Essential The Africa the Media Doesn't Tell You About

[Secure Da Bag]

Wonder why Magufuli shelved this

Who's building it? What kinda influence will the project create? Internal or external?

 

[Sinnerman]

What's the latest on Eko Atlantic City? My family in Nigeria say it's being done shabbily

 

[phcitywarrior]

What's the latest on Eko Atlantic City? My family in Nigeria say it's being done shabbily

If Eko Atlantic ain't the biggest white elephant project in Lagos I don't know what to tell you. Was in Lag in Jan 2020 and although the main dredging has been complete, there are still sections that haven't been fully dredged even though buildings are now being erected.

Moreover, Lagos developers don't have a good track record when it comes to building on reclaimed land. Just take a look at Lekki Phase 1 during the rainy season. Might as well cop a small boat to get out of the compound

I remember hearing about Eko Atlantic when I was in secondary school over 10 years ago. Even then I felt the project was non needed for Lagos as Eko would essentially be a Banana Island's Banana Island. Living space for the very rich and powerful.

Lagos would have been better served with expanding the 3rd mainland bridge by 2 lanes each side AND completing the 4th mainland bridge out in Ikorodu to decrease the use of 3rd mainland and improve Lagosians commute.

 

[Sinnerman]

If Eko Atlantic ain't the biggest white elephant project in Lagos I don't know what to tell you. Was in Lag in Jan 2020 and although the main dredging has been complete, there are still sections that haven't been fully dredged even though buildings are now being erected.

Moreover, Lagos developers don't have a good track record when it comes to building on reclaimed land. Just take a look at Lekki Phase 1 during the rainy season. Might as well cop a small boat to get out of the compound

I remember hearing about Eko Atlantic when I was in secondary school over 10 years ago. Even then I felt the project was non needed for Lagos as Eko would essentially be a Banana Island's Banana Island. Living space for the very rich and powerful.

Lagos would have been better served with expanding the 3rd mainland bridge by 2 lanes each side AND completing the 4th mainland bridge out in Ikorodu to decrease the use of 3rd mainland and improve Lagosians commute.

Yep, this basically confirms what I've been hearing

I was hyped about this and started tracking it heavy around 2012 when I was 18, then lost interest around 2014.

Check back now that I'm a couple years from thirty to see that it's turned out the way I feared it would

Weren't they hiring Dutch developers to build a lot of the infrastructure, or did that not pan out either?

 

[Red Shield]

Who's building it? What kinda influence will the project create? Internal or external?

I don't know

That's why I'm wondering why he shelved it..

I hope the new president keeps things trucking

 

[Sinnerman]

Embarrassing

 

[phcitywarrior]

Embarrassing

I just hope all the APC folks in Lagos that were cheering on Buhari because of Tinubu can see what a grave miscalculation they made.

I wouldn’t mind the Americans coming to help but I’d like arms assistance and infrastructure investment, not just the former.

 

[Red Shield]

Embarrassing

 

[loyola llothta]

Mass mobilizations in Chad against the Military Junta and French Imperialism
Post on: April 28, 2021


A week after the death of the dictator Idriss Déby, Chad’s military junta and France are confronted with massive mobilizations of the toiling masses.

On Tuesday, a week after the death of Chad’s dictator, Idriss Déby, and the formation of a Transitional Military Council (CMT) to lead the country, the opposition organized mobilizations throughout the country, particularly in the capital, N’Djamena. French president Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Déby and endorsed his son, Mahamat Déby, to head the CMT. This lit the fuse, pushing the popular classes and the youth to the streets against “Françafrique” (French Africa) and the military dictatorship.

The Military Transitional Council, the Military Junta, and Nepotism Serving French Interests

Macron’s imperialist tears and Déby’s funeral consisted mainly of a clear anti-democratic agenda. The CMT, supported by France and headed by Mahamat Déby, began these attacks: they dissolved the national assembly and the government, saying they will organize elections in 18 months. While Chad’s constitution states that the president of the National Assembly takes power if there is a presidential vacancy, Macron has reaffirmed France’s support for a dictatorial regime run with an iron fist.

Indeed, Chad’s destabilization is of particular concern to France, which has historically held Chad as a central geostrategic ally in the region, in terms of security, counter-terrorism, and military and economic control.

Gassim Chérif, a student exiled in France and political activist who opposes the junta, reminded Révolution Permanente that “[Macron’s] interest is the defense of his enclosure in French-speaking West Africa. France is very shrewd in what it is doing and it is continuing in its policy since 1960, with which Chad has never known a peaceful political alternative.”

Macron, who was quickly joined by the African Union and the Congolese president, at first reaffirmed his support of the military junta for a transition organized by the army, but then he changed his mind in view of the scale of the mobilizations. The G5 Sahel (coordinated by France and composed of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) has reportedly mandated two of their members to attend the negotiations between the opposition and the military junta, the latter being invited by the self-proclaimed president.

Mass Mobilizations against Françafrique

After Macron’s speech at Déby’s funeral, the reaction of the political opposition and of human rights and civil society organizations was swift. As Dobian Assingar, interviewed by Révolution Permanente and honorary president of the League of Human Rights in Chad, which suffered repression this Tuesday, reminds us, “It is a scandal that the president of the French Republic comes to support [the junta]. And who also puts in power the son of the former president who ruled us with an iron fist for 30 years! And now we should see the same system perpetuated?”

Meanwhile, massive mobilizations swept through the country on Tuesday morning, especially in N’Djamena and in the south of the country. The call was made by the movement “Waki Tama” (The time has come), which brings together several human rights organizations as well as opposition parties to the regime, such as the Party of Change and the National Union for Democracy and Renewal. Thousands of demonstrators protested throughout the day in the capital, and especially in the working-class neighborhoods in the south of the city.

In addition to their rejection of the military junta, the youth and a large part of the Chadian working classes have also expressed strong opposition to the influence of France. In a country with such an important historical tradition of French presence, where France has several military bases, but also where the largest French companies are present, the appearance of anti-Françafrique messages in the mobilizations is historical.

In addition to the sight of several Total gas stations burned by the demonstrators, there were sharp posters saying, “Macron and France, out!” It should be noted that unlike most recent social movements in the region, France is today, as in the case of Senegal, very clearly identified as responsible for the economic and political situation that’s causing suffering among the population. This situation is of such concern to the French authorities that they quickly changed their mind on their previous political message.

Fearing a destabilization of the French position in the region, Macron and Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi said in a joint communiqué that they support “an inclusive transition process, open to all Chadian political forces, led by a civilian government of national unity and expected to lead the country to elections within 18 months.” They condemned the repression of the demonstrations.

We must see in this in light of the absolute hypocrisy of the French government. The latter is largely responsible for the current situation in Chad, and it has a historic tradition of subjugating the country to the interests of imperialism through successive military interventions as well as by supporting the region’s worst dictators, such as Idriss Déby and the military junta.

According to several NGOs, the repression, financed and armed by France, caused about nine deaths and many were wounded — a high price for a first day of mobilization. As Murielle Debos, a researcher specializing in Chad, wrote in the French daily Le Monde, “It is true that the Chadian army is better trained and more combative than the other armies in the region. But France and the United States, which have established military cooperation programs, could not be unaware that they were playing with fire. The army, acclaimed for its prowess on the ground, is also guilty of abuses against civilians in Chad and in countries where it has intervened, particularly in the Central African Republic. In their latest episode: Chadian soldiers committed rape in Niger.”

The demonstrators were also very clear in their message against the military junta, armed and financed by France: there will be no democratic transition with French imperialism!

The Chadian Popular Classes Show the Way

In an interview with Révolution Permanente, Gassim Chérif recalls that most of the opposition sectors today have interests in the French presence in Chad, and in particular the Chadian bourgeoisie: “The local bourgeoisie wants to maintain its prerogatives, whether it is in the opposition or in the government, just as with the CFA franc [currency of the French-speaking countries]. There is no character that stands out independently of French politics.”

In this sense, Chad’s independence and the possibility for the popular classes to decide their destiny by themselves will not be made as a result of a negotiation with French imperialism. Today’s demonstrators have shown the way to the true independence of Chad by confronting the repression for which France and the military junta are responsible. As said by Anasse Kazib, a railway leader and leader of the Revolutionary Communist Current, “Against repression, the military junta and French imperialism, the French workers movement and youth must affirm their support for the Chadian people! Out of Françafrique!”

link:
Movilizaciones masivas en Chad contra la junta militar y el imperialismo francés

 

[loyola llothta]

800+ Chinese companies express interest to invest in Tanzania

by Taarifa Rwanda

April 26, 2021

More than 800 Chinese companies have expressed interest in setting up shop in Tanzania according to the country’s Presidency.

Details indicate that the representatives of Chinese Business Chamber of Tanzania have met with President Samia Suluhu to discuss various issues pertaining to investments.

Areas of investment interest according to the Tanzanian government include; mobile phone industry, Human Medicine, Cars and Industrial parks.

China and Tanzania enjoy deep cooperation dating back decades since 1961.


Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the East African country in 2013 saying his visit aimed at consolidating the traditional friendship, charting the course for future cooperation and promoting common development. He believed the visit would surely inject new vigor and vitality into the development of bilateral friendly cooperative relations.

As one of the major recipients of China’s aid to Africa, Tanzania has received more than 100 cooperation projects and programs totalling over US$2B since the early 1960s, although exact calculations are not available.

According to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, Tanzania exports to China was US$144.59M during 2018.

China, the world’s biggest importer of soybeans, opened its market to Tanzania as it seeks to reduce its reliance on the United States and Brazil for supplies of the oilseed.

link:
Tanzania expects agreement on US$30B LNG project within six months

 

[Sinnerman]

Somali's have been suffering from xenophobic attacks in SA for a while now

 

[loyola llothta]

Ghana worries as China begins exporting cocoa beans


ABU MUBARIK Apr 28, 2021

Ghana and Ivory Coast are the world-leading producers of cocoa. Photo: Neja Hrovat

There are growing concerns about the potential collapse of Ghana’s cocoa industry as China starts growing and exporting the cash group. The fear appears justified over China’s capital Beijing’s capacity to use technology to scale up production to surpass Ghana and Ivory Coast, the world’s leading producers of cocoa.

The Asian country recently exported its first batch of cocoa beans weighing 500 kg, worth about $3,600 to Belgium. This was made known by Hao Zhaoyun, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS), according to China Daily.

Zhaoyun said the cocoa beans are being produced in Xinglong, a township of Hainan with a tropical climate. He also noted that Hainan is expanding its cocoa production to meet the increasing demand for chocolates. “As Belgium is dubbed ‘kingdom of chocolates,’ exports to the country indicate that our cocoa production standards have been recognized by the international community,” he said.


Commenting on China’s cocoa beans to Belgium, Ghanaian industrialist Tony Oteng-Gyasi said Ghana should investigate how China’s earned a better price for its first cocoa beans export.


Respected Ghanaian Statesman, Sir Sam Jonah, also lamented the role of the Chinese in the destruction of cocoa farms. “The Chinese having helped pollute our rivers through illegal mining activities and having, in connivance with some Ghanaians acquired large tracks of farmlands in the cocoa-growing areas have started producing their own cocoa,” he said.

Ghana’s cocoa management agency, Cocobod, said it is assessing the impact of the Chinese’s involvement in the sector. The Public Affairs Manager of the agency, Fiifi Boafo, told local station Citi FM that the cocoa market has been saturated, adding that consumption has also slowed.


“So any new addition in terms of production is a matter of concern because higher production without commensurate consumption will force the price of cocoa downwards,” he said. However, he maintained that China cannot match Ghana in the production of quality cocoa beans.

Ghana’s Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) in a statement called on the government to introduce innovative measures to boost cocoa production. “We have to immediately change how we produce cocoa in this country. For more than 100 years we have been using cutlasses and hoes on our cocoa farms,” said Edward Kareweh, General Secretary of GAWU.


Cocoa remains one of the backbones of Ghana’s economy, in addition to commodities such as oil and gas. Ghana is the second-largest producer of cocoa after Ivory Coast. The two West African nations control 60% of the cocoa market.

link:
Ghana worries as China begins exporting cocoa beans - Face2Face Africa

 

[Red Shield]

Ghana worries as China begins exporting cocoa beans


ABU MUBARIK Apr 28, 2021

Ghana and Ivory Coast are the world-leading producers of cocoa. Photo: Neja Hrovat

There are growing concerns about the potential collapse of Ghana’s cocoa industry as China starts growing and exporting the cash group. The fear appears justified over China’s capital Beijing’s capacity to use technology to scale up production to surpass Ghana and Ivory Coast, the world’s leading producers of cocoa.

The Asian country recently exported its first batch of cocoa beans weighing 500 kg, worth about $3,600 to Belgium. This was made known by Hao Zhaoyun, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS), according to China Daily.




link:
Ghana worries as China begins exporting cocoa beans - Face2Face Africa

good grief

 

[Red Shield]

800+ Chinese companies express interest to invest in Tanzania

by Taarifa Rwanda

April 26, 2021

More than 800 Chinese companies have expressed interest in setting up shop in Tanzania according to the country’s Presidency.





link:
Tanzania expects agreement on US$30B LNG project within six months

Are they figuring she won't play hardball

 

[Sinnerman]

I can't lie, the current situation in India is freaking me out a bit. What other countries on the Continent are securing vaccines for their people?