperity for millions of people living in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dr. Richard B. Jones, SSTP Chief of Party at AGRA. “Now we’re building on that success by working with the private sector and governments to form country-led initiatives that will substantially increase and maintain the development, production and distribution of quality seed of superior varieties.”

The discussion at the World Economic Forum on Africa of the benefits gained from investments in local seed production occurs at a time when many people inside and outside of Africa see agriculture as the engine that can drive economic growth across the continent. For example, Akinwumi Adesina, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, believes agriculture has the potential to become Nigeria’s “new oil” (http://onforb.es/1fnccml) and has embarked on an ambitious program to dramatically increase food production in Africa’s largest economy.

At the same time, with all the new activity around agriculture in Africa comes concern that rapid growth could marginalize smallholder farmers and local agriculture business. Officials at AGRA insist that the focus has to stay on boosting production on smallholder farms and nurturing local agriculture-related enterprises.

“When we talk about a unique Green Revolution for Africa, we are talking about something that is indeed revolutionary, which is the development of a modern, highly productive agriculture sector that remains focused on small, family farms,” said AGRA President Jane Karuku. “Our seed program has shown that, if given access to the essential ingredients of modern agriculture, smallholder farmers in Africa can rapidly increase food production and become the bedrock of food security for the continent.”

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

Media Contacts:

Michelle Geis at +254 711 326 770 or mgeis@burnesscommunications.com

Sylvia Mwichuli at +254 736 880 620 or SMwichuli@agra.org

Editor’s note: The report, as well as a photo selection is available for download on the online press room at http://agramedia.wordpress.com (password: seeds14). AGRA spokespeople are available at the World Economic Forum in Abuja for interviews.

About AGRA

AGRA (http://www.agra.org) is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programs develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural value chain — from seeds, soil health and water to markets and agricultural education. AGRA works across sub-Saharan Africa, and maintains a head office in Nairobi, Kenya and country offices in Ghana, Mali, Mozambique and Tanzania. Learn more at http://www.agra.org

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Chaloka Beyani, today called for concerted development and peacebuilding action to achieve durable solutions for internal displacement in Kenya.

“The end of displacement cannot be determined by a political decision, but by reality,” Mr. Beyani stressed at the end of his official visit to Kenya from 29 April to 7 May, “and durable solutions are only achieved once IDPs can enjoy their human rights without discrimination.”

“Causes of internal displacement are many and recurrent, and solutions must be pursued more rigorously for all IDPs in an equal manner,” the independent expert said, pointing at post-election violence, inter-communal clashes, evictions or natural disasters as major causes of displacement in Kenya.

“Kenya’s Act on internal displacement recognizes these causes and requires immediate implementation,” the Special Rapporteur underscored. “This is not only a priority requirement to achieve durable solutions, but also for better preparedness.”

Following his visit to Moyale, where he became witness of burnt houses and destroyed schools leaving the displaced without a place to return to, Mr. Beyani stressed that “displaced pastoralists require special attention.”

The Special Rapporteur welcomes the commitment and efforts by the Government of Kenya to resettle the displaced, but noted that lack of secure land tenure, children out of school, no access to health services, lack of livelihood opportunities and discrimination remain obstacles to lasting solutions.

During his nine-day visit, the human rights expert met with representatives of the national and county governments, and other stakeholders, including IDPs, in Nairobi, Nakuru and Moyale.

With this visit, Mr. Beyani followed up on the progress made since his last official mission carried out from 16 to 27 September 2011 (Read his 2011 report on internal displacement in Kenya: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/IDPersons/A.HRC.19.54.Add%202_en.pdf)

GENEVA, Switzerland, May 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos completed her two-day mission to Chad late Tuesday, calling for urgent donor support to meet the humanitarian needs of 97,000 people who have fled the violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) and for the two million Chadians suffering from persistent food insecurity and malnutrition.

The humanitarian response plan managed by the UN in Chad asking for US$527 million is currently only 5 per cent funded.

“I hope that my visit will be an opportunity to raise the profile of the impact of the CAR crisis on Chad and be an opportunity for Chad to get recognition as a country that has welcomed refugees, not only from Central African Republic, but also from Sudan,” said Valerie Amos. “We must raise the required funding to give people who have fled across the border, as well as the Chadians who host them, the support that they require.”

Since the beginning of the year, the Government of Chad and the humanitarian community have evacuated over 70,000 people from CAR and facilitated the return of over 28,950 Chadian migrants to their areas of origin. Humanitarian partners are also assisting more than 61,000 people in transit sites. This life-saving assistance is financed mainly with regular programme budgets due to a lack of emergency funding. The situation is made more critical for those in transit sites as the rainy season begins.

“I was able to see the extremely good work that the United Nations and partners are doing to support the displaced from the Central African Republic, but I also got to see some of the conditions, including for women and children who have arrived very recently and do not have shelter and food,” said USG Amos at the end of her first official visit to Chad, which included visits to a transit site near the capital N’Djamena and to the Kanem region in Chad’s Sahel belt.

In Chad, there are around two million people suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition, mostly in the country’s Sahel region. Children are badly affected: last year, 45,000 children died due to malnutrition.

“We know that we need to deal with the immediate impact, but we also need to plan for the longer term, to help communities build the resilience they need to overcome the shocks that they face year after year,” Ms. Amos noted following her visit to Kanem.

During her visit USG Amos met with the President of the Republic, Idriss Deby Itno, the Prime Minister, Kalzeubet Pahimi, and other Government officials. “The President’s personal commitment to tackling the nutrition issue and the Government’s national nutrition strategy fit well with the United Nations own humanitarian strategy for the Sahel,” emphasized Ms. Amos. “We will continue to work together in the months and years to come to deal with the underlying structural challenges in Chad.”

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has totally condemned the abduction of schools in Nigeria by suspected militants of the extremist group Boko Haram, as part of their strategy to terrorise and scare into submission the Nigerian public and the world at large.

After over 200 girls were taken away from their school in Chibok, in Borno State in mid April 2014, more girls are reported to have been abducted in Warabe village, in the same Nigerian Borno State.

Speaking during the visit of the Chinese Premier, the AU Commission Chairperson re-echoed the Heads of State and Government call to Silence the guns by 2020. Addressing the situation of the kidnapped girls, which Dr. Dlamini Zuma described as unacceptable, she said “we have to campaign against the abduction of school girls, because girls need education, girls need to be at school. It is their right.”

Dr. Dlamini Zuma calls on all African Union Member States and the international community to support the Nigerian Government to energetically fight the abduction of girls, senseless killings and series of other vices perpetuated by the militant group Boko Haram.

LONDON, United-Kingdom, May 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Mark Simmonds promotes the UK’s partnership with Cameroon, trade and investment.

Foreign Office Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, today spoke to over 500 delegates at the UK/Cameroon Investment Forum, organised by Developing Markets Associates held at Church House.

Mr Simmonds welcomed the role that British companies were currently playing in Cameroon’s financial sector. The forum aims to increase British investment in Cameroon further given the significant opportunities in many sectors from oil and gas to mining and agriculture.

During his speech the Minister for Africa spoke of the strong commercial relationship:

“Our bilateral trade is rising. I am pleased British companies are playing a leading role in Cameroon’s financial sector and are prominent in others like banking, oil, gas, mining electricity generation, agriculture and accountancy.

“Like the British Government, the Government of Cameroon are working hard to deepen commercial links and increase the attractiveness of their country as a place to invest”

Focusing on the Africa and Cameroon’s potential, the Minister for Africa said:

“It’s an exciting time for Cameroon – and for Africa as a whole. Some of you would have heard me say before that I believe the continent is brimming with opportunities for British investors against a backdrop of steady economic growth and development. Cameroon is no exception”

Mr. Simmonds also hosted a bilateral meeting with Cameroonian Prime Minister Philemon Yang.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Mr. Li Keqiang, has reiterated China’s commitment to reinforce the Sino-Africa strategic partnership. Mr. Kegiang was speaking on Monday 5 May 2014 while addressing AU Officials and staff; the diplomatic Corps; the Chinese community in Addis Ababa, representatives of the international organizations; AU Members States; the media; business people, and other invited guests, at the African Union Conference Complex in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The official visit of the Chinese premier to the AU featured a tour of the facilities of the New AU Conference Center, a gift from the Chinese government to Africa, in the presence of Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the AUC, followed by a tete-a-tete with Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the AUC and a brief working session with the AUC Commissioners before proceeding to the plenary hall to address the public. In his statement, the Chinese Premier enumerated some main projects and areas of cooperation between the two parties. Hailing the economic development witnessed in the African continent, he called on the two parties to make use of this opportunity for the common interest of their respective populations and for a brighter future “given that Africa and China have a common historical past”, he noted.

Welcoming the Chinese Premier at the AU Headquarters, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Dlamini Zuma highlighted the long standing cooperation between Africa and China. “The African Union considers today an important milestone in the historical relationship between Africa and China. This strategic and unique relationship is an expression of a long, deep and enduring solidarity between Africa and China. It was built in the long walk of Africa’s struggles against colonialism and foreign domination, and Africa’s pursuit for self-determination, freedom, justice, peace and prosperity,” she underscored. She added that this visit, therefore, “is an affirmation of the shared ideals and strong commitment we share to our collective destiny and that of humanity as a whole”. (See complete statement of AUC Chairperson on the AU website: www.au.int ).

Speaking earlier, H.E. Mr Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia saluted the joint ventures in the areas of investment and establishment of Chinese industries in Africa which he said will create employment as well as transfer technology in the continent.

A guided tour of an exhibition of the Chinese aviation and railway networks concluded the visit of Prime Minister Li Keqiang to the AU headquarters.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, May 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union Commission (AUC) and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) launched two series of publications in Yaoundé on April 24, 2014. The launch session took place during the Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union (COMEDAF VI), which was held this week in Yaoundé.

These documents are published at a time when Africa continues to lag behind in development: economic growth has not yet brought decisive social progress and Africa is has yet to successfully integrate the globalization process. Much of this lag in development is attributable to the poor performance of African education and training systems.

Two series of publications were launched:

• The African Union Education Outlook 2014 reports, produced by the ADEA Working Group on Education Management and Policy Support (WGEMPS) for the African Union. The reports measure the progress made by Africa as a whole and by its sub-regions in the eight priority areas of the African Union’s Plan of Action of the Second Decade of Education in Africa. The eight areas are as follows: gender and culture; education management information systems (EMIS); teacher development; tertiary education; technical and vocational education and training; curricula and teaching; quality management; and early childhood development.

• ADEA Triennial publications on critical skills for the accelerated, sustainable development of Africa. These publications synthesize and issue recommendations on the critical skills that education and training systems should develop to produce the human capital that Africa needs for accelerated, sustainable development.

Both series of publications can be accessed from ADEA’s Home page at www.adeanet.org

The publications were launched as part of the collaboration between the African Union Commission and ADEA. On April 24, 2014, the two entities renewed the Memorandum of Understanding that unites them.

In his remarks, African Union Commissioner Martial De-Paul Ikounga urged the press to take greater interest in education. “One of Africa’s problems with education is also the insufficient importance attributed to it by the press”, he declared.

Mr. Ikounga also emphasized the importance of the collaboration between the AUC and ADEA. “It is a necessity”, he declared. “The African Union Commission and COMEDAF make policy decisions. But we need to translate these decisions into actions. ADEA represents a set of skills that the African Union needs.”

After a brief presentation of the AU’s Second decade of Education Plan of Action made by be

Beatrice Njenga, Head of AUC’s Education Division, Angela Arnott, Coordinator of the WGEMPS, emphasized the main trends outlined in the “African Union Education Outlook 2014” continental report. Access to education remains a problem, since half of all out of school children in the world are African. In eight African countries, fewer than half of children who enroll in school complete the primary level.

Concerning higher education, enrollment rates have tripled over the last 15 years, but universities remain teaching institutions rather than the research centers that Africa so badly needs to be competitive at the global level. Technical and vocational education and training remains inadequate, fragmented, barely recognized and under-funded. It is not growing enough to absorb the many young people who have dropped out of school, and one consequence of this is the alarming unemployment rate (60%) among young Africans.

Hamidou Boukary, Acting Executive Secretary of ADEA, reported that ADEA’s current priority is to help countries to transform their education and training systems, which “must help to produce citizen who participate in the emergence of Africa, its economic growth, its sustainable development and its global competitiveness”. ADEA has produced a Strategic Policy Framework to guide African countries to carry out this transformation, which was adopted by the heads of state of the African Union at the AU Summit in Addis Ababa in January 2013.

The Chair of ADEA recalled the words of Nelson Mandela that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. “But this education must be of good quality”, he stated, adding that mere attendance in school is not enough.

ADEA is hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB). It is a partnership between African ministries of education and development partners, a forum for dialogue on education and training policies in Africa, a network of policy-makers, practitioners and researchers in education, and a catalyst for educational reforms aimed at the accelerated, sustainable development of Africa. ADEA programs are implemented by the ADEA Secretariat, which is based in the AfDB, and by its working groups, Task Force and inter-country quality nodes, which address specific themes and challenges in the education field.

The AUC, through its Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology, manages education programs designed to formulate and harmonize education policies across Africa by supporting access to education of good quality for all African children and citizens.

BANGUI, Central African Republic, May 7, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Central African Republic, Mr. Babacar Gaye, congratulates the Head of State and the Transitional Government, on the occasion of one hundred day anniversary of the inauguration of Catherine Samba-Panza as President of the Central African Republic and the appointment of the Transitional Government led by Prime Minister André Nzapayéké.

“We commend the efforts of the Government to implement the Constitutional Charter of the Transition under very difficult circumstances, and we urge the transitional authorities to engage in the building of a nation which appreciates principles and values of coexistence and lasting peace,” said Mr. Gaye.

The Central African Republic is facing considerable challenges, including insecurity and a humanitarian crisis linked to inter-community conflicts.

Nevertheless, Mr. Gaye added, “I am confident that the resilience of its population and the wisdom of its leaders will enable the Central African Republic to overcome all obstacles and become a prosperous nation, respectful of human rights.”

He also encourages all Central Africans to support the national reconciliation process and the consolidation of Rule of Law, so that every person shall be equal before the law and communities shall live in harmony.

The Central African Republic must derive strength from its diversity and build institutions which represent the broad spectrum of the country’s diverse communities.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) reiterates its commitment and willingness to support efforts to stabilize the country and restore state authority in all its institutions and over the entire national territory.