Essential The Africa the Media Doesn't Tell You About

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

African Development Bank Group approves €769.78 million to improve urban transport in Abidjan

16/12/2016

• 87.9 kilometers of developed urban motorways and a fourth bridge in Abidjan
• 60 young engineering jobs created for young Ivoirians
• The African Development Bank, a major partner for Côte d'Ivoire

This financing will contribute to improving the living conditions of the people living in Abidjan through the development and rehabilitation of road infrastructures. More specifically, the project involves the development of 87.9 km of fast urban roads, a 1,400-meter bridge, six interchanges, the rehabilitation of traffic lights at 89 intersections, urban waste management, and the strengthening of existing capacity for traffic control, urban planning, local revenue enhancement, road safety and the protection of natural ecosystems.

"The project will be implemented from March 2017 to December 2021 and will improve traffic flow, reduce road accidents, strengthen urban management, improve air quality, increase household revenues, recycle waste, reduce greenhouse gases and improve the quality of life of the people," said Amadou Oumarou, Director of Transport and ICT department at the African Development Bank.

Abidjan is the economic hub of Côte d'Ivoire and a port city with an estimated population of 4.71 million (21% of the country's total population in 2014), projected to reach 8.5 million by 2030. This city is the main supplier of products and services that make Côte d'Ivoire the third largest exporting country in Africa, after Egypt and South Africa.

With the combined effect of population growth, rapid rise of vehicular traffic and the decline of public transport systems, the road network and the traffic control systems have proved inadequate to ensure free flow of traffic. Due to the socio-political crisis of the last fifteen years and the strong demographic pressure, the accessibility of urban areas, transport systems, traffic control, waste management and urban planning have deteriorated. This is a major constraint to the city's economic potential.

Almost all intersections have severe congestion and road conditions are slowing down traffic, leading to road accidents, air pollution, and a slowdown in economic activity not only in the city of Abidjan but also in the West African sub-region.

Abidjan is a port city and a dynamic economic center, not only for the country, but also for West Africa in general, with an estimated GDP growth rate of 8% in the short term and 7.7% in the long term. It is the services sector that, through the transport and strong urbanization of the country (the total urban population of the country rose from 28% to 51% between 1970 and 2010), which supports these economic performances.

The Bank's added value in financing the project is threefold. It participated in the elaboration and validation of the master plan for urban transport in Greater Abidjan (SDTUGA), which is the benchmark tool for all donors. Secondly, the objectives of the project are in line with the Bank's 2012-2022 Decade Strategy and its five operational Priorities (High 5s) and focus on building infrastructure to support industrialization, stimulate agricultural production, improve the living conditions of the urban population and mitigate the effects of climate change. Finally, by supporting this project, which is the first operation of the SDTUGA, the Bank affirms its leadership in the urban development sector in Côte d'Ivoire.

Addressing the Board, AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina underlined the importance of this funding, whose outcomes will benefit the entire population, in particular state and local institutions, women's associations, industrialists, transporters and agricultural producers.

At the request of the Government, the African Development Bank Group also brought together many partners to complete the financing of the HKB Bridge (named after former President Henri Konan Bédié) and thus contributed to a significant resolution of the problems of transport and urban planning in the city of Abidjan.

Focus on the fourth bridge

With a total length of 1,400 meters, the 4th bridge in Abidjan will span a stretch of the Ebrié lagoon to connect the communes of Plateau and Adjamé with Yopougon. With a population estimated at nearly two million, Yopougon is the most populous municipality of the Abidjan conurbation, and also an important industrial center. The communes of Adjame east of the Plateau are the main poles of the country’s business and administration.

"The bridge and the access roads associated with it will facilitate the daily travel of hundreds of thousands of Abidjanese and help to decongest the existing roads. It is estimated that more than 70,000 vehicles will pass through the bridge," said Jean Noël Ilboudo, Transport Engineer in charge of coordinating the project at the African Development Bank. The construction is expected to start in 2017 and end in 2020.

A port city, the 6th metropolis of the continent and economic powerhouse for West Africa, Abidjan has experienced in recent years strong demographic and economic growth which strained its transport network. The annual cost of malfunctions in the transport system in Abidjan (accidents, congestion, air pollution, greenhouse effects, noise) is estimated at 8% of national GDP.

"Reducing urban congestion will in particular contribute to strengthening the city's economic competitiveness. The 4th bridge will facilitate the movement of goods between the southern part of the city where the port and industrial zone of Vridi are located and the western and northern zones, where new industrial zones are rapidly developing," Ilboudo further said.

From a regional perspective, the 4th bridge will be a privileged transit route between the port of Abidjan and the international road corridors, especially to Burkina Faso in the north and to Liberia in the west. The accessibility to the port will support integration in the sub region by stimulating exchanges with the countries in the hinterland.

African Development Bank Group approves €769.78 million to improve urban transport in Abidjan

I'm so jealous of the quality of ideas coming out of Ivory Coast. It's aggravating. If they carry on like this for the next 20 years and switch to English...

 

[Yehuda]

I'm so jealous of the quality of ideas coming out of Ivory Coast. It's aggravating. If they carry on like this for the next 20 years and switch to English...

Yeah I guess they could be leading West Africa.

By the way they're in Nigeria doing something similar AfDB approves USD 250 million loan and EUR 5 million grant for rebuilding, recovery and stabilization in North East Nigeria

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

They're in Nigeria doing something similar AfDB approves USD 250 million loan and EUR 5 million grant for rebuilding, recovery and stabilization in North East Nigeria

You cannot compare Borno State to Abidjan.

 

[Yehuda]

You cannot compare Borno State to Abidjan.

What's the most stable Nigerian state?

 

[BigMan]

I'm so jealous of the quality of ideas coming out of Ivory Coast. It's aggravating. If they carry on like this for the next 20 years and switch to English...

Many Ivorians speak French natively

French is a African language now

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

What's the most stable Nigerian state?

Stable in what sense?

 

[Yehuda]

Stable in what sense?

Somewhere you rarely hear about shyt popping off lol

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Somewhere you rarely hear about shyt popping off lol

I rarely hear about shyt from Ogun or Ebonyi state.

 

[Red Shield]

Many Ivorians speak French natively

French is a African language now

funny enough... probably the only way french as a language has any future

 

[Yehuda]

I rarely hear about shyt from Ogun or Ebonyi state.

If you had to invest in Nigeria would you go with those two places first

 

[Yehuda]

50 years of freedom of association: Right is firmly established, though far from absolute, in Africa (Afrobarometer findings)

16 Dec 2016

Key findings

• On average across 36 countries, eight in 10 Africans feel at least “somewhat free” to join any political organisation they want, including a majority (58%) who feel “completely free” to do so. About one in six citizens (17%) say they feel “not very” or “not at all” free to associate as they wish.
• “Complete” freedom of association is a minority perception in 15 of 36 countries. While more than eight in 10 citizens feel “completely free” in Senegal (85%), Malawi (85%), Ghana (84%), and Botswana (83%), fewer than one-third say the same in Algeria (32%), Zimbabwe (30%), Sudan (27%), Egypt (27%), and Swaziland (7%).
• Across 20 countries tracked since 2008/2009, the perception of “complete” freedom of association has been stable. In six of these countries, however, this perception declined significantly between 2008 and 2015, led by drops of 23 percentage points in Benin and 21 points in Burkina Faso (Figure 2). In four countries, the proportion of citizens who feel “completely free” increased significantly: Uganda (by 18 percentage points), South Africa (15 points), Namibia (14%), and Cape Verde (5 points).
• Women are somewhat less likely to feel “completely free” than men, 55% vs. 60%. The perception of being free increases modestly with age.
• In general, perceived freedom of association is correlated with higher levels of actual engagement in civic and political activities.
• Freedom of association also goes hand in hand with democracy: Citizens who feel free to associate also tend to feel free to speak and vote their minds, and to see their countries as well-functioning democracies.
• Despite high perceptions of freedom of association and its linkages with democracy, one-third (32%) of Africans “agree” or “agree very strongly” that governments “should be able to ban any organisation that goes against its policies”.

These Afrobarometer findings are being released today (16 December), the 50th anniversary of the UN’s adoption of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Based on interviews with about 54,000 citizens in 36 African countries, they are detailed in Afrobarometer Dispatch No. 128, titled “After 50 years, freedom of association is firmly established, though far from absolute, in Africa,” available in English and French.

Download the full press release.

50 years of freedom of association: Right is firmly established, though far from absolute, in Africa (Afrobarometer findings)

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

If you had to invest in Nigeria would you go with those two places first

No.

 

[Yehuda]

Ghanaians Call Out CNN for Misrepresenting Their Country in Post-Election Coverage

Posted 15 December 2016 9:53 GMT
Written by Kofi Yeboah

A supermarket in Accra, Ghana. Creative Commons image by Flickr user Michael Sean Gallagher.

Following a successful and peaceful election on December 7, Twitter was awash on Sunday, December 11 with messages from Ghanaians saying that they had attended to church to give thanks to God for the smooth outcome or to celebrate with the winning party.

However, a tweet from Ghanaian sports journalist Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith ) struck a much different note. Gary had published a screenshot of part of an article written by American broadcaster CNN about Ghana’s election in which the country was characterised as suffering food shortages. In his tweet to his over 166,000 followers, using the hashtag #CNNGetItRight he said:



Gary was disappointed that the article written by CNN did not give a true picture of the economy of Ghana. In the second paragraph of the article , it read, in reference to President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo:

“The national economy will be Akufo-Addo’s major challenge. Oil reserves were discovered off the coast of Ghana in 2007, but Ghanaians struggle to obtain food and day-to-day services. Rolling blackouts are common and citizens often stand in long line to obtain products.”

The article misrepresents reality on the ground in Ghana. Ghanaians generally do not struggle for food and day-to-day services, and they have access to enough food and resources. If you were to see food-related queues these days, it might be to buy the local delicacy called “Waakye,” which is a favourite dish made from rice mixed with beans — but the long queue is a sign of the quality of the Waakye, not because there’s a critical food shortage.

In the past, there were challenges with access to power due to an energy crisis, but currently, Ghanaians have access to power and do not experience rolling blackouts as depicted by CNN.

Gary’s tweet sparked lots of anger from Ghanaians against CNN, and many responded ridiculing CNN for the inaccurate coverage. Other Ghanaian journalists, such as Nana Ama Agyemang ( @JustNanaAma ) of Citi FM, tweeted:



The first lady of Ghana, Lordina Mahama ( @firstladyGhana ), told CNN to report accurately about Ghana:



Some local media houses also picked up the story. Myjoyonline exposed even more errors in the article, pointing out that it was written by two authors who were neither in Ghana nor Ghanaian:

“The errors brought ridicule from Ghanaians, who got even more annoyed when it emerged that the article was written by a Nigerian journalist based in Lagos, Stephanie Busari, and another based in Atlanta, Ralph Ellis.

The article, among other errors, also incorrectly said the people of the country are ‘Ghanians’, instead of ‘Ghanaians’.

In addition, the story even got the final results wrong. It said: “Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party won 5 180 389 to 4 193 861 or about 55% to 45%, reported representatives at the EC National Collation Centre which verified results sheets from 241 constituencies.”

This was inaccurate because the EC’s account of 241 constituencies gave Nana Addo 54.69%, and John Mahama 43.60%, so it’s surprising the network quoted that number.

Another factual error said that Ghana’s president-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo had contested a general election in 1998 when elections were actually contested in 1996 and 2000.”

Other international media houses including the BBC, far-right American website Breitbart and the Russian-government funded broadcaster RT picked up the story.

Efo Dela cynically speculated the decision-making that went into the article:



Eventually, CNN, in response to the tweets, corrected the errors in the article and indicated in the editor’s note that the previous article did not give a true picture of Ghana’s economy. Jemila Abdulai ( @Jabdulai ), a writer and a blogger, tweeted the screenshot of the corrected article:



Mawuli Tsikata (@MawuliTsikata), an online manager for CitiFm, asked CNN to apologise:



All in all, many Ghanaians are happy they were able to put pressure on CNN to correct the poor reportage about the country, but it’s unfortunate that it happened in the first place.



Update 18/12/2016: A CNN spokesperson forwarded along the following statement:”This story should never have been published in its original form. CNN’s editorial procedures were not followed, and we have thoroughly reviewed our internal processes to ensure this does not happen again. The article has been corrected and Stephanie Busari’s byline was removed because she was not involved in writing this piece. We apologise for any offence caused.”

 

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

Ghanaians Call Out CNN for Misrepresenting Their Country in Post-Election Coverage

Posted 15 December 2016 9:53 GMT
Written by Kofi Yeboah

A supermarket in Accra, Ghana. Creative Commons image by Flickr user Michael Sean Gallagher.

Following a successful and peaceful election on December 7, Twitter was awash on Sunday, December 11 with messages from Ghanaians saying that they had attended to church to give thanks to God for the smooth outcome or to celebrate with the winning party.

However, a tweet from Ghanaian sports journalist Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith ) struck a much different note. Gary had published a screenshot of part of an article written by American broadcaster CNN about Ghana’s election in which the country was characterised as suffering food shortages. In his tweet to his over 166,000 followers, using the hashtag #CNNGetItRight he said:



Gary was disappointed that the article written by CNN did not give a true picture of the economy of Ghana. In the second paragraph of the article , it read, in reference to President-elect Nana Akufo-Addo:

“The national economy will be Akufo-Addo’s major challenge. Oil reserves were discovered off the coast of Ghana in 2007, but Ghanaians struggle to obtain food and day-to-day services. Rolling blackouts are common and citizens often stand in long line to obtain products.”

The article misrepresents reality on the ground in Ghana. Ghanaians generally do not struggle for food and day-to-day services, and they have access to enough food and resources. If you were to see food-related queues these days, it might be to buy the local delicacy called “Waakye,” which is a favourite dish made from rice mixed with beans — but the long queue is a sign of the quality of the Waakye, not because there’s a critical food shortage.

In the past, there were challenges with access to power due to an energy crisis, but currently, Ghanaians have access to power and do not experience rolling blackouts as depicted by CNN.

Gary’s tweet sparked lots of anger from Ghanaians against CNN, and many responded ridiculing CNN for the inaccurate coverage. Other Ghanaian journalists, such as Nana Ama Agyemang ( @JustNanaAma ) of Citi FM, tweeted:



The first lady of Ghana, Lordina Mahama ( @firstladyGhana ), told CNN to report accurately about Ghana:



Some local media houses also picked up the story. Myjoyonline exposed even more errors in the article, pointing out that it was written by two authors who were neither in Ghana nor Ghanaian:

“The errors brought ridicule from Ghanaians, who got even more annoyed when it emerged that the article was written by a Nigerian journalist based in Lagos, Stephanie Busari, and another based in Atlanta, Ralph Ellis.

The article, among other errors, also incorrectly said the people of the country are ‘Ghanians’, instead of ‘Ghanaians’.

In addition, the story even got the final results wrong. It said: “Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party won 5 180 389 to 4 193 861 or about 55% to 45%, reported representatives at the EC National Collation Centre which verified results sheets from 241 constituencies.”

This was inaccurate because the EC’s account of 241 constituencies gave Nana Addo 54.69%, and John Mahama 43.60%, so it’s surprising the network quoted that number.

Another factual error said that Ghana’s president-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo had contested a general election in 1998 when elections were actually contested in 1996 and 2000.”

Other international media houses including the BBC, far-right American website Breitbart and the Russian-government funded broadcaster RT picked up the story.

Efo Dela cynically speculated the decision-making that went into the article:



Eventually, CNN, in response to the tweets, corrected the errors in the article and indicated in the editor’s note that the previous article did not give a true picture of Ghana’s economy. Jemila Abdulai ( @Jabdulai ), a writer and a blogger, tweeted the screenshot of the corrected article:



Mawuli Tsikata (@MawuliTsikata), an online manager for CitiFm, asked CNN to apologise:



All in all, many Ghanaians are happy they were able to put pressure on CNN to correct the poor reportage about the country, but it’s unfortunate that it happened in the first place.



Update 18/12/2016: A CNN spokesperson forwarded along the following statement:”This story should never have been published in its original form. CNN’s editorial procedures were not followed, and we have thoroughly reviewed our internal processes to ensure this does not happen again. The article has been corrected and Stephanie Busari’s byline was removed because she was not involved in writing this piece. We apologise for any offence caused.”

"Don't read the news, you're uninformed. Read the news, you're misinformed" - Denzel Washington

 

[Yehuda]

Important wins were notched up for African agriculture in 2016

December 18, 2016 11.04am EST

In Somalia a programme was launched to train people in the handling and processing of fish to reduce waste. Reuters/Feisal Omar

2016 was a big year for agriculture in Africa with some notable “wins” across the continent. One of the most important gains was the increased use of emerging technologies beyond the traditional use of mobile phones in agriculture. The range includes precision agriculture, sensors, satellites and drones.

For example FieldLook is using satellite images in the Gezira irrigation scheme in Sudan to provide information about crop growth, humidity, and nutrient needs of plants. This is then conveyed to farmers using mobile phones.

In Nigeria drones are being used to map the potential for expanding rice cultivation. The UK-based GrowMoreX Consultancy Company, for example, operates drone-based farming services. It conducted a survey of 3,000 hectares of land suitable for irrigated rice farming in New Bussa, Niger State. The area is 700km away from the capital Abuja. It has limited access to roads, electricity, clean water and other amenities.

Innovation gains in 2016 are just one aspect that was captured in a new study released by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) this year. The 2016 Africa Agriculture Status Report also noted that African agriculture is finally taking root, showing how long-term policy commitments and funding were key to the sector’s growth.

The gains reported in 2016 went hand in hand with overall growth in Africa over the last two decades. According to the AGRA report, “GDP per capita increased in Africa from an annual average of $987 in 1995-2003, to $1,154 in 2003-2008, and even higher to $1,289 on 2008-2014.”

Many sectors such as communication, transportation, wholesale and construction contributed to the growth. But more remarkably, agricultural value addition grew by “5.2% in 2000-2014 compared to less than 3% (in) previous decades”. Manufacturing’s share of total value addition grew, while agriculture’s did not.

These trends are in line with historical patterns in Asia and other regions where productivity in agriculture was a key driver of long-term economic transformation. This shows that agriculture is more than just producing food. It is a driver for overall economic growth.

There have been some clear “wins” worth highlighting from the past year.

Free trade area

2016 was a critical year in Africa’s negotiations to create a Continental Free Trade Area. This is scheduled to be finalised in 2017. The free trade area is expected to significantly expand Africa’s trade in agricultural products by building on current growth in the sector.

The talks are building the Tripartite Free Trade Area. This is a proposed African free trade agreement between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and East African Community (EAC). It has created a market of more than 620 million people in 26 countries valued at $1.5 trillion.

The Continental Free Trade Area will cover more than a billion people in 54 countries with a combined GDP of over $3.5 trillion. It is also expected to create opportunities for trade in agricultural machinery and associated services.

Overcoming ecological hurdles

In many parts of Africa agriculture has been pursued at the expense of the environment. This has largely been due to the lack of training in new methods that take the environment into consideration. Such skills would reduce agriculture’s ecological footprint and make it more resilient to climate change.

An example of promoting ecological food production is an effort by Somalia to rebuild fisheries after decades of conflict. The initiative, supported by Norway and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, includes new methods of drying and storing fish. This would reduce post-harvest losses.

To begin to address this, a programme was launched in which more than 200 young men and women will receive training and mentoring support in the handling and processing of fish and fish products.

“Given the importance of fisheries and aquaculture in food security in Africa, other countries…can draw on the experiences of Somalia to develop national sectoral development plans and build partnerships to improve the sustainable intensification of their fisheries sector,” a report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation notes.

Infrastructural wins

The AGRA report also highlighted the importance of investment in rural infrastructure – particularly transportation, energy, telecommunications and irrigation. It says a “10% decrease in rural transport cost can generate a 25% increase in the quantity of food traded.” This year in Kenya’s Rift Valley, rural roads were revamped. This reduced the cost of transporting food.

Transportation is only one aspect of infrastructure. Reliable energy is also key for the creation and growth of agro-industries in rural and urban areas. More importantly, the use of renewable energy can help African countries generate energy more sustainably. A good example is the launch of East Africa’s largest solar plant in Soroti, Uganda.

Similarly, irrigation is essential for crop production. Only about 4% per of African agriculture is irrigated, whereas the share is 45% in Asia and 18% for global agriculture. African countries are increasingly using solar power for irrigation. In 2016, for example, Rwanda launched a $13 million solar-powered irrigation scheme in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Another key highlight of the 2016 AGRA report is the importance of including nutrition in overall agricultural strategies. Nourishing people is just as important as feeding them. In 2016 Ghana launched a new project aimed at improving maternal and child nutrition by encouraging the consumption of milk. In addition to improving nutrition, the project seeks to support income generation along the dairy value chain.

Complex agricultural economies

Leaders need to upgrade their capacity to govern increasingly complex agricultural economies if they’re to sustain the gains seen and reported in 2016. Modern agriculture involves decisions on topics such as the impact of climate change, nutrition, improved seed and agricultural inputs, emerging technologies, infrastructure, research and extension and financing.

Countries around the world have responded to the need for up-to-date information by creating offices of science and technology advice to complement the work of other presidential advisers. African presidents and prime ministers need to have similar knowledge support offices. Otherwise they risk making decisions that are not supported by the best possible available advice.

Important wins were notched up for African agriculture in 2016