Diaspora Africans Paid $7.5bn To Send $60bn Home In 2012 P9

April 15 - May15, 2013 (347) 509-0778 / (678) 914-6701 New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, DC; Columbus OH... FREE

Africa's Africa's Economic Economic BoomBoom P8

Urban League releases

“State of Black America.” P10

Soccer players practice under the skyline of Gaborone, Botswana. The nation has

seen a boom in construction fueled by diamond wealth and foreign investment.

African-America:African Leaders Avoid U.S. Blacks P10

NIGERIA:Religious violence leaves Nigerians hungry P12

Ghana: 750,000 teenagers become pregnant in Ghana annually P7

Italy's 1st black minister highlights race problem P6

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A COMMITTEE of experts of the 6th jointAnnual Meeting of the Economic Commissionof Africa (ECA) Conference of African Minis-ters of Finance, Planning and Economic De-velopment and the African Union Conferenceof Ministers of Economy and Finance are inAbidjan, Cote d'Ivoire to discuss and deliber-ate on the way forward for Africa to Industri-alize.

This year's theme "Industrialization for anEmerging Africa", many are of the opinionthat this is the right time for Africa to take theindustrialization route, having missed thethree global industrializations, namely theIron, electricity and the Information Commu-nications Technology industrialization.So why has Africa lagged behind while the rest

of the world is industrializing? The Director inthe department of economic affairs of theAfrican Union Commission, Mr Rene Kouassisays that colonialism is one among many rea-son behind African woes. He notes that theseeds of Africa's industrialization woes weresown during the colonial period, when the ex-tractive nature of African colonialism left be-hind structures, institutions andinfrastructure designed to enhance extraction.

In his paper to the committee of experts, MrKouassi explained that at independence thestructure of African economies was not gearedtoward transformation and value addition butrather commodity extraction and export. Theissues of policy failure at independence, start-ing with import substitution policies, wherebyAfrican countries genuinely decided to indus-trialize and then the Structural AdjustmentProgrammes (SAPs), where African countrieswere forced to de-industrialized.

Following independence, Mr Kouassi explainsthat industrialization in the 60's was seen as acentral part of Africa's development agenda,which was expected to facilitate transforma-tion of the economic structures into modernindustrial economies.

To achieve this objective most, countriesadopted the import substitution industrializa-tion (ISI) model in the 60's and then70'swhose key component was protection of do-mestic firms from foreign completion, how-ever because of lack of financial andmanagerial capacity and by distorting factorprices and rates of return, policies such assubsides on imported capital equipment andcheap loans designed to direct investment to-ward industries had negative impact on othersectors such as agriculture and in some caseslead to expansion of consumers goods sectorrather than production of intermediate goods.

Over half a century after independence, otherregions have increased their share of manu-factured exports while the continent still de-pends on the export of raw material to theindustrialized world. These raw material areprocessed and sold back to Africa at muchhigher prices. The consensus is that the poten-tial for Africa to industrialize is large. Sixty percent of the continent's land is arable and canbe used to turn around agriculture from thetraditional agriculture to a modern agricul-tural industry that will ensure food securityfor the continent and the surplus sold to otherparts of the world.

The abundant natural resources in Africa isalso another potential area for industrializa-tion if the resources could be processed to addvalue before exporting them as is the case cur-

rently. Mr Kouassi notes that the current wayof exporting Africa's significant natural re-sources in the raw form and not as processedor finished products is a serious missed op-portunity for more robust, diversified and sus-tainable economic development.

This is more so, especially because some ofthese natural resources are irreplaceable, non-renewable asset and their exploitation gener-ally has weak linkages to the rest of theeconomy, consequently contributing very littleto the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Headds that the natural resource wealth for thecontinent should provide a foundation for itsaccelerated industrialization.

Policies measures have to be introduced andimplemented to maximize deliverables fromthe exploitation of natural resources to en-hance the investment that is required for in-dustrial development and to increase localprocessing and value addition for natural re-sources. Mr Kouassi agrees that Africa hasrecorded an impressive economic rate of 5 percent in 2012, with 16 African countries beingamong to 30 countries to experience the high-est growth rates in the world, despite negativeinfluences of the global crisis.

He however notes that although positivegrowth has continued to be recorded in mostparts of the continent, the pace of progress isslow and insufficient to enable African coun-tries to achieve social development goals andlift millions of people living in abject poverty.While sustained growth has contributed sig-nificantly to rapid economic transformation inother parts of the world, in Africa it has beenobserved that the relatively good growth per-formance has not been inclusive, as million ofAfrican still live in poverty, largely because offailure to diversify sources of growth, continueover-reliance on primary commodity exports.

In sharp contrast to the growth pattern ofother developing regions, such as Asia, weregrowth has been driven by solid industrializa-tion agenda, that places emphasis on manu-facturing, in Africa the economic growth iscurrently driven by commodity exports.

Mr Kouassi explains that the downside ofAfrica's reliance on a commodity drivengrowth path includes risks to resource extrac-tion, vulnerability to unfavourable terms oftrade deterioration, risks of currency overval-uation weak backward and forward linkages tothe domestic economy, limited use of tech-nologies and above all, a weak employmentcreation. To be able to fully industrialize andreap the benefits, African nations requireleadership and government commitment toindustrial development that will set the righttone at the top and make industrial develop-ment a top priority.

It is crucial, Mr Kouassi adds, that govern-ment translates the strong political will for in-dusturalization into action and prideleadership at various levels to support certainstrategic sectors in the overall long-term de-velopment. The government needs to set upthe right policies and use the right policy mixto facilitate industrial development andchoose the right strategy, based on internaland external realities.He explains that the success of any industrial-ization programme will require the creation ofan enabling business climate that enhancesdomestic capacity and capability, particularlyin respect of physical and social infrastruc-ture, human capital, financial systems, tech-nology and governance. Governments inaddition, should put in place, regulatoryframework for tackling market failures and

also address coordination failures within thegovernment as well as between governmentand other sectors.

Within government, coordination will entailmaking the right policies in terms of indus-trial, trade and macroeconomic policy, com-mitment to implement the policies based on

sound technical decisions. He said the inter-national community can also contribute toAfrica's industrialization by delivering on itscommitments in three critical areas of officialdevelopment assistant, debt and trade. So far,the experience of Africa has been considerablegap between commitment and development.

ur future is intertwined withAfrica’s prosperity, 54 statesshare the African continent; aunited continent is the key to un-locking the massive potential

that is inherent to this unique region of theworld. Our future successes are intertwinedand we can only truly prosper if we embraceintegration and work together.

South Africa’s destiny is undeniably linkedwith that of the continent. President JacobZuma emphasised this when he said thatSouth Africa “cannot survive in isolation, asits economic development and security islinked to the continent’s stability”. He addedthat when South Africa helped to bring peaceto the continent it created “an environmentthat was conducive to reconstruction and de-velopment in our region…”Africa is central to our foreign policy. Thispolicy is based on the premise that there aretwo ‘sides’ to our continent. On the one hand,it is the second fastest growing economic re-gion in the world, while on the other it is alsoa continent that still struggles with conflict,poverty and underdevelopment.

Against this background, our efforts to main-tain peace and security are undertaken as partof our membership of the Southern AfricanDevelopment Community (SADC), theAfrican Union (AU) and the United Nations(UN). The election of Dr Nkosaza DlaminiZuma as Chairwoman of the AU Commission

is one example of the country’s readiness andcommitment to playing its part in regionaland continental organisations.

It was also in this spirit that South Africa con-tributed to reaching peace agreements in Bu-rundi and Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC). Currently former President ThaboMbeki continues to mediate in Sudan andSouth Sudan.

South Africa has also been involved in more

Africa must unite to prosper

Africa Needs to Industrialize Now

By Marc Mcilhone

AfricanBrains

By Rose Athumani

AllAfrica

O

(continued on page 11)

Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah

Pioneer of Africa Unity

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WORLD NEWS

US job postings fell inMarch; hiring slowedU.S. employers posted fewer job open-ings in March compared with Febru-ary and slowed overall hiring,underscoring a weakmonth of job growth.

The Labor Departmentsaid Tuesday that jobopenings fell 1.4 percentto a seasonally adjusted3.8 million jobs. Total hir-ing declined 4.3 percent to4.3 million.

The unemployed facedheavy competition inMarch. There were 3.1 un-employed people, on aver-age, for each job opening.That's above the ratio of 2to 1 that is typical in ahealthy economy.

The government reported that em-ployers added just 138,000 net jobs inMarch, well below February's332,000. The report shows that theslowdown occurred because gross hir-ing fell and layoffs increased.

Job growth picked up in April. Theeconomy added 165,000 net jobs andthe unemployment rate fell to 7.5 per-cent from 7.6 percent in March.

April's gain, along with sharp upward

revisions to the totals for February andMarch, suggests that the job market isimproving steadily. Employers have

now added an average of 208,000 jobsper month from November throughApril. That's much higher than the av-erage of 138,000 in the previous sixmonths.

Half of the decline in March's job post-ings was because governments at alllevels advertised fewer positions. Mostoccurred at the federal level, whichwas affected by across-the-boardspending cuts that began on March 1.The federal government reduced jobopenings by 30 percent in March com-

pared with February.

Construction firms, manufacturers,and health care providers alsoadvertised fewer positions.

Retailers, hotels and restaurants,and entertainment firms werethe only major industries to postmore job openings in Marchcompared with the previousmonth.

Layoffs rose for the secondstraight month to 1.69 million,after falling in January to thelowest level since records began12 years ago. Despite the in-crease, layoffs are still runningbelow pre-recession levels.

Companies have posted morejobs but are slow to fill them. Manyemployers have become more selectiveand cautious about hiring since the re-cession. Some may not be offeringenough pay to attract the candidatesthey need. Other companies, particu-larly in information technology andmanufacturing, say they can't findenough qualified workers.

In the past two years, openings haveincreased nearly 24 percent. But over-all hiring has occurred at less than halfthat rate.

BBRRIIEEFF NNEEWWSS

April 30 TOP STORIES

ROME - Italy's new Prime Minis-ter Enrico Letta won his first voteof confidence in parliament onMonday after promising to pressfor a change to the EuropeanUnion's focus on austerity and pur-sue economic growth and jobs.- - - -NICOSIA - Cyprus's parliamentdecides on Tuesday whether toback a bailout imposed by its EUpartners, with approval likelyfrom a thin majority againstmounting calls for the island to exit the euro.- - - -DHAKA - Two Western retailers have promised to compensatefamilies of garment workers killed while making their clothes in aBangladesh factory building that collapsed last week in the coun-try's worst industrial accident.- - - -SEOUL - Park Hee-sung, a 78-year-old North Korean formeragent who has been held in the enemy South for close to half acentury, remains staunchly loyal to his homeland, the ruling Kimfamily and its Juche ideology of economic self-reliance.- - - -KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak es-caped a direct showdown with youth when a 23-year-old studentgave up his bid to challenge him in his home constituency in theMay 5 general election.- - - -NEW YORK - Veteran bas-ketball player Jason Collinsannounced that he was gay,smashing through one of thefinal frontiers in U.S. sportswith a frank personal state-ment and winning warmpraise as a groundbreaker.- - - -BEIRUT - Syria's prime minis-ter survived a bomb attack on his convoy in Damascus on Mon-day, as rebels struck in the heart of President Bashar al-Assad'scapital.- - - -BOSTON - Investigators on Monday removed bags of evidenceincluding some containing DNA samples from the home inRhode Island where the widow of suspected Boston Marathonbomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been living, according to a per-son familiar with the investigation.- - - -AMSTERDAM - Willem-Alexander will become the first King ofthe Netherlands in more than 120 years when Queen Beatrixpasses the crown to her eldest son on Tuesday morning.- - - -TUPELO - A Mississippi martial arts instructor appeared in fed-eral court on Monday to face charges in connection with mailingletters containing the deadly poison ricin to President BarackObama and other U.S. officials.- - - -BAGHDAD - At least 23 people were killed in Iraq on Mondayin a series of car bombs in Shi'ite Muslim areas and militant at-tacks, medics and police sources said, taking the week's death tollto nearly 200 as sectarian violence intensifies.- - - -MACAU - With little fanfare, China is sending an official with a'tough cop' reputation to be its top man in Macau, the world'sbiggest gambling hub, as Beijing puts tackling corruption centrestage.- - - -LOS ANGELES - An attorney for the concert promotion com-pany AEG Live warned jurors they would see a very differentview of the charismatic Michael Jackson as the company seeks toprove it was not liable for the pop star's death.- - - -

Prime Minister Designate, Enrico Letta

Jason Collins

U.N. names team to investigatetorture, camps in North Korea

The United Nations named a team ofthree human rights investigators whowill look into allegations of torture andlabor camps in North Korea that arebelieved to hold at least 200,000 peo-ple.

Pyongyang denies the existence ofsuch camps and is not expected to co-operate with the investigation, havingdenounced it during a U.N. HumanRights Council debate, activists said.

But the one-year inquiry, launched bythe Council on March 21, hopes togather enough information from campsurvivors and other exiles to documentviolations that it says may amount tocrimes against humanity and build acase for future prosecution.

"There is sufficient evidence outside ofNorth Korea about what is happeninginside, so the government can't keep alid on it any more. That's why this in-vestigation is so needed," said Julie deRivero of Human Rights Watch.

Michael Donald Kirby, a former justiceof Australia's High Court, and Sonja

Biserko, a founder of the HelsinkiCommittee for Human Rights in Ser-bia, are to join Indonesia's MarzukiDarusman, its current special rappor-teur on North Korea, on the team, tobe backed by researchers, lawyers andforensic experts.

"Mr. Kirby will serve as chair of thethree-person commission," said astatement issued by the president ofthe Geneva forum, Poland's ambassa-dor Remigiusz Henczel, who held wide

consultations with diplo-mats before naming theteam.

The Council unanimouslypassed a resolution broughtby the European Union andJapan, and backed by theUnited States, which set upthe inquiry and condemnedalleged North Korean tor-ture, food deprivation andlabor camps.

Activists hope the investi-gation, which is due to pro-duce a preliminary report

in September, will help exposedecades of abuse by North Korea'sreclusive government.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillaycalled in January for the "long-over-due" investigation, saying that she re-gretted there had been noimprovement since Kim Jong-un tookpower a year earlier, succeeding hislate father. Her appeal came weeksafter meeting two survivors of its laborcamps. --Reuters

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AFRICA NEWSAfrican troops ‘not up to’ securing Mali cities

PARIS — As France begins withdrawing itstroops from Mali, a top US defence official hassaid that a United Nations-mandated Africanforce is "incapable" of taking over the battleagainst Islamist extremists.

Paris, which sent 4,000 troops to Mali in Jan-uary to block a feared advance on the capitalBamako by Islamist fighters, it had pulled outits first batch of soldiers, as it prepared tohand over to an African force of 6,300 in com-ing weeks.

But a senior Pentagon official told a congres-sional hearing in Washington recently troopsfrom the Economic Community of WestAfrican States (Ecowas) were not up to thetask.

"Right now, the Ecowas force isn’t capable atall. What you saw there, it is a completely inca-pable force. That has to change," said assistantsecretary of defence for special operationsMichael Sheehan.

At the same time, he praised the Frenchtroops, which "very rapidly" pushed al-Qaeda’sNorth African branch "back across the Nigerriver and took control of the major cities" innorthern Mali. However, much of the al-Qaedaleadership had escaped.

"They haven’t been killed or captured, but they(the French forces) have disrupted this verythreatening sanctuary."

France says it plans to gradually pull its sol-diers out of its former colony, but will leave a

permanent 1,000-strong force to fight terror-ism.

The French military’s chief of staff said about100 soldiers had been withdrawn and sent toPaphos in Cyprus on Monday, where they willspend three days in a hotel before headingback to France. They belonged to parachuteunits of the army that had been deployed inthe Tessalit region of northeast Mali, whereheavy fighting against Islamists took place,said chief of staff spokesman ThierryBurkhard.

The Malian military fell apart last year in theface of an uprising by ethnic Tuareg rebelswho seized the vast arid north in chaos after aMarch coup, before losing control to well-armed Islamists.

The extremists ter-rorised locals withamputations and exe-cutions performedunder their brutal in-terpretation of shariaIslamic law, drawingglobal condemnationand promptingFrance’s January in-tervention.

While French-ledtroops have inflictedsevere losses on theIslamists, soldiers arestill battling signifi-cant pockets of resist-

ance in Gao, as well as in the fabled desert cityof Timbuktu.

France this weekend launched one of itslargest actions since its intervention — an of-fensive that swept a valley thought to be a lo-gistics base for al-Qaeda-linked Islamists nearGao.

In this region, the Movement for Oneness andJihad in West Africa — the most active Is-lamist rebel group on the ground — still hasthe support of some of the population. How-ever, the next phase involving the UN-backedWest African troops should have a realisticmission, Mr Sheehan said, in which the peace-keepers would be expected to secure cities butnot hunt down militants in remote areas ofnorthern Mali.

"That type of force should be able to take backthose cities and allow the French to focus itssmaller force in the future on high-value tar-gets," he said.

According to a French intelligence expert, theIslamist rebels’ ability to inflict severe damageremains limited.

"In three months, the amount of terrorist ac-tivity has been very low, if nearly nonexistent,"said French Centre for Intelligence Studieshead Eric Denece.

He pointed out that out of 1,500 to 2,000known extremists, more than 600 werethought to have been killed. Sapa-AFP

Nigeria in 'trying moment':President JonathanABUJA — Nigeria, Africa's most popu-lous nation, is currently going through"a trying moment", President GoodluckJonathan has said while launchingseven new police helicopters.

"This is quite a trying moment for thiscountry in terms of security," Jonathansaid during the launch of the helicop-ters as well as 17 armoured personnelcarriers and 20 patrol vehicles.

Nigeria is battling a raft of securitychallenges including an Islamist insur-gency, piracy and frequent kidnappingsof foreigners as well as nationals.

"We have challenges from the south tothe north, from the east to the west,"Jonathan said.

The Boko Haram Islamist insurgency is esti-mated to have cost more than 3,000 livessince 2009, including deaths caused by the se-curity forces.

Last Thursday, pirates stormed a cargo shipoff Nigeria's oil-producing southern coast,kidnapping five foreign sailors and stealingcash, a watchdog and a security source saidMonday.

The International Maritime Bureau said "14heavily armed pirates" boarded the vessel 45

nautical miles off the Nigerian town of Brass.

The Gulf of Guinea, which includes the watersoff Benin, Nigeria and Togo, is as emergingpiracy hub, where the number of attacks hasrisen for three consecutive years.

Kidnapped foreigners are often released fol-lowing a ransom payment.

The pirates have also stolen crude oil fromships servicing Nigeria's oil industry, theworld's eighth largest.

--AFP

The vote in the General National Congress (GNC)came a week after militiasbacking the law began besieg-ing the ministries of justiceand foreign affairs.

They had said they would notleave until the bill waspassed.

The law could affect seniormembers of the government,including Prime Minister AliZeidan.

Both Mr Zeidan and GNCspeaker Mohamed Megaryefwere diplomats before the revolution.

Human rights groups say the measure is toosweeping.

"This law is far too vague - potentially barringanyone who ever worked for the authoritiesduring the four decades of Gaddafi's rule,"Human Rights Watch's Sarah Leah Whitsonsaid in a statement on Saturday.Other interests

In a vote broadcast live on state TV, 164 MPssupported the measure in the 200-memberchamber and just four voted against.

It required a two-thirds plus one majority topass.

Under the law, anyone who held a key officialpost between 1969 and 2011 is supposed to beexcluded from government.

But it is not clear how long the exclusion willlast.The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says that

while officials and the public at large generallysee the law as necessary, many believe otherinterests are being pursued on all sides underthe guise of demands for its adoption.

This includes militias afraid of losing powerand political infighting within the congress it-self, she adds.

A special commission will now be set up to im-plement the new law.

In March, protesters barricaded members ofthe GNC inside the building for hours to callfor the new law to be adopted.

Militias blocked the foreign ministry last Sun-day, moving in to surround the justice ministr.

But until now officials had been unable toagree the terms of the law.

Since Gaddafi's death, Tripoli and otherLibyan cities have been plagued by violenceand infighting.

The government has come under pressure from former

rebels to pass the law

Libya parliament bansGaddafi-era officials

President Goodluck Jonathan

Italy's 1st black ministerhighlights race problem

ROME (AP) — It was hailed as a giantstep forward for racial integration in acountry that has long been ill at ease withits growing immigrant classes. But CecileKyenge's appointment as Italy's firstblack Cabinet minister has instead ex-posed the nation's ugly race problem, ablight that flares regularly on the soccerpitch with racist taunts and in the dia-tribes of xenophobic politicians — buthas now raised its head at the center ofpolitical life.

One politician from a party that not longago ruled in a coalition derided what hecalled Italy's new "bonga bonga govern-ment." On Wednesday, amid increasingrevulsion over the reaction, the govern-ment authorized an investigation intoneo-fascist websites whose memberscalled Kyenge "Congolese monkey" andother epithets.

Kyenge, 48, was born in Congo and moved toItaly three decades ago to study medicine. Aneye surgeon, she lives in Modena with her Ital-ian husband and two children. She was activein local center-left politics before winning aseat in the lower Chamber of Deputies in Feb-ruary elections.

Premier Enrico Letta tapped Kyenge to be min-ister of integration in his hybrid center-left andcenter-right government that won its secondvote of confidence Tuesday. In his introductoryspeech to Parliament, Letta touted Kyenge'sappointment as a "new concept about the con-fines of barriers giving way to hope, of unsur-passable limits giving way to a bridge betweendiverse communities."

His praise and that of others has been almostdrowned out by the racist slurs directed atKyenge by politicians of the anti-immigrantNorthern League party, an on-again, off-againally of long-serving ex-premier Silvio Berlus-coni, and members of neo-fascist Internetgroups.

In addition to his "bonga bonga" slur, MarioBorghezio, a European parliamentarian for theLeague, warned in an interview with Radio 24that Kyenge would try to "impose tribal tradi-tions" from her native Congo on Italy.

Kyenge on Tuesday responded to the insults,thanking those who had come to her defenseand taking a veiled jab at the vulgarity of hercritics. "I believe even criticism can inform ifit's done with respect," she tweeted.

Unlike France, Germany or Britain, where sec-ond and third generations of immigrants havesettled albeit uneasily, Italy is a relative new-comer to the phenomenon. France has severalhigh-ranking government ministers with immi-grant roots, and few French had a problemwith the appointments: Former PresidentNicolas Sarkozy named a justice minister andurban policy minister, both born in France toNorth African parents, to his cabinet, while hisminister for human rights was born in Senegal.Francois Hollande's government spokeswomanwas born in Morocco and raised in France, andhis interior minister was born in Spain. He alsohas two black ministers from French overseasterritories — one from Guyana and one fromGuadeloupe.

Italy is another story. Once a country of emi-gration to North and South America at the turnof the last century, Italy saw the first waves of

migrants from Eastern Europe and Africa com-ing to its shores only in the 1980s. In the lastdecade or two, their numbers have increasedexponentially, and with them anti-immigrantsentiment: Surveys show Italians blame immi-grants for crime and overtaxing the alreadyburdened public health system. Foreignersmade up about 2 percent of Italy's populationin 1990; currently the figure stands at 7.5 per-cent, according to official statistics bureauIstat.

Some of the most blatant manifestations ofracism occur in the realm of Italy's favoritesport, soccer — which for Italians and othershas shown itself to be a perfect venue for dis-plays of pent-up emotions. In the case of ahandful of Italian teams, soccer is a way forright-wing fan clubs to vent.

Mario Balotelli, the AC Milan striker born inPalermo to Ghanaian immigrants and raised byan Italian adoptive family, knows all about it.Perhaps Italy's best player today, he has longbeen the subject of racist taunts on and off thefield: Rival fans once hung a banner during amatch saying "Black Italians don't exist" whilethe vice-president of his own club once calledhim the household's "little black boy."

Balotelli called Kyenge's nomination "anothergreat step forward for an Italian society that ismore civil, responsible and understanding ofthe need for better, definitive integration."

The race situation is almost schizophrenic inItaly. In the same week Kyenge was made agovernment minister and Balotelli was namedone of Time magazine's 100 most influentialpeople in the world, AC Milan's cross-townrival, Juventus, was fined 30,000 euro for fans'racist taunts during a game against Milan inwhich Balotelli wasn't even playing.

"There was no racism 40 years ago becausethere were no non-white Italians," said JamesWalston, a political science professor at Ameri-can University of Rome. "You need the other inorder to hate the other."

"It will take a long time — probably there willnever be a completely racism-free society — butit will take a long time for Italy to reach the sortof acceptance, multi-cultural acceptance thatthe rest of Europe has and North America has,"he said in an interview.

Kyenge got off to a rocky start with the North-ern League when, on the day she was namedminister, she said one of her top prioritieswould be to make it easier for children of im-

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Minister Cecile Kyenge

Coup leader elected presidentin Central African Republic

BANGUI (Reuters) - The rebelleader who seized power in Central African Republic, MichelDjotodia, was elected presidentby an acting parliament.

Djotodia led thousands of rebelfighters from the Seleka coalitioninto the riverside capital of themineral-rich country on March24, toppling President FrancoisBozize.

African heads of state and West-ern powers had refused to recog-nise him as the country'slegitimate leader and called forthe creation of the transitionalcouncil to lead the nation to elec-tions within 18 months.

The 105-member transitional council, meet-ing in parliament in Bangui on Saturday,confirmed Djotodia, the only candidate, byacclamation - paving the way for recogni-tion.

Djotodia has agreed not to seek re-electionat the end of the transition.

"I will do as you instruct me to do, and notaccording to my wishes," Djotodia told thedelegates of the council, selected by consen-sus from political parties and civil societyorganisations.

Djotodia said the worsening security in theramshackle capital and across the impover-ished nation would be his main concernduring the transition period.

International aid organisations have saiduncontrolled armed groups including mem-

bers of the Seleka movement continue toloot, spread chaos and recruit children intotheir ranks.

"The new Seleka government should as-sume their responsibility and re-establishcontrol over these armed groups," Frenchaid organisation MSF said in a statement.

Seleka, a grouping of five rebel movements,launched its insurgency in early December,accusing former president Bozize of reneg-ing on a 2007 peace deal.

The insurgents came close to capturing thecapital before accepting another peace dealin January under which some of their lead-ers joined the central government.

But they relauched their offensive andseized the capital in March, accusing Bozizeof not respecting the deal.

--Reuters

President Michel Djotodia

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HEALTH/NUTRITIONAfrica is riskiest place to be born; 1 million

babies die on day of birth globally: new reportNAIROBI, Kenya — More than 1 millionbabies die the day they are born every year,and the 14 countries with the highest rates offirst-day deaths are all in Africa, according toa new report released Tuesday.

Somalia, Congo, Mali, Sierra Leone and Cen-tral African Republic are the five countrieswith the highest rates of such deaths, accord-ing to the report “Surviving the First Day”from the aid group Save the Children.

“Health care for mothers in sub-SaharanAfrica is woefully insufficient. On average,only half the women in the region receiveskilled care during birth,” the report said.“The region as a whole has only 11 doctors,nurses and midwives per 10,000 people, lessthan half the critical threshold of 23 generallyconsidered necessary to deliver essentialhealth services.”

The numbers in Somalia — a country wrackedby 20 years of violence with little establishedgovernment and few health services — areparticularly grim. Eighteen out of 1,000 ba-bies in Somalia die the day they are born, thereport said. Five percent of newborns diewithin the first month of life and one in six

won’t live to age 5,it said.

“What’s worse, Somalia has seenabsolutely no im-provement in new-born or childsurvival in at leasttwo decades,” itsaid. Somaliwomen have on av-erage more than sixchildren, the sec-ond-highest fertil-ity rate in theworld.

Pre-birth care to expectant mothers is largelynot available in Somalia, said Dr. Omar Saleh,a World Health Organization official who fre-quently travels to health facilities in rural So-malia.

“And then the natal care itself, which is deliv-ery, some of the obstructed labors are delayeddue to the long distances to medical care or in-security or high prices of transport,” Salehsaid. “And then after delivery the main thing is

the availability of incubators. And the wholescience of neo-natal care is a huge science thatis not well developed in Somalia.”

The one positive: “Everybody is working onit,” he said. “The good thing is that everybodyis aware.”

In terms of absolute numbers, the most first-day deaths occur in India — more than300,000 per year, the report said. Nigeria hasnearly 90,000 per year.

Improvements in access to contraceptives,maternal nutrition and breastfeeding practiceswill save more lives, Melinda Gates, of the Billand Melinda Gates Foundation, wrote in a for-ward to the report.

“Saving newborn lives will prevent incalcula-ble suffering. It is also a vital piece of theglobal development agenda. The long-termeconomic prospects of poor countries dependon investments in the health, nutrition andeducation of the people, particularly thewomen and young children living there,”Gates wrote.

Nearly all of newborn deaths — 98 percent —occur in developing countries, a statistic thatunderlines a widening gap between the healthof the world’s rich and poor, the report says.

“A mother in sub-Saharan Africa, for example,is 30 times more likely than a mother in an in-dustrialized country to lose a newborn baby atsome point in her life,” the report concluded.“On average, one in six African mothers islikely to lose a newborn baby, a commonplacebut largely untold tale of grief.”

--The Associated Press.

750,000 teenagers become pregnant in

Ghana annuallyAn estimated number of 750,000 teenagersfrom 15 to 19 years become pregnant in Ghanaannually, and last year, about 14,000 teenagersbecame pregnant in the Central Region.

A total of 762 teenagers in the Gomoa WestDistrict in the region became pregnant last

year, and 17 of them were aged between tenand 14years.

Mr. Bright Amissah-Nyarko, Central RegionalBranch Chairman of the Ghana Coalition ofNGOs on Health (GCNH), made these knownon Thursday in Cape Coast, at its fifth RegionalCivil Society Organizations’ (CSO) healthforum.

The event was on the theme: “Overcoming theGaps and Challenges in Attaining Reproduc-tive Health Millennium Development Goals(MDG) Indicators; the Collective Role of CSOsand stakeholders’’.

Mr. Amissah-Nyarko said the high cases ofteenage pregnancy was partly due to irre-sponsible parenthood, broken homes, childneglect and peer pressure, and gave the as-surance that the Coalition will ‘not rest’until there was a drastic change in the situ-ation.

Concerning health in the region, he saidmalaria that continued to be the highest re-ported medical condition at all health facil-ities posed a major threat, particularly topregnant women and children below fiveyears.

Mr. Amissah-Nyarko said it was difficult toachieve the MDGs four and five that seek toreduce child mortality and improve mater-nal health by 2015, in the region.

He mentioned misconception about the use offamily planning methods, inadequate numberof personnel with requisite skills to deliver athealth facilities and limited care for emergencyobstetric and newborn babies.

Mr. Amissah-Nyarko said the Coalition will

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BUSINESSBUSINESS

s competition for raw resourcesheats up globally, economic and po-litical elites in the West are turningto Africa for quick and generouscapital gains and for the promotion

of British and American geostrategic interests.

This is not the first time that these elites havebeen optimistic about Africa – about a decadeand a half ago “Africa experts” boosted new“progressive-minded” leaders, who were saidto represent political reform, more grassrootsparticipation in government, more transpar-ent economic policies, and an end to tribal fa-voritism and conflicts.

Meles Zenawi in Ethiopia, Isaias Afewerki inEritrea, Yoweri Museveni in Uganda, and PaulKagame in Rwanda were symbols of this newleadership. It didn’t take long, however, beforemore tribal conflicts followed and persistentcharges of corruption seemed to dash hopesfor economic reform.

The problems facing Africa were compoundedby the way HIV ravaged the continent, cuttingdown many men and women in the prime of

their lives. Much of the media in theWest questioned whether or notAfrica would ever be able to recover.

By 2000 the Economist describedAfrica on its cover as being “TheHopeless Continent."

That was then.

Now, coverage of Africa promises abright new future while noting thatthere are still a number of difficultiesthat African nations have to overcome.Population projections show that in the next25 years Africa will more than recover its pop-ulation losses from the '80s and '90s. At thesame time, investment companies see Africaas having some of the world’s most promisingopportunities for sharp economic growth.Who's leading the charge?

T. Rowe Price’s “Global Connections” identi-fies what it believes are the five most promis-ing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to takeadvantage of that potential economic growth.

There is, of course, South Africa, which is theleading economy on the continent. Price saysthat South Africa plays the role of the conti-nent’s economic powerhouse, by providing thecontinent's other countries with goods andservices, as well as investments. Price saysthat South Africa has a stake in seeing thestandard of living rise in its potential tradingpartners and that this will continue to stimu-late economic growth in the continent.

Then there is Nigeria, which Price describes asbenefiting from a large population base andfrom the petroleum export business. Nigeria isconsolidating political reform, as exemplifiedby two peaceful transfers of power within thepast decade. Nigeria also has demonstrated its

prowess in mobile telecommunications tech-nology. Price points out, however, that theNigerian economy is still hobbled by its politi-cal patronage system, and that the economyhas not sufficiently diversified.

A third country investors have their eye on isAngola, which is growing rapidly due to oil ex-ports. Price reports that Angola’s economy isvulnerable because it lacks diversity, but forthe time being it is rapidly expanding its infra-structure as part of a controversial “infrastruc-ture for oil” trade agreement with China,which critics believe benefits the Chinesemore than the Angolans.

A fourth promising country in Africa is Ghana.Price reports that Ghana is “one of the fastestgrowing economies in the world.” Ghana’seconomic growth is based primarily on its oilproduction, but Price says that political and

Africa's economic boomFive countries to watch

Lesotho development

www.deangraziosi.com

(continued on page 13)

ASouth Africa, Nigeria, An-

gola, Ghana, and Ethiopia

all have economies that are

growing at a brisk pace. But

their future depends on how

they invest that money,

By C. Matthew Hawkins

Christian Scientist Monitor

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Diaspora Africans Paid $7.5bn To Send $60bn Home In 2012

frican migrants paid on the aver-age no less than US$7.5 billion tosend money home to their fami-

lies living on the African continents in2012, an amount considered far too highby the World Bank.

Bringing remittance prices down to fiveper cent from the current 12.4 per cent av-erage cost would put an extra US$4 billionin the pockets of Africa’s migrants andtheir families who rely on remittances forsurvival‚ the World Bank said yesterday.

Data supplied by Send Money Africashowed that 30 million African migrantssent close to US$60 billion in remittances.“With scarce opportunities at home, themajority of the 120 million recipients inAfrica depend on remittances for theirsurvival, health, education, and liveli-hood”, the agency said.

But it was noted that the high cost ofsending money home means that remit-tances are not as impactful as they couldbe as cost of transfer escalates.The G8 and the G20 established five percent as the target average remittance priceto reach by 2014.

According to new data from the SendMoney Africa database, funded by AIRProject, Africans pay more to send moneyhome than any other migrant group.

According to the World Bank’s SendMoney Africa database‚ sub-SaharanAfrica is the most expensive region to sendmoney to‚ with average remittance costsreaching 12.4 per cent in 2012.

The average costof sending moneyto Africa is morethan 12 per cent -higher than globalaverage of 8.96per cent‚ and al-most double thecost of sendingmoney to SouthAsia‚ which hasthe world’s lowestprices at 6.54 percent.

SWIFT SA chiefexecutive HugoSmit said lastmonth that the

high economic growth of sub-SaharanAfrica excluding SA was reflected in themore than 20 per cent growth of volumesin SWIFT transactions in this area overthe past three years.

SWIFT is the international financial mes-saging provider for more than 10‚000banking organisations‚ securities institu-tions and corporate customers in 212

countries and territories.

“High transaction costs are cutting into re-mittances‚ which are a lifeline for millionsof Africans‚“ said Gaiv Tata‚ director of theWorld Bank’s Africa region.

“Remittances play a critical role in helpinghouseholds address immediate needs andalso invest in the future‚ so bringing downremittance prices will have a significantimpact on poverty,” Tata said.

Lower cost remittances also advance fi-nancial inclusion‚ since they are often thefirst financial service used by recipients‚who are then more likely to use other fi-nancial services including bank accounts.

The World Bank noted that remittanceprices are even higher between African na-tions. South Africa‚ Tanzania‚ and Ghanaare the most expensive sending countriesin Africa‚ with prices averaging 20.7 percent‚ 19.7 per cent‚ and 19.0 per cent re-spectively‚ due to several factors includinglimited competition in the market forcross-border payments. The average costof sending money to Nigeria was about 10per cent.

A

AFRICAN Diaspora NewsAFRICAN Diaspora NewsTh

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Two weeks ago, President Obama met withthree African presidents—Koroma (SierraLeone), Sall (Senegal), Banda (Malawi), andPrime Minister of Cape Verde Jose MariaPereira Neves. This was the White House’s wayof rewarding these leaders for their examples ofgood governance. Receiving an invitation to theWhite House is one of the most sought after in-vitations in the world, especially for foreignleaders.

African leaders constantly complain about howthey are negatively portrayed in the U.S. media,about how Blacks don’t invest in Africa, andabout how there seems to be a disconnect be-tween Africans and American Blacks.

My response has always been quite simple – It’syour fault!

Let me break it down based on the itinerary forthe delegation that met with Obama two weeksago. In most cases, the State Department takesthe lead in setting up the program for foreignleaders, but they are free to add their own pro-gram in addition to State’s program if they sodesire.

While in Washington, each leader participatedin numerous meetings and events to strengthenbilateral cooperation on a range of shared prior-ities. Joint events included a dinner hosted bythe Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) to dis-cuss trade and investment opportunities withrepresentatives from U.S. businesses; a public

discussion on democratization in Africa at theUnited States Institute for Peace (USIP); an eco-nomic and development roundtable with U.S.government officials; and a meeting with Secre-tary of Defense Hagel to discuss cooperation onshared regional security and peacekeeping ob-jectives in Africa.

Notice anything interesting here? Let me helpyou. Dinner hosted by CCA—mostly Fortune500 companies (White-run companies). ManyAfricans accuse “corporate America” of onlyusing Africa for their natural resources—well

duh, you invited them to your country; a discus-sion on democracy at USIP. I have tried, to noavail, to get Howard University interested in en-gaging with African heads of state, but they haveshown absolutely no interest. I think I can get ameeting with Obama easier than I can get ameeting with the president of Howard Univer-sity. Meetings with government officials (i.e.White officials, other than former AmbassadorJohnny Carson). Meeting with Secretary of De-fense Hagel.

So, I guess these African leaders couldn’t find

any Black NGOs to meet with or maybe theirWhite lobbyists would not give them permissionto meet with successful minority businessmenlike David Steward, CEO of World Wide Tech-nology in St. Louis–a $ 5 billion privately heldfirm.

Maybe their White lobbyist wouldn’t give thempermission to meet with the National Newspa-per Publishers Association (NNPA), a federationof 200 Black-owned newspapers in the U.S., orgive a speech at a Black university.

So, to my African heads of state, if you are look-ing for positive media coverage from the U.S.,then sit with our Black media and tell them yourstory. If you are looking for investment in yourcountry, then invest some time by meeting withBlack businessmen when you come to our coun-try. Ifif you want Americans, especially Blacks totour your countries, then take a tour of our com-munities when you are in the U.S. So, stop com-plaining and be what you are looking for.

Africa has a lot to offer as far as investment op-portunities, tourism, and even education; butAfrica has not made its case to the Americanpeople. Until they do, they will continue to belike the tinkling cymbal or the sounding brass,full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of RaynardJackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm.He can be reached through his Web site,www.raynardjackson.com.

African Leaders Avoid U.S. Blacks

While African Americanshave made significant eco-nomic gains since the 1960’sthe definition of wealth andsuccess remains a tale of thehaves and the have notswhen black achievement iscompared to the success ofwhites.The National Urban League

made this conclusion duringthe release of their annual“State of Black America,” re-port on Capitol Hill, wherethey highlighted the eco-nomic forecast of blackAmerica in the context of thebudget debate now raging inCongress.

“There has been importantprogress in the last 50 years: decrease inpoverty, increases in high school graduationrates and enrollment rates,” said UrbanLeague President Marc Morial. “But the dis-parity between black America and whiteAmericans when it comes to jobs, income,health care and wealth remain too large.”

While the “State of Black America,” reporthas been an annual event for decades, theUrban League commissioned a 50 year studythis year to commemorate the 1963 March onWashington. The study concluded that for

every black that made it to college in 1963there are now five and the number of blacksliving in poverty has decreased by 23 percent.But when contrasted to whites the incomegap has only closed by 7 percent.

Morial and scores of Urban League mem-bers used the report’s release to lobby mem-bers of Congress. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.)said that the landscape on Capitol Hill ischanging in terms of Democrats and Republi-cans working together.

“It's without contradiction that African Amer-

icans have made extraordinary progress inthe State of Black America report,” said Fat-tah, who is sponsoring an “Urban Jobs bill,”in the House that is strongly supported by theUrban League. “But compared to the majoritywe still have some room to grow.”

The Urban Leagues gathering on Capitol Hillcame before the weekly meeting of the Con-

gressional Black Caucus and according toCBC chair, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH): “Pass-ing a jobs bill is our number one priority.”“If we can get people to work that wouldsolved an awful lot of problems,” Fudge said.“No matter what the President wants to do itstill has comes to Capitol Hill. We are still arethe people who ultimately need to move thatagenda.” --WashiontonPost

Urban League releases “State of Black America.”

File: President Obama in a meeting with some African leaders at the White

Hamil R. Harris

By Raynard JacksonNNPA Columnist

AfricanDiasporaTourism.com

(ADT)

President Marc Morial

Caribbean News in Briefs

PUERTO RICO CONSIDERS LEGALIZING USE OF MARIJUANA

Demonstrators marched through Puerto Rico’s capital of San Juanto support a bill introduced by a former police chief to legalize mari-juana for personal use. Senator Miguel Pereira filed legislation stat-ing that it should be legal for individuals 21 and older to posses up toone ounce of marijuana for their personal use.

WARNER’S RESIGNATION WANTED BY TRINIDAD OPPOSITION

Keith Rowley, the head of Trinidad’s chief opposition party, wantsformer world soccer vice president Jack Warner to resign. Warnercurrently serves as a minister of government. Rowley criticizedWarner’s status after the ethics and integrity committee of CONCA-CAF found that Warner had enriched himself through fraud duringhis term as leader.

PLOT TO KILL LEGISLATOR AND REPORTER DISCOVERD IN HONDURAS

Police in Honduras discovered a plot by drug gangs to murder a law-maker, and police chief, and a TV reporter. Juan Hernandez, Con-gress President, said the government is providing bodyguards andarmored vehicles to these individuals. He also stated that investiga-tors uncovered the plot while collecting information about a wave ofviolence that has already killed a number of people, including thetop anti-money laundering prosecutor.

HAITI CRITICIZED BY RIGHTS GROUP OVER CAMP EVICTIONS

According to a report from Amnesty International, Haiti is in viola-tion of international human rights obligations. Haiti failed to protectindividuals who have been evicted from the impromptu housing set-tlements that appeared after the earthquake in 2010. The rightsgroup says that thousands of displaced individuals have been forcedto leave public spaces and private property. The government hassupported condoned the evictions, which are headed by police, may-ors, and others, says the report.

CRACKDOWN ON WORK PERMITS IN THE BAHAMAS ANGERS LARGE RESORT

There was renewed criticism of immigration authorities in the Ba-hamas after a United States citizen who work at the nation’s biggestresort was detained by immigration agents for holding an expiredwork permit. The worker, who trains sea lions at the Atlantis Resort,was taken away by the agents during an exhibition event for guests.She was released, but the incident caused representatives of the re-sort to rebuke the authorities.

CANADIAN SHOT AND KILLED IN HAITI AFTER LEAVING BANK

Detectives in Haiti are investigating the shooting death of a Cana-dian priest as he left a bank in Port-au-Prince. Aladin Jean-Louis,police inspector, said that Richard E. Joyla, 62, had just taken out$1,000 from his bank when he was attacked by two men on a motor-cycle who grabbed a bag he was carrying. The passenger on the mo-torcycle shot the priest three times in the back. Joyla was fromQuebec and worked for a Canadian congregation called “Societe deMarie” in the Delmas district of Haiti’s capital.

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Obama Cabinet 2013 Nominations:African-American N.C. Mayor isPick for Transportation SecretaryPresident Obama is delivering on his promise tonominate a more diverse second-term cabinet.Today he announced Charlotte Mayor AnthonyFoxx as his pick for Secretary of Transportation.

Foxx, who will be 42 tomorrow, is the youngestmayor in Charlotte's history, as well as only the sec-ond African-American elected to the position. Hisfur-year tenure hasn't been particularly heavy ontransportation projects, but he did spearhead sev-eral initiatives to reinstate the city's streetcar serv-ice, widen highways and fund light rail. He's also astrong proponent of alternative transportation likebiking and electric vehicles.

In addition, Foxx was instrumental in bringing the2012 Democratic National Convention to is city, sohe has plenty of support from Democrats. Fortu-nately for him, he doesn't have much oppositionfrom Republicans.

He doesn't have a huge record that Senate Republi-cans can use to disqualify him, which may be oneof the main reasons he was nominated in the firstplace. Obama had a habit of picking extremely tal-ented but divisive figures (or figures who became divisiveas part of the Senate political maneuverings) that were ul-timately unsuccessful in making it through the arduousconfirmation process.

Still, any opposition to Foxx is likely to be bluster, as it'snot worth it to Republicans to spend political capital toblock a relatively low-key nomination, even one that willlikely result in more funding for mass transit and alterna-tive fuels.

If confirmed, Foxx will be the second African-Americanmember of the cabinet, alongside Attorney General Eric

Holder. Obama had wanted to nominate former DeputySecretary of State Susan Rice, an African-Americanwoman, to replace Hillary Clinton earlier this year, butSenate Republicans blocked that move.

The current cabinet lineup includes two Asian-Americans:Secretary of Veterans Affairs General Eric Shinseki andSecretary of Energy Steven Chu.

There are also three women serving: Secretary of the Inte-rior Sally Jewell, Secretary of Health and Human ServicesKathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Homeland SecurityJanet Napolitano.

--LatinoPost

U.S. President Barack Obama listens to Charlotte, N.C., Mayor

Anthony Foxx after naming him to replace Ray LaHood as U.S.

Transportation Secretary in the East Room of the White House

in Washington, April 29, 2013. (Photo : Reuters)

Africa must unite to prosperthan 15 peace support operations since 1999. We wereamong the first countries to deploy military personnel tosupport the peace process in Burundi and over the pastdecade our troops have continually made a strong contri-bution towards stabilising the DRC.

South Africa remains committed to stability, peace and thestrengthening of democracy on the African continent. Weknow that a stable continent is the only way to ensure for-eign investment, growth and socio-economic developmentfor us, our region and the rest of Africa.

International Relations and Co-operation Minister MaiteNkoana-Mashabane said: “Without peace and securitythere can be no sustainable development, and without sus-tainable development there can be no peace and securityand the achievement of the Millennium DevelopmentGoals in Africa will remain a dream deferred. We needpeace, not war.”

As part of our foreign economic policy South Africa placesgreat emphasis on a ‘development integration’ approach.This implies integrating trade with programmes of cross-border infrastructure development.

Currently negotiations for a free trade area are well ontrack and will be concluded by next year, with implementa-tion scheduled for 2015. The first phase of regional integra-tion will see the expansion of existing regionalcommunities and the creation of large trading blocs. Thebroader free trade area would embrace 26 countries withbetween 600 million and 700 million people, and a com-bined gross domestic product of $1-trillion (R8.9 trillion).

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies captured this wellwhen he said: “If you start to add up the numbers acrossour (African) regions, we start to have the critical mass tosupport a new industrial wave.”

Standard Bank CE Sim Tshabalala supported the impor-tance of integration for business by saying that “a free tradearea throughout the continent was vital to development”.

However, the infrastructure deficit in Africa is negativelyaffecting integration and development of the region. Ac-cording to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development(Nepad), “there can be no meaningful development withouttrade and there can be no trade without adequate and reli-able infrastructure”.

In 2010 President Zuma was elected to head up the Pro-gramme for Infrastructure Development in Africa of theAU and Nepad. The overall goal of the programme is “topromote socio-economic development and poverty reduc-tion in Africa through improved access to integrated re-gional and continental infrastructure networks andservices”.

The programme for Infrastructure Development in Africawill cover the four key sectors of transport; energy; trans-boundary water and information and communicationstechnology.

President Zuma said: “Africa’s time has come and withoutinfrastructure, our dreams will never be realised. We can-not trade on the continent because of the lack of communi-cation. The infrastructure that we want to create willprovide new opportunities for our continent.”

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(347) 509-0778

(678) 914-6701

FAITHS FAITHS && RELIGIONRELIGIONTh

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The Church of Scotland says Israel has noright to the occupied Palestinian lands.

In a new report titled “The Inheritance ofAbraham? A Report on the ‘Promised Land,’”the church said Israel’s claim to the occupiedterritories could be invalidated by its treat-ment of Palestinian people.

The report will be voted on by the 700 churchmembers who attend the annual general as-sembly later this month.

If the paper is passed by a majority, it may be-come "the considered view of the Church,” aspokesperson said.

The report also calls for the church to considerbacking “economic and political measures in-volving boycotts, disinvestment and sanctionsagainst Israel focused on illegal settlements.”

Moreover, it calls on Christians to lobby the

UK government to put pressure on the TelAviv regime to halt its illegal settlement activi-ties in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“Christians should not be supporting anyclaims by Jews, or any other people, to an ex-clusive or even privileged divine right to pos-sess particular territory,” the report said.

Palestinians refer to the May 15, 1948 occupa-tion of Palestine as the “Nakba Day,” whichmeans the Day of the Catastrophe in Arabic, tomark the expulsion of more than 700,000Palestinians from their homeland almost 65years ago.

Israeli forces have wiped nearly 500 Palestin-ian villages and towns off the map, leaving anestimated total of 4.7 million Palestinianrefugees hoping for an eventual return to theirhomeland more than six decades later.

--PressTV

General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland, Edinbugh

Religious violence leaves Nigerians hungryhe violence also left 30 people in-jured and scores of houses wereset ablaze and destroyed duringthe clashes in the town of Wukari

in Taraba state on Friday, police said.

Authorities imposed a 24-hour indefinitecurfew on Wukari, a commercial town, as aresult of the bloody unrest.

"Life is becoming difficult for us inWukari. We have been confined since Fri-day to our homes. Many of us have run outof food and water," said a resident on con-dition of anonymity.

"Nobody anticipated the crisis, and so wedid not stockpile food and water supplies,"said the 46-year-old cement trader whourged authorities to ease the curfew.

A housewife in the town and mother of

four, who identified herself simply asMaimuna, said, "We have very little to eatat home. I pray the authorities have mercyon us to relax the curfew to enable us tolook for food."

A civil servant who has a wife and threechildren in Wukari, told AFP that "foodand water have become very scarce. Myfamily has resorted to rationing our foodbecause we have only rice and palm oil leftand we are also running out of kerosenefor cooking."

Taraba police spokesman, Joseph Kwaji,told AFP on Sunday that troops and po-licemen were patrolling the town.

"The 24-hour curfew is still in force and allresidents are indoors. Policemen and sol-diers are patrolling all the streets to main-tain law and order," he said.

He gave no indication when the curfew willbe lifted.

Kwaji said Friday's violence erupted whenthe funeral procession of a traditional chieffrom the predominantly Christian Jukunethnic group marched through a Muslimneighbourhood chanting slogans, which

Muslims viewed as an act of provocation.

Tensions have been on the rise in Wukarisince February, when a dispute over theuse of a football pitch between Muslim andChristian soccer teams set off sectarianriots that claimed several lives.

--Reuters

Residents of a central Nigerian town where 39 people died in fierce fighting be-

tween Christian and Muslim mobs said on Sunday they were fast running out of

food and water as a result of the round-the-clock curfew.

Israel has no right to occupied Palestinian

lands: Scottish church

T

LAW / IMMIGRATIONRubio Says Citizenship in U.S.

Immigration Revamp Isn’t AmnestyMillions of undocumented immigrants in theU.S. should be allowed to earn their citizen-ship because deporting them isn’t realistic,said Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio.

Rubio, who has emerged as a leading sup-porter of revamping U.S. immigration laws,spoke yesterday on all five Sunday talk showsto defend a bipartisan proposal expected to beintroduced this week in the Senate.

Rubio, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press”program, rejected arguments that the pro-posal would amount to amnesty for the esti-mated 11 million undocumented immigrantsin the U.S.

“It’s not amnesty because you pay serious con-sequences for having violated the law,” Rubiosaid. “If someone believes we can round themup and deport them, they should advocatethat. I don’t think that’s a reasonable goal.”

The plan would allow undocumented immi-grants to remain and work in the country ifthey meet certain requirements and apply forpermanent residency -- or a green card -- after10 years, Rubio said. They could apply for citi-zenship after receiving their green cards, hesaid.

A group of eight senators has resolved “every

significant disagreement” when it comes toimmigration reform and plans to introduce abill tomorrow, Senator Charles Schumer, aDemocrat from New York, said on ABC’s “ThisWeek” program.

‘Major Agreement’

“I think you’ll see a major agreement, that’sbalanced but fair, that will have the wide-spread support of the American people,”Schumer, one of the group of eight, said yes-terday on ABC’s “This Week” program. “Thisis a balanced approach that both prevents fu-ture waves of illegal immigration, but hascommon-sense solutions.”

After being introduced, the bill will be sub-jected to hearings and negotiations as law-makers and President Barack Obama’sadministration attempt to craft a major over-haul of U.S. immigration laws for the firsttime in nearly three decades.

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, the Demo-cratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Com-mittee, told reporters last week he expects toreview the proposal at an April 17 hearing.A series of security “triggers” must be met be-fore undocumented immigrants can begin ap-plying for green cards, including tougherborder security and the creation of a nation-wide worker verification system, Rubio said.The government also must create an elec-tronic system to verify whether foreignershave overstayed their visas, Rubio said.Cheaper, Faster

“It will be cheaper, faster and easier for peopleto go back home and wait 10 years than it willbe to go through this process that I’ve out-lined,” Rubio said during an appearance onthe “Fox News Sunday” program. “That’s whyit’s not amnesty.”

Undocumented immigrants would be grantedtemporary work permits to remain in thecountry for the 10 years before they couldapply for green cards under the plan, Rubiosaid.

The temporary work permits would be avail-able as soon as the U.S. Department of Home-land Security establishes a plan to secure thenation’s borders.

Undocumented immigrants would have topass background checks and pay fines and ap-plication fees in order to receive a temporarywork permit, Rubio said. They wouldn’t qual-ify for federal benefits, such as welfare, underthe temporary permits, Rubio said.‘Not Convinced’

Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessionssaid on ABC’s “This Week” that he’s “not con-vinced” the immigration proposal is good forthe country.

Undocumented immigrants would be granted temporary work permits to remain in the

country for the 10 years before they could apply for green cards under the plan, said U.S.

Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida. Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Im-

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WASHINGTON: US immigration authoritieswould give preference to better-educated andtrained visa-seekers who can contribute to theAmerican economy under a less-noticed provi-sion of the immigration bill in the U.S. Con-gress.

The bi-partisan bill in the U.S. Senate wouldrewrite the half-century-old standards thatcontrol legal immigration to favor skills overfamily ties.

The winners of this proposed "merit-based"system, experts say, would be primarily fromAsia, particularly from India, China and thePhilippines, whose citizens are more likely tohave attended college or have on-the-jobtraining in skilled occupations such as engi-neering and technology. The losers are likelyto be Mexicans and Central Americans.

The new system, long advocated by econo-

mists and politicians who believe the mainpurpose of immigration laws should be toserve economic growth, would replace onegeared mainly to reuniting families.

As an example, an engineering graduate fromIndia would have a better chance ofimmigrating to the United Statesthan the grandmother of a natural-ized U.S. citizen who does not speakEnglish.

The best known provisions of theSenate bill would provide a path tolegal status for roughly 11 million un-documented immigrants currentlyliving in the United States, reinforceU.S. borders to control the flow of fu-ture illegal immigrants, and establisha new system for temporary "guestworkers" to meet the needs of em-ployers seeking lower-skilled work-

ers.

So far, those are the most controversial ele-ments of the bill, which is scheduled for con-sideration next week in the Senate JudiciaryCommittee, the first step in a prolonged de-bate in the Senate and the U.S. House of Rep-resentatives. The merit-based approach mayprovoke a fight as well.

Currently, most foreigners can only get agreen card - which allows them to stay andwork in the United States - if an immediatefamily member or company sponsors them.Cubans and refugees are admitted under dif-ferent programs.

US immigration bill: Better-educatedand trained visa-seekers preferred

Africa's economic boomeconomic reforms that were in place nearlytwo decades before oil was discovered in2007, play a major role in the country’s long-term economic prospects and sustainability,even though Ghana’s rate of growth will notremain at its current astronomical levels.

Price reports that Ethiopia is yet anothercountry with a promising future. Ethiopiarepresents a huge market that can drive eco-nomic growth and integration in the Horn ofAfrica region. Ethiopia’s economic growth hasbeen fueled by hydroelectric power, which en-ables it to export electricity to neighboringcountries. Price says that Ethiopia has alsobenefited from large-scale government invest-ment in agriculture, industrialization, and in-frastructure.

Much of the promising economic news com-ing out of Africa reflects rising commodityprices. The continent can also expect to capi-talize on having a comparatively young demo-

graphic structure, as the growth 16 to 30 agebracket provides the potential for an ex-panded workforce. This is also the demo-graphic that will rapidly adopt mobiletechnology, which is likely to increase bothmarkets and productivity on the continent.

With sharp and rapid growth, however, thereis greater economic disparity. While globaldemand for Africa’s natural resources willcontinue to attract investors, the growing gapbetween the rich and the poor could triggersocial and political instability in the future ifcountries do not take measures to reduce eco-nomic disparity so that more people will ben-efit from the growth of national and regionaleconomies.

African nations should also be careful to di-rect a sizable portion of the surplus from thisgrowth into infrastructure and economic di-versity, so that nations will not be dependenton high commodity prices to sustain a higherstandard of living over the long-term.

(continued on page 21)

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'Fuelling Poverty' Documentary Censoredby Nigerian Officials

LAGOS, Nigeria — The documentary on amassive strike that paralyzed life in Nigeriafeatures newspaper headlines, televisionnews footage and other information widelyknown about a government gasoline subsidythat saw billions of dollars stolen by greedycompanies and the nation's elite.

It also, according to Nigerian authorities,could spark violence and potentially threatennational security.

The 30-minute film called "Fuelling Poverty"has been online for months, but only recentlyNigerian officials have refused its directorpermission to show it publicly in this oil-richnation of more than 160 million people.While free speech is enshrined in this demo-cratic nation's constitution, an ever-increas-ing drumbeat of complaints and criticalarticles about the administration of Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan has seen authoritiesincreasingly target journalists and others.

The film, sponsored by Soros Foundation'sOpen Society Justice Initiative for WestAfrica, focuses on the protests aroundJonathan's decision to remove subsidies ongasoline in January 2012. Life in Nigeriaground to a halt before unions backed down.Later, a report by lawmakers demandedbusinesses and government agencies to re-

turn some $6.7 billion over the subsidy pro-gram.

Ishaya Bako, who directed the film that fea-

tures civil rights activists and Nobel Prizelaureate Wole Soyinka, later applied for theright to show the film publicly. In a letter

dated April 8, Nige-ria's National Filmand Video CensorsBoard told Bako thatthe documentary was"prohibited for exhibi-tion in Nigeria."

"I am further to in-form you that this de-cision is due to thefact that the contentsof the film are highlyprovocative and likelyto incite or encouragepublic disorder andundermine nationalsecurity," the lettersigned by boardlawyer Effiong In-wang reads. "Pleaseyou are strongly ad-vised not to distribute

or exhibit the documentary film. All relevantnational security agencies are on the alert."

Tanko Abdullahi, a spokesman for the board,initially told The Associated Press onWednesday that the film wasn't banned, butwas "denied classification." Later, in thesame conversation, he acknowledged itcouldn't be shown over unspecified "securityissues.""What is national security for Nigeria is dif-ferent from that of the U.S.A.," Abdullahisaid. "We made that determination becauseof the content of the film. That's why youhave regulators."

The government's decision has seen morepeople watch the film online. It also hassparked outrage from human rights activistsand press freedom groups.

Lauryn Hill gets 3 monthsfor failing to pay taxes

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Grammy-winningsinger Lauryn Hill stood in federal court Mon-day and compared her experience in the musicbusiness to the slavery her ancestors enduredbefore a judge sentenced her to three months inprison for failing to pay about $1 million intaxes over the past decade.

"I am a child of former slaves who had a systemimposed on them," Hill said before U.S. Magis-trate Madeline Cox Arleo. "I had an economicsystem imposed on me."

Hill, who started singing with the Fugees as ateenager in the 1990s before releasing her mul-tiplatinum 1998 album "The Miseducation ofLauryn Hill," pleaded guilty last year to failingto pay taxes on more than $1.8 million earnedfrom 2005 to 2007. The sen-tencing also took into accountunpaid state and federaltaxes in 2008 and 2009 thatbrought the total earnings toabout $2.3 million.

Despite having paid morethan $900,000 in the pastseveral days, Hill still owesinterest and penalties, theU.S. attorney's office said.

In a forceful but controlledstatement to the judge punc-tuated by occasional rapswith her first on the podium,Hill described how she failedto pay taxes during a periodwhen she'd dropped out ofthe music business to protectherself and her children, whonow number six.

She said the treatment shereceived while she was in theentertainment business led toher decision to leave it.

"There were veiled threats,there was blacklisting," shesaid, without giving specifics."I was told, 'That's how itgoes, it comes with the terri-tory.' I came to be perceivedas a cash cow and not a per-son. When people capitalizeon a persona, they forgetthere is a person in there."

In addition to serving threemonths in prison, Hill mustpay a $60,000 fine. After she

is released from prison, she will be under parolesupervision for a year, the first three months ofwhich will be spent under home confinement.

The 37-year-old South Orange resident hadfaced a maximum sentence of one year each onthree counts of failing to file taxes. Her attorneyhad sought probation, arguing that Hill's chari-table works, her family circumstances and thefact she paid back the taxes she owed shouldmerit consideration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Moser acknowl-edged Hill's creative talent and work on behalfof impoverished children but called Hill's expla-nation for her actions "a parade of excuses cen-tering around her feeling put upon" that don'texempt her from her responsibilities.

By JON GAMBRELL

HuffingtonPost

Wole Soyinka is featured in the film

SPORTS

Egypt's national football team has risen byseven places in the FIFA world ranking.

FIFA published the April edition of theworld football rankings on Thursday, re-vealing that Egypt has risen from 72to 68 inthe global rankings. Egypt also moved upone place to 15 in the Confederation ofAfrican Football ranking.

The Pharaohs climb in the world rankingsis due to the 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe inthe Group G World Cup Qualifying matchat the end of March.

Egypt's ranking had suffered after the na-tional team failed to qualify for the African

Cup of Nations in 2012 and 2013. Theteam’s fortunes have turned in theirbid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup inBrazil. They currently sit unbeaten at thetop of Group G of the Africa region withnine points.

The FIFA world ranking saw other interest-ing climbers and fallers. Kyrgyzstanjumped 59 positions to 142 in the ranking,having played three matches in March andwinning them all. England and Italy bothdropped three places to 7 and 8 respectivelyand Spain retained its position as the topteam in the world, followed closely by Ger-many.

--albawaba

Egypt move up in FIFAworld ranking

Pharaohs move up in FIFA world ranking

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collaboration with stakeholders and organizehealth educational programmes for people,particularly school children, in the reproduc-tive stage.

He said the Coalition would also intensify ed-ucation on sexual reproductive health andrights in schools, homes and communities, aswell as monitor the growth of teenage moth-ers, offer them psychosocial counseling andmake sure that those who dropped out ofschool returned to the classroom.

Mr. Amissah-Nyarko called on developmentpartners, the Government, media and stake-holders to support the Coalition in achievingits objectives.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP)

Hilda Akarimanga, Deputy Regional Coordi-nator of the Domestic Violence and VictimsSupport Unit (DOVVSU), condemned menwho engage in incest, particularly fathers,who impregnate their daughters, and cau-tioned mothers who cover up the ‘disgracefulact’.

She advised victims of these acts and theirmothers, or relatives, to report to DOVVSUfor the law to take its course.

ASP Akarimanga asked parents to give theirchildren the right training so that they do notbecome reliability to society.

The GCNH is a non-profit civil society organi-zation, serving as an umbrella and coordinat-ing body of activities of all registered NGOsworking in the area of health.

750,000 teenagers becomepregnant in Ghana annually

(continued from page 7)

Stanford Graduate School of Business Offers First Africa MBA Fellowship

STANFORD, Califfornia

Stanford Graduate School of Business today announced its first Stanford AfricaMBA Fellowship. The grant was created to encourage talented African citizens witha commitment to the continent's development to pursue an MBA at Stanford.

Up to eight fellowships will be awarded annually. Each will cover tuition and asso-ciated fees of approximately US$140,000 for the two-year program. The fellowshiphas been launched as a pilot and is expected to continue for three to five years.

Africa is home to 6 of the world's 10 fastest-growing economies. The continent of-fers the highest level of return on foreign direct investment in the world. At thesame time, Africa accounts for just 2% of global trade. "There are both great op-portunities for economic development as well as management challenges," saidStanford Graduate School of Business dean Garth Saloner, who grew up in SouthAfrica. "We are committed to supporting the education of promising high-potentialleaders who will make a difference in the continent's future. Moreover, African stu-dents in our program provide direct insight into an emerging global economy thatis increasingly powerful in business."

In addition, the Stanford Africa MBA Fellowship is consistent with Stanford GSB'scontinuing investment in developing future leaders who understand the implica-tions of Africa's growth. In summer 2012, 10% of Stanford MBA students workedin Africa. In 2011, Stanford launched the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Devel-oping Economies (SEED) with a $150 million gift. SEED aims to train on-the-ground entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and create jobs. Its first innovationhub will be introduced in West Africa in 2013. The school also supports an annualAfrica Forum and Africa Business Club at Stanford.

Fellowship Eligibility

To be eligible for the fellowship, students must be a citizen of an African country.Dual citizens are eligible as long as one citizenship belongs to an African nation.Permanent residents of an African country are not eligible. All fellowship applicantsmust first be admitted to the Stanford MBA Program through the same process asother applicants. All applicants will be assessed on Stanford's admission criteriaof intellectual vitality, demonstrated leadership potential, and personal qualitiesand contributions. Stanford Africa MBA Fellows must return to work in Africa withintwo years of completing the MBA and work for a period of at least two years there.To determine a fellowship applicant's financial need, s/he must complete Stanford'sfinancial aid process after admission.

The process for admission and fellowship application is as follows:

1) Apply to Stanford MBA Program in either the first or second round. Deadline dates for 2013-2014 are October 2, 2013, for Round 1 and January 8, 2014, for Round 2.

2) Receive an offer of admission in first round (December 11, 2013) or second round (March 26, 2014).

3) Apply for need-based financial aid by the deadline date. After reviewing financial aid applications, Stanford GSB will notify you if you are selected as a Stanford Africa MBA Fellow.

4) Confirm enrollment in Stanford GSB and accept the Stanford Africa MBA Fellowship.

5) Matriculate in, and successfully complete, the two-year Stanford MBA Program.6) Within two years of graduation from the Stanford MBA Program, return to Africa.

Work in Africa -- in business, government, or a nonprofit organization -- for at least two consecutive years.

CONTACT: Stanford Graduate School of Business Barbara Buell, 650-723-1771buell_barbara@gsb.stanford.edu

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