News Brief: Week of April 12 2010

Old concept of “Third World” outdated

Source: World Bank

Washington, DC - 14 April 2010

Old concepts of the “Third World” no longer apply in the new multipolar global economy and new approaches are needed to take account for the interests of developing countries, said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick.

In a speech ahead of the Spring Meetings of the World Bank, Zoellick said the global economic crisis of 2009 and the rise of developing countries in the global economy was the death-knell of the old concept of the Third World as a separate entity just as 1989 was for the Second World of Communism. This has profound implications for multilateralism, global cooperative action, power relationships, development, and international institutions such as the World Bank Group, and necessitated approaching problems with a new perspective.

“For decades, students of security and international politics have debated the emergence of a multipolar system. It’s time we recognize the new economic parallel. If 1989 saw the end of the “Second World” with Communism’s demise, then 2009 saw the end of what was known as the “Third World”: We are now in a new, fast-evolving multipolar world economy,” Zoellick said in a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, D.C., in which he reminded the audience that some saw the actions of the former U.S. president as an opportunity lost. “We cannot afford geo-politics as usual.”

“Poverty remains and must be addressed. Failed states remain and must be addressed. Global challenges are intensifying and must be addressed. But the manner in which we must address these issues is shifting,” Zoellick said. “The outdated categorizations of First and Third Worlds, donor and supplicant, leader and led, no longer fit.”

While poverty and fragile states remained as challenges to overcome, developing countries were growing to represent an ever increasing share of the global economy and providing an important source of demand for the recovery from the recent global economic crisis. This was not only occurring in China and India, but also in South East Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East,. Africa could also one day become a pole of global growth. Zoellick noted that developing countries therefore deserved greater recognition in the management of the global system and that proposed solutions in financial regulation, climate change and crisis management must reflect their interests. It was important to recognize the implications of the new multipolar world economy for multilateral cooperation and resist the gravitational forces pulling a world of nation-states back to the pursuit of narrower interests, Zoellick said.

“With power comes responsibility. Developing countries need to recognize that they are now part of the global architecture,” said Zoellick.

Following the huge damage wrought by the breakdown in the financial system, it was clear that the world needed better financial regulation, with better stronger capital, liquidity, and supervisory standards, Zoellick said. “But beware unintended consequences,” he warned. “We should not compound costs by encouraging financial protectionism or unfairly constraining financial services to the poor. Regulations agreed in Brussels, London, Paris or Washington might work for big banks in the developed world. But what about the smaller ones, whether in developed or developing countries?”

Climate change posed another challenge where a one-size fits all approach imposed by the developed world will not work for developing countries, Zoellick said. “Climate change policy can be linked to development and win support from developing countries for low carbon growth – but not if it is imposed as a straitjacket.,” he said. “Developing countries need support and finance to invest in cleaner growth paths. 1.6 billion people lack access to electricity. While we must take care of the environment, we cannot consign African children to homework by candlelight or deny African workers manufacturing jobs. The challenge is to support transitions to cleaner energy without sacrificing access, productivity, and growth that can pull hundreds of millions out of poverty”

A third area where old thinking no longer applied and the interests of developing countries needed more consideration was in responding to economic crises. “In a world in transition, the danger is that developed countries focus on summits for financial systems, or concentrate on the mismanagement of developed countries such as Greece,” Zoellick said. “Hearing the developing country perspective is no longer just a matter of charity or solidarity: It is self-interest. These developing countries are now sources of growth and importers of capital goods and developed countries’ services.”

The changes in the global economy and multilateral system have significant implications for the World Bank, Zoellick said. Development was no longer North-South but South-South and South-North. The World Bank must pursue a policy of constant reform, changing to adapt to rapidly shifting circumstances in order to best serve the interests of the poor in the developing world. The institution hoped at its Spring Meetings to announce a shift that would give developing countries at least 47 percent of voting shares, coupled with the first increase in more than 20 years to its capital that would strengthen a balance sheet that has provided more than $100 billion in financial assistance since July 2008. Accompanying this was the most comprehensive program of reform in the institution’s history, ranging from increased access to information to improvements in lending policies.

Science And Technology is Vehicle to Advance The Economy, Prof. Ibidapo-Obe

Source: Allafrica.com

Lagos, Nigeria - 10 April 2010

Professor Oye Ibidapo Obe is the president of Nigerian Academy of Science and former vice chancellor of University of Lagos. In this interview, he speak on why the country's leadership should be consistent with national plans which must be geared towards poverty reduction as well as his determination to progress steadily in mainstreaming the academy to national life.

How effectively have you been able to combine your wealth of experience to inspire and drive activities at the academy to contribute to our economic recovery ?

Well, the Academy of Science was established in 1977. It is an academy not in terms of a school but an association of top level scholars in science and technology, medicine, agriculture, all areas that deals with science and science application.

When it was founded in 1977 by top scientists, the whole idea was to get them to move the nation forward in terms of advice to people so that they can act in advisory capacity and that's what we are still trying to do. It is a honour to be invited because you don't just apply to be a member of the academy. You must be invited by those who accepted that you are fit and must have reached a certain stage in your academic work.

The hazy weather condition and rumour of acid rain has continued to cause panic in the country. As a scientist, do you think the Nigerian business environment is under any form of threat ?

Of course it does, but you know these are visible signs of what the scientists have been talking about over the years that there is going to be climate change and that this climate is going to have effect on everything that you do from agriculture to water to health, etc.

So, that is a manifestation. Of course, it poses a lot of dangers because when you have cloudy weather conditions, it shows that there are some particles there in the atmosphere that are floating. But the issue of acid rain is not as direct as that, you get acid rain in heavily polluted areas. I don't think what we are going to have is acid rain. There is no fear of having acid rain but when you get clouds coming together, then you have rain. So, you are going to have rain which is an effect of changes in the climatic condition that we have.

We are doing a lot of research in these areas. In fact, in 2012, the major theme of what we are trying to build up is what we call global changes which essentially dwells on what effect this climate change is going to have on us. We hope to examine the global foot print, what is happening to the water, you know we've been talking for a long time about the Chad drying up. What are we going to do about that?, Some of our northern states are being threatened by defforestation and its effect is moving as down as Abuja.

So, we are having difficulty and this has to be solved but in terms of the local acid rain , that will only occur in heavily polluted areas and that has to be industrial areas where a lot of carbons have been put into the atmosphere. I don't think people should be worried about that for now but one thing you will see is that just as in those days when we were young , if it rained heavily accompanied with thunder storms, we get little pallets of ice coming down. We don't see that any more because the world is getting warmer.

So, these are some of the changes that scientists would have to contend with and try to make sure that they don't affect us adversely.

With the near absence of research institutes in the country, how do you think we can contend with these likely changes in our environment?

Well, that is one of the things the Academy of Science has proposed and still proposing that it should be given the responsibility to monitor these research institutes as a group. For example, what are the outputs that we expect from these research institutes from the type of research they are doing and have we registered them to make life better?

So, the quantum of the output is what actually would allow us to meet our Vision 20: 2020 because, without science and technology, there is no way we can accelerate because what we want to do is to overtake some big economies . So, to overtake, we have to accelerate, meaning that we need to get faster than them.

So, science and technology will be the basis of this enterprise; although the research institutes don't seem to be doing as much as we expect from them, quite a few of them are doing very well. Others can't do well because they don't have the infra structure to do well.

They are just paper tigers. So, these are some of the things we want to be doing with the federal ministry of science and technology so that things can be done. When we had our meeting with Mr. President, these are some the things we told him we will do and he gave us the go ahead but again due to inconsistency of policy, the vision kept somersaulting but we will keep on trying because the whole purpose of our academy is to make life more abundant for the common man.

Talking about Vision 20:2020, how can we achieve a reduction in poverty rate in the country when the economy is still down?

Well, you know a major theme in the need for the adoption of science and technology as our way of life is to eradicate poverty. How do you want to eradicate poverty if you don't apply science and technology? We want to get people off the streets, you want to get those of them in the farms to be enabled to do some work.

So, we need to introduce massive employment schemes to mop up unemployment of everybody, not necessarily graduates. If, for example, we want to ensure food security, then we must put our energy together to harness our agricultural potentials, and produce enough food for ourselves. We have been talking too much grammar. Lets get to the ground. If our target is to produce sufficient rice, we must get into action.

I understand Niger State has been designated as a rice zone, we should mop up all the useful energy, put them into the right farms, let them produce upland rice all over Nigeria and the objective is that we will not import rice come 2012. That is an objective that will mop up a lot of people on the street .Also, in ICT sector, there is so much opportunities for people to get gainfully engaged if we can deploy information technology just as we deployed GSM.

Also, in industrial manufacturing, textile, for example, which traditionally employs a large number of people, let us resuscitate our textile mills so that we can produce Ankara and cotton as well.

That would mop up a lot of things. Those are the type of things that we are looking at but we are saying it has to be done. We want to see full implementation not just talk and we need sufficient time to make sure that we get result.

Stable power supply crucial to kick start economic activities is still lacking as the government failed to meet last year's target of 6000 mega watts. Today, we are talking about generating 4,700 mega watts. Does that portray us as a country really serious about moving its economy forward?

On this issue of power, we have done quite a few seminars in the past but our major problem has always been that of policy somersault. When Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was in government, he came out with the independent power project (IPP).

If we had allowed that to go through, we would have been in a better shape today. Granted yes, they said power would only improve if there is adequate gas supply but we should not always do with gas. Don't forget there is also rural energy scheme that is supposed to tap alternative energy including mini and micro hydros, solar energy, and wind energy in some areas like Katsina but things are not properly fixed.

Look at what we are getting in the power sector! You make two steps forward and three steps backward. We should be consistent with our national plans. There must be an attitudinal change in the way we do things in this country not only in technology but even in politics.

So, that's why we could not attain our last year's target .It is a shame that we said we were going to have 6000 mega watts after failing to achieve that, we now said we are targeting 4,700 mega watts. Who knows , may be next time we would be talking about 3, 300.

It doesn't show us as being serious. So, there must be a persistent and concerted effort to explore solar and wind energy. We need to decentralized the power system. We understand that even the Ijora power station in Lagos can be resuscitated with little fund and it would serve a part of Lagos and that would reduce pressure from the national grid.

What impact do you think the ICT sector has made on the nation's economy since the GSM revolution?

The ICT has impacted greatly on the country's economy. You can now communicate with anybody in any part of the world. Also, it has really changed the way we do things within especially e- government which is expected to at least start to take control of the matter of corruption.

So, there are ways the sector has contributed to the growth of the economy and it is only ICT that can allow us to accelerate in terms of thinking much more faster than what we normally have over the years . The ICT has impacted greatly not just in Nigeria but globally. The beautiful thing is that in terms of communication with mobile phones, Nigeria seems to have been better than other countries including United States.

As the president of the Nigeria Academy of Science, how do you think the country can achieve the much talked about accelerated development?

My advice is that we must realize that we are not likely to move anywhere without science and technology. So when we talk about the economy, and the setting up of advisory council on the economy, the science and technology experts should be part and parcel of them.

That is the only way because the vehicle for advancing our economy depends on science and technology. So, my advice is that in everything that the acting president does, he must put the component of science and technology into it. He must get people in science and technology to appropriately advise him as to how do we get there, otherwise, the economy is not going to move forward ;rather it would continue to go round and round in a circle. So, they must think science everyday.

Thank God he is a scientist himself, so he appreciates the import of science and technology in all aspects of the various sectors of the economy. We must include inputs from people who understand and can see science and technology as tool to develop the economy.

How ICT Can Grow Green Economies in Africa

Source: Allafrica.com

Nairobi, Kenya - 12 April 2010

Faster adoption of information and communication technology could help African countries accelerate economic development while conserving the environment.

"Technology is part of the answer to everything," said Mike Bushell, the principal scientific adviser at the Syngenta International Research Centre during the recent State of the Planet forum at United Nations Environment Programme headquarters at Gigiri in Nairobi.

This includes revolutionising agricultural production to not only improve yields but also provide access to better markets by better price information; as well as improving healthcare services.

ICT joins renewable energy and sustainable agricultural practices as accepted avenues through which countries can transform themselves into "green economies," or economies with low carbon emissions and efficient resource use strategies that would translate into cleaner air and better health.

Besides increased government investment, experts propose public-private partnerships to help drive green growth.

Unep executive director Achim Steiner said that partnerships between different bodies are necessary for a faster evolution into a green economy.

However, the secret towards greater impact is in making the technologies affordable and available to the masses.

Focus on the village

According to the Africa communications co-ordinator at the UN Millenium Campaign Sylvia Mwichuli, the focus should be at the village level if the development is to have an impact, otherwise there will be a continued disparity in the populations.

Experts cite the successful deployment of mobile phone technology in the region as an indication of the magnitude of impact that ICT could have on development if rolled out to the entire population in a country.

Equity Bank chief executive officer James Mwangi said that environmental sustainability is a crucial pillar and if not conserved, destroys the future.

"We need to combine environmental sustainability with poverty reduction; unless we do this then we should forget about the environment," added Mr Mwangi.

The Gigiri forum was told that the technologies that would herald green development need not be complicated or novel.

Mr Bushell said that what is required is a set of simple technologies that can change lives across the country, for instance, building simple greenhouses from locally available materials and provide extension services for the growing of horticultural crops.

18 African Countries in 'Grand' Textile Strategy

Source: Allafrica.com

Nairobi, Kenya - 12 April 2010

A strategy by 18 African countries to develop a joint textile manufacturing chain will make products from the region more competitive in the world market.

The plan that aims at producing "garments manufactured in Africa" will see the value chain from the cotton seed to finished garments broken into stages and each assigned to different countries with a comparative advantage.

The new strategy by the Africa Cotton & Textile Industries Federation (ACTIF) is a departure from the current scenario where African countries have largely exported cotton to other continents for processing into clothes.

"We are only good at providing raw material without adding value. We should capture the entire value chain from the cotton seed to the shirt," ACTIF chairman Jaswinder Bedi said.

Africa grows 12 per cent of the cotton in the world, out of which 95 per cent is exported in that form.

Players in the industry are looking into strategies of setting up factories in strategic parts of the continent to use up the tonnes of cotton grown in Africa to produce fabrics in huge volumes for the regional markets.

ACTIF programme manager Fred Kong'ong'o said the initiative dubbed "Brand Africa" hopes to take advantage of the East African Community Common Market and efforts towards regional integration.

He added that the manufactured garments would be promoted as products of an eco-friendly process from the farm to the time they leave the factory as clothing.

Stiff competition

However, this plan faces stiff competition from secondhand clothes and imports that are preferred to the locally manufactured clothes.

The situation is further complicated by the high cost of manufacturing in parts of the region. Industry players want the government to create demand for locally manufactured garments.

Already, the government has indicated that it intends to buy uniforms for hospitals, the disciplined forces and other large users from local manufacturers.

Recently, Prime Minister Raila Odinga announced plans to roll out a stimulus package for the textile industry, besides implementing recommendations of a study conducted in 2005 for the industry's revival.

About 41 textile factories have collapsed over the years, rendering about 400,000 people who worked there unemployed.

Mr Bedi said that it might prove necessary to establish a textile upgrading fund since the collapsed firms do not have up to date technology.

This would see the factories receive soft loans to upgrade their machinery. Similar initiatives have been applied successfully in India and Nigeria.

"If we want to industrialise, we need to start with the cotton and textile industry because it is labour intensive," he said.

Mr Kong'ong'o argued that the Kenyan textile industry did not collapse due to lack of markets but rather mismanagement of the production process.

ACTIF intends to stage a workshop for fashion designers that will culminate in fashion shows in Nairobi this month as part of its launch in an effort to brand locally manufactured merchandise.

It is meant to showcase garments made in Africa besides fostering closer collaboration between fashion designers and garment manufacturers.

The event's concept paper indicates that it aims at tapping into the potential of various African cultures and production of organic cotton products.It adds that similar strategies where fashion designers have been used to boost textile and apparel business has been successfully used in China, Turkey, India, South Africa and Mauritius.

According to ACTIF the high cost of power in Kenya has seen factories relocate to other countries in the region with lower costs. While Kenya levies US$0.24 per unit of power, it costs US$0.12 in Tanzania, US$0.04 in Egypt and US$0.03 in Ethiopia.

Moderate fertilizer use could double African banana yields, IITA study shows
Source: IITA.org

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - 9 February 2010

An IITA-led fertilizer-use study on East African highland bananas has shown that moderate application of mineral fertilizers could double the production of the crop. However, the study also found that majority of the banana growers in the region do not use fertilizers, missing out on the opportunity to maximize the crop's food security and economic potentials. Over 70 million people in the East African highlands depend on banana as their primary source of food and income.

The USAID-funded study carried out by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in nearly 200 farmer fields in Uganda - the second largest producer and consumer of bananas in the world - showed that modest fertilizer use can significantly increase the crop's yield.

In Central Uganda, for example, annual yields doubled from 10 to 20 tonnes per hectare with modest fertilizer application.

The research was led by Piet van Asten, IITA agronomist based in Uganda, and Lydia Wairegi, a PhD student at Makere University.

"The application of fertilizers not only increases bunch weight but also shortens the crop cycle so the plants produce more bunches in a year", says van Asten.

However, the study also found that less than 5 percent of the farmers apply fertilizer on their banana crop. The farmers cited high costs, erratic supply, and inconvenient packaging as the main reasons for not using fertilizers. They also indicated the lack of access to credit facilities, limited knowledge on fertilizer use, and the perceived negative effect on soil quality and on the taste of the bananas.

To debunk the latter, a related farmer sensory evaluation conducted by IITA and Uganda's National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) showed that fertilizer use not only increased yields, but also improved the quality of the fruit to make matooke - a popular local delicacy made from steamed bananas.

The results of the evaluation indicated that fertilizer treatment actually improved the appearance, odor, texture, and overall acceptability of the steamed bananas.

Although the study showed proof of the positive effect of fertilizers on banana production, van Asten cautions that fertilizer use has to be very strategic.

For example, the practice only becomes more profitable when it is specific to a crop and a region, and targeted at only those nutrients that are most deficient.

"Most farmers follow blanket fertilizer recommendations which can be very inefficient and therefore expensive. Farmers should apply only as much nutrient as needed for a realistic yield increase for their specific locality," he says.

He adds that another consideration is distance to the markets. "Bananas are perishable and costly to transport because of their bulkiness. One needs to be close to the market to fetch a really good price," he says. "Uganda's production zones are too far from markets, some more than 150 kilometers away. This leads to low banana prices at the farm gate. Fertilizer use in such cases becomes risky and, therefore, may not be recommended."

Fertilizers also help replace lost soil nutrients. For example, the study estimated that more than 1.5 million tons of potassium (K) are removed from the rural areas where the bananas are grown and transported to Kampala where most of the markets are. These nutrients are mined by farmers, but not immediately replaced. Over time, this could diminish the soil's ability to profitably sustain banana production.

To guide East African highland banana farmers, IITA and its partners have developed several site-specific recommendations for the application of fertilizer based on the region and the distance to markets. The institute is also encouraging the private, public, and non-government sectors to address fertilizer packaging to suit the specific needs of farmers.

Syngenta and CIMMYT establish industry-leading partnership to advance wheat research

Source: Syngenta.com

Basel, Switzerland - 6 April 2010

Syngenta announced today that it has entered into a public-private partnership with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to focus on the development and advancement of technology in wheat, the most internationally traded food crop and the single largest food import in developing countries. The agreement will entail joint research and development in the areas of native and GM traits, hybrid wheat and the combination of seeds and crop protection to accelerate plant yield performance.

“Syngenta and CIMMYT are both committed to transforming wheat production worldwide, by creating new technology platforms which set unprecedented standards for yield and quality,” said John Atkin, Syngenta COO Crop Protection.

“We will bring together our complementary assets, capabilities and geographic focus to increase the productivity of wheat in a sustainable way, through cooperation on defined projects. We look forward to linking each other’s comparative strengths and advancing technology faster and more efficiently than we could on our own.”

"Global wheat production is increasing at only 0.9% each year," said Hans-Joachim Braun, Director of CIMMYT's Global Wheat Program. "This is a very critical issue as global demand is growing at 1.5% or more annually. Combined with the impacts of climate change, we must avoid the risk of another food crisis and ensure farmers across the world are equipped to meet the demands of a rising world population. Partnerships like this can greatly benefit the world’s farmers, rich and poor."

The agreement will leverage Syngenta’s highly developed genetic marker technology, advanced traits platform and wheat breeding for the developed world, along with CIMMYT’s access to wheat genetic diversity, global partnership network, and wheat breeding program targeted to the developing world.

Public-private collaboration is essential for advancing agriculture to meet global challenges such as food security, climate change, natural resource depletion, and access to technology. CIMMYT and Syngenta are committed to working with each other and all interested stakeholders to find solutions to these significant challenges.

Wheat is a key crop for Syngenta; this partnership will strengthen the company’s global presence and reinforce its position as a leader in the worldwide commercial wheat seeds market. This market is expected to increase in value as new technologies are introduced. For CIMMYT, the partnership will strengthen its ability to use world wheat genetic resources and cutting-edge technologies to develop robust wheat varieties for disadvantaged farmers in developing countries and public research systems worldwide.

In August 2009, the Syngenta Foundation launched a Ug99 stem rust resistance research partnership with Syngenta and CIMMYT to facilitate the development of durable rust resistance.

Eskom’s World Bank loan is pro-poor and will reduce poverty, says the CEO of the NEPAD Agency

Source: NEPAD

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - 9 April 2010

The NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA / NEPAD Agency) said today in Midrand that it is in full support of a World Bank (WB) loan application by Eskom which is critical in the South African State-owned Enterprises (SOE) decision to roll-out its ZAR385 million capital expansion programme.

The CEO of the Agency, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, says the Eskom loan is “pro-poor”, and supports poverty reduction and regional integration in Africa, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), in particular.

Africa’s development, according to the NEPAD Agency, rests on the continent’s ability to secure cheap energy sources in the long haul, to support development goals and poverty alleviation programmes.

The energy infrastructure deficit in Africa at the country-level stands at over US$40 billion annually, according to the recent Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD) study. This gap represents 65% of the annual capital expenditure needed by African countries, such as South Africa, to re-capitalize their energy infrastructure. The re-capitalization is usually channeled towards improving base load energy requirements and enhancing “rainy day” excess capacities.

The NEPAD Agency says the long term energy security of South Africa could guarantee the energy security of SADC, given the community’s strategy of energy trading and sharing of excess reserves amongst its member states.

“It makes sense therefore, to support the US$3.75 billion WB loan application by Eskom, because of its potential spillover effects of promoting sub-regional development and integration”, Dr. Mayaki said

The NEPAD Agency says the Eskom loan application should be viewed in terms of South Africa’s immediate need to support its industrial growth and employment strategies, and not necessarily in the context of “green” and “black”, that is to say, renewables and coal respectively.

The loan to South Africa, which includes a wind and concentrated solar renewable energy initiative, will give other African countries the opportunity to draw lessons and pilot similar green technology elsewhere, says the NEPAD Agency.

According to Government sources, South Africa is committed to reducing carbon emissions and rolling out renewable energy projects as well as reducing energy intensity and carbon sequestration.

Industry experts say Eskom’s balance-sheet, in the short to medium term, cannot support its capital expansion programme internally without major tariff increases. The loan will, therefore, help Eskom to avoid the consequent load shedding, power cuts, industrial contraction and unemployment that may result from lack of base load capacity to meet its energy requirements.

The NEPAD Agency took note of the Bank’s assertion that Africa cannot pay for the research and development cost of substitute industries that an immediate adoption of clean energy technologies would require.

“Africa cannot leap-frog to wind or concentrated solar renewable energy technologies, without judicious transformation from basic, to hybrid technologies such as low carbon energy components and green technologies,” the NEPAD Agency CEO said.

COMESA Announces 3rd COMESA Investment Forum

Source: COMESA

Lusaka, Zambia - 8 April 2010

The COMESA Secretariat through its investment arm-the Regional Investment Agency (RIA) in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Investment and under the auspices of H.E. Mohamed Hosny Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt are pleased to inform you that the 3rd COMESA Investment forum will be held on 12th to 13th April 2010 in Sharm El sheikh Egypt.

This top-level two-day forum offers you the opportunity to update your knowledge of COMESA's business environment and investment climate.

The event is specifically designed to promote dialogue and action between investors, business leaders and senior policy makers, to create the necessary framework and drive investment opportunities and growth in COMESA and Africa.

Please note that with effect from today 8th April 2010, CNN is running five adverts on the COMESA Investment Conference and Bloomberg News has since Tuesday 6th April 2010 been running three adverts every day.

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Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa Releases Two New Publications

Source: Global Food for Thought Blog

Roger Thurow

Chicago, Illinois - 12 April 2010

Last week, the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa released two documents: a set of policy recommendations for US government actions on food security, and a summary report from its February 2010 US-Africa Forum.

In its Policy Brief, "Priorities for Action on Food Security in Africa," the Partnership calls on the United States Government to:

Sustain and build on the momentum created to date by establishing clear operational leadership for the Global Hunger and Food Security/Feed the Future Initiative (GHFSI)
Pursue organizational innovations that will better integrate USG actions for greater effectiveness and flexibility, and help strengthen regional economic integration
Put monitoring, analysis, evaluation and learning (M&E +) at the core of the Global Hunger and Food Security/Feed the Future Initiative
Make increased private investment a key measure of success -- at country and regional levels, and by foreign, regional and country-based businesses
Prioritize local capacity-building for both individuals and institutions
"Tell the Story" to deepen understanding and ensure sustained commitment to the challenge of food security in Africa

The Partnership also released an Interim Summary Report from the February 2010 Forum on "Putting Principles into Action: A US-Africa Forum on Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa." Dan Glickman, co-chair of The Chicago Council's Global Agricultural Development Initiative, and Roger Thurow, senior fellow for global agriculture and food policy at The Council, participated in the forum.

Announcements

Seminar:

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Of the

United Nations

Working with Universities and other Partners on Global Food Security

Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Time: 12:00 (sharp) – 1:00 pm

Venue: USDA Waterfront Building

800 9th Street SW, Room 1410 A/B

Washington, DC

Daniel Gustafson

Director

FAO Liaison Office for North America

The issue of chronic hunger and food security is at the top of President Obama’s agenda. FOA estimates that 1.02 billion people are undernourished worldwide. Since 1945, FAO has led international efforts to address food insecurity by helping countries modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. The seminar presenter has worked for the past 30 years on agricultural and rural development in Latin America, Africa and Asia, including a number of FAO assignments around the world. He will provide an overview of FAO, the role public/private partnerships, and the purpose and progress of the FAO reorganization. He will also discuss how FAO works with higher education institutions such as land grants.

Non-USDA employees who plan to join us in person should contact Edwin Lewis (202-690-4565 or elewis@nifa.usda.gov) by COB on Friday, April 16 to expedite the security check-in process. Call-in participation is also available by dialing toll free 1-866-769-9389 (the entry code is 7713122). Please let Edwin know if you plan to join the seminar by telephone.

The seminar is hosted by the NIFA-USDA International Programs Office.

Aid for Agriculture: Turning Promises into Realities on the Ground

Coordinating Donor Interventions in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Niger

Date: April 21 2010

Time: 12:30-2:00

Venue: Economic Policy Institute, 1333 H Street NW, Suite 300

East Tower, Washington, DC 20005

Please join us for a briefing and discussion with Jean-Denis Crola, author of Aid for Agriculture: Turning Promises into Realities on the Ground, examining case studies in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Niger and highlighting the challenges facing government and donors as they invest in the agriculture sector and plan for long term food security and economic growth.

Lunch will be provided- please RSVP to Fay Johnson by April 14 2010 at: fjohnson@oxfamerica.org

Global preparatory meeting for the 2010 Annual Ministerial Review on

“Who feeds the world In 2010 and beyond? Rural women as agents of change and champions of global food security”

Date: Thursday, 22 April 2010

Time: 10.00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Venue: United Nations Headquarters, New York

ECOSOC Chamber (North Lawn Building)

Tentative Programme

Presentation of 3-minute video on women’s contribution to food security and global food production

Opening remarks:

H.E. Mr. Hamidon Ali

President of ECOSOC

Moderator:

Marcela Villarreal

Director, Gender Division, FAO

Panelists:

The Honourable Florence Chenoweth

Minister of Agriculture of Liberia

Providing national policy perspective

Ms. Myrna Cunningham

Director, Centre for Indigenous People's Autonomy and Development (CIPAD)Providing regional perspective on rural women’s empowerment

Ms. Carmen Griffiths

Coordinator, GROOTS, Jamaica

Providing a local farmer’s perspective

Developed country representative

To provide perspective of development partners

Interactive dialogue with ECOSOC members, observers, United Nations system organizations, civil society.

Summary of the discussion:

Ms. Marcela Villarreal

FAO

Closing remarks:

H.E. Mr. Hamidon Ali

President of ECOSOC

For more information on the event, please contact Mr. Ajit Yogasundram at yogasundram@un.org

Global Challenges in the New Decade

Date: April 23, 2010

Time: 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Venue: IFC Auditorium, K Street

Introduction by:

VINOD THOMAS

Director-General, Evaluation

Presenters

IRENE KHAN

gender

NANCY ROMAN

agriculture

JASON CLAY

water

KENNETH CHOMITZ

climate change

ANNA MWALAGHO

african storytelling

Moderated by:

KOJO NNAMDI

National Public Radio

Space is limited. Please register by April 15

Click Here to Register!

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Yes Africa Can: Success Stories from a Dynamic Continent

Date: April 27 2010

Time: 10:00 – 2:00

Venue: The World Bank, 1313 H St. NW

The economic landscape of Africa has changed dramatically since the mid-1990s, as stagnation has given way to dynamism in a broad swath of African countries. From Mozambique’s impressive growth rate (averaging 8% p.a. for more than a decade) to Mali’s success in exporting mangoes and from M-PESA’s mobile phone based cash transfers to Rwanda’s gorilla based tourism, Africa is seeing a dramatic transformation. This favorable trend is spurres by, among other things, stronger leadership, better governance, and improving business climate, innovation, market-based solutions, a more involved citizenry, and an increasing reliance on home-grown solutions. More and more, Africans are driving Africa development. This forum will address these issues.

Panel I: Development Successes

Chair: Obiageli K Ezekwesili

Vice President

Africa Region, World Bank

Steve Radelet

Senior Advisor on Development

US State Department

Ali Mansoor

Finance Secretary

Mauritius

Paul Gertler

UC Berkeley

Haroon Bhorat

University of Cape Town

Hassan Aly

African Development Bank

Panel II: Perspectives on Success Stories

Chair: Yifu Lin

Senior Vice President & Chief Economist

Development Economics Group, World Bank

Shanta Devarajan

World Bank

Alan Gelb

Center for Global Development

John Page

Brooking Institution

Lunch Keynote Speaker:

Paul Collier

Oxford University

To RSVP, Please email chiefeconomistaf@worldbank.org or call 202-473-7494.

The Role of Business in Development

Date: Monday, May 3, 2010

Time: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Venue: The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

Join us for a conversation with U.S. and African CEOs and Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Daniel Yohannes about how U.S. global development policies and private investment together can catalyze economic growth

and reduce poverty.

AGENDA

Opening remarks

Daniel Yohannes

CEO, Millennium Challenge Corporation

CEO Panel:

Tim Solso

Chairman & CEO, Cummins Inc.

Chad Holliday

Former Chairman & CEO, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company

Justin Chinyanta

Chairman & CEO, Loita Capital Partners International Ltd.

Moderator:

Kemal Dervis

Vice President & Director, Global Economy and Development, The Brookings Institution

The Partnership is Seeking Summer Interns

The Partnership is seeking full and part-time interns for summer 2010 with a strong interest in international development, particularly in the agricultural development of Africa, or a strong desire to learn more about these issues. This internship will require a minimum of 10 hours/week and will take place at the Partnership's office at Capitol South. For the full description of this internship opportunity, please click on the title link.

If you are interested in applying for our summer internship, please forward your resume and a cover letter to karanjad@partnership-africa.org no later than April 15, 2010.

The Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa was founded in 2001 and focuses on increasing the level and effectiveness of U.S. investments in Africa’s agriculture and rural development to help reduce hunger and poverty on the continent. The Partnership achieves its objectives by building consensus around strategic actions, forging public-private sector collaborations and promoting concrete policy changes needed to cut hunger and poverty in Africa, especially in the following strategic areas: capacity building for science and technology; agricultural markets and trade; infrastructure; and emergency assistance.

We are seeking full- and part-time interns for positions in Summer 2010. Their responsibilities will include, but not limited to, the following tasks:

a. Assist with managing membership registration, database and outreach

b. Help with website development and maintenance;

c. Assist with external communication regarding Partnership events, report launches, media stories, news briefs and newsletters;

d. Assist in producing reports and list-serve mailing listings;

e. Translate documents (mostly English to French and vice versa);

f. Take notes in meetings, write summaries, and help with meeting logistics;

g. Work with the Administrative Assistant and Senior Fellow to plan and execute special Partnership events; and help with necessary follow-up activities; and

h. Conduct limited, web-based research tasks assigned for special projects; and help assemble and sometimes analyze previous studies and publications

Desired Qualifications:

a. Strong writing, research and communication skills.

b. Good organizational skills and attention to detail.

c. Good interpersonal skills, team-player, flexibility.

d. French language skills strongly desirable.

e. Knowledge about Africa and international development, or strong interest in learning about these issues.

f. Web development and maintenance skills are a plus.

Application Deadline, Stipend & Time Commitment:

Apply by COB Friday, April 15, 2009. A small stipend will be offered depending on qualification and performance. A minimum commitment of 10 hours/week is required.

Feel free to forward this announcement to your contacts. All applications and queries should be sent to our Senior Fellow, Dr. Daniel Karanja, at fax# (202) 488-0590 or karanjad@partnership-africa.org.

Sincerely,

Julie A. Howard

Executive Director

Contact Information

Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa
499 S. Capitol Street S.W. Suite 500B
Washington, D.C. 20003

Telephone: 202-479-4501
Fax: 202-488-0590

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