I remember picking up this book, Dead Aid by Dambisa Moyo, in the Waterstones bookstore in Oxford, in the town centre: sometime in November 2008 I think. I was drawn to the book because my ideas and position on aid had began to crystallize and

Lack of political will impoverishes South African fishermen

Feb 22nd, 2009

"When my belly is crying I must fill it. I can sit on the side of the road and beg for bread, but there is the bread right there," says Hahn Goliath, a fisherman in the small village of Doring Bay on South Africa's West Coast, as he points f

“Sweden finances war in Africa”

Feb 7th, 2009

Is the stunning title of a book written by a Swedish journalist, Bengt Nilsson and reviewed by New African magazine. Read it here. The author makes the case that the money to finance the wars in Africa has to come from somewhere and so goes ab

EU Rejects Nigeria’s Request For Trade Deal

Jan 12th, 2009

"the Commission said that Nigeria does not meet the requirements for the status because of its refusal to ratify the Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide." This is an interesting article that highlig

Moving Past the Curse of Black Gold

Dec 7th, 2008

There is a silver lining in every cloud and it is truly an ill wind that blows no one no good. The international economic recession that is gripping the Western nations and forcing down the price of oil, has forced African nations dependent on

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala: Let's have a deeper discussion on aid

Dec 4th, 2008

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Foreign Minister and Finance Minister for Nigeria, gave an insightful talk at last year's (2007) Ted Conference held in Arusha, Tanzania. She spoke about the need to have a more sophisticated debate on the role o

Overview of aid in Africa

Nov 29th, 2008

This is the first, of what I hope will be an ongoing feature, podcast. I recorded a conversation with Mr. Michael Banjo a historian, political scientist and lawyer from Nigeria to discuss, in a broad way, the adverse impact of aid on the Africa

Comments - Development Drums Podcast episode "Sophiatown"

Nov 22nd, 2008

Another podcast review. I like listening to podcasts while I work on other things.I heard something quite interesting on this podcast, Development Drums episode "Sophiatown", that features Alex Cobham from Christian Aid and Stephen Devereux of

Obama's Foreign Policy

Nov 18th, 2008

“We need to invest in building capable, democratic states that can establish healthy and educated communities,develop markets, and generate wealth.”That is what I appreciate most about Obama's vision because it includes supporting small-to-medi

RE: Congo's Tin Soldiers

Nov 18th, 2008

Journeyman Pictures presents a short 20 minute video titled "Congo's Tin Soldiers" about the scramble for mineral resources that has plunged the Democratic Republic of Congo into a vicious cycle of bloodshed and oppression. http://uk.youtube.co

Africa Past and Present: Episode 16

Nov 13th, 2008

I am listening to a podcast interview of Mac Maharaj (biography), South African intellectual, activist and fellow prisoner and comrade of Nelson Mandela: African Past and Present podcastOf particular interest to me are the comments he makes abo

Sustainable Development vs Hand-outs

Nov 12th, 2008

There are lot of problems facing the African continent, from armed conflicts to food shortages to lack of adequate health facilities but there share a common long-term solution - sustainable development.It is the old story of either giving a ma

Another bad idea?

Nov 12th, 2008

The fact that malaria kills an African child every thirty seconds has prompted the new Affordable Medicines Facility for Malaria (AMFm), which will cost around $2bn over five years and could save lives. Major donors such as the USA and Germany

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