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The Power of the Rising Development Generation Africa
The Power of the Rising Development Generation Africa
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Experts seeks Africa's strategy for the development of statistics
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Some 150 experts conveyed in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital city to come out with an African regional strategy for the development of statistics, in the wake of an unprecedented demand for statistics in Africa.

The need for such a strategy has become more and more pressing, Mr. Ben Kiregyera, Director of the African Centre for Statistics, said in the opening remarks of the workshop, explaining that “Africa is embarking on an exciting and defining era, wherein demand for statistics has never before been greater than they are today.”

“Data planning for statistics development has become crucial and Africa is challenged to assess and prioritize demand and to produce better quality statistics with fewer resources”, he explained.

In a keynote address, the Deputy Executive Secretary for the Economic Commission for Africa, Ms. Lalla Ben Barka, told participants that the new focus on result-based management has put statistics on the front burner as an essential part of national and regional development infrastructure.

“It has also led to viewing statistics as a development issue rather than just a technical issue. Statistics are needed to inform policy, monitor progress and measure policy impact or results”, she explained.

Explaining the renewed focus on the need to accelerate the development of statistics in Africa, Ms Barka revealed that as part of a process that begin on 2006 within the ECA, the commission identified knowledge management and statistical development as one of its special sub-programmes.

It is part of a planned strategy to reposition the ECA to serve Africa better, but it is also a recommendation by the MGD Africa Steering Group, which calls for the scaling up of implementation of the NSDS to build sustainable statistical capacity in countries in support of MDGs.

The current momentum to accelerate the development of statistics in Africa is testified by the growing number of development partners willing and ready to inject funds into its development.

For example, the representative of the African Development Bank at the workshop, Mr. Mouyelo-Katoula, announced that the Bank has put aside some 30 million USD for statistical capacity building for an initial period of two years - 2009 and 2010.

To sustain the momentum of NSDS, Mr. Mouyelo-Katoula said that stakeholders must hold fast to the overall expected outcome and drive the objectives forward at upcoming events, such as, the Gender Statistics Workshop to take place in Accra, Ghana, in January 2009; we will emphasize the demographic aspects during the symposiums to be held in Luanda in February 2009 and Dakar in November 2009; and in Durban in August 2009 during the Annual Meeting of the International Institute of Statistics.

The three-day workshop is being organized by the African Center for Statistics (ACS), in collaboration with the Paris-based Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21); the German development agency, InWent; and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

It was preceded by a regional gender statistics workshop which was organized from 15 – 16 December 2008 in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, to get data producers to internalize gender and mainstream it in national statistical programmes and activities.

December 19, 2008 | 5:49 PM Comments  0 comments

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Nigeria's President is new ECOWAS Chairman
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Having passed through the tests of the Election Petition Tribunals, Appeal Courts and the Nigerian Supreme Court and confirmed by the Apex Court in Nigeria as winner in the 2007 Elections, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of Nigeria was today elected as the new Chairman of ECOWAS.

The President took over from the out-going Chairman and President of Burkina Faso, President Blaise Compaore at the 35th Ordinary Session of the Authority of the Heads of States and Governments of ECOWAS on Friday December 19 in Abuja.


In a communique issued at the end of the summit held in Abuja, Nigeria's federal capital city, ECOWAS leaders called for a regional strategy that would minimize the risks on the regional economy and urged Member States to strengthen the management and structural reform of their economies.

Nigerian President Umar Musa Yar'Adua who was elected Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government for the next one year after taking over from his Burkinabe counterpart, President Blaise Campaore has promised to take ECOWAS to greater heights while he pledged Nigeria's commitment to the expansion and increased effectiveness of the sub-regional body.

The meeting approved the appointment of three new judges for the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice to replace those due to retire early 2009 from the Court. Justices Mrs Clotilde Medegan Nougbode from Benin, Benfeito MOsso Ramos from Cape Verde and Eliam Monsedjoueni Potey from Cote d'Ivoire will serve for a four-year non-renewable term.

The Heads of Government warned that the global financial crisis could undermine the region's economic recovery and precipitate a reduction in foreign direct investment, remittances from migrant workers and a drop in commodity prices, the mainstay of the economies of most of the Member States.

The summit also discussed the twin issues of regional peace and security, particularly the situations in Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire and Niger Republic. They also signed 10 supplementary Acts mostly in the areas of the environment, the management of water resources, community investment code, youth policy and the creation of the West Africa Regional Institute for Regional Integration.

December 19, 2008 | 4:46 PM Comments  0 comments

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Yaradua confirmed by Supreme Court of Nigeria
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Yesterday was a day that most Nigerians would not forget. For some it looked like Independence, while for others it was a day characterized by injustice and the return of 'status quo' and for the majority of Nigerians, it was business as usual.

Whatever yesterday, was, it would be remembered as a day that the apex court in Nigeria (Supreme Court of Nigeria) delivered the judgment confirming President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua as the duly elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Action Congress (AC) and retired Major General Muham-madu Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) had filled appeal to the court against the ruling of the Tribunal and Appeal Courts on the election of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua as president of Nigeria. The court in the majority judgement said the appeals filed by the two appealants failed and dismissed it in the favout of Yar'Adua.

The Chief Justice of the Federation, Idris Legho Kutigi, Justices Aloysius Katsina Alu, Niki Tobi and Dahiru Musdapher dismissed the appeal while Justices George Oguntade, Aloma Mouktar and Walter Onnoghe found merit in Buhari’s appeal.
Justice Kutigi read the lead judgment arising from the interlocutory appeal in a summary form and allowed the preliminary objection by the respondents, saying it lacked merit, was purely academic and an abuse of court process.


December 13, 2008 | 4:42 PM Comments  0 comments

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African Union Contributes USD $100,000 to Help Fight 'Cholera Epidemic in Zimbabwe
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The African Union Commission is deeply concerned over the devastating cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe that has affected close to 16,000 people, and taken the lives of nearly 800 within a few days.

In that regards, The Commission wishes to convey its sympathy and support to the Government and People of Zimbabwe, and has pledged a contribution of USD $100,000 to assist the Government in managing the crisis.

The Commission further appeals to Member States of the African Union and the larger international community to stand in solidarity with them and offer the assistance needed during this crucial period.

This a a great message for all Africans to support Zimbabwe and the African Union Commission has taken the lead.