Hunger pangs to bite on till 2015 May 5, 2010

A number of Ugandans are still living in absolute poverty. file pHOTO 

By Martin Luther Oketch  

By 2015, 38 per cent of the Sub-Saharan African population will still be poor, a joint Global Monitor Report 2010 by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund has revealed.

This indicates a short fall in the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) number 1, which targets at halving the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day.
It was explained in the report that Sub-Saharan Africa, where a resurgence of growth helped extreme poverty fall from 58 per cent in 1990 to 51 per cent in 2005, the number of poor people rose from 296 million to 388 million.

NEWS AFRICA Iran leader in Zimbabwe for trade April 26, 2010

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, is due to sign trade agreements with Zimbabwe during a visit to the country.

At a trade fair in Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe, on Friday, Ahmadinejad said that the level of trade between the two nations was not at full capacity and should improve.

China Opening Bus Assembly Plant in Cameroon March 27, 2010

China is opening a factory in Cameroon to manufacturer buses for West and Central Africa. China is Africa's third largest trading partner with a ten-fold jump in commercial transactions over the last decade. 

The $500 million factory in Douala is expected to start producing buses by the end of the year. Joining private investors from China and Cameroon, government officials say it will create hundreds of new jobs, ease transport, and boost Cameroon's economic growth as a source of vehicles for West and Central Africa. 

Indian and Chinese investors making a play for Africa February 24, 2010

 

In the past week, Indian and Chinese investors have unveiled plans for their biggest investments in African telecoms to date. India’s Bharti is in exclusive talks with Zain to buy the latter’s operations in sub-Saharan Africa for US$10.7 billion. And a consortium including China Unicom is the highest bidder for Nigeria’s fixed and mobile incumbent, Nitel.

Did De Beers cheat Botswana? – The Masire Factor February 9, 2010

 When David Magang sat down to write his memoirs, he certainly could not complain that his career had left him short of material.

The former Minister of Mineral Resources and Water Affairs, who has waged a protracted battle for diamond beneficiation against De Beers, had a front row seat at some of the most questionable goings on between the diamond mining giant and the Botswana government.

“I racked my brains to understand why government was so submissive in its dealings with De Beers. Was this the result of our being in awe of them?

Commercial Dishonesty February 6, 2010

 January 12 is still very much fresh in the minds of Cameroonians following the assurances of the country’s main sugar producing company, SOSUCAM. The company’s officials were clear in their declaration. The sugar season has started and our machines are turning unperturbed, they announced, stating inter alia that production will stabilise at 700 tonnes daily. This amount they said, will be enough to satisfy demand and there is no room for fear of any shortage. In fact, they announced a steady supply for the product at least for the next six months, that is, half a year. From every indication, SOSUCAM justified its optimism on the strength of the new investment. The Mbandjock/Nkoteng-based Company had just undertaken important investments to step up the capacity of its machines following the extension of its plantations. Wholesalers and retailers were quite aware of these changes and equally gave their kudos, stating that the skies are clear for the sugar production. 

Prix du pain : Des boutiquiers font de la résistance February 5, 2010

 

Dans les quartiers, certains vendeurs continuent de proposer cet aliment essentiel à 150F. 

«Le pain coûte 150 F dans mon quartier, pourtant son poids n’atteint même pas le grammage normal », se plaint une jeune étudiante habitant le quartier Mvan. Elle s’interroge sur l’intérêt de la campagne pour l’homologation du prix du pain à 125 F récemment lancée par le ministère du Commerce. Comme elle, bon nombre de Yaoundéens sont surpris par l’entêtement des boutiquiers. A Essos, Efoulan, Olézoa entre autres, le phénomène prend de l’ampleur. Dans certaines échoppes, deux types de pains à prix différents se côtoient très souvent, même lorsque leur poids est quasiment identique. 

Onze mois sans eau à Mbouda February 4, 2010

La rivière qui secourait les populations s’est asséchée.

Les populations de Mbouda dans les Bamboutos, sont menacées Depuis le mois de mars 2009, avoir de l’eau de robinet à Mbouda, chef-lieu du département des Bamboutos, relève d’une gageure. La situation se complique au fil des jours, si bien que la plupart des résidants font recours aux eaux de sources ou de puits, de qualité approximative, pour subvenir à leurs besoins. D’autres ont choisi de transporter des bombonnes à Bafoussam pour s’en approvisionner. 
La rareté de l’eau potable se renforce à Mbouda, au point de faire croire que l’eau ne coulera plus des robinets. Ce qui risque d’exposer les populations aux maladies hydriques, comme se fut le cas, il y a quelques années, avec de nombreux cas de choléra.

Are African women having too many babies?World Bank Chief Economist for Africa Asks. I Answer February 3, 2010

 

By Shanta Devarajan, Africa Region Chief Economist for the World Bank

Twenty-five of the 28 high-fertility (more than 5 children per woman) countries are in Africa. This and related facts have revived the concern that Africa will miss out on the “demographic dividend” –the rapid economic growth rates associated with declining fertility, as experienced by many countries in Asia. But Africa is also the continent with the slowest economic growth in the past. And, as The Economist (and others) pointed out, economic growth is probably the best contraceptive. 

The problem may be that African economies are not growing fast enough; if and when they do grow, fertility rates will come down. To be sure, the relationship between declining fertility and economic growth goes both ways, so we can’t be complacent and let economic growth do all the work. Furthermore, we may not get that rapid economic growth.

IDENTITY GUARD COMMERCIAL: CAMPAIGN AGAINST NIGERIAN 419 ? February 2, 2010