Angola Hosts Bureau of Ministers for Mineral Resources in Africa

Angola Press

LUANDA— Angola will host the first meeting of the Bureau of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources in Africa scheduled for Wednesday in Luanda aimed at reviewing the institutionalization and sustainability progress of the Central African on Mining Development Process, launched in Maputo in 2013.

A press note reached ANGOP indicates that the meeting that will be held at the Epic Sana Hotel, is organized by the African Union.

The event is being preceded by a two-day meeting of experts taking place on 11, 12 August.

The Bureau of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources is integrated by Mozambique in representation of the southern region of the continent, Ethiopia (eastern region), Chad (centre), Algeria (north) and Ghana (west).

The board is chaired by Mozambique, followed by Ghana as vice president and Ethiopia (secretary).

Four in 10 of the world’s people will be African by the end of this century
UNICEF released a report August 13, 2014 where it projected the growth of Africa’s child population within the next century.

UNICEF

Africa, already the world’s second most populous continent with over 1 billion inhabitants, is experiencing a demographic shift unprecedented in its scale and swiftness. Consider this: In the next 35 years, 1.8 billion babies will be born in Africa; the continent’s population will double in size; and its under-18 population will increase by two thirds to reach almost 1 billion.

Today more than 7 billion people are living in the world and on current projections there will be 11 billion by the end of the 21st century. Africa’s population will continue to grow significantly while all the other continents will see a relatively smaller increase or decline in their current numbers of births, total population and child population. Africa is also ageing at a far slower pace than the rest of the world, and could potentially reap a demographic dividend as its labour force expands at a faster rate than its dependent population. By the end of the century, Africa is projected to have almost quadrupled its population to over 4 billion, and will be home to almost 40 per cent of humanity.

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Video: Africa could benefit from population boom

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Video: Aljazeera- The youth boom and harnessing the demographic dividend in Africa
Interview of Dr. Eliya Zulu, Executive Director, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)

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A Brief portion of the executive summary

• Africa has experienced a marked increase in its population in last few decades. Its current population is five times its size in 1950. And the continent’s rapid population expansion is set to continue, with its inhabitants doubling from 1.2 billion to 2.4 billion between 2015 and 2050, and eventually reaching 4.2 billion by 2100.

• The future of humanity is increasingly African. More than half the projected 2.2 billion rise in the world population in 2015-2050 is expected to take place in Africa, even though the continent’s population growth rate will slow. On current trends, within 35 years, 1 in every 4 people will be African, rising to 4 in 10 people by the end of the century. Back in 1950, only 9 among 100 of the world’s number of inhabitants were African.

• With its inhabitants set to soar, Africa will become increasingly crowded, with its population density projected to increase from 8 persons per square kilometre in 1950 to 39 in 2015 and to about 80 by mid-century.

A billion children will live in Africa by mid-century

• In 2050, around 41 per cent of the world’s births, 40 per cent of all under-fives, 37 per cent of all children under 18 and 35 per cent of all adolescents will be African — higher than previously projected. In 1950, only about 10 per cent of the world’s births, under-fives, under-18s and adolescents were African.

• The population of Africa’s under-fives will swell by 51 per cent from 179 million in 2015 to 271 million in 2050 and its overall child population (under-18s) will increase by two thirds from 547 million in 2015 to almost 1 billion by mid-century.

• It is projected that 1.1 billion children under 18 will be living in Africa by 2100, accounting for almost half (47 per cent) of the world population of children at that time.

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UNICEF Generation 2030| AFRICA

Source: © UNICEF August 2014
Division of Data, Research, and Policy

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United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) regions

China pours $2.5 billion (U.S.) into Tanzania

East African Business Week

DAR ES SALAAM — China said that its current investments in Tanzania have reached $2.5 billion. This makes them the second largest investor in the country.

The Economic and Commercial Representation of China in Tanzania said the two countries bilateral trade volume topped $3.7 billion in 2013, up 49% over the previous year.

Tanzania exports to China are mainly dominated by natural resources and agricultural inputs such cotton, beef and rice.

The Third Secretary of the Economic and Commercial Representation Wang Fang told East African Business Week in Dar es Salaam last week, further growth was more than likely.

She was speaking at the ‘Brands of China African Showcase 2014′ exhibition.

“The bilateral economic and trade cooperation has developed quickly and continues to widen and expand, thanks to joint efforts of the governments and enterprises of the two countries,” Ms Fang said.

She said China continues to improve its overall economic strength, technological innovation and corporate development level.

China’s exports to Africa, including Tanzania, are kept affordable and continue to improve in terms of product variety, quality and service level so as to make positive contributions and hence meet the increasing consumer demand, she said.

She said the Brands of China African Showcase aimed to further promote the development of the economic and trade relations between China – Tanzania and Africa at large as well as further deepening the understanding of China brands in African market.

The Executive Director of the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA), Mr Daniel Machemba believes that the Brands of China African Showcase will become one of the important platforms for economic and trade exchange and cooperation between China – Tanzania and Africa.

Machemba said the showcase will help to achieve mutual benefits and all-win in China, Tanzania and African countries and promote new progress of the newly strategic partnership between China and Africa under the great support of the governments of China and Tanzania and all circles.

The showcase, an annual event in Africa, has been co-hosted by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and related provincial (municipal) people’s governments since 2012.

The previous two sessions attracted a total of more than 300 exhibitors from China and received 73,643 visitors. It has achieved the expected results and is highly recognized by the political and business circles in Tanzania.

The exhibitors mainly come from the industrial bases in China including Fujian, Guangdong, Hebei, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Shanghai, Chongqing and Zhejiang and will show up in industrial clusters.

Regional presence is reflected in the Showcase 2014 to meet the demands of the merchants in different industries.

Based on the needs of Tanzanian and its surrounding markets, the Showcase 2014 will be divided into machinery and vehicles, home appliances, electronics and solar energy products, consumer goods, building materials, chemical, medical and comprehensive products.

The showcase 2014 will bring together more than 100 exhibitors from 12 provinces and municipalities in China, including those of the World Top 500 or well-known enterprises such as Guangdong Lesso Technology Industrial Co. Ltd, Jiangsu High Hope Group, Shenzhen Yingli New Energy Resources Co. Ltd, Nanjing Automobile Import & Export Co. Ltd, Shanghai Warrior Shoes Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Huayi (Group) Company.

Tanzanian

Population: 49,639,138
-compared to Spain: 47,737,941

Dar es Salaam

Business New from East Africa
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Video: What is luring investors to Kenya?

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The European Union has signed development programs with 21 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries

Xinhua

BRUSSELS- The European Union has signed development programs with 21 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries for a total amount of 339 million euros (445 million U.S. dollars), an EU statement said on September 2, 2014.

Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development, and representatives from the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries inked the National Indicative Programs (NIP) under the 11th European Development Fund for the period 2014-2020 in Samoa.

The list of signatory countries includes 10 from the Caribbean Region, 10 from the Pacific region and one from Africa.

“Today’s signatures mark the official go-ahead to continue strengthening our development cooperation with the concerned countries,” Piebalgs said after the signing ceremony.

The NIPs represent an important step in the programming of EU aid. EU Member States agreed in 2013 the overall amount for development cooperation that will be channeled to 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries through the 11th European Development Fund EDF during the financing period 2014-2020 would total 30.5 billion euros.

It is foreseen that by early 2015, the remaining NIPs will be finalized and signed. In parallel, work on preparing concrete projects and programs has also started in all countries.

Tanzania seen luring IPOs as state scraps foreign cap

By Alawi Masare and Neo Khanyile
Bloomberg

Tanzania, which has Africa’s best-performing stock market, lifted controls on foreign-share ownership, making it more enticing for companies to consider initial public offerings.

The removal of restrictions on foreigners owning more than 60 percent of companies that trade on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange was published in a Government Gazette dated Sept. 19, Charles Shirima, spokesman for the Capital Markets and Securities Authority, said by phone today from the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. Investors from the East African Community will also be allowed to buy as much as 40 percent of Tanzanian government securities, he said.

The 11-member Tanzania Share Index gained 73 percent in 2014, the most among 17 African gauges tracked by Bloomberg. Tanzania’s $33 billion economy, the largest in East Africa after Kenya, will expand 7.2 percent this year, according to World Bank estimates. The country has the most gas reserves in the region after Mozambique, spurring an investment boom, while its mobile-phone penetration rate of 60 percent leaves room for growth for operators, according to Renaissance Capital.

“We’re going to see more IPOs for sure because now companies are going to have access to international capital markets, which they haven’t had before,” Kwame Narh-Saam, head of sub-Sahara trading at Renaissance Capital, said by phone from London. “It’s quite a good story, they’ve got good growth that’s expected to be stable.”

The Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, which has a market capitalization of 21.9 trillion shillings ($13 billion), is targeting a market value equal to 50 percent of Tanzania’s gross domestic product by 2017, Chief Executive Officer Moremi Marwa said in an interview last month. Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Servacius Likwelile didn’t answer a call to his mobile phone seeking comment.
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Video: Tanzania to scrap limits on foreign share ownership

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Dar es Salaam Skyline

Cuba sends 165 health professionals to West Africa to battle Ebola

Granma

HAVANA- On the evening of October 1, Cuban President Raúl Castro Ruz bid farewell to the 165 health professionals traveling to Sierra Leone, to contribute to the global struggle against Ebola, which has caused the death of thousands of people in West Africa.

Raúl shook hands with each one of the Cuban cooperators as they boarded the plane, ready and willing to carry out the sacred task of saving lives. The group consists of 63 doctors and 102 nurses from across the country, all with more than 15 years experience. Around 80% have served on previous international missions, many in African countries.

Also traveling to the continent are the heads of the Liberia and Guinea Conakry medical brigades, traveling in advance to prepare for the arrival of Cuban collaborators to both countries.

José Ramón Machado Ventura, Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and a vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers; and Roberto Morales Ojeda, minister of Public Health, also attended the farewell event at José Martí International Airport.
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Video: Ebola in Africa: Cuba to send medical workers to Sierra Leone

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Video: Cuba’s helps to battle Ebola in West Africa
Equatorial Guinea , President T.O.N. Mbasogo recently visited Cuba

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Video: Cuba sends more doctors to West Africa to fight Ebola than wealthy countries

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United States: Foreign-born population from Africa has grown rapidly during the last 40 years

U.S. Census Bureau
Released October 1, 2014

The foreign-born population from Africa has grown rapidly in the United States during the last 40 years, increasing from about 80,000 in 1970 to about 1.6 million in the period from 2008 to 2012. The population has roughly doubled each decade since 1970, with the largest increase happening from 2000 to 2008-2012.

The foreign-born population from Africa had a higher level of educational attainment than the overall foreign-born population: 41 percent of African-born had a bachelor’s degree or higher compared with 28 percent overall.

The Foreign-Born Population from Africa: 2008-2012, a brief based on American Community Survey statistics, shows that the African foreign-born population accounts for 4 percent of the total U.S. foreign-born population. No African country makes up the majority of these immigrants, but four countries — Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt and Ghana — make up 41 percent of the African-born total.

Geographic Distribution
The four states with African-born populations over 100,000 were New York (164,000), California (155,000), Texas (134,000) and Maryland (120,000).

Of the 10 states with the largest African-born populations, Minnesota (19 percent), Maryland (15 percent), Virginia (9 percent), Georgia (8 percent) and Massachusetts (8 percent) had percentages of African-born in their foreign-born populations that were at least twice the national percentage of 4 percent.

Metropolitan areas with the largest African-born populations were New York (212,000), Washington (161,000), Atlanta (68,000), Los Angeles (68,000), Minneapolis-St. Paul (64,000), Dallas-Fort Worth (61,000) and Boston (60,000).

Among the 10 metro areas with the largest African-born populations, Nigerians were the most populous group and constituted a high proportion (20 percent or more) of the African-born in the Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metros. Similarly, Ethiopians were a high proportion and the largest group in the Washington D.C. metro, Cabo Verdeans in Boston, Somalis in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Egyptians in Los Angeles and Liberians in Philadelphia.
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Of the 1.6 million foreign born from Africa in the United States, 36 percent were from Western Africa, 29 percent were from Eastern Africa, and 17 percent were from Northern Africa, followed by Southern Africa (5 percent), Middle Africa (5 percent), and other Africa (7 percent) by over 700,000 persons, up from a total of 881,300. Over 490,000, or about 70 percent of that growth, has been from countries in Western and Eastern Africa.

The largest African-born populations were from Nigeria and Ghana in Western Africa; Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia in Eastern Africa; Egypt in Northern Africa; and South Africa in Southern Africa.

Of these seven, the four largest were Nigeria (221,000 or 14 percent of the African-born population), Ethiopia (164,000 or 10 percent), Egypt (143,000 or 9 percent), and Ghana (121,000 or 8 percent), together constituting 41 percent of the African-born total.

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Zambia: Guy Scott becomes Africa’s first white head of state in 20 years
Scott is the first white leader of an African nation since F.W. de Klerk, the last president of South Africa under apartheid. Scott is not allowed to run for president as his parents are not native Zambians and he can only hold office for 90 days

By The Associated Press

Zambian President Michael Sata, once dubbed “Mr. King Cobra” for his sharp-tongued remarks, died in a London hospital after a long illness, the Zambian government said Wednesday. Vice President Guy Scott, a white Zambian of Scottish descent, was appointed acting president of the southern African nation until elections are held within 90 days.

Scott is the first white leader of an African nation since F.W. de Klerk, the last president of South Africa under apartheid, the white racist regime that ended in 1994. Scott, a 70-year-old former agriculture minister, has said he has no presidential ambitions, and he cannot in any case become a fully empowered president because his parents were born outside Zambia, according to analysts.

“Dr. Scott will act as president of the republic of Zambia until the country goes for a presidential by-election,” said Defense Minister Edgar Lungu, who is also secretary general of the ruling Patriotic Front party.

“The government remains intact and so does the Patriotic Front as a party,” Lungu said.

Lungu had served as acting president when Sata traveled to London for medical treatment earlier this month. Scott was previously agriculture minister and has also worked in Zambia’s finance ministry.

Sata died shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday at London’s King Edward VII hospital, where he was being treated, Cabinet secretary Roland Msiska said in a statement.

Sata’s wife, Christine Kaseba-Sata, and his son, Mulenga Sata, were at the 77-year-old president’s side when he died, Msiska said. Mulenga Sata is the mayor of the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

“I urge all of you to remain calm, united and peaceful during this very difficult period,” Msiska said in an appeal to Zambians.

Zambia had already declared Wednesday to be a national day of mourning for 26 people, all but three of them schoolchildren, who died Oct. 24 when a crowded boat capsized on Lake Kariba, near the border with Zimbabwe.

The children were on their way to a ceremony marking Zambia’s 50th anniversary of independence from Britain. Sata was unable to preside over the national celebrations because he was in the London hospital.

Kenya, South Africa and other countries sent condolences to Zambia after Sata died. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Sata “played a commanding role in the public life of his country over three decades.”

Rumors that Sata was deathly ill had gripped Zambia since the leader largely dropped out of public view months ago, and opposition groups had questioned whether Sata was fit to lead a country of 15 million people that has enjoyed robust economic growth but suffers widespread poverty.

On Sept. 19, Sata spoke at the opening of parliament in Lusaka, poking fun at speculation about his failing health, saying that he was still alive.

Following that appearance, Sata failed to give a scheduled address at the United Nations in New York and police said doctors treated him in a hotel room.

Earlier this year, Sata traveled to Israel amid speculation he was seeking medical treatment. On Oct. 20, Zambia said Sata had left for a “medical check-up abroad.”

Sata had a mixed relationship with Chinese investors in Zambian mines and other infrastructure, criticizing them as exploitative but toning down his rhetoric after taking office.

Some critics say Sata became increasingly intolerant as president. An opposition leader, Frank Bwalya, was acquitted this year of defamation charges after he compared Sata to a local potato whose name is slang for someone who doesn’t listen.

As an opposition leader, Sata lost three presidential votes, breaking the jinx to become Zambia’s fifth president in 2011. He also served in previous governments, and was a member of every major party.

Sata was born in Mpika in what was then northern Rhodesia, and worked as a police officer and trade unionist under colonial rule. He also trained as a pilot in Russia.

After independence in 1964, he joined Kenneth Kaunda’s United National Independent Party, becoming governor of Lusaka, a city as well as a province, in 1985.

He resigned from Kaunda’s party in 1991 and joined the newly formed Movement for Multiparty Democracy, later serving as a party lawmaker for 10 years and as minister for local government, labor and social security, and health.

In 2001, he left to form his Patriotic Front party. In 2008, he suffered a stroke and went to South Africa for treatment. The same year, President Levy Mwanawasa died following a stroke and a special election held later saw Sata narrowly lose to Rupiah Banda, who had been Mwanawasa’s vice president.

Sata’s wife is a medical doctor and the couple had eight children.

Sata introduced Kaseba-Sata at the opening of parliament last month, crediting her with tough love.

“She has made me stay up to now,” he said. “I haven’t died yet.”
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Video: Guy Scott, first white African president in 20 years

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Video: Zambia’s Scott becomes Africa’s first white leader in 20 years

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Zambia home of the Victoria Falls, one of the Natural Wonders of the World.

Population: 14,638,505
Comparison the US states have the following populations:
California 38,332,521
Texas 26,448,193
New York 19,651,127
Florida 19,552,860
Illinois 12,882,135
Pennsylvania 12,773,801

Religions:
Christian Protestant 75.3%, Christian Roman Catholic 20.2%, other 2.7% (includes Muslim Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha’i), none 1.8%

Zambia has a total land area of 75 million hectares (752,000 square km), out of which 58% (42 million hectares) is classified as medium to high potential for agricultural production.

Zambia is Africa’s largest producer of Copper and Cobalt. Although copper production was affected by low copper prices in the late 1990s, Copper production has been increased since 2000. It increased to 572,793 tonnes in 2007 from a low of 256,884 tonnes in 2000, representing an increase of over 100%. Copper production has been increasing over the recent past from 575,000 metric tonnes in 2008 to 665,000 metric tonnes in 2009 and to about 700,000 metric tonnes in 2010.

Lusaka

Lusaka City Population: 1,461,000

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Video: Lusaka fastest growing city in the SADC region
Part 1 of 2

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Video: Lusaka fastest growing city in the SADC region
Part 2 of 2

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Housing jewel emerges in Johannesburg

City of Johannesburg

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Cllr Mpho Parks Tau unveiled a R1.95 billion (US$173.85 million) mixed residential development in South Hills, southern Johannesburg, in a move aimed at reversing apartheid’s spatial planning and integrating communities.

“People who used to say the South is long dead and buried had better wait and see. The old South is rising and it’s going to be a jewel in the City of Johannesburg’s crown,” Executive Mayor Mpho Parks Tau said at the launch of the R1.95 billion South Hills mixed housing development yesterday.

The Executive Mayor was addressing hundreds of residents, members of the business community and City officials at Moffat View Extension 4, south of the Johannesburg CBD, who had gathered to witness the birth of one of the biggest housing developments the City has undertaken.

“This area forms part of the City’s Corridors of Freedom and it’s earmarked for development to reverse apartheid’s spatial planning and to help turn Johannesburg into an inclusive city, with access to safer, more reliable and affordable forms of transport such as the Rea Vaya bus rapid transit (BRT) system and free Wi-Fi hotspots,” he said.

The housing development, which is about 6km from the Johannesburg city centre, is a partnership between the City, Standard Bank, property developers Calgro M3 and residents. The development is aimed at reducing the housing backlog in the inner city and surrounding areas.

Mayor Tau said the 5 327-unit housing development would contribute to the City’s objective of stitching Johannesburg by cutting across various classes and bringing together communities in a prime area closer to economic opportunities and transport nodes.

He said providing housing for the poor and middle-to-high-income groups was a deliberate move by the City to foster social cohesion. The Executive Mayor also disclosed that 50 stands had been set aside for sale to residents who wanted to build their own homes.

“Not all people qualify for bonds or housing subsidies. That’s why some of our people lost their life’s savings paying unscrupulous landlords who had illegally portioned off council-owned land. It was heart-breaking to watch bulldozers tear down people’s houses,” he said.

Mayor Tau said as a result of the massive infrastructure development planned for the area – Rosettenville and Turffontein – property ownership was set to boom.

“There are massive opportunities for property owners to benefit from the redesign of the South. Additional rights will be granted upfront, turning property owners into property developers.”

The project is expected to be completed within six years and the City will invest R750 million in the form of grants and subsidies.

China Railway Construction wins $12 billion Nigeria deal

The $11.97 billion deal marks China’s largest single overseas contract project so far, it said, citing CRCC. The rail will link Lagos, the financial capital of Africa’s largest economy and leading oil producer, and Calabar in the east

Reuters

BEIJING- China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd. (CRCC) has signed a deal worth nearly $12 billion with Nigeria to build a railway along the West African nation’s coast, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday, 20 November 2014.

The announcement comes shortly after Mexico abruptly scrapped a $3.75 billion high-speed rail contract with a consortium led by the Chinese firm over transparency concerns.

China is pushing to win railway construction projects around the world as part of plans to export its high-speed technology and lift its manufacturing sector up the value chain.

Beijing is also pumping money into the sector, with more than $100 billion worth of infrastructure projects approved in late October and early November in a bid to bolster slowing growth in the world’s second largest economy.

“It is a mutually beneficial project,” CRCC Chairman Meng Fengchao told Xinhua. He added the railway project will lead to equipment exports from China worth $4 billion, including construction machinery, trains and steel products.

Officials at CRCC could not be immediately reached for comment.

The project will create up to 200,000 local jobs, according to Xinhua, helping Beijing in its soft power push to gain a foothold in resource-rich regions of Africa.

The coastal railway will stretch for 1,402 kilometres (871.16 miles), linking Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos in the west with Calabar in the east, Xinhua said.

CRCC’s Shanghai-listed shares were up 1.5 percent at 1300 in Shanghai (0500 GMT), outperforming the wider CSI 300 Index , which was down 0.1 percent. (Reporting by Koh Gui Qing and Adam Jourdan in SHANGHAI; Editing by Prateek Chatterjee)
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Other Chinese built rail lines in Nigeria
China, Nigeria Sign Coastal Railway Construction Agreement
May 8, 2014

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Ethiopia plans debut dollar-bond joining Ghana, Kenya

By Lyubov Pronina
Bloomberg

Ethiopia plans to sell its first dollar bond as Africa’s fastest-growing economy exploits record demand for the continent’s debt.

Ethiopia picked Deutsche Bank AG and JPMorgan Chase & Co. for fixed-income investor meetings in Europe and the U.S. beginning tomorrow, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. The proceeds of the sale will be used to fund electricity, railway and sugar-industry projects, Finance Minister Sufian Ahmed said Oct. 8.

The Horn of Africa nation is joining issuers, including Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Ivory Coast, who sold what Standard Bank Group Ltd. says is a record $15 billion of Eurobonds this year. Government and corporate issuers are seeking to benefit from investor appetite for higher returns before the Federal Reserve raises interest rates as soon as next year.

“There is an incentive to issue before U.S. rates start to gradually edge up from next year,” Samir Gadio, head of African strategy at Standard Chartered Plc in London, said today by e-mail. “The market seems to expect that Ethiopia will price among the highest-yielding African sovereigns.”

African government and corporate Eurobonds sales this year beat 2013’s record $14 billion, Standard Bank said on Nov. 13. Sovereigns accounted for about 71 percent of issuance, according to the Johannesburg-based lender.

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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa’s rail project keeps Ethiopia on track for transformation

22 October 2014

William Davison
The Guardian (UK)

ADDIS ABABA- Out of the dust and rubble of decimated junctions, soaring slabs of concrete are returning a semblance of order to the centre of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s mushrooming capital.

The edifices are there to prop up Africa’s first light rail system, an arresting sign of Ethiopia’s progress since the dark days of famine and military rule (pdf) in the 1980s. The government hopes the project, funded and built by China, will be running next year – possibly in time to transport voters to polling booths at national elections in May.

The $475m (£295m) electrified rail is one of many projects in an ambitious five-year growth and transformation plan that ends in July. Although there will be shortfalls in the Soviet-style strategy based more on aspiration than expectation, the rail is set to be an impressive achievement by a nation desperate to shed its tag as a poster child of poverty.

“It’s magnificent in Addis to construct 34km [21 miles] of railway along the main arteries of the city which is extremely busy with pedestrians and vehicular traffic flows,” says 31-year-old project manager Behailu Sintayehu. “In the last couple of years especially we have achieved great progress and now we’re almost on completion phase.”

Potential commuter Wondimagegn Daniel isn’t too sure where the train goes, where it stops or how much it will cost, but he’s also excited about it. “I have never seen this kind of thing in our county,” he says. Borrowing 85% of the funds from the Export-Import Bank of China is not ideal, but a poor country like Ethiopia has no option, the 20-year-old says.

The two lines cross at Meskel Square, an iconic open space at the city’s core, used for political demonstrations and public events such as the 2012 funeral of Meles Zenawi, the leader who had masterminded Ethiopia’s development as president then prime minister since 1991.

Beneath that intersection, Daniel is waiting to catch a minibus to do his job ferrying bidding documents. The rail will become a competitor for minibus operators, but those present aren’t keen to discuss its impact. “It’s not good to talk about the train, as I am afraid of the government,” says one, opting to remain anonymous.

As well as pouring funds into infrastructure and promoting value-adding industries, Zenawi maintained a security-heavy state during his 21-year rule and controlled an ethnically diverse ruling coalition. The regime’s focus has been on promoting citizens’ collective responsibilities to contribute to development rather than protecting individual rights. People are wary of speaking out, and outspoken activists from the media, civil society or opposition can easily find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Much of recent annual growth of up to 10% is credited to infrastructure spending, often using credit from Asian partners such as India and China. Long-term donors including the US and World Bank focus their efforts on more prosaic tasks like supporting the poorest people, funding local governments and improving access to water, health and education.

The crown jewel of the government’s programme is a £2.5bn hydroelectric plant on the Blue Nile river, which it hopes will power industrialisation and turn Ethiopian into a regional electricity hub. The scheme is largely self-funded and promoted as the symbol of an emerging nation no longer reliant on outsiders.

If that’s the future, Assefa Tessema is Ethiopia’s past – or that’s how he sees it. He has lived with his wife in a two-room government-owned shack for 47 years that’s now next to the railway. They survive on his pension of £10.55 a month from 27 years as an army doctor. Tessema, who is in his 70s, is sitting outside his home holding scissors to snip at his hair – it’s too expensive these days for the barber to come round. Soaring inflation makes him long for communist-era price fixing of the 70s and 80s. The one thing Assefa is looking forward to is the government relocating him to an apartment when the trains start running. As for the railway, “for the next generation it will be nice”, he says.

The laying of tracks beside his house is overseen by the state-owned Ethiopian Railways Corporation, which is building a nationwide network connecting landlocked Ethiopia to the rest of the Horn of Africa, with help from China, Turkey and, the country hopes, Brazil, Russia and India.

While praising Ethiopia’s growth, the International Monetary Fund has expressed concern at rising debt and a stifled private sector. Public enterprises managing multibillion dollar projects are weak at financial reporting, adding uncertainty to the strategy, it says.

Officials argue private companies benefit as contractors and suppliers for the projects. Schemes like the light rail provide 2.7m jobs in a country short of them, President Mulatu Teshome recently said. One of those labouring on the railway is happy enough with his Chinese managers, but says his fee of 50 birr (£1.50) a day is insufficient and that “there’s no safety” – recently four workers died when a hole they were digging collapsed, he says.

Disgruntled drivers also complain about a lack of junctions, while observers speculate about an apparent absence of stations and pedestrian crossings. Project manager Behailu says a multi-agency steering committee is working out such issues.

In reality, there will be many more growing pains for Addis Ababa as radical efforts continue to remake a 125-year-old city of over 5 million people. Local government worker Mahlet Tesfaye is another whose tiny home will be demolished for the project. Yet she’s more interested in its impact on the nation’s image.

“As Ethiopians, it’s hard for us to get a visa to America or Europe,” she says. “Soon foreigners will find it hard to get a visa to Ethiopia, as we will be developed.”
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Addis Ababa Light Rail construction

Morocco’s planned Al Noor Tower- Africa’s tallest skyscraper at 540 metres (1771.65 ft)
Casablanca’s newest landmark

By John O’Ceallaigh
Telegraph (UK)

Visitors to Casablanca typically explore its famed Hassan II mosque and medina, but that could change following the announcement of plans to build Africa’s tallest skyscraper in the Moroccan city.

Dubai-based developers Middle East Development’s 114-floor Al Noor Tower would measure 540 metres – the final height is meant to act as a tribute to the 54 countries that make up the African continent – and the mixed-use building would house a seven-star luxury hotel, art gallery, spa, fine-dining restaurants and luxury boutiques, alongside an exhibition centre and offices.

The architects behind the tower, Valode & Pistre, say its sweeping design has been inspired by the feel of a wedding dress and that its elongated form resembles the nib of a fountain pen when viewed from the side. The building’s façade will be imprinted with references to the 1,000 languages and dialects spoken in Africa to ensure that “everyone in Africa will feel part of the tower”.

Middle East Development is currently in talks with Moroccan authorities about building the tower on a 25-hectare waterfront site in Casablanca’s Anfa Financial City district and hopes to commence construction in June 2015.

Currently Casablanca’s tallest building is the 115-metre-high Casablanca Twin Centre, while the minaret of the Hassan II mosque reaches 210 metres. Africa’s current tallest building is the 223-metre-tall Carlton Centre in Johannesburg; for comparison, Western Europe’s tallest building, the Shard in London, measures 306 metres and the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, measures 828 metres.

The unveiling of plans for the construction of the Al Noor Tower follows proposals to build one-kilometre-tall twin towers in Wuhan in China and comparably tall twin towers as part of new district being developed in Dubai.

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Video: Al Noor Tower

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Morocco

Casablanca is the largest city of Morocco.
Population: 4,150,000

Casablanca

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Ethiopia: Addis Ababa metro rail system construction to be completed in January 2015

By Aaron Maasho
Reuters

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia expects to complete the Chinese-backed construction of a $475 million metro rail system in the capital Addis Ababa next month, the head of the project said.

The project, built by China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC) and mostly financed through a loan from China’s Exim Bank, is a rarity on a continent plagued by poor transport links.

Beijing is a major partner in Ethiopia’s bid to expand its infrastructure, with cumulative investments by Chinese firms reaching well over $1 billion, official figures show.

The Horn of Africa country is building a new rail link to neighboring Djibouti and wants to complete 5,000 km (3,106.8 miles) of railway lines by 2020. It will also aims to almost treble the size of the road network by next year, from less than 50,000 km (31,068.5 miles) in 2010.

Ethiopia is one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, expanding by about 9 percent a year and attracting overseas investment with its with rock-bottom wages, cheap and stable electricity and transport projects such as the metro.

A country where many still rely on subsistence agriculture, Ethiopia is nonetheless developing a reputation for producing clothes, shoes and other basic goods that have attracted firms from China, as well as India and the Gulf.

The metro system will transform the lives of the more than 5 million people in the capital, where commuters currently wait in long queues before they are crammed onto buses and minivans.

Project manager Behailu Sintayehu told Reuters nearly 80 percent of the tracks had been laid and he expected it to be completed by the end of January 2015, three years after the plan was launched in January 2012.

“We believe that it will have a great impact in alleviating the problem of transportation in the city,” Behailu said.

Stretching for a combined 32 km, two lines dividing Addis Ababa north-south and east-west will serve 39 stations, in underground and overground sections.

The state-run Ethiopian Railways Corporation signed an agreement this month that will see Shenzhen Metro – the enterprise managing the Chinese city’s subway system – operate the lines for a period of 41 months alongside CREC.

CREC will carry out a trial phase of up to three months and then the teams will decide when to start operating the system, Ethiopian Railway Corporation’s spokesman Dereje Tefera said.

Other African capitals with either subway systems or light rail networks are Cairo, Algiers and Tunis. South Africa has an extensive system linking several cities.
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Video: Metro rail trains arrived in Addis Ababa

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Addis Ababa metro rail

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Ethiopia

Addis Ababa
Metropolitan population: 4,567,857

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Other modern rail systems in Africa under development

Nigeria
Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Rivers Monorail public mass transit system

The first construction phase of Nigeria’s first Monorail is drawing to a close.

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Nigeria
Lagos, Lagos State

Lagos receives new passenger Diesel Multiple Units

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Nigeria
Lagos, Lagos State

The long delayed Lagos light rail system remains under construction.

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Nigeria
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

The capital city’s long delayed Lagos light rail system remains under construction.

Nigeria: Presidential – General elections will be held on February 14, 2015
Nigerian president begins re-election campaign
Goodluck Jonathan, seeking to win a second four-year term in February’s vote, holds mass rally in opposition stronghold

Agence France-Presse

LAGOS- Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, formally began his campaign for re-election on Thursday, taking the fight to a key opposition stronghold with a mass rally.

All roads to the venue on Lagos Island were cordoned off and armed soldiers and police searched the crowds, many of them dressed in the red, white and green of Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic party (PDP).

The vote is due to go ahead on 14 February but there are fears that polling could be ruled out in swaths of the country’s north-east because of sustained violence by Boko Haram militants. The national electoral body has said there are no plans to postpone.

Jonathan, a 57-year-old southern Christian, is pushing for a second four-year term, calling for more time to build on his first and complete his “transformation agenda”. Two-page advertisements in national newspapers on Thursday proclaimed: “Goodwork in progress … Vote goodwork … vote Goodluck.”

The main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has denounced Jonathan’s presidency as a failure, highlighting his inability to end the Islamist insurgency and tackle endemic corruption. Nigeria is also reeling from a fall in global crude prices that has forced a revision of the 2015 budget estimates and a devaluation of the currency against the US dollar.

“Under his watch, Nigeria has become No 1 in broken promises,” read one advertisement supporting the APC candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler.

On Wednesday Jonathan’s campaign chief, Femi Fani-Kayode, described Buhari as a “great danger” for the unity of the country. He said the 72-year-old from the Muslim-majority north, who is standing for the presidency for the fourth time since 1999, “represents a return to an ugly past which is best forgotten”.

Fani-Kayode also questioned Buhari’s democratic credentials and described his record in public office as “shameful and disastrous”. Buhari ousted the civilian president Shehu Shagari in a military coup in 1983 and his 18-month rule was characterised by a hardline stance on corruption.

“We do not believe that Nigeria ought to be run by a man that is not capable of tolerating dissent or by a political party like the APC that has no sense of remorse, restraint or decency,” Fani-Kayode said.

The APC, a coalition of opposition parties, is seen as having its best chance of winning power since Nigeria returned to civilian rule 16 years ago. It said the PDP was running scared. “The real danger to democracy in Nigeria is Jonathan,” said the party’s spokesman Lai Mohammed. “Before he came into office in 2010, Nigeria was a united country. But it is no more now.

“[Buhari] is also a good party man. The orgy of violence, armed robbery, killings, kidnappings and other forms of crime under Jonathan’s watch is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. We have more than 20,000 sq km of our land now occupied by Boko Haram.”

The opposition has previously denounced a secret police raid on its Lagos offices and the teargassing of opposition MPs outside parliament last year as politically motivated. This week the APC claimed that Buhari supporters were shot as they made their way to a rally in the southern oil city of Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

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Video: 2015 Nigeria Elections

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Video:Nigeria’s former president Olusegun Obasanjo

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Video: Nigeria-President Goodluck Jonathan takes a swipe at opposition

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Video: Muhammadu Buhari, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), promises to fight terrorist group

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Nigeria Election Chief Vows Credible Poll
Audio- Voice of America (VOA) interview with Professor Attahiru Jega, Chairman Nigeria Electoral Commission

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2015 Election: Sultan Abubakar advises Nigerians to shun voilence

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, on Sunday called on Nigerians to shun violence to ensure peaceful conduct of the general elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abubakar said this at a special convention and launch of AT-Tajdid Newspaper and Islamic centre.

He said that the desire of Nigerians to conduct free, fair and credible elections would only be possible in peaceful atmosphere.

Abubakar called on Islamic clerics to sensitise their followers on what the entire society stood to benefit in peaceful atmosphere.

“There is no religion that preaches violence, hence the need for Nigerians to work hard in ensuring peaceful conducts of all electoral processes,” he said.

Abubakar described the gathering as a great achievement in the history of Islamic affairs in the world.

He said that the Sultanate would partner the newspaper to sensitize Nigerians on what Islamic religion is all about.

Abubakar advised that the paper should be used to promote the good moral teachings of past leaders.

Speaking earlier, Gov Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, advised the newspaper to come out with programmes to educate Nigerians on importance of religious tolerance.

He commended members of the Jama-tul Tajdudil Islam (JTI) for continued support in the promotion of Islamic activities.

He also called on Islamic scholars to educate their followers on the need to participate in the forth coming general elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that about N93 million (US $516,667)was realized at the launching with Sokoto State Government donating N25 million (US $111,111) and Zamfara State Government N3.5 million (US $19,444).
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Nigerian

Population: 177,155,754

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

Religions:
Muslim 50%
Christian 40%
Traditional African 10%

Largest cities

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Lagos

Abuja

Construction begins on Johannesburg mini city
Construction has started on a new Chinese financed R84 billion city in Modderfontein, Gauteng

By Anna Cox

JOHANNESBURG- Hope and imagination. These words are used to describe the R84 billion (US $7.26 billion) development being built in Modderfontein.

Despite widespread skepticism when the project was announced last year that it would never take off, work has started on a small scale in the new “city” of Zendai being developed in the area.

The first set of 300 residential units and some of the roads are under construction.

Zendai South Africa chief operating officer Du Wenhui said it was a 15- to 20-year project that would see between 30 000 and 50 000 housing units of different types and sizes, ultimately housing about 100 000 residents.

The skepticism, he said, arose because of the artists’ impression of the area showing numerous tall skyscrapers illustrating it as the new Manhattan of Africa.

Wenhui said the illustrations were of what the area could look like in 20 years.

SKY IS THE LIMIT

“Hope and imagination are the key words here. The project will be market driven, and depending what our clients or developers want, the sky is the limit. Twenty years ago, nobody would have imagined that Sandton would look like it does today, with its multiple skyscrapers.”

The area will become a mini city with a town centre, churches, a library, hospital and medical facilities, a sports and international conference centre, a light industrial park, educational facilities and community offices, among others.

There will be new regional retail centres, low-cost housing and a tourism component that will include an African art museum.

Central to the development is the Gautrain’s Modderfontein station on the Sandton-airport route, which has been partially built.

Wenhui said consultants would be employed to start the design of the new station this year, but construction would probably not happen for at least the next three years.

RESERVE PRESERVED

The educational precinct will offer private schools and student accommodation, and includes a site for a government school.

The 275 hectare (679.5 acres) Modderfontein Reserve, which is open to the public, will be preserved.

“The focus is to establish an area which offers a safe, public environment in a smart city,” said Wenhui. “Security is paramount. We want to build a community here.”

Shanghai Zendai purchased the property from Heartlands, which runs explosives company AECI’s property portfolio.

The company scaled down its activities over the past years, no longer needing as much space as was formerly required.

The Shanghai Zendai project is one of the largest real estate deals concluded by a Chinese firm in South Africa.

South Africa on drive to modernize public transportation

SABC

Transport Minister, Dipuo Peters, has received the second consignment of South African engineered and Spanish built locomotives at the Cape Town harbor.

A total of 70 locomotives are expected to arrive in the country over the next few years as part of the government’s program to modernize public transport.

Over the next 10 years, government is investing over R170 billion (US $14,69 billion) in public transport.

Peters says the building of 600 new trains for metro rail is also in the pipeline.

She says it will see the construction of a factory in Ekurhuleni which will include an academy to train engineers.

“Nineteen thousand that we need to train over the next 10 years but we are also saying we are very much excited about the support we are getting from the Department of Higher Education and Training, because of the target of engineers they will be training [and also] because as a sector we are heavily engineering intensive,” says the minister.

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Video: South Africa on drive to modernize public transport

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Is there still a fear of a black Cuba? A brief look back in history

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Video: Afro-Cubans still at mercy of white wealth

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Video: U.S. and Cuba’s Rocky Relations Explained in Two Minutes

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The fear of a black ruled Cuba

In 1896 Winston Churchill wrote about the fear of the rise of black Cubans controlling the government or another island divided like Hispaniola with Haiti and the Dominican Republic
After Winston Churchill returned to England, after his expedition to Cuba, he wrote three pieces on Cuba for the Saturday Review, “The Revolt in Cuba,” and “The Intervention in Cuba” and (again) “The Revolt in Cuba,” published on February 15, March 7 and August 29, 1896.
Winston Churchill would much later serve as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.

The Sunday Review 1896

As seen in its original print format

Enlarge printing format

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Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, Spanish ambassador to the United States wrote to U.S. Secretary of State, Richard Olney, in 1896 the following:

…In this revolution, the negro element has the most important part. Not only the principal leaders are colored men, but at least eight-tenths of their supporters. The black population of the Island forms a little more than one-third of the 1,600,000 Cubans, but they are strong and numerous in the Eastern part, and the result of the war, if the Island can be declared independent, will be a secession of the black element and a black Republic on the part of the island. The principal feature of the Revolution is a racial war.

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In response to Enrique Dupuy de Lôme’s statement regarding the rise of black Cubans

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The United States of America and Cuba
The Spanish–American War 1898
The result of the Spanish–American War was the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which allowed American control of Cuba, and ceded colonial authority over Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippine islands from Spain.

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish ambassador to the United States, defamed U.S. President William McKinley and attacked McKinley’s policies in what is known as the De Lôme Letter. Cuban rebels intercepted the letter, and on February 9, 1898, the letter was published in U.S. newspapers. This helped contribute to the Spanish-American War which started April 25, 1898 and ended August 12, 1898.

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Black Cubans and the Castro led Cuban Revolution

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Case for Cuba

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The fear of linking African descent people in the Americas

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The World Factbook of the CIA reported that Cuba was a majority African descent nation in 2003 at 88%

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Video: Black in Latin America, Cuba: The Next Revolution

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Related articles:
Cuba: Afro-Cubans could gain from new trade relations with the U.S.

http://dilemma-x.net/2014/12/19/cuba-afro-cubans-could-gain-from-new-trade-relations-with-the-u-s/

Understanding the difference between Hispanic/Latino and one’s racial classification

http://dilemma-x.net/2012/03/28/understanding-the-difference-between-hispaniclatino-and-ones-racial-classification/

The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Senegal is over

Ebola situation assessment – 17 October 2014

Senegal is now free of Ebola virus transmission

Forty-two days have now passed since the last contact of Senegal’s single confirmed case of Ebola virus disease completed the requisite 21-day monitoring period, under medical supervision, developed no symptoms, and tested negative for the virus.

WHO officially declares Senegal free of Ebola virus transmission.

The response to Senegal’s first case, confirmed on 29 August, on the part of President Macky Sall, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, headed by Dr Awa Coll-Seck, and several other sectors of government, carries some instructive lessons for many other developing countries that are now wisely preparing to respond to an imported case.

Other lessons come from staff at the WHO country office, senior epidemiologists sent to investigate and support the response, and WHO’s many institutional partners in outbreak response.

WHO treated the first case in Senegal as a public health emergency, and responded accordingly.

The most important lesson for the world at large is this: an immediate, broad-based, and well-coordinated response can stop the Ebola virus, carried into a country in an infected traveller, dead in its tracks.

The first case is quickly detected, tested and laboratory-confirmed

The outbreak in Senegal was announced on 29 August, when a case of Ebola virus disease was confirmed in a young man who had travelled to Dakar, by road, from Guinea, where he had had direct contact with an Ebola patient.

Dakar was in a fortunate position: it is home to a world-class Senegalese foundation, the Pasteur Institute and its laboratory. The laboratory is fully approved by WHO to test quickly and reliably for viral haemorrhagic fevers, including a biosafety level IV pathogen like Ebola.

WHO immediately dispatched 3 senior epidemiologists: Dr Guénaël Rodier, Dr Florimont Tshioko, and Dr Amada Berthe. Dr Rodier, a French national and WHO staff member, brought especially extensive frontline experience in containing some of history’s largest Ebola outbreaks.

These epidemiologists worked shoulder-to-shoulder with staff from the Ministry of Health, headed by Dr Papa Amadou Diack, the country’s Director-General for health, the WHO country office, headed by Dr Alimata Jeanne Diarra-Nama, and other partners, especially Médecins sans Frontières and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

With outbreaks raging just across its borders, Senegal was well-prepared, with a detailed response plan in place as early as March. From the outset, the response was led and coordinated, across multiple government, by Senegal’s President and Prime Minister.

A National Crisis Committee provided the “nerve centre” for the emergency response. Local funds were immediately mobilized to support its work. These funds, supplemented by technical, material, and financial support from multiple partners, enabled immediate activation of the plan.

Despite the fact that a single case had been detected in Dakar, the government decided to deploy the plan nationwide. The whole country moved into a heightened state of alert.

Also critically important early on was the government’s decision to open a humanitarian corridor in Dakar to facilitate the movement and activities of humanitarian agencies. This decision meant that food, medicines, and other essential supplies could seamlessly and efficiently flow into the country.

Contact tracing and follow-up

The initial investigation of the index cases revealed multiple opportunities for high-risk exposures in the outskirts of Dakar, where the patient initially stayed with relatives.

A total of 74 close contacts were identified and rigorously monitored twice daily. Around five of these contacts developed non-specific influenza-like symptoms. Testing was prompt and reliable; all results were negative. Confidence grew with each passing day.

On 5 September, just 8 days after the case was confirmed, laboratory samples from the index case tested negative, indicating a rapid and remarkable recovery. The fully recovered young man returned to his native Guinea on 18 September.

Despite this good news, Senegal maintained a high level of vigilance for possible “hidden” pockets of infection that would have no doubt reached visibility during the long 42-day countdown that ends today. Ebola is too big a disease to stay hidden for that long.

Senegal defeated the disease. The Ebola virus is gone – for now – from its territory.

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Video:Ebola Update – January 16, 2015
United Nations

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Video: State of the Ebola epidemic

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Video: “My people are dying” in the fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone

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Video: Ebola crisis: Sierra Leone’s cemetery full of children

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Video: Ebola- Orphans shunned over disease fears

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Ghana: Polytechnics to convert into technical universities in 2016
Accra Polytechnic ready for technical university takeoff

GNA

Accra Polytechnic is ready for the takeoff of the government’s policy to convert polytechnics into technical universities in September, 2016.

Dr. Sylvester Achio, Rector of Accra Polytechnic, described the concept as laudable, and that the institution was working around the clock to address avoidable challenges in order to enable it to be the first or among the first to start this concept.

Dr. Achio said laboratories, workshops, classroom spaces and equipment were being addressed through the institution’s funds, and funds from international agencies and the Government through the Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training.

Dr. Achio said this on 24 January 2015 in Accra during the polytechnics matriculation ceremony for full-time and part-time High National Diploma (HND) freshmen and women for the 2014/2015 academic year.

The Rector said ultra-modern structures would be built within the year at the polytechnic’s newly acquired land along the Pokuase Road in Accra.

He said lighting systems would be upgraded on the campus through a collaboration with their solar energy partners; MP-Tech from Germany.

Dr. Achio said the water supply system would be improved by drilling a number of wells on campus by their German partners.

He said both academic and administrative staff of the institution had developed themselves with skills for their works and upgraded themselves to enviable levels.

The Rector advised the new students to work diligently towards achieving their dreams.

“I hope through your stay here you will find the education balance between your studies and other activities.

“Develop your ability to imagine, take the time to dream and innovate and pursue your aspirations so that your education is all that it ought to be,” Dr. Achio said.

He said the Accra Polytechnic received a total of 6,672 applications for admission into various Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes this year.

Out of the number, 5,209 applicants, representing 88%, qualified; of that number, 3,836 have successfully registered. This comprises 2,804 full-time and 1,032 part-time students.

Dr. Achio explained that, of the 2,804 registered full-time students, 1,699 gained direct admission while 1,105 gained conditional admission.

He said for the part-time registered students, 815 of them gained direct admission while 217 were admitted on condition subject to their passing a special 3-month access course programme.

For the overall total registered students, 2,380 are males; and 1,456 are females.

The distributions to the various schools are as follows: Engineering; 784 or 21%, Applied Sciences; 959 or 25%, and Business and Management Studies; 2,093 or 54%.

Mrs Rita Kaine, Registrar of Accra Polytechnic, swore in the matriculants.

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Read entire report
Report of the Technical Committee on Conversion of the Polytechnics in Ghana to Technical Universities
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Accra Polytechnic

China: The “Belt and Road” initiative

Xinhua

BEIJING- As China strives to achieve more regional cooperation, its “Belt and Road” initiative will not only drive domestic development but will also influence its foreign policy.

The Silk Road Economic Belt is slated to be established along the ancient Silk Road trade route — which stretched northwest from China’s coastal area through Central Asia, the Middle East and on to Europe — while the maritime Silk Road will run through the country’s southern part to Southeast Asia.

Under the initiative, more highways, railways and air routes will be established, and Chinese regions will further integrate resources, policies and markets to connect with the outside world.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road were put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his overseas visits in 2013.

In November 2014, Xi announced that China will push forward with the initiative and strengthen cooperation with those countries involved.

When visiting Mongolia in August 2014, he said that China invited its neighbors to get on board and ride China’s development.

As China promotes the Belt and Road initiative abroad, it is also driving change back home. In an economic work conference held in December 2014, it was listed as one of the priority tasks for 2015. And in recent days, the initiative has been lauded by people’s congress sessions across the country.

A total of 20 provincial regions have made their development blueprints based on the Belt and Road initiative.

Observers believe that the initiative can further integrate China, allowing more parts of the country to enjoy the benefits of its opening-up policy.

But the significance of the Belt and Road initiative lies in its potential to integrate domestic and regional development, bringing a more pragmatic approach to China’s foreign policy.

Along the belt and road are many developing countries, with a combined population of 4.4 billion and an annual economic output of 2.2 trillion U.S. dollars.

China has strengthened cooperation with neighboring countries in the fields of energy, transportation and trade. China’s import of products and services improves the economy its neighbors and bolsters its own sluggish economy.

The initiative will become a major part of its foreign policies, resulting in a more favorable and mutual-beneficial regional environment.
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Video: World’s longest rail route part of China’s ‘Silk Road’ revival

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Video: Chinese leaders to push forward Belt and Road Initiative

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Video: China plans to revive ancient Silk Road trade route stretching from Western Europe to Southeast Asia

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Video: Understanding Chinese “One Belt One Road” policy

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Video:India’s view of China’s planned Maritime Silk Route

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