SA : Another top ANC member resigns

A top member of South Africa`s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has resigned. The former Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) president Willy Madisha becomes the latest to deepen the woes of the ANC.Addressing a group of hawkers and some disgruntled ANC members at Burgersfort in Limpopo, the trade union president said his resignation letter was ready and that he would send it to the party soon.An Sabcnews.com report on Thursday said about 200 community members mainly women hawkers came to listen to Madisha. It added that the majority of them complained about lack of service delivery in their area.

Africa’s population to double by 2050

Africa’s population of 967 million could grow to 1.9 billion by 2050; a 2008 Africa Population Data has projected. The new projections are contained in the 2008 Africa Population Data Sheet, produced by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC).The APHRC stated: “even as African women use family planning more and bear fewer children, the continent’s youthful population will fuel the continent’s growth for many decades to come.”However, a news statement from APHRC revealed that contraceptive use has increased fastest in Northern and Southern Africa, and as a result, the number of children the average woman has during her lifetime dropped from nearly six children in the early 1980s to around three in 2005. This has slowed population growth in those regions.

Nigeria: 20 cabinet ministers sacked

Twenty out of 40 cabinet ministers in Nigeria have been sacked for non-performance. President Umaru Yar’Adua said his decision is to reposition and strengthen his administration for effective service delivery, Presidential Spokesman, Olusegun Adeniyi disclosed on Thursday.According to This Day newspaper, the President after taking a valedictory photographs with the sacked ministers said yesterday’s meeting will be the last for some of them. Yar’Adua thanked them for their contribution to national development and asked them to watch the NTA News Channel for those retained and those who have been dropped.Adeniyi said: “The President also directed that until new Ministers are confirmed by the Senate and sworn in, Remi Babalola (Minister of State, Finance) will serve as Supervising Minister for the Federal Capital Territory Authority.”

Suicide bombers kill 28 in Somaliland

At least 28 people have died after suicide bombers attacked northern Somalia, jeopardizing the peace agreement reached between the Somali interim government and Islamist groups on Sunday. The parties had agreed to a ceasefire to be effective from November 5, 2008 ahead of withdrawal of Ethiopian troops.The new wave of bombings is also likely to unsettle the meeting taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, between interim government leaders and regional leaders which was called to discuss, among other things, how to help to restore peace in Somalia.The Iraq style attacks bore al Qaeda trade marks comprising five simultaneous blasts which killed 25 people in Hargeisa and three others in Bosasso. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but recently insurgents have stepped up attacks on the interim government and Ethiopian troops demanding the withdrawal of the latter from Somalia and discouraging plans to send AU and UN peacekeepers to Somalia.

Major hydro power station for Africa

African leaders are planning to establish a continental hydro power station to harness its huge energy potential. Country representatives attending the 20th Session of the African Hydro Symposium in Zambia said hydro energy is the cheapest and cleanest for the continent.According to sadc.net Lawrence Musaba, the Centre Co-ordination Manager for the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), Africa has a combined feasible hydro-capacity of more than 1 750 000 gigawatts (GW) per year, enough to power the whole continent but unfortunately, only 4.3 percent of this has been exploited. The symposium heard from SAPP and the Regional Electricity Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (RERA) that in order to deal with the regional power deficits and stop a further decline in the environment different alternative power sources have to be researched on and implemented.

Zambia: Last day of election campaign

Campaign in Zambia’s presidential by-election officially ended on 29th of October 2008. The four contenders intensified their quest for votes in Zambia’s capital city Lusaka.Acting president Rupiah Banda of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), Michael Sata of Patriotic Front ( PF), and Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Democracy ( UPND) and Brig. Gen. Godfrey Miyanda of Heritage Party (HP) are contesting.The MMD has predicted that its candidate Banda would win the polls with about 42 to 46 per cent of the total number of votes cast. The former Minister of Information and Broadcast Service, Vernon Mwaanga, predicted Sata would be the first-runner up with 31 to 36 percent followed by Hichilema with 16 to 20 percent of the votes.

Morocco: First horse show held

Horse fans across Morocco have attended a 4-day National Horse Show in the coastal city of El Jadida, 190 km south of capital Rabat. The first Horse Show that was held from October 22-26 was under the theme “Pride and Passion.”The town has been transformed into a sight of medieval festivities, color and music. Many horse jumping competition and several equestrian shows took place as well as A hundred of exhibitors representing national and international institutions and professional associations. Through painting, works of art and manuscript exhibitions, the event sought to highlight the cardinal importance of the horse in Morocco’s cultural identity, as well as its socioeconomic dimension.

Microfinance attracts women in Morocco

More than 600,000 out of a total of one million clients in the microfinance sector in 2007 were women according to the National Federation of Microfinance Associations in Morocco. This came to light during a meeting of the association in Casablanca.FNAM statistics also show that more than 20 billion dirhams ($2.26 billion) have been distributed thus far, 13 billion dirhams, ($1.48 billion) of which is invested by women in productive projects, especially in poor rural area. The microcredit sector has been developing at fast pace since the 1990`s and it is now an essential instrument in the struggle against exclusion and poverty, In this north Africa country.High illiteracy rates, particularly between women, about 60%, are a serious constraint for their participation and ownership of businesses because they have fewer and lower options to get a job, that’s why women are more interested in micro-loans than men.

Railway lines for Uganda, Kenya soon

Uganda and Kenya have agreed to set up a joint ministerial commission to expedite the construction of a railway line that links the 2 East African countries to Southern Sudan and Eastern Congo. The decision was taken during talks between President Museveni and President Kibaki of Kenya in Nairobi.During the meeting in Kibaki and his guest agreed to set up a joint Ministerial Commission to expedite the construction of the railway line and modalities on its future management.President Museveni arrived in Kenya on Monday to attend the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which is scheduled to begin today in Nairobi.

Ethiopia backs Somalia peace deal

Ethiopia has given its total support to the ceasefire agreement reached on Sunday between the Somali transitional government and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS). It said it would respect a UN – brokered peace deal for Somalia requiring the gradual withdrawal of its troops.“The agreement reached in Djibouti by the two parties is in line with our policy of orderly withdrawal,” said foreign ministry spokesman Wahade Belay on Monday. He added that Ethiopia would implement the decisions reached by the two parties in Djibouti.

However, some sections of the opposition have rejected the agreement, saying that it will not be able to bring peace and understanding among all Somalis particularly because it is not specific about the total withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia.