As she browses the Internet at the Nabweru Community Multimedia Centre (CMC) computer lab, Lovincer Nabanja recounts how the facility has enabled her to acquire computer and business skills leading to better management of her restaurant. "The centre greatly helped and now I can use it to run my restaurant and outside catering service," Nabanja pauses to tell me. "With the Internet, I learn new ideas on the day to day operations of my business, customer care and log onto the foodnet.com to know the current prices of fresh food items for the restaurant, besides savings skills," the 46-year-old single mother said. "I used to spend a lot to transport the daily supplies needed at the restaurant but now I just use my mobile phone to call and they are delivered," she says.



Nabanja whose success has seen her expand her business by opening an outside catering service for all kinds of parties has managed to see her three children through tertiary education as a result of her hard work. "Before I joined the centre in 2002 as an adult leaner, my children had almost failed to complete university education because I did not have enough money for tuition. Through Nabweru CMC, I have had them finish and I am now paying school fees for my grandchildren. I used to make a daily profit of Shs5,000 ($2.8) per day compared to Shs25,000 ($14) that I earn today of which I save Shs10,000 ($5.7) on my account in Allied Bank," Nabanja revealed.



Suleiman Senyonga, another beneficiary of the centre and owner of Senyonga, Sendegeya and Sons Metal Works says the centre has enabled him to acquire computer and business management skills and making friendships over the Internet with metal workers across the globe with whom he shares business ideas. Seated in his office in the busy Jua Kali section of Katwe, a Kampala suburb, Senyonga said: "The centre has helped me in various ways. There is a time I thought I was independent and self reliant, but when I joined the centre in 1999, I learnt that two heads are better than one. If we can work together and collaborate with our counterparts with better technology in South Africa and India, we shall realise development."



Promoting development



It's at the centre that Senyoga developed the idea of forming the Katwe Small Scale Industrial Development Association (KASSID) in 2005 to bring all the Jua Kali artisans together. KASSID now boosts of 230 members. "We all need each other for an integrated business strategy," Senyoga said. He says he still uses the facilities at the centre to receive fax messages and typeset documents related to his metal fabrication business. His sales have gone up as a result of learning new business ideas. "Before I joined, I made a profit of Shs1 m ($571) every six months and now I take home Shs5 m ($2,857) every six months. My clients are mainly individuals who buy my fabricated windows, doors, gates, brick making machines, fences and many others," he revealed.



Nabanja and Senyonga are among several of the Nabweru CMC beneficiaries that have acquired Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) knowledge on improved farming techniques, child rights, entrepreneurship skills, and computer training, and indicated that they have been able to put this knowledge and skills to use which has greatly improved their performance. Education in the targeted areas has been positively impacted with evidence of better performances in schools. Reference materials for teachers are more readily available and more teachers and students can access the centres for research purposes. Some resource centres have triggered a reading culture especially among the young and school going youth.



Students now use the centres as a reading place as well as a meeting point. The library services are normally offered free of charge. Parents have taken the initiative to register with the resource centres to personally borrow books for their children. On the political scene, all CMCs have aroused several reactions in the community. "Communities that were apolitical have now picked up interest in the governance and management of their areas and resources.



Women have evidently been influenced into taking up more active roles in the management of their communities with several reports of the women taking up local council positions - which was previously unheard of," an Evaluation and Impact Assessment Study on the pilot project for the establishment of the National Network of CMCs in Uganda carried out between December 2005 and January 2006 observed. It's now evident that teachers, students and community members have more access to information moreover cheaply. "Most users were satisfied with the information they received from the CMCs and felt that it was appropriate for their needs," the study adds.



The availability of secretarial services at the CMCs has aided and improved working conditions in several nearby institutions. The centres established in their localities have checked the costs of travelling longer distances. Several other copycat business services have also been started; the demand however is still high and can accommodate all the new comers comfortably. According the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Communications Sector Comparative Figures for the period December 1996 to December 2006, there were only 17 Internet Service Providers by September 2006. There were only 129,863 fixed phone lines compared to 2,697,616 mobile cellular subscribers by December 2006 while Internet or email subscribers stood at 8,000 in September 2004.



A survey by UCC conducted on Internet development in Uganda carried out in the districts of Jinja, Kampala, Lira, Mbale and Mbarara in October 2005, showed that 97.7 percent of the respondents who use the Internet have benefited from the technology. Most of the respondents from education institutions said they use the Internet for research. For others, the Internet is popular for games and accessing personal e-mails. As far as attitude towards the cost of using the Internet is concerned, 63.7 percent are not satisfied with what they are paying their service providers for their Internet connection and most of these feel it's expensive.



On access habits, the survey found out that 46 percent of the respondents use the Internet daily, 42 percent once a month and 11 percent never. It was also disclosed that most people access the Internet through Internet cafes (80 percent). Other sources are home connection (8 percent), a friend's place ( 6.4 percent) and hotspots (5.7 percent). On the public perception of services offered by ISPs, 41 percent of the respondents felt the link was slow, expensive and not reliable, characterised by frequent breakdown and poor connections. Other complaints were lots of junk mail, password problems and narrow bandwidth hindering transfer of large data files. The Nabweru CMC located at Nabweru sub-county headquarters, Kasangati in Wakiso District is about 10 Kilometres from Kampala. As a non-profit organisation, it was implemented by the Uganda National Commission for Unesco with financial aid from the Belgian government in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC) to empower rural community members through use and application of ICTs.



Linking tool



The CMC project, a component of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) and the UN System Wide Special Initiative on Africa was piloted in six Uganda districts; Nakaseke, Wakiso, Mpigi, Kabale, Kibaale and Apac. AISI is an action framework that has been the basis for information and communication activities in Africa since 1996. It is not about technology. It is about giving Africans the means to improve the quality of their lives and fight against poverty. The CMCs are regularly turned into virtual offices. The CMC does not only aim to facilitate access to useful activities such as job-hunting or checking the price of agricultural goods in town, it also seeks to encourage the creation of locally relevant content. The development of a community's own resources, particularly data banks, audio and video archives, posters, brochures and CD-ROMs, are also part of the CMC's mission. In the most remote regions, users of ICTs connect with the rest of the world through CMCs. This Unesco programme, which seeks to bridge the digital divide, gives the most destitute and isolated communities in the developing world access to ICTs.



At present, 30 CMCs are operating in 16 countries spread out over three continents of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. The CMCs integrate community radio stations with the infrastructure of community telecentres, for example computers linked to the Internet, printers, faxes, photocopying machines, photo equipment, scanners among others. Illiterate people also come to the CMCs where instructors help them browse the web. The monitors write e-mails and also read back the answers. As for semi-literate people, they learn to spot certain reference points as they browse. "Though the digital divide is far from being bridged, the CMCs prove that when people have access to ICT, they know exactly how to benefit from it, adapting it to their own needs," Unesco observes.



Nabweru has a telecentre component that provides a range of services such as computer training, email and internet, scanning, photocopying, library, typesetting, video recording, local content that address community information needs among others. It also operates a community radio (Nabweru 102.5 Tiger FM) that is used to disseminate both local and international content to community members in their local languages. Besides phone-ins, emails and letter writing, community participation is also encouraged through community involvement in programming and production. The objectives of the radio include developing an economically sustainable, community owned and managed centre that provides information and communication services by combining new and traditional technologies.



Complementary technologies, such as radio and the Internet, set the CMCs apart from traditional communications projects. "The CMC is an integrated association of technologies, of which the Internet is a component. The radio is a means to broadcast information in the local language to the heart of communities. 'Radio-browsing' helps to bridge the generation gap, because parents can become familiar with the Internet and not feel out of place when their children talk about downloading documents, for instance," according to Unesco.

Energy Commission and the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCo) have indicated the West African Gas Pipeline would be completed by December 2007. Speaking to the Public Relations Officer of the Energy Commission, Mr. Victor Owusu, the delay in the completion of the pipeline on time was due rocks encountered on the seabed during the construction of the gas pipeline. Nana Akyena, chairman of the Board of Governors of the West African Gas Pipeline Authority, also said gas would start flowing by December during an inspection of work on the project in Kpone on August 3, 2007. He also said repairs to damaged pipelines caused by a ship's anchor also contributed to the delay.



Earlier, militants in Nigeria's Niger Delta had vandalized part of the pipeline in Nigeria. However, he stressed that nobody knows what the future would bring but with all things being equal, the gas would hit Ghana this December. On the sale of the gas, the WAGPCo would sell it on a wholesale basis to companies who would want to use it. WAGPCo, according the Act and the agreement between the countries involved in the project (Nigeria, Ghana, Benin and Togo) will be independent and profit making entity. "Gas-using and distribution companies will then be buying gas from the WAGGPCo for bulk use or onward distribution to smaller users in industries and homes but the energy commission will regulate the whole sub-industry including the process of gas sales," he said.



The Energy Commission Act 1997 (Act 541) has established a Natural Gas Technical Committee comprising 10 members of diverse working experiences and with qualifications in Petrochemical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Law and Economics. The Technical Committee is to oversee the development, implementation and monitoring of the rules, regulations and codes of practice for natural gas public utilities. The objectives of the Division include are; to play key role, in the short to medium term, in the development and sustainability of natural gas secondary market; to liaise with GNPC in promotion, in the long term, the development and use of indigenous natural gas; to develop appropriate natural gas rules and regulations for the industry; to ensure that all natural gas service providers are licensed; to ensure that all natural gas service providers comply with the rules, regulations and codes of practice through effective inspection and monitoring programmes and to educate the general public about the nature of the gas, its uses and safety considerations.



The following draft rules and regulations have been completed and are currently before cabinet for approval for parliament for ratification. They include Natural Gas Licence Regulations, Natural Gas (Supply, Distribution and Sale) Standards of Performance, Natural Gas (Supply, Distribution and Sale) Technical and Operational, Natural Gas Transmission Utility Operational Regulations and Natural Gas Transmission (Standards of Performance) Regulations. Preparation of the following is ongoing: Draft Natural Gas Health, Environment and Safety Regulations, and Natural Gas Infrastructural Development Master Plan.

The World Bank has approved a $12m International Development Association loan to finance the second agricultural research and training project. According to a recent statement, the project will provide knowledge, strategies and technologies to support the government's Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture. The money will also help in the design and implementation of new technologies and capacity building of the National Agricultural Research System. It will ensure the continuity of new practices and innovations that are necessary for the improvement of agricultural productivity and food security, the project team leader, Madhur Gautam, said.



Gautam said the project has done well over the last seven years. Public agricultural research institutes are continuing to conduct high quality research which has helped Ugandan farmers. This credit will enable the World Bank to meet its long-term commitment to the institutional development of research in Uganda. The project support is part of the Bank's long-term assistance programme to agricultural research in Uganda that supports technology development and information dissemination. The Government and the World Bank place high priority on agriculture and agricultural research.

Scientists believe a link observed between sunspots and heavy rainfall can be used to predict disease outbreaks in East Africa. In a study, published this week (7 August) in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, researchers observed that the occurrence of extreme East African rainy seasons during the twentieth century corresponded with high numbers of sunspots — dark spots on the sun that indicate an increase in the energy output of the sun. The researchers looked at the water levels of Lake Victoria and five other lakes in East Africa. They found that approximately one year before the peak of a sunspot cycle, water levels in the lakes peaked due to noticeably wetter rainy seasons. The researchers suggest that this might be because the higher amount of energy produced by sunspot activity heats the earth, causing moist air to rise and rain to fall.



Because sunspot activity peaks in an approximately 11-year cycle, the researchers believe this information could give authorities an idea of when to prepare for major outbreaks of malaria and Rift Valley fever. These diseases accompany rainy seasons because mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects flourish in wet environments. Dave Verardo, director of the National Science Foundation's paleoclimate programme, which funded the research, said in a press release that the study is an important step in using research into past climates to predict future conditions and how they might impact societies. "It's especially important in a region [East Africa] perennially on the knife-edge of sustainability," he added.



Using the climate models, the researchers warn of a major rainy period in 2010, which — if the pattern holds — will precede the next sunspot peak, expected in 2011–2012. According to lead researcher Curt Stager from the Natural Sciences Division of the US-based Paul Smith's College, the research provides policymakers with information to prepare for the consequences of heavy rains. "We hope that people who have the know-how and the resources to deal with outbreaks of Rift Valley fever, malaria, and cholera as well as with possible flood-damage to infrastructure can benefit from advance warning," Stager told SciDev.Net. But, concedes Stager, the predictions can only reliably predict rainfall events due to sunspot peaks, not droughts or rainfall due to less cyclic weather patterns such as El Niño.

IN SOME countries, doing business may require making unofficial payments to clear red tape, or gifts to government inspectors or to officials involved in issuing government contracts. A corruption survey conducted by Enterprise Analysis unit of the World Bank called Enterprise Surveys in 68 countries has identified most up-to-date corrupt regions of the world in terms of unofficial payments for typical firm to get things done, firms expected to give gifts in meeting with tax inspectors and value of gift expected to secure government contracts.



With the unofficial payments for typical firm to get things done, North Africa and Middle East topped with 2.72% of sales followed by Sub-Saharan Africa with 2.14% of sales. South Asia recorded 2.02%, East Asia & Pacific, 1.81%, Latin America & Caribbean, 1.40% and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries 0.13%. However, Sub-Saharan Africa topped in the area of percentage value of gift expected to secure government contracts. Sub-Saharan Africa topped with 4.09% whiles OECD countries recorded the lowest with 0.55%. Percentage of firms expected to give gifts in meeting with tax inspectors in Sub-Sahara Africa is 20.78 placing fifth the rankings.



Corruption, which is the theft of public resources for private gain, imposes large costs on businesses and society. The first type of costs is redistributive. Redistribution costs are incurred whenever business or individuals with more financial or political power abuse their privileged position to gain contracts or services (including regulatory services) at the expense of their competitors. The second type is a welfare cost to the overall economy as a result of corruption, making everyone worse off. Research has only recently started to quantify the various ways in which corruption retards private sector development. The Enterprise Analysis unit provides Enterprise Survey data on the investment climate in98 countries, based on surveys of over 66,000 firms. Enterprise surveys measure business perceptions of the investment climate, and can be used to analyze the link to job creation and productivity growth.

A lot of arguments have been presented as to whether or not the United States of Africa would be an achievable dream. Those who had the opportunity to attend the Tripoli summit were adamant that indeed it was an eye opener. Some argued that the baby cannot be thrown away with the bath water and others argued that now Africa was being led in the right direction after a long period of exploitation. Whether that is true or not shall not be the main focus of this contribution. It is the argument position held by the Nigerian state under the leadership of Umaru Yar'Adua that raised such writing.



The Nigerian State believes and remains adamant that the European Union is the right model to follow towards achieving a federation of African governments. Whilst it is evident that there is much to emulate from the EU, there remains the nagging question: 'Do conditions in the African political environs allow the continent to follow that path, or do they allow for a federation of such a nature at all? It might be of some assistance to refer to the book titled 'Regionalisation in a Globalising World' by Michael Schulz and others, specifically Chapter 2 by Bjorn Hettne. The chapter discusses the formation of the EU at length. Do the same ingredients exist in Africa that were there in Europe to foster the regional integration? Do those factors that made the EU a success exist in Africa?



In geopolitical terms Hettne argues that Europe took shape after the division of the Roman Empire and became a consolidated cultural area based on Latin Christiandom, expanding through trade and most importantly people here shared a number of cultural practices, and their leaders had a common experience of higher education received from France and Oxford. Putting the impacts of colonialism aside, the question becomes: What is it that Africans have in common in terms of cultural practices that can unite the continent after colonialism like Europeans? What does the Motswana have in common with a Nigerian? What does a Darod in Somalia share in common with a Ndebele in Zimbabwe? What does a Tutsi in DRC have in common with a Xhosa in South Africa?



The question requires looking deeper than tribe, perhaps extending to culture and values. If there is something that these peoples share, do they themselves recognise them as a uniting force to reckon with? What do the leaders share in common? What did Banda, a medical doctor of Malawi and Seretse Khama, a lawyer; Mobuto of DRC and Idi Amin, Habiaramanana and Kaunda, Nkrumah and De Klerk have in common? Did these leaders have anything in common in terms of their thoughts, ideologies and vision? An important aspect to consider is religion. North Africa is mostly Muslim and Southern Africa, Christian. Given the religious conflicts in Africa, can the South and the North unite?



It failed in Sudan and Nigeria. Now can it work for a large continent when it failed for one state and a few people? Logic suggests that the chances are slim. What Muslims value is not what Christian's value? Hettne also discusses converging regimes which took place in the EU formation. This involved reducing political differences by eliminating Mediterranean dictatorships to remove impediments in the way of the formation of the EU. This was meant to create a homogeneous political system with the same economic and social policies. Africa wants a single currency as reflected in the African bank idea. The second aim is to create a single defense system of security and lastly create a political identity with a single destiny.



Another question, is regime convergence in Africa possible? How do you unite a rebel in DRC with the rest of Africa when he fails to unite with his own people? How do you make a single currency with other countries having 1,000% inflation and the leaders of such countries do not care? The other examples are economic and social policy; a headmaster in South Africa would be arraigned before a court of law for throwing out a student who did not pay school fees but in Botswana, Education Minister, Jacob Nkate can strongly defend such an act.



The EU managed to eliminate Mediterranean dictatorships before thinking of a union. African leaders have failed to condemn undemocratic acts in Zimbabwe. If Botswana leaders fail to reprimand a relatively weak, Mugabe what are the chances of creating order with armed rebels in Uganda, Sudan and Cote d'Ivoire? It appears that Africa is torn up in so many conflicts that a federation of the continent looks like a distant possibility. The very leader who is spearheading the idea has been described as a dictator in Libya. If we get rid of him can we find a better person to spearhead the issue? According to the Copenhagen Summit of 1993, as cited by Hettne, there were pre-conditions to membership of the EU.



Amongst those are:

· Stable democracy

· A market economy

· Acceptable minority rights

· Rights to voting by the people and to ascent to power through free and fair elections.



Out of the 53 African countries, how many would pass the test? Would the champions of the idea in Nigeria pass? General Olusegun Obasanjo, asked about elections being not free and fair after he left answered that ' elections have never been free and fair in any country, it is all human nature'. What about corruption? Do we have consistent continental standards to deal with the problem? Before the continent attempts to follow the EU model, it might be worth asking the pertinent questions: Do Africans on the ground know about this issue? Do they understand it if at all they know? And do they know the consequences and benefits if they are any? Lastly, do the current African leaders know what they are talking about? Is it not true that in order to get the economics right, one has to get the politics correct? Is Africa there yet?

Nigerian President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has said that with the focus of national and global attention now on the Niger Delta, governors of states in the region must commit themselves, more than ever before, to judiciously applying the resources entrusted to them for the benefit of their people.

Addressing governors of states in the region at a meeting in the presidential Villa, Abuja on August 7, President Yar’Adua urged them to make improving the living conditions of their people their topmost priority at all times.

A Statement by the Presidential Adviser o Communications, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi said that the President further urged the governors to make transparency and accountability an intrinsic part of their Administrations.

“The problem we have in many states today is that of transparency and accountability. Nigerians are yearning for leaders who will be more accountable and live by examples rather than precepts,” he noted.

Reiterating his concern about persisting insecurity in the Niger Delta, President Yar’Adua asked the governors to give more urgent attention to the restoration of peace, law and order to the region.

The meeting was attended by the governors of Edo, Cross River, Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom as well as federal ministers from the Niger Delta.

“The creation of a pan-African women's bank could help reduce poverty in Africa by empowering women, the organisers of a women's conference to be held in Johannesburg later this year said Tuesday. ‘You cannot fight poverty if you are not ready to save money. Our goal is the creation of a pan-African bank for women before 2010,’ said Eno Ben-Udensi, director of Nigeria's 'Glorious Women' organisation that initiated the project.” ‘Poverty is the cause of violence, crime, unemployment, divorce, prostitution. That's why we are focusing on this issue.’” [Agence France Presse ]



“The second Pan-African Women's Conference will see women involved in politics, economics, religion and education debating ways to free women and their families from the shackles of poverty. ‘One of the issues that came out at last year's conference was the need to start savings schemes,’ said Sindy Dastile, the managing director of Masimbonge, the South African co-operative that finances micro-businesses run by women.” [Independent Online ]. Buanews adds that “the conference is to be attended by representatives from different international women organisations such as Women in Management and Business, the Professional Insurance Ladies Association, South African Women in Dialogue and women in business as well as politics”.



Also in This Edition: Briefly Noted...

Briefly Noted… Senegal's budget deficit for 2006 reached almost six percent of its GDP, nearly twice the previous year's figure, the regional office of the World Bank estimated in its monthly review. To help correct that deficit, the World Bank analysis called on Senegal to resolve the crisis in its energy sector as a matter of urgency. [Agence France Presse/Factiva]



Guinea, home to a third of the world's bauxite reserves, expects large investment projects to total $27 billion by 2015, an official of a national anti-poverty program said on Tuesday at the launch of Guinea's Poverty Reduction Strategy document. [Reuters/Factiva]

Africa is the continent that will be hit hardest by climate change. Unpredictable rains and floods, prolonged droughts, subsequent crop failures and rapid desertification, among other signs of global warming, have in fact already begun to change the face of Africa. The continent's poor and vulnerable will be particularly hit by the effects of rising temperatures - and in some parts of the continent, temperatures have been rising twice as fast as in the rest of the world. In wealthy countries, the looming climate crisis is a matter of concern, as it will affect both the wellbeing of economies and people's lives. In Africa, however, a region that has hardly contributed to climate change - its greenhouse gas emissions are negligible when compared with the industrialised world's - it will be a matter of life and death.



Therefore, Africa must not remain silent in the face of the realities of climate change and its causes. African leaders and civil society must be involved in global decision-making about how to address the climate crisis in ways that are both effective and equitable. For this reason, when the G-8 heads of state met in early June in Heiligendamm in Germany, I sent them an appeal urging the industrialised countries to lead by example, since it is they who are largely responsible for climate change. Therefore, they must take the most decisive steps to combat it.



As major polluters, the industrialised countries also have a responsibility to assist Africa to reduce its vulnerability and increase its capacity to adapt to climate change. The industrialised countries need to put in place mechanisms that raise steady and reliable funds for the prime victims of the climate crisis in Africa and other developing regions. We know a strong linkage exists between the environment, governance and peace. It is essential that we expand our definition of peace and security to include responsible and accountable management of the limited resources on Earth, as well as a more equitable distribution of those resources. Climate change makes the need for this redefinition even more urgent.



For humankind to manage and share resources in a just and equitable way, governance systems must be more responsive and inclusive. People have to feel that they belong, and the voice of the minority must be listened to, even if the majority has its way. We need systems of governance that respect human rights and the rule of law and that deliberately promote equity. Many of the conflicts and wars in the world are fought over access to and control and distribution of resources like water, fuels, grazing ground, minerals, and land. We need only to look to Darfur. In recent decades, the desert in western Sudan expanded because of droughts and erratic rainfall that can be attributed in part to climate change. As a result, farmers and herders have clashed over scarce arable land and water, and unscrupulous leaders have used these conflicts to stir up mass violence. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and even more displaced amid campaigns of intimidation, rape, and abduction.



By managing resources better, by recognising the links between sustainable management of limited resources and conflicts, we are more likely to pre-empt the root causes of civil strife and wars, and therefore create a more peaceful and secure world. But the environment degrades slowly and may not be noticed by the majority of people. If they are poor, selfish, or greedy they will be more concerned about survival or satisfying their immediate needs and wishes than worrying about the consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, the generation that destroys the environment may not be the one that pays the price. It is the future generations that will confront the consequences of the destructive activities of the current generation.



The climate crisis calls for visionary political will on the part of governments, and social responsibility by the corporate world. We have a responsibility to protect the rights of generations, of all species, that cannot speak for themselves today. The global challenge of climate change requires that we ask no less of our leaders, or ourselves.

By Wangari Maathai,
Wangari Maathai is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is a Member of Parliament in Kenya

The Nigerian President, Alh.Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has urged the G-8 nations to fulfil their commitments to Africa, made over the past few years.

The President was speaking while receiving the outgoing ambassador of the United States of America to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell, at the State House on Wednesday.

“We appreciate your leadership role in the G-8 and hope you will continue to ensure that members fulfil their commitments to Africa, especially since 2005”, he stated.

President Yar’Adua assured the US ambassador that Nigeria would continue to shoulder her traditional responsibility for peace, democracy and social justice in Africa, and expressed appreciation to Mr. Campbell for offering to support Nigeria’s efforts.

He said Nigeria would continue to explore ways of extending and expanding the cordial relations with the USA, adding, “We will live up to our obligations”.

Earlier, Mr. Campbell said “Nigeria is indispensable in Africa and a giant of the continent with huge international responsibilities thrust on her”, adding that the USA would assist Nigeria in the pursuit for peace, democracy and development in the country and Africa.

He thanked President Yar’Adua and all Nigerians for making his three-year tenure in the country memorable and successful.

Also today, the outgoing Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. David Angell, bid farewell to President Yar’Adua after a three-year tenure.

He told the President that he witnessed “extraordinary changes and enjoyed extraordinary warmth from Nigerians” during his stay.

He said bilateral relations between his country and Nigeria had grown tremendously, evidenced by the increasing number of Canadian businesses here and the rising number of Nigerians living and working in Canada.

President Yar’Adua thanked Mr Angell for his hard work and wished him well in his next posting.