The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Africa

  • Ethiopia, linking up Africa through air

    Ethiopia, linking up Africa through air

    Ethiopia is a country that holds allure for so many people all over the world. It has an enchanting rich history.  Strategically located in East Africa, Ethiopia is a country that has been able to harness its advantageous location and make itself almost indispensable to other African countries as a link to the rest of the world.  For more than five  decades, through its national carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, the country has woven a kind of spider web across Africa, linking up the continent in way that has made airline business profitable to it.  Ethiopia Airlines has moved from being the Pride of Ethiopia to the Pride of Africa.

    Recently, the airline’s Managing Director, International Services, Mr. Esayas Woldemariam Hailu, was in Lagos to talk on the giant strides and consistency that have seen the airline survive in the tumultuous African aviation industry.  In an industry that has seen many airlines go into oblivion as quickly as they are established, Ethiopian  Airlines has been among the few in Africa that has broken the trend, and in the process, offered both Nigerians and Africans the opportunity for seamless connectivity.

    The experience of the airline becomes even more noticeable in Nigeria where there is no national carrier, while the privates airlines in existence are struggling to continue to be business.  Assessing the success the airline, Hailu believes it has nothing to with the ownership, moreso since Ethiopian Airlines is 100 per cent owned by the Ethiopian government. He said: “ Ownership is not a question. There are so many private airlines which came and faded away. There are also government-owned national carriers in other parts of the world that have survived and thrived. For example, when we take the case of Ethiopian Airlines, the 9/11, SARS, energy price hike and at least two, domestic revolutions, the toppling of the monarchy in Ethiopia and the toppling of the military junta, Ethiopia/Eritrean war, we have survived all these. The secret is not in the ownership. Be it private or government, if it is squandered or mismanaged, it will seize to exist. So, it is a matter of diligent management. When it comes of the management of Ethiopian Airlines, the government has given the management the autonomy to run the company with industry discipline and economic sense. The only thing they request is that at the end of the year, to show them the numbers and our performance. Any company within Africa, be it private or government, if  you combine hard work of the workforce and diligent management and also customer service, then your business is going to succeed.”

    Many have wondered why an airline, which has probably the youngest fleet in Africa,  finds it easy to access funding, while other airlines are going burst.  To this, the MD said: “Let me start from how we finance our flight expansion. First, the Ethiopian government, being the shareholders, guarantee our loans. Secondly, the aircraft manufacturing countries, for example, when we import aircraft from the United States, Boeing, the American Exim Bank, because they want to encourage export of their country’s national products,  they know our performance and follow our track record, our credit worthiness, so, they participate in the financing. Because we are 100 per cent government-owned, we don’t sell shares. We are not listed, so we cannot raise cash. But we completely finance, year to year, and we make profit, we pay our principals and interests on loans. So, we are self-financing airlines. We finance our debts from our  annual operational profits, from our revenue, from our own cash flow. So, that is how we are financed.

    “Number two, we try to see different hubs in Africa and how we integrate them.  Asky has 22 destinations in this sub-continent of Africa. They siphon all the traffic and feed us at different locations. The Francophone countries, like Lome, the Anglophone countries like Monrovia, Freetown,  Banjul, Accra, and so on and so forth. So from other places like Mali-Bamako,, we take them to the eastern part of Africa, to the Southern part of Africa or to Gulf Middle-East, Asia, Europe and America. The same is true of  Malawiair. Based in Lilongwe in Blantyre, they               operate to Johannesburg, Dar Isalam and Lusaka. Now, they are going to expand to Maputo, Bulawayo and other places. They collect the traffic and they feed us in Lilongwe, from where we take them to the rest of Africa and the rest of the world. By so doing, number one, we create an integrated market within Africa. We also connect Africa to the rest of the world because, as we see, Africa is not road or rail inter-related, because if we try to build roads, from Southern Africa to the north, from west to the east, it is going to be ten thousands of kilometers. But building of just an infrastructure of three kilometers, an aircraft can depart from that and go to the rest of the  continent. People can travel as tourists to each other’s country, export cargo and they can sell or buy from each other, while business in Africa can get strengthened with a lower level of investment. That is what we have tried to do, although aviation in unfairly and highly taxed in Africa. Aviation is taxed higher than tobacco and alcohol in Africa. It is highly regulated, highly taxed and highly restricted, but it is the most essential service that everybody wants to have. African governments have to liberalize the African sky in line with the Yamoussoukro decision. Right now, many African countries are giving more flying rights to the Gulf carriers to their own African brothers. That needs to be corrected for Africa to thrive. When started operating in many of the African countries, they were still launching wars, but we didn’t desert them, we continued to operate, even when the number of crew was more than the number of passengers. We kept operating and developing the route for Africa. Now, an airline comes with just 10 years of history, and they give all the traffic to them. That will be a misplaced priority, we should rethink our decision.”

    Hailu also talked about how the airline has been impacting on Nigeria for so many years: “The Ethiopian Airlines sales manager is a Nigerian. Many airlines bring them from outside. All our local employees in Lagos are Nigerians. When you fly our aircraft, you will see nationals from different parts of Africa. We have a co-pilot from Nigeria. When we employ, we upload advertisements and people from all parts of West Africa and south Africa.  Many Africans have been employed and are flying our machines. So, it is open for  Nigerians to come and participate. We have cabin crew for  West Africa French speaking like Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and other parts of Africa. Another thing is that we make our passengers feel at home. We want to know our passengers by name. That is why we speak pidgin and so on. we have that special African hospitality tailored towards Africans. We are Africans and we know what it takes to please an African man or woman, so they can expect many things from us.”

  • Money laundering, terrorism financing rise in Africa, says GIABA

    The Inter-Governmental Action Group against MoneyLaundering in West Africa (GIABA), has said  threats posed by money laundering (ML) and Terrorist Financing (TF) to the West African region have become more pronounced over the past decade.

    In a statement, the agency regretted that knowledge of the two phenomena and the various dimensions of their manifestations are low in the region, adding a critical factor responsible for this low level of knowledge in the region, is the dearth of local expertise to enable the generation and deepening of knowledge in the emerging field of ML/TF.

    However, to bridge this the gap in the region, GIABA initiated an Annual AML/CFT Research Grant to build regional capacity for research on ML/TF by providing some funds to facilitate the conduct of short-term studies on identified research topics.

    The body has, through the grant, been empowering civil society in Ghana in the implementation of AML/CFT Measures; Financial Inclusion and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT) Standards in Sierra Leone and Money Laundering Through Non-Profit Organisations in West Africa, among other interventions.

    The agency has also been involved in the development of effective civil society interventions for managing cross border cash flows in the informal sector.

    It said the report on Financial Inclusion and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing of Terrorism (CFT) standards in Sierra Leone, which assessed the link between financial inclusion and AML/CFT, showed that while the former helped to lower ML/TF risks, a wholesale implementation of the latter without regard to the economic and financial peculiarities of the country could exclude most poor individuals and households from the formal banking and financial systems and, by extension, undermine AML/CFT efforts.

     

  • Yara plans $2.5 billion gas-based fertiliser plant in Africa

    Yara International ASA (YAR), the largest publicly traded nitrogen-fertilizer seller, said it plans to build a $2.5 billion plant in west or east Africa once gas projects come on-stream toward the end of the decade.

    Yara has held initial talks with governments in countries such as Nigeria, Tanzania, Angola, Ghana and Mozambique about building a “considerable and world-class” urea factory to produce for African and foreign markets, Chief Executive Officer Joergen Ole Haslestad said in an interview in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

    He said: “We would very much like to participate in greenfield fertilizer production developments,” he said. “This is probably three to four years down the road before it will materialise.”

    Mozambique may become the world’s third-largest gas producer in 2018 after companies such as Eni SpA of Italy and Woodlands, Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. begin output from reserves estimated at 250 trillion cubic feet. Tanzania, which has the biggest reserves in east Africa after Mozambique with 46.5 trillion cubic feet, expects that figure to exceed 100 trillion cubic feet within the next two to three years, Energy Minister Sospeter Muhongo said in February.

    Joergen Ole Haslestad, Chief Executive Officer of Yara International ASA.

    Yara acquired Brazil’s Galvani Industria Comercio e Servicos SA for $318 million last month to expand further in South America. It bought Bunge Ltd.’s operations in Brazil for $750 million in December 2012 and OFD Holding Inc. from Omimex Resources Inc. for $425 million in November last year.

    “Obviously the west part of Africa is good for Latin America where have big operations,” Haslestad said about the export possibilities from the planned fertilizer plant. “So we can take advantage of that.”

    Yara, based in Oslo, plans to add to its existing seven African bagging and warehousing facilities by opening a $20 million unit close to the harbor in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial capital, in October. It plans a similar venture in Ghana once the economic situation improves in that country, Haslestad said.

    The West African nation has turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help in rescuing its currency, which has lost 37 per cent against the dollar this year.

    A decision on whether to proceed with potash extraction at Yara’s majority-owned project in northeast Ethiopia will probably be made early next year, he said. Production of sulphate of potash for export could then begin three years later from what would be a $1billion project, according to Haslestad.

    “There will be resources enough for having mining operations there for the next 30 to 40 years,” he said.

    The company expects to see sales grow “gradually” in Africa, which is the world’s fastest-growing fertilizer market, he said.

     

  • We’re raising Africa’s next generation’

    The Country Director of the Entrepreneurship Action in Us (ENACTUS), Mrs Ifedi Adesuwa, has described the group as a platform for raising Africa’s next generation of leaders.

    Adesuwa, who visited the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State with her team, disclosed this to the students.

    In his address, the school’s Rector, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, assured the visiting team of management’s support for their programmes.

    “ENACTUS members are demonstrating the fact that individuals with knowledge of business can be powerful force for change in any society,” Mrs Adesuwa said.

    A Faculty Adviser to the organisation, Mr Akintan Akinyemi, thanked the  group for extending its programmes to the polytechnic, saying it has recorded success barely a year after inception.

     

  • Resolving Africa’s food crisis

    Resolving Africa’s food crisis

    Experts and stakeholders gathered at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) to proffer solution to Africa’s food crisis, reports OLADELE OGE (Mass Comm.).

    How can Africa achieve food sustainability and feed its populace? James Ogbonna, a professor of Crop Science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), believes the continent could make that mark by adopting crop biotechnologyto improve food production.

    Ogbonna spoke at an international conference on food security and biotechnology organised by the African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE) in collaboration with the UNN, University of Groningen in Netherlands, Ehcloret University in Kenya, and University of Oragonding in Burkina Faso.

    The lecture examined the benefits and constraints in agricultural productivity in Africa.

    The lecture focused on improving awareness on food security and how to educate the African citizens on the use of technology to increase food production. Prof Ogbonna spoke on Adoption of crop biotechnology as a food security option: Benefits and constraints.

    He said scientists had made several efforts in recent time to consolidate the gains of biotechnology to ensure adequate production of food and energy drinks, saying: “Biotechnology has been tested to have capacity to increase productivity by fortifying crops with necessary minerals and vitamins that will enhance nutritional needs of people.”

    He dismissed as rumour the fears that crops produced from biotechnology are nutrient-deficient, saying such claim had not been scientifically proved. He told the participants to rely on research and not on misleading information from people he described as illiterate.

    Ogbonna outlined some of the benefits of the technology, urging more awareness on food programme and security in Africa. Through this, he said, Africa would be equipped to combat unexpected diseases and prevent death that may arise from wrong information.

    The Enugu State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Nnemeka Chukwuone, urged the participants to uphold new method of ensuring safety of locally-produced beverages, noting that there had been crisis in the nation’s agricultural extension.

    The commissioner appealed to the Federal Government to promote quality research through adequate funding of higher institutions to address problems plaguing the country’s agricultural sector.

    Dr Nnemeka said agricultural extension practice was being gradually phased out, stressing that farmers had misplaced their responsibility in producing quality food for the citizens.

    Earlier, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairman, Dr Aja Nwachukwu, said efforts were being made to contain the threats and the challenges of low production of food in Nigeria. He urged elaborate research and training to achieve the aim.

    The co-ordinator of the seminar, Prof Jerry Ugwuanyi, explained that part of the aim of the lecture was also to address food contamination. He urged the participants to spread the message of biotechnology to rebuild the capability of Africa to achieve food security.

    He hinted that useful information gathered from research and biotechnology conferences would be recommended to African government and other relevant agencies working to ensure safety of foods and human lives.

    Responding to question on the quality of the imported food, Mrs Rosline Gidado, one of the facilitators, said a concrete plan was underway to strengthen the campaign in rural communities to ensure throughout counseling.

     

  • Union urges West Africa to fight Ebola

    The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) West Africa has called on the countries in the sub-region to join forces in the fight against Ebola Virus

    Nigeria is the third nation to declare a national state of emergency announced as the death toll of the devastating Ebola epidemic nears 1,000 people in the region.

    Records show that  the incurable disease which has spread through Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria, has infected over 1,779 people in West Africa.

    A statement by  the Vice-President PALU,  West Africa Mr. Emeka Obegolu reads in part: “The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) West Africa,  notes with grave concern the unmitigated spread of the Ebola virus across the West Africa sub-region leading to the declaration of International Health Emergency by the World Health Organisation today of August 8, 2014.

    “PALU (WA) calls on countries in West Africa to deepen corporation and collaboration in the areas of research, containment and information dissemination on all issues relating to the Ebola virus and spread thereof.

    “PALU (WA) notes the widespread misinformation and sometimes misleading theories spread through the new media and social networks and thereby calls on governments and their agencies to establish dedicated and authoritative source of official briefing of the citizenry on the measures being put in place for containment of the disease and the responsibilities of the citizenry in that regard.

    “We urge the various health agencies in the West Africa sub-region to accord victims of Ebola their dignity as human beings as provided under the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and the respective National Laws of member-states.’’

    “We call on the governments of the member states to dedicate human and material resources to medical research as a means of early detection and eradication of such diseases.

    “Finally, PALU calls on citizens to support the effort of all the agencies involved in the fight against Ebola virus and always confirm alleged treatments drugs/herbs with the authorized agencybefore testing the cure or spreading the news”. Obegolu stated.

  • Science in Africa will bring Africa out of poverty, by and by

    Science in Africa will bring Africa out of poverty, by and by

    Many young Nigerians, indeed Africans, are possibly looking forward to getting a university degree, getting a job and rising to the top fast (contribution or no contribution), building a house or houses, buying cars in the blinking of an eye, and being able to do whatever they want in life because they have money for it.  This kind of ambition may not be bad in itself but it is a nation killer.

    Having worked for more than a decade in advanced countries as a scientist, I am confident that unless our young people are trained to become transformative professionals in the use of science and technology, the efforts towards development are largely unsustainable.

    Research and development are like two sides of a coin we can use to acquire lasting civilization. Nigeria, a giant in Africa, presently has about 130 universities and a great potential for transformation of raw materials and human resources towards provision of goods and services.  I sometimes feel ashamed when every time Africans need something scientific or technical, we go begging advanced countries because I know the only thing that makes them advanced is the effort (mental  and physical) that they apply at their jobs and services.

    Come Ebola outbreak, we are waiting for hard working America to give us serum, vaccines, drugs, or whatever they can quickly develop while we have about 130 universities.  I do not blame young Nigerians for not being interested in science if a Nigerian scientist does not present a cure for Ebola and get a pat on the back from the whole world and money in his pocket for the rest of his life.

    For Africans to enjoy more health and well-being and sustainable development, we need to be more and more scientific in reasoning and in functioning.Every time I go to an advanced country, I enjoy buying fruits and vegetables because they come in ample variety and with healthy, attractive presentation. As a scientist, I know a lot of scientific work goes into this at various levels of the chain of production and distribution. Whenever I buy a medication in Nigeria, I look at where it is made: India, Israel, UK, USA, etc., and yet Nigeria may have more potential for petrochemicals than all these countries.  Unless Nigerians apply themselves scientifically, they cannot be productive in such goods.  Undeveloped industries certainly are a great part of unemployment, poverty, and disease in Africa.

    In a capitalist country, or in a humane country, or in an advanced country, if they had the Ebola outbreak being experienced in West Africa, perhaps microbiologists, virologists, pathologists, pharmacologists, biochemists,biomedical scientists, physician scientists,pharmaceutical scientists, would beallhands on deck in desperate research by now, looking at the Ebola problem from top to bottom and front to back and inside to outside and past to present. In fact Ebola would have been brought to shame, stark naked. Instead what do we have?  We have fear and panic and 130 universities.

    The Ebola problem can be seen as a wake-up call to improve research capacities and activities in Nigerian and other African universities. Whether for some particular needs or for philosophical curiosity, our universities should be taking pride in state-of-the-arts research in all fields of science.  No academic staff should be wasted while Africans groan in poverty and continue in poverty.  Africa is well-known for poverty and diseased but really, if we look closely, there is no mystery in African poverty and disease but, surely, there is misery is in African Science.

    A gossip that struck me recently is that well-wishers of President Jonathan gave gifts galore for his daughter’s wedding including 69 sparkling cars.  I love their kindness and goodwill towards the president but please, rich Nigerians, support science and university researchers.  Give endowments, donate equipment, initiate grants and funding for scientists, sponsor projects, encourage youths to become scientific researchers, give scholarships and awards, sponsor scientific conferences, workshops, and training, encourage professors, and promote global interactions in tertiary education and research.  Thinking science is thinking nation building. Without science, can we throw poverty, disease, and backwardness out of our window? It takes time and continuous effort to reap from science, therefore, investment in scientific research infrastructure, functions, and administrations should also be continuous and not dependent on academic strikes or epidemics. Nation building needs science, a lot of science.

     

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Propak West Africa exhibition for Sept 2

    A firm Montgomery West Africa is set to hold an exhibition for packaging firms, experts and investors from September 2 to 4 at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Titled: Propak West Africa 2014, the exhibition would feature over 50 participants from West Africa and abroad. These include firms and experts from China, Germany, India and South Africa. Chellarams and a subsidiary of Kodak are among new firms that have indicated interest in the expo.

    Managing Director Montgomery West Africa Tori Abiola said the event is aimed at creating a market for stakeholders in the sub-sector to enable them benefit from its attendant advantages, such as networking and boosting their businesses.

    She also said it would provide a competitive advantage for participants. She noted that the subsector could grow by over 10 per cent yearly, if well harnessed.

    She said the expo was unique because it would also hold a free seminar for participants to educate them on innovations in printing and packaging. Besides, there would also be segment titled:’ Print Expo’ and’ Pro Plas’, where new machines and materials used in the subsector would be unveiled.

    Ms Abiola added that the forum would provide a one-stop shop for exhibitors to showcase their products. “They  are not only going to learn about new products but also learn and improve in the industry,” she said.

    Besides, Sales Agent, Montgomery West Africa Joju Adekanbi said: “The exhibition is the biggest event in the subsector in West Africa. We brought it here because Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) is the largest in Africa,” adding that it was also in the country about two years ago. Besides oil and gas, the packaging and plastics industry is very attractive, he affirmed.

    “We started in 2012. Then, we had 49 exhibitors. We have more than that this year. He assured of security, saying that was why the venue was chosen.

    The firm has the support of both the Institute of Packaging (IOP), Nigeria and Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPON). IOP’s President Mike Adekola said: “Propak is the best thing to happen in West Africa. Its organisers educate people about packaging.We have been involved in the last six years and we are not going back. The first exhibition was very successful; we are hoping that this one would be, especially as those coming to this one could triple the figure of 2012.

    He said Propak is vital because Nigeria needs to boost the subsector. He listed the challenges in packaging as market domination by foreigners and low level of education.

  • Nebo, others advocate renewable energy in Africa

    Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo and his Tanzania counterpart, Sospeter Muhongo have called for the implementation of the policy on renewable energy in Africa.

    Speaking during the United States-Africa Leaders Summit in New York, the ministers said the continent’s future depended on renewable energy because of it is cheaper to access than hydro and gas method of energy.

    The ministers, who joined their colleagues from other countries to deliberate on electricity problems facing the continent, said renewable energy was the way to tackle energy challenges in Africa. According to them, the continent has been battling power problems for long and, therefore, needed to find lasting solutions to it.

    Nebo said: “Africa is hugely in darkness. Whatever we can do to get Africa from a place of darkness to a place of light … I think we should encourage that to happen. Renewable energy is one options we think can solve the problem.. I think Africa should be allowed to develop its coal potential. This is very critical. There are so many areas in Africa that will help to generate power for the over 60 per cent of Africans that have no access to energy at all,” said Nigeria’s Nebo.

    Mohongo urged the continent to explore opportunities in solar, coal, biomass and other sources of renewable energy.

    “We, in Africa, should not be in the discussion of whether we should use coal or not. In my country of Tanzania, we are going to use our natural resources because we have reserves which go beyond five billion tons,”

    “If some people have taken a position where we say no coal, no nuclear, no hydro, then we’re really not serious,” he said. Big hydropower, in particular, demands new acceptance, he said, arguing that the multilateral donor agency has learned lessons from past disastrous projects and is much better-equipped to work with indigenous communities and others affected by new dams. We, in Africa, we should not be in the discussion of whether we should use coal or not. In my country of Tanzania, we are going to use our natural resources because we have reserves which go beyond 5 billion tons,” Muhongo said.

    He said his country was on the verge of becoming a middle-income nation and aims to grow its gross domestic product about nine per cent yearly. To do that, coal reserves and Tanzania’s 50.5 trillion geologic feet of natural gas are critical.

    Also, the Chief Executive Officer,  Mara Group, Ashish Thakkar, said: “We need 20 times more power than we have today, and by the time we get there, we’re going to need 30 times the amount of power we need today.”

    Thakkar said African gas production is expected to double in the next two decades, adding that the continent needs $400 billion in that time to provide power to the full half of the population that is without it.

    “I think Africa should be allowed to develop its coal potential. This is very critical. There are so many areas in Africa that will help to generate power for the over 60 percent of Africans that have no access to energy at all,” said Nebo.

  • CJN to chair book launch on corruption, human rights law in Africa

    CJN to chair book launch on corruption, human rights law in Africa

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, will next Monday, August 18, chair the launch of a book, titled: Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa.

    The book was written by Dr. Kolawole Olaniyan of Amnesty International (AI) in London.

    Also expected at the book presentation are: Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, the chief launcher; Executive Director of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Abdul Tijan-Cole and the Chief Registrar of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Dr Robert Eno.

    Also expected at the event is the Oba of Lagos, Riliwanu Akiolu II, the royal father of the day.

    Other dignitaries are: the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta; Prof Akin Oyebode of the Faculty of Law of University of Lagos (UNILAG); Lagos lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN); Lagos State Solicitor-General, Lawal Pedro; the Director-General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Mrs Dupe Atoki and former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.