A food shortage crisis threatens hundreds of thousands of people in the West African nation of Mauritania. Mauritania is suffering "a silent nutritional crisis which could have difficult consequences for the country in the months ahead", World Food Programme (WFP) regional head Mustapha Darboe said. More than 12 percent of children in Mauritania aged under five years suffer from malnutrition, while 44 percent of households are "precariously food-insecure". Food needs intensify around the lean season - between the end of the previous year's stocks and the next harvests - which stretches in the dry sub-Saharan Sahel region from around April to October.

Aid: The ‘Tsunami’ wrecking Africa. Uganda Monitor’s Moses Bwalatum Interviews James Shikwati on aid issues 

The British government has just announced a further cut of aid to Uganda. Budget dependency on donor funds stands at 41 percent. James Shikwati, the Director Inter Region Economic Network and a top critic of foreign aid tells Moses Bwalatum why Britain and others should cut aid altogether  See
http://allafrica.com/stories/200607180538.html
The African Executive shall publish the unabridged version of this interview in the next issue.

EU Boosts Infrastructure

The European Commission plans to spend more than $6.4 billion to boost regional infrastructure in Africa, targeting key trans-African roads for improvements. The EU executive also identified a number of cross-border energy, water and information technology networks in Africa which they could help build or improve between 2008 and 2013. The plan needs formal backing of the EU's 25 member states

Measles Campaign Turns Tragic

Five children died from over dose during a measles campaign in Western Kenya. The one week national anti measles campaign was accompanied by the distribution of 1.7 million insecticide-treated nets provided by the Global Fund at a cost of Kshs. 6.2 billion. The children died after allegedly being presented more than once for vaccination by their mother so that they could get more insecticide-treated nets

Madagascar Stops HIV/AIDS Funding

Madagascar will stop funding to 200 local charities fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic. “The charities are cashing in on World Bank money and failing to account for funding to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS”, said Fenosoa Ratsimanetrimanana the Executive Secretary of the National Aids Committee.

Energy Crisis in Africa

African governments are scrambling for new sources of energy to stave off more blackouts. Higher than expected economic growth and lack of past investment and planning have left many in a crisis. “I think for Africa it is a crisis, there is already evidence it can have a huge impact on countries, cutting GDP,” says Yogosh Vyas, an environmentalist for infrastructure at the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Caine Prize winner

South Africa's Mary Watson is this year’s winner of the Caine Prize for African writing. The judges said her short story from a child's point of view about social relationships in post-apartheid South Africa was "powerfully written". Ms Watson is the seventh winner of the Caine Prize. The prize is awarded to an African writer who has been published on the continent or elsewhere.

Elections in Congo

Congolese President Joseph Kabila is preaching a message of peace for historic elections to be held on the 30th July 2006. The elections will be the country’s first free elections in four decades and will be supervised by the UN. It hoped that the elections will usher in a new era of stability after years of war, dictatorship and chaos in the vast Central African country. Mr. Kabila, will compete with 32 other challengers for the country’s top job.

Nigeria’s Economy Grows by 6.2%

According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria’s economy grew by 6.2 per cent in 2005. Agriculture, general commerce and services were the main drivers of the growth. In its 2005 economic report, it stated that "total federally-collected revenue amounted to N5, 547.5 billion, representing an increase of 42.2 per cent over the level in 2004.” The report further attributed the improved performance to the favorable crude oil price in the international market, which was consistently higher than the budget benchmark price of $30.00 per barrel.

Sudan Talks

Sudan and the international community have differed over the purpose of an upcoming conference aimed at pushing for a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur. A draft pre-conference EU declaration said the European Union, the United States and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will urge Sudan to allow a UN mission into Darfur to replace an African Union (AU) force that has been unable to stem the violence.

Foraging for Wealth in Heat

While Kenyan families are recalling their family members from Iraq due to insecurity, the number of Ugandans seeking jobs in Iraq continues to soar. The latest growth cleared by the recruitment firm Askar Security numbers 1688. It is bound to heAd to Iraq on August 2006 as security personnel.

Tanzania at Crossroads

The business community of Tanzania is at crossroads on whether to rejoin COMESA or maintain the status quo. This is in the wake of losses incurred by the business community. Aluminium Africa’s (Alaf) exports for example dropped to about $1 million from $30 million. Kioo Ltd lost business worth $1.5 million. It is estimated that the country has lost over $80 million since it withdrew from COMESA.