Press release: UNHRC Should Suspend Burundi from Membership (16.12.2015)

BurundiNTVNews

In response to Burundi joining the United Nations Human Rights Council for a three year term beginning January 1, 2016, Freedom House issued the following statement:

“Burundi should be suspended rather than be allowed to formally join the UNHRC, given the flagrant human rights abuses committed by the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza,” said Mark P. Lagon, president of Freedom House. “Suspending Burundi from the UNHRC, as the Council did with Libya in 2011, sends a strong message to the government that violent tactics are not acceptable, and may pressure the government to participate in an internationally mediated dialogue on neutral soil.  We welcome the Council’s special session on Burundi, scheduled for this Thursday, and the Council’s intention to send an investigative team there in January.”

Background:

The UN has received reports that as many as 200 people died December 11-12, when rebel forces attacked three military installations and Burundian security forces responded with door-to-door searches. Burundi’s military maintains the death toll was about 80.

Since April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza violated the Arusha Peace Accords by deciding to run for a third term, more than 300 people have been killed and over 240,000 have been forced to flee the country. In November, the Burundian government ordered the suspension of more than 10 local human rights organizations.

Burundi is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2015, and Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2015.

Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights.

Bank of Uganda: Monetary Police Statement for December 2015 – “CBR at 17%”

Monetary Policy Statement December 2015 P1Monetary Policy Statement December 2015 P2

Press Release: Italy joins Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa with USD 8-million contribution, raises continent’s green energy potential (15.12.2015)

Green-Economies-Africa-rpt

At the global climate summit in Paris on December 10, the Government of Italy announced a USD 8-million contribution to the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Italy’s capital infusion substantially raises the value of SEFA from USD 87 million to nearly USD 95 million, enabling it to continue scaling up its assistance to African nations to unlock private investments in sustainable energy. Italy joins the Governments of Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States in support of SEFA.

The Italian contribution comes at a critical point for climate change. As Governments meet in Paris to map out their evolving approach to global climate response, practical actions such as Italy’s announcement can help ensure that developing countries have the support they need for building their renewable energy sectors in their quest for fundamental sustainable development.  

“Italy is pleased to contribute to Africa’s sustainable energy development, particularly by supporting the development of more renewable energy projects, as well as AfDB President Adesina’s ambitious ‘New Deal’ to electrify the whole continent in the next 10 years,” stated Francesco La Camera, Italy’s Director General, Ministry for the Environment, Land, and Sea. “SEFA’s objectives are fully in line with our Government’s commitment to support African countries’ work to achieve economic development which is both green and inclusive. As our Prime Minister Renzi said during this summit gathering, Italy wants to ‘be among the protagonists of the fight against selfishness, on the side of those who choose non-negotiable values like the defence of our Mother Earth.’ We believe that joining forces in SEFA is an opportunity to do that.”

SEFA is an important element in the AfDB’s landmark New Deal on Energy for Africa, which looks to solve Africa’s huge energy deficit by 2025 under the pivotal leadership of AfDB’s new President, Akinwumi Adesina. SEFA was launched in 2012 to address several constraints to the development of Africa’s renewable energy sector, including a lack of bankable projects coming to market, limited access to finance for small and medium-sized projects, and challenging policy environments for private investment in the energy sector.

“AfDB deeply welcomes Italy and is grateful for its contribution to the SEFA partnership,” said Alex Rugamba, AfDB’s Energy, Environment and Climate Change Director. “SEFA plays critical role in opening the door for more private sector engagement in delivering energy infrastructure as well as connecting more Africans to modern energy sources, using technologies which are not damaging to our global environment.”

“It is time for change”- Special Edition Bokamoso by Mmusi Maimane

Statement for the video from Mmusi Maimane: 

Now is the time for South Africans to take their destiny into their own hands, and stop Jacob Zuma before he destroys what is left of our democracy and our economy.

And when I say South Africans, I don’t just mean DA supporters. I mean each and every South African who cares about this nation.

This includes all the good people within the ANC who perhaps feel they cannot stand up to Jacob Zuma. This man is using you to enrich himself.

Now, more than ever, we need people to unite for a common cause and against a common enemy.

Press Release: EIB backs KSh 12 billion of new private sector investment across East Africa (11.12.2015)

 

East-Africa

The European Investment Bank today agreed to provide EUR 110 (KSh 12 billion) million for investment by companies across East Africa under a three new partnerships launched in Nairobi earlier today. This is the largest ever support for investment by entrepreneurs and small business ever announced in East Africa by the EIB.

European Investment Bank Vice President Pim van Ballekom formally signed the three credit lined during a visit Kenya to mark the 10 year anniversary of local operations of the world’s largest international public bank and to highlight an expected increase in support for climate related projects in the region.

Under the new initiative the European Investment Bank, will back investment by micro, small and medium enterprises under three dedicated credit lines with the African Banking Corporation, NIC Bank and CRDB Bank that reflect different investment needs.

The new programme will support job creation and economic growth in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi by providing long-term local and foreign currency loans and support investment across a range of sectors, including agriculture.

“Investment by small companies and entrepreneurs is essential for economic growth and to create jobs. The European Investment Bank is pleased to strengthen our support to ensure that East African companies can unlock new business opportunities and build on previous successful engagement with leading local banks. Since the EIB’s regional office for East and Central Africa opened 10 years ago professionalism and enthusiasm of the Nairobi based team has strengthened our support for entrepreneurs and small business across the region.” said Pim van Ballekom, European Investment Bank Vice President.

“We are very happy to be partnering again with EIB and securing from them a second credit line . We first received Ksh. 770 million from EIB in 2012, which we have disbursed to our SME clients for longer term and at affordable rates. We have seen the immense potential SMEs have, and how access to affordable credit can turn around small entrepreneurs to become business leaders in their respective sectors. We are excited by this new credit line. It is a demonstration of the confidence that EIB has in ABC Bank, and it will bolster our capacity to continue lending to the SME segment to empower them to harness their market potential and contribute to the national economy. We look forward to the making of more success stories” said Shamaz Savani, ABC Bank Group Managing Director.

“We are delighted to deepen our partnership with EIB in supporting the development of SME and Midcap in various sectors of Tanzanian economy especially agriculture. SMEs in Tanzania contribute immensely to the growth of our economy and CRDB Bank has been playing a major role in the growth of local entrepreneurs especially women entrepreneurs and is keen in supporting SMEs to grow their businesses and improve their competitiveness.” said Saugata Bandyopadhyay, Deputy Managing Director Operation & Customer Service at CRDB Bank.

“As stated previously, we are accelerating our strategy to grow our Retail and SME Business. The EIB funding will support our push into the fast expanding SME sector,” said Mr. John Gachora, Group Managing Director, NIC Bank.

The three new lending programmes were formally launched in Nairobi by European Investment Bank Vice President Pim van Ballekom.

The three credit lines reflects the European Investment Bank’s broad support for private sector investment across Africa that addresses the varied investment needs of firms ranging from individual small entrepreneurs to more established companies employing hundreds of people.

The EIB agreed a new EUR 5 million credit line with ABC Bank that will support investment by companies in both Kenya and Uganda.

Companies here in Kenya will benefit from a new EUR 50 million credit line, agreed with NIC Bank Kenya.

Whilst investment in Tanzania and Burundi through a EUR 55 million loan to CRDB Bank will both support Tanzania based firms and includes EUR 3 million for companies based in Burundi. This is the EIB’s second engagement with CRDB.

Last year the European Investment Bank Group provided nearly EUR 22 billion to improve access to finance by small business around the world. In Africa nearly EUR 3 billon has been provided by the EIB for investment by small business and entrepreneurs since 2005.

Since 2005 the Nairobi presence of the European Investment Bank responsible for Central and Eastern Africa has supported more than EUR 3 billion (KSh 325 billion) of investment both across the region and elsewhere in Africa. Over the last decade the European Investment Bank has provided more than EUR 18 billion for investment across Africa.

Press Statement: ZA – Firing Nene reckless and irrational (09.12.2015)

Nene

Tonight’s announcement by President Zuma that he has fired Nhanhla Nene as Finance Minister is a reckless and dangerous move that further damages our country’s economy. Accompanied by no reasons for such a drastic move, one can only conclude that tonight’s action is yet another example of how President Zuma puts himself first and the country second.

It is common knowledge that Nhanhla Nene sought to reign in excessive government spending and was causing too much of a blockage for President Zuma in respect of the nuclear procurement deal and SAA. President Zuma has made one thing very clear tonight: if you stand in my way as Finance Minister and seek to introduce fiscal prudence, you will find yourself redeployed and cast aside. A Zuma ANC government has no regard for sensible finance policy that puts South Africa first.

Tonight’s firing of Nhanhla Nene has already had profoundly negative effects on the rand which has plummeted since news of the announcement broke. This is sure to make the plight of the unemployed in South Africa even more difficult.

The appointment of David van Rooyen as Finance Minister provides no assurance that our economy is in safe hands. The fact that President Zuma waited until after last Friday’s rating assessments to make this decision shows that he knew this was a bad decision.
By President Zuma’s own admission, Mr Nene “has done well […] during a difficult  economic climate, so it makes absolutely no sense for him to be fired. President Zuma has again proven himself to be a President incapable of making the right decisions to set South Africa on a path to increased economic growth and job creation.

At this time, our country requires strong economic leadership. Tonight’s decision is the complete opposite.

As the DA, we will subject Minister van Rooyen to close oversight as he begins his tenure. And we will intensify our efforts to bring change to South Africa. Change that brings strong leadership and a government that puts South Africa and its people  first.

Press Release: African Countries Launch AFR100 to Restore 100 Million Hectares of Land (05.12.2015)

Green-Economies-Africa-rpt

Commitments from 10 countries announced at the Global Landscapes Forum

PARIS (December 6, 2015)—African countries launched AFR100 (African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative), a pan-African, country-led effort to restore 100 million hectares (386 thousand square miles) of degraded and deforested landscapes by 2030. The AFR100 target of 100 million hectares has been endorsed by the African Union. So far 10 African countries have agreed to join AFR100 and committed at least 31.7 million hectares of land for forest landscape restoration. AFR100 partners are earmarking more than USD $1 billion in development finance and more than $540 million in private sector impact investment to support restoration activities.

The announcement was made during the Global Landscapes Forum at the Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris, where forest landscape restoration is a key ingredient of the global movement to adapt to and mitigate climate change. Commitments made through AFR100 build on significant climate pledges made by many African countries to support a binding global climate agreement.

“Restoring our landscapes brings prosperity, security and opportunity,” said Dr. Vincent Biruta, Minister of Natural Resources in Rwanda. “With forest landscape restoration we’ve seen agricultural yields rise and farmers in our rural communities diversify their livelihoods and improve their well-being. Forest landscape restoration is not just an environmental strategy, it is an economic and social development strategy as well.”

For the first time, AFR100 brings together political leadership with an ambitious package of financial and technical resources to support a large-scale forest landscape restoration effort across Africa. Nine financial partners and 10 technical assistance providers have pledged support, led by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD Agency), Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and World Resources Institute (WRI).

“The scale of these new restoration commitments is unprecedented,” said Wanjira Mathai, Chair of the Green Belt Movement and daughter of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai. “I have seen restoration in communities both large and small across Africa, but the promise of a continent-wide movement is truly inspiring. Restoring landscapes will empower and enrich rural communities while providing downstream benefits to those in cities. Everybody wins. ”

Countries that have agreed to join the AFR100 initiative include:

• Democratic Republic of Congo | 8 million hectares
• Ethiopia | 15 million hectares
• Kenya | Committed, but finalizing hectare target
• Liberia | 1 million hectares
• Madagascar | Committed, but finalizing hectare target
• Malawi | Committed, but finalizing hectare target
• Niger | 3.2 million hectares
• Rwanda | 2 million hectares
• Togo | Committed, but finalizing hectare target
• Uganda | 2.5 million hectares

AFR100 builds on the climate commitments made by African countries. So far, 13 of the INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) submitted by African countries include restoration, conservation of standing forests, or “climate-smart” agriculture. According to WRI analysis, following through on the commitments would cumulatively reduce emissions by 1.2 Gt CO2eq over the next 10 years, or 36 percent of Africa’s annual emissions and 0.25 percent of global emissions.

“Restoration is really Africa’s gift to the world,” said Dr. Andrew Steer, president and CEO, World Resources Institute. “As the world forges a climate agreement in Paris, African countries— which bear the least historic responsibility for climate change– are showing leadership with ambitious pledges to restore land. These countries are well on their way to meet the goal of restoring 100 million hectares of land, which will help sequester carbon and bring economic benefits to low-income, rural communities. These African leaders are turning their words into action and making a real contribution to respond to the global threat of climate change.”

AFR100 recognizes the benefits that forests and trees can provide in African landscapes: improved soil fertility and food security, greater availability and quality of water resources, reduced desertification, increased biodiversity, green jobs, economic growth, and increased capacity for climate change resilience and mitigation. Forest landscape restoration has the potential to improve livelihoods, especially for women. For example, 20 years ago, women in southern Niger spent an average of 2.5 hours daily collecting firewood, which was scarce in the degraded landscape. Now they prune on-farm trees saving two hours a day, time that can be spent on other income generating activities.

Commitments announced through AFR100 also support the Bonn Challenge, a global target to bring 150 million hectares of land into restoration by 2020 adopted in Germany in 2011, the New York Declaration on Forests that extends that challenge to 350 million hectares by 2030, and the African Resilient Landscapes Initiative (ARLI), an initiative to promote integrated landscape management with the goal of adapting to and mitigating climate change. With these new partners, the Bonn Challenge process has surpassed the 100 m hectare mark, on track to meet its goal well ahead of the 2020 target date.

AFR100 builds on a strong tradition of successful forest landscape restoration in Africa. In Ethiopia’s Tigray region, local communities have already restored over 1 million hectares, making the land more drought-resistant. In Niger, farmers have increased the number of on-farm trees across 5 million hectares of agricultural landscapes, improving food security for 2.5 million people. AFR100 will provide a forum for countries and communities to share knowledge and resources to achieve restoration at a greater scale.

“We know that restoration works for Africa. We’ve seen it work in countries as diverse as Malawi, Ethiopia, and Mali,” said Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of NEPAD and former Prime Minister of Niger. “But we need to scale up restoration across the whole continent- more than 700 million hectares of land in Africa have potential for restoration. AFR100 provides a platform to work together more effectively to accelerate the achievement of restoration successes to benefit tens of millions of people who are currently searching for ways to adapt to climate change and improve their well-being.”

AFR100 will help to translate ambitious commitments into action with support from private sector investors, foundations, development banks, and bilateral and multilateral funders. AFR100 will leverage a variety of financing, including grants, equity investments, loans, risk management guarantees and funds for specific interventions.

So far, AFR100 partners have set forth over USD $1 billion of development financing:

  • World Bank: USD $1 billion in investment in 14 African countries by 2030, as part of the Africa Climate Business Plan to support Africa’s climate resilient and low carbon development
  • Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is providing support for the development of the AFR100 initiative

Impact investors have already earmarked USD $546.5 million for restoration under AFR100:

  • Ecoplanet Bamboo: USD $175 million by 2020
  • Sustainable Forest Investments – Netherlands: USD $150m by 2030
  • Terra Global Capital: USD $100 million by 2030
  • Green World Ventures: USD $65 million by 2020
  • Moringa Partnership: USD $56.5 million by 2030
  • NatureVest (impact investment arm of the Nature Conservancy)
  • Permian Global

Through AFR100, we expect to trigger one of the largest investments in forest landscape restoration the world has ever seen,” said H.E. Dr. Gerd Müller, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany. “This investment is vital for empowering local communities to scale up the inspiring restoration successes we’ve seen in Africa over the last decade.”

In addition to new financing, a coalition of organizations will provide technical assistance on a wide range of activities, including the mapping of restoration opportunities, securing further financing, and implementing restoration efforts on the ground. Partners include World Resources Institute (WRI), Clinton Foundation, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), Kijani, New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD Agency), The Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative (LPFN), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and The Greenbelt Movement.

NRM EC Letter betweeen Mr Kafalanga & Mr Lukyamuzi (Dated: 20.11.15)

NRM 071215

Worth looking that NRM candidates are buying their NRM Candidature, right? Really democratic! Peace.

$50M sugar plant to open in Amuru district (Youtube-Clip)

“A multi billion shilling sugar processing plant in Atiak within the northern district of Amuru, will be commissioned soon” (…)”The USD$50M (UGX 175B) investment will have an installed capacity of 5,000Metric Tons, according to the project managers” (…)”The facility sits on 15,000 hectares of land half of which has now been planted with sugarcane” (NTV-Uganda, 2015).

You want more meat to the barbeque:

Check these blogs:

Here you get certain information about the land-grabs that is vital and pivotal to building of this kind of factory and development in Amuru:

Amuru Land Grab: What is Our’s is Our’s; What is theirs is ours; Whatever is yours, is still ours

Some prequel stuff as well:

Amuru Land Grabbing and MP arrested

Hope you also found this interesting! Peace.

 

UBOS Press Release: Uganda – Consumer Price Index – November 2015

UBOS November 2015