Bill Gates spray $168m on Africa

$168.7 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been made available to develop vaccines for malaria – a disease that kills thousands of African children every day. PATH has been tasked to use the money through its initiative to bring down malaria reported cases on the continent.The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) is working with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals to develop a first-generation vaccine candidate, known as RTS,S, which could become the first-ever approved malaria vaccine. With the new grant announced on Monday, MVI will support the development of next-generation vaccines that could provide even greater and longer-lasting protection.“I’m very hopeful that the malaria vaccine currently in advanced testing will be proven effective, but that will just be the first step,” said Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “Now it’s time to develop a new generation of vaccines that are even more effective, and could someday help eradicate malaria altogether.”Gates announced the new funding at the UN Millennium Development Goals Malaria Summit, a meeting of heads of state, CEOs, UN officials, and other leaders held in the US.At the event, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership launched the Global Malaria Action Plan, a comprehensive global strategy to fight malaria. The Gates Foundation grant and other commitments announced would help address key priorities in the Action Plan. The grant would support MVI’s efforts to expand its vaccine R&D pipeline with projects ranging from early-stage laboratory research to advanced clinical testing. MVI will work with partners to discover new antigens and adjuvants that could lead to more effective vaccines, and develop new tools to select the most promising candidates for further development.MVI will also work to foster a more competitive vaccine marketplace and help ensure that future vaccines will be affordable and accessible in developing countries. They will conduct market assessments, demand forecasting, and modeling studies to guide policymakers and vaccine manufacturers, and partner with vaccine makers in developing countries to keep costs low.“These new funds are recognition that we have a solid research and development strategy, and the team to deliver on it,” said Dr. Christian Loucq, Director of MVI. “This commitment should signal to potential research partners that the time is ripe to work with us to help defeat this horrible disease. Already, we have added to our roster of partners and entered into collaborative agreements on vaccine components, ways to boost their potency, and methods for testing their biological activity.”“Our strategy for developing a malaria vaccine follows the PATH approach to neglected diseases, which has shown that investment in core areas of research and development, particularly vaccine technology, does yield important advances,” said Dr. Christopher J. Elias, president and CEO of PATH. “The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative is now ready to accelerate further the development of what the world urgently needs: safe, effective, and affordable vaccines that reduce the suffering caused by malaria.”The grant addresses one of the priorities in the new Global Malaria Action Plan, released today by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. The plan provides a unified global strategy for fighting malaria, including greater use of today’s tools, and research on vaccines and other new technologies.“The Global Malaria Action Plan makes a compelling case for greater investment in malaria,” said Gates. “If we have the chance to save millions of lives, and a clear plan to make it happen, we have an obligation to act. We’re committed to supporting a range of efforts to make the Action Plan a reality – today’s grant is just the first step.Gates hailed new data from the World Malaria Report, released last week by WHO, showing encouraging progress against malaria in several African countries through 2006. He also highlighted more recent data from Zambia and Ethiopia that further demonstrate the impact of aggressive, large-scale malaria control programs.The Zambian health ministry reported this week that since 2006, malaria control efforts have helped to reduce malaria parasite prevalence in children by 50%. Since 2002, the percentage of households with at least one insecticide-treated mosquito net has increased from 14% to 60%, and malaria control successes have helped to reduce overall child mortality by 29%.Earlier this month, Ethiopia’s health ministry announced that it has reached nearly 70% of households in high-risk areas with at least one insecticide-treated mosquito net and/or indoor residual spraying, and that effective malaria treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapy is now available nationwide.“The good news from Ethiopia and Zambia demonstrates that extraordinary progress can be made against malaria, even in the poorest and most remote communities,” said Gates. “By building on and replicating these successes globally, we can save millions of lives.”Both countries are partners in the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA), a PATH initiative that is funded by the Gates Foundation.

Fiction on Somalia wins award

A fiction on environmental and cultural devastation in Somalia – Charcoal Traffic – has won the Best Short Fiction award at the San Francisco, California (USA) VideoFest. It is a story of two brothers trapped in a murderous cycle of environmental and cultural devastation in Somalia.Charcoal Traffic has been selected and screened at 19 film festivals around the world, a press statement to AfricaNews from Hot Sun Foundation on Monday said. Santa Mukabanah, Hot Sun Foundation Communications Officer, who signed the statement said: “Charcoal Traffic is especially close to our hearts considering that one of the co-founders of Hot Sun Foundation, Mr. Gordon Ojiambo co-produced the short film. He is a testament of the unique creativity available in the Kibera slum.”It added: “Charcoal Traffic is the world’s first short fictional film based on Somali pastoral culture. It was shot entirely on location in northern Somalia under very challenging conditions due to almost 20 years of civil war.”What makes the movie unique, the statement said, is that it is made up of an entirely local Somali cast with no previous acting experience. It was acted in the Somali language but with English subtitles for international viewers.Charcoal Traffic was directed by Nathan Collett, assisted by Godfrey Ojiambo, and co-produced by international award winning environmentalist, Fatima Jibrell with James Lindsay, co-founder of Sun Fire Cooking. Godfrey Ojiambo, resident of Kibera and trustee of Hot Sun Foundation, travelled with Nathan Collett to Somalia to film Charcoal Traffic. The BEST SHORT FICTION AWARD would to be presented to Charcoal Traffic during the VideoFest in San Francisco, California, October 17-18, 2008. Charcoal Traffic was made possible because of an alliance between two unique east African organizations – Sun Fire Cooking and Hot Sun Films.

Zambia holds election end of October

Zambia would hold its much-awaited presidential elections on October 30 following the death of president Levy Mwanawasa. The late president, who was buried early this month in Lusaka, died last month in France. He got ill in Egypt whilst attending the African Union (AU) summit.According to the southern African country’s Article 38, section one (1) and section 20 of the Electoral Act No. 12 of 2006, presidential elections should be held within 90 days of the death of a sitting president.A report quoted acting president Rupiah Banda recently as saying the government had started preparing for the presidential elections adding that it would be held on October 30.”Therefore, I have the honour to announce that the programme of conducting presidential by-election has been finally established. The presidential by-election shall therefore be held on Thursday, 30 October 2008,” Banda said.The report further said at least three political parties have indicated participation in the forthcoming presidential by-election namely Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), two opposition parties, United Party for National Development (UPND) and the Patriotic Front.UPND is set to be led by Hakainde Hichilema, with top politician Michael Sata, representing the PF party. However, the opposition United Liberal Party and All People’s Congress would not take part in the elections and instead they would support MMD which will be represented by the acting president.Zambia has won donor support under the leadership of Mwanawasa who among others stepped up the corruption fight.

SA: Mandela hails new president

Nelson Mandela has praised new president, Kgalema Motlanthe, describing him as a principled leader who deserved the seat. Mandela who is well respected the world over for his humbleness and fight against the HIV/AIDS said the southern African country was in safe hands with Motlanthe as the president.“We have known you for a long time and you are eminently deserving of this high honour,” he said in a letter.He said the new president has all the qualities of uniting the country. Mandela is quoted as saying the new president was quiet, firm and a principled leader. One who puts reason above emotions, Reuters reported.The new president rose to the helm of president to replace Thabo Mbeki, who was ousted by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) last weekend amid accusations he abused his power. Mbeki who took over from Mandela as president of  South Africa in 1999 was defeated by Jacob Zuma to the seat of the ANC leadership in December and since then the two have been in rivalry.

Ethiopian breaks world record

Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia has become the first man under the sun to run under two hours and four minutes on Sunday. He breaks his own world record of 2:04:26 he set in Berlin, Germany 12 months ago. The sprinter clocked two hours three minutes 59 seconds in his new record.The 35-year-old was inside the required pace from the start and at the halfway stage was already 25 seconds faster than his split time last year, the Reuters news agency said. The respected runner backed out of the Beijing Olympics last month due to pollution concerns.He beat his final challenger, James Kwambai with around six kilometres left and his victory was never in doubt. The report said “Gebrselassie’s preparation for the event was affected by a calf muscle cramp but he said the perfect weather conditions and the support of the crowd helped him make light of the problem.””Everything was perfect,” Gebrselassie, a twice Olympic 10,000 metres champion, told German TV after crossing the line on a sunny but cool Berlin morning. “The weather was perfect, the race was perfect and the crowd was perfect.”"I felt like I was running in a stadium,” he added at a later news conference. “The supporters were so good they helped me feel all the time like I was starting afresh. “And really, this was once-in-a-lifetime weather. You must remember that.”Kwambai was second in 2:05:36, with fellow Kenyan Charles Kamathi third in 2:07:48. Irina Mikitenko of Germany won the women’s race in 2:19:19.

Namibian axed from Big Brother show

Namibian housemate Lucille Naobes on Sunday became the second housemate to be evicted in the Big Brother Africa III taking place in South Africa. Lucille was nominated alongside Angola’s housemate Ricco Venancio and Nigeria’s Uti Nwachukwu last week Monday however she failed to stand the test.She received nominations from 10 countries including the 13th vote from the rest of Africa whereas Ricco had no vote with Uti receiving two votes from Angola and Namibia. The Namibian housemate’s eviction is the second following Tanzania’s Latoya Lyakurwa.Lucille in an interview after the eviction with presenter of the show Kabelo Ngakane aka KB said she had feelings that she was going out. “I knew I was going out. I am happy that I have interacted with friends from Africa. I have tasted new food and learned new things,” she said amidst tears. Other housemates who reacted after Lucille’s eviction included Uti who hit items and Ghana’s Mimi who cried and questioned as to why the Namibia housemate was evicted. There are 12 nations battling it out for the cash prize of US$ 100,000, which will see the housemates spending 91 days.The eviction show was spiced up by a performance from Ghana’s Irene and Jane. Last year’s BBA II winner was Tanzania’s Richard.

Egypt: Joy as 11 hostages freed

Eleven Western tourists and their Egyptian guides kidnapped in a remote border region of Egypt are now free. Abducted 10 days ago, the five Italians, five Germans and a Romanian and their guides are said to be in good health.The news broke on Egyptian state television and confirmed by the Italian officials, the BBC reported. They have been taken to a military base in the capital, Cairo. “Our compatriots are free, and they are with Egyptian forces,” said Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.No details were given on the circumstances of their release. The kidnappers had demanded that Germany take charge of payment of an $8.8m (£4.9m) ransom. The news said it is unclear if any payment was exchanged.The abductees had been touring in an area well off the beaten track but a messy end to this crisis would not have been good for the health of the Egpytian economy, the news network said.

Circumcision booms in Kenya

Kenya government hopes to circumcise two million people in the Luo province where the practice is abhorred. Top politicians from the area confessed they have gone to have the foreskin of their male organs removed as part of an awareness to curb HIV/AIDS. They spoke to spur people on to go and circumcise.Standing before an audience of 500 in the western city of Kisumu, including Prime Minister Raila Odinga, three government ministers and an MP said they had secretly undergone the operation, the BBC reported.Medical researchers contend that it reduces the risk of HIV infection among men, but have maintained that using condoms is far more effective. It is reported that five other MPs of Kenya have pledged their intention to have a circumcision – after seeking medical advice – as part of a push to promote the culturally taboo practice.The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is high in the Luo community and the government has recently introduced a programme to promote the practice to curb the spread of Aids.Unlike the nearby Luhya community, who last month turned out in large numbers to undergo circumcision in an annual festival, removing the foreskin is not performed as rite of passage amongst the Luo.The politicians said they feared losing their post, but have received an unflinching support from their colleagues – including Odinga’s brother, an assistant minister who agreed to undergo the procedure. It is seen as a boost for the Luos to support circumcision.

Support

Hundreds of young men have begun to turn up for circumcision at public and private hospitals. Robert Ogol, a youth counsellor, is one who has snubbed the advice. He accused the community’s elders of being afraid of change and said young men should be allowed to make their own decision about the practice.”I got circumcised while I was already married. Since I got circumcised, even my wife can tell you that she is very comfortable,” he said. At the Lumumba Health Centre in Kisumu, more than 80 medical practitioners have already received training.”We are teaching young men and older people about circumcision. They usually come for circumcision of their own free will,” says Wycliffe Omondi, one of the doctors providing training at the centre.

Statistics

Nearly 1,000 men have been circumcised since March and medical workers receive two days of training, he said. However, the Luo Council of Elders is not convinced that circumcision lowers the risk of infection. “I don’t think it will be a solution to fight the spread of Aids,” said Joe Asila, a pastor and Luo elder. “Other communities practise circumcision, but there is still a high prevalence of HIV/Aids,” he said.Meanwhile, the practice is catching up well in Malawi where hundreds of men are reported queuing at medical centres to be circumcised.

Museveni: Africa can solve food crisis

Africa has sufficient agricultural potential to become a food basket for the whole world, President Museveni of Uganda said. He said the continent could solve the current food crisis if the relevant production interventions are undertaken during the launch of the P4P at the United Nations.Purchase 4 Progress (P4P) is an initiative of the World Food Programme (WFP) which aims at transforming the way WFP purchases food in developing countries by giving priority to small scale farmers to sell their surplus produce to WFP at competitive prices while giving the food to those who have little or no food at all.According to a press release from the state house in Uganda, the programme which will initially target 21 countries, Uganda inclusive, aims at helping farmers to earn reasonable income and predictable market for their produce. It will initially target 350,000 households over a period of 5 years.The WFP is supported by the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation and the Howard G. Buffet Foundation.President Museveni launched the programme jointly with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, Rwandese President Paul Kagame and the WFP Executive Director Mrs. Josette Sheeran.President Museveni said that 67% of the farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa have been practicing subsistence agriculture and not fully utilizing the region’s agricultural potential. He said that with the current food shortage in the world, it was time for African farmers to engage in commercialized agriculture and produce food beyond their subsistence needs. He, however, noted that interventions in terms of irrigation, the use of fertilizers and other forms of modern agricultural practices need to be emphasized to enable the region produce optimally.Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete welcomed the programme saying that it would help unlock the potential of farmers in rural Africa since they will be assured of the market for their produce. President Paul Kagame of Rwanda lauded WFP for its support to his country. He said that the organization has responded to the feeding needs of over 54,000 people in Rwanda. He also hailed their support through the School Feeding Programme and welcomed the Purchase 4 Progress Programme saying it was an appropriate intervention.Ms. Josette Sheeran, the Executive Director of WFP, said that in addition to purchasing their produce, WFP would facilitate farmers with modern farm inputs, equip them with modern agricultural skills to boost the quality and quantity of their output.Mr. Bill Gates and Mr. Howard Buffet said they were committed to helping farmers in the developing world to better their incomes because they constitute a large part of the poorest of the poor in the world. They said that they committed their organizations to supporting Purchase 4 Progress Programme because its objectives are in line with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.

Jail break in Ghana cell

Three cell inmates outwitted police officers at the Agona Nkwanta Police Cells of the Western region of Ghana to escape. In a well-rehearsed plan, one of them complained of stomachache and when Sergeant Eric Sekyi came to his aid, they poured powdered pepper into his eyes.Sources at the police station say, three of the inmates who know about the plan bolted in the process, leaving the blinded police officer wailing in pains. An eyewitness who spoke to Africa News said he chance-met the scene while seeing a friend off on Tuesday dawn.The officer has been rushed to the Dixcove Hospital, the only health facility which is about 20km away from the district capital for medical attention. Doctors say he will be on admission for some days.Meanwhile, the Western Regional police command remained mute over the incidence. Sources at the command however said the police officer has been given a 10 -day ultimatum to re-arrest the bolted inmates to guarantee the continuity of his status as a policeman.Olivia Adeku, the Public Relations officer of the Western Regional Police Command said they would only issue a statement on the issue after the 10-day ultimatum had expired. “It is part of our professional ethics to instruct the police officer to produce the run-away inmates,” she said.