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The fight against dirty money goes global | North Africa

July 2, 2014

Peter Singhatey African Center for Strategic Studies Africa, corruption, Development, Gambia, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment

The fight against dirty money goes global | North Africa.

A s heads of state meet Malabo on 1 July for the African Union (AU) summit, a substantial bombshell is due to drop at the gathering.

It will take the form of a no- holds-barred investigation into the multibillion-dollar losses that state treasuries are suffering across Africa due to what are euphemistically called ‘illicit financial flows.’

A detailed research dossier on how these losses are engineered and the damage they do to Africa’s development chances, along with some hard-hitting recommendations, will be released at the summit.

The report’s authors hope the scale of the losses to African treasuries – $50-100bn a year at a time when the continent is scrabbling for development capital – will prompt serious and practical action from the assembled leaders.

These losses are the ill-gotten gains of grand corruption, criminal fixing of trade prices, tax evasion and money laundering…

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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..

How Illicit Financial Flows Drain African Economies | Open Society Foundations (OSF)

April 22, 2014

Peter Singhatey African Center for Strategic Studies Africa, corruption, Development, Gambia, Money Laundery, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

How Illicit Financial Flows Drain African Economies | Open Society Foundations (OSF).

“African economies have lost between $597 billion and $1.4 trillion in illicit financial flows in the past three decades. That’s nearly equal to the entire continent’s current gross domestic product. This plunder results in missed development opportunities, increased poverty, and continued injustice.

While many African nations are experiencing unprecedented economic growth, illicit financial flows (IFFs) prevent this growth from translating into better overall living conditions for Africans…”

ISS Africa | The post-2015 Development Agenda: new goals, no goals – or own goals?

February 24, 2014

Peter Singhatey Reports Africa, Development, Gambia, MDGs, People & Society Leave a comment

ISS Africa | The post-2015 Development Agenda: new goals, no goals – or own goals?.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), for all their doubtless faults, had this one great virtue: they encapsulated the whole, sprawling and often rather arcane development issue into eight universal, simple, concrete, comprehensible and measurable development targets, to be reached mainly by 2015.

From halving absolute poverty and hunger to reducing infant mortality by two-thirds, the goals were clear and tangible, which made them relatively easy to brand and market. Being measurable, they would, of course, quite clearly show success or failure. And as the deadline looms, it is apparent that in sub-Saharan Africa especially, failure will be far more common than success…

Plastic surgery app for nine-year-olds sparks outrage on Twitter | Technology | theguardian.com

January 15, 2014

Peter Singhatey Health Development, Health, peter singhateh, Plastic Surgery Apps Leave a comment

Plastic surgery app for nine-year-olds sparks outrage on Twitter | Technology | theguardian.com.

Apple and Google are facing a backlash from social media users for promoting cartoon plastic surgery apps to children as young as nine.

Messages on Twitter spoke of disgust over an iTunes game which shows a smiling cartoon character named Barbie about to go under the knife. Users of the app are placed in the role of a liposuction doctor.

The blurb for the app, created by Corina Rodriquez, reads: “This unfortunate girl has so much extra weight that no diet can help her. In our clinic she can go through a surgery called liposuction that will make her slim and beautiful. We’ll need to make small cuts on problem areas and suck out the extra fat. Will you operate her, doctor??”…

A ‘Marshall Plan’ needed to tackle Africa’s unemployment challenge – Comment – www.theeastafrican.co.ke

January 13, 2014

Peter Singhatey African Center for Strategic Studies Africa, Development, Economic Growth, Gambia, peter singhateh, unemployment Leave a comment

A ‘Marshall Plan’ needed to tackle Africa’s unemployment challenge – Comment – www.theeastafrican.co.ke.

To Africa’s many challenges, add one more: unemployment.

Unemployment, independent of any other factor, threatens to derail the economic promise that Africa deserves. It’s a ticking time bomb with no geographical boundaries.

Economists expect Africa to create 54 million new jobs by 2020, but 122 million Africans will enter the labour force during that time. Adding to this shortfall are tens of millions currently unemployed or underemployed…

Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2014 | Brookings Institution

January 7, 2014

Peter Singhatey African Center for Strategic Studies Africa, Development, Education, Gambia, People & Society, peter singhateh, Peter Singhatey Leave a comment

Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2014 | Brookings Institution.

As Africa’s position in the world continues to grow and evolve in 2014, the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative continues its tradition of asking its experts and colleagues to identify what they consider to be the key issues for Africa in the coming year. Join the conversation on Twitter using #ForesightAfrica and tell us what you think are the critical issues Africa must pay attention to in 2014.

An Epidemic of Attention Deficit Disorder – NYTimes.com

January 2, 2014

Peter Singhatey Research ADHD, Development, Education, Gambia, Health, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

An Epidemic of Attention Deficit Disorder – NYTimes.com.

There is no doubt that a small percentage of children, perhaps 5 percent, have the disorder and that medication can alleviate the symptoms, such as inability to concentrate, that can impede success in school or in life. Some studies have shown that medications helped elementary schoolchildren who had been carefully evaluated for A.D.H.D. improve their concentration and their scores on reading and math tests.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 15 percent of high-school-age children had been diagnosed with the disorder and that the number of children taking medication for it had soared to 3.5 million, up from 600,000 in 1990. Many of these children, it appears, had been diagnosed by unskilled doctors based on dubious symptoms…