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guest column:Admire Dube The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was established in 2018 with the aim to create a single market for goods and services, facilitated by movement of people to deepen the economic integration of the continent, under the Pan African Vision of “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa.” Consolidating Africa into one trade area provides great opportunities for entrepreneurs, businesses and consumers across the continent and ultimately countries, which boosts chances to support sustainable development in the world’s least developed region. With the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic exponentially increasing the challenges of a continent already ravaged by socio-economic ills, AfCFTA offers great potential to not only offer economic mitigations against the pandemic, but also speedily extricate African nations from regression and to a path of self-betterment. 2019 statistics show that Africa’s population stood at 1,3 billion with a combined nominal GDP of US$2,58 trillion and a healthy 3,7% growth rate. This stood firmly abreast of fellow rising economies like India with the exact same population count and a GDP of US$3,2 trillion and Brazil with its nominal GDP of US$2 trillion. However, in 2020 the pandemic took a toll on African lives and economies as economic activity declined by a projected 3,3%, confirming the region’s first recession in 25 years. The substantial downturn in economic activity cost the region at least US$115 billion this year, in part caused by depressed domestic consumption and competition as investments were divested to measures for mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. This situation could also push up to approximately 40 million people into extreme poverty erasing at least five years of progress in fighting poverty. Similarly, COVID-19 could set back progress in building human capital, as school closures continue to affect nearly 253 million students, potentially causing losses in learning which does not bode well for the continent’s future. The full implementation of the AfCFTA will certainly stem a downward trajectory by progressively eliminating tariffs on intra-African trade, making it easier for African businesses to trade within the continent and benefit from the growing African market. Africa, being a diverse continent fragmented into 54 States which are organised into trade blocs and associations under the African Union as members, will necessarily morph into a single business entity, or as close to one as anyone can hope for such a heterogeneous cocktail of diverse people. COVID-19 aside, the continent already faced a myriad of social, economic, and political challenges weakening current African trading blocs and their ability to promote integration and intra-trade among each other. The share of intra-African exports among constituent countries (trade among each other) as a percentage of total exports out of the African continent was still a miniscule 17% as at 2017, which remains low compared to levels in Europe (69%), Asia (59%), and North A
In May, Burundi held a presidential election which was won by Evariste Ndayishimiye, candidate of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party.
Ndayishimiye was hurriedly sworn in after the untimely death of president Pierre Nkurunziza in June.
Rights violations continue
The Council encouraged donor countries which had suspended aid to Burundi to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
A report by a UN watchdog in September said human rights violations were still being committed in Burundi, including sexual violence and murder.
The country was plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Ndayishimiye’s predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, which he ultimately won in July 2015.
His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.
Hundreds of people were killed and over 300,000 fled to neighboring countries.
Former President Bill Clinton and leaders from of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation welcomed Darrin Williams, Speaker Pro-Tem of the Arkansas General Assembly, and Dr. Glendell Jones, Jr., President of Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, as the respective CEO and Governing Board Chair of the nation’s leading rural development financial institution, Southern Bancorp, Inc. The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation hosted the event.
President Clinton’s message, sent from New York, described how Southern is fulfilling the vision that he and then the First Lady of Arkansas Hillary Clinton, along with Rob Walton, Muhammad Yunus, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and others had when they founded Southern Bancorp in 1986 to help generate long-lasting and catalytic investments in rural communities. Attendees also viewed a short video about Southern Bancorp featuring some of its founders, customers and partners. (To view both videos, visit https://banksouthern.com/mission/history.)
Cory Anderson and Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and Mr. William Buster of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation also congratulated the two for continuing and strengthening Southern’s mission to invest in rural communities and empower the individuals and businesses there to transform those communities for the better. Both foundations are significant shareholders and supporters of Southern. (To view photos from the event, visithttps://banksouthern.com/mission/photos.)
“The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation has been part of Southern Bancorp’s journey since the beginning,” said Dr. West-Scantlebury. “And the addition of this new, vibrant leadership makes us greatly anticipate the road ahead. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with Southern Bancorp well into the future.”
Williams, an attorney and three-term member of the Arkansas General Assembly where he currently serves as Speaker Pro-Tem, accepted the position of CEO earlier in the year after previously serving as a
(CNN) — Two decades ago, Rosa María Ruiz purchased 4,000 hectares (9,885 acres) of land along the Beni River, near the small village of Rurrenabaque, with the goal of transforming it from a heavily logged patch of the Bolivian Amazon into a thriving private wildlife reserve.
The Bolivian eco-warrior had just had success creating what the Wildlife Conservation Society believes is the most biodiverse protected area on the planet, the nearby Madidi National Park, but her vocal criticism of Madidi's protections under government control got her kicked out. Undeterred, she set up her own private park upriver and named it Serere after a gangly bird with a blue face and punk rock hair.
Fast-forward to early 2020, and Serere Eco-Reserve was home to more than 300 species of birds and some of South America's most elusive mammals, including dwarf leopards, night monkeys, jaguars, tapirs and giant anteaters. The revival of this small swath of the Amazon was made possible thanks to the support of foreign eco-tourists who paid around $100 a day for all-inclusive overnight stays filled with hiking, conservation lessons and family-style meals sourced from the onsite garden.
Rosa María Ruiz has spent decades fighting to protect the Bolivian Amazon.
Courtesy Madidi Travel
Then, of course, the pandemic hit, and Serere hasn't welcomed a single visitor since March 23. With no incoming funds, and little in the way of savings, Ruiz had to cut staff from 40 to just seven rangers who've already chased off poachers and seen around 7 acres of forest pillaged for lumber (a trend echoed across the Amazon Basin).
\"We can't keep going at the rate we are now without further support,\" she says, noting a GoFundMe campaign created to tackle the emergency. \"It's evident that if we don't have a presence and protection in Serere, especially because of the economic crisis everyone's living now, then those who are hard-up will continue cutting down the trees and selling lumber for easy money.\"
It's a predicament faced by highly respected conservation projects across the developing world, who have spent much of 2020 navigating the new reality of trying to protect wild animals while dealing with the fiscal fallout of Covid-19.
Serere Eco-Reserve in Bolivia hasn't welcomed visitors since March 23.
Wildlife tourism: An industry in peril
In the early days of the pandemic, the internet was abuzz with stories of wild boars in Barcelona, pumas in the Chilean capital of Santiago and dolphins in Venice canals (the latter was viral fake news). Animals, it seemed, were thriving in the era of coronavirus lockdowns.
These \"good news\" stories of animals roaming freely were what we all craved at the time, but they overshadowed a more unfortunate reality.
Tourism has been the fragile pillar on which thousands of conservation projects stood for decades, helping to protect wild, trafficked and refugee animals, restore vital habitats and educate the public about sustainability. When that pillar crumbled overnight amid global travel bans, the
The instructional videos that explain everything from how to remove a gel manicure to protective styling techniques have helped us to avert quarantine beauty blunders.
On Thursday, Vogue released a new episode of Beauty Secrets starring Alicia Keys, who shows fans how she achieves her luminous glow and a foolproof method for tying head wraps.
“There are so many gorgeous ways to wrap your head,” Keys explains—but pro tip: “the less slippery the material, the better,” she says.
Once Keys creates a sculptural updo with her scarves (she uses two), she secures her head wrap with a hair tie for extra security, and then it stays all day.
TOPICS: Beauty Hair Alicia Keys head wraps
[DW] Text books used in Africa often present the continent's history from a colonial point of view. Many Africans say it's time to tell Africa's history from an African perspective.
May 8: Govt to foot quarantine bills, cases at 607
\tGovernment on Thursday confirmed that it will foot bills of suspected persons quarantined for COVID-19.
May 7: 582 cases, lockdown in Eastleigh, Mombasa City
\tThe government on Wednesday announced a partial lockdown on two virus hotspots, Eastleigh in Nairobi and Mombasa City.
“All passengers must undergo a mandatory quarantine of 14-28 days at their own cost as per government of Kenya guidelines,” it added with respect to the London and Guangzhou flights.
In the case of the Mumbai flight, passengers are: “required to present a copy of covid-19 medical results at the check in counter and the results must be negative.
May 2: Case count at 435, mass testing starts
\tKenya recorded 24 new coronavirus cases bringing the total tally to 435.
By Victor Omondi On Thursday, Walmart and Sam’s Club announced that they’re selling Covid-19 test collection kits online, both nasal swab and saliva testing kits. Though saliva tests have not been formally approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the agency did accept them for emergency use during the pandemic. According to experts, and as […]
Amrica Mvil, the most important telecom participant in Latin America, invested 91bn Mexican pesos (US$4.36bn) within the third quarter of this yr, down 9% from the quantity invested in the…
CJ Jessup is no stranger to second chances. Having spent his formative years in Illinois' juvenile facilities and adult prisons, he devoted his life to service and began a tenured …
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Described by those who knew her as exotic, flamboyant, and colorful, Zoë Dusanne, was an art dealer and collector who opened Seattle’s first professional modern-art gallery, the Zoë Dusanne Gallery, in 1950 and who worked tirelessly to both introduce modern art to a northwest audience and to promote northwest art and artists to a larger international art community.
Dusanne was born Zola Graves on March 24, 1884 in Kansas to Letitia Denny and John Henry Graves, a stonemason. Although she was self-taught with respect to modern art, her artistic bent was nourished early in life by her parents. When the Graves family lived in Iowa at the turn of the 20th century, for example, Letitia took the young Zoë on summer trips to Chicago to attend the theater and to visit the Art Institute of Chicago.
In 1903 Zoë spent one year at Oberlin College followed by a semester at the University of Illinois, Urbana. It was during this time that Zoë met her first husband, George Young, whom she married in 1904. The union produced Zoë’s only child, Theodosia, in 1909. By 1912 Zoë was separated and decided to follow her parents to Seattle. A divorce from George followed after her arrival in Seattle. Zoë’s second marriage, in 1919 to Dr. Frederick Boston, lasted only a few years.
In 1928 Zoë and then teenaged Theodosia left Seattle for New York. Sometime during her residence in New York, Zoë began using the last name Dusanne. While living in Greenwich Village, Zoë’s passion for collecting modern art began in earnest. At the height of the Great Depression Zoë found that artists were the first to feel the impact of hard times, and often sold their works at a fraction of their earlier value. Little by little during these years Zoë amassed a collection of modern art which she brought back to Seattle in 1942.
In 1947 at age 63, Zoë built a home overlooking Seattle’s Lake Union that was specifically designed to double as an art gallery, and on November 12, 1950, Dusanne opened her collection to the public. From the mid-1940s
After being closed for almost six months, Shanta’s Puri Shop, located at, 255 Camp Street, Georgetown, has reopened for business.
The article Shanta’s reopens after long COVID closure appeared first on Stabroek News.
… Trump, unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, hit their … , and standing with African American neighbors to improve the … over the shooting of African-American man Jacob Blake. … Director, the first African American female director of the …
According to Fox Business, starting on August 1 the airline changed its \"flight sanitization policy to focus on bathrooms and tray tables, forgoing seat belts and armrests, which will now be cleaned at night as part of its “six to seven-hour” deep clean.\"
It’s been over two months since D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser urged District residents to stay at home and enacted an emergency shutdown of non-essential businesses due to COVID-19.
Although she said D.C. would begin reopening on June 8, late last week, statistics showed tremendous improvement and Bowser hinted that a potential phased reopening could begin on May 29.
Despite a brief mix-up with metrics discovered over the weekend, as of May 26, D.C. reached day 13 of sustained decline- with the target being 14 days- thus statistics are leaning towards an imminent phased reopening for the nation’s capital.
These bleak statistics have prevented D.C.’s phased reopening up to this point; however the Mayor reported that no Washingtonians had passed due to COVID-19 the night before, and statistics show 109 residents had been diagnosed with the virus the previous day, which is considered a decrease safe enough to add to the District’s reopening metrics.
Bowser also announced a new testing site for downtown, D.C.
“A new downtown walkup testing site- and that will be established on 5th Street N.W between F and G Streets, near The Building Museum.”
ORGANISERS of the July 31 anti-corruption march yesterday alleged harassment by suspected State security agents in a bid to stop the planned nationwide protests against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government. BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE/JAIROS SAUNYAMA Former Zanu PF youth leader and Front for Economic Emancipation Zimbabwe (FEEZ) leader Godfrey Tsenengamu, MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Job Sikhala, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Peter Mutasa and Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) president Obert Masaraure have vowed to press on despite alleged intimidation by suspected State security agents. Tsenengamu, who yesterday revealed that his family had been attacked in Bindura, vowed the raid would not stop him from exercising his constitutional right. “My family has been attacked in Bindura and a report has been made to the police. It is true I am under hostile surveillance, but I am not moved. I am not planning anything sinister and have no reason to run away from anyone. I have spoken and continue to speak against corruption and looting and will not be forced to stop. Threats, harassment and intimidation will not stop me from exercising my constitutional right,” he said. Tsenengamu said the protests would go on. Zanu PF has threatened to unleash violence on protesters, with youths in Mashonaland East, saying they were mobilising forces to quash any dissenting voices that threaten Mnangagwa’s rule. Zanu PF provincial youth boss Kelvin Mutsvairo told a provincial co-ordinating committee meeting in Marondera on Saturday that they were already mobilising to counter the demonstrations and defend their vote. “We are aware of their plot on July 31, but as Zanu PF youths from this province, we stand with our leader President Mnangagwa. We will also do what it takes to defend our vote and the President. As youths, we are ready to ensure that there will be no skirmishes and this province will never experience such demonstrations,” he said. Provincial chairperson Joel Biggie Matiza also echoed similar sentiments, saying Zanu PF would not be moved by the protests. The nation is currently experiencing an economic turmoil that has sent tempers simmering with opposition party leaders calling for protests against Mnangagwa’s administration which they say has failed to turnaround the country’s economic fortunes. Sikhala, who is allegedly being trailed by security agents, said he was ready for any consequences. “The business of trailing me started long before my treason trial. However, it intensified recently. This is done by people who refuse to accept that Zimbabwe belongs to all Zimbabweans, a tiny group of insolent individuals who think they own it and the rest are subjects of abuse. Thriving in frightening other people is a Stone Age mentality. Not in the 21st century. We will not allow it,” he said. “Since the false accusations by Kazembe Kazembe (Home Affairs minister) that I am part of coup conspirators, stalking of my person intensified. But I am ready for any consequences. Freedom for all Z
By JILL COLVIN and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, a stunning announcement that plunges the country deeper into uncertainty just a month before the presidential election. Trump, who has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of a virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans, said he and Mrs. Trump were quarantining. The White House physician said the president is expected to continue carrying out his duties 'without disruption' while recovering. Still, Trump's diagnosis was sure to […]
The post Trump says he and first lady tested positive for coronavirus appeared first on Black News Channel.
