AUC Chairperson outlines Africa’s priorities in meeting with German Economic Cooperation and Development Minister

Addis Ababa, February 2014-Africa’s present and next generations have the responsibility to transform the continent to be prosperous, integrated, peaceful and significant in world affairs. In this process of development, the role of women and young people should be mainstreamed.

“Transformation means investing heavily in our people: in health, education, skills, science, technology and innovation, for both boys and girls. If we do not invest, we will never be prosperous”, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said in a meeting today with German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, Dr Gerd Muller, who had requested to hear from the Chairperson how his country and Europe could support African efforts. 

In discussions that were underlined by a mutual understanding of the need to engage in meaningful cooperation, Dr Muller pledged: “We do not want to simply talk. We want to develop projects. We want to assist you to achieve peaceful development.”

One of the projects proposed by the German Minister and that are in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063, is support with vocational training for young people. The Minister highlighted his country’s particularly strong capacity to train young people in agriculture and industry. He also announced an offer of cooperation in green environmental technologies. The cooperation, he suggested, could start off with meaningful projects in agriculture, energy and education sectors in a few countries on the continent, adding that significant progress has already been achieved in agricultural projects in Ethiopia.

Saying he envisages a win- win partnership, Dr Muller offered knowledge and expertise, while also highlighting that the value added should remain in the countries themselves. To this, the Chairperson, Dr. Dlamini Zuma proposed that the knowledge transfer could be multiplied beyond the participating countries, by inviting young people from other African countries to also take part and take the knowledge and skills back to their own countries.

Further outlining African priorities, Dr Dlamini Zuma said, aside from the human resources development andin reference to 2014 which is being celebrated across Africa as the Year of Agriculture and Food Security, “we must produce enough food from the land, both for ourselves and to contribute to the world economy. In so doing, we need to empower women to enable them to make a living and become business people”.

Exploitation and beneficiation of the continent’s natural resources is another priority for the continent, which has a well-documented abundance of resources to drive its development. Among these resources, the Chairperson mentioned sun, wind, fossil fuels, oceans, forests, fisheries, and minerals as having the potential to propel Africa into a developed continent by 2063. She particularly stressed the need for these resources to benefit Africans:“Mineral resources are not working very well for us, but for other people. That has to change. We produce 80% of the world’s cocoa and platinum yet we do not determine the prices of those commodities”, she said, adding that “We hope that our partners will not make us feel we are doing something wrong, because these are our resources”.

The Commission Chairperson indicated development of intra-African trade, fairer negotiations and terms in world trade, infrastructure, and enough energy and transport as key drivers of the continent’s development.

Talking about peace and security on the continent, Dr Dlamini Zuma stressed the need for stable institutions in Africa to deal with turbulence and to stop political or other fissures from disintegrating into costly conflicts that take a huge toll on human lives and development prospects.

Referring specifically to the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan, on which Dr Muller had requested more information, she said:“CAR needs to build institutions. This will help the government to deliver services and maintain law and order”. Dr Muller requested for more dialogue on how the EU can support missions such as the Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA).

In outlining the AU’s interventions to bring peace to South Sudan, Dr Dlamini Zuma mentioned that an AU delegation under the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has been dispatched to meet with Mr Riek Machar and is also to travel to Juba, to emphasize on the necessity for the two groups to observe the ceasefire. “South Sudan is a new state. It too needs institutions to deal with turbulence. We hope all friends will work for its benefit, find solutions and not take sides”. She also informed the German Minister that a political solution is the best way to bring about the desired peace, reconciliation and healing of wounds arising from the conflict.

She highlighted the role of women by stressing that a lot of attention needs to be put on their participation in efforts to find solutions to the challenges, as well as in government structures and all institutions.“If we had more women, the outlook would be different and there would be less conflict, “the AUC Chairperson concluded.

WZM/

Disabled grandmother has Newcastle season ticket snatched away by club

By Eurosport

Lilian Held courtesy of NCJ Media

Newcastle United have not earned themselves the warmest and most respected reputation since owner Mike Ashley took hold of the club.

Countless debacles off the field have, at times, left the club in disarray with director of football Joe Kinnear's exit the most recent example of hapless decision-making.

But sometimes, most tragically, it is the loyal and dedicated fans who receive the worst treatment.

Disabled grandmother Lilian Held, who lives just a 10-minute walk from St James's Park, was left devastated after her season ticket was stripped from her.

The 65-year-old had her season ticket confiscated by club officials and sold on without her knowledge after she allowed her son Christopher to attend one match in her place against Southampton on December 14.

Just 20 minutes into the game, her son was approached by club security staff and ordered to leave the ground, leaving his teenage nieces behind without his support. He was strictly told that his mother would have to come to the stadium to retrieve her ticket, despite the fact that she is disabled.

She went straight to St James's Park to retrieve her ticket. But instead the lifelong Toon fan, who has irreparable damage to nerves in her back, was told her ticket had been suspended until further notice.

“I was told my ticket would be suspended while the club investigated whether my son had sat in the seat regularly,” she told the Newcastle Chronicle.

"I told them he never sits in the seat – I always sit in the seat and this was the first game I’d missed in 14 years. I only wanted the girls to be accompanied by an adult because I’m always there at home games to look after them."

Earlier this year, the club placed media bans on The Chronicle, The Journal and Sunday Sun for what it saw as “disproportionate” coverage of a protest march which "ultimately was attended by approximately 300 supporters."

The media bans meant that the publications were “not permitted access to any media facilities, press conferences and player interviews at Newcastle United indefinitely and with immediate effect.”

Despite the ban, the club have, it appears, been unable to stem the tide of negativity that currently surrounds the club.

The pensioner, who originally bought the seat for her late husband who died from lung cancer in 1999, has understandably felt let down and very aggrieved at the way she has been treated and spoke to the Chronicle about her dismay regarding the club she loves.

"I have sat in that seat for 13 years,” she said. “I’m a lifelong fan of Newcastle United and I worked for the club in the 1990s where I had my picture taken with Kevin Keegan.

"Going to the match is the only bit of social time I get. I live for those home games. Taking my ticket from me and selling my seat without giving me the right to even argue my case has completely ruined my year."

The family have continued to chase up the situation with the club, but have reportedly not received a response.

AU – SADC workshop: “Keep regional e–traffic regional”

Gaborone, Botswana – 3^rd February, 2014: The African Union Commission (AUC), through the Information Society Division of the Infrastructure and Energy Department, in partnership with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) today launched a Regional Internet Exchange Point (RIXP) and Regional Internet Carrier (RIC) Workshop in Gaborone with the aim to foster stakeholder discussions on implementing policies that support the emergence and growth of RIXP and RIC in view to promote intra-Africa internet traffic to be exchanged within the continent.

“Keep regional e–traffic regional … Most of Africa’s Internet traffic is routed through exchange points outside Africa. The cost and the delay/latency implications of routing traffic through international exchange points outside the continent are heavy. Our answer is a straight forward one, we need to set up an effective national and regional interconnectivity, peering and Internet traffic exchange.” said Mr. Cecil Masiga, Director, Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS), Botswana.

As part of the African Internet Exchange System (AXIS) project of the AU, the five (5) day regional workshop is a strategic follow-up to the support that has already been provided by the project to establish national internet exchange points.

The project will facilitate Internet Exchange Points and Internet Service Providers in AU Member States to evolve and become Regional Internet Exchanges and Regional Internet Carriers and keep intra-Africa internet traffic within the continent which in turn will contribute to the reduction of cost and enhance quality of service of the Internet in Africa.

“The Renaissance and Transformation of Africa through ICT has already started and will continue steadily” said Mr. Moctar Yedaly, Head of Information Society Division of the AU in his opening remarks.

The workshop is attended by over 100 participants representing Ministries of ICT, Regulators and the Private sector  from the SADC Member States of Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

AUC Chairperson appoints Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 4 February, 2014: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has appointed Ms. Bineta Diop as Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security. Dr. Dlamini Zuma announced the appointment on 30^th January during her opening address to the 22^nd Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, holding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 30-31 January 2014.

Ms. Diop has over 35 years of experience working in human rights, peace building and development issues in Africa and internationally. She founded the Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS), a leading global organization with an objective to strengthen women’s leadership and engender peace processes in Africa.

She has also served in numerous other positions amongst which are: Secretary-General of the African Women’s Committee on Peace and Development (AWCPD), President of the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) Gender Cluster (2009-2011); member of the Global Agenda Council on Conflict Prevention of the World Economic Forum (2010-2011), an advisor in the 6^th Advisory Group of the International Committee of the Red Cross (2004-2007), and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (2008-2011).

Her work contributed to increased and more effective participation of women in peace and development processes on the continent, notably mainstreaming a gender perspective in the transformation process of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU). She championed the achievement of gender parity within the African Union Commission in 2003, with the election of five women out of the 10 AU Commissioners. Her work also contributed to the adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol, 2003) and the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (2004).

Ms Diop’s commitment and dedication to the cause of women have earned her continental and global recognition as a champion of women’s rights and gender issues, with numerous honors and awards. TIME Magazine 2011, listed her amongst the 100 Most Influential People in the World; the University for Peace, in 2012, awarded her a “Doctor Honoris Causa in International Peace Studies” and she was awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French government in recognition of her work on women, peace and security.

Ms. Diop is from Senegal, has a Ph.D. Session Certificate, and is completing another in International Relations and Diplomacy at the Center for Diplomatic and Strategic Studies.

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Youth paying high price due to unemployment 


Addis January 2014 (ECA) - In a statement delivered at a forum on the theme, ‘Accelerating Youth Employment in Africa’ the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa Mr. Abdalla Hamdok said that young people are paying a high price as a result of the current economic situation and “there is a need to address and propose immediate and effective actions to prevent and tackle the high rates of youth unemployment.” 
Held at the UN Conference Centre, the 29-30 Forum is organized jointly by the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation and the African Union Commission, the forum brought together youth representatives to discuss with leaders in government, experts, private-sector representatives, academics, members of civil society to share experiences on the theme. 
“Our challenge is to jointly address the failures in our labour markets so that those falling behind can catch up with the frontrunners - we simply cannot sit idle when millions of young Africans are neither in employment nor in education or training,” said Mr. Hamdok. He added: “We need their talents, skills and experience, their capacity to invent, innovate and create - these are all driving forces for our collective prosperity.”

He urged the forum to adopt a common responsibility to create better opportunities for young people and lauded African governments for efforts made in considering employment, especially youth employment, a top priority. 

“We must however go beyond dialogue to action and we must move from promises to practices, from commitments to concrete projects, from intentions to implementation,” stressed the Deputy Executive Secretary.

He called for an enabling environment that provides opportunities for the socio-economic empowerment of the youth, stressing that “achieving an inclusive society takes planning and systematic work.” 

He also underscored the need for a high level of political commitment, support and allocation of adequate resources; as well as action-oriented plans and strategies with concrete measures and explanations on how these measures will improve the existing situation. These plans, said Mr. Hamdok, should clearly point out who is responsible for implementation and indicate time frames and benchmarks.

He further stressed the need for effective follow-up and evaluation in order to learn from past mistakes and build on successes. 
A Common Position on the way forward will be developed on points of action to conclude the two-day meeting. 
More at: http://olusegunobasanjofoundation.org/oof_event/accelerating-youth-employment-in-africa/#.Uuk3j86GnPo 

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African Heads of State and Government pledge for The African World Heritage Fund (AWHF)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 31 January 2014: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has co-hosted an African World Heritage Fund/African Union event with Mr. Sibusiso Xaba, Chairperson of the Board of the African World Heritage Foundation.  The event was co-hosted on the sidelines of the 22^nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Union, at the headquarters of the African Union.

The Chairperson of the Commission recalled that The African World Heritage Foundation was founded by the AU, based on decisions taken at the First African Union Conference of Ministers of Culture in Nairobi in 2005 and endorsed by the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit, held in Khartoum in 2006.

Dr. Zuma expressed her concern that there is a great and urgent need to safeguard cultural heritage during conflict and to manage the alarming threats from mining and development activities across the continent.  She highlighted that there is dire need for the fund to support risk management training programmes and provide more funding for conservation efforts.

“We may grow our economies and solve our social problems, but our cultural growth is our soul, Africa should not neglect her soul” said Dr. Zuma in concluding her address.

The objectives of the fund according to Mr. Sibusiso Xaba, Chairperson of AWHF, are to make   the world heritage list credible, representative and balanced; ensure sustainable management and conservation of world heritage sites in Africa; and ensure the livelihood of the local communities living within and around world heritage sites is improved through sustainable economic activities.    “The last five years perhaps can be regarded as the formative years for the fund and I would like to thank the African Union member states for their unrelenting support to the fund for ensuring that we have established solid foundations for the conservation and management of our cultural and natural heritage places" added  Mr. Xaba. 

Mr. Getachew Engida, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO on behalf of Mrs. Irina Bokova, the UNESCO Director General said that the African World Heritage Fund helps make the most of Africa’s heritage at all levels through capacity building for site managers, heritage professionals, and local communities, as well as through disaster risk preparedness courses and the conversation and rehabilitation of sites in danger.  He also highlighted that the fund has nurtured a new generation of heritage professionals in Africa.

On the challenges, Mr. Engida shed light on urban sprawl and tourism, poaching and unsustainable resource extraction, causing serious harm to natural sites and their wildlife, flora and fauna.  In asserting his statement he added: “It is alarming that 17 African sites are inscribed on the list of world heritage in danger.   This means that Africa hosts nearly half of all endangered sites – no other region has such a high percentage.”

Patron of the AWHF and representative of the private sector, Mr. Phuthuma Nhleko said: “Africa’s Renaissance is simply not possible without the confluence of a fully integrated political, commercial and cultural tripartite vision.  The rise of one without the other is not sustainable.”  He called upon the entire African private sector to help create the third leg of the trilogy he described.

Other speakers at the event, included: Mr Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Republic of Mauritania and Chairperson of the African Union, Mr Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia who pledged support of USD. 50,000 this year, Mr Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya who pledged support of USD.1,500,000,  Mr Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa-  South Africa covers the annual operational cost of the Fund and pledged support of additional USD. 1,000,000.

In addition, statements were delivered on behalf of Mr Idris Debby, President of the Republic of Chad, whose Minister of Culture pledged support of USD. USD.100,000; Mr Anerood Jugnauth, President of the Republic of Mauritius; Mr  Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of People`s Democratic Republic of Algeria whose delegation pledged to contribute USD.100,000 yearly; send specialists to the headquarters of the fund, host the board meeting and train Africans on the field at University level.

In his closing remark Dr. Mustapha S. Kaloko, Commissioner for Social Affairs strongly urged all member states to swiftly ratify the Charter on African Cultural Renaissance which until now has, according to Commissioner Kaloko, received only 6 ratifications.