WINKER

Monday 7 February 2011 Kigali Hosts ACBF 20th Anniversary Summit The two-day Summit will include a Heads of State and Government panel on 9th February that will consider the overall state of capacity as it relates to African development. KIGALI---Delegates that include African leaders, dignitaries, academics and public and private sector representatives, and representatives of bilateral and multilateral agencies have begun arriving in Kigali for the 20th anniversary celebrations of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) Speaking ahead of the two-day summit from at the Kigali Serena Hotel, under the theme: The future of Africa is now – the critical role of capacity development, ACBF Executive Secretary, Dr Frannie Léautier said the landscape for capacity development has changed dramatically, since the formation of ACBF twenty years ago. Dr. Frannie added that whereas the seeds for the formation of the Foundation were originally sown outside the continent, there was a major para...

http://www.newsfromafrica.org/newsfromafrica/articles/art_12258.html Kenya: Ford Foundation, AMWIK Join Hands to End Resources Conflict The two organizations have been at forefront of bringing peace between the communities feuding over land in the Rift Valley. NAIVASHA---As we drive to the rough road through to the location of the event, we are met by women, children and old men dancing and singing to welcome us. One thing strikes me: there are no youth. When we alight, ready to begin the event, I find out from one of the old men why the youth are absent. He tells me that quite a number of them are dead. “When the white man left, he sold the land to one community but the other community which believed to be the owners of the land felt shortchanged. War broke out. They fought until the Court of Appeal came in and divided the land. By then, most of our youth who were fighting had already died,’ says John Ole Lindy, the chairman of Ngambani area. During a cultural peace festival organized...

Delegates that include African leaders, dignitaries, academics and public and private sector representatives, and representatives of bilateral and multilateral agencies have begun arriving in Kigali for the 20th anniversary celebrations of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). Speaking ahead of the two-day summit from 8-9 February at the Kigali Serena Hotel, under the theme: The future of Africa is now – the critical role of capacity development, ACBF Executive Secretary, Dr Frannie Léautier said the landscape for capacity development has changed dramatically, since the formation of ACBF twenty years ago. Dr. Frannie added that whereas the seeds for the formation of the Foundation were originally sown outside the continent, there was a major paradigm shift, with Africans owning the agenda for capacity development, rather than having it externally driven. “Africa is claiming its rightful position on the international stage. It is a genuine sign of transformative leadership a...

http://www.newsfromafrica.org/newsfromafrica/articles/art_12229.html Friday 14 January 2011 Nigeria: New Born Death Toll Highest in Africa Nigeria is recording the highest rates of newborn death toll in Africa, with 241,000 babies dying in the first month of life every year, a new Ministry of Health report, ‘Saving Newborn Lives in Nigeria’ has revealed. By Lilian Museka The New data shows that as the death toll in Nigeria is falling, the percentage of deaths that happen in the first month of life is increasing. Newborn deaths now make up 28 per cent of all deaths under five years compared to 24 per cent two years ago. Six out of 10 mothers give birth at home without access to skilled care during childbirth and it is in the first few days of life when both women and newborns are most at risk. The report, unveiled Thursday at the 42nd annual Paediatric Association of Nigeria Conference calls for an increased focus on reducing newborn deaths, the vast majority of which are avoidable. It...

News * print * email to a friend Monday 3 January 2011 Scholarship Trust Launched for African Educationists Trust is designed to enhance knowledge sharing and promote awareness of the benefits of technology assisted learning in Africa http://www.newsfromafrica.org/newsfromafrica/articles/art_12211.html By Lilian Museka ELearning Africa, the largest Pan-African conference on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for development, education and training, has launched a scholarship trust named EAST, to enable African education professionals benefit from networks and resources. The not- for- profit organization, launched mid last month, was designed to enhance knowledge sharing and promote awareness of the benefits of technology-assisted learning and training across Africa. Ms. Rebecca Stromeyer, eLearning Africa organizer and founder of the EAST organization said EAST, which builds on the previous eLearning Africa bursary programme, will offer scholarships to low-income...

category: Food and Agriculture, Reports, Rights and SocietyAfrica can feed itself- New study reveals 0 Dec 8 ARUSHA – The study titled The New Harvest, Agricultural Innovation in Africa, led by Harvard University Professor Calestous Juma, is in contrast with entrenched, gloomy perceptions of the continent, and present a clear prescription for transforming sub-SaharanAfrica’s agriculture to improve the economy. Preliminary results of the studies, financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, were adopted earlier this year by the 19-member Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the continent’s largest trading bloc. Juma, who is a professor of International Development at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said with its vast untapped resources, Africa enjoys tremendous potential and opportunities but remained characterized by persistent food shortages, which may be worsened by climate change unless efforts to change directio...

Tuesday 7 December 2010 Africa Can Feed Itself- New study reveals A new study has revealed that Africa, the world’s poorest continent can make the transition from a hungry importer to self-sufficiency in a single generation. By Lilian Museka ARUSHA---The study titled The New Harvest, Agricultural Innovation in Africa, led by Harvard University Professor Calestous Juma, is in contrast with entrenched, gloomy perceptions of the continent, and present a clear prescription for transforming sub-SaharanAfrica’s agriculture to improve the economy. Preliminary results of the studies, financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, were adopted earlier this year by the 19-member Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the continent’s largest trading bloc. Juma, who is a professor of International Development at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said with its vast untapped resources, Africa enjoys tremendous potential and opportuniti...