China builds African empire

The headline reads, China builds African Empire, but that empire is being built at a cost of untold political and human rights gains being reversed by the corruption and collaboration of quasi government Chinese business enterprises as well as individuals and the reigning governments in the various African States. Please read the article by Michael Sheridan of the Sunday Times, to see the extent of their involvement and what impacts they are having on the African populace. Please make any comments that you might have on this issue and let us learn from each other.

Out of Africa

Here is another article about corruption and the elite in Africa. Please read and give your opinion about the issue.

I am back

I am back from a long absence and I am asking visitors to give any suggestions that will help in bringing more participation and more exchange of ideas on this blog. Please take a few minutes and review the Blog and give me some feedback on ways of getting more participation from the African Diaspora, from our brothers and sisters in Africa, as well as those who love and care about Africa and its people. I am all eyes and ears to hear from you all and I am prepared to make the changes that are necessary to help raise the participation level needed to raise the issues of corruption, mismanagement, fraud and their consequences on the lives of our people and our beloved continent. I hope you take a serious look at the objectives of the creation of this blog and give whatever feedback that you can.

With great sincerity,

Kebede

Africa – Up in smoke?

Here is an executive summary from the report ...

please go to the link to see the full report which is about 44 pages...

Africa – Up in smoke?
The second report from
the Working Group on Climate
Change and Development

Executive summary and recommendations
Africa – a special case for climate change

Global warming is already affecting Africa.1 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that, “the effects of climate change are expected to be greatest in developing countries in terms of loss of life and relative effects on investment and economy.” It describes Africa, the world’s poorest region, as “the continent most vulnerable to the impacts of projected change because widespread poverty limits adaptation capabilities”.2

Small-scale farming provides most of the food produced in Africa, as well as employment for 70 per cent of working people.3 These simple facts, coupled with farming being overwhelmingly dependent on direct rainfall, mean that Africa is exceptionally vulnerable to the uncertainties and weather extremes of global warming.

But a vulnerable agricultural system is not the only problem. The continent is more exposed to the impacts of climate change than many other regions in the world.4 Its high sensitivity to climate is exacerbated by other factors such as widespread poverty, recurrent droughts and floods, an immediate daily dependence on natural resources and biodiversity, a heavy disease burden, and the numerous conflicts
that have engulfed the continent. There are further complications introduced by an unjust international trade system and the burden of unpayable debt.

All these factors call for a new model of development in which strategies to increase human resilience in the face of climate change and the stability of ecosystems are central. It calls for a new test on every policy and project, in which the key question will be, “Are you increasing or decreasing people’s vulnerability to the climate?”

Above all, the challenge calls for a new flexibility and not a one-size-fits-all, neoliberal- driven approach to development. As this Report observes, just as an investment portfolio spreads risk by including a variety of stocks and shares, so an agricultural system geared to manage the risks of changing climate requires a rich diversity of approaches in terms of what is grown, and how it is grown. But, even where the links to climate change are under-appreciated, Africa is a continent only too aware of the threat of ‘natural’ disasters and the obstacles they pose to poverty reduction. Mozambique hit world headlines at the beginning of the new Millennium when it was hit by floods on a biblical scale. Now, its Action Plan for the Reduction of Absolute Poverty 2001–2005 states: “Natural disasters… constitute an obstacle to a definitive break with certain degrees and patterns of poverty. Therefore, measures aimed at managing these risks are of the utmost importance.” More generally, the environment action plan of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) observes, “Natural disasters… cause considerable human suffering and economic damage in the continent.” And quite recently, governments agreed at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in January 2005 that, “Disasters in Africa pose a major obstacle to the African continent’s efforts to achieve sustainable development.”5

Unfortunately, even this level of awareness is not the same as having a coherent and adequately funded approach to tackling the problem. Recently the role of developing new technology has been strongly emphasized. In particular, governments have focused on how to improve weather forecasting in Africa. There is a consensus among development groups, however, that a greater and more urgent challenge is strengthening communities from the bottom-up, and building on their own coping strategies to live with global warming. The need to give much more support to small-scale farming comes up again and again from the field experience of development groups, along with the priority for access to energy from sustainable sources.

We believe it is not necessary to wait years for more research on climate change before investing in disaster risk reduction. Governments have agreed on the need for action, and tools and methods for protecting communities from disasters are well developed. Now they need to be employed immediately in African countries and communities on a much greater scale.

At the moment, spending priorities are perverse. For every $1 spent on preparing for disaster, a further $7 is saved in the cost of recovering from it. Yet, as in the case of Mozambique, requests for resources to prepare for disasters before the great floods went seriously under-funded, leaving a huge disaster-relief bill to be paid after the floods. This Report finds that concerns about the effects of climate change on rural African societies are more than justified. Climate change is happening, and it is
affecting livelihoods that depend on the natural environment, which, in Africa, means nearly everyone. However, even without adequate support, far from being passive victims, people recognize even small changes in climate, and are taking steps to respond to them.

Executive summary and recommendations
Africa – a special case for climate change

Global warming is already affecting Africa.1 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that, “the effects of climate change are expected to be greatest in developing countries in terms of loss of life and relative effects on investment and economy.” It describes Africa, the world’s poorest region, as “the continent most vulnerable to the impacts of projected change because widespread poverty limits adaptation capabilities”.2

Small-scale farming provides most of the food produced in Africa, as well as employment for 70 per cent of working people.3 These simple facts, coupled with farming being overwhelmingly dependent on direct rainfall, mean that Africa is exceptionally vulnerable to the uncertainties and weather extremes of global warming.

But a vulnerable agricultural system is not the only problem. The continent is more exposed to the impacts of climate change than many other regions in the world.4 Its high sensitivity to climate is exacerbated by other factors such as widespread poverty, recurrent droughts and floods, an immediate daily dependence on natural resources and biodiversity, a heavy disease burden, and the numerous conflicts
that have engulfed the continent. There are further complications introduced by an unjust international trade system and the burden of unpayable debt.

All these factors call for a new model of development in which strategies to increase human resilience in the face of climate change and the stability of ecosystems are central. It calls for a new test on every policy and project, in which the key question will be, “Are you increasing or decreasing people’s vulnerability to the climate?”

Above all, the challenge calls for a new flexibility and not a one-size-fits-all, neoliberal- driven approach to development. As this Report observes, just as an investment portfolio spreads risk by including a variety of stocks and shares, so an agricultural system geared to manage the risks of changing climate requires a rich diversity of approaches in terms of what is grown, and how it is grown. But, even where the links to climate change are under-appreciated, Africa is a continent only too aware of the threat of ‘natural’ disasters and the obstacles they pose to poverty reduction. Mozambique hit world headlines at the beginning of the
new Millennium when it was hit by floods on a biblical scale. Now, its Action Plan for the Reduction of Absolute Poverty 2001–2005 states: “Natural disasters… constitute an obstacle to a definitive break with certain degrees and patterns of poverty. Therefore, measures aimed at managing these risks are of the utmost importance.” More generally, the environment action plan of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) observes, “Natural disasters… cause considerable human suffering and economic damage in the continent.” And quite Reduction in January 2005 that, “Disasters in Africa pose a major obstacle to the African continent’s efforts to achieve sustainable development.”5

Unfortunately, even this level of awareness is not the same as having a coherent and adequately funded approach to tackling the problem. Recently the role of developing new technology has been strongly emphasized. In particular, governments have focused on how to improve weather forecasting in Africa. There is a consensus among development groups, however, that a greater and more urgent challenge is strengthening communities from the bottom-up, and building on their own coping strategies to live with global warming. The need to give much more support to small-scale farming comes up again and again from the field experience of development groups, along with the priority for access to energy from sustainable sources.

We believe it is not necessary to wait years for more research on climate change before investing in disaster risk reduction. Governments have agreed on the need for action, and tools and methods for protecting communities from disasters are well developed. Now they need to be employed immediately in African countries and communities on a much greater scale.

At the moment, spending priorities are perverse. For every $1 spent on preparing for disaster, a further $7 is saved in the cost of recovering from it. Yet, as in the case of Mozambique, requests for resources to prepare for disasters before the great floods went seriously under-funded, leaving a huge disaster-relief bill to be paid after the floods.

This Report finds that concerns about the effects of climate change on rural African societies are more than justified. Climate change is happening, and it is affecting livelihoods that depend on the natural environment, which, in Africa, means nearly everyone. However, even without adequate support, far from being passive victims, people recognize even small changes in climate, and are taking steps to respond to them.

Nigeria closes in on missing cash

"A lot of the money is believed to be in Swiss bank accounts, and Switzerland has now said it will help to send the money back". So goes the article from the BBC World Service Africa Business editor.

The article continues: "Nobody knows exactly how much money was made by these people," said Enrico Monfrini, a Swiss lawyer working for Nigeria's government to try and track down and return the missing money.

"All what we know was that $2.8bn was taken away from the Central Bank of Nigeria in cash.

"The rest of the money was made outside through commissions paid for by various international, or multinational, companies."

Imagine $2.8 bn, how many schools, clinics, miles of roads and other infrastructure could have been built to strengthen the nation, maintain the wellbeing of the people etc... This kind of crime is being committed in Africa hour by hour in every country and our people are suffering because of it. Time to rise up and question the status quo. Question the so called donors and worldwide financial institutions. See where there real desire is; is it with the people that are suffering day-in and day-out or is it with the dictators and the inept and the egomaniacs supposedly leading the people. It is time to ask those hard questions and get some answers.

Britain goes after Abacha millions

"The British High Court has given the government the go-ahead to help Nigeria trace more than $1bn allegedly looted by late dictator Sani Abacha". So goes the opening line of the article on the BBC News-Africa, this is a beginning of the realization that ruthless and blatantly corrupt African leaders should be accountable to their deeds much the same way that any ordinary thief or white collar criminals should. That is, face the legal systems of their own countries and be subject to international court proceedings. They should not be allowed to live in luxury in another country with the ill-gotten gains or money stolen from their country's treasuries, or from bribes and out and out theft. Please read the article by clicking at the link above.

African Leaders Can't Count, But People Still Know They're Lying

We have heard of the Pentagon's undeclared budget or the White house's slash funds and the like here in the US. But, in Africa and in this case, in Uganda - the military budget has a standing $ 1 million dollar allocated for dead or none-existent soldiers, some of whom were deserters and no longer serve in the army. What are the funds used for - read on to find out by clicking at the link above.

Nigerian police rearrest Abacha's son

This is real TV drama with out professional actors. The plot is money being looted from the treasury of the most populous nation in Africa. But the drama includes murder, arrest, incarceration, release and re-arest of the son of the former Nigerian ruler, Gen. Abacha. The general is accused of looting a Billion dollars from the Nigerian treasury and stashed it away in European banks. Please read on..the tragedy in Africa continues many times over... more to come..

Switzerland to give back Abacha millions

Switzerland is to give Nigeria back hundreds of millions of dollars of embezzled state funds stashed away in the country's banks by former military ruler General Sani Abacha.

Swiss banks will be ordered to return $535m under an out-of-court settlement between the Nigerian authorities and General Abacha's family and business associates, the Swiss Federal Justice Department said.

Under the deal, a total of around $1bn will be transferred to Nigeria from banks around the world, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

In return, the country's authorities have said they will drop criminal proceedings against members of the former leader's family.

Disputed funds

General Abacha, who died of an apparent heart attack in 1998, was accused of stealing some $3bn from state funds in the oil-rich country.
Under the settlement, his family will be allowed to keep $100m of the disputed cash.
These funds were acquired before General Abacha began his five-year rule in 1993 and "demonstrably do not derive from criminal acts", the statement said.

Accounts frozen

Nigeria asked Switzerland in 1999 to help uncover the financial network it suspected that Mr Abacha had established.

In response, the Swiss authorities froze around $670m in bank accounts belonging to Abacha, his son Mohammed, widow Mariam and other relatives.

Suspicious money was also discovered in Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Jersey, and Britain has found traces of around $1.3bn thought to have been handled by domestic banks for General Abacha's family and friends.

The Swiss ministry said that the funds to be repaid - currently frozen in various bank accounts abroad - would be transferred to the Bank for International Settlements in Basel.

Source: BBC

If you want to see the picture of Gen. Abacha, please click at the link at the top of the page.

Nigeria recovers 'stolen' money

Here is the beginning of a story that has many to follow. The trail of looted money is hot and some of it is being recovered to the delight of all that have been working to see these kinds of days all over Africa. Please read on...

Sorry for the long absence ......

I have been on a business trip overseas and was not able to post any articles, comments and links on the subject. I just got back on Friday and I will resume postings by Sunday.

A lot has happened over the last two to three weeks. Some of the highlights are the UN Summit and former President Clinton's roundtable on governance, poverty reduction and how the private sector can help eliminate these problems in the world. A lofty goal but in my view quite achievable if it prescribes a different approach and solutions than what has been done over the past forty years. I hope you will all join me in the discussion.

Britain urged to lift Ethiopia aid ban

Britain urged to lift Ethiopia aid ban

Britain should lift the suspension of new aid to Ethiopia, and other nations should continue to support the government despite disputed elections and political violence that has left 42 people dead, a UN envoy said today.

Martti Ahtisaari, special envoy for the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, said as many as eight million people in Ethiopia will depend on foreign aid this year for survival.

Britain suspended STG£20 million after Ethiopian police opened fire on protesters demonstrating against suspected poll rigging. On Thursday, EU election observers said the May 15 general elections in Ethiopia did not meet international standards.

Ethiopian officials have insisted that the elections were free and fair.

The vote was seen as a key test of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's commitment to democratic reform in Ethiopia. Meles also serves on Prime Minister Tony Blair's Commission for Africa, and had been seen as a leader of reform efforts in Africa.

Ahtisaari, a former Finnish president, said the effort to help the poorest people in Ethiopia should be a separate matter from the elections.

I hope the negotiations continue,'' he said of Ethiopia's talks with Britain. Whatever has happened, humanitarian assistance should never be politicised. All those that are in need should be helped.''

Ahtisaari spent eight days in Eritrea and Ethiopia, where more than 10 million people require food aid. In Eritrea, food insecurity has left more than two thirds of the country's four million people dependent on outside help.

In Ethiopia, a $200 million a year pilot scheme has been launched to try and end chronic hunger and dependency among more than one in ten of the nation's 71 million people.

Each year, foreign nations inject $1.9 billion into Ethiopia in food and development aid, but the country remains among the poorest in the world.


Source: http://www.unison.ie 13:40 Sunday August 28th 2005


Comment: My only comment is on the last paragraph: Ethiopia receives $1.9 billion annually for food and development aid. Why do we have 10 - 14 million each year suffering from hunger. Why are they pouring money in if the government doesn't have adequate plans to feed its own people with the help that it is receiving from donors. Why are not the donors asking these questions? You know another fact- in countries like Ethiopia any aid help that comes for the hungry and the poor - governments claim they are feeding and housing the people and the recipients also are made to believe that their government is doing everything it can to feed them. In reality, it is the donors that are feeding the people and not the governments. They create dependency for control of the population and they ask the poor to support them in maintaining power. Another way that governments control people is by maintaining land ownesrhip. The government of Ethiopia owns all land and allocates it to farmers based on patronage and dolling favors for support from the people when the government needs it. Donors are aware of that as well. But, what are they doing about it? Reasonable people should ask and if they do not get reasonable answers they should investigate and act to make sure the aid is going to the people that need it the most and not to carry favors for the government's objectives. Kebede

Corruption in Africa: Western Banks Share Blame for Africa's Poverty

Dear Readers: I have been arguing on the side of the fact that we cannot continue to do business in Africa the way we have been doing over the last 40 years. This article on allafrica.com crystallizes the reason why more than anything else that I can write. It is a well written article full of facts and figures that will substantiate what I have been saying so far. It names names, gives dates and amounts of money mis-apropriated by the so called leaders of African countries. It also lays the blame on the door steps of western donors and governments, that look the other way when crimes are committed by their partners in African countries while at the same time their banks are benefiting form the inflow of capital that has been illegally, criminally being taken from the mouths of the poor in their countries.

Please read on by clicking the link above and suffer the concequesnces, more frustration, more headaches and more sleepless nights.

Who helped Zuma...

Here is one of the latest - unfolding before our eyes, corruption investigation in South Africa.

The story is former deputy president Jacob Zuma, has been accused of corruption. "Mr. Zuma will go on trial in October on two charges of corruption which emanated from the fraud and corruption conviction of his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik". So goes the report from South Africa's News 24. Please go to the link above and read he whole article. I can assure you there will be more on this one. kebede

African migration - Home, sweet home—for some

Here is a very timely article about the brain drain- a major problem, that plagues Africa more than any other region of the world. The article talks about efforts being made to reverse the trend by enticing Africans in the Diaspora to come back to their homeland. It is a worth while effort, but in my mind it does not deal with the root causes of the problem, lack of opportunities in education, lack of basic freedom, lack of basic necessities, low pay, corruption and mismanagement of resources, lack of rule of law and fairness, injustice, discrimination, ethnic or tribal governance that restricts movement from one region to another, authoritarian governments, etc.... Please click the link above and read the whole article.- Kebede

African migration Home, sweet home-for some
Aug11th 2005, From The Economist print edition

Principles To Combat Corruption In African Countries

We, Ministers and representatives of Government, the list of which is annexed hereto, having met under the auspices of the Global Coalition for Africa in Washington DC on February 23, 1999, .... So goes the statement from the Ministers and Government representatives that drew a 25 point code or principles. The irony of it is, I did not see this document and had not done any research on corruption in Africa other than what I read regularly in the news and my own experience and intuition in how things are done in developing countries. I would like others to make comments about the similarity or differences between these principles and COESA. I am just a layman, an African frustrated by the events in the continent and I was just pouring my heart out to anyone that can listen and read. As they say, "all roads lead to Rome"; I just want to see some teeth and "tough love" not only in eliminating corruption but in promoting democracy and the rule of law, which I thinks are pre-conditions to economic growth and development. Please click on the link above and read the Principles.

“Corruption Threatens Democracy”

“Corruption Threatens Democracy”

Document Actions

Corruption “threatens democracy, economic growth and the rule of law.” This is a central assertion of the Final Declaration of the IV Global Forum on Fighting Corruption approved Friday. The five-day event gathered representatives from international organizations, NGOs and government from 103 countries in Brasilia to discuss measures for fighting corruption around the world.

The document defines corruption as “a complex economic, political and social problem.” The nearly 1,800 participants reaffirmed their “commitment to the effective implementation of the international anticorruption conventions” and recognized the importance of signing and the ratifying the UN Convention against Corruption. Brazil is among the first countries to sign and ratify the Convention.

The final declaration of the IV Global Forum on Fighting Corruption urges governments to “deny safe haven to corrupt persons and entities – public or private – and their corruptly acquired assets, and to those that corrupt them.”
“The Forum has become the principal vehicle for all peoples in the struggle for dignity and against corruption,” said Minister Waldir Pires. “Brazil is prepared to support and strengthen all of the international conventions,” added.

The Minister of Public Service and Administration of South Africa, Geraldine Moleketi, announced that her country accepted the recommendation put forth by the international delegations that her country organize the 5th edition of the Global Forum, in 2007.

Civil Society

The distinguishing feature of the IV Global Forum on Fighting Corruption was the participation of civil society representatives the workshop and panel sessions. Participants applauded the Brazilian government’s decision to invite non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academics. The event gathered almost 1,800 participants from 103 countries.

At the Forum’s closing ceremony, the Minister of Public Service and Administration of South Africa, Geraldine Moleketi, stressed that the involvement of different segments of society in the discussions will ensure faster adoption of anticorruption measures. She went on to praise the Public Lottery Oversight Program established by Brazil’s Office of Comptroller General. “The Brazilian government is not merely adopting punitive measures, but is also vigorously pursuing preventive actions,” she stated.

The Director of Global Governance at the World Bank (IBRD), Daniel Kaufmann, spoke of Brazil’s organizational capabilities in expanding the Forum beyond official government agencies and representatives. The first three editions included only government entities. “The participation of civil society and academics reflects a democratic opening in Brazil,” he declared. Mr. Kaufmann lauded the dynamism of the workshops and panels, which focused more on discussion than long speeches.

The Executive Director of Transparency Brazil, Claudio Abramo, said that the IV Global Forum on Fighting Corruption succeeded “with great competence” in gathering representatives of civil society for the first time. Mr. Abramo also underscored that the Forum addressed issues not considered in previous editions, such as corruption measurement and the limits of NGO oversight of the State.

The representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Reiner Pungs, also qualified the inclusion of civil society in the discussions as an excellent initiative. He went on to add that the Forum is an important platform for countries to learn more about the experiences of other countries. “I am certain that some of the measures adopted by Brazil will be adopted by other countries,” he concluded

Source: IV Global Forum to Fight Corruption, Brazil, June 7-10, 2005

Moroccans fight ‘crime against humanity’

Moroccans fight 'crime against humanity'
By Abderrahim El Ouali

Discover how a citizens group took action to demand the creation of a "national independent authority for truth and recovering misappropriated public funds." Please read the article by clicking on the link above. This is the type of citizens action that is required to face up to the corrupt officials in developing countries. Bravo to the Moroccans for being a very good example.

Africans among worst in 'corruption league'

Here is some more bad news regarding corruption and the African Continent. The article is entitled - Africans among worst in 'corruption league'.

Corruption 'costs Africa billions'

Here is another shocker, (maybe it is not to most of us) ...Corruption in Africa is costing the continent nearly $150bn a year, according to a new report. Please click the link above and read on....