10 November 2022
“A young shepherd does not let his sheep sleep”
BBC Africa Live 10 November 2022. 4:31 Proverb of the day. An Amharic proverb sent by Amanuel Fikru in Ethiopia.
Botswana/Okavango Delta: Canadian company ReconAfrica holds exploration licences for 34,325 km2 straddling Namibia and Botswana and has started drilling in Namibia. This oil and gas exploration project could endanger the unique ecosystems of the Okavango Delta World Heritage Site. In Botswana, the project is yet in its early phase and authorities as well as ReconAfrica say that no harm will be done – but why turn back to gas and oil?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63567513
Sudan: Abdelaziz al-Hilu, leader of the SPLA-North (Sudan People's Liberation Army) which controls large swathes of the Nuba mountains (South Kordofan state/south of the country) and Blue Nile state (south-east) says his group prefers national unity but may opt for independence if the military government was to pursue its politics of “segregations” and “oppression”.
BBC Africa Live 10 November 2022. 11:24
South Africa/Strike: Civil servants are on strike – after weeks of negotiations, the government offers below-inflation wage increases of 3% while the union demands 6%.
BBC Africa Live 10 November 2022. 10:12
Madagascar: According to research by Transparency International, the country’s lychee trade is beset by “graft and fraud by French companies and citizens, and Malagasy organisations that export to the EU.” There is evidence of “foreign bribery, unlawful agreements, tax fraud, laundering and concealment of such offences”. In this way, “a few powerful and politically-connected individuals” benefit – at the expense of “thousands of small-scale lychee producers and collectors”.
BBC Africa Live 10 November 2022. 16:08
Mozambique: Maputo is doing all it can to stop former finance minister Chang – who’s been in prison in South Africa for five years – from being extradited to the USA. “Nyusi doesn’t want Chang singing in a New York court, where he might reveal who knew and who did what in the” 2bn USD hidden-debt scandal of 2013. Nyusi, who was defence minister in the days of the scandal, was probably in the know about the loans. The article speculates what Chang himself wants and what could or would happen to him if he was extradited to Mozambique.
https://issafrica.org/iss-today/nyusi-has-good-reason-to-keep-chang-out-of-a-us-court
09 November 2022
Kenya/Standard Gauge Railway: The new Kenyan government has just published details of the 5bn USD loan agreement with Beijing for the Standard Gauge Railway project, 3.6bn in 2014 and 1.4bn in 2015. That the former government refused to publish the details may have its explanation in the contract obliging Nairobi “to keep the terms of the of deal ‘strictly confidential’.” According to the contract, “neither the borrower (Kenya) nor any of its assets ‘would be entitled to any right of immunity on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise from arbitration, suit, execution or any other legal process’.” That sounds as if fears were justified that the unviability of the railway and resulting failure to pay back the loan could put “strategic assets at risk of being seized”. On top of that, agreed dispute resolution terms skew adjudication in favour of Beijing, with the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Committee the only arbiter and its decision final.
BBC Africa Live 09 November 2022. 7:09
South Africa/Transition to clean energy: The help promised by G7 nations at COP26 for Pretoria’s transition from coal to cleaner energies was miserly: of the 8.5bn USD, only 2.7% was to be grant money. At COP27, President Ramaphosa has called on the rich countries to do better than that – especially as total cost of moving South Africa away from coal is estimated at 98bn USD.
BBC Africa Live 09 November 2022. 4:39
Ghana: On Saturday, people had taken to the streets to protest against inflation and government economic policies. Now the Ghana Statistical Service has published a yet higher latest figure for the average annual price rise: it stood at 40.4% in October.
BBC Africa Live 09 November 2022. 15:58
Sudan: Thousands of Nuba have marched through Khartoum to protest against the “genocide of the Nuba” – they accuse authorities of supporting Arab militias to drive Nuba off their lands in West Kordofan.
BBC Africa Live 09 November 2022. 17:31
Crop pests/West Africa: Climate change may allow insects and diseases to spread and thrive in new places – especially where there are no natural predators or where unsuitable synthetic insecticides are used. With climate change accelerating, research is struggling to keep abreast of development and find adequate answers to new threats. Instead of synthetic pesticides, biological alternatives would be better to use. The author provides a list of examples, from natural predators to fungi to botanical extracts/powdered plant parts and essential oils. Also, some plant varieties are resistant to certain pests. “But much more is needed to unlock the full expertise of women and men across the continent to equip farmers with next generation tools for next generation threats.”
https://theconversation.com/climate-change-means-farmers-in-west-africa-need-more-ways-to-combat-pests-191810
Nigeria/waste-picking: Working on dumpsites is hazardous and detrimental to children’s health. Government has not really tried to keep them from working there. To stop them, an integrated approach would be best which would definitely also include free and compulsory schooling for children.
https://theconversation.com/a-dumpsite-is-no-place-for-a-child-study-shows-nigerias-young-waste-pickers-are-at-risk-192619