20100413
alalam

Sudan's national election commission has extended voting for two days due to some logistical problems at the beginning of the country's first elections in 24 years.

"The number of voting days has been extended by two further days in all of Sudan" from three days to five, national election commission spokesman Salah Habib said.

The vote, which was originally scheduled for three days, kicked off on Sunday with reports of delays.

"We decided to extend for two days, Wednesday and Thursday, so the whole process will be five days long," the National Election Commission (NEC) said in a statement.

"The decision is based on the results of the first day and to enable all the electors to vote and to compensate the lost time due to errors and obstacles of the first day," the NEC said.

On Sunday, the NEC admitted there had been some technical "mistakes" including polling stations not opening, ballot papers not being delivered or going to the wrong places.

But the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement said they wanted voting extended further.

"I appreciate the effort of the NEC. We had requested for four more days... With two days we are quite satisfied... but we are still thinking it is not enough. We are going to press for more," Samson Kwaje, campaign manager for southern leader Salva Kiir told reporters.

Sudanese were voting on Sunday to choose their president as well as parliamentary and state representatives, in the country's first multi-party elections in 24 years.

20100413
aljazeera

Eight aid workers have been abducted by armed men in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the International Committe of the Red Cross has said.

The seven Congolese and one Swiss national were seized on Friday near the town of Fizi in South Kivu province.

Red Cross officials said that the abduction had been staged by members of the Mai Mai Yakutumba militia.

"The ICRC has been able to get in touch with some of our colleagues after the incident," Marcal Izard, the Red Cross spokesman, told reporters in Geneva.

He declined to say whether the Red Cross had been in contact with the abductors.

The Swiss foreign ministry said it was aware of the situation and was in touch with the Red Cross and Congolese authorities.

'Humanitarian nature'

The Red Cross has several offices in South Kivu, which like much of eastern DR Congo has been wracked by violence since the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda spilled across the border.

"It is in order to protect and assist armed-conflict victims that we have been carrying out our activities in the area,'' Franz Rauchenstein, the head of the ICRC's mission in Dr Congo, said.

"We continue to insist that the strictly neutral, impartial and humanitarian nature of our work be recognised, and that our colleagues be able to return to their loved ones soon."

The Mai Mai group, which was formed to resist Rwandan Hutu forces who fled into DR Congo after the genocide, controls it own territory in the region.

The region has been the scene of violent clashes which have resulted in the displacement of thousands of civilians in recent months.

Staff of the aid group have previously been targeted for abduction in other conflict regions across the world.

Three foreign Red Cross workers were abducted in the Philippines last year and
French staff members were seized in Chad and Sudan. All have since been released.

20100413
aljazeera



More than 20 people have reportedly been killed in violence in Mogadishu as African Union and Somali forces clashed with anti-government fighters, police and medical services sources said.

At least 13 people were killed in fighting after mortars were fired at the airport, while another six people died in when two roadside bombs exploded.

The mortars were at the city's airport and the presidential palace from the crowded Bakara market area, prompting African Union (AU) peacekeepers to respond with shellfire.

The anti-government fighters carried out the shelling while a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the country's national army was taking place at the airport.

"We have so far carried out 13 dead civilians and over 30 who were injured. The death toll is higher and we are busy collecting casualties," Ali Muse, an ambulance service official, said.

In another statement, Muse said: "Several children are among the dead."

He described the shelling as the "worst in months.

The president, the prime minister, the parliament speaker, the country's chief of staff, the police chief and other senior government officials were attending the ceremony during the attack.

Somali government officials confirmed the shelling but declined to give details.

The two remote-controlled roadside bombs targeted an AU convoy, but killed four civilians and two police officers, police and residents said.

"The first bomb nearly hit the AU's last car," Nur Salad, a Somali police officer, told Reuters news agency.

"Some policemen and residents ran to the scene, and then the next bomb exploded killing these people."

Somalia's fragile government controls just a few blocks in the capital while al-Shabab fighters, who have vowed to topple the UN-backed administration, and other armed groups control much of southern and central Somalia.

The government has said for several months that it plans to launch a major offensive against al-Shabab, which has professed loyalty to al-Qaeda.

Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled the fighting in Mogadishu.

afrol News, 13 April - The movie industry seems to have discovered the potential of Mozambique. 'Margarida' and 'A república di mininus' are the two new feature movies that have just started their filming in Mozambique these days. Both are coproductions between Mozambique, Portugal and France.

'Margarida' is a film by Licinio de Azevedo, writer and director of Brazilian origin and resident in Mozambique since 1977, produced by Ebano Multimedia (Mozambique), Ukbar Filmes (Portugal) and Liaison Cinématographique (France).

"Margarida is a film about destiny," reveals Mr Azevedo, who chose the capital of Mozambique, Maputo, and the district of Sussundenga for the filming of the movie. "I needed a dense forest and a river where people could take a bath," Mr Azebedo told the Mozambican independent weekly 'Savana'. The film is made in Mozambique, produced by Peter Pepper, coproduced by Ukbar Filmes and Liaison Cinématographique.

"Mozambique, 1975. After 500 years of Portuguese colonisation, Mozambicans hoist their flag for the first time. It is a moment of great emotion, great expectations, but also a glimpse into their future. The policy changes are not just cosmetic. It is necessary to transmit a new way of seeing life, a new political approach on the country to people living in areas occupied by the colonial powers, which inevitably means a radical change in habits and behaviours, and accept a form of relationship between Mozambique and the world," says Licinio Azevedo.

Among the works by Licinio de Azevedo, 'A Guerra da Água' ('Water War', Mozambique, 1996), 'Desobediência' ('Disobedience', Mozambique, 2002), 'O Grande Bazar' ('The Graat Bazaar', Mozambique, 2005) are seen as key. In addition to having won numerous international awards, he is the founder of the Mozambican producing company Ebano Multimedia.

For its part, the film 'A república di mininus', directed by Flora Gomes of Guinea-Bissau, is produced by Filmes do Tejo (Portugal) and Les Films de l'Aprés Midi (France), in collaboration with Ebano Multimedia (Mozambique).

"As a filmmaker, I feel like I am on a swing that balances around Africa. Sometimes when I travel around all its width from one extreme to another, shaken by events, my view on this continent becomes ironic, sceptical, and I want to run away. 'But where?'" were the words of Flora Gomes, who chose to go to Mozambique for her latest work, 'A república di mininus'.

'A república di mininus' is a story that does not pretend to seem plausible. It is a story that gives rise to reflection and laughter, concludes Mr Gomes in an interview with 'Savana'.

Flora Gomes, born in Cadique, Guinea-Bissau, in 1949, is a pioneer of the film industry in Guinea-Bissau and one of the most representative African filmmakers. He is known for his original way of drawing pictures using African myths and contemporary history, in a delicate fusion of elements with strong poetic charge and universal sense.

Mr Gomes began his film production with the film 'O Regresso Cabral' (1976), which was followed by works such as 'A Reconstrução' (1977), 'Mortu Nega' (1987), 'Os Olhos Azuis de Yonta' (1992) 'A máscara' (1994), 'Nha Fala' (2002), and 'As duas faces da Guerra' (2007), among other works.

The shooting of these two projects in Mozambique are to take place between April and June. In Mozambique the projects are strongly welcomed and seen as a good way to give the country international visibility, create jobs and inspire the national film industry.

afrol News, 13 April - South African media associations are challenging the decision by the Prosecution to have the hearing of the murder of the right wing leader, Eugene Terreblanche, in camera. Limited media coverage could lead to speculations.

The groups have said they expect the magistrate to hear their plea first thing tomorrow morning before the two suspects appear for the second time in Ventersdorp court.

The media groups argue that the case has draw a lot of interest and that it would be in the best interest of the public that the media is at least allowed into the proceedings instead of reporting speculation.

The decision to have the hearing in camera was made as one of the suspects is a minor, 15 years of age.

According to the media group's papers, terms of restrictions could be drawn on the media, especially in protecting the identity of the minor suspect.

Mr Terreblanche was allegedly murdered on his farm on 3 April by two of his farm workers, who hit him with an iron rod until he died.

However, there are new versions now coming up, as to what could have caused the dispute that led to his death, including allegations of sodomy.

20100413
afrol

Angola's economy has grown by an impressive 400 percent in the last six years. But lacking efforts to fight corruption and mismanagement has left most Angolans out from this growing wealth, a new report documents.

The US-based group Human Rights Watch today released a report concluding the government of Angola has not done enough to combat pervasive corruption and mismanagement. Angolans were not seeing their lives improve accordingly to the country's oil-driven economic growth, the report said.

The 31-page report documents how the Luanda government took only limited steps to improve transparency after the group in a 2004 report had disclosed that billions of dollars in oil revenue illegally bypassed the central bank and disappeared without explanation. The report details newly disclosed evidence of corruption and mismanagement.

"The government needs to take strong action to combat the corruption and secrecy that undermine Angolans' rights," said Arvind Ganesan, director of the Business and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "Here is a nation with a wealth of resources while its people live in poverty."

The human rights group said that a recent agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), enacted in the wake of the global financial crisis and drop in the price of oil, however had offered some hope for improvement if its provisions are carried out.

"The government has improved the publication of oil revenue figures," the report says, but human indicators in Angola remained "abysmal and have not been commensurate with the rapid growth in Angola's national wealth." Angola is the largest producer of oil in sub-Saharan Africa, yet millions of Angolans have limited access to basic social services.

Angola ranked 143rd out of 182 countries in the UN Development Programme's Human Development Index. Angola's ranking in Transparency International's 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index is growing worse, from 158th out of 180 countries in 2008 down to 162nd in 2009.

The report also details new evidence of corruption and mismanagement, including that of Aguinaldo Jaime, who served as the governor of the Angolan Central Bank from 1999 to 2002. As documented by a February 2010 US Senate report, Mr Jaime initiated a series of suspicious US$ 50 million transactions with US banks. For each attempt, the banks, concerned about the likelihood of fraud, ultimately rejected the transfer or returned the money shortly after receiving it. During Mr Jaime's three-year tenure as central bank governor, the government could not account for approximately US$ 2.4 billion.

Recent statements by President Jose Eduardo dos Santos seem to indicate a willingness to combat government corruption. He has called for a "zero tolerance" policy against corruption. And as the US Senate conducted its recent investigation into corruption in Angola and elsewhere, he announced a new Law on Administrative Probity, to reduce corruption by government officials.

However, given that the President and ruling party have been in power for more than three decades, including the entire period in which oil-fuelled corruption has been rampant, sceptics are waiting to see whether meaningful action will accompany these statements, Human Rights Watch said. Further, a new constitution was recently enacted that will enable President dos Santos to remain in power for 13 more years.

"Dr Jaime's activities underscore the need for accountability," Mr Ganesan said. "If the Angolan government is serious about transparency and reform, it should rigorously investigate government officials, publish audits of its expenditures, and act on President dos Santos' pledge of 'zero tolerance' for corruption."

20100413
africanews

Kenya's Muslim populations will support the draft constitution and will vote yes in the forthcoming referendum. The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, Aden Wachu said no chapter of the draft constitution violates the teaching of Islam and so their support for the draft constitution is justifiable.

According to Aden Wachu the decision to support the draft constitution has been reached after widespread consultations among the Muslim community and urged the clergy to reconsider their position on their stand against the proposed constitution.

The decision took long to be made after some Muslim MPs openly expressed their opposition to the proposed constitution. But the new declaration is the official stand of all Muslims on the proposed constitution.

Deputy Speaker of the Kenyan parliament Farah Maalim urged all Kenyans to look at the contentious issues and not to shun the draft since there was no constitution that is perfect.

The decision by Muslim to support the draft constitution came two days after President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga met the Christian clergy to convince them to support the proposed constitution.

20100413
africanews

At least 22 civilians were killed on Monday and 55 others were wounded after mortars and artillery shells hit the capital Mogadishu, sources said.

The deadly battle erupted after Islamist insurgents fired at main airport in the capital, where Africa Union peacekeepers and the presidency building is based during a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the country’s national army.

The African union peacekeepers and government forces patrolling the presidential palace returned mortars and artillery shells hit civilian’s area in the capital of the East Africa nation.

A resident Abdi hakim Mudey told AfricaNews that the clashes was the worst shelling in recent months and described as indiscriminate shelling.

Ali Muse, director of Mogadishu's ambulance service, has confirmed the collection of about 16 civilians and over 55 injured as he was busying collecting casualties.

A local journalist Abdullahi Yasin has quoted police officers that two remote controlled roadside bombs had killed four civilians and two police officers.

Al Qaeda linked group of Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the two roadside bomb which was aimed at an AU convoy and said seven AU peacekeepers and five Somali forces have died after the attack.

Medical sources believed that death toll has increased after some of the wounded people died in the hospitals.

The Al-shabaab hardliners linked to Al-Qaeda controls most of southern Somalia while the weak Somali government backed by western countries runs only a little of the country, including the airport.

The insurgents frequently fire mortars to bases of the AU peacekeeping forces and Somali weak government but AU and government forces react in the areas controlled by the rebel group.

The fighting in Somalia has killed over 20,000 Somalis since 2007 and displaced another 1.5 million. Somalia is one of the world's worst humanitarian emergencies.

20100413
africanews

Acting president Goodluck Jonathan of West African nation Nigeria has expressed confidence that the troubled Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could hold credible elections in 2011.

"I am convinced that the present INEC can conduct free and credible elections," Jonathan told a breakfast meeting organised by the Council on Foreign Relations at Washington.

Although there have been several calls for the removal of Professor Maurice Iwu – head of INEC – Jonathan has insisted the problem is not about him but “a missing link.”

He said: "The missing link is that our electoral law says at the end of voting, elections results must be announced at the polling unit. Most of the polling units handle not more than 500 voters, there are very few above that and everybody contesting election is supposed to have an agent at every polling unit.

"We also have observers and our law says at the end of the election, the result must be declared in each of these units, but it is always a problem declaring the result at the unit level because of conflicts. In most cases they take the results, at the end of the voting to the local government headquarters for collation and it is in that process that people think there are wrong-doings.

"That has been the problem in Nigeria and that is why we insist that if you cannot declare the results at that polling unit, we cancel it, all results must be declared at the polling unit and that is what happened in Anambra and Edo."

Credible elections

According to a Daily Trust report the acting president said INEC had demonstrated its ability to conduct credible elections recently in Edo and Anambra states as well as in last weekend's area council poll in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He also said there was no compelling need to change the election laws, as "(even) if you do not change any of our laws, we can still conduct elections."

Jonathan said by June this year, majority of INEC commissioners, including Iwu would have completed their tenure. "Before 2011 there will be a number of changes in INEC.... At the national level, most of the officers have completed their tenure and some will complete theirs in a couple of months.

"So we are going to review them individually and the ones we feel are not good enough to be re-appointed, we will not reappoint them. And we will inject fresh blood and make sure that we bring people that if we mention their names, people in the civil society will be happy, but that is psychological like I said it has to do with perception," he said.

20100413
africanews

One of Malawi's renowned veteran politicians and one time media practitioner Aleke Kadonaphani Banda died last week at Morningside Medi Clinic in South Africa after a long battle with cancer.

Banda who died at the age of 70 was the founder of one of the private print media houses - Nation Publications Limited in the southern African country.

He was a veteran of Malawi's fight against colonialism as well as single party rule. He spent over 50 years in politics and public service before retiring in 2008.

Banda held several ministerial positions in the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) era led by late president Hastings Kamuzu and United Democratic Front (UDF) led by ex-president Bakili Muluzi.

In 1993, Banda became the first vice president of UDF where he served for about 10 years before he joined Peoples Progressive Movement (PPM) where he was the president.

The country has been shocked with the death of the politician who was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.

Meanwhile the Malawi government has shouldered the responsibility of bringing into the country the body of the fallen veteran politician by meeting all transportation costs and buying of a casket.

According to the funeral programme, the politician's remains are expected to arrive in the country later on Tuesday. Banda will be buried on Thursday.

20100413
africanews

With just some few weeks to the World Cup in South Africa, the world football governing body FIFA and the local organizing committee plead with South Africans to buy the remaining 500,000 tickets that have been made available.

Jerome Valcke of FIFA told CNN: “This final ticket phase is very important. We will not want to give that picture of empty seats to the world; all will need to be done in these last days. I’m very happy with the progress that has been made in the last four ticketing phases. What is important now is to seal the remaining tickets. This is the first FIFA World Cup in Africa; this is Africa’s first opportunity to show the rest of the world that it’s also capable to successfully host events of this magnitude."

The head of the World Cup local organizing committee Danny Jordaan said: "We have done everything we were asked to do. We have created a [reduced price] category of tickets exclusively for South Africa. We have now implemented over-the-counter sales to make sure the tickets are accessible. The final thing is that South Africans must respond. If you are a good host, you must be there. We don’t want the (World Cup) experience to end at the stadiums or the match venues; we want to go beyond that. People who visit our country must be able to enjoy many aspects of our culture and visit many iconic sites.”

The CNN reported that fewer than the 450,000 foreign visitors initially expected will be coming to Africa's first World Cup. A significant number of the tickets that have been made available come from FIFA and its affiliates that have decided not to use them.

Ticket sales have been hampered by factors ranging from location of the host country; over 15 hours from New York by air, 11 hours from London and eight hours from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to the global economy and its impact on leisure travel.

20100413
africanews

Amid Mogadishu's ongoing violence, the World Health Organization recently sent a specialized trauma surgeon to the Somalia capital to train dozens of local health professionals in treating trauma cases and delivering emergency care to pregnant women.

The training of 33 doctors, nurses and midwives aims to improve the skills of the Somali health workforce responding to the escalating conflict in the city that is stretching an already weak health system.

In March 2010 alone, at least 900 conflicts related injuries and 30 deaths were reported at Mogadishu's three main hospitals.

Children aged under 5 years accounted for 10% of reported injuries, which included shrapnel and gunshot wounds, fractures and crush injuries.

"We were able to conduct this training successfully, despite the obvious security threats and resource constraints," said Dr Omar Saleh, the WHO surgeon and the Organization's Emergency Preparedness and Humanitarian Action focal point for
Somalia. "This training is essential as its boosts the skill levels of the very health staff who see on almost a daily basis victims of the conflict, as well as expectant mothers needing emergency obstetric care. It shows that despite enormous challenges, the international humanitarian community is still making a difference for Somalis."

At least 3.2 million Somalis are affected by the country's almost two decade-long humanitarian crisis and Somali women and infants are among the world's most vulnerable people. Some 1400 women die per every 100,000 live births, and at least 86 in 1000 infants die before reaching their first birthday.

The crisis has also impacted on the country's health workforce. Doctors and other health workers are among those killed and wounded in the violence, while other doctors have left Somalia to escape the insecurity and seek better work opportunities.

About 250 qualified doctors, 860 nurses and just 116 midwives work today in Somalia, home to the lowest number of health workers of any country within WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region. At 0.11 health workers per 1000 people, its health system is well below the 0.23 threshold required to conduct essential health services, such as providing appropriate maternal health and ensuring 80% immunization coverage. In comparison, Tunisia, which has a similar sized population, has more than 13,300 doctors and over 28,500 nurses, according to the 2006 World Health Report.

Many health workers who remain in the country lack specialized training in trauma management, and many do not receive the opportunity for additional training on medical and surgical advances.

Health action in crisis

But WHO's surgical training program works to overcome this. It is part of an ongoing effort by the Organization to improve the skills of Somali healthcare workers so they can save lives amid the current crisis. In the past year, WHO has trained over 100 health workers in emergency medical services.

One doctor commented that the training had provided her with new skills and experience, and that she wanted to receive further training from WHO and health partners. The approach highlights how on-the-job training within the ongoing humanitarian response can be integrated within the delivery of life-saving services, at the same time as building the capacity of the national health workforce.

WHO and its health partners are seeking US$46 million in the 2010 Consolidated Appeals, which would support further training, provide essential medical supplies, undertake monitoring and assessments of the health situation on the ground, and lead activities of the Health Cluster.

20100413
africagoodnews

Four UN peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region are still missing after 24 hours of search and rescue. The soldiers with UNAMID, a joint AU-UN peacekeeping force left their team site just outside Nyala in south Darfur on Sunday and nothing has been heard about them, according to UNAMID spokesman.

The spokesman Kemal Saiki also expressed concerns about the wellbeing of the missing peacekeepers, while it has informed the Sudanese authorities about the four soldiers, reported RTT News.

Darfur has witnessed a wave of kidnappings of foreign aid workers ever since ethnic Africans in the region took up arms against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum in 2003 to fight discrimination. UN estimates that about 300,000 people have been killed and some 2.5 million displaced in the unrest.

The UNAMID had taken over peacekeeping duties in the troubled Darfur region in January 2008 from the AU peacekeeping force. Since its deployment, the UNAMID has been the target of several deadly attacks.

The latest development comes as Sudan's election commission extended the voting in the country's landmark elections by two more days because of technical problems. The voting in the three-day elections was originally scheduled to run from Sunday through Tuesday, but commission spokesman Salah Habib said Monday that the polling would be now end only on Thursday.

20100413
africagoodnews

There was virtually no music played on Somali radio stations on Tuesday following orders from hardline militants that such move is un-Islamic. The militants have also banned bras, musical ringtones and movies bringing back memories of strict social rules imposed on Afghans in the late 90s by Talibans.

"Now I think we are going to be forced to hear only the horrific sounds of the gunfire and the explosions," said Khadiya Omar, a 22-year-old Mogadishu resident who called music a "tranquilizer" to help him forget life's troubles in an AP report.

Residents were awestruck by the news as Somalia has a tradition of music. Rock, rap and love songs from the U.S., Europe and Africa could be heard on Somali stations before the ban according to the report.

As many as a dozen Mogadishu-based radio stations stopped playing music on Tuesday after the insurgent group Hizbul Islam gave the order earlier this month.

However, Somalis in the country's capital can still listen to music on two stations: one that the government controls and another that is funded by the United Nations. Both stations are based in the small area of Mogadishu under the control of government and African Union forces.

Similar edicts have been imposed on stations in the southern Somali regions held by the Islamist group al-Shabab.

Islamic insurgents control much of Mogadishu and have been trying to topple the fragile government for three years. Somalia has not had an effective government for 19 years.

"We are in a war-ravaged country and music is what brings us relief from anger, frustration, depression, fatigue and other emotional and physical pain," said Isaq Ali, a Mogadishu resident.

20100413
africagoodnews

EASSy cable is getting closer to completion after the undersea cable, delivering 1.4 Terabits per second of capacity, landed on 6 April in Tanzania, Msasani Peninsula.

The ship laying 5000km long undersea fibre optic cable for The East Africa Submarine Cable System arrived on Tuesday night, 6 April, on the Tanzanian shore and started the cable laying process the following morning, according to Tanzanian Daily News.

"Interconnection with other undersea international cable systems will enable traffic on EASSy to seamlessly connect to Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Asia, thereby enhancing the east coast of Africa's connectivity to the global telecommunications network", said West Indian Ocean Cable Company Chief Executive Officer, Chriss Wood, present at the landing site.

For the full story, please visit IT News Africa.

20100413
africagoodnews

Nigeria's lower house of parliament could begin debate next month on controversial legislation that would transform Africa's biggest energy sector, a senior lawmaker said on Tuesday.
Oil tanker at dock

A joint committee in the House of Representatives is close to finalising the Petroleum Industry Bill that aims to rewrite Nigeria's decades-old relationship with Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil and other oil companies.

The oil reform bill has been delayed repeatedly because of constitutional concerns and disputes between government and foreign oil firms over the fiscal terms for their operations.

"There was a wide gap between what the government wanted and what the operators in the industry wanted. We have fairly sorted that out," said Bassey Otu, chairman of the joint committee working on the bill.

"As soon as we resume, the joint committee will meet ... come up with a clean copy and submit at the plenary. I am looking at one month from now," he added.

The Senate is also finalising its own bill, which would need to be harmonized with the lower house's version before being sent to the president so it can be signed into law.

The legislation aims to break state oil firm NNPC, long hampered by funding shortfalls, into profit-driven units able to tap international markets. The move could prompt some of the biggest financing deals of their kind ever done in Africa.

The government would also be allowed to renegotiate old contracts, impose higher costs on oil companies and retake acreage that firms have yet to explore.

But foreign oil companies operating in Nigeria have warned the plans contained in the bill could threaten billions of dollars of investment if they go ahead in their current form.

The main areas of dispute between government and oil firms include higher royalty payments, industry-wide taxes on profits and revenue sharing.

20100413
africagoodnews

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today that its credit-based farming project in Niger has been so successful that the agency plans to scale it up and expand into Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, which are also suffering food shortages.

Niger farmers can use their crops to get credit

"It shows that growing more food is not the only way of increasing poor farmers' food security. Simple, storage-based credit systems can also play an important role in improving their livelihoods," said FAO rural finance expert Ake Olofsson in a statement released today.

The financing scheme is built around warrantage, or inventory credit system. Rather than selling their crops immediately after harvest - when everyone else is selling and prices are lowest - farmers can use it as collateral to obtain credit from a bank and sell at a later date when prices rise.

FAO started a version of the project in Niger in 1999. In exchange for a bank loan, farmers' groups left their millet, rice and peanuts in a locked warehouse with keys held by both the bank and the group.

The credit gives the smallholders the means to buy essential inputs, such as seeds and fertilizer, for the next planting and also allows them to hold on to the produce longer.

A study of the project in Niger carried out last December found that participating farmers had been able to increase their income by between 19 and 113 per cent in six months. Since they were able to buy better inputs, their yields went up by up to 120 per cent, according to FAO.

"If done properly, warrantage allows farmers to grow more food and increase their income. Everyone stands to gain, including the banks who are happy because they make money too," Mr. Olofsson said.

He warned, however, that this was not a one-size-fits-all solution. Warrantage necessitates a well-functioning farmer's association, an interested local bank or other financial institution, and a safe place where the crops can be stored and will not spoil.

In addition, the crop price must have a proven track record of rising in the months after the harvest, and the crop must be recognised by the banking legislation of the country concerned.

The West African region is facing a severe food crisis as a result of low rainfall last year. UNICEF announced last week that nearly 900,000 children in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, northern Nigeria and Chad are at risk of malnutrition.

20100413
africagoodnews

Zambian 2010 wheat output rose 13.7 percent compared with the previous year to surpass domestic consumption, and the southern African country plans to export part of this surplus, a senior industry official said on Monday.

Ndambo Ndambo, the executive director of the Zambia National Farmers' Union (ZNFU) said wheat production in the 2009/2010 season rose to 216,000 tonnes from 190,000 tonnes in the 2008/2009 season thanks to favourable policies, making Zambia the only southern African nation to be self sufficient in wheat.

Zambia's annual wheat consumption is about 160,000 and farmers were currently in talks with the government over the planned export of excess wheat and wheat flour to countries within the region, he said.

Zambia's wheat production fell to as low as 30,000 tonnes a year in the 1990s, but in the last five years, annual average output has been about 130,000 tonnes.

Ndambo said production of wheat had expanded because of a well coordinated trade policy environment, plus huge private sector investment into irrigation systems.

"Given the export potential, the future looks bright except that government support will be critical in managing the transition successfully," Ndambo said.

"It will be important to ensure that a conducive trade policy environment is sustained for the private sector to continue producing."

"The private sector has provided the government with initial indicative figures for exports and we expect further discussions that should pave (the) way for the government to engage other governments in the region," Ndambo said.

Ndambo said the main constraint farmers faced was the high cost of production, which made Zambian wheat and wheat flour less competitive in other countries in the region.

"The other big problem is most countries in the region do not produce wheat, subsidised wheat imports are commonly sourced into the region and this creates unfair competition for Zambian wheat in the regional markets," he said.

Ndambo said the future of wheat farming would depend on how successfully Zambia managed the surplus production situation to move to a point where producer prices remained at a level where farmers could make a profit.

KHARTOUM, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced it would grant a two-day voting extension until Thursday due to administrative and technical mistakes in some polling stations.

"The NEC, following an emergency meeting, decided to extend the voting period for two days, to end on Thursday, April 15," NEC spokesman Salah Habib said.

The decision came after a lot of technical and administrative mistakes were found during the first two days of the general elections, the first multi-party election held in this African country in more than two decades.

Meanwhile, NEC press adviser Abu Bakr Waziri said the decision to extend the voting from three days to five was based on "objective justifications."

"The NEC has taken the decision on basis of objective justifications that appeared during the first day of the polling process," Waziri said.

"The decision was also meant to enable supporters of the political parties to easily access the polling stations," he said, adding that it was also intended to ensure a high polling percentage.
He stressed that the NEC has worked to correct the mistakes that occurred during the first day of the polling, adding that the process proceeded normally after correcting those errors.

"The NEC has received many reports from its committees in the states affirming that the polling was progressing acceptably after correcting the errors that occurred in the states," he said.

In response to the NEC's voting extension, a senior official of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) said the decision supports the SPLM's earlier demand to extend the polling days.

On Sunday, the SPLM demanded an extension of polling days due to mistakes which occurred during the first day of the process.

"If the NEC increased the number of the polling officials and their capabilities during the two days, the situation can improve," Susan Jambo, a senior election official in south Sudan, said.

"It is necessary for the NEC to conduct an investigation into the problems which occurred during the first and second days of the polling, particularly in Kaboita where the ballot box of the southern Sudan government and the legislative council was not brought," she told Xinhua in Juba, the capital of south Sudan.

She further demanded the NEC increase the voters' lists at the polling stations and direct the voters to the centers where they were registered, so that they could easily cast their votes.
The SPLM governs south Sudan in accordance of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), inked between north and south Sudan in January 2005.

Meanwhile, the ruling National Congress Party filed a complaint with the elections commission in south Sudan over violations in the elections there.

"From the first day of the polling there were grave violations, where the people responsible for committing those violations meant to cripple the electoral process," Agnes Lokudo, secretary of NCP south Sudan sector, said at a press conference in Juba.

"Since the first day we have been observing the electoral process. Grave violations occurred today and yesterday. We have filed a complaint to the elections commission in this respect, and we will wait for its response," she added.

She explained that the violations included the arrest of NCP representatives and five observers at Kuwaji district, the expulsion of observers from the polling stations at Yerkaka, and forcing the voters to vote for the SPLM at Yae river district.

She added that there were polling stations run by SPLM members in complete absence of voters' lists.

More than 16 million Sudanese voters started casting their votes on Sunday to choose their representatives for the presidency, state governors, the president of southern Sudan and legislative councils.

KHARTOUM, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's National Elections Commission (NEC) said on Monday its decision to extend the polling period in all the states of the country for two extra days was based on objective justifications.

"The NEC has taken the decision on basis of objective justifications that appeared during the first day of the polling process," said NEC Press Adviser Abu Bakr Waziri at a press conference.

"The decision was also meant to enable supporters of the political parties to easily access the polling stations," he said, adding that "the decision was also meant to ensure a high polling percentage."

He stressed that the NEC has worked to correct the technical and administrative mistakes that occurred during the first day of the polling, adding that the process proceeded normally after correcting those errors.

"The NEC has received many reports from its committees in the states affirming that the polling was progressing acceptably after correcting the errors that occurred in the states," he said.

On Sunday, the NEC acknowledged technical and administrative mistakes regarding voters' lists and names of some candidates in the first day of polling, but said those mistakes were tackled.

More than 16 million Sudanese voters started casting their votes on Sunday to choose their representatives for the presidency, state governors, the president of southern Sudan and legislative councils.

The general elections were the first multi-party elections in Sudan in 24 years.