Articles on Africa | Peter "Just Loves Flying"

8 Facts about Chinas Investments in Africa | Brookings Institution

May 21, 2014

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, China, Development, Gambia, peter singhateh Leave a comment

8 Facts about Chinas Investments in Africa | Brookings Institution.

“Considering the low priority of Africa in China’s overall foreign strategic mapping, a disproportionate level of international attention, publicity and scrutiny is paid to China’s Africa engagement,” writes Yun Sun, in a recent John L. Thornton China Center/Africa Growth Initiative paper, “Africa in China’s Foreign Policy.”

Below are selected data from her paper. Download it to read her thorough analysis of China’s interests in Africa and how China’s internal bureaucracy makes political, economic and security decisions regarding Africa policy.

By the end of 2009, 45.7 percent of China’s cumulative foreign aid of ¥256.29 billion had been given to countries in Africa.

China is Africa’s largest trading partner, surpassing the United States in 2009..

Out of Africa: The great money migration – Features – Al Jazeera English

May 2, 2014

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, Money Laundering, peter singhateh, Poverty Reduction, Research, West Africa Leave a comment

Out of Africa: The great money migration – Features – Al Jazeera English.

“Almost $2 trillion has left Africa illicitly since 1970, thwarting poverty reduction and economic growth.

The figures are staggering: At least $1.8 trillion illicitly flowed out of Africa between 1970 and 2009.

This is far more than the external aid the continent received over the same period, and almost five times its current external debt. According to researchers, the continent also loses at least $100bn a year in this financial haemorrhage.

African leaders convened this week in the Ethiopian city of Bahar Dar to discuss illicit financial flows and what can be done to staunch them. A study commissioned by the Tana High Level Forum on African Security, which organised the conference, found that illicit flows from Africa grew at an average rate of 12.1 percent per year since 1970, and that capital flight from West and Central African countries accounted for most of the illicit flows from sub-Saharan Africa…”

The science of why most marathon winners are from east Africa – Vox

April 26, 2014

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, Health, Marathon Runners, Marathon Winners, peter singhateh Leave a comment

The science of why most marathon winners are from east Africa – Vox.

“All six winners in Boston today are originally from the same corner of the world: east Africa. And that’s true of almost every major long-distance race, going back for years. So why is that? Why do runners from two or three medium-sized countries, none of which have much money or highly developed infrastructure, manage to outrun virtually the entire world —virtually every time they compete?

This is a question that scientists and journalists have been asking since the 1990s, when the trend began, a few years after African nutrition rates caught up with the rest of the world. But the question has never totally been answered, in part because merely asking it touches on some of the most sensitive issues in modern history: colonialism, slavery, and persistent racial inequality both in Africa and outside of it…”

A good man in Rwanda

April 17, 2014

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Genocide, Peace & Security, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

A good man in Rwanda.

Capt Diagne, the subject of the BBC documentary A Good Man in Rwanda, was “the greatest hero the UN has ever had” and the medal must be named after him, Prince Zeid told the UN Security Council.

The BBC’s international development correspondent Mark Doyle says the story of Capt Diagne is still not very well known.

But after extensive research a BBC team was able to conclude that he had personally saved hundreds of lives during the 1994 genocide in which an estimated 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 100 days.

Women on the Rise in African Politics

February 11, 2014

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Gambia, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Women on the Rise in African Politics.

DAKAR — Africa now has three female heads of state, after Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic took office in January. Though women leaders remain the exception in African politics, activists say things are looking up.

Women are breaking into the “boys club” of the African presidency.

One in four young people in developing countries unable to read, says UN | Global development | theguardian.com

January 31, 2014

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Education, Gambia, peter singhateh, United Nations Leave a comment

One in four young people in developing countries unable to read, says UN | Global development | theguardian.com.

One in four young people in developing countries are unable to read a sentence, according to a report, which warns that poor quality education has left a “legacy of illiteracy” more widespread than previously believed.

Research published on Wednesday by Unesco, the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural body, suggests that 175 million young people lack even basic literacy skills.

“Access [to education] is not the only crisis – poor quality is holding back learning even for those who make it to school,” said Unesco director-general, Irina Bokova, in a foreword to the 11th annual Education for All global monitoring report, which measures progress towards global goals.

allAfrica.com: Africa Isn\’t Rising, Say Ordinary Africans (Page 1 of 2)

October 31, 2013

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Development, Gambia, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

allAfrica.com: Africa Isn\’t Rising, Say Ordinary Africans (Page 1 of 2)

via allAfrica.com: Africa Isn\’t Rising, Say Ordinary Africans (Page 1 of 2).

A pioneering new survey of public opinion in 34 countries across the continent suggests that the relatively high average growth in gross domestic product (GDP) reported in recent years is not reflected in the experiences of most citizens.

An average of one in five Africans still often goes without food, clean water or medical care. Only one in three think economic conditions in their country are good. Fifty-three percent say they are “fairly bad” or “very bad”.

The survey suggests that either the benefits of growth are being disproportionately channelled to a wealthy elite or that official statistics are overstating average growth rates (or possibly a combination of both)…

Rwanda rolls out free WiFi for all

October 22, 2013

Peter Singhatey Articles on Africa Africa, Development, Education, Peace & Security, peter singhateh, Rwanda Leave a comment

Rwanda rolls out free WiFi for all.

Kigali – It’s a scene any visitor would be surprised to see deep in central Africa: a tech-savvy consumer sitting in a restaurant and surfing a broadband connection with a smartphone, tablet and laptop.

But in a region long associated with war and genocide, Rwanda is busy trying to reinvent itself as a regional high tech hub by rolling out free citywide and eventually nationwide wireless connectivity…