Britain won’t turn its back on Africa following Brexit (29.11.2016)

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There is clearly a need in the aftermath of Brexit for there to be a degree of reassurance given to Africa that Brexit doesn’t mean that the United Kingdom is going to turn its back on Africa.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, November 29, 2016 -Brexit does not mean that the British government will turn its back on Africa, Lord Paul Boateng, a Member of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords said Monday.

Speaking at the first ever Africa Trade Forum which is being hosted by the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union, Mr. Boateng said Brexit presents Africa and the UK with an opportunity to “put development at the heart of our trading relationship with Africa in a way frankly that it has not always been in relation to the EPAs, let’s be frank about it”.

“The UK recognizes that and we will seek every opportunity to minimize the disruption in our trading relationship and take every opportunity to seize this chance to re-fashion the relationship between the UK and Africa in terms of trade so intra-African trade becomes an opportunity which we can seize together,” he said.

Contributing to debate on Africa-E.U. Economic and Trade Cooperation and Brexit implications for Africa, Mr. Boateng assured participants, including African Ministers of Trade, Finance and Transportation as well as senior government officials, heads of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), African CEOs and executives, representatives of international development agencies, civil society and others, that trade relations between the UK and Africa will not be affected following Brexit.

“There is clearly a need in the aftermath of Brexit for there to be a degree of reassurance given to Africa that Brexit doesn’t mean that the United Kingdom is going to turn its back on Africa and I’m able to assure you that right across the political divide in the UK, in both Houses, Africa and the UK’s historic link with Africa remains central to our thinking,” he said.

“Yes there’s uncertainty at this time, that is inevitable, when such a momentous decision is made,” SAID Mr. Boateng.

“Yes there is a hazard always when you think about the scale of the task that lies ahead in terms of mapping out the future of the trading relationship between the UK and Africa but I think I can give the absolute assurance that we see this in the UK as an opportunity to be seized.”

He said he was concerned by the issue of infrastructure in most African countries. Mr. Boateng was born and brought up in the Gold Coast in Ghana.

“I am the grandson of cocoa and cassava farmers. My grandmother grew cassava, my grandfather grew cocoa and when I look at our village in Tafo in the eastern region of Ghana, two things strike me, first of all, that in the 1950s there was a direct rail link between Tafo, a heart of cocoa growing region and Takoradi, which at that time was our main port,” he told participants.

“That rail link no longer exists and that has had a damaging effect on agriculture in Ghana but Ghana is not alone in seeing the deterioration of its infrastructure so the United Kingdom recognizes the importance of infrastructure in terms of promoting intra-African trade.”

“The second matter which I can’t but help notice, he said, is that right next door to my grandmother’s farm was a West African Cocoa Research Institute and that was a major resource for West Africa in terms of agricultural support and extension and research at the highest level so it produced every year a handful of PhDs now sadly due to decades of neglect and the impact of the structural adjustment of the 70s and the 80s, that emphasis on higher education and the link between higher education, science, technology and innovation and agriculture simply went now we are seeking to revisit that but I would argue that that too is a very important part of our struggle in order to increase agricultural productivity of Africa.” 

“Without that we are going to be in difficulties but the good news is it seems to me that is changing and the UK and our department of international development is making its contribution to that,” Mr. Boateng said.

Participants will be in Addis Ababa for the week attending the first ever Africa Trade Week, a multi-stakeholder platform for the advancement of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). And intra-African Trade.

Zimbabwe: the launch of the Bond Notes is as hectic as the image of Mugabe’s administration!

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The long term dictator of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe has resurfaced his own or the nation own currency. This time the first currency since the devaluation and hyper-inflation, as they of recent years has traded on South African Rand and U.S. Dollars. So the Bond Notes should be possible, but in reality they are a way for the government to take up more loan and sign it off to their citizens instead of settling scores with the international community that the Republic of Zimbabwe; instead the debt and inflation this is supposed to recharge a sinking economy, but with the corruption and embezzlement together with the sanctions have hit the cash-strapped economy.

The Bond Notes are a remedy, but not a believable one, which I have portrayed before; not that the U.S. Dollars and South African Rand’s couldn’t last forever, but this here is just taking up more loans and stifling the citizens with the bill.

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Here is the first of day of Bond Notes!  

Bond Notes comes from South Africa:

“So everyone was wondering where this MR BOND NOTE is coming from but we managed to solve that riddle when the notes and coins arrived in Zimbabwe early yesterday aboard an international plane” (…) “The plane had a clearly visible logo, Cavok Air, which is a Ukranian cargo chartered flight company specializing in transporting high-value goods” (…) “Air cargo transportation; DG and special cargo transportation; Cargo charter operations with 24H flight watch; Planning and flight support; Obtaining diplomatic and special permits” (Masasi, 2016)

Bank agreements before the launch:

“The use of bond notes within the multi-currency exchange system which are anchored on the $200 million facility will operate along the same lines as bond coins, pegged 1:1 to the US dollar. RBZ said retailers, fuel companies and other businesses had agreed on the use and acceptability of bond notes as a medium of exchange” (…) “The Reserve Bank has engaged and agreed with the Retailers Association of Zimbabwe, fuel companies, representatives of the various business associations and the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe on the use and acceptability of bond notes as a medium of exchange in the country,” the bank said” (Chakanyuka, 2016).

Supermarkets in Harare:

“The big supermarkets in Harare – including Pick n Pay and OK Zimbabwe – were not openly willing to accept the bond notes that will also come in $5 denominations, at least for now” (…) “We are waiting for specimens and samples from the Reserve Bank. Maybe we will start accepting the bond notes in the afternoon when we receive the samples,” a manager at an OK Zimbabwe supermarket in Harare told shoppers intending to buy goods using the bond notes” “ (…) ”At Pick n Pay and TM Supermarkets branches in central Harare, the bond notes were also not being accepted. A supervisor told Fin24 that the shop was “yet to get approval to accept the bond notes” (Mataranyika, 2016).

Publicised pictures of Bond Notes, fired!

“POSB unlawfully and without permission, took images of bond notes in its vaults and distributed and publicised the images via social media,” the RBZ said in a statement signed by governor John Mangudya” (…) “The Reserve Bank…has imposed an administrative fine of $500,000 on POSB. The employees of POSB who took, publicised and distributed the images on social media have been dismissed with immediate effect,” the RBZ said” (the Source, 2016).

What have we learned by today is that certain stores doesn’t accept the currency in the midst of the capital where the nation and national assembly set in motion this coins to trade with. Still, the own population doesn’t all accept it. That even the leak a day earlier made certain Reserve Bank employee’s has been fired; the other people who leaked it on the Harare International Airport got away with it seem!

The proof that one Consumer Council has not authority with the top market Supermarkets, that shows the common neglect from the Zimbabwe Government that clearly has more tricks than governance, therefore they not listening to the public will for not releasing this currency and forcing the trade with these monetary policy.

The ones that earns on this is not the Zimbabweans, it is Mugabe and his Zanu-PF the ones that believes otherwise has been sleeping in class and never listen to headmaster. This is the next trick that supposed to clear out the running debt and feed the cronyism that are key to how Zanu-PF is running the country. Peace.  

Reference:

Chakanyuka, Tinomuda – ‘BOND NOTES OUT . . . Reserve Bank sets cash withdrawal limits’ (27.11.2016) link: http://www.thezimbabwedaily.com/top-stories/96352-bond-notes-out-reserve-bank-sets-cash-withdrawal-limits.html

 

Mataranyika, Memory – ‘Zim supermarkets reject new bond notes in early trade’ (28.11.2016) link: http://www.fin24.com/Companies/Retail/zim-supermarkets-reject-new-bond-notes-in-early-trade-20161128

 

Masasi – ‘Bond notes made in South Africa – LEAKED PICTURES SHOW’ (27.11.2016) link:http://masasi.co.zw/bond-notes-made-in-south-africa-leaked-pictures-show/

 

The Source – ‘POSB fined over bond note picture leak, workers sacked’ (28.11.2016) link: http://source.co.zw/2016/11/posb-fined-over-bond-note-picture-leak-workers-sacked/

Zimbabwe introduces new note amid scepticism (Youtube-Clip)

“Here’s a first look at Zimbabwe’s new ‘bond notes’, its own currency equivalent to the US dollar. Authorities hope that issuing $10 million of ‘bond notes’ will ease Zimbabwe’s severe cash crunch, but critics believe it will hit their savings” (TimesLive, 2016)

Kilifi Governor Kingi before EACC (Youtube-Clip)

“Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi is at this hour being interrogated by the ethics and anti-corruption officials over claims of embezzlement of millions of shillings of public funds in his county. Kingi who arrived at the integrity centre an hour ago is accompanied by a host of ODM leaders and is expected to shed light on the spending of 51 million shillings in unexplained expenditure as well as 308 million shillings meant to acquire an 11 acre land for a bus park in Kilifi. Sam Gituku is at the integrity centre and Sam, what should we expect from the grilling session?” (Kenya Citizen TV, 2016)

Zimbabwe: Press Statement on the Introduction of Bond Notes (26.11.2016)

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Uganda: MUK Letter – “Payment of Salaries of Staff” (25.11.2016)

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Uganda Telecom Press Statement on the Economic Situation of the Company (25.11.2016)

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Opinion: President Museveni decree ordered closure of Makerere; which is the reason for the deceased innocent new-borns at Kawempe!

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This saddens me and eats my heart out, as much as the knowledge of the famine in Isingiro and the lacking systemic enterprise or structure of the Ugandan Government, which is continuing to faltering, not serve the public. This has proven earlier in the year of other hospitals without X-Ray machines, lacking medicines and ordinary sanitary products. Together with the only Cobalt 60 Teletherapy Machine in the country at the Uganda Cancer Institute at the Mulago Hospital Complex we’re broking down and not having planned to be changed.

On the 1st November the President Yoweri Museveni closed down the Makerere University and its affiliated programs because of strikes that have occurred during the year. This is happening since the staffs at the Academic Institution haven’t gotten paid for months upon months, while the students want their lectures to be paid. What the outcome of it came quickly as the Mulago Hospital we’re telling that their programs of interns we’re suspended together with the closure of the University.

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Key Information from 11th November:

“Dr Asuman Lukwago, the outgoing ministry of health permanent secretary, said the education ministry was responsible for the university and therefore, there is nothing his ministry could do to save the situation. “We would be contradicting ourselves. Ministry of education is responsible and not us as ministry of health. There is nothing we can do,” Dr Lukwago told daily Monitor in a phone interview” (Namagembe, 2016).

So because of First Lady Janet Museveni lacking integrity and ability to sort out the issues internally in the Ministry of Education the biggest Hospital and others are hurt. It is visible that the decisions have repercussions of the lacking leadership in the Ministry of Education and under Minister Janet Museveni who hasn’t carried out her position; since she hasn’t been able to sort out the allocation and the central leadership of the famous University.

“The initial health care is available but there is a shortage of specialists,” Dr Bangirana said. To improvise the available staff, Mulago hospital spokesperson, Enock Kusasira said the hospital has resorted to giving more attention to critical cases considered as life threatening.“We are concentrating less on out patients especially those whose cases are not life threatening,” Kusasira said. At the hospital, patients have to wait for hours before seeing the health workers. The case is not different from other affiliate hospitals and health facilities” (Namagembe, 2016).

Certainly the situation at the Mulago and affiliated Hospitals has been put into trouble with the suspension of Makerere. When the Ministry of Health Sarah Achieng Opendi has to defend the records of the actual numbers of deceased infants you know the system, the structure is rotten to the core. This isn’t really working and the innocence is dying. They are just read the statement in today’s Monitor!

31 New-borns deceased:

“The reports, according to Hon. Opendi asserted that the issue arose after the closure of Makerere University and the subsequent withdrawal of Senior Health Officers (SHOs) from the facility. “The Ministry of Health would like to strongly refute these allegations as baseless and a total misrepresentation of facts,” she said” (…) “Since the withdrawal of Senior House Officers on Nov 1, 2016 to date, Mulago Hospital has unfortunately lost 31 newborns,” she said adding that the deaths were majorly as a result of severe birth asphyxia and complications associated with prematurity” (…) “Severe Asphyxia is largely caused by prolonged labour, which is a consequence of late referrals. According to this statistics, Mulago Hospital has lost approximately one newborn per day due to unavoidable circumstances,” she added” (Mugume, 2016)

There is surely and have been deceased infants and babies during the famine and cause of the Isingiro, where the Republic and the government have dropped sorry loads of food-relief to the staving public; which has waited for months upon end. Sort of the same way the empty pockets of Makerere University lectures has been short-changed for months upon end. This is systemic maladministration from the head. What is worst is that the ones that are in charge are walking away, but the ones affected are being hurt. It is the innocent, the kids, the rural families; the ones are not MPs with flashy cars, lavish salaries but no taxes and all other perks. The same month that Makerere is closed the Income Tax Amendment that stops MPs for getting tax and the same month the MPs add-on more fees for “service car” in their duty.

The new-borns are dying at Kawempe Hospital, a Hospital that is affiliated with Mulago Hospital Complex. The Promise from Enock Kusasira we’re more a pre-warning than facts of their mission. They couldn’t control the effect of the closure of Makerere, as the President didn’t think of the effects or knew of the effects. His micro-management has caused severe effect for dozens of lives, not only the students that have their studies postponed and their degrees put-on hold. But the lives at Mulago and affiliates have been hurt.

The innocent children born into the world, doesn’t care about misrepresentation, taxation without representation or skimming funds. They care about their sanitary, loving mother and father; and occasionally food. They don’t care about the flashy cars for the MPs or the Ministry of Health Sarah Opendi’s resignation to the force of Janet Museveni.

Each family that has been affected by the decision of the President should be asked for forgiveness from the state, they lost their new-born. They lost their kid and the future of new-born something that should been made sure by the state. The State lost their way when they are responsible for the neglect of taking care of the mother and her baby at the hospital. That is supposed to be a safe-zone and make sure the families are in good hands. Each one of them are one too many to lose. The President has their souls on his hand, since he caused the effect and made the decision to suspend Makerere University. That has in return cause the innocent loss of lives.

This is how much that the President cares about the civil service, his teachers, his ministries and the citizens. He offers a Visitations Committee instead of allocating funds and giving way so that the Makerere can open and save life. More the public display of utter nonsense is more casual than actually acting on the loss of life. The innocent lives dies while the President orders are lingering, not only at Kawempe Hospital, but at the regions of Isingiro and Karamoja; the President couldn’t care less as the help showed has to be shown on the NTV and UBC before he cares.

The reckless policies and ineffective are now insulting to the public in Uganda, time for President Museveni to take charge and show leadership; has to make the right decisions and might even have to cough up some ghost-monies, some other shadow funding to pay his civil servants at the Hospitals and at the University! Peace.

Reference:

Namagembe, Lilian – ‘Health ministry stuck as Mulago crisis deepens after Makerere closure’ (11.11.2016) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Health-ministry-Mulago-crisis-deepens-Makerere-closure/688334-3448994-747buj/index.html

Mugume, Paul – ‘Minister Opendi Speaks Out on Neonatal Deaths at Kawempe Hospital’ (23.11.2016) link: http://www.chimpreports.com/minister-opendi-speaks-out-on-neonatal-deaths-at-kawempe-hospital/

UPC Reminds EC of the Agreed IPOD Posistion on the Electoral Reforms (23.11.2016)

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