100 posts
The DRC Elections
NEW
November 28th marked the beginning of the second democratic general election in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, since the end of the Congo Wars. Although this large African country is rich in mineral resources its GDP is only $300 per capita a...
EU, Africa and China in the 2000s: Bilateral relations and trilateral failure
NEW
By accident, I’ve come across a very fascinating academic journal article on EU-Africa relations and the role China played in this relationship in the first decade of the 21st century. “The European Union and China’s rise in Africa:...
UK minister warns of emergency developing on Sudan border
NEW
Thousands of Southern Sudanese risk being caught in a humanitarian crisis because the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan have failed to take responsibility for their own people, Minister Stephen O’Brien warned today after visiting a transit ca...
Andris Piebalgs in Uganda to explore innovative financing for agriculture
NEW
European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs this week traveled to Uganda for a two-day visit. Together with government and private sector representatives he explored how to improve access to financing for small and medium enterprises...
To observe or not to observe? Tunisian proud vis-à-vis EU Election Observers
NEW
Teargas and consternation in the Capital’s city centre. This weekend the capital Tunis witnessed its most serious disturbances since months. A group of 250 Salafists tried to evade the offices of TV-station Nessma, because it had broadca...
Elections, Islamists and the role of the EU in Tunisia
NEW
In my first posting I wrote about the sometimes heated discussions in Tunisia’s daily life. This week, two subjects attracted a lot of attention from the public. “Thy shall marry young” Ennahda, the political party which represents...
UK: Retailers targeted by cotton made in Africa
NEW
The Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) initiative, which now reaches 1.6m people in five countries according to a new study, is teaming up with an ethical consultancy to try to boost its uptake by UK retailers. Cotton made in Africa works in five African...
Somalia ranked as world’s most food insecure country
NEW
A new study assessing the availability and stability of food supplies in 196 countries has rated the food security of Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the lowest in the world, while countries in the drought stricken Horn of Af...
Special Representative to the African Union
NEW
The 3110th Council meeting on Agriculture and Fisheries held in Brussels on 20 September 2011 updated the mandate of Mr Koen Vervaeke, EU Special Representative to the African Union and extended it until 30 June 2012. It set the budget for expen...
Ghana: Civil society organisations intensify fight against EPAs
NEW
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) across the country have intensified their fight against the Economic Partnership Agreements saying they are inimical to the long-term development aspirations of the nation. For the second time in a month, civil so...
L’Afrique du Sud, entre start up et townships
NEW
J’ai ouvert mon site web en février 2010 par une phrase de Nelson Mandela, qui rappelait que la lutte contre la pauvreté ne passait pas par la charité mais par l’accès à la liberté. J’en ai fait l’une des mes priorités...
How can the EU best support the development challenges of South Sudan?
NEW
“Independence in South Sudan has come as the result of a long struggle. The country is now free, but destroyed. War has devastated the south, and nothing has been developed – everything must be built from scratch.” A strong message delivered by...
Humanitarian aid for the Horn of Africa, Sudan and South Sudan
NEW
The 3109th Council meeting on General Affairs held in Brussels on 12 September 2011 approved an extra EUR 60 million for humanitarian and food aid in the Horn of Africa and EUR 40 million for Sudan and South Sudan. For the Horn of Africa (the c...
Free Dawit Isaak
NEW
Last Sunday we commemorated the ten years since 9.11 2001. It was in the shadow of these events, when all eyes were on the burning towers in New York, that the Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak was arrested and imprisoned in Eritrea. Still ther...
"Investment Decisions for Resource-Rich Countries" by Paul Collier
NEW
Part I: The Role of Central Banks Many poor countries face their best opportunity for a generation: high prices and discoveries are generating substantial revenues from natural resource extraction....
Lesotho: Commissioner Piebalgs to to announce €15 million aid for water access
NEW
European Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs will arrive for a two-day visit in Lesotho on 12 September. The visit takes place in the context of the country's preparations for local and parliamentary elections while dealing with the effects o...
Africa’s biggest market lies within
NEW
Global demand for African oil and precious metals has fuelled a continental surge in exports, helping some of the world’s poorest countries rebound from the 2009 economic shock. African countries also stand to benefit from trade deals with donor...
Sarkozy’s line for Africa is “neither interference nor indifference”
NEW
President Nicolas Sarkozy, having suddenly engaged France in shooting wars in Libya and Ivory Coast, seems to be harking back to the old days of French African policy, sometimes known as Françafrique, when Paris and its army dictated politics in...
Left- and Right-Wing French Diplomats Spar in Press
NEW
The HatfieldsIt's like the Hatfields and McCoys -- family feuds, strong words and provocations -- only this time, the families are French diplomatic chiefs who skirmish not with weapons but a pair of caustic collective letters published (anonymo...
UK Government ramps up trading in Africa
NEW
The UK is to launch a new initiative to boost African trade through reduced bureaucracy, improved transport infrastructure and more efficient border crossings Andrew Mitchell said today. The African Free Trade initiative (AFTi) will see Britain...
The EU’s Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Role in Sudan – Call for Evidence
NEW
The House of Lords’ EU Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy is conducting an inquiry into the European Union’s Conflict Prevention Role in Sudan, focusing on the conflict between the north and south and the implementat...
Commissioner Piebalgs at the African Union Summit
NEW
EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs attended the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 30/31 January. Leaders met to discuss the theme of the summit - "Greater Unity and Integration through Shared Values". The European Union is working i...
Sudan referendum: visit from a European Parliament delegation
NEW
A six-member European Parliament delegation is now in Sudan to observe the southern Sudan independence referendum, with voting taking place between 9 and 15 January. Delegation leader Mariya Nedelcheva (EPP, BG) confirmed that the poll has so far...
EAC EPA experts set to chart negotiating strategy with EU
NEW
East African Community (EAC) experts negotiating the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union are to meet this month, after receiving funds for the work. Ismail Mfinanga, Assistant Director of Regional Integration Programmes in th...
The EU supports the adaptation of the sugar industries in Belize, Swaziland, Congo
NEW
On the 22 of December 2010 the European Commission has approved three financing decisions in favour of Belize (EUR 18 791 000), Swaziland (EUR 12 057 000) and Congo (EUR 1 059 000) to support their sugar sector in the framework of the Accompanying Me...
Commission supplies Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine to Zambia
NEW
The European Commission has sent a consignment of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine to Zambia in order to help the African nation's efforts in fighting an outbreak of the disease in the northern part of the country. The consignment consists of 80,...
Third EU-Africa summit: MEPs call for an EU law on "blood minerals"
NEW
The European Parliament backed plans to create an EU law ensuring traceability of imported minerals, as a tool to combat illegal exploitation of conflict minerals in African countries, in a resolution passed on Wednesday. This resolution assesses the...
EU issues warning over ICC Kenya process
NEW
The European Union has warned Kenya leaders against politicising the International Criminal Court process.The 13 EU envoys, at the same time, revealed that investors in their countries were keenly watching how the country will respond to ICC Prosecut...
EPAs bound to stir unhealthy competition
NEW
Kenya Human Rights Commission has called on the government to discontinue Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) negotiations with the European Union arguing that if signed would deepen dependency on Europe.The commission further argues that a shift t...
European Microfinance Award – and the winner is… Harbu Microfinance Institution, Ethiopia
NEW
Harbu, an Ethiopian Microfinance Institution is the winner of the 3rd European Microfinance Award held on the 30th November at the European Investment Bank. The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, known for her staunch support to microfinance presented th...
The West and the Sudan Referendum
NEW
THOUGH it deserved better than being relegated to the Sunday "Outlook" section, The Washington Post today ran a compelling early-warning article and video on the role of the international community as Sudan gears up for a referendum on January 9th. I...
Afrika -mulighetenes sted?
NEW
Denne serien fra fra Aftenposten er verdt å se på. Tydelig innspirert av McKinsey Quarterly sine afrika-rapporter. I en verden som overstrømmes av økonomiske gladnyheter fra Kina og krisenyheter fra Afrika, er det lett å glemme at en rekke a...
Sudan: woman lashed by government-sponsored thugs
NEW
This is not the only interpretation of Sharia law, but it’s the one that the Sudanese government believes in. Relativist liberals and Guardianistas who think all cultures are worthy of “respect” really should watch this. But be wa...
EU has a hidden agenda in EPA, says expert
NEW
The European Union (EU) has a hidden agenda in its trade negotiations with the East African Community (EAC), which is not open to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), policy expert has said. Dr Arndt Hopfmann, regional director for Africa at the Berli...
EU draws up plans to lure Africa's minerals
NEW
The European Commission is preparing plans that would see European firms build infrastructure in metal-rich African nations in exchange for access to key raw materials there, marking the EU's latest effort to counter China's dominance on the continen...
Zuma Disappointed At Europe-Africa Partnership
NEW
President Jacob Zuma says the economic partnership that Africa entered with Europe 10 years ago has not produced the intended results for both regions."We are concerned that after ten years of this partnership we have very little to show in terms of...
3rd Africa-EU Summit
NEW
On 29-30 November, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs, will attend the Africa-EU Summit in Tripoli (Libya).
TRADE-SOUTHERN AFRICA: EPA Talks Will Miss Latest Deadline
NEW
While a trade deal between the European Union and Southern African countries is close it will not be concluded before the end of this year. In the meantime, South Africa remains in pursuit of an ambitious regional integration agenda.
South Sudan : EU allocates €17 million for ongoing humanitarian needs
NEW
Today, the European Commission approved an additional package of €17 million to support the [strage word] advance stockpiling / preparation of essential humanitarian provisions in Darfur, the South and the Transitional Areas ahead of the referendum...
EU-South Africa Relations in agriculture
NEW
Trade relations with South Africa are governed by a bilateral agreement: the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA), which is in application since 1 January 2000 (provisionally) and entered into force on 1 May 2004. In 2007-2009 South Af...
Slow Knowledge and McK snacks at AgKnowledge Africa
NEW
Although a lot of our work in Euforic Services is to do with the use of new media and ICT tools we also get involved in Knowledge Sharing activities, including of course IKMemergent. At the AgKnowledge Africa ShareFair we joined a group of vintage an...
Our video guest: Maghan Sapp, Secretary General of pangea
NEW
Our video guest this week is Ms. Meghan Sapp, she is the secretary general of PANGEA, a Brussels based organization specialized in renewable energies issues in EU-ACP relations. During her visit at the CTA Brussels’ office, Ms. Sapp accorded to u...
Main ACP-EU events for the week of 18 to 22/10/2010
NEW
European Parliament (Brussels):-18th-21th October: Plenary Session EU Presidency:-19th October (Luxembourg): Economic and Financial Affairs Council -21st-22th October (Brussels): Informal Development CouncilACP Secretariat (Brussels):-20th-21th Octob...
Secretary-General Dr. Chambas meets with President Zuma in Brussels
NEW
Dr. Chambas expressed his appreciation to the President for agreeing to meet with him despite his tight-schedule.In the course of their meeting he briefed the President of major ACP issues especially in relation to South Africa, which is one of the b...
Commissioner Piebalgs' first visit to Rwanda to assess EU's aid impact
NEW
Commissioner Piebalgs' first visit to Rwanda to assess EU's aid impact on the ground and sign €52 million financial agreements on regional cooperation and governance. From 28 to 30 September, EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs will pay...
Our video guest: Dr. Kisisa, Red Cross Kenya
NEW
Our video guest this week is Dr. James Kisia. He is the Deputy Secretary General of the Red Cross in Kenya. On the occasion of his visit to Brussels, Dr. Kisia gave us an interview where he explained the work of the Red Cross in Kenya, the link betwe...
EPA the biggest threat to African integration
NEW
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) has the potential to split Africa and poses a great threat to the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC’s) planned economic and financial integration, a civil society and trade analyst in the regi...
SA sugar producers seek interim EU trade pact
NEW
South African sugar producers are seeking an interim duty-free export deal for sugar to the European Union (EU) as talks for a quota and tariff-free access into the bloc continue, an industry official has said.The EU, South Africa’s largest trading...
Fair trade is growing but Africans lag behind
NEW
Despite its minuscule share of world trade, fair trade is a booming business, importing certified foodstuffs and products from all over the world to Northern supermarkets. But there is increasing concern that this growth is yet to benefit poor countr...
Somaliland let down - again
NEW
Sometimes I wonder what the nation of Somaliland has to do to get international recognition. The latest example of the normal patronising approach comes from the EU-ACP meeting in the Seychelles during July.The final communiqué of the meeting noted...
The EU allocates EUR 47 million for peace-keeping operation in Somalia
NEW
The European Commission confirmed its support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) by providing an additional EUR 47 million to the African Union, bringing the EU allocation to AMISOM to a total of EUR 142 million funded under the African...
LabourStart: the largest African strike ever
NEW
From the world’s leading trade union website, LabourStart: History is being made this week with the largest strike ever to take place in Africa. LabourStart has up-to-date and comprehensive coverage here. Hundreds of you have signed up to...
Somalia humanitarian crisis eases
NEW
The number of people needing humanitarian assistance in Somalia has dropped by 25 percent to 2 million in the last six months, easing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to a UN study published today.
Fiscal impact of the Economic Partnership Agreement in West Africa
NEW
Will trade liberalisation bear an adjustment cost for ACP countries? If so, how much and who will pay for it? What are the strategies for reducing or even eliminating these costs? These are all sensitive questions facing ACP and European negotiators...
DRC Farmers Welcome Support
NEW
Farmers in the southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo are looking forward to increased production after 16 tractors and 200 ox-drawn carts were distributed across three regions in the province of Bandundu.
EPA must be development tool: ACP SG
NEW
The Secretary General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who is in Port Vila this week to attend the Pacific ACP leaders meeting said any Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the regions of ACP m...
Civil society Organisations in Zambia
NEW
For the period 2007-2013, the EU aims at supporting development actions, to be implemented by Non-State-Actors (NSA) or Local Authorities (LA), in close cooperation with the local communities and to the benefit of the most vulnerable population group...
EU to Spend Sh10 Billion on Local Projects
NEW
The European Union will spend Sh10 billion in Kenya this year for various projects, the Head of European Union delegation to Kenya, Eric Van Linden, has said. Mr Van Linden said Kenya is a priority in EU's development policy and strategy, and followi...
New tools needed to relieve malaria burden in Africa, study finds
NEW
Researchers in the UK have demonstrated that the tools currently available for combating malaria could dramatically reduce the burden of malignant malaria on parts of Africa if a comprehensive, sustained intervention programme were in place.
EU cooperation with the African Union: Problems and potential
NEW
The European Union is considering a privileged partnership with the African Union as a way to overcome the dated framework of ACP relations and to improve the Joint Africa-European Union Strategy. This partnership has potential, but it is not unprobl...
Cameroon can be the leading ACP banana producer
NEW
Jean-Yves Brethes: Cameroon can be the leading ACP banana producerThe CEO of Spm announces his company’s objectives after obtaining financing from the African Export Import Bank. Your company has recently obtained financing of almost 2.5 billion FC...
EU Delegation commends the Wood Tracking System in Ghana
NEW
The Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation in Ghana, Ambassador Claude Maerten, has commended the Ghana Forestry Commission (FC) on the progress made in recent months in the development of an innovative Wood Tracking System (WTS).
Last obstacles for EPA signing removed
NEW
The three-year tussle between some southern African countries, including Namibia, and the European Union (EU) to finalise trade negotiations for the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) will be concluded by the end of this year.
EC allocates an additional €10 M package in humanitarian aid for Liberia
NEW
The European Commission is allocating an extra €10 million in humanitarian aid for Liberia. This assistance will directly or indirectly benefit around 500,000 vulnerable people across Liberia, by improving access to healthcare, nutrition, water and...
High Level Meeting of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership
NEW
Nearly 600 million people in Africa lack access to modern energy services. Africa and Europe have joined forces to meet that challenge in a partnership of equals. The Africa-EU Energy Partnership now convenes it s first Ministerial Meeting to shape...
Kabylie
NEW
The last day I was in Algeria, a local friend drove me up into the Djudjura National Park, the physical and spiritual centre of Kabylie, the Berber region about two hours drive east of Algiers. The Kabyles built their settlements on hill tops, partly...
Should the Tories still be boasting of their Rawanda links?
NEW
I ask, because the official Tory Blue blog has just put a post up doing exactly that.Paul Kagame has been the Tories favourite African dictator for quite a while now, and these trips have been going on for years. Indeed it is almost like some sort of...
EU Backs Off on EPA
NEW
European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht has appeased leading European civil society organisations about the negotiations for a Southern African economic partnership agreement (EPA), promising "not to put undue pressure" on countries.&nb...
Malawi Stands Firm on Conditions for Signing EPA
NEW
The Malawian government has again stood firm in the face of calls by the European Union (EU) to sign an economic partnership agreement (EPA) -- even after top-level EU officials visited the southern Africa to convince it to put pen to paper. ...
EU invests 20 million euros into COMRAP
NEW
The European Union (EU) has invested about 20 million euros into the Common Market for Eastern and Southern African Regional Agro Inputs Programme (COMRAP) meant to help enhance food production and marketing in the region.
Malawi maintains 'no' stand on EPAs
NEW
Industry and Trade Minister Eunice Kazembe on Monday (26th July) reiterated the need for the European Union (EU) to address institutional, infrastructure and capacity factors that have stopped Malawi from taking advantage of previous preferential acc...
Securing Greater : Participation for Africa in World Trade
NEW
In a bid to secure a greater participation and accelerate the integration of ACP countries into the world economy, experts from more than 23 Central and West African met at the Hilton Hotel for the 6th coordination meeting that focused exclusively on...
Citrus from Southern Africa in Europe
NEW
As always a large volume of oranges from, amongst others, South Africa and Zimbabwe will arrive in Europe this year. Because of the difficult climate for entrepreneurs in Mozambique and Zimbabwe compared to South Africa only small volumes come from t...
European Union - Africa Partnership on Cotton
NEW
This document provides an update of the EU-Africa cotton Partnership concluded between the EU and African countries in July 2004 (at the Paris Forum). This Partnership led to an action plan, which developed into a framework for action following a mid...
Commissioner Piebalgs pushes for maternal and child health
NEW
From 24th to 26th July, European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, will address the 15th African Union Summit in Kampala, Uganda. Maternal, infant and child health will be the core theme of the meeting gathering the 53 African Union Memb...
CARIM: Updated migration profile for Senegal
NEW
CARIM has published an updated migration profile for Senegal. CARIM profiles are “[d]ivided into three parts – the demographic-economic, legal, and socio-political frameworks [and] portray key trends and dynamics as well as legal and policy dev...
NGOs slam EU-Brazil plans to develop biofuels in Africa
NEW
EU and Brazilian leaders are set to announce a new "triangular co-operation" initiative, under which they will aim to work together in some of the world's poorest countries, but NGOs say the duo's scheme is self-centred and will simply make condition...
EU, Brazil, Mozambique to sign bioenergy pact
NEW
The European Union and Brazil will sign an agreement with Mozambique this week to develop bioelectricity and biofuels projects, officials said on Monday.The agreement will be signed during a summit of European and Brazilian leaders in Brasilia on Wed...
Questions and Answers on Niger and Food insecurity
NEW
Niger is one of the countries of the Sahel region, which also covers parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, northern Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Many of the countries in the area are threatened by food insecurity,...
Maghreb Center Journal
NEW
The first issue of the Maghreb Center Journal is available online. It will be published on an occasional basis to shed light on current political, economic, cultural and international relations issues affecting the countries of North Africa and perti...
African observatories will gather biodiversity data
NEW
Scientists are pooling remote-sensing satellite data and geographical information services for two pan-African digital observatories that will provide accurate and readily accessible information on biodiversity and forest cover for policymakers.
EU Votes 6.5 Billion Euros for Ecowas Nations
NEW
The European Union has offered to make available 6.5 billion Euros for financing programme initiatives in West African countries under the Economic Partnership Agreement Development Programme over a four-year period (2010-2014). This came just as the...
Group Bank of Africa and AFD sign partnership agreement
NEW
Groupe BANK OF AFRICA and Agence Française de Développement sign partnership agreement to support efforts to finance Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and professionals in Africa.The dynamism of the private sector plays a key role in reduci...
You can’t expect much from a journalist at that level
NEW
Alex Perry, an Africa correspondent Africa bureau chief for Time magazine, writes on China’s involvement in Africa. In the process, he describes the DRC as a “sucking vortex”, citing the corrupt rule of Mobutu Sese Seko. Julie Holla...
Financing from the EIB to the Republic of South Africa
NEW
The EIB has been active in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) since the country's transition to a democratic government in 1994. Following the conclusion of the EU-South Africa Trade, Cooperation and Development Agreement, the EIB has been entrusted...
