Africa News Headlines for 20 October 2014

Erasing infrastructure deficit key to Africa’s growth, development – UN official
Source: UN News Centre

Africa Is Today's Attractive Destination For Increased Investment
Source: Government of Ghana

What’s motivating the Boko Haram cease-fire? – Part 2
Source: PBS Newshour

New Africa Book of the Day - 3 August 2014

Africa and Economic Policy: Developing a Framework for Policymakers, by Ferdinand Bakoup

Release Date: August 1, 2014
Publisher: Anthem Press

‘Africa and Economic Policy: Developing a Framework for Policymakers’ aims to fill an important gap in the current literature on economic policy in developing countries. Despite its richness and sophistication, the current economic literature has not yet succeeded in developing a framework for economic policy that is clear and intelligible to policymakers in developing countries, and which is capable of effectively delivering a sustained increase in citizens’ well-being. This ground-breaking study seeks to rectify this problem by suggesting a unique conceptual framework for designing and conducting economic policy in developing countries, particularly those in Africa.

Currently the lead economist at the African Development Bank, Ferdinand Bakoup is author of How integration into the Central African Economic and Monetary Community affects Cameroon's economy: General equilibrium estimates (1998) and Regional integration in Eastern and Southern Africa: The cross-border initiative and its fiscal implications (1995).

About Sub-Saharan Monitor

New Africa Book of the Day - 30 July 2014

Somalia in Transition since 2006, by Shaul Shay

Release Date: July 31, 2014
Publisher: Transaction Publishers

This book picks up where its predecessor, Somalia between Jihad and Restoration, left off, examining international efforts to stabilize war-torn Somalia. It analyzes major political events in Somalia in the years since 2006, examining opportunities for restoration of the country based on the United Nations-backed plan known as the "Roadmap for the End of the Transition," improved security conditions, and international economics and financial support.

The author notes that the time of transition may be over, according to the timetable of the United Nations, but it is clear that the work of transformation is just beginning. In considering whether political and social chaos in Somalia is ending, Shay sees two possible futures. One possibility is the establishment of a reform government that unifies Somali society; another is continued strife that accelerates Somalia’s descent into the endless violence of a failed state.

Shay believes the international approach to Somalia requires a thorough reassessment. He argues it has been limited to two Western priorities—terrorism and piracy—while largely ignoring domestic issues of critical concern to Somalis. As a result, many Somalis have come to view those participating in the international effort as a foreign occupation.

Shaul Shay is author of Islamic Terror and the Balkans (2006), The Shahids: Islam and Suicide Attacks (2004), The Red Sea Terror Triangle: Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and Islamic Terror (2006), and Somalia between Jihad and Restoration (2010), among others. He is a senior research fellow of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and the International Policy Institute for Counter Terrorism (ICT) at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzeliya (IDC).

About Sub-Saharan Monitor

New Africa Book of the Day - 13 July 2014

The African Garrison State: Human Rights and Political Development in Eritrea, by Kjetil Tronvoll and Daniel R. Mekonnen

Release Date: July 17, 2014
Publisher: James Currey

When Eritrea gained independence in 1991, hopes were high for its transformation. In two decades, however, it became one of the most repressive in the world, effectively a militarised "garrison state". This comprehensive and detailed analysis examines how the prospects for democracy in the new state turned to ashes, reviewing its development, and in particular the loss of human rights and the state's political organisation. Beginning with judicial development in independent Eritrea, subsequent chapters scrutinise the rule of law and the court system; the hobbled process of democratisation, and the curtailment of civil society; the Eritrean prison system and everyday life of detention and disappearances; and the situation of minorities in the country, first in general terms and then through exploration of a case study of the Kunama ethnic group. While the situation is bleak, it is not without hope, however: the conclusion focuses on opposition to the current regime, and offers scenarios of regime change and how the coming of a second republic may yet reconfigure Eritrea politically.

Kjetil Tronvoll is professor of peace and conflict studies at Bjoerknes College and author of War and the Politics of Identity in Ethiopia (2009) and Mai Weini: A Highland Village in Eritrea : A Study of the People, Their Livelihood, and Land Tenure During Times of Turbulence (1998). 

His coauthor, Daniel R. Mekonnen, is senior legal advisor at the International Law and Policy Institute in Oslo. He cowrote (with Mirjam van Reisen) a chapter entitled "EU Development Cooperation: The Contours of Global and National Engagement" in Human Rights and Development in the new Millennium: Towards a Theory of Change (edited by Paul Gready and Wouter Vandenhole,2013). He also translated Gene Sharp's From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation into Tigrigna for the Albert Einstein Institution.

Africa News Headlines for 9 July 2014

Americans Think Africa Is One Big Wild Animal Reserve
Source: The New Republic

US: African Leaders Should Honor Constitutional Term Limits
Source: Voice of America

Boko Haram: Terror’s Insidious New Face
Source: Newsweek

Canal+ launches new channel for Africa
Source: Digital TV Europe

Sasol begins study for gas-to-liquids plant in Mozambique
Source: SouthAfrica.info

Gabon signs Global Tax Convention
Source: Business Ghana

Sudanese president hold talks with Qatar’s Emir in Doha
Source: Sudan Tribune

Museveni era and the killing of the civil service
Source: The Observer

SABMiller to reduce water use by 14% in sustainability pledge
Source: Moneyweb

Big Beer: How Does SABMiller Stack Up?
Source: Guru Focus

Facebook Officially Doesn't Approve of Dead Animals or Baby Butts
Source: The Wire

Global effort needed to stem elephant slaughter: CITES
Source: Business Recorder

Djibouti In Legal Dispute With DP World Over Port Concession
Source: Gulf Business

Africa's Challenges Are Tech Startups' Opportunities
Source: The Wall Street Journal

Vatican, exorcism and witch hunting in Africa
Source: Sierra Express Media

Why Is Namibia Killing Its Rare Desert Elephants?
Source: Scientific American

Ugandan gay activist John Abdallah Wambere, unable to return home, visits Portland to screen "Call Me Kuchu"
Source: The Oregonian

Immunity for African Leaders?
Source: Africa in Transition

President Uhuru Kenyatta banks on reform agenda to create more jobs
Source: Standard Digital

Now Small Farmers In East Africa Can Sell On The World Market
Source: Huffington Post

UNSC concern over Ebola, terror threats in West Africa
Source: Firstpost

W’Africa gets innovative cancer care facility
Source: The Guardian Nigeria

New Africa Book of the Day - 26 June 2014

Education in East and Central Africa, by Charl Wolhuter

Release Date: June 26, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic [Kindle Edition]

Education in East and Central Africa is a comprehensive critical reference guide to education in the region. With chapters written by an international team of leading regional education experts, the book explores the education systems of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome, Gabon, the Republic of Congo and Rwanda. The book critically examines the regional development of education provision in each country as well as recent reforms and global contexts. Including a comparative introduction to the issues facing education in the region as a whole and guides to available online datasets, this handbook will be an essential reference for researchers, scholars, international agencies and policy-makers at all levels.

Charl C. Wolhuter is co-editor (with Alexander W. Wiseman) of The Development of Higher Education in Africa: Prospects and Challenges (2013) and (with K.G. Karras) of the two-volume International Handbook on Teachers Education Worldwide (2010). He also edited South Africa in Focus: Economic, Political and Social Issues (2013). Wolhuter teaches in the School of Education of North-West University, South Africa.

Africa News Headlines for 3 May 2013

Anti-poaching plan wins Eton boys trip to Africa
Source: Windsor Ascot & Eton Express

Gabon oil minister sees rise in 2014 output
Source: Reuters

Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso top African mobile phone growth
Source: Star Africa

Ivory Coast tries ecotourism to save chimpanzees
Source: Appeal-Democrat

Rwanda behind killings of Kagame’s critics
Source: SAPA-AFP

Kenya's trade ties with Nigeria expected to grow
Source: Standard Digital

Pictures: Myleene Klass sends temperatures soaring in South Africa as she models bikini from her own range
Source: Daily Mirror

Responsible Tourism hot on WTM Africa's agenda
Source: eTurbo News

Renewable energy will power Africa’s ambitious future
Source: The National

US Deployments to Africa Raise a Host of Issues
Source: Defense News

Why Ebola isn't just Africa's problem
Source: Detroit Free Press

Premier Li’s visit to boost China-Africa economic ties
Source: CCTV

Kerry Calls for U.S. Investment in Africa, Warns on Corruption
Source: Bloomberg

Africa is on the Rise, and We Need To Help Make Sure it Continues
Source: U.S. Department of State

Envoy warns West to respect Kenya as independent state
Source: Standard Digital

East African leaders launch projects to speed up cargo clearance
Source: Coastweek

Africa News Headlines for 28 April 2014

Columbus Zoo to open new Africa exhibit in May
Source: Sandusky Register

Africa on the way to realising 4.4pc growth in agriculture
Source: KBC

President unveils bronze bust of Nelson Mandela as South Africa marks 20 years of democracy
Source: Fox News

Mauritius leads Africa in using ICT for development – WEF
Source: Human IPO

Seychelles is Africa’s second best ICT nation
Source: Star Africa

Single visa for African countries in the works
Source: TTG Asia

Japan aims to help address African food crisis by training farmers in the region
Source: Japan Daily Press

Sub-Saharan Africans underemployed: IMF
Source: News Day

China set to play bigger role in Africa trade
Source: Shanghai Daily

AU accused of failing to act over S.Sudan violence
Source: Capital FM

Website traffic explosion in South Africa
Source: mybroadband

Developing a regional trade market in East Africa is vital to U.S. political and economic security
Source: U.S. News & World Report

Africa needs investment not aid, says Equity boss
Source: Capital FM

EU increases funding for Ebola in West Africa
Source: Business Day

Military Decline Calls South Africa's Regional Leadership into Question
Source: World Politics Review

South Africa keen to host BRICS Development Bank
Source: Odisha Sun Times

‘Little Africa’ in India
Source: Bangkok Post

"Is there any hope for Africa?"
Source: Somaliland Press

New Africa Book of the Day - 27 April 2014

The Rise and Fall of Philanthropy in East Africa: The Asian Contribution by Robert G. Gregory

Release Date: April 30, 2014
Publisher: Transaction Publishers

Robert G. Gregory challenges the apparent assumption that non-Western peoples lack a significant indigenous philanthropic culture. Focusing on the large South Asian community in East Africa, he relates how, over a century, they built a philanthropic culture of great magnitude, and how it finally collapsed under the ascendency of increasing state regulation and policies directed against non-African communities.

Compelled by poverty to seek better oppurtunities overseas, most Asians arrived in East Africa as peasant farmers. Denied access to productive land and sensing economic opportunity, they turned to business. Despite severe forms of racial discrimination in the colonial society, they suffered few restrictions on their business enterprises and some became very wealthy. Gregory’s historical analysis shows philanthropy as an important contribution, one that stemmed from deep roots in Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist culture. The sense of nonracial social responsibility cultivated social, medical, and educational facilities designed for all.

This age of philanthropy terminated with the Asian exodus. The socialist and racial policies adopted by East African governments over the past few decades have virtually destroyed the foundation necessary for philanthropy as well as the distinct Asian cultural identity. Gregory’s account of the East Asian’s role in philanthropy deserves great attention and sober reflection.

Robert G. Gregory, professor of history emeritus at Syracuse University, has also written India and East Africa: History of Race Relations within the British Empire, 1890-1939 (1972), South Asians in East Africa: An Economic and Social History, 1890-1980 (1993), and A guide to daily correspondence of the Coast, Rift Valley, Central, and Northeastern Provinces: Kenya National Archives microfilm (1984).

New Africa Book of the Day - 6 April 2014

State and Land in Ethiopian History by Richard Pankhurst

Release date: April 7, 2014
Publisher: Tsehai Publishers (Second Edition)

State and Land in Ethiopian History focuses on the relationship between the State and land tenure problems to the exclusion of many other significant aspects of customary land tenure in Ethiopia. The student of Ethiopian affairs cannot fail to be impressed by the major role played by the monarchy in the system of land holdings over the long span of the country s recorded history. It is important to remember, however, that the powers of the Emperors were not static but fluctuated greatly in the last half millennium or so for which we possess relatively good historical records, which had a significant effect on land tenure. This book traces the changing fortunes of the monarchy as well as examines the theoretical basis of its authority as formulated in contemporary writings. It also examines the manner in which the State affected the system of land tenure from Aksumite times to the eve of the Italian invasion of 1935. A chronological approach has been attempted wherever possible to explain the significant changes as well as the continuity which has characterized the history of Ethiopian land tenure.

This book also covers a number of distinct, though related matters: the allocation of land by the sovereigns to the nobility; provincial governors and other officers of State; land grants to churches and monasteries; the operation of royal farms; the establishment of State capitals and their effect on systems of land tenure; land ownership by foreigners and minority groups; taxation, tribute, labor service and other obligations based on or related to the holding of land, as well as landlord tenant relations generally. Consideration is also paid to land problems related to the developments of the Menilek-Haile Sellassie period, including of roads and the railways, and in the case of Eritrea, the impact of foreign rule, as well as to the legislation of the period which witnessed the foundations of a modern State.

Author Richard Pankhurst is founding director of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa. He has been editor of the Journal of Ethiopian Studies and the Ethiopia Observer.

About Sub-Saharan Monitor