Most Africans Still Jobless

Published on 24th April 2007

Africa's unemployment rate is nearly twice that of the rest of the world despite several years of rapid economic growth, according to the UN's Decent Work Agenda in Africa report. The International Labor Organization (ILO) says that African economies need to create 2 million more jobs every year for the unemployment rate of 10.3 percent to fall to the global average of 6.3 percent by 2015. The number of new jobs created in 2006 left a serious shortfall with just 8.6 million new positions despite widespread economic growth and increased productivity. While the percentage of the working poor living on less than 2 dollars per person per day is expected to fall slightly by 2015, the actual number of working poor is expected to rise by more than 50 million in the same period.

We Must Meet MDGs

According to South Africa's Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo- Ngcuka, African countries must fight arguments that they will not meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).In the 4th World Congress on Rural Women (WCRW) held in coastal city of Durban, Mlambo-Ngcuka said the 2015 deadline for countries to achieve these goals is still attainable. "We can not sit-back in 2007 and say it is impossible to meet the MDGs," she said.

Air Transport: A Catalyst to Socio-Economic Development

Air transport has contributed greatly to socio-economic development in Africa, according to the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union (AU), Dr. Bernard Zoba. Opening a three-day annual forum on air transport in Africa at the AU headquarters, he added that the AU attaches due attention to air transport as it is a catalyst to bring about overall socio-economic development in the continent. Co-operation among African countries would promote safe, secure, and sustainable air transport. The theme of the forum was “Maximizing Civil Aviation’s Economic Contribution by Providing Safe and Secure Air Transport in African Skies”.

 

Habib Bank to Sell Shares Locally and Overseas

 

Pakistan’s Habib Bank plans to sell shares locally and overseas this year to help expand its network in China, Central Asia and East Africa. The Pakistan government will sell at least 10 percent of the bank through an initial public offering within the next three months and list global depository receipts in Hong Kong or London by December. Habib Bank joins rivals like MCB Bank, National Bank of Pakistan and United Bank in seeking international funds.

 

China Mobile Communications to Buy Companies in Africa and Southeast Asia

 

China Mobile Communications, parent of the world's largest wireless operator by market value, plans to buy companies in Africa and Southeast Asia as growth accelerates in those regions. "We are interested in neighboring countries in Southeast Asia and some other emerging markets like those in Africa," said Wang Jianzhou, President of the Beijing company. China Mobile Communications is looking overseas because most new customers in its home market are farmers who typically spend less on phones than people living in cities. Singapore Telecommunications and the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Telecommunications International are also expanding in emerging markets, increasing competition for assets.

 

New Target to Fight Malaria

 

Just ahead of Africa Malaria Day marked each year on April 2, the United Nation’s Roll Back Malaria Partnership announced that it has set ambitious new targets to attain funding to fight the disease in Africa. The group hopes that half of all malaria grant applications worldwide and 80 per cent in African countries, where over 90 per cent of the 1 million global malaria deaths occur yearly, receive the necessary funding. The first-ever Africa Malaria Day was on 25 April 2000, when African leaders from 44 malaria-affected countries gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, for the African Summit on Malaria. At the summit, the first of its kind on the continent, participants signed the historic Abuja Declaration which commits governments to fighting the disease with a view of halving it by 2010.

 

East African Media Summit

The East African Community (EAC), in collaboration with the East African Business Council (EABC), will hold a two-day top-level East African Media Summit in Nairobi on April 27-28. The first of its kind in the region, it will draw participants from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The media summit, whose theme is 'The Role of the Media in the Regional Integration and Development Process` will provide an opportunity for the development of EAC's new media strategy towards a more robust media role in the EAC integration and development process. The CEOs of leading Media houses of the EAC Partner States will present papers on various themes and topics followed by discussions by leading media practitioners, researchers and scholars of the region. Kenya's Minister for East African Community, John Arap Koech, is expected to open the summit while EAC Secretary General Juma Mwapachu, will deliver the keynote address.

Ethiopia to Host the 11th African Regional Meeting of ILO

Ethiopia will host The 11th African Regional Meeting (ARM) of the International Labor Organization (ILO) from April 24 to 27. The meeting whose theme is "Decent Work Agenda in Africa 2007-2015", is expected to deliberate on various issues related to Africa's development. The conference, to be held in the presence of African heads of state and government will highlight ILO activities in Africa (2004-2006) and the decent work agenda in Africa (2007-2015). It will particularly focus on critical issues related to African development, in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including job creation, youth employment, child labor, labour migration, sustainable enterprises and social protection.

China Aids Zimbabwe Agriculture

 

The Chinese government has given Zimbabwe a $ 58 million financing facility that will be used to purchase farming equipment, implements and tools. According to the Minister for Agriculture, Joseph Made, Zimbabwe will deliver 110,000 tons to China over two years in return.  Under the deal, China’s CAMC Engineering will supply various equipments including 424 tractors, 65 dumper trucks, 40 heavy-duty harrows and 8 bulldozers. The two countries also signed three separate agreements related to finance, agriculture and education.

 

Umaru Musa Yardua Wins Nigerian Elections

 

The 56 year old Umaru Musa Yardua of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party is the winner of Nigeria’s presidential elections. Umaru Musa Yardua beat his closest opponent Muhammadu Buharu by close to 20 million votes. Umaru had 24,638,624 million votes; Buharu had 6,605,299 votes while the vice president Atiku Abubakar followed behind with 2,637,624 votes. The chairman of Independent National Election, Maurice Iwu said, “The historical and uplifting fact is that this will be the very first time in the history of Nigeria and the development of democracy therein that one democratically elected government that has served for two full terms in office will be succeeded by another democratically elected candidate makes it successful.”

 

Compiled by Anne Mugoya

IREN Kenya


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