Weekending Sunday, 25 November 2007

BANKING BY MOBILE PHONE TO BECOME REALITY IN UGANDA

22 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Banking is about to get easier for many rural Ugandans. The Ugandan government has partnered with Map International, a New York-based company, to provide bank access via mobile phone to remote areas, Uganda’s Daily Monitor reported Thursday. Early next year systems will be put in place allowing funds to be received and transferred by mobile phone, and accessed by debit card. Eighty-five percent of Ugandans live in rural areas, the majority of them farmers who lack basic agricultural inputs that could increase their yields, in part because they do not have access to credit. By linking farmers to banking institutions, the government hopes to meet two goals, spurring economic development while laying the groundwork for increased infrastructure in rural areas. “Money that was under the mattress and buried and hidden in the roofs comes out and people have access to it. People are amazed at the amount of money in rural areas,” Ezra Suruma, Uganda’s Finance Minister, told the Associated Press. Electronic transfers will speed the payment of government salaries and pensions, making for greater transparency in government transactions and allowing recipients to avoid expensive check-cashing fees. The program “will enable people, especially in rural areas, to save, spend and borrow money efficiently, which will spur unprecedented local economic growth,” said Michael Landau, Chairman of Map International.

CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS NIGERIA’S SOURCES OF HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY

22 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Nigeria’s Minster of National Planning has identified climate change as a threat to the country’s ability to generate hydroelectric power. Mohammed Sanusi Daggash spoke on the impact of climate change in Abuja recently, and noted that global warming may lead to insufficient rainfall and low ground water levels, ultimately decreasing the river flows needed to generate hydroelectric power. Rainfall feeds Nigeria’s rivers, and, harnessed by hydroelectric power plants, accounts for about 36 percent of the nation’s energy. A decreased energy supply would spell economic disaster, closing businesses, causing job losses and increasing the cost of doing business in the country. The minister stated that studies have projected a sea level rise of approximately 0.5 meters, which could cause many low-lying coastal areas to be inundated with floods. Up to 35 percent of the Niger Delta region of the country could be lost. Daggash also mentioned that the total available water has been reduced by 40 to 60 percent in basins in Niger, Lake Chad and Senegal. This has resulted in lower average annual rainfall, runoff and soil moisture, worsening desertification. Climate models predict warmer temperatures and less rainfall for the region, also resulting in the loss of biodiversity, he noted. According to Daggash, “the adverse effects of these are increased numbers of drought, food shortage and environmental pressure that could lead to conflict between struggling nations, unleashing migrations of refugees on the African continent”.

SOMALI JOURNALISTS LOOK TO NEW PRIME MINISTER FOR FREEDOM AND PROTECTION

23 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Somalia is one of the most dangerous places on earth to be a journalist. So far this year, only Iraq has claimed the lives of more reporters. On Friday, the day after the appointment of a new Prime Minister, Nur Hassan Hussein, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) called on Hussein to provide greater protections for reporters and end government-sponsored media censorship. “We plead to Premier Nur Hassan Hussein to be a leader of a government that respects and protects its citizens, including journalists as enshrined in the Transitional Federal Charter,” said Omar Faruk Osman, Secretary General of NUSOJ. “This year has been a terrifying one for Somali media, and journalists are working in dreadfully dangerous conditions,” Osman said. Earlier this month, three independent radio stations in Mogadishu were shut down without explanation by the country’s transitional government, leaving many Somalis with no media access. The action was condemned by Reporters Without Borders. “The public has been left in the dark, the media have been silenced one by one, and their employees have been forced underground or into exile. The consequences of this authoritarian behavior are disastrous,” the international free press organization said in a statement following the closures. Eight journalists have been murdered in Somalia since January, with both the UN-backed transitional government and insurgents accusing media outlets of disseminating propaganda. While the NUSOJ plea may fall on deaf ears – the Information Ministry of the Transitional Federal Government does not recognize the Union – the plight of Somali journalists is gaining international attention. “For most people, from humanitarian agencies to governments and media houses, information on Somalia is dependent on the journalist on the ground in Mogadishu, ducking guns and struggling to stay alive,” said Richard Barno, Senior Researcher for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s Capacity Building Program Against Terrorism.

AFRICAN JOURNALISTS RALLY AGAINST FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

23 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Members of the media from several African countries have resolved to launch a massive awareness-raising campaign for the elimination of harmful traditional practices, particularly female genital mutilation (FGM), a procedure that continues to destroy the health of women and children, reports the Liberian-based publication The Inquirer. The campaign will include seminars, workshops and conferences as well as other training tools to educate the public on the dangers of all harmful traditional practices (HTPs). At the close of a two-day working session in Ethiopia, members of the media announced that they will work with policy makers, opinion leaders and other agencies to assist in the campaign. The group noted that while Africa’s rich cultural heritage has been the backbone of its people, some cultural practices are in fact detrimental to the health of the population. Believed by some to be beneficial for women, FGM and other practices are actually meant to demean them, reducing them to second-class citizens. The two-day media workshop was organized by the Inter-African Committee on traditional practices affecting the health of women and children (IAC/Ci-Af), and sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION MUST FOCUS ON ADAPTATION, RESEARCHERS SAY

23 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The looming danger of climate change has spurred climate experts to call for a shift in agricultural research to focus on cultivating plants that flourish in warmer weather, as opposed to those that grow quickly. This is just one example of experts’ increasing emphasis on adaptation in dealing with the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures are inevitable; the best strategy is to adapt crops to environmental stresses. The focus of research, experts suggest, should on be crops that grow in dry climates, such as sorghum and pearl millet. Because increasing temperatures will reduce crop yields, those most affected by climate change will be in Africa. The production of rice, a crop relied on by a significant number of the world’s poor, will also be significantly affected. Refocusing research, however, will pose many challenges, as billions of people are already reliant on crops that are not amenable warmer temperatures. “Adaptation is crucial. Drought-proofing of crops by developing heat-resistant varieties is probably one of the key elements,” said Martin Parry, co-chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, speaking at a recent climate change symposium.

SIERRA LEONE RESTATES COMMITMENT TOWARDS REACHING MDGS THROUGH REBUILDING ENERGY SECTOR

24 NOVEMBER 2007 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Following years of civil war, Sierra Leone may finally be back on track. Addressing a journalism program in Uganda, Sierra Leone’s President, Ernest Bai Koroma, said he plans to begin a major development program focusing on the country’s infrastructure and national reconciliation process. Rebuilding the economy will be at the center of the plan, which will be used to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Revitalizing the energy sector will also be a priority. “Our priority in terms of development is energy. We believe it is only when you have energy that you will be able to unlock the other economic activities,” said President Koroma. The education and health systems will also be the focus of reconstruction efforts. “We want to move the country in a different direction and we have to re-launch the economy, deepen the democratic process and consolidate the peace and reconciliation. It is important because what we want is a country that is united,” the President added. Though the government of Sierra Leone has often stated its commitment to reaching the MDGs, progress has been limited. Most of its 5 million people continue to live in poverty, a direct result of the 11-year civil war that ended in 2002. Though recent figures from the Ministry of Education have indicated a rise in the number of children enrolled in primary schools, the country is still far from reaching the set targets by 2015.