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Hosted by E.K.Bensah Jr, a Research & Communications Specialist, the show seeks to disrupt the African Rising narrative by demystifying;unpacking; and explaining ECOWAS;African Union; South-South Cooperation policies around Africa's integration.
Showing posts with label africa in focus feature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label africa in focus feature. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
PODCAST>> "AFRICA IN FOCUS:E-commerce in Ghana & Africa (2 September, 2014)
Saturday, August 30, 2014
AIF ECOWAS & AU News digest: 18-24 August, 2014
AIF ECOWAS
& AU News digest: 18-24 August, 2014
A compilation of
developments in the West African sub-region, and news from the AU, as compiled
by the Research & Communications Unit of “Africa in Focus”
Assistant producer: Freda Cann
Executive Producer: E.K.Bensah Jr
Executive Producer: E.K.Bensah Jr
ECOWAS to
hold emergency meeting over Ebola in Accra
Despite a
three-month moratorium on all international conferences in Ghana, an emergency
meeting of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic
Community of West African States (Ecowas) is likely to be held in Accra. That
meeting will be held “if it is necessary” and will follow a meeting of the
sub-region's health ministers.
This was
disclosed by President John Daramani Mahama on Friday, August 22 when he
welcomed the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV
and AIDS (UNAIDS) Michel Sidibe to the Flagstaff House, Kanda. Michel Sidibe is
in Ghana to inspect work done so far on setting up a production hub of
anti-retroviral drugs in Ghana. President Mahama, who is also Chairman of
Ecowas’ highest decision-making body, used the opportunity to brief Mr Sidibe
on a meeting of the West African Health Organisation which was held yesterday
25 August, 2014 over the deadly Ebola virus.
That meeting had
in attendance officers of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Center
for Disease Control. “And then after that if it is necessary we will hold
another emergency meeting of the heads of state to agree on the measures that
we must take going forward in order to eliminate Ebola.”
South Africa
bans incomers from West Africa
South Africa
says non-citizens arriving from Ebola-affected areas of West Africa will not be
allowed into the country, with borders closed to people from Guinea, Liberia
and Sierra Leone. All non-essential outgoing travel to the affected countries
has been banned. South African nationals will be allowed to re-enter the
country when returning from high-risk countries, but will undergo strict
screening, the health ministry said on Thursday. Usual screening procedures are
in place for those who travel between Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia, which have
been defined as medium-risk countries. Separately, the African Union (AU)
announced plans to send a special team to the four affected countries. The
six-month-long operation, involving volunteer doctors, nurses and medical
personnel, will cost about $25m (£15m) and begin immediately, the AU said in a
statement.
Uhuru to
open meeting of Africa spy men
Kenya: African
spy men are meeting in Nairobi to discuss continental security threats in the
last one year. The spies are meeting under the auspices of Committee of
Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA), established in 2004. The
week-long conference, which began on 23rd August, 2014, is expected
to end on Friday August 30. President Uhuru Kenyatta will open the conference,
which brings together African heads of intelligence and security services. The
meeting comes at a time when Kenya’s long serving intelligence boss Michael
Gichangi has been replaced with Major-General Philip Kameru.
Interpol
plans to open office at AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa
The
International Police Organisation (Interpol) is planning to open a permanent
office at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, says the Ethiopian
National Interpol Head, Police Commander Girmay Kahsay. The decision to open a
permanent office took into consideration Ethiopia’s close collaboration with
the organisation and its active role in the continent. Activities are currently
underway to establish AFRIPOL, a continental organisation affiliated to the Interpol.
UPCOMING
EVENTS
The Research
& Communications Unit of Africa in Focus is pleased to announce that from
4-5 September, Eastgate Hotel will be hosting a High-Level Forum on Regional
Development in West Africa.
The
Forum will bring together a group of around ten that include senior policy
officials, civil society leaders, researchers and community leaders to discuss
ongoing debates around ECOWAS integration; regional peace and security; the
informal economy; and efforts to promote intra-African tourism with the view of
providing the necessary public support to these initiatives. The involvement of
these stakeholders in the advocacy efforts around ECOWAS and African
integration efforts is not only important but very urgent. The theme of the
forum is “enhancing public knowledge and
engagement on regional development in West Africa”.
The
forum has the following specific objectives:
1. Increase
participants’ and public knowledge and engagement on ongoing ECOWAS integration
efforts on energy security in the region and across the continent; and their
implications for Ghana;
2. Discuss
recent initiatives by ECOWAS and its stakeholders on West African integration
efforts; regional peace and security; and East Africa on facilitating tourism
in Africa
Moderated by host of, and Head of Research & Communications
of AIF, it is an opportunity to revisit and amplify some of the major topics
covered over the past three months of the show. The idea is to encourage
greater public engagement of the issues. The Forum is expected to start at
10:00am and end at 3:00pm with lunch
It is a fantastic opportunity to network with a number of the
people who have been on our show. These include ECOWAS officials; Ghana
Association of Susu Collectors; AgriPro Consulting; Borderless Alliance; and
many more! We will be launching the AIF Volunteer Scheme, which is an
opportunity to contribute to Africa’s integration.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
FEATURE: ELECTORAL ISSUES, MAJOR SOURCE OF INSTABILITY IN WEST AFRICA-VEEP
By
Pamela Ofori-Boateng, Africa In Focus News Reporter
Vice President, Hon Kwesi
Amissah- Arthur has mentioned that next year, 2015, promises to be a challenging
one for West African democracy since national elections are scheduled in five
ECOWAS countries: Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire; Guinea; Nigeria; and Togo
He made this assertion at a joint
graduation ceremony for third batch of students of the Master of Arts in
Conflicts, Peace and Security (MCPS) and the second batch of students of the
Master of Arts in Gender, Peace and Security (MGPS) at the Kofi Annan
International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra.
According to him, electoral
disputes have been a major source of instability as there are people who seek
to profit from any misunderstanding.” “We need therefore to guard against the
exploitation of differences or disputes. West Africa must not revert to the
condition of war and conflict”, he added.
Still delivering the key note
address, the vice president Hon. Amissah -Arthur observed that, West Africa, as
a continent, is currently confronting challenges by people who, through the
force of arms and various acts of terror, are seeking to impose their worldview
on others.
“In the last quarter century, our
sub-region has experienced extraordinary war and conflict. We are therefore
committed to resolving our problems without resorting to warfare. Our societies
have begun a long process of recovery and have started to enjoy a peace
dividend because we are determined to accommodate all people whether they
practice different religions, or have a different cultures and customs.
He congratulated the graduating
class for their hard work and commitment throughout their training period and
asked them to apply the knowledge acquired in their various endeavors.
Prof. Kwaku Osei, Dean of
students of Academic Affairs, presented special academic awards to two
distinguished personalities: Maj. Gen. Anyidoho and Dr. Charles Amlaner for
their dedication and immense contribution to the growth of KAIPTC.
The graduants were 67 in number,
with 40 being males and 37 being females. Though majority of the students were
Ghanaians, the overall best student for each of the programmes studied, were
from Japan and Nigeria respectively.
The best student for the Master
of Arts in Conflict, Peace and Security was Miss Kanko Oshigama and Mrs. Ugonna
Ukaigwe was adjudged the best student for Master of Arts in Gender, Peace and
Security.
Mrs. Ukaigwe who spoke on behalf
of the graduating class noted that strength is not a preserve of a particular
gender and that they have been equipped to view all situations with their
gender glasses on. She thanked the lecturers, administration and staff of the
training Institute for their enormous support.
The Kofi Annan International
Peacekeeping Training Centre will soon commence a Certificate course in Gender,
Peace and Security and will follow it up with a doctoral programme in
International Conflict Management.
ENDs
Monday, June 23, 2014
FEATURE: "EAST AFRICA RISING- ‘What can West Africa learn from Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia?"
EAST AFRICA RISING- ‘What can West Africa learn from Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia?’
by Elizabeth Owusu-Kissi, AIF News Reporter
The Oxford dictionary defines as
bureaucracy as ‘The system of official rules and ways of doing things that a
government or organization has, especially when these seem to be too
complicated’.
Bureaucracy remains one of the
many challenges facing the African continent when we talk of trade in Africa. How
can we learn from each other? What have other countries done that we can learn
from? These and many more questions were asked by the Host, Mr. Emmanuel K Bensah
on the Africa in Focus show on 17 June.
On the topic “East Africa Rising”,
the “Africa in Focus” show was graced with the presence of His Excellency
Joseph Habineza, Rwanda High Commissioner to Abuja- Nigeria and also Mr. Uwem
Thompson of ECOWAS, ERERA (Regional Energy Regulatory Authority).
Among many questions answered,
Ambassador Joseph Habineza shared some of the progressive developments in
Rwanda that can be adopted by most West African states, such as Ghana. He highlighted
some key factors of the Rwanda economy, saying that Rwanda has been able to
reduce bureaucracy and minimize corruption.
Touching on gender, it is quite
clear that the Ambassador believe in women empowerment, saying Rwanda has about
64% female House of Representative, hence the more reason to the importance of
Girl-child education in Africa.
He added that the barrier to
trade in Africa is lack of adequate free movement, lamenting on the reality
that we (Africans) neglect the presence of our fellow Africans in our countries
and rather welcome the foreign Americans by appreciating them in our trade
market compare to our fellow brother from Africa.
Energy in Africa is salient, yet
our maintenance culture towards hydro is poor. Ambassador Habineza pointed that
most hydros in Africa were built in the sixties and pre-independence era and we
forget maintenance. He said there is the need for modern facilities in our
sector of Energy and the use of solar system.
Mr. Uwem Thompson in the
discussion also buttressed the point on gender, saying although there is an
ECOWAS gender policy, few are aware of it, hence the need to educate people on
this policy for development. He said when it comes to regulation for the market
in West Africa, not all African states are at par. He said although ERERA does
not interfere in each member states’ policy, they are there to ensure harmony
for the market through established physical infrastructure.
At the level of ERERA, they are
hoping to set up a system or infrastructure for the consumer of the market. They
will first be educated on the basics on their rights and duties as consumers. Mr.
Thompson added that ECOWAS ERERA operates at the level of regional policy, and
the need for domestication of responsibility of each member state to deliver.
Both Ambassador Habineza and Mr.
Thompson lamented that Africans talk a lot with little results. We can be self-sufficient
when we harmonize and work to overcome the bureaucracy that exists in some African
countries.
ENDS
Monday, June 9, 2014
“Africa in Focus” Show on Radio XYZ93.1 FM returns with a discussion on Africa’s integration
“Africa in Focus” Show on Radio XYZ93.1 FM returns with a
discussion on Africa’s integration
By
E.K.Bensah Jr
After almost two weeks of
being off air, the one-month old “Africa in Focus” show is back with a bang on
Radio xyz93.1 fm.
In the last edition on 3 June,
2014, Emmanuel hosted two people in the studio. These were Ashesi University’s
Dr. Lloyd Amoah, and Capacity Building Development Officer of the West Africa
Civil Society Institute(WACSI) Charles Van Dyck.
On the line in Addis were
Dr.Joseph Atta-Mensah of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, and Mkhululi
Ncube, former UNECA official-turned-entrepreneur in his own country of
Zimbabwe.
The show sought to
interrogate the question of whether Africa is integrating. The general
consensus at the end of the show clearly showed there is a lot of work to be
done on sensitizing Africans to the urgency of building Africa’s integration
process.
As explained by the UNECA’s Dr.Joseph Atta-Mensah, there
are a number of milestones that have been chalked along the road to Africa’s
integration. These include the Sirte Declaration on 1999 that sought to
fast-track integration. He concedes there remains much to be done – even if
leaders are slowly and surely recognizing the necessity of integration.
Mkhu Ncube related to the
audience how the East African Business Council works very efficiently – as does
the one for the COMESA sub-region (populated by 19 member countries). He
confessed that though he is a national of the SADC region, he cannot vouch for
the efficiency of a Business Council in that part of the world. Without a
doubt, though, he believes the private sector is going to have to take charge
on Africa’s integration, because governments are never going to automatically
give that space.
We learnt from Dr.Amoah,
who has recently penned a book on Africa’s telecommunications, that there are
only three member countries – Ghana; Nigeria; and Rwanda – that have so-called
TelChams, or Telecommunications Chambers. By virtue of Ghana’s small market
being populated by six telcos, this country was always going to be an important
test-case on TelChams. Nigeria’s is the largest, though not necessarily the
most efficient. With regard to Rwanda, we find this to be an interesting case
in the sense that that country is seeking to position itself as the
cyber-gateway to East Africa. This is certainly something many African
countries can learn from—as well as leveraging on the immense potential that
telcos offer to help create synergy in Africa’s integration. All that said, it
is pitiful to have only three member countries out of a whopping fifty-four be
the only ones to have TelChams.
WACSI’s Charles VanDyck stressed the fact that African integration is a “bread-and-butter” issue, and that African peoples are already integrating. It is time governments began to domesticate the many protocols they are quick to sign, and ensure that Africans feel well-integrated. Even if West Africa has made commendable effort on free movement, clearly, much still needs to be done.
ENDs
HOW FAR IS AFRICA INTEGRATING?
By Elizabeth Owusu-Kissi, AIF News
Reporter
African integration was one of the more interesting topics
discussed Tuesday 3 June, on the Africa in Focus show on Radio XYZ. Host
Emmanuel.K.Bensah Jr had the opportunity of interviewing Dr. Lloyd Amoah of
Ashesi University; Charles Vandyck of WACSI; Mkhu Ncube, former UNECA official
in Zimbabwe over the phone; and Dr. Joseph Atta-Mensah of the UN Economic
Commission for Africa(UNECA) over the line in Addis.
As excitement hit the roof, Dr.Lloyd Amoah in his submission talked
about the perception of African minds when it comes to matters of Africa’s
integration. He said “somewhere, somehow, the ordinary people are not aware of
the policies their government leaders signed, talk less of understanding what
it actually means’ adding that to them.” He continued “it’s a piece of paper
signed somewhere for their benefit but not effective in their domestic lives.”
Charles Vandyck of WACSI also buttressed the point made by Dr.
Amoah explaining that Ghana, for example, signed these protocols but did not
ensure its practicality in the social lives of its people. He said, “for
citizens to understand what it means, then it must reflect in their social
lives”. Citing examples, he said it’s unfortunate a product from Ghana will
cost less to transport to the U.K but very expensive when transporting to a
nearby African country because of high taxation.
Mr. Vandyck shared his experience on the show, explaining how he
had to pay more to refill for roaming in a nearby African country, adding that
the cost was much higher compared to others.
ENDs
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Why the 20 May, 2014 Edition of "Africa in Focus" was a Non-Show
THE VICTIMIZATION OF AFRICA’S CLIMATE CHANGE
By
Elizabeth Owusu-Kissi, “Africa in Focus” News Reporter
For Ghana, in Africa,
we will say the rainy season is here again. As to whether Ghana is prepared for
it is moot. It is unfortunate Africans are however left to the mercy of climate
change if they are not adequately armed.
Africa is one of the
most vulnerable continents when it comes to climate change. The situation is
worsened because of the poor state of economic development and low adaptive
capacity. We will have no reason to debunk what the president of the Republic
of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama said – that “climate change must be seen as a
developmental issue and not an environmental problem because it impacts all
aspect of social lives”.
The “Africa in Focus” team believes President Mahama’s idea
of collaborating with various development partners, such as Japan, to integrate
climate change-mitigation into various sectors of the economy in Ghana, is a
good start and can be emulated by other African countries.
It is because of this weather condition in Ghana that our
audience can testify that the “Africa In Focus” show, slated for live-broadcasting
on May 20, 2014, fell on rocks because our media house fell victim to the
weather hazard in the heavy downpour.
One way of tackling this is with preventive measures, such as
investing in disaster-risk reduction in Africa. “Africa in Focus” is of the view
that investment in disaster-risk reduction pays in Africa –in both short and
long term impacts of managing disasters.
“Africa in Focus” show will bring to light latest updates and
continuous live broadcast of the edition on “How Far Africa Is Integrating” at
a later date – as well as deliberations on how feasible preventive measures of
climate change in Africa can help save the continent Africa.
ENDs
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