Dar Es Salaam Umpire for Cairo
July 16, 2008
16 July 2008
Posted to the web 16 July 2008
Suleiman Jongo
Tanzanian hockey umpire Abdulkadir Mukadam, yesterday boarded a Cairo-bound flight, to attend an international umpiring course that starts tomorrow and wind up on Saturday.
According to the Tanzania Hockey Association (THA) secretary general Kaushik Doshi, the course has been organised by the African Hockey Association.
The three-day course is expected to draw umpires from all hockey playing nations on the continent.
"We are optimistic the course would be highly beneficial to our umpire who can also impart the knowledge to local umpires who have missed an opportunity to travel there," said Doshi.
Mukadam is a well versed local umpire whose performance improved drastically during the just ended Phoenix championships in Tanga.
Prominent retired hockey umpires from various African countries including South Africa’s Dennis Perkins, will be among the lecturers during the course.
Doshi said the course has been organised to update the umpires technical aspects of the game so as to cope with other umpires in the world.
Should Mukadam excel in Cairo, possibly he will be among highly rated umpires who could be appointed to officiate at international events, said Doshi.
Kenyans Recover At Cairo Show
July 16, 2008
13 July 2008
Posted to the web 14 July 2008
Mercy Gakii
Nairobi
Kenyan girls managed to get their groove back by winning their second match, edging out Nigeria 1-0 on Saturday at the Africa under-21 championships which started on Friday in Cairo.
The girls had started off on the wrong footing, crashing 3-1 to Zimbabwe in their opener which they led 1-0 until the dying minutes of the game when Zimbabwe scored quick goals.
In other matches, South Africa’s girls opened the tournament on a flying note after embarrassing hosts Egypt with a 5-0 win to take an early lead in the pool.
In the boys’ matches, South Africa mauled hopeless Libya 17-0 while hosts Egypt enjoyed a 27-0 thrashing of upstarts Sudan.
Kenya lost narrowly to Ghana 3-2 in a night match. The west Africans have been camping in Egypt for the last week prior to the tournament’s start and have been training under floodlights while the Kenyans were playing for the first time under the lights.
South Africa’s boys’ and girls’ teams are the tournament’s favourites, with their senior national women’s team having grabbed a ticket to the Beijing Olympics.
Sunday will be a rest day for both pools and play resumes on Monday with Kenya’s girls up against hosts Egypt in the first match of the day. The boys will play Sudan in the afternoon.
Juniors Face Baptism of Fire in Cairo
July 11, 2008
11 July 2008
Posted to the web 11 July 2008
Mercy Gakii
Nairobi
Kenya’s national junior hockey teams face a baptism of fire when the Africa Cup of Nations under-21 tournament starts Friday in Cairo.
Both teams will be in action Friday with the girls’ team playing Zimbabwe in the second match of the opening day’s action.
The boys’ team will take on Ghana in the last match of the day.
Hosts Egypt play South Africa in the opening match of the week-long tournament in which the top two teams will qualify for the next International Hockey Federation Junior World Cup next year in Santiago, Chile.
Three players in the girls’ team travelled to Azerbaijan last April with the senior team for an attempt to qualify for next month’s Beijing Olympic Games.
They are Flavian Amuhaya the team’s goal keeper, Lillian Aura who plays in defence and former Hillcrest Secondary School forward Nerica Kuguru.
The trio have been instrumental in boosting the confidence of the other players during training at the City Park Stadium and coach Fredrick Masibo will plan with them in mind.
The boys will meet Ghana in the last match of the day, after the opening ceremony which will be in the late afternoon. The boys were wary of stiff competition from Nigeria who have given the tournament a miss.
Said coach Elisha Opere: "At their age, the players have a lot of energy to keep playing a spirited game to the end, and we may under-rate a team only to regret later."
Tomorrow the girls will meet Nigeria at noon while the boys play hosts Egypt in the evening.
First Group of Nationals Returned From Egypt to Join Their Families
July 7, 2008
4 July 2008
Posted to the web 7 July 2008
Asmara
The first group of nationals who returned from Egypt were today headed for home to joint their respective families.
During a luncheon hosted for the group in the port city of Massawa, the NUEYS branch in the Northern Red Sea region extended to them 500 Nakfa each so as to help them reach home.
The group once again expressed appreciation to their people and Government for the family treatment and care accorded them.
The remaining group of nationals who returned home from Egypt would soon join their respective families, according to reports.
West Can ‘Go Hang,’ Says Mugabe Aide
July 2, 2008
Zimbabwe: West Can Go Hang, Says Charamba
Head of State Sends Message to Egyptian Colleague
June 30, 2008
29 June 2008
Posted to the web 30 June 2008
Sheikh
President Dos Santos sends message to Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak
Sharm-El-A message of the Angolan Head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos was this Sunday handed over, in Sharm-El-Sheikh city, to the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak.
Angolan prime minister, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, who arrived on Saturday in this Arab country to represent the President at the XI Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), to be held next Monday and Tuesday, in Sharm-El-Sheikh, was the bearer of the message.
The context of the message was not revealed to the press, but it is presumed that it is based on the AU’s challenges towards development and economic stability, the reinforcement of cooperation relations between both countries and concerning the electoral crisis in Zimbabwe.
Still this Sunday, the Angolan premier attended the XIX Summit of the Committee of Heads of State and Government for the Implementation of the New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).
Participants to the gathering debated matters relating to the promotion of science and technology, reinforcement of health systems, construction of infrastructures, effects of climate change and Africa’s response to the impact of the world food crisis.
They reflected about the USD four million aid promised during the IV Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), held last April in Japan.
Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos arrived in Egypt on Saturday and leads a delegation comprising the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Georges Chicoty and the Angolan representative to the African Union, Manuel Augusto.
Senior officials of the Presidency of the Republic and of the prime minister’s office and prominent entities linked to diplomacy are also part of the Angolan delegation.
In Cairo Museveni is Brought to Account, But to Whom?
June 30, 2008
COLUMN
29 June 2008
Posted to the web 30 June 2008
Angelo Izama
When telephone billionaire Mo Ibrahim offered $5m (Shs8.7b) to African presidents who set a good example and retire from office - Yoweri Museveni responded that money is not an incentive for him to leave office.
Now Mr Museveni is in Egypt where he is expected to be pricked and prodded by his peers about among other things, presidential succession. How will the Museveni dismissive of peer influence in the past respond? Can the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) persuade any leader to change or is it just another talking shop?
The APRM is not about just regime change but the spotlight shone on Mr Museveni and others as the "new generation" of African leaders has since been abandoned mainly over their unchanging record on democratic governance.
When Mr Museveni presents his country’s self-assessment report to his peers today at Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt, he will be joined by the new Nigerian President Umaru Yar Adua, and Blaise Compaore, the President of Burkina Faso.
The three presidents will all present their country reports for evaluation. Skeptical voices about the APRM process however, point out that little can be expected when leaders with questionable records are asked to give each other encouragement to perform better.
Mr Yar Adua’s presidency almost did not happen if his predecessor Mr Olusegun Obasanjo did not fail to secure a "third term in office".
The elections that brought Mr Yar Adua to State House in Nigeria were slammed by local and international observers as the most flawed while corruption in Nigeria, one of the worlds leading exporters of oil, is so acute Nigerians all over the world are tainted with the image of being fraudsters.
Mr Yar Adua’s personal record is admirable - he was the first governor (Katsina State) to declare his personal assets, a feat he repeated as President but back home his accidental presidency, he is tied to Obasanjo’s failed attempt to orchestrate the removal of presidential term limits so he could remain in office.
Mr Yar Adua has been nick-named "Baba go-slow" because of his lack of effectiveness in part, observers say, due to his inability to shake things up.
Under his rule, Nigeria is yet to stabilise oil production after disruptions in supply continued in the Niger Delta. Besides corruption, Nigeria is the poster child of the phrase the "oil curse" in Africa - a disturbing prospect, considering that Uganda now shares with Nigeria not just a reputation for unbridled corruption but a large population and since 2005, oil as well.
Mr Compaore and Mr Museveni share a lot more. Mr Compaore has been President since 1987 while Museveni shot his way to power in 1986 following a five-year bush war.
President Compoare, a former captain in the national army, is accused of killing his predecessor Thomas Sankara whom he overthrew in a bloody coup. Since he assumed power, he has taken advantage of a weak national opposition to remain in office.
He was re-elected in 2005 after lawmakers said a two-term presidential term limit did not apply to him since the constitutional amendment that instituted the limits in 2000 found him at State House.
Burkina Faso, the country he has led for two decades has been described as "poor even by West African standards" with the United Nations rating it as the " third poorest" country in the world. How much influence the African Union and the APRM process may have on Mr Compaore, is as ironic as the name of his country- Burkina Faso, which means "land of honest men".
In 2005, despite local and international heckling about his plans to remain in office, Mr Museveni oversaw the lifting of presidential term limits and was re-elected to office. During the campaign, his main opponent was jailed on bogus rape charges, his supporters harassed and a general atmosphere of state violence dramatised by the assault by armed commandos on the High Court.
Just three years to the next election, supporters of Mr Museveni are mobilising for him to run again while his party remains in a flux about succession to his rule.
Recently, the President skipped the reading of the national budget - which showed a robust Uganda economy, to attend the graduation of his son from an officer’s college in America, once again, causing loud speculation about who he expected to succeed him.
Now as they wait to hear what their peers think about their progress, one can only imagine if it will bother him. The summit is, after all, hosted in Egypt where 80-year-old President Hosni Mubarak has been in State House for 27 years, with his son Gamal, rumoured to be waiting to succeed him.
Tackle Rising Food Prices, Africa Urged
June 30, 2008
28 June 2008
Posted to the web 30 June 2008
African Union states must unite to reduce the impact of soaring food prices that have hit their citizens harder than the rest of the world, the continent’s top diplomat warned today.
Experts say poor harvests, high fuel costs and rising demand, especially from fast-growing Asian nations, mean one billion people worldwide are now threatened by hunger.
"This sharp increase (in basic food prices) has had a particularly negative effort on African countries," Jean Ping, chairman of the AU Commission, told AU foreign ministers meeting in Egypt.
"In the medium and long term, the Commission proposes measures to regulate speculation, the sharing of public cereal stocks, strengthening the financing of imports and reliable food aid, promoting investment in social protection and increased investment to boost agricultural production."
Commodity prices have doubled over the last couple of years and the World Bank says that 100 million people risk joining the 850 million already going hungry.
The United Nations says food output must double by 2050 to meet demand.
Ping did not give details of his proposals, but he said it was crucial African countries negotiate with the West with one voice on the food crisis, as well as on soaring energy costs.
"The increase in oil prices puts huge pressure on the finances of many African countries that are petroleum importers, and it increases transport costs, which exacerbate the food crisis," he said.
Consenus Grows on Negotiated End to Crisis
June 30, 2008
30 June 2008
Posted to the web 30 June 2008
John Allen
Whatever rhetoric on Zimbabwe’s political crisis emerges from the African Union heads of state meeting in Egypt on Monday and Tuesday, reports on the meeting indicate a growing consensus around demands for a negotiated settlement setting up a transitional government incorporating both major parties.
Hurriedly installed as President of Zimbabwe within two days of a discredited run-off election, on Sunday night - showing signs he was under pressure to talk; at his swearing-in ceremony, he expressed hope of with other political parties.
The South African government said on Monday that Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma had told her counterparts in Egypt that neither of Zimbabwe’s main parties - Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change - were able to "extricate Zimbabwe from the current impasse" on their own.
"Accordingly," the South Africans said, "both Zanu-PF and the MDC must work together and unite the country and its people behind efforts to find a common solution… Zanu-PF and the MDC must enter into negotiations which will lead to the formation of a transitional government that can extricate Zimbabwe from its current political challenges."
At the opening of the summit on Monday, the BBC reported that United Nations Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro told Africa’s leaders that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "urges your excellencies to mobilise support for a negotiated solution."
The United States said much the same last week, when a negotiated "mutually agreeable political settlement."
Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe told a news conference on Sunday night that the AU’s Executive Council was making to the heads of state. There was no official word on what they were, but the Associated Press reported that a draft resolution written by foreign ministers "condemned violence in general terms and called for dialogue" but "did not criticize the runoff election or Mugabe."
At issue, however, is whether a settlement is possible with Mugabe and Zanu-PF hardliners in control of the party. The Americans are sceptical: the State Department said Mugabe "stands in the way" of a deal.
But the key figure in any talks is MDC leader Morgan Tsvanagirai, after winning the March 29 election.
on Friday, he made it clear there was no question of the MDC being forced into a minority role in government. "How can the majority party accept to be junior partner?" he asked.
New Innovations to Assist Nepad Underway
June 30, 2008
30 June 2008
Posted to the web 30 June 2008
Luyanda Makapela
Sharm-El-Shaikh
Considerations for reviving the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordination Authority are underway.
Addressing the media during the official opening of the 19th NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) on Sunday, its Chairperson and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said reports prepared by NEPAD Secretariat indicated that ideas were under consideration as according to the mandate and architecture of the new Planning and Co-ordinating Committee.
"This is one of the major ways to assist the AU/NEPAD Technical Coordinating Unit in re-constructing and emplacing the structure in its deserved location in the African Union.
"With incorporating vision, priorities, activities and our structures into an aligned and stronger AU system with clear-cut description of role and responsibility will better the functioning of the body in future," said Ethiopian Prime Minister Zenawi.
Mr Zenawi said the summit will be incomplete without deliberations on the global crisis impacting on Africa.
This includes the escalating price of oil, which is approaching $150 threshold and devastating the economy.
"This requires us to work with other partners to address this challenge urgently," said Mr Zenawi.
With Africa’s home-grown framework, Comprehensive African Agriculture Developmental Programme (CAADP), he said, the entire spectrum of agricultural production and productivity will also be addressed.
"Implementation of CAADP is within our control, through the appropriate decisions that we have taken at various African agricultural and AU Summits.
"Now is the time to speed up the implementation of the programme," the prime minister said.
Mr Zenawi said as delegates also discussed on the forthcoming G8 Hokkaido Summit in Japan , Africa needed to remain clear and focused on its expectations from this meeting and future summits.
"Our requests have been consistent in development partners to assist us in meeting well-identified resource gaps and capacity needs if efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals are to succeed," Mr Zewani said.
On Sunday, President Thabo Mbeki and a South African delegation arrived in Sharm-El-Shaikh, ahead of the AU Assembly of State and Government to be held on Monday.
This forms part of the ongoing 2008 AU Summit, held under the theme, "Meeting Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation".
During his visit to Sharm-El-Sheikh, President Mbeki participated in the 19th NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee Meeting and the 9th African Peer Review Forum on Sunday.
The South African delegation takes part in the AU Summit, Executive Council and NEPAD meetings within the context of South Africa’s priority to strengthen institutions of governance on the continent with a view to advancing the political and economic developmental agenda of Africa.
The meeting is expected to be addressed by the Chair of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation Willem-Alexander, the Crown Prince of Orange and the Netherlands.
The NEPAD Head of State meeting discussed preparations for the forthcoming G8 Summit in Japan where new climate change protocols was drafted, among other things.