Researchers have identified a way that the immune system responds to malaria and tuberculosis infections, suggesting new therapies to tackle these and other diseases. They found two variants of a key protein called Mal that alerts the body's immune system to the presence of invading bacteria. One variant allows the immune system to respond normally, whilst the other causes too strong a reaction.The study, published in the April edition of Nature Genetics, shows that an imbalance in the two variants can make someone more vulnerable to disease. A person carries two copies of the Mal protein, one from the mother and one from the father.



Possessing two copies of the less active variant means the body will not respond sufficiently to infection and will succumb to disease, while two copies of the highly active variant means the immune system goes into overdrive, leading to severe forms of the disease. "Having both variants seems ideal, that is, one from each parent. That allows a medium signal to be transmitted, leading to the right magnitude of inflammatory response," lead researcher Adrian Hill of the UK-based Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics told SciDev.Net. The team say a drug could be developed to modulate the balance of Mal variants in people that are at higher risk of imbalance. "Our next step is to work towards developing such drugs," says Hill.



The researchers studied 6,106 individuals from Algeria, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, the Republic of Guinea, Kenya, the UK and Vietnam with pneumococcal disease, bacterial infection of the blood, malaria and tuberculosis. "Particularly given the recent rise in the number of cases of drug-resistant strains, it is essential that we understand how the immune system responds to infection if we are to develop novel treatments" added Mark Walport, director of the Wellcome Trust

Humans she protects from her womb
Though dying she still breathes
Live and prospers with tomorrow, her name
Prosperity singing at her corridors
Her heritage within her and intact

In her life tine she still works
suffering with abundance of rays of hope
People danced naked in her streets but never ashamed
Melon spead like spread-sheets with matters
Luring people to happiness her achievement

Here elephants still believe people
People cry and get consolation
Mothers and fathers and children commune
No divide as community spirit abound
Waiting for rebirth for her dream

Love is her name but hatred abound
What a presummable love that lives in irony
We watched her live within life and in harmony of nature
Refusing to die untimely and in crime
A people arose to bring good news!

The African continent is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because of widespread poverty, recurrent droughts, inequitable land distribution, and overdependence on rain-fed agriculture.
Although adaptation options are available, in practice the human, infrastructural, and economic response capacity to effect timely response actions may well be beyond the economic means of some countries.

The Federal Government has inaugurated the governing board of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS.

The new governing board inaugurated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Chief Ufot Ekaette on March 29 in Abuja has the responsibility for the following functions among
others:

a) Provide leadership and advocacy for the prevention and control of the HIV and AIDS scourge in the Federation; and provide intergovernmental and multi-sectoral coordination;

b) Facilitate partnerships and collaboration for the purpose of
enhancing Nigeria's control initiatives on the HIV and AIDS pandemic;

c) Facilitate funding for effective dissemination of information and
counselling against HIV and AIDS infections and care and
support for people living with HIV and AIDS throughout the
Federation;

d) Review from time to time, the extent of the implementation of the
national strategic framework on the prevention and control of the
HIV and AIDS by the Agency;

e) Determine the overall policies and guideline of the agency,
including its financial and operating procedures and ensure their
effective implementation;

f) Make rules for the appointment, promotion and discipline of
employees of the Agency.

While inaugurating the Board Chief Ekaette said the Federal Government was looking at HIV/AIDS through the broader lenses of a development agenda rather than the hitherto paradigm of a health sector response.

He declared "The progress made by this Committee to promote the prevention and control of the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country through several activities had resulted in on-going activities by various sectors and sub-sectors of the national economy, culminating in the submission before the National Assembly, about four years ago, of a bill on an appropriate legal framework for the establishment of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS."

Chief Ekaette charged members of the new Board to ensure that they leave a legacy behind to justify the confidence reposed on them by the Federal Government.

The Chairman of the Board Professor Umaru in his response gave an assurance that his Board members would live up to expectation.


Other members of the board are,


(i) Professor Babatunde Osotimehin - Director – General

(ii) Professor Ayo Atsenuwa - Member

(iii) Dr. Joseph Nnorom - Member

(iv) Dr. Alash'le Abimiku - Member

(v) Mr. Ray Ekpu - Member
(vi) Dr. Clara Ejembi - Member

(vii) Alhaji Kassim Njidda - Member

(viii) Mr. John Jinung - Member

(ix) Mrs. Funmi Doherty - Member

(x) Mr. John Ibekwe - Member

(xi) Mrs. Rebecca Apezan - Member

(xii) Dr. U. T. Yakasai - Member

(xiii) Rep. Office of the SGF - Member

(xiv) Rep. Federal Ministry of Health - Member

(xv) Rep. Federal Ministry of Women Affairs -Member

It is interesting to note that the board has no youth as its member and though a great development is bound to failure!

IT is evident that Africa is lagging behind in the evolving Marshal Mc Luhan's vision of "Global Village," as marked by globalisation and global economy - which capture aspects of the contemporary zeitgeist. According to Robert Cox in 'Structural Issues of Global Governance: Implications for Europe" (in a book edited by Richard Falk and Tamas Szentes, titled New Europe in the Challenging Global System, 1997, p. 56), the two principal aspects of globalisation, which together constitute a global economy, are (1) global organisation of production and (2) global finance. With regard to globalisation, Awaka (in 'Globalisation: Curse or Cure," May 22, 2002, p.3) says it is "the term some use to describe the growing worldwide interdependence of people and countries."


According to the magazine, the process has accelerated dramatically in the past decade or so, largely because of huge advances in technology, including satellite television, internet, telephone and microchips. Emeka Abone in "Challenges and Opportunities of Globalisation (in Vanguard of June 13, 2002, p. 35) mentions international trade, finance and investment liberation as the basis of the main aspects of globalisation, and information technology, economic liberalisation and democracy as the driving forces of global village. Thus, he sees this multi-dimensional process (i.e globalisation) as "the process of creating the economic environment that would promote the emergence and growth of a global economy where national boundaries would no longer restrain the flow of commerce and industry. In similar vein, declining barriers to trade, the creation of a control, have been a driving force behind globalisation (see OECD's publication titled The World in 202. Towards A New Age, 1997, p.29). For Donald J. Johnson, former Secretary - General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), with regard to globalisation and globalised economy and the attendant growing inter-dependence of nations: "We stand on the threshold of new global age, where all societies have the potentials of participating actively in the world trade and investment could flow to all people, where the misery and poverty of much of the developing world could become a closed chapter of sad history, no longer a reality of present" (OECD, 1997 p.7).


Despite the fact that the processes of globalisation and global economy are powerful and dynamic forces for growth and development, it is lamentable that Africa is marginalised in these post - modernist, changing world phenomena - which are seen in some quarters as new agenda in international politics, with the subterranean motive - force of maintaining the status quo, which are not in Third World's interest. This is reflected in the "periherisation" of the continent in the global economy, widening gap between rich and poor countries, poor capital formation, lack of access to Western markets, jigsaw in trade liberalisation, digital divide in terms of information and communications technologies (ICTs) between the developed world and developing countries, persistent unemployment /job losses, unjust policies of Western - dominated international financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), low foreign direct investments, mounting debts and neo-colonialistic, exploitative tendencies of multi-national corporations (MNCs) that place emphasis on profit maximisation than development of host countries and safeguarding of the ecosystems.


Expectedly, those problems and others have occasioned rivalry and tension between the forces of globalisation, especially from Western globalists or "one - worlders" and those of localism/regionalism, who are mainly from the developing world. Concerning such unfolding fiery rivalry and the resultant backlash, Awake (May 22, 2002, p.3) observes: "Since 1999, anti-globalisation demonstrations have escalated in size and intensity. In some cases, world leaders now endeavour to hold their summits in isolated areas where protesters will be hard - pressed to disrupt the proceedings." No doubt, these developments could be seen from spates of violent demonstrations and protests by globophobic activists against globalisation, World Bank, IMF and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in cities like Seattle (December 1999), Davos (February 2000), Melbourne (September 2000), Nice (December 2000), Davos - Zurich (January 2001), Quebec City (April 2001), Barcelona (June 2001), Gothenburg (June 2001) and Cancun (September 2003). Indeed, protests against globalisation and its symbols have gone from bad to worse.


In the light of the indication that Africa is relegated in the vital aspects of global marketplace and globalisation, developed countries, especially the United States, Britain, France, Canada, Japan, Russia, Germany and Italy, should build a new global partnership, which would allow all nations and peoples to benefit from globalisation. Kofi Annan, former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, had this in mind when he asserted that: "If globalisation is to succeed, it must succeed for poor and rich alike. It must deliver rights no less than riches. It must provide social justice and enhanced communication "(Awake, May 22, 2002, p.II). Essentially, this will require bridging the digital/knowledge gap between the developed world and developing countries, reform of the Bretton Woods Institutions (the World Bank, IMF and WTO), MNCs that are more concerned with sustainable development in Africa than only in making profits, increase in development aid and concession of technology transfer.


Regardless of certain defects of globalisation, it is notable that if the global interconnectivity process is fine-tuned, it could be a force for good for developing countries in Africa. This is for several reasons. One, globalisation could become a force for poverty reduction through integration of African markets into the competitive global economy and mitigation of the risk of marginalisation of weaker economies on the continent. Two, the new ideas of ICTs and bio-technology that have become part of the emblematic features of the brave new world of globalisation could offer greater opportunities for African states by enabling them to take a quantum leap to development. Three, through globalisation, African countries could modernise and transform their decrepit economies, after years instability, mismanagement and corruption, and take steps to economic and political reforms, as forward - looking countries like Ghana, Uganda and Mozambique have done. Four, this post - modernist process could create external market for African products via the WTO treaty on untrammeled tree trade. Five, states on the continent could tap from the benefits of international solidarity and cooperation inherent in the globalisation process, because as Cicero (in Definibus) contended: "We are born to unite with own fellow men and to join in community with the human race." Six, African states could gain from globalisation through its spread of neo-liberal values like democracy, human rights, civil society regeneration, gender equality and so on. And even, if the global interconnectivity process could be well channelled, it could be a positive force for growth of foreign direct investments in Africa, as well as multi-national corporations that would be in the forefront of job creation, poverty alleviation, industrial development, spread of advanced skills and expertise and environmental protection on the continent.


However, for African states to enter into the mainstream of globalisation and liberalised global economy, they have to nurture their unfolding regional trading and economic blocks like Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), Union of Maghreb Arab States (UMAS), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Without doubt, these integrationist blocks, if well-harnessed, could yield dividends and what is only needed to realise these dividends is for them to coalesce and cooperate in order to actualise the much - expected African Economic Community (AEC), which was articulated by members states of the defunct Organisation for African Unity (OAU) based on the Abuja Treaty of 1991.


In fact, in this age of globalisation and globalised economy, Africa has no choice but to accelerate the pace of functional cooperation and collaboration based on the models of David Mitrany and Ernst Haas who envisioned a global system that would be restructured into administrative regimes that will usurp the sovereignty of nation states and enhance cooperation and intergration among states. This kind of arrangement - which, apart from regional bodies like ECOWAS and SADC, includes continental outfit like Africa Union (AU) - is overly necessary for the continent, considering the circumstances and realities of the global economic system of the post - Cold War order, as accentuated by international market competitiveness and formation of vigorous regional blocks like the European Union (EU), the North America Free Trade Association (NAFTA), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and others.

Male circumcision should be recognized as an additional important step in curbing heterosexually acquired HIV in men after trials showed that the procedure cut the risk of infection by up to 60 per cent, the United Nations health agency said today. Modelling studies suggest that male circumcision in sub-Saharan Africa could prevent 5.7 million new HIV cases and 3 million deaths over 20 years, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) added, summarizing the findings of an experts meeting it convened earlier this month together with the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). But circumcision should only be considered as part of a comprehensive prevention package that includes treatment for sexually transmitted infections, promotion of safer sex practices and provision and correct use of male and female condoms. "The recommendations represent a significant step forward in HIV prevention," Kevin De Cock, Director of WHO's HIV/AIDS Department, said. "Countries with high rates of heterosexual HIV infection and low rates of male circumcision now have an additional intervention which can reduce the risk of HIV infection in heterosexual men. "Scaling up male circumcision in such countries will result in immediate benefit to individuals. However, it will be a number of years before we can expect to see an impact on the epidemic from such investment," he added.


Three randomized controlled trials in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa provide strong evidence that male circumcision cuts the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men by about 60 per cent, supporting numerous observational studies showing that the correlation between lower HIV prevalence and high rates of male circumcision in some countries in Africa is, at least in part, a causal association.


Currently 665 million men, or 30 per cent of men worldwide, are estimated to be circumcised. But counselling of men and their sexual partners is necessary to prevent them from developing a false sense of security and engaging in high-risk behaviours that could undermine the partial protection provided by circumcision, WHO stressed. "Being able to recommend an additional HIV prevention method is a significant step towards getting ahead of this epidemic," Catherine Hankins, Associate Director of UNAIDS Department of Policy, Evidence and Partnerships, said. "However, we must be clear: male circumcision does not provide complete protection against HIV. "Men and women who consider male circumcision as an HIV preventive method must continue to use other forms of protection such as male and female condoms, delaying sexual debut and reducing the number of sexual partners," she added.


The risks involved in male circumcision are generally low, but can be serious if it is undertaken in unhygienic settings by poorly trained providers or with inadequate instruments. Wherever the service is offered, training and certification of providers as well as careful evaluation of programmes will be needed. A significant public health impact is likely to occur most rapidly if male circumcision is first provided where the incidence of heterosexually acquired HIV is high, and countries with generalized heterosexual HIV epidemics but low male circumcision rates should consider urgently scaling up access to the procedure. In view of the large potential public health benefit, countries should also consider providing the services free of charge or at the lowest possible cost to the client. The experts' meeting, held 6-8 March in Montreux, Switzerland, was attended by a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, civil society, researchers, human rights and women's health advocates, young people, funding agencies and implementing partners.

“Development ministers from the Group of Eight (G8) undertook in Berlin on Tuesday to set up micro-credit facilities for African nations with the help of the World Bank and increase funds for the fight against AIDS. German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said giving poor Africans access to credit would be at the top of the agenda when leaders of the G8 wealthiest nations meet in Germany in June. ‘The G8 will do everything it can to institute micro-financing to which the poorest in Africa can have access, in particular women,’ Wieczorek-Zeul said at the end of a two-day meeting in Berlin held to prepare for the summit. She said officials from the G8 and Africa met with representatives of the African Development Bank, which will be asked to help institute the system along with the World Bank to stimulate job creation and economic growth in the world's poorest continent. …” [Deutsche Welle (Germany)/Factiva]


AFP writes that “… Wieczorek-Zeul said G8 leaders will also announce more funding for the fight against AIDS, which afflicts Africa more than any other continent, and to increase investment in the region when they meet in Heiligendamm from June 6-8. ‘We have to replenish the Global Fund to Fight Aids. It is important that the G8 makes a contribution.’ She put no figure on new G8 pledges for the fund, which was established in 2001. …” [Agence France Presse/Factiva] The Financial Times reports that the G8 further said Tuesday “The increasing volumes of development aid coming from powerful emerging economies such as China and India should meet higher governance and transparency standards. China already provides aid amounting to $2 billion a year, a higher figure than Belgium, Switzerland or Australia. India's estimated total of up to $1 billion a year already exceeds that of Finland and Ireland, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development club of industrial states.


Officials at yesterday's talks said the delegates from China and India were keen to talk to the G8 on aid issues but stressed their right to set their own priorities. … G8 development ministers said a ‘global partnership’ with emerging economies was needed when setting governance benchmarks for potential recipients. … The G8 ministers also urged emerging economies to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a voluntary framework whereby oil and gas-producing countries publish data on industry revenues and expenditures.” [The Financial Times (UK)] Reuters further notes that at a news conference on Tuesday “Germany's development minister said a tax could be levied on jet fuel and the proceeds spent on helping developing countries offset the effects of climate change. The G8 ministers [also] stressed in the meeting the need to limit deforestation in developing countries. But the US has made it clear it does not like the idea of financing the development of these countries' forestry. The informal G8 development meeting, which closed on Tuesday, included for the first time delegates from developing nations Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.

Ethiopia's minister of state for finance and economic development, H.E. Mekonnen Manyazewal, has called for an increase in pro-poor investment strategies in order to enable Africa to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
He made the call on Thursday 29 March while opening the 26 th meeting of the Committee of Experts, which precedes the Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
Ato Mekonnen stated that the Ethiopian economy grew by an average of 10.7% in the last three years and that the country was making strong efforts to tackle poverty, improve health and education services and infrastructure. He however stressed that this growth cannot be taken for granted, and called on the experts to recommend strategies to ensure that growth is sustainable and benefits the poor.
Also speaking at the opening ceremony, United Nations Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, called for African governments to scale up investments in order to ensure the continent achieves the MDGs. Janneh reminded the experts that September this year would mark the mid-point to the MDGs target date of 2015.
“The central message of this Conference therefore is that this continent must scale up ALL interventions in order to meet the MDGs by the target date. And it must do so now, drawing on both internal and external resources,” he said.
The Executive Secretary also informed the meeting of ECA's ongoing efforts to deepen its collaboration with its main regional partners, namely the African Union Commission and African Development Bank, in order to provide stronger support to member states. Additionally, he highlighted the Commission's new programme orientation, detailed in the ECA 2007-9 Business Plan, which is geared towards promoting the regional integration agenda and helping to strengthen the capacity of African countries to meet the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs.
The experts meeting will run from 29 March to 1 April. The recommendations of the Committee of Experts will be presented to the Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, which runs from 2-3 April.
During the Conference, on 3 April, the Economic Commission for Africa will launch its annual flagship report, the Economic Report on Africa 2007 titled: “Accelerating Africa's Development through Diversification.” The report will provide an overview of economic prospects for the continent and look at diversification as a route to accelerating Africa's development.

The Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria {MAN} Mr. Jide A. Mike has called on the federal government to provide a functional rail system for the movement of bulk cargoes from the sea ports. The MAN boss stated this while speaking at a workshop organized by Port -Anti Corruption Standing Committee on International Best Practices and the Nigerian Port Environment, which took place in Lagos recently.



According to him, priority attention should be given to improved network of roads around port areas to allow free flow of traffic. "Reports available to us indicate improvement, although a lot needs to be done to achieve the target of a 24 hour cargo delivery. Some concessionaries have since taken laudable steps that would enhance efficient port administration", the MAN boss said. He identified some of the steps taken so far by concessionaries to include gradual reduction in the cost of clearing cargo at the ports; reduction in turnaround period of shipscarriers for berthing to discharge cargo; reduction in block stacking of containers and the reduction in the number and elimination of about 10,000 illegal residents from the port. He noted that new computerization hardware are being regularly introduced and installed for modernization of port activities, adding that more handling equipment have been installed.



Mr. Jide Mike however noted that despite all these steps being taken so far by port operators in order to maximize the benefits derivable from the Ports reforms, port operations in the country is still being riddled with a number of problems. Some of these problems , according to him are corruption, security , inadequate provision for increasing Export trade, lack of knowledge for Export of perishable goods, Dock labour problems and the lack of enabling legal instrument as well as lack of co-ordination of activities.

He said that the major impediment resulted from overlapping functions adding that Port operators operate on extant laws. "Enabling legal and regulatory instruments arising from on-going reforms process to guide port operations and operators are still awaiting passage by the National Assembly. Stakeholders at the Ports work at cross -purposes with each protecting its own interest by taking actions leading to destabilization on the other players who similarly had to react with their own programme such as the imposition of levies, charges and taxes", Mr. Jide Mike said.

THE world is seeing the rise of resources nationalism, with potentially far-reaching implications for SA and Africa, which are richly endowed with natural resources. Countries in South and Central America, Europe and Asia are crafting and implementing strategies to maximise returns from their natural resources to promote development and prosperity for their own people. Africa, however, has thus far failed to leverage its natural competitive advantage as a force for prosperity and global competitiveness. It conspicuously lacks the appropriate strategic approaches to maximise returns from its mineral resources for the broader public good. African people constitute the majority of the world's poorest and yet their own backyards have abundant gold, platinum, diamonds, coal and other minerals. Even SA has about half of its population living below the poverty line, according to the United Nations (UN) Development Programme. This is a dismal and collective failure of leadership in government, business, academia and civil society -- which future generations would be right to judge harshly.



Resources nationalism runs contrary to the basic logic of the process of globalisation. Globalisation produces winners and losers. The rhetoric of resources nationalism revolves around the importance of maximising the winners and minimising the losers from globalisation. Globalisation as we know it is based on a minimalist and passive role for the state in economic affairs. It emphasises the primacy of market forces and the role of the state as an enabler of free markets and global competitiveness. Resources nationalism, on the other hand, entails a prominent and active role for the state in regulating the market in ways that are aimed at increasing the state's share of the profits from resources. Resources nationalism manifests itself in various forms in different countries.



It is redefining the landscape for multinational companies in significant ways. But what is resources nationalism? It is the notion that natural resources are an inextricable part of the national patrimony and, as such, the benefits that flow from them should, above all else, accrue to the nation. It is the confluence of this instinct and the global boom in commodity prices that has unleashed super profits for multinational resources companies, and it is this that underpins the new wave of resources nationalism. From Bolivia to Iran, Venezuela, Russia, China and even the UK and the US, we are seeing increasingly assertive governments implementing policies that are inimical to the basic logic of globalisation. It was the logic of resources nationalism that made the US congress veto the takeover of Unacol -- the third-largest US oil company -- by CNOOC (Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation) in 2005. The UK has higher taxes on profits from oil companies than Algeria, China, Ecuador and Russia. That's resources nationalism.



Resource-rich countries are pursuing policies designed to maximise the gains and benefits that accrue to their people from the wealth generated from their natural resources. Venezuela is currently renegotiating all contracts with western multinational oil companies which have not been overhauled yet as part of the process driven by the country's left-wing populist president, Hugo Chavez. Vladimir Putin's Russia has upped the ante against global resources giants such as BP and Royal Dutch Shell. No foreign mining company can dream of owning 100% of any mining asset in Russia. The same applies to China and India.



In Africa, the African Mining Partnership provides a platform for African ministers of mining to shape the way in which Africa's resources unlock lasting benefits for current and future generations. However, African countries lack effective strategic approaches that can leverage their massive natural resources to deliver lasting and tangible prosperity for generations. The recent African Indaba, held last month in Cape Town, is more of a talk shop and a platform for wheeling and dealing than a space to craft effective strategies that can make Africa leverage its resources to be a globally competitive winning continent. Africa's and SA's mineral resources need to be leveraged to deliver prosperity and development for current and future generations. Developed countries are the masters of resources nationalism. However, they always discourage it in developing and poor countries.



In Latin America, Venezuela and Bolivia are examples of the current tide of resources nationalism that has unleashed the winds of economic change across the resource-rich countries of the world. All countries and regions that are winners have mainly become so by deploying their comparative advantages. Africa is the only exception. It has unsurpassed comparative advantages in mineral resources, which it has failed to leverage effectively. As a result, it occupies the unenviable paradoxical position of being the world's most resource-endowed continent which is, simultaneously, the world's poorest. To add insult to injury, there are no signs of change, even after 50 years of independence in countries such as Ghana.



Why? It is because of a deficit in strategic thinking and planning on how best to leverage Africa's resources to lay a firm foundation for a better life for current and future generations. This must end. Oil-producing countries are doing it through Opec. Gas-producing countries might form their own Opec, an idea Putin said recently was "an interesting one". Ethanol-producing countries are formulating mechanisms to underpin the trade in ethanol as a commodity. That was central to US President George Bush's recent visit to Brazil. Africa is the world's leader in the production of gold, platinum, diamonds and other minerals and has huge untapped oil reserves. But Africa has no structures or mechanisms in place to ensure that the benefits from its natural resources accrue, in tangible and meaningful ways, to current and future generations. The case for an Opec of Africa's mineral producers is as compelling as it is strategically important if Africa is to assert itself in the mainstream of global economic affairs.



If others can do it in areas in which they have natural comparative and competitive advantages, why can't Africa? Bush's recent visit to Brazil was partly about crafting a strategic pact that would ensure that these two countries, which account for two-thirds of the world's ethanol production, also control the global ethanol market in ways that advance their respective national interests. In a world that is ruthlessly competitive, we must learn to leverage our core strategic advantages to advance our national interests.