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  • U.S. plans security programme for Nigeria

    U.S. plans security programme for Nigeria

    The United States (US) is “troubled” by the Boko Haram menace in the Northeast its Under Secretary of State on African Affairs, Ambassador Linda Thomas – Greenfield said yesterday.

    It has initiated a security programme for Nigeria and its neigbouring countries, said Thomas – Greenfield,  who spoke at the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission Regional Security Working Group in Abuja yesterday.

    She said: “We are very troubled by the apparent capture of Bama and the prospects for an attack on and in Maiduguri, which would impose a tremendous toll on the civilian population.  This is a sober reality check for all of us.  We are past time for denial and pride.

    “Despite our collective efforts, the situation on the ground is worsening.  The conflict has affected the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people in the Lake Chad region. Cameroon’s military is increasingly forced to fight Boko Haram within its borders and they flee back into Nigeria without fear.  The Chibok schoolgirls and others remain hostages, enduring horrible and tragic suffering.  Abubakar Shekau’s bold announcement that Boko Haram is now governing a “caliphate” only adds to the perception that the security situation is steadily worsening.  All of these developments are deeply disturbing, and increasingly dangerous with each passing day.

    “This is a partnership in which both sides work together to identify the problem and design the solution.   The United States is close to announcing he launch of a major border security programme under our Global Security Contingency Fund, which will include Nigeria and its neighbours Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

    “We continue to provide technical training to military and police forces engaged in the fight against Boko Haram.  As an important part of this effort, we are pleased to provide advanced training to a Nigerian infantry battalion.  We applaud the motivation of this unit and the progress it is making.  It is critical that the investment in this unit be properly maintained and utilised upon deployment, with clean supply chains and adequate supplies, a strong chain of command, and missions and values that address Nigeria’s counterterrorism threat and keep civilians safe.  The reputation of Nigeria’s military is at stake.  But more importantly, Nigeria’s and its children’s future is in jeopardy.  Failure is not an option.

    “Security is a multidisciplinary endeavour that requires engagement by all aspects of federal, state, and local governments, as well as civil society in a coordinated effort.”

  • U.S. shale ambition on, says Shell CEO

    U.S. shale ambition on, says Shell CEO

    Shell CEO Ben van Beurden claims that despite a series of asset sales and costly write-downs, the oil giant is not abandoning the prospect of North American oil and gas shales.

    Shell’s recent reappraisal resulted in a $2billion write-down in book value and plans for Shell to sell hundreds of thousand of US acres.

    He said: “Asset sales have helped the company narrow its focus on fewer projects where Shell can better compete with the smaller oil and gas companies that have dominated US shale development.

    “It’s a different type of game but it’s not best left to the independents. We can play and win at it as well.”

    During a conference speech at Columbia University, Mr van Beurden also proposed that the US should resume exporting oil and embrace global markets.

    Any such resumption would require lifting the longstanding US crude oil export ban in force since the Arab oil embargo in the 19702 s.

  • U.S. shale ambition on, says Shell CEO

    Shell CEO Ben van Beurden claims that despite a series of asset sales and costly write-downs, the oil giant is not abandoning the prospect of North American oil and gas shales.

    Shell’s recent reappraisal resulted in a $2billion write-down in book value and plans for Shell to sell hundreds of thousand of US acres.

    He said: “Asset sales have helped the company narrow its focus on fewer projects where Shell can better compete with the smaller oil and gas companies that have dominated US shale development.

    “It’s a different type of game but it’s not best left to the independents. We can play and win at it as well.”

    During a conference speech at Columbia University, Mr van Beurden also proposed that the US should resume exporting oil and embrace global markets.

    Any such resumption would require lifting the longstanding US crude oil export ban in force since the Arab oil embargo in the 19702 s.

  • ‘We’ve secured admission for 57 escaped Chibok girls in U.S.’

    The Centre for Promotion of Ethics, Values, and National Integration (CENPEVNI), a Non Governmental Organisation, says it has secured admission for the 57 escaped Chibok schoolgirls  in the United States.

    The admission was secured through collaboration with other groups.

    The Executive Director of the group and Project Coordinator, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Outreach Mission (RROM), Dr. Mercy Sokomba, made this known in Abuja at a stakeholders’ interactive session on effective victim support strategies in Nigeria.

    She said offers for the completion of the girls’ education inclusive of scholarship have been made to RROM through Stephanos Foundation and international support groups of RROM.

    Sokomba said: “Some of our national and international partners are already participating in the ongoing rehabilitation and reintegration of the escaped girls and their 219 parents.

    “Through one of them, we have secured admission for the 57 escaped Chibok School girls from a school in the USA. We are now ready to take up some of the scholarship awards promised by some partners also from the USA.

    “However, we have initiated discussions with some leadership of the Chibok community and at the same point we will meet with them and their parents for consent.”

    She said the offer of admission and scholarship depended on the willingness of the girls to be ‘separated’ from their parents again after their abduction by the dreaded Islamic sect Boko Haram.

    Sokomba praised the efforts of the Federal Government in the fight against insurgency, while also praying for a quick solution to various insurgencies in the country.

    She pleaded for the safe return of the abducted Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram in April,  as well as women and children in the sect’s enclave.

  • U.S.-Africa summit: beyond the fanfare

    U.S.-Africa summit: beyond the fanfare

    On the African side, no amount of money from the United States will bring development to most African countries if the right thing is not done at the right time

    Just about a week ago, a momentous event took place in Washington. President Barack Obama invited African leaders (short of a few sit-tight dictators out of many on the continent) to discuss with him and his staff the opportunities waiting to be tapped in relation to increasing trade and investment between the United States and Africa. The event was filled with pomp and ceremony. Now that African leaders have returned to their base, it is advisable that both sides of the summit—the U.S. and Africa—come to terms with why trade and investment has been abysmally low, compared to what the situation is between China and Africa.

    Though the United States did not participate in colonisation of Africa (despite the special relationship between Washington and Monrovia since President Monroe settled some enslaved Africans in Monrovia), America has largely followed the model established by the two major countries that colonised Africa: Britain and France, with respect to stimulating trade and investment between the U.S. and Africa in the years following the decade of decolonisation in the 1960s.

    Instead of taking the business risk of trading with and investing in African countries, it imitated Britain and France in taking the model of giving aid to Africa. It, like Britain and France and later Portugal, got into the tradition of giving aid to cover all manners of issues in the continent:  population control, food and nutrition, partial democratisation, etc. Most of these efforts first went to African governments during the era of big governments and government doing business and later to non-governmental organisations. Giving aid to Africa instead of trading with the continent has not worked, according to someone who should know, World Bank loan expert in Africa, Robert Calderisi in his book, The Trouble with Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn’t Working (2006). It is noteworthy that the United States has finally come to terms with the fears of Calderisi.

    It is also good news that the United States has chosen to take notice of China’s aggressive trade and investment in Africa. Pledging to respond positively to what President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden consider encouraging stories from Africa: good growth rate, a very young population, and promise of consolidation of democracy in many countries on the continent, the Obama administration has reasons to shift from the tradition of aid to trade in Africa. While a summit with the theme: “Investing in the Next Generation” shows optimism on the part of the United States, there is need for realistic thinking that separates the promise of commitment to democracy and the rule of law by many African leaders for the reality on the ground in many parts of the continent.

    Without doubt, both sides have more home work to do after the elaborate celebration of good intentions in Washington. On the African side, no amount of money from the United States will bring development to most African countries if the right thing is not done at the right time. Proper infrastructure (good roads, regular supply of electricity, functioning rail transportation, and reliable aviation sector for moving goods and services) is a sine qua non if the over $14 billion dollars in investment for the continent is to lead to any progress. Africa had received much more than this in aid over the years, without having anything to show for it. $14 billion dollars looks like a lot of money, but in reality, it is not much for a continent of Africa’s size and population, more so, if it ends up being thrown into an environment of chaotic transportation, lack of security for citizens and foreigners, mounting corruption fuelled by a culture of impunity.

    In addition, no amount of investment dollar by itself can bring progress if African governments are not committed and prepared to make themselves to be seen to be genuinely committed to sustaining democracy, particularly free, fair, and transparent elections in non-threatening atmosphere. The problem of poor record of rule of law and independent judiciary in many African countries cannot be divorced from lack of free and fair elections and readiness of elected officials to respect the sovereignty of the people. It is such commitment to the culture of transparency, accountability, and respect of the citizenry that makes political leaders in functioning democracies to aspire to provide good governance.

    When government leaders rig themselves directly or indirectly into office, they are not likely to support or encourage independent judiciary and the rule of law. Committing to reforming the way business is done in many African countries without reforming the way elections are conducted may not be enough for creating an enabling environment for good use of new or additional investment from the United States. Generally, businesses are about making profit. American business in Africa will not be an exception, and there may be no profit for such business in an atmosphere of corruption, insecurity, and political instability.

    On the American side, there is a need for investors to influence their government to separate the grain from the chaff, with respect to African leaders promising in the most mendacious of tongues good governance and free and fair election. Just as Calderisi has said in his book referred to earlier, the United States must insist on proper internationally-supervised elections in many of the countries that are basically in transition to democracy. Countries that are not ready to play by the rules should be de-listed from the group of countries to receive foreign investment. African leaders that have no respect for their citizens are more likely to waste such investments as they will be unable to empower their citizens to become consumers of goods and services.

    The United States needs to pay attention to the kind of subtle racism that has prevented it from recognizing the need to trade with Africa over the years well ahead of China, despite the fact that many of the African countries speak the same language as the United States. But the U.S. must avoid copying the China model of trading with any country regardless of human rights record and level of commitment of its leaders to genuine democracy.

    The just concluded summit and the commitment on both sides to increase trade and investment for mutual benefit must give the United States and Africa an opportunity to pay new attention to Africans in Diaspora in the United States. There are thousands of Africans with good American education and training and with rich experience of the culture of rule of law and understanding of American business practices that can be used to add value to the new business between the two blocks. Africans in Diaspora have the added advantage of bi-cultural fluency that is needed to understand the nuances of business practice in both continents.

    In short, America and Africa need to pay attention to President Obama’s statement: “Our message to those who would derail the democratic process is clear and unequivocal: the United States will not stand by when actors threaten legitimately elected government or manipulate the fairness and integrity of democratic processes….” (U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa) and to President Jonathan’s assurance that the era of election manipulation is over and his assurance to African Diaspora: “We will continue to engage your services and expertise when we can.”

  • U.S. film teachers praise Nigerian students

    A teacher and expert in film production design, costume and set design, Miss Wendalyn Slipakoff, has said Nigerians are hungrier for education than the average American who takes education for granted.

    She spoke at the opening of the 2014 Del-York Creative Academy (DCA) four-week intensive film making workshop holding at the Digital Bridge Institute, Lagos.

    “It’s been really exciting for me because this is the first time that I have to teach in an environment where everybody is so hungry to learn. In the United States, one of the challenges we have is that we tend to take education for granted. It’s not like that here. I am humbled by the spirit of the people,” she said.

    Tagged: “Film made in Nigeria”, the programme is aimed at reaching out to people who are creative and improve their skills and creative capacity especially film makers and broadcast journalists in Nigeria.

    Another teacher at the programme, Sara Rabuse, who teaches make-up, also praised the students for their interest in special effect make-up, which is not very developed in Nigeria.

    “I am talking about special effects like bruises, mask, blood, monsters and zombies. I see people who are hungry for knowledge in the area of special effect.  What special effect classifies is anything that has to do with fake blood, bruises; up to prosthetics and hair work,” she said.

    She said that she noticed a lot of the materials that they use in the U.S. to create special effects are not available Nigeria.

    “The make-up artistes have to make their own blood. They use ketchup and blackcurrant. In the US, we have blood that is already made. We go to the store and we buy special blood that is made for film and television. Some of them are using materials that are used for gluing sculptures together. They are using permanent glues on human skin that is burning and causing abrasions and hurting the actors’ skin. In the U.S., we have stuff that is specifically made for skin.”

    The CEO, DCA, Mr Linus Idahosa, said about 68 lecturers from New York and Los Angeles have taught at the workshop in the last four years.

    “We host them in this country for three months and while they are here, we expect them to impact on the students in the rudiments of film making and creative acts,” he said.

     

  • Africa’s growth offers U.S. an opportunity, says Obama

    Africa’s growth offers U.S. an opportunity, says Obama

    President Barack Obama has said Africa’s fast-growing economies represent a great opportunity for United States (U.S.) companies to expand their investments if governments curb corruption and human rights abuses.

    According to Bloomberg, Obama said Africa represents a great opportunity for American companies to expand their investments, as the U.S. competes with China to tap some of the world’s fastest growing economies.

    “Africa’s rise means opportunity for all of us,” Obama told heads of state gathered for a morning session yesteray at the State Department in the final day of U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.

    He promised them “a partnership of equals that focuses on African capacity to solve problems, and on Africa’s capacity to grow.”

    The president is seeking to shift the U.S. focus in Africa toward fostering investment and trade, instead of the traditional emphasis on providing aid. The new approach is being taken as China has surpassed the U.S. as Africa’s biggest trading partner with a relationship that exceeded $200 billion last year, more than double that of the U.S.

    At yesterday’s U.S.-Africa Business Forum in Washington, the U.S. president drew an indirect contrast y to China’s approach, saying that the U.S. wants to work with African nations to promote their expansion. “We don’t simply want to extract minerals from the ground for our growth.”

    That prompted a response yesterday from the Chinese government.

    “China’s African policy has always featured sincerity, friendship, equal treatment, mutual benefit and common development,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, according to a report by the official Xinhua News Agency.

    “This is the fundamental reason why China-Africa cooperation is welcomed by African countries and people.” China, the spokeswoman said, hopes the U.S. “can play a greater role” than it does now in supporting African development.

    China’s state-owned enterprises have rolled out projects in every country on the continent, including hydroelectric dams, highways and rail lines linked to the extraction of natural resources.

    The U.S. is seeking to expand its commercial footprint in Africa. At yesterday’s forum, which included more than 90 U.S. companies, Obama highlighted $33 billion in commitments to Africa: $14 billion in investments by companies including General Electric Co. (GE) and Coca-Cola Co. (KO), $7 billion in financing to promote U.S. exports and $12 billion for an initiative to double availability of electricity in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Obama said he wanted to focus leaders’ attention today on factors that encourage investment and economic stability: governance and rule of law, expanding trade and steps to deepen security cooperation.

    To draw more U.S. investment, the administration is pressing African leaders at the summit to protect human rights, especially for women, curb corruption and foster more transparent financial systems. It has been a recurring theme from the president and top administration officials over the three days of the summit.

    Obama said: “Capital is one thing. Rule of law, regulatory reform, good governance? Those things matter even more because investors want to be able to do business without “paying a bribe or hiring somebody’s cousin.”

    Africa’s biggest need, he said, is “laws and regulations and structure that empower the individual” and don’t simply preserve “power for those at the very top.”  

    Obama will return to that message during the final session of the summit today titled “Governing for the Next Generation.” The White House, in a statement, said that discussion at the State Department will include emphasizing that accountable and transparent government promotes development.

  • U.S. planes spot girls in Northeast village

    U.S. planes spot girls in Northeast village

    Recent United States (U.S.) surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria showed what appeared to be large groups of girls held together in remote locations, raising hopes among domestic and foreign officials that they are among the group that Boko Haram abducted from a boarding school in April, U.S. and Nigerian officials said.

    The surveillance suggests that at least some of the 219 schoolgirls still held captive haven’t been forced into marriage or sex slavery, as had been feared, but instead are being used as bargaining chips for the release of prisoners.

    The U.S. aerial imagery matches what Nigerian officials say they hear from northern Nigerians who have interacted with the Islamist insurgency: that some of Boko Haram’s most famous set of captives are getting special treatment, compared with the hundreds of other girls the group is suspected to have kidnapped.

    Boko Haram appears to have seen the schoolgirls as of higher value, given the global attention paid to their plight, those officials said.

    President Goodluck Jonathan, who faces re-election in February, is under political pressure to secure the girls’ release, with some people urging him to agree to a prisoner swap.

    The government has ruled out a rescue operation, saying it is unwilling to risk the girls’ lives, or a prisoner swap.

    “We don’t exchange innocent people for criminals. That is not on the cards,” said spokesman Reuben Abati last week in an interview.

    In early July, U.S. surveillance flights over northeastern Nigeria spotted a group of 60 to 70 girls held in an open field, said two U.S. defence officials.

    Late last month, they spotted a set of roughly 40 girls in a different field.

    When surveillance flights returned, both sets of girls had been moved. U.S. intelligence analysts say they don’t have enough information to confirm whether the two groups of girls they saw are the same, they said.

    They also can’t say whether those groups included any of the schoolgirls the group has held since April. But U.S. and Nigerian officials said they believe they are indeed those schoolgirls.

    “It’s unusual to find a large group of young women like that in an open space,” said one U.S. defense official. “We’re assuming they’re not a rock band of hippies out there camping.”

    A wave of intermediaries acting on their own has tried to negotiate the girls’ release, Mr. Abati said, adding that the president has neither authorized nor discouraged those efforts.

    Several of those intermediaries have said Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, has ordered his fighters to treat the girls as valuable hostages—not sex slaves—one senior Nigerian security adviser said.

    “He gave a directive that anybody found touching any of the girls should be killed immediately,” the adviser said. “If true, it is cheering.”

    It would also show that Boko Haram is trying to follow an al Qaeda tactic: swapping hostages for money and political gain.

    The group is accelerating its kidnapping of foreigners and politicians: Over the past two months, it has been blamed for abducting a German expatriate, 10 Chinese laborers in nearby Cameroon and the wife of Cameroon’s deputy prime minister.

    Boko Haram has used hostages in the past to demand the exchange of its prisoners held in both Nigeria and Cameroon, which was one of the conditions for the release of a French family from captivity last year.

    The international effort to find the girls has waned: The U.S. military is now carrying out just one surveillance flight a day, mostly by manned aircraft, totaling only 35 to 40 hours a week, said U.S. defence officials, as drones have been shifted back toward other operations.

    Some accounts suggest the burden of providing for scores of girls has become a point of dissension in Boko Haram’s ranks.

  • U.S doctor with Ebola improving, says Expert

    U.S doctor with Ebola improving, says Expert

    The condition of American Dr. Kent Brantly stricken with Ebola seems to have improved, the director of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday.

    Dr. Thomas Frieden said it was encouraging to see Dr. Brantly walk out of the ambulance unassisted when he arrived at Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital from Liberia at the weekend.

    Frieden said he understands the public’s concerns about Ebola, and the public health role is to ensure that the infection is not spread.

    The CDC chief said old-fashioned practices were required to stop the spread of Ebola in West Africa. These include finding the patients and their contacts, making sure they’re treated, educating the public and doing rigorous infection control in hospitals.

    Ebola is only spread through direct contact of bodily fluids.

    This current Ebola outbreak is the worst on record and has killed more than 700 in three countries in West African and infected more than 1,300.

    Before Brantly arrived in Atlanta, not much about his condition had been made public. According to Samaritan’s Purse, the aid organisation he was working for, Brantly was in “serious but stable” condition before being flown to the U.S.

    When the doctor was able to walk into the hospital, at least two experts said they were surprised but pleased that the doctor seemed to be doing well.

    This strain of the Ebola virus has a fatality rate of approximately 60 per cent and past outbreaks had fatality rates as high as 90 percent.

    Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said he felt “guardedly optimistic”, since Ebola usually advances quickly and Brantly had shown signs of the disease for at least a week.

    “The first thing we all said ‘Whao, he’s not on a vent,’” Schaffner said of realising that Brantly did not need a ventilator to help him breathe. “In general [with] Ebola is … you progress on a downhill course. If you’re at this point and you’re holding your own you’re entitled to be optimistic.”

    When the doctor was able to walk into the hospital, at least two experts said they were surprised but pleased that the doctor seemed to be doing well.

    This strain of the Ebola virus has a fatality rate of approximately 60 percent and past outbreaks had fatality rates as high as 90 percent.

    Morse said that Brantly was obviously not out of the woods and that he would be under constant monitoring to ensure his blood pressure, lung function, kidney function and other vitals remained steady.

    “If he really does get better, we want to know his secret,” Morse said.

    Doctors yesterday also spoke on how their infected colleague would be treated amid fears that  the outbreak killing more than 700 people in Africa could spread in the United States has generated considerable anxiety among some Americans.

    But infectious-disease experts said the public faces zero risk as Emory University Hospital treats a critically ill missionary doctor and a charity worker who were infected in Liberia.

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received “nasty emails” and at least 100 calls from people saying “How dare you bring Ebola into the country!?” CDC Director Tom Frieden said Saturday.

    “I hope that our understandable fear of the unfamiliar does not trump our compassion when ill Americans return to the U.S. for care,” Frieden said.

    Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who will arrive in this week, will be treated in Emory’s isolation unit for infectious diseases, created 12 years ago to handle doctors who get sick at the CDC, just up the hill. It is one of about four in the country, equipped with everything necessary to test and treat people exposed to very dangerous viruses.

    In 2005, it handled patients with SARS, which unlike Ebola can spread like the flu when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

    In fact, the nature of Ebola — which is spread by close contact with bodily fluids and blood — means that any modern hospital using standard, rigorous, infection-control measures should be able to handle it.

    Still, Emory won’t be taking any chances.

    “Nothing comes out of this unit until it is non-infectious,” said Dr. Bruce Ribner, who will be treating the patients. “The bottom line is: we have an inordinate amount of safety associated with the care of this patient. And we do not believe that any health-care worker, any other patient or any visitor to our facility is in any way at risk of acquiring this infection.”

    Brantly was flown from Africa to Dobbins Air Reserve base outside Atlanta in a small plane equipped to contain infectious diseases. The plane had briefly stopped in Maine to refuel.

    Bangor Mayor Ben Sprague confirmed that the plane landed Saturday morning at Bangor International Airport.

    He said airport staff, law enforcement and public health personnel were on alert in case anything went wrong, but it was a straightforward landing and refuel.

    At the Dobbins air base, a small police escort followed his ambulance to the hospital. He climbed out dressed head to toe in white protective clothing, and another person in an identical hazardous materials suit held both of his gloved hands as they walked gingerly inside.

    “It was a relief to welcome Kent home today. I spoke with him, and he is glad to be back in the U.S.,” said his wife, Amber Brantly, who left Africa with their two young children for a wedding in the United States days before the doctor fell ill.

    “I am thankful to God for his safe transport and for giving him the strength to walk into the hospital,” her statement said.

    Inside the unit, patients are sealed off from anyone who doesn’t wear protective gear.

    “Negative air pressure” means air flows in, but can’t escape until filters scrub any germs from patients. All laboratory testing is conducted within the unit, and workers are highly trained in infection control. Glass walls enable staff outside to safely observe patients, and there’s a vestibule where workers suit up before entering. Any gear is safely disposed of or decontaminated.

    Family members will be kept outside for now.

    The unit “has a plate glass window and communication system, so they’ll be as close as 1-2 inches from each other,” Ribner said.

    Dr. Jay Varkey, an infectious disease specialist who will be treating Brantly and Writebol, gave no word Saturday about their condition. Both were described as critically ill after treating Ebola patients at a missionary hospital in Liberia, one of three West African countries hit by the largest outbreak of the virus in history.

    There is no proven cure for the virus. It kills an estimated 60 per cent to 80 per cent of the people it infects, but American doctors in Africa say the mortality rate would be much lower in a functioning health-care system.

    The virus causes hemorrhagic fever, headaches and weakness that can escalate to vomiting, diarrhea and kidney and liver problems. Some patients bleed internally and externally.

    There are experimental treatments, but Brantly had only enough for one person, and insisted that his colleague receive it. His best hope in Africa was a transfusion of blood including antibodies from one of his patients, a 14-year-old boy who survived thanks to the doctor.

    There was also only room on the plane for one patient at a time. Writebol will follow this week.

    Dr. Philip Brachman, an Emory public health specialist who led the CDC’s disease detectives programme for many years, said since there is no cure, medical workers will try any modern therapy that can be done, such as better monitoring of fluids, electrolytes and vital signs.

    “We depend on the body’s defenses to control the virus,” Ribner said. “We just have to keep the patient alive long enough in order for the body to control this infection.”

    The plane carrying the second American patient left the U.S. for Liberia yesterday.

    The private air ambulance is scheduled to arrive in Liberia after one stopover. The plane will then bring aid worker Nancy Writebol to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga., and is expected to land midday tomorrow.

    The same plane brought Dr. Brantly to Georgia on Saturday

     

  • U.S. may give Africa $1b business deals at summit

    U.S. may give Africa $1b business deals at summit

    The United States will announce nearly $1 billion in business deals, increase funding for peacekeeping and commit billions of dollars to expanding food and power programmes in Africa during a summit this week, U.S. and development officials said at the weekend.

    U.S. officials said the summit billed for today till Wednesday in Washington of nearly 50 African leaders hopes to showcase US interest in the fast-growing region through a series of government-private partnership deals to boost trade and investment.

    The spread of the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone is also a reminder of the vast development needs that persist in some of the region’s poorest countries despite rapid economic growth and investment.

    Administration officials have played down questions over whether the summit is in response to China’s growing presence in the region. Instead, they have emphasized American interests go beyond Africa’s oil and minerals, where China is focused. “You will see a series of announcements on agriculture and food, and power and energy,” Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), told Reuters. “We will make big announcements that demonstrate these are big ambitions we can take on with our African partners and the private sector.” Shah said there will be new support for Power Africa, a privately-funded program launched by US President Barack Obama last year to install 10,000 megawatts of new generation capacity and connect 20 million new customers across Africa by 2018.

    The programme had already met that goal after just one year, Shah said. “Next week we will announce a more than doubling of our aspirations,” he added. Shah said while companies pledged $7 billion to the program last year, next week “we will be in excess of $20 billion” in new investments. The World Bank is expected to make a major contribution toward the program, according to Bank officials. The programme is also likely to be expanded from the six nations – Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania – that currently benefit from Power Africa.

    There will also be significant increases in private sector support for US-backed food and agricultural programs in Africa, including the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, US development officials said.

    The programme was launched in 2012 to bring together African governments, the private sector and donors to boost investment in agricultural production after a massive 2008/09 food price crisis, which sparked unrest in developing nations.

    An announcement worth billions of dollar by a large U.S. beverage company is expected to boost purchases from African farmers, according to one official, who declined to elaborate. The summit will include a business conference on Tuesday bringing together African leaders and American CEOs. US commerce officials said close to $1 billion in various business deals will be announced covering different sectors and involving several African countries.

    Trade ministers will spend a day discussing ways to improve the US trade program with Africa, known as the African Growth Opportunity Act, or AGOA, which gives African countries duty-free access to US markets. AGOA expires in September next year and will need congressional approval for renewal.

    In other funding increases, the State Department is expected to announce a further $60 million a year for peacekeeping training in six African countries, according to U.S. officials