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USAID Awards Education Scholarships to support FreAddis Ethiopian Girls’ Program
USAID funded school Ethiopia
[Photo credit: egon voyd]
Scholarships for girls
Press Release:Â Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today an award to FreAddis Ethiopia, a non-profit organization chaired by the First Lady of Ethiopia, Her Excellency W/o Azeb Mesfin. The award will provide scholarships to over 1,000 female students to enable them to attend grades 9-12. Speaking at an awards ceremony today with the First Lady, U.S. Ambassador Donald Booth stated, “The United States has been supporting secondary girls’ education in Ethiopia with the provision of over 6,000 grants through the Ambassador Girls Scholarship Program. This new grant from the American people to FreAddis will provide more girls an opportunity for quality secondary education.”
The more than $1 million grant will benefit academically high-performing girls in 96 disadvantaged areas of Amhara, Tigray, Afar and Benishangul-Gumuz Regional States. FreAddis hopes to eventually expand its reach and support to girls nationwide through funds donated by Ethiopians here and throughout the Diaspora.
The scholarship program provides students a modest stipend, tutorial support, and – in remote rural areas – safe access to schooling. The program also conducts parental and community awareness programs to promote and support girls’ education. USAID Mission Director Thomas Staal noted, “Without these scholarships, good students, who happen to be girls, would not be able to go to school. Keeping young girls in school longer better equips them to meet life’s challenges and benefits their families, their communities and, ultimately, the development of their country. USAID is building opportunities for a generation of women whose contributions are needed to speed the advancement of Ethiopia.”
USAID’s basic education activities place special emphasis on improving opportunities for girls, women and underserved and disadvantaged populations. Over the last two decades USAID has supported and continues to support Ministry of Education efforts to improve access and quality of education in Ethiopia, mainly in the areas of teacher training, curriculum development, provision of English textbooks and strengthening education planning and management and school levels.  USAID also works to expand literacy, numeracy and other basic skills for adults and out-of-school youth and to involve communities in managing and supporting over 10,000 primary schools in every region of the country. USAID invests on average $25 million yearly in education.
For more information about USAID’s programs, please visit:Â www.usaid.gov
Suggested Books
- Education in Ethiopia: Strengthening the Foundation for Sustainable Progress (World Bank Country Study)
- Education, Politics and Social Change in Ethiopia
(2010) wide-ranging, with chapters by various authors
- Education in Ethiopia: From Crisis to Brink of Collapse (NAI Discussion Papers)
MALI: Disabled seek jobs, not charity
Koné Draman loves his new job as a water-seller
[Photo credit: Anna Jefferys/IRIN]
BAMAKO, 18 October 2010 (IRIN) – Mali’s disabled have access to some free healthcare options, and are supported by a number of associations and charities, but what they really want is to find work and contribute to the national economy, says NGO Handicap International (HCI). ”I want to control my work, my life myself,” said Koné Draman, who was paralysed from the waist down in a 2001 car accident. “I want to be a part of the community that way.”
A lot of progress has been made on this front, said Moctar Ba, president of the Malian Association of Handicapped People (FEMAPH), but many disabled people still lack the necessary education or skills to earn a living other than through begging.
While the World Health Organization estimates 10 percent of the Malian population is disabled, Ba thinks the percentage is much higher because of road traffic accidents and illnesses left untreated.
Government jobs
Most of the employment progress has taken place in the public sector. Government ministries practice positive discrimination to hire people with disabilities, encouraging disabled people to take the entrance exam for civil servant employment. Some 241 young disabled graduates were accepted into the civil service in 2009, said Ba. The Ministry of Social Affairs has been particularly proactive in hiring people with disabilities, said HCI.
The government has signed the International Labour Organization Convention on Decent Work, which addresses employment rights of disabled people; and Mali is the seventh African country to sign the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Private sector lagging
But stigma runs rife in the private sector, where companies shun hiring disabled people, said Ba. “Employers tend not to see the intrinsic value of a person… but only see their disability, which is a shame,” he told IRIN. Barthélemey Sangala, FEMAPH coordinator, backs this up: “Most disabled can’t find private sector jobs as most companies think they can’t work.”
The attitudes of employers, educators and disabled people themselves must be changed, said HCI head in Mali Marc Vaernewyck. “We don’t push for charity, but to help disabled people access existing institutions… to help them build self-confidence and self-esteem and drop stigma,” he told IRIN. “Even when armed with a diploma, most disabled people lack the confidence to go out and seek a job because of these attitudes,” he told IRIN.
One way to change attitudes is to encourage proactive disabled citizens to set up their own businesses, said HCI project coordinator Sidy Ahmed Adiawiakoy, by helping them access micro-credit loans.
Draman applied for a loan to set up a water pump in Bamako’s run-down neighbourhood of Sablibougou, where most residents live in mud houses, with no electricity or running water.
“I knew getting water was difficult, so I went to the association in 2009 to see if I could set up a water pump,” Draman told IRIN. HCI donated US$425 towards the pump and helped Draman get a bank loan for the remaining $638. He has since paid off the loan in full.
He charges the equivalent of five US cents for 10 litres of water, taking home US$6-10 in profit per day. Before the pump was installed, residents paid water deliverers 42 cents to bring 10 litres of water to their houses, he said.
The change Draman has gone through is remarkable, said Adiawiakoy. “He used to do little, asking his neighbours to pass on meals… Now he is actively contributing to improving life in the neighbourhood.”
Adiawiakoy is confident that larger companies are starting to be more open to hiring disabled people. In a recent study of 200 businesses, some 120 of them employed people with some form of disability.
Education
But change can only come about on a wider scale if disabled children are actively encouraged to attend school, said HCI’s Vaernewyck. Too often, they are either not sent, or they drop out after primary level as teachers are not equipped to meet their needs.
Specialist private schools for those with sight problems, hearing problems and learning difficulties, operate in the capital, and FEMAPH subsidizes some children’s school fees. But they, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and HCI want more disabled people to be included in regular schools. “We want inclusive schools where disabled people are trained the same way and under the same environment as all other children,” said FEMAPH’s Ba. Inclusive education is the key to dismantling stigma, he told IRIN.
There has been some success: Enrollment of disabled children in regular schools has increased; and the Education Ministry now runs a project teaching secondary school teachers brail, but such programmes need to be expanded to reach more children, said Ba.
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10 Distance Degree Course Providers for African Students
University of South Africa
10 Distance Degree Course Providers for African Students
Guest post by Debbie Owen, Online Doctorate Degree
Distance and online education have paved the way for learning to permeate all over the world, cutting across barriers of distance and development. Perhaps the biggest achievement of online education is that it has provided students from all over the world with equal opportunities when it comes to learning – simply put, you don’t have to live in the most developed nations to take advantage of their education system, as these distance degree providers for African students have proved through their offerings.
- University of South Africa: This institution is the most popular and most sought after distance learning university in the continent. It offers quality education through partnerships with institutions in Africa and other countries. Qualifications are internationally accredited and accepted all over the world.
- University of London (UK): Based in London, this mega university has been the umbrella under which various institutes in Africa mushroomed. They offer courses that are certified by the University of London, thus paving the way for students to gain access to quality education.
- African Virtual University: The AVU is a Pan African Intergovernmental Organization established by a charter signed by the governments of Kenya, Senegal, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Mauritania. It offers degree, certificate and diploma programs through online and distance education options.
- Cambridge International College (UK): Touted as the world’s largest provider of international qualifications, this college offers both diplomas and degrees to students all over the world.
- Indian Management Training Institute: One of the premier institutions of India, this college offers diplomas and training programs for students in Africa.
- International University of Africa: Based in Sudan, Africa, this university offers a range of courses, from those that help train youngsters in trade to those that teach languages.
- Newport University (European Higher Educational Institute): This university offers distance degree courses that cater to the needs of students not just in Africa, but also in the UK, USA, Europe, Australia, South East Asia and the Middle East. In Africa, students from South Africa are eligible to apply for admission to various programs.
- Business Management Training College of Southern Africa: This college offers online courses, degrees, diplomas and certificates in business management to students all over Africa.
- University of the Free State: Also based in South Africa, this university offers undergraduate and post graduate degrees in various disciplines. Some courses (mostly business administration) are available in a distance learning format, others have an attendance requirement of several times a year.
- Rhodes University: Situated in Grahamstown, South Africa, this college too offers certain bachelor and certificate programs through distance and online education. Distance degree providers offer courses both directly and through local agents in the respective countries whose responsibilities involve activities from registering students to handling certain classes and programs.
By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Debbie Owen, she writes on the topic of online doctorate degree. She welcomes your comments at her email id: debbieowen83@gmail.com.
Suggested books
- Cyberspace, Distance Learning, and Higher Education In Developing Countries: Old and Emergent Issues Of Access, Pedagogy, and Knowledge Production (International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology)
, (2004). This volume addresses fundamental questions about the educational process such as: The use of technology in higher education for a holistic educational system for social development; The actual technological capacity in Africa and possibilities for virtual higher education; Cultural relevance of the curriculum and pedagogy; Pedagogy and gender in cyberspace education; Perils of externally-driven distance education programs in Africa and the quest for ownership towards development; Challenges and opportunities in the making of knowledge society in an Asian context; Strategies to promote constructive virtual higher education in Africa and Asia.
- Getting Practical: About Classroom-Based Teaching for the National Curriculum Statement
by Tony Mays et al (South African Institute for Distance Education) August 2010. The book focuses on how teachers can optimize learning through learner centered teaching and provides practical tips on how to use resources to enrich teaching and to establish a school extracurricular program.
CALL FOR AUTHORS: African Culture
The following call for authors from SAGE publishers should be of interest to Africanists and African scholars. Please respond directly to the Author Manager at the address in the advert to ask for a list of available topics.
Greetings,
We are inviting academic editorial contributors to a new reference work:Â Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa: An Encyclopedia.
The four volumes include:
- Volume 1: Middle East
- Volume 2: Africa
- Volume 3: East Asia and Southeast Asia
- Volume 4: West, Central, and South Asia
In our age of globalization and multiculturalism, it has never been more important for Americans to understand and appreciate foreign cultures-how people live, love, and learn in areas of the world unfamiliar to most U.S. students and the general public. The Cultural Sociology encyclopedia takes a step forward toward presenting concise information with historical and contemporary coverage of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, as four volumes of area studies illuminate the powerful influence of culture on society.
Each title comprises approximately 200 articles organized chronologically and alphabetically, addressing such academic disciplines as sociology, political science, women’s studies, business, history, religion, law, health, education, economics, and geography. It is the intent of the encyclopedia to convey what daily life was/is like for people in these regions. Each article ranges from 600 to 3,000 words. We are now making new assignments due December 1, 2010.
This comprehensive project will be published by SAGE Reference in 2012 and will be marketed to academic and public libraries as a print and digital product available to students via the library’s electronic services. The General Editor, who will be reviewing each submission to the project, is Dr. Orlando Patterson at Harvard University.
If you are interested in contributing to this cutting-edge reference, it is a unique opportunity to contribute to the contemporary literature, redefining sociological issues in today’s terms. Moreover, it can be a notable publication addition to your CV/resume and broaden your publishing credits. SAGE Publications offers an honorarium ranging from SAGE book credits for smaller articles up to a free set of the printed product or access to the online product for contributions totaling 10,000 words or more.
The list of available articles is already prepared, and as a next step we will e-mail you the Article List (Excel file) from which you can select topics that best fit your expertise and interests. Additionally, Style and Submission Guidelines will be provided that detail article specifications.
If you would like to contribute to building a truly outstanding reference with the Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa: An Encyclopedia, please contact me by the e-mail information below. Please provide a brief summary of your academic/publishing credentials specific to the region.
Thanks,
Lisbeth Rogers
Author Manager
Golson Media
culturalsociology@golsonmedia.com
Africa IMF Reports : Namibia 2010
IMF reports for Namibia 2010
Country Report No. 10/269: Namibia: 2010
Article IV Consultation – Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=24172.0Public Information Notice
IMF Executive Board Concludes 2010 Article IV Consultation with Namibia
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pn/2010/pn10116.htmPress Release
Statement at the Conclusion of an IMF Article IV Mission to Namibia
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr10214.htm
All information from http://www.imf.org
To view and print pdf files you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
Suggested Books
- Africa and IMF Conditionality: The Unevenness of Compliance, 1983-2000 (African Studies)
- Namibia, 3rd: The Bradt Travel Guide
Africa IMF Reports : Mali 2010
Mopti market, Mali
[Photo credit: emilio labrador]
IMF reports for Mali 2010
Press Release
Statement at the Conclusion of an IMF Mission to Mali
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr10427.htmWorking Paper No. 10/237: The Impact of the Great Recession on Emerging Markets
Author/Editor: Llaudes, Ricardo ; Salman, Ferhan ; Chivakul, Mali
Summary: This paper examines the impact of the recent global crisis on emerging market economies (EMs). Our cross-country analysis shows that the impact of the crisis was more pronounced in those EMs that had initial weaker fundamentals and greater financial and trade linkages. This effect is observed along a number of dimensions, such as growth, stock market performance, sovereign spreads, and credit growth. This paper also shows that during this crisis, pre-crisis reserve holdings helped to mitigate the initial growth collapse. This finding contrasts with other studies that fail to find a significant relationship between reserves and the growth decline. This paper argues that our preferred measure of impact is a more accurate reflection of the true impact of the crisis on EMs.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=24286.0Country Report No. 10/266: Mali
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper-Progress Report
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=24147.0Country Report No. 10/255: Mali-2010
Article IV Consultation, Fourth Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility, and Request for Modification of Performance Criteria
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=24115.0Public Information Notice
IMF Executive Board Concludes 2010 Article IV Consultation with Mali
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pn/2010/pn1096.htmCountry’s Policy Intentions Documents — Mali
Letter of Intent and Technical Memorandum of Understanding, June 28, 2010
http://www.imf.org/External/NP/LOI/2010/mli/062810.pdfPress Release
IMF Executive Board Completes Fourth Review Under ECF Arrangement for Mali
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr10294.htmWorking Paper No. 10/126: Mining Taxation: An Application to Mali
Author/Editor: Thomas, Saji
Summary: Mali’s gold sector is an enclave with weak forward and backward linkages with the rest of the economy. Given the predominance of the fiscal transmission channel, it is important that the design of the mineral tax regime gives the state a fair share of the benefits. Using optimal control theory, this paper estimates that the optimal royalty tax in Mali is about 3.5 percent. By reducing the royalty rate from 6 percent to 3 percent, Mali’s mining code broadly ensures that the risk is shared between the state and mining companies, provides sufficient incentives to attract new exploration, and is comparable to the fiscal regimes in other sub-Saharan African countries in its mix of tax instruments and tax structure.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=23859.0Press Release
Statement of the IMF Mission at the Conclusion of its Visit to Mali
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr10147.htmCountry Report No. 10/64: Mali
Third Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility and Request for a Modification of Performance Criteria – Staff Report; Joint IMF/IDA Debt Sustainability Analysis; Press Release; and Statement by the Executive Director for Mali
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=23702.0Country’s Policy Intentions Documents — Mali
Letter of Intent and Technical Memorandum of Understanding, December 23, 2009
http://www.imf.org/External/NP/LOI/2009/mli/122309.pdfPress Release
IMF Executive Board Completes Second Review Under ECF Arrangement for Mali
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr1023.htm
To view and print pdf files you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.
All information from http://www.imf.org
Book Suggestion
Africa IMF Reports : Democratic Republic of Congo 2010
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
[Photo credit: Adam Huggins]
IMF reports for Democratic Republic of Congo 2010
Country Report No. 10/360: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Enhanced Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries – Completion Point Document and Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative Paper
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=24500.0
Country’s Policy Intentions Documents — Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Letter of Intent, Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies, and Technical Memorandum of Understanding, June 15, 2010
http://www.imf.org/External/NP/LOI/2010/cod/061510.pdfCountry Report No. 10/328: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper-Progress Report
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=24302.0Country Report No. 10/327: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper-Progress Report-Joint Staff Advisory Note
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=24301.0Country Report No. 10/329: Democratic Republic of the Congo
First Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility and Financing Assurances Review-Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Congo, Democratic Republic of the. Democratic Republic of the Congo
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=24305.0Press Release
Statement at the Conclusion of a Staff Visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr10345.htmPress Release: IMF Executive Board Completes First Review Under ECF Arrangement for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Approves US$73.20 Million Disbursement
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr10271.htmPress Release: IMF and World Bank Announce US$12.3 billion in Debt Relief for the Democratic Republic of the Congo
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2010/pr10274.htmIMF Survey: IMF, World Bank Support $12.3 Billion Debt Relief for DR Congo
The IMF and the World Bank support debt relief worth $12.3 billion for the Democratic Republic of the Congo under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. Additional resources released will help create room in the national budget for spending on priority domestic programs.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2010/car070110a.htm
All information from http://www.imf.org
To view and print pdf files you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
Suggested Books (US)
- The Democratic Republic of Congo: Economic Dimensions of War and Peace (International Peace Academy Occasional Paper)
- Postconflict Economics In Sub-saharan Africa: Lessons From The Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism Call for Review Articles on the Impact of Colonial Legacies on Ethnic Violence in Africa
Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism Call for Review Articles
The Impact of Colonial Legacies on Ethnic Violence in Africa
Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (SEN) is currently seeking authors to write a review on the current state of the literature about the impact of colonial legacies on ethnic violence in Africa. Possible review topics include questions such as:
1. Â Â How did colonial bureaucracies differ in their impact on inter-ethnic relationships?
2. Â Â Has colonialism altered long-term state-society relationships in Africa?
3. Â Â To what extent is the current economic and political development of African countries a direct outcome of colonial legacies?
4.   Which, if any, aspect of colonialism – such as institutional design, economic or cultural policies – can be said to have increased the risk of ethnic violence in particular?
The review is intended for publication in SEN, vol. 11, no. 1 (2011). Â The deadline for submission of finished review articles is 15 October 2010. As articles will be peer reviewed before editing and publication, early submission is greatly appreciated.
This call for submission is part of SEN’s initiative to broaden the scope of reviews carried in the journal. SEN invites scholars to submit review articles of 3,000-4,000 words, covering between three and five volumes related to a specific topic. The aim is to provide an overview of the present state of the literature concerning important issues covered by the journal.
Reviewers are free to choose the titles they think most suitable to the topic and the aims of the journal, though only reviews covering volumes published within the last ten years will be considered for publication.  Please forward suggestions for reviews along with any questions or queries to the SEN book review editors at sen.reviews@lse.ac.uk.
Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (SEN) is an interdisciplinary journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN). SEN is fully peer-reviewed and publishes three volumes per year on the themes of ethnicity, nationalism, and identity, and welcomes submissions from scholars at various stages of their academic careers, including post-docs and graduate students. More information about SEN is available at http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=1473-8481 and http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/ASEN/sen.html.
Book Review : My Nigeria, Peter Cunliffe-Jones
Lagos Nigeria
[Photo credit: airpanther]
Peter Cunliffe-Jones, My Nigeria, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, 238 pp. $26.00 (Hbk). ISBN 978-0-230-62023-0-52600
Reviewed by Dr Maggie Canvin
How to get a copy
My Nigeria: Five Decades of Independence
Review: Nigeria – Colonial legacy in a developing power, a personal memoir
As Nigeria celebrates  50 years of independence this book aids the understanding of both the colonial legacy and the challenges facing the country. Written in a personal manner by a veteran journalist whose family have been deeply involved in Nigeria’s history, this very readable account is a worthy addition to the corpus of post-colonial history books, and should be of interest to both historians and the general public.
The book leads us from an introduction to the author’s connection to Nigeria through three arrivals into colonial and more recent history.  Cunliffe-Jones’s  great-grandmother’s cousin Edward was the first to arrive in Nigeria in 1883. He came to the country as part of the colonising enterprise and his job was to sieze land, through whatever means, to expand the Empire. By the time Cunliffe-Jones’s grandfather, Sir Hugo Marshall, arrived some 40 years later in 1928, Nigeria was under the firm control of the British Empire and he was there to govern in a paternalistic mode. The author’s own arrivals in 1988 and again in 1998 were for more personal reasons and the book explores these.
Firstly we are plunged into contemporary Lagos where Cunliffe-Jones lived from 1998 as a journalist and we see the city through the author’s eyes. Lagos has had the reputation as a dangerous city and Cunliffe-Jones account reinforces that. The racy style of the writing helps the reader to experience life in Lagos with its dangers and delights. Always underlining the narrative is the sense of the history and politics of the place.  Vignettes are placed in the text to add first person accounts to the political history. There is a sense of reality, lived-in history, not just dry facts and figures. The contemporary context for the historical is explored. Nigeria in the late 1990s was a dangerous place. Some of these stories in Chapter 2 will shock you by their brutality. Even Cunliffe-Jones, the hardened journalist, is sickened. It is not an easy chapter to read in parts.
From Chapter 3 onwards the focus changes to historical exploration. Cunliffe-Jones explores the reasons behind Nigeria’s current troubles by looking at the country’s history and culture through the lens of his own family.  Picking up the threads from the Prologue he starts with the arrival of his ancestor, Edward Burns in 1883 and introduces us to the long 40,000 year history of human settlement in the area, ranging from the nomadic early settlers; the kingdom states of the northern Kanem-Borneo Empire of around 850 AD which included the introduction of Islam in the 11th century, trade routes to Egypt and quite extensive development including schools and military forces; to the Hausa states of the 11th to 13th centuries AD and the Yoruba kingdoms. The shaping through conquest of what would later become the country of Nigeria is covered including the coming of the trans-Atlantic slave trade which changed society in Nigeria. From this point on, the history of Nigeria is inextricably linked to external trade, Empire building and finally the fight to end slavery.  The narrative makes clear that if persuasion did not work, then force was used to expand the European grasp of territory.  Colonial rule was seen as ‘development’ but above all, the country of Nigeria was born of financial expediency to become a colony and there was no unity or involvement of Nigerians themselves in that.
The age of colonial government is seen through the eyes of Cunliffe-Jones’s grandfather who starts off in 1928 with good intentions and who helped craft the country’s constitution and helped prepare the way for independence. He left in 1955 feeling that too little had been done to prepare people for the elected government that was to come with independence in 1960. This feeling was born out by the descent of the newly independent Nigeria into civil war and the subsequent military rule or rather ‘misrule’. These chapters make grim reading but I found this one of the most interesting sections of the book.
The investigative journalist reappears in the latter sections of the book as Cunliffe-Jones seeks to understand what went wrong and where the future may be going. He explores the new dimensions rich mineral deposits brought to already strife-ridden Nigeria. Oil was discovered in 1956 in the Niger Delta but despite these ‘riches’ local people remain as poor as ever, malaria is rife, and they cannot fish and farm as before.  Corruption is a word often associated with Nigeria and the book explores some of the facets of this. The sad thing is that it has become ‘normalised’ and expected. The religious divide between Islam and Christianity is explored but Cunliffe-Jones sees some signs of integration, both of religious and ethnic groups.  At the same time he sees a failure of people being able to work together both locally and nationally. Finally the failure of leadership is explored, and perhaps comes in for the most damning criticism.  As for the future, Cunliffe-Jones is hopeful. New technology aids campaigning, giving power back to people and giving the possibility of positive change. Political reform is possible, and it is Nigerians themselves who will decide the direction the future takes.
Suggested Books
- A History of Nigeria
- The Trouble with Nigeria – Chinua Achebe
Visit Amazon’s Chinua Achebe Page
Disclosure: I was provided with this a free copy of this book to review by Palmgrave Macmillan
World Habitat Day 2010 with Habitat for Humanity
[Photo credit: World Habitat Day]
Let us raise our voices and advocate for change to help those around the world who do not have a decent place to live. In December 1985, the United Nations General Assembly declared the first Monday of October to be World Habitat Day in recognition of the state of human settlements and the basic need for adequate shelter for all. World Habitat Day also serves as a reminder to the world of our collective responsibility for the future of the shelter for all of humanity.
Please support World Habitat Day on Oct 4 with Habitat for Humanity
On Oct. 4, 2010, in recognition of World Habitat Day, Habitat for Humanity will raise awareness of the need for improved shelter and highlight Habitat’s priorities: the worldwide connection between human health and housing, and, in the United States, neighborhood revitalization. These themes echo the United Nations’ chosen theme for 2010 for events in the host city of Shanghai, China and the rest of the world: “Better City, Better Life.â€
Every week, more than a million people are born in, or move to, cities in the developing world. As a result, the urban population of developing countries will double from 2 billion to 4 billion in the next 30 years. (Kissick, et al: 2006)
By the year 2030, an additional 3 billion people, about 40 percent of the world’s population, will need access to housing. This translates into a demand for 96,150 new affordable units every day and 4,000 every hour. (UN-HABITAT: 2005)
Habitat for Humanity hopes that by raising awareness and advocating for universal decent housing we can dismantle and alter the systems that allow for poverty housing and make an affordable, decent place to live a reality for all.
Habitat for Humanity World Habitat Day events
Around the world, many Habitat for Humanity local offices have organized World Habitat Day events. Habitat for Humanity’s 27th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project is a World Habitat Day event this year. It will be held Oct. 4 – 8 in six cities in the United States. Held in a different location each year, Habitat’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project is an annual, internationally-recognized week of building that brings attention to the need for simple, decent and affordable housing. This year, the Carters will work alongside volunteers in Washington, D.C.; Baltimore and Annapolis, Md.; Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.; and Birmingham, Ala. to build, rehabilitate and improve 86 homes.
Health and housing
Habitat’s World Habitat Day efforts will focus on the link between housing and health, for example, through the release of the 2011 Shelter Report, which focuses on the need for more research on the connections between healthy homes and healthy families around the world.
Neighbourhood revitalization
In the United States, Habitat for Humanity will also focus on neighborhood revitalization. In a broad effort to help communities fulfill their aspirations, Habitat will expand its housing programs to include repairing more homes, rehabbing more vacant homes, and improving the energy-efficiency of homes. Habitat will work with partners to provide holistic improvements in a community.
What can you do for World Habitat Day?
Ask leaders in Washington: What will you build?
In recognition of World Habitat Day, Habitat for Humanity is collecting photos to display in a Photo Wall.
Submit your photo to remind decision makers in Washington, D.C., to make housing a priority.
Getting involved is easy. All supporters need to do is:
1. Write “What will you build?†on a piece of paper.
2. Take a photo holding the message.
3. Upload the picture to Habitat’s Photo Wall.
4. Share the photo with friends and family.
To participate or learn more, click here. Questions can be sent to worldhabitatday@habitat.org.
The most important thing you can do is take action!
Below are three common ways that people take action in their community.
Advocate
In addition to building homes in partnership with people in need, Habitat advocates to address the causes of poverty housing. Advocacy activities always include a specific request, such as asking supporters to sign a petition, send a message to an elected official or take part in a rally.
Fundraise
World Habitat Day is a great way to raise funds for Habitat in your area. A fundraiser can help educate the public and generate publicity for nonprofit organizations like Habitat for Humanity.
Educate
Organize a public awareness event for World Habitat Day 2010 that not only highlights the need for affordable housing in your own community, but also discusses the need for improved shelter for billions of people around the world.
For some ideas on how you can take action in your community, click here.
Donate
Did you know that your gift does much more than help families escape from unsafe, unhealthy living conditions?
You’re helping families to break the cycle of poverty and build long-term financial security. Habitat’s affordable, no-profit house payments free up money for food, child care, medicine and other necessities. And research has shown that decent housing improves health, increases children’s educational achievement and strengthens community ties.
Thanks to your support, Habitat is transforming the lives of more than 1 million people around the world!
Click here to donate now
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976. As a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry, the organization seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. To accomplish these goals, Habitat for Humanity invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together through volunteer labor and donations in partnership with families in need. Today, they have built over 350,000 houses worldwide and have provided more than 1.75 million people in 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.
Visit the Habitat for Humanity Web site
Ghanaian PhD student wins African Author prize
African Affairs, the leading journal of African Studies, is delighted to announce that Mr George Bob-Milliar has won the inaugural African Author Award for his paper “Chieftaincy, Diaspora, and Development: The Institution of Nkusuohene in Ghana†which appeared in the October 2009 issue of the journal.  Mr Bob-Milliar is a PhD candidate at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana.
The prize is awarded for the best article published in African Affairs by an author based in an African institution, or an African PhD student based in an overseas university, in recognition of excellent African scholarship.
Prof. Ato Quayson, FGA , Director of the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at University of Toronto, expressed his delight in the award, saying, “This is a very timely article and the author has done a tremendous job …an agenda-setting piece for the field of Diaspora Studies.† While Prof. Tom McCaskie of the University of London noted ‘George Bob-Milliar has written a prize-winning article for the journal African Affairs. It is a model of its kind. I much enjoyed it. I also learned from it.’
The runner-up is Dr Lephophotho Mashike, of South Africa, for his article “Age of Despair: the Unintegrated Forces of South Africa” which appeared in  July 2008.
The editors of African Affairs and the Royal African Society would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr Bob-Milliar and Dr Mashike on their achievements.
The articles are available for free download at
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/afrafj/authorprize.html
Conference : From Impunity to Accountability – Africa’s Development in the 21st Century, Nov 2010
The following conference should be of interest to Africanists and African scholars in the US. Â Please visit the website for further information. A CD of the prodeedings will be available.
From Impunity to Accountability: Africa’s Development in the 21st Century
Thursday and Friday, November 18-19, 2010
The 22nd Social Research conference at the New School
John Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street, NYCJoin distinguished experts in discussing the challenges of development facing African countries as they work to combat poverty, improve the protection of human rights, increase government accountability, strengthen electoral systems, and manage foreign aid.
Featured Speakers: George B. N. Ayittey, Robert Bates, Agnès Callamard, Johnnie Carson, Befekadu Degefe, William Easterly, Mwangi wa Githinji, Kelechi A. Kalu, John Mukum Mbaku, Kristin McKie, and Berhanu Nega
Many analysts have pointed out that the international community is more concerned about sub-Saharan Africa than its own political leadership is. While there may be some degree of exaggeration in such a claim, the region does in fact remain dependent on foreign aid. This is despite the fact that Africa, with rich natural resources and population approaching a billion, has the potential for high and sustained growth.
While the region’s problems and constraints are varied, we believe the relationship between the people and their government to be one of the most critical. In many of these countries, governments remain unresponsive to the needs of their people, and are accountable to their own interests rather than their people. In the special issue of Social Research on which this proposed conference is based, we will bring the relationship between the governors and the governed into the spotlight once again. By bringing some of our authors together for frank discussion with each other and the public, we hope to generate a productive debate among social scientists and other experts that might serve to prod policy makers and the international community to take more appropriate actions than those they may be currently engaged in.
This conference is the 22nd in the Social Research conference series, founded by Arien Mack in 1988. For this conference, Dr. Arien Mack is collaborating with Dr. Befekadu Degefe, an eminent Ethiopian economist and the New School’s first endangered scholar in-residence. Dr. Mack is Alfred and Monette Marrow Professor of Psychology at The New School for Social Research and editor of Social Research since 1970. Social Research: An International Quarterly is the flagship journal of The New School for Social Research. For a list of over 70 degree programs at The New School, please visit the degree programs site.
More information
For a list of other events at The New School, please visit the university calendar. For general information about The New School visit the quick facts page. For the history of the conference series, visit the Social Research conference series site.
How to attend
$15 for the public, free for students and New School alumni
RSVP to cps@newschool.edu
Program at www.socres.org/Africa
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