Nomadic Skills Should Be Applied More To Fight Climate Change

The aid agency, Oxfam, has concluded that Africa could benefit greatly in its managing of the effects of climate change by applying age-old skills used by some of its nomadic peoples. In a new report released recently, the agency points out that pastoral communities such as the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania could pass on very helpful survival skills to the wider African community as handling climate change has been a way of life for them for millenia. The Maasai have been particularly adept at farming deserts and scurbland, for example. However, many nomadic groups have had their way of life curtailed and criticized over the years, their lifestyle being seen as incapable of fitting into a modern civilization. It has been lost on policy-makers here, therefore, the benefits that could be derived from applying some of the wisdom pastoralists have to deal with challenging contemporary phenomena. Oxfam's report should be a strong wake-up call to them to use age-old, time tested and indigenous means to counter one of the most challenging problems of our time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7568695.stm

Africa Welcomes Back Her Olympic Heroes

The Beijing Olympics, which was concluded on Sunday, was undoubtedly an Olympic games to rival any that had been staged throughout the history of the Olympics. Well organized and expertly hosted, these Olympics provided us with new heroes (Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps), astonishing stories and world records galore -all ingredients for a spectacle that should be remembered for years to come. For Africa, these Olympics were one to relish as well. African teams bagged a total of 39 medals from events as varied as judo and kayaking but mostly coming from the athletics track and field. Africa stamped its dominance in the men’s and women’s middle and long distance races winning most of the medals on offer with mainly the Kenyans and Ethiopians taking the honors. Kenya will be especially proud of its Beijing odyssey; she finished as the top African nation (and 15th overall) at the games with her largest ever medal haul at an Olympic games. Some of the medalists have already returned home with more expected today, including the largest contingent of the victorious Kenyan team.


http://allafrica.com/olympics/

Bakassi Nigerians promised safety

Cameroonian President, Paul Biya, assured Nigerians occupying Cameroon's newly acquired region of Bakassi of their protection under the law in an address carried on Cameroonian radio and TV. 300,000 Nigerians occupy this region which Nigeria ceded to Cameroon honoring an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling which determined that Bakassi belonged to Cameroon. Bakassi had just been handed over to Cameroon, August 14th, and the President's statements were aimed at reassuring the Nigerians who make up 90% of the region's population that they wouldn't be harassed by Cameroon's security forces, be displaced nor lose their civil rights. Bakassi is a potentially oil rich peninsula which for a long period was the subject of haggling-over between Cameroon and Nigeria before the case of its ownership was taken to the ICJ which ruled that it should go to the former. The court's judgment was based on an early 20th century colonial agreement between Britain and Germany.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7576253.stm

Zimbabwe can learn from Kenya's experience

These are the sentiments of Moses Wetangula, Kenya's Foreign Minister, who was recently interviewed by the BBC on whether this was really the case. Mr. Wetangula is part of a 'Grand Coalition ' Government set up in Kenya as a settlement to end the political impasse that was created after a flawed Presidential poll led to serious political, social and economic turmoil. The Grand Coalition government brought the two main political parties, opposed in their view of who won the election, into one government with the Electoral Commission announced President, PNU's Mwai Kibaki, remaining as President and his rival ODM's Raila Odinga taking up the post of Prime Minister with executive powers. The post of Prime Minister had not been in existence in Kenya for over 40 years but was a conciliatory arrangement made by the two main parties along with a cabinet inclusive of Parliamentarians from both sides. Other smaller parties are, by and large, also represented in Government and Parliament is without an official opposition. It could be argued that the Grand Coalition arrangement has united Kenya as a whole just as it has united it's politicians under one government. It has without doubt been the chief factor in quelling social and political unrest. Zimbabwe can definitely learn from Kenya's experience with crisis in it's quest to find lasting peace and Mr. Wetangula's interview may provide some insights.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7554929.stm

Kenya Plans to Harness more Geothermal Power

That energy supply is an essential component of a nation's drive towards development is a fact probably few discerning observers miss. For those who miss it it is a bridge that they will inevitably have to cross in their march towards development sooner or later. And when it comes to energy supply many African countries are still far behind in their harnessing of energy sources though the continent is rich in sources of electrical power. Africa is an abundant potential source of electricity with potential for almost everything between hydro-electrical to geothermal power. But some African countries are beginning to catch up with the fact that they need to look very seriously into making use of their energy sources even if they are unusual ones. In an earlier article on this blog, we showed how Rwanda was harnessing methane gas from a volcanic Lake it shares with the democratic Republic of Congo -Lake Kivu. Kenya too is taking a step in this direction. Its government is planning to spend almost US$ 75 million to drill geothermal wells into an area that prospectively could supply another 480 Mega Watts to the energy grid. A power plant is planned for the area which will supply 140 Mega watts when it is set up in 2013.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200808180035.html

Uganda: Chissano trys to Salvage LRA-Govt Peace Deal

Joachim Chissano, former President of Mozambique and United Nations special envoy to Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) affected areas in Uganda, was in Uganda over the weekend on a mission to lend his efforts to salvage the LRA-Uganda government peace process. He toured the conflict affected District of Gulu and spoke with LRA leader Joseph Kony. He had earlier held discussions with Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, but it is his discussions with Kony that were most significant. The LRA leader who has been chided for not signing the Final Peace Agreement told Chissano he would do so after meeting with Peace mediator Riek Machar, the Southern Sudan President. Chissano said he was arranging a meeting between the two. According to Chissano Kony would only sign the Final Peace Agreement after a meeting with Machar and a Uganda Government Delegation at which details of the agreement would be clarified to him personally. He claims he needed personal clarification of some details he only had second hand information about. We hope that the next meeting will suffice.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200808181260.html

Young Somali Athlete to Grace The Olympics

The Olympics has always been an event to provide heart-warming stories and this year's edition in Beijing will be no exception. Among the thousands of sportsmen and women competing this year, some with a very high profile, celebrity status, will be a 16 year-old female Somali sprinter named Samiya Yuusf Omar. That she is a teenage female competing for that country in Beijing is remarkable in itself; Somalia is a deeply religious society where, traditionally, women have limited freedom to engage in such pursuits and where the infrastructure doesn't support much sporting activity. What makes Samiya's story even more remarkable is that she comes from a destitute family but has put all the odds her poverty and circumstances have pitted against her behind her to train and seize the opportunity to be in Beijing. In reality she won't really be in the running (pardon the pun!), having qualified by special dispensation, but her appearance at the Olympics could open up for her a multitude of opportunities should her and/or her caretakers recognize them. Go Samiya! Good luck in Beijing!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7492967.stm

Vote by US Senate to Increase AIDS Program’s Budget

The US Senate voted July 16th to triple spending for a program that has treated and protected millions in Africa and elsewhere from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The vote enhances the so called President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief championed by President Bush in his 2003 State of the Union address and passed by Congress the same year. The US$ 15 billion plan had helped bring lifesaving anti-retroviral drugs to about 1.7 million people and it had supported care for nearly 7 million, including about 2.7 million AIDS orphans and vulnerable children. Previously on 50,000 patients in Sub-Saharan Africa were receiving anti-retroviral treatment. This new expanded initiative is the most ambitious foreign public health program ever developed by the United States committing the country to spending up to $48 billion over the next five years. The fight against HIV/AIDS receives great boost with this measure.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/washington/17aids.html?_r=4&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=africa&adxnnlx=1218034837-K4hetNzbp2PK2tpekMgP5w

Zimbabwe: Rivals issue joint call to end violence

As talks between Zimbabwe's rival political parties, ZANU-PF and the MDC, over a possible post election settlement continue, the two parties have issued a joint statement calling for an end to violence by their supporters. Violence characterised Zimbabwe's election and post election period. The statement is a positive development that should help the country return to some level of normalcy as the rival parties work towards a deal. ZANU-PF and MDC officials have been hold-up at a secret location in South Africa for two and a half weeks trying to thrash out a settlement to their country's crisis in historic talks that saw their leaders Mr. Mugabe and Mr. Tsvangirai meet for the first time in a decade. This joint statement may also provide a sign that a spirit of cooperation is alive among the rivals which should augur well for the whole process.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7545683.stm

Nairobi, the next Palo Alto?

It's fair to say that Africa is largely a technological backwater; More often than not new technological innovations spring up from other continents, mainly Europe and North America. But could this trend be changing? For decades now, African students have graced highly rated technology institutes and colleges in North America and Europe leaving with stellar performances in their degree programs. Many Africans hold important jobs in Silicon Valley and other technology hubs. Some of these have been involved in the process of coming up with and rolling out some of the most important technological innovations of our time. A few of them have returned home to setup or work for technology driven companies, serving medium and high end clientèle. They may not be large in number but the pull for innovators to Africa is growing and especially to the large cities like Nairobi, Kenya; With its great openness to the world and what's new, Nairobi is fast becoming breeding ground for technology innovations and innovators. Inventors are creating applications for the low as well as high end cellphones and finding ways of bringing this city up-to-date with technological advances elsewhere. And to be sure, Nairobi is nowadays ahead of some cities in more developed nations in applying new technologies. A fiber optic cable has been laid connecting Nairobi to high-speed internet services in move that will only enhance the city's technology drive.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/business/worldbusiness/20ping.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=africa&adxnnlx=1218034837-K4hetNzbp2PK2tpekMgP5w