Tuesday 30 April 2013

President Kagame’s speech at the Tana Security Forum 2013

Sunday, 21 April, 2013
News from Rwanda National Police
Your Excellency Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia;
Your Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman of the Tana High Level Forum Advisory Board;
Excellencies Heads of State and Government;
Excellencies Former Heads of State;
Distinguished Audience;
I am happy to be here with you and to have this privilege to be part of a discussion on the legacy of a late colleague, Pan-African, friend, and a source of inspiration for many – the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
I am also happy to be here this time around as I missed the inaugural meeting.
For me, even more so for Ethiopians and many other Africans, talking about Meles’ contribution goes beyond the boundaries of Ethiopia and encompasses the whole continent of Africa and beyond.
He championed not only Ethiopia’s, but Africa’s cause in various international forums with passion and conviction, and to great effect.
We recall, for instance, his commitment, together with other colleagues some of whom are here present with us, to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). That dedication to Africa, among others, reflected his thinking on Africa’s development. NEPAD was, and still is, for many a collective vision for Africa’s renewal and progress. It is an expression of our common desire to construct a framework for development fully-owned and mainly driven by Africans.
We shall remember Meles Zenawi as a moderniser who dedicated his life to advancing the liberation and socio-economic transformation of his country and our continent. He was able to achieve a lot because he was a man of strong convictions. That strength derived from his ability to subject issues and situations to thorough study and analysis from which he was then able to chart a clear path to development based on domestic realities and home-grown solutions.
On the strength of that analysis, he challenged and rejected conventional development models where they were not suitable.
Today, as during his life, Meles Zenawi is associated with the concept of a developmental democratic state which he articulated as the most appropriate vehicle for development at our current level of economic evolution.
For Meles and other like-minded African leaders, in a developing country where both social and finance capital are very low, the state must play an active role in marshalling and directing development effort. It has to intervene in sourcing and directing investment to where it will have the greatest impact.
It is the only institution with the ability to build the physical and social infrastructure needed for the desired transformation of the country.
The state has the mandate and should empower its people, especially rural communities, to participate fully in the country’s political and economic activities. In so doing, solutions to national challenges are understood and owned by the people and become more effective and sustainable.
We have indeed experienced how this partnership with the people builds confidence for further achievements. This is the essence of people-centred, inclusive governance that Meles espoused and which many others in Africa would practice.
Equally, it is only the state that has the ability to mobilise international backing, both public and private, to support domestic choices and solutions to national challenges. Let me state, however, that this does not exclude working with others. It only means that the state has the primary responsibility and that cooperation is built on meaningful partnerships that recognise national choices.
Actual practice in a number of our countries has shown that it is an efficient state that is able to drive the development effort.
Success for this requires continuous building of its institutions that can guarantee efficient performance, stability and continuity of policies.
Meles had the intellectual ability to formulate and argue the case for a developmental democratic state, historical proof of its success elsewhere in the world and the boldness to push it through.
And so, for instance, he was able to institute land reforms to rationalise land use, increase agricultural production, raise levels of food security and empower rural populations and transform their economy as we know it.
Similarly, education has been able to play a transformational role through expansion, both in terms of infrastructure and access.
Perhaps the most visible area of growth has been in infrastructure development. Dams have been built for generating electricity so crucial for industrialisation and improved living standards. Roads within the country as well as linking Ethiopia to neighbouring countries have been built and a thriving construction industry exists.
However, he did not conceive or even prescribe the concept of a developmental state as the model for all nations for he knew only too well that none fits all situations.  Nor is there ever a consensus about any one answer to an issue like this. Solutions are contextual. That is why other
Africans practice variations of the concept based on local conditions in their countries and may get equally good results.
It is evident to many of us that for a developing country, choices designed to accelerate development and growth are essentially politically driven and require the appropriate political set up for effective implementation. And that is to be provided by an actively and appropriately involved state.
This single-minded pursuit of a development agenda, as indeed Meles and others have done, has often led to a deliberate or ignorant misinterpretation of their intentions by some in the international community. And invariably, the question has been raised about whether the emphasis on development and the role of the state in it is not done at the expense of democracy and people’s rights.
For those who share Meles’ approach to development, there cannot be any contradiction between the two. They are actually mutually reinforcing - sustainable socio-economic development gives rise to greater democracy and political rights can best be exercised and enjoyed in a climate of growing prosperity and improved quality of life.
In any event, Meles believed, and other African leaders have a similar view, that democracy is built and grows and makes sense if it creates conditions for stability, continuity of policies, freedom, and the protection of gains that have already been made. Genuine democracy can never be equated to election cycles only as he emphasised. It has to do with the popular engagement of ordinary citizens in making and implementing choices that affect their lives – so true.
Successful governance systems are those that organically grow from local realities and reflect and respond to specific experiences. They do not have to be measured against arbitrary external standards, but can relate to them.
And in any case, those who disagree with or criticise our development and governance options do not provide any suitable or better alternatives. All they do is repeat abstract concepts like freedom and democracy as if doing that alone would improve the human condition. Yet for us, the evidence of results from our choices is the most significant thing.
I believe you have all seen how recent events in some parts of Africa have vindicated this view of democracy and development. We have witnessed the collapse of what had been touted as economic and democratic models on our continent, largely because they paid more attention to forms and symbols and ignored the substance. At the same time, we have seen the resilience of Ethiopia and other countries that have built their governance systems on the aspirations and participation of their people.
Excellencies;
In the quest for rapid socio-economic transformation, it often becomes necessary to take tough, even unpopular decisions that work and stick to them. Meles did and held to them despite strong opposition. And for doing what was right, being true to his vision, values and principles, he earned the wrath of some, but more significantly, the admiration of many.
And as so often happens in such circumstances, he was vilified and called all sorts of names. But he stayed the course and soon the results of his choices were too obvious to ignore. Ironically, it seems earning such names is a measure of the success of one’s policies.
Only a man of unusual courage, strong conviction, uncompromising integrity and selflessness could put the widespread criticism in its proper place and focus on meeting the needs of his people. It needed a person of remarkable powers of persuasion and the ability to articulate his position passionately, logically and clearly to convince his compatriots, other Africans and even others from further afield that his policies were correct.
Meles was such a man and was able to drive the transformation of Ethiopia and become the inspiration of many young Africans across the continent. Ethiopia today and during his life has attained a level of development and self-reliance not achieved before.
The subject of this forum was close to Meles’ heart and it is indeed fitting that a conference on security should be held in Ethiopia. He recognised from the outset that no country could prosper in peace and security when all around it was turmoil. The security of all was essential to the stability and prosperity of all. And because of this, Meles spared no effort to mediate where there was dispute or to intervene militarily when that was the only option.
Today, this region is increasingly more peaceful, permitting its people to lead better and more dignified lives. Across Africa, social and economic progress is going on at a level and pace we have not experienced before. Africa’s voice can no longer be ignored.
Rwandans in particular have a special bond with the late Meles Zenawi and the people of Ethiopia forged by shared values, ideals, solidarity and path to sustainable prosperity. We will always remember with gratitude his insistence for the formation of a Panel of Eminent Persons to investigate the genocide in Rwanda.
Excellencies;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;
The vision of prosperity and unity the late Meles Zenawi had for his country and our continent, his dedication, commitment and personal sacrifice to its realisation and the policies he adopted to bring it about – all these are his legacy. The most fitting tribute we can pay him is to make Africa stronger, wealthier and an equal player on the world stage. And that we shall achieve if we are prepared to defend our right to make our own choices, deal with our own issues and stand up to all forms of injustice whatever their origin.
I thank you for your kind attention.



Innovation Prize for Africa
Ten African innovators have developed practical solutions to some of the continent’s most intractable problems.  Chosen from more than 900 applications from 45 countries, the finalists for the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) 2013 provide practical examples of Africa’s investment potential. 
The winners of the IPA 2013 will be announced at a gala dinner on 7 May in Cape Town, South Africa hosted by the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business and the Sekunjalo Development Foundation. The winner will receive USD 100,000 for the best innovation based on marketability, originality, scalability, social impact and clear business potential.  A runner up will receive USD 25,000 for the best commercial potential and another finalist will receive USD 25,000 as a special prize for social innovation. 
“As global leaders gather for the World Economic Forum on Africa to discuss approaches to deliver on Africa’s promise, these innovators demonstrate that the best way to build Africa’s capacity is to invest in local innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, a co-founder of the African Innovation Foundation and the IPA.
The IPA 2013 finalists are leaders in the areas of agriculture, environment, health, ICT and manufacturing. They include:
•          Zero-Blade Wind Convertor (Tunisia) – Innovators Hassine Labaied and Anis Aouini from Saphon Energy, a Tunisian R&D start up, developed a wind turbine with no blades that does not rotate – it uses sailboat technology to create cost-effective energy through a back-and-forth 3D motion.
•          SavvyLoo (South Africa) – Innovator Dr. Dudley Jackson developed a waterless toilet for rural areas and temporary settlements that separates liquids from solids to improve environmental impact, decrease the potential for disease, reduce odour and ensure easier removal.
•          The TBag Water Filter (South Africa) – Innovator Prof. Eugene Cloete created a water filter that uses electrospun tea bag material to ensure one litre of the most polluted water is 100 percent safe to drink.
•          The Malaria pf/PAN (pLDH) Test Kit (South Africa) –Innovator Ashley Uys created a new rapid malaria test that indicates within 30 minutes if treatment is effective.  The test kit is one of only nine developed globally and is the only test of its kind fully-owned by an African company.
•          The Fonia Husker Machine (Senegal) – Innovator Sanoussi Diakite developed an electric and thermal powered machine that husks 5 kilograms of Fonia – a West African cereal – in just 8 minutes.

Monday 29 April 2013

Jobs in international development

Marketing Officer – Recruitment

Our vision is of a world where no one is needlessly blind and where people who are blind enjoy the same rights as people with sight. Each year, we improve the lives of millions of people in the poorest parts of the world.

Salary: €25,000 per annum
Based: Dun Laoghaire, Ireland


Sightsavers has an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to play a pivotal role in the continued growth of our Marketing Team.

You will be responsible for the delivery of effective and accountable campaigns that maximise supporter recruitment and generate income from our existing supporter base. The knowledge and experience required to plan and manage your programmes of work, including income and expenditure forecasts and the ability to evaluate and learn from your findings are crucial, alongside your strengths as a creative and innovative thinker.

The successful candidate will have an impressive background in a marketing or fundraising capacity. Experience of financial planning is a must, together with strong interpersonal and communication skills and proven expertise in analysing complex information. Above all, you will be a self-motivated and enthusiastic individual with in-depth knowledge of direct marketing.

Closing date: 1 May 2013
First stage interviews: 8 May 2013

To apply, and for further details about the role, please download an application pack from www.sightsavers.org/vacancies

As an equal opportunities employer we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Qualified people living with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.
Organisation
Sightsavers
Location
Overseas – Dun Laoghaire, Ireland
Closing date
Wednesday 1 May 2013
Level
Officer
Type of job
Paid job
Area of work
Fundraising
How to apply
To apply and for further information, please visit our website:
Web site


Digital Marketing Coordinator

Sightsavers
Closes: 1 May

Jobs in international development

Digital Marketing Coordinator

Our vision is of a world where no one is needlessly blind and where people who are blind enjoy the same rights as people with sight. Each year, we improve the lives of millions of people in the poorest parts of the world.

Salary: €35,000 per annum
Based: Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Sightsavers has an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to play a pivotal role in the continued growth of our Marketing Team. As part of a new and significant digital strategy we are looking for an experienced fundraiser who has a passion for digital. Reporting to the Marketing Manager you will take a lead role for recruiting new supporters in to Sightsavers through digital platforms and raising awareness of the Sightsavers brand in the digital space.

You will have the knowledge and experience required to manage email marketing systems and strategies, mobile fundraising and digital recruitment. The ability to work autonomously and forge relationships with key stakeholders is essential.

The successful candidate will have an impressive background in a marketing or fundraising capacity, alongside demonstrable experience of digital techniques and marketing. Experience of financial planning is a must, together with strong interpersonal and communication skills and proven expertise in analysing complex information. Above all, you will be a self-motivated and enthusiastic person with a passion for digital marketing and determination to drive projects forward.

Closing date: 1 May 2013
First stage interviews: 7 May 2013

To apply, and for further details about the role, please download an application pack from www.sightsavers.org/vacancies

As an equal opportunities employer we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Qualified people living with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.
Organisation
Sightsavers
Location
Overseas – Dun Laoghaire, Ireland
Closing date
Wednesday 1 May 2013
Level
Coordinator
Type of job
Paid job
Area of work
Fundraising
How to apply
To apply and for further information, please visit our website:
Web site





Bertrand Bisimwa M23 Leader Writes To Museveni: Bloody War Is Looming


Image
Below is the M23 president’s letter to Museveni in full:
 His Excellency YOWERI MUSEVENI KAGUTA,
 President of Republic of Uganda,
Chairman of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region “ICGLR”.
 RE: The UN Resolution 2098 of March 28th2013
 Your Excellency,
 I am respectfully writing to you because, in the ongoing political and security turmoil in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, you have chosen to support our country in its quest for peace, and you have agreed to facilitate the mediation between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government and MOUVEMENT DU 23 MARS (M23).
 As you are aware, after M23 took control of the city of Goma in November 2013, the Heads of States of ICGLR countries encouraged the Movement to withdraw from the city in a bid to allow the possibility of finding a political solution.
 Understanding and willing to give a chance to peace within a regional context and support, M23 joined the framework of peace talks in Kampala, after imposing itself a unilateral cease-fire while the DRC government refused to agree for a bilateral cease-fire.
 The starting point of contention was the March 23rd Agreement, concluded in 2009, which the DRC government has not fulfilled.
 As the negotiations progressed the DRC government delegation showed no willingness to deal with the causes of the crisis and was frustrating the efforts to bringing back peace. Instead, the government delegation flew back to Kinshasa for so called consultations with their officials.
The truth is, as it can be seen today, that the DRC Government was working on a war strategy, which involved a serious implication of the United Nations (UN).
Today, this strategy has resulted into the UN Security Council’s resolution creating belligerent force to wage war on armed groups in Eastern DRC, targeting specifically M23, instead of keeping peace, which is the UN mission. This decision is seriously grave on several accounts mainly the following:
- It violates the regional effort initiated under the mediation of ICGLR, of which you are the current Chairman, making a regional solutionimpossible and despising the effort you country and ICGLR have already invested in the process,
- It initiates a war with an unexpected consequences, particularly on populations that have already suffered greatly,
- It creates a precedent that establishes the victory of force over reason.
Still committed to peace under the regional mediation, M23 is determined to give more chance to peace, and respectfully does request Your Excellency to continue supporting the peace option through a true dialogue which cannot go hand in hand with the military alternative.
While the DRC government, its allies and the UN give preference to the option of war, M23 will work tirelessly for a sustainable peace in the DRC.
Sincerely,
M23 President
Bertrand Bisiimwa

Press Releases: Under Secretary Sonenshine Travel to Ethiopia
04/25/2013 11:39 AM EDT

Under Secretary Sonenshine Travel to Ethiopia


Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 25, 2013



Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara D. Sonenshine will travel to Ethiopia to meet with government officials, local media, students, and activists to advance shared goals in the areas of press freedom, education, youth development, and conservation April 27-30.
In Addis Ababa, Under Secretary Sonenshine will meet with officials from the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the African Union; join a discussion on press freedom at a roundtable with the Association of Private Publishers; and mark Global Youth Service Day and Earth Day by participating in a tree-planting event with Ethiopian National Green Service Volunteers. April 30, Under Secretary Sonenshine will travel to Ethiopia’s second largest city, Dire Dawa, where she will speak to students at Dire Dawa University, one of Ethiopia’s newly established universities.



24 April 2013
CAN YOU ANSWER THE THREE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS BELOW?
Dear Insight Reader
  • Is the Licensing of Business Bill now before Parliament just "another bit of useless legislation "as one journalist has described it? Or does it have a sinister significance which should concern all businesses?
  • Top lawyers, both internationally and nationally,have publicly supported advocate Jeremy Gauntlet’s several applications to be appointed a judge. Why is the ANC so against this?
  • What's happening in our Universities? 
  • What are the implications of the Legal Practice Bill?
  • How important to political freedom are the professions?
South Africa presents a very mixed picture to international business and investors. There's so much that we have reason to be pleased and proud of. But there is also a lot to be genuinely worried about. Every fortnight for more than 20 years Omega has dealt with these issues - objectively and independently. You will receive our answers to these questions in the Insight of 2 May. That is if you are a subscriber. For information on the various subscription options and costs please look under "Become a member" on our website: www.omegainvest.co.za. To download a registration form please click on the registration form link or alternatively complete the form and submit your selection.

Stacey Farao & Rafeeqah Slabbert
Coordinators: Political Risk Team
Email: staceyf@omegainvest.co.za


DRC Crisis: Rwanda makes case before UN sanctions committee

Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo
Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo
RWANDA last evening appeared before the UN’s DRC Sanctions Committee to officially present its rebuttal to allegations by a UN Panel of Experts (GoE) that Kigali was backing the M23 rebels who are fighting the Congo government.
“We will officially present our case. Maj Patrick Karuretwa (Presidential security advisor) will make the presentation,” Olivier Nduhungirehe, First Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the UN, told The New Times yesterday.
The Rwandan delegation is led by Foreign affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo, who is also today scheduled to brief the UN Security Council on recent political developments in the region, specifically regional efforts to end the Congo crisis.
It was expected that Congolese Foreign Minister Raymond Tshibanda and Steve Hege, the coordinator of the UN Group of Experts on the Congo, would also make presentations to the committee after Rwanda’s appearance.
While the Rwandan team was set to debunk the allegations by the Hege-led group that Kigali supplied the rebels with fighters and weapons, Tshibanda and Hege were expected to argue otherwise.
In July, an addendum to an interim report by the GoE implicated Rwanda in the crisis, but fell short of impartiality since it did not include any word from Kigali.
Later, Rwanda produced a rebuttal to the allegations and forwarded it to the UN Sanctions Committee. In its response, for instance, Kigali refuted allegations that M23 recruits had been trained from Kanombe military barracks, arguing that Kanombe was a garrison-type barracks that comprises “living quarters; a referral military hospital also open to civilians; a cemetery; and five service support units’ headquarters and related facilities”.
“It wouldn’t require any form of expertise to find out that this barracks cannot host the training of recruits or any other force preparation activity.”
The government also dismissed claims that the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) provided M23 commanders with 75mm cannons and their ammunition, saying RDF does not hold 75mm cannons in ordinance stores and has never purchased such cannons or their ammunition. “Remnants of these weapons and ammunition from the 1990-94 war of liberation were disposed of in 2008, which is well documented by the RDF ordinance regiment.
“Moreover, through RDF participation in several joint-operations with FARDC (Congolese army), including the recent operations codenamed Amani-Leo and Umoja-Wetu, the Government of Rwanda has credible information that FARDC, unlike RDF, maintains 75 mm cannons and anti-tank rifle grenades on their arms/ammunition inventory,” Kigali said in its rebuttal.
It later emerged that a 2008 UN GoE report had indicated that FARDC were indeed in possession of the ammunition in question.
In the weeks that followed, the Group of Experts came under pressure, after its coordinator, Hege, was accused of being anti-Kigali, owing to his past publications which depicted the Rwandan government in the negative light, describing it as “a Ugandan Tutsi elite”, while he appeared to advocate for the Congo-based Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), who are linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
In one of his articles, “Understanding the FDLR in the DR Congo: Key facts on the disarmament & repatriation of Rwandan rebels”, published by Peace Appeal Foundation, on February 24, 2009, Hege wrote: “The FDLR must be viewed in light of the regional history of armed rebellions formed by refugees and/or political exiles who have eventually taken power back from undemocratic regimes”.
“The FDLR have not constituted a military threat to Rwanda for over five years…The FDLR would rather wait for political negotiations when international opinion eventually sours on the Rwandan regime,” he added in the same article.
And more recently, it also emerged that an ID which GoE recently claimed belonged to a Rwandan soldier before it was allegedly recovered in the Congo, instead belonged to a known Congolese army captain, identified as Janvier Saddat, with ID number 166964208920.
The officer in question, who was integrated into the FARDC as a former CNDP officer in 2009 but later arrested as a potential mutineer and imprisoned in Butembo, served as Company Commander within the 807th regiment, 1st Battalion, C Company, according to reports.
“Everything we know will be on the table,” Nduhungirehe told The New Times yesterday.
Allegations of Rwanda’s links with M23 rebels, who have seized parts of North Kivu province since fighting erupted in April, have since led some donors to either suspend or cut aid to Rwanda.
The rebel group is largely composed of former Congolese soldiers who mutinied in April after the collapse of a 2009 peace deal between then CNDP rebels and Kinshasa, which Kigali had helped broker. The rebels who accuse President Joseph Kabila’s government of reneging on its commitments under the previous accord, have since called for peace talks but Kinsasa has shown little interest in negotiations.
Both the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) have stepped up efforts to try and find a lasting solution to the crisis which has since driven hundreds of thousands out of their homes, with many fleeing across the Rwandan and Ugandan borders.



Sunday 28 April 2013

What you Did Not Know About Uganda’s Dual Citizenship Policy

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The Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control (Amendment) Act No. 53, 2009, provides an opportunity for former Ugandan citizens who have naturalized in another country, to re-acquire Ugandan citizenship. The Act also allows foreign nationals who wish to retain their citizenship in a foreign country, the option to acquire Ugandan citizenship.
Ugandans who wish to re-acquire their Ugandan citizenship must adhere to the following:
  • A person who was a citizen of Uganda by birth and who on acquiring the citizenship of another country renounced his or her Ugandan citizenship, may apply to the board in the prescribed manner to re-acquire his or her former Ugandan citizenship.
  • The Immigration Board may allow a former Ugandan citizen to re-acquire his or her Ugandan citizenship if it is satisfied that the grounds for the loss of his or her Ugandan citizenship are of no adverse effect to the public order and security of Uganda.
  • A person who re-acquires Ugandan citizenship under this section shall be required to take the oath of allegiance
The flipside to acquiring dual citizenship is that you will not permitted under by the law to hold any of the following Offices of State in Uganda:
  • President.
  • Vice President.
  • Prime Minister.
  • Cabinet Minister and other Ministers.
  • The Inspector General and the Deputy Inspector General of Government.
  • Technical Head of the Armed Forces.
  • Technical Heads of Branches of the Armed Forces.
  • Commanding Officers of Armed Forces Units of at least battalion strength.
  • Officers responsible for heading departments responsible for records personnel and logistics in all branches of the Armed Forces.
  • Inspector General of Police and Deputy Inspector General of Police.
  • Heads and Deputy Heads of National Security and Intelligence Organisations, (ESO), ISO and CMI).
  • Member of the National Citizenship and Immigration Board.
Non-Ugandans who wish to acquire Ugandan citizenship while retaining the citizenship of another country must adhere to the following eligibility guidelines:
  • satisfy the Immigration Board that the laws of his or her country of origin permit him or her to hold dual citizenship;
  • not be the subject of a deportation order from Uganda territory or any other country;
  • not be under a sentence of death or imprisonment exceeding nine months imposed by a competent court, without the option of a fine;
  • satisfy the Immigration Board that he or she has been resident in Uganda for not less than 10 years;
  • satisfy the Immigration Board that he or she has adequate knowledge of any prescribed vernacular language in Uganda or of English or Swahili;
  • satisfy the board that he or she has not been in Uganda as a refugee or as a diplomat;
  • he or she possesses rare skills and capacity for technology transfer;
  • be willing to take the oath of allegiance;
  • be a person of sound mind.
Pursuant to the Uganda Act, general conditions for dual citizenship require that applicants prove the following:
  • he or she is not engaged in espionage against Uganda;
  • he or she has not served in the voluntary service of the armed forces or security forces of a country hostile to or at war with Uganda;
  • he or she has not attempted to acquire Ugandan citizenship by fraud, deceit or bribery or by intentional or otherwise deliberate false statements in an application for citizenship;
  • he or she does not have a criminal record;
  • the laws of his or her country of origin permit dual citizenship;
  • he or she is, at the time of application, of or above eighteen years of age;
  • he or she is of sound mind;
  • he or she does not hold more than one citizenship;
  • he or she is not discharged, bankrupt, or insolvent
Applications for dual citizenship could be canceled if applicant misrepresents their background, education, training or experience and/or any other matter required in the application.
Source — Uganda Immigration Relocation Services.

Saturday 27 April 2013

 

AFRICAN EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
 
 
 
 
 

Email: info@afreximbank.com; Website: www.afreximbank.com
 
PRESS RELEASE
 
Afreximbank plans African trade journal
 
Media Contact: Obi Emekekwue (oemekekwue@afreximbank.com; Tel. +202-2456-4238)
 
Afreximbank President Jean-Louis Ekra (left) and his predecessor, Christopher Edordu (right), share a joke as Francis Mbroh (centre), Director, Afreximbank Research Department, looks on.
 
Cairo, 26 April 2013 – To help fill the gaps in availability of accurate information and statistics on African trade and trade finance and to publish research on trade-related issues of interest to entities promoting and financing African trade, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is to begin the publication of the Journal of African Trade, a peer-reviewed journal.
                Jean-Louis Ekra, President of Afreximbank, said today in Cairo during the maiden meeting of the Editorial Board and Managing Editors of the publication that the Journal of African Trade would be an authoritative medium for the publication and dissemination of research findings on contemporary policy issues relating to African trade development and that it would be devoted to African trade, trade finance and other trade related issues.
                Mr. Ekra said that the Journal would address the challenge faced by governments, businesses, banks and other entities involved in policy-making in respect of African trade, trade finance and trade negotiations, who, because of lack of credible data, often had to make decisions with limited information, with attendant poor results.
                It will contain a blend of theoretical and empirical research work and would consist of articles written by prominent international trade professionals, including academics and researchers, with in-depth knowledge of global and African trade.
                The Journal is being managed by a 16-member Editorial Board and a five–member team of Managing Editors. The Editorial Board is made up of economists and trade experts with proven technical competences in international trade and trade finance and is responsible for controlling the quality of the publication. The Managing Editors are knowledgeable and well known economists.
                The first issue of the journal is due to be released in October 2013.
                Participants at today’s meeting include Prof. Alemayehu Geda of the Department of Economics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; Prof. Nicholas Biekpe of the Africagrowth Institute, Cape Town, South Africa; Mr. Stephen Karingi, Director, Regional Integration and Trade, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Dr. Benoit Beila Malan of the Economics Department, University of Cocody, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; Prof. Fondo Sikod of the University of Yaounde, Cameroon; and Mr. Chistopher Edordu, former President of Afreximbank.


British Embassy, Addis Ababa - UK in Ethiopia
Opening of the new British Embassy in Mogadishu.
 
Labour.org.uk

Press release
Thursday 25th April 2013
For immediate use

Labour launches campaign for National Memorial to commemorate the conflict in Afghanistan

Labour is today calling on the Government to lead a national effort to construct a national memorial to commemorate the conflict in Afghanistan.

After the fatalities, injuries and level of patriotic commitment shown by our Armed Forces it is only right that their efforts and sacrifices are forever remembered, both for their families and the whole country.

Labour supports offering the public an opportunity to provide ideas on the what form the memorial should take. All innovative ideas on how to make a meaningful memorial which will engage the service communities, military families and the public should be welcome. The process of deciding the design of the memorial can itself be a way of the country engaging with our Forces’ contribution to Afghanistan. A panel, perhaps led by the Chief of the Defence Staff, Prime Minister and leading Service Charities, could judge the final memorial design.

A national, government-led fundraising effort should fund the memorial, alongside funds from the Community Covenant grant scheme.

Jim Murphy MP, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, said:

"It is essential there is meaningful commemoration of our Forces’ painful sacrifice in Afghanistan.

"This must be a national memorial that the whole nation feels part of. The public should be involved from the start so that they can show their sympathy and solidarity. Everyone should have the chance to offer their ideas and insights so we get a truly brilliant memorial.

"I hope the Prime Minister will personally oversee the project.

"Those who give their lives will never be forgotten by their families, and it is right their names live publicly forever."

Ends












Money for Cari ng - Not for Drones
 
·         Saturday 27 April - March to Save Our Hospitals. Meet at Southall Park at 11.30am or Acton Park at 12.30pm. Attend the rally at Ealing Common from 2pm. GWS is meeting the march at Acton Park – look out for our maroon banner. http://saveourhospitals.org.uk/
 
·         Saturday 27 April - STOP DRONES Lincoln. Coaches from London. Assemble in Lincoln South Park at 12 noon for a march to RAF Waddington, the UK 's new centre of drone operations. This spring, for the first time, Britain will begin operating remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or ‘drones’ from a new facility at the RAF military base in Waddington near Lincoln. Previously Britain has been controlling its armed drones in the skies over Afghanistan from a US base in Nevada . This marks a critical expansion in Britain ’s drones programme. The government will also double its number of armed Reaper drones in Afghanistan . http://www.waronwant.org/news/events/17854-ground-the-drones-protest- .
 
·         1 May 7-9pm - Launch of petition Invest in a caring society. A living wage for mothers and other carers. Meeting & Speakout in House of Commons http://www.globalwomenstrike.net/content/1st-may-launch-petition-invest-caring
 



M23 General Makenga Sultani: We shall not surrender nor accept to be denied rights to exist on our ancestral land!


M23 leader Brig Sultani Makenga (in jacket) under tight security in Bunagana
M23 leader Brig Sultani Makenga (in jacket) under tight security in Bunagana
We fight for our rights,we have to defend our lives, unless if the world believes that we must accept arbitrary arrests,and extermination of our families from the face of the Congo! We shall not surrender nor accept to be denied rights to exist on our ancestral land! Says Gen Sultan Makenga M23 Military Leader!
 

Friday 26 April 2013

 

AFRICAN EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
 
 
 
 
 

Email: info@afreximbank.com; Website: www.afreximbank.com
 
PRESS RELEASE
 
Afreximbank plans African trade journal
 

 
Afreximbank President Jean-Louis Ekra (left) and his predecessor, Christopher Edordu (right), share a joke as Francis Mbroh (centre), Director, Afreximbank Research Department, looks on.
 
Cairo, 26 April 2013 – To help fill the gaps in availability of accurate information and statistics on African trade and trade finance and to publish research on trade-related issues of interest to entities promoting and financing African trade, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is to begin the publication of the Journal of African Trade, a peer-reviewed journal.
                Jean-Louis Ekra, President of Afreximbank, said today in Cairo during the maiden meeting of the Editorial Board and Managing Editors of the publication that the Journal of African Trade would be an authoritative medium for the publication and dissemination of research findings on contemporary policy issues relating to African trade development and that it would be devoted to African trade, trade finance and other trade related issues.
                Mr. Ekra said that the Journal would address the challenge faced by governments, businesses, banks and other entities involved in policy-making in respect of African trade, trade finance and trade negotiations, who, because of lack of credible data, often had to make decisions with limited information, with attendant poor results.
                It will contain a blend of theoretical and empirical research work and would consist of articles written by prominent international trade professionals, including academics and researchers, with in-depth knowledge of global and African trade.
                The Journal is being managed by a 16-member Editorial Board and a five–member team of Managing Editors. The Editorial Board is made up of economists and trade experts with proven technical competences in international trade and trade finance and is responsible for controlling the quality of the publication. The Managing Editors are knowledgeable and well known economists.
                The first issue of the journal is due to be released in October 2013.
                Participants at today’s meeting include Prof. Alemayehu Geda of the Department of Economics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; Prof. Nicholas Biekpe of the Africagrowth Institute, Cape Town, South Africa; Mr. Stephen Karingi, Director, Regional Integration and Trade, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Dr. Benoit Beila Malan of the Economics Department, University of Cocody, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; Prof. Fondo Sikod of the University of Yaounde, Cameroon; and Mr. Chistopher Edordu, former President of Afreximbank.
 

How Amin smuggled his family from Entebbe fire to Libya

 
Amin introduces Gaddafi to some of his senior soldiers during the Libyan leader’s visit to Uganda in 1973.
Amin introduces Gaddafi to some of his senior soldiers during the Libyan leader’s visit to Uganda in 1973. Internet photo  

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Under the line of fire. April 11 marked 34 years since Idi Amin was overthrown by a combined force of Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) and Ugandan exiles. In this fourth part of our series – Idi Amin: The Last Days – as told by his son Jaffar Remo Amin, we reveal how a panicking Amin executed a daring mission to evacuate his family out of Entebbe to Libya as mortar bombs were falling on the runway.
Upon arriving in Kampala, we were tentatively enrolled at Buganda Road Primary School by the chief presidential protocol officer Nasr Ondoga, who was responsible for all the president’s personal affairs, for the final duration of our childhood stay in our beloved country.
All the children who had left Kabale Preparatory School (apart from Mwanga Alemi who went to reside with his mother at Command Post Kololo and Asha Mbabazi who went to reside with her mother in Kololo as well), were resident with Mama Sarah Kyolaba at the present day Kampala State House, Nakasero (formerly Nakasero Lodge).
During this time, no one was residing at Entebbe State House and it was only used for State Functions as Entebbe was near the war front and constant infiltration from the porous “Masaka, Mpigi shoreline” rendered it unsafe to stay there. This was mostly in March 1979 and Kampala was taken in April 1979.
Dad’s bombastic propaganda statements continued on radio. On March 26, 1979 Radio Uganda announced that the President was “cut off at Entebbe.” We would go so much as to affirm dad’s victory announced by the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation on March 26, 1979 when it announced that “the President was cut off at Entebbe but managed to repel the enemy forces with the support of loyal troops”.
Announcements through the radio
The announcement by the radio station might have had some truth in it since this was the exact time dad was negotiating with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to receive his immediate family into Tripoli, and he needed the still useful Entebbe International Airport. The invading troops were still more than 70 miles away from Kampala when dad was negotiating with Gaddafi to receive us. Since vanguards of the so-called liberation forces had possibly already infiltrated some parts of the route to Entebbe by the time dad was frantically trying to get us out of Uganda, he addressed the nation asking “Ugandans who believe in God to pray day and night.”
The liberators intensified their efforts because they were hell-bent on overthrowing dad. On March 27, 1979, the “liberation” bombs commonly referred to as “Saba-Saba”, landed on the compounds of the Republic House at Mengo (Bulange building) and the Army Shop nearby in the evening. Meanwhile, a cabinet in waiting had been formed by the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) in Moshi on March 24 and 25, 1979. This cabinet had been formed out of 22 political groups that had emerged in opposition to dad’s regime.
On March 28, 1979, at about 9am, Lt. Col. Pangarasio Onek, the CO (commanding officer) of General Headquarters, Mbuya, instructed his troops to commandeer any available means of transport: matatus, trucks, tractors, cars, taxis, etc, to take their families “home.” My avatar [my cousin with whom I have done a lot of research on our family], Yuga Juma Onziga, knew there and then that it was “a game over” for dad’s regime. Dad’s army was in total disarray and now fighting to “save their skins.”
The war ended at Lukaya when most of the soldiers and Secret Service Personnel either said “Congo na gawa” or “Sudan na gawa” or high tailed it out of the country. Some even said let him fight this out with his favorite Air Force and Marines – a reminder of the dangers of favouring particular units in the military over others.
As dad’s army continued to disintegrate, his bombastic propaganda statements continued on state controlled radio but by now dad knew better. On March 28, 1979, Radio Uganda claimed that dad had “smashed through the Tanzanian forces and reopened the road to Entebbe” which had been closed by the invading forces. The bluff and the bombast that had served him well for eight years were rapidly losing its effect. As a consolation, dad was now fighting a private war to evacuate some 80 members of his family and close associates to safety in Libya.
Commissioner urges people to work
Meanwhile the district commissioner of Kampala, Muhammad, addressed a rally in Kampala where he urged people to turn up for work and business as usual, yet the rebels were actually 20 miles outside Entebbe at the time.
On March 28, 1979 at about 4pm, Yuga Juma Onziga along with his wife and a two-week-old baby girl, his father and brother, fled to Arua. Between Kiryandongo Hospital and Karuma Falls, the car, a Toyota matatu they had rented, overturned and some people were injured but none seriously. The matatu was totally written off and Juma lost his JVC radio and stereo cassette in this accident.
Fortunately, his younger brother, who was driving later from Kampala also to Arua, stopped by and conveyed his wife and child along to Arua. The rest of them transferred to a nearby lorry and arrived in Arua early in the morning of March 29. They finally converged at their clan village of Rugbuza later that afternoon. The rest is history!
The same day March 28, 1979,Tanzanian long-range artillery began bombing Kampala. At about 11:20pm, Radio Uganda broadcast a news flash saying the attack was close by. “Tonight ... is the first time when the Tanzanian aggressors with mercenaries and traitors, using long-range artillery, have bombarded Kampala...” said a newscaster. This admission of truth by the national radio made Ugandans realise how close dad’s fall was.
At that time the truth about dad’s impending downfall remained concealed by the Kampala authorities. However, BBC World Service regularly intercepted Radio Uganda broadcasts from their monitoring station at Caversham Park in England. Ugandans who were brave and bold enough to follow the events at the risk of being discovered by the notorious State Research Bureau intelligence agents continued to quietly keep track of BBC broadcasts and the truth about dad’s impending defeat. They had begun to do so early in the war.
How we flew to Libya
The day my family flew out of Entebbe to Libya we could hear the artillery shells in the distance getting closer. It was amazing and there was a sense of disbelief. Dad was having 60 to 80 seats installed in a cargo plane for all of us. He was talking to Gaddafi on the phone, telling him, “My children are coming”. Dad sent us ahead because he wanted to stay on to make his last stand, even though he knew that the war was lost.
Apparently, a reluctant Egyptian pilot had to be commandeered and he was paid cash down in hard currency so that he could accept to fly the president’s children out of the country to safety. The bombardment was only 20 miles away then. The Boeing 707 cargo plane had recently come in from one of its expensive cargo transport flights taking coffee to the USA and he (the pilot) was very tired. It had no seats whatsoever.
So, some 60 to 80 seats were hurriedly placed in the plane to accommodate probably 60 persons who were given blankets against the cold emanating from the bare aluminum floor. I had actually been hurriedly discharged from Mulago Hospital following a sprain of my ankle and still had an itchy plaster on.
The Boeing 707 managed to take off under strange circumstances, due to the fact that artillery shellfire was now raining into the airport area. It was on the night of March 27! The bodyguards were forced to place four cars around the plane and they raced down the runway like lighting for the pilot until we were airborne!
What an uncomfortable ride to safety this was, all the way to Tripoli, Libya!
The plane ride to Tripoli was rough and uncomfortable. I have often reflected about what could have gone wrong with a plane that had no seats and was flown by a reluctant Egyptian pilot that had to be commandeered and paid in hard currency, before accepting to fly the President’s children out of the country to safety. I have often wondered what would have happened if the Egyptian pilot didn’t honour the hefty bribe he received from dad to fly us out of Uganda to safety but decided not to dwell on the predicament. Some say it was the fatigue that built the reluctance and no civilian pilot wants to work under a war situation, which was understandable under the circumstance.
We left behind some very prized items. I still see in my mind’s eye an ornate golden Mantle Clock left in my dad’s State House bedroom that had been given to dad by Tito of Yugoslavia on one of his last state visits to the Balkans. That visit holds a lot of meaning to me since dad had promised me that if my grades improved, he would take me on his next visit abroad. My grades did improve but my brother Lumumba was chosen on that particular trip and I remember my kid brother feeding a giraffe in the Belgrade Zoo on a photo shoot with the World War II hero. I remember asking my stepmother Mama Sarah if she had remembered to bring the Mantle Clock and she regretted that it had stayed in State House Entebbe.
Continues next week

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‘Memories of our last hours in Uganda’
I will never forget the last days of our stay in Uganda due to the constant boom-boom sound made by the “Saba-Saba BM21” artillery fired into the capital Kampala by the liberators. Having been picked up from dad’s residence in Nakasero where we were residing at the time, we were all gathered at Command Post in Kololo, another of dad’s residences.
Then we set off in a convoy towards Munyonyo (Cape Town View) and used the Garuga detour towards Entebbe, coming out near Kajansi since some liberation troops had already cut off – and probably laid an ambush – on the main road probably around the Lubowa Estates area. We arrived at the old colonial residences (State House Entebbe), to await the planned flight to Tripoli, Libya.
Mama Sarah Kyolaba had preferred to stay at Nakasero Lodge in Kampala even though she and dad’s other wife, Mama Madina, previously jointly shifted to State House Entebbe, which has a better defense position following attempts to raid the Kampala residences by insurgents.
In 1978, Mama Madina had left for Iraq together with Mama Nabirye, the presidential bodyguard dad married the same year, 1978, for medical treatment. Mama Nabirye had previously been in residence at the Cape Town View Resort before leaving for Iraq.
Mama Madina had a detached retina while the expectant bride, Mama Nabirye, went for precautionary tests. After the fall of dad’s government, the two women ended up first in Central Africa then in Paris, France after the fall of Jean Bedel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic and dad’s friend, also in 1979.
My sister Zam Zam (Mama Nabirye’s daughter) was born in Bangui the capital of the Central African Republic on the night of the Military coup against Bokassa. Then she and Mama Madina left together for Mobutu’s Kinshasa in 1979 via Paris, France where Catherine Bokassa had taken refuge.
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Friendship with gaddafi
Idi Amin and Muammar Gaddafi struck up a friendship. After Idi Amin’s government was overthrown in Uganda, Muammar Gaddafi welcomed him and his entourage into Libya where the Libyan government took care of them for several months. On the little known occasion relating to Amin threatening to walk to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia if Gaddafi did not offer him safe passage to the holy land of Sunni Islam, Amin had felt betrayed by Gaddafi because Gaddafi wanted to be the Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity in 1979.
To increase his chances of getting elected to the chairmanship of the OAU, Gaddafi had to “befriend” Julius Nyerere, the President of Tanzania who was responsible for Amin’s ouster from power in Uganda.
Source: amazon.com

 
 Consolidating Democratic Gains, Promoting African Prosperity March 29, 2013


MAZISI YA PETER LAZARUZ LIVE AT KINONDONI'S CEMENTRY!! REST IN PEACE BRO!!

YALIANZA MATAYARISHO KWANZA YA NYUMBA YA MILELE YA BROTHER PETER LAZARUS.
PACHA WA MAREHEMU PETER NA MTOTO WA MAREHEMU FROM UK.
MZAZI MWENZA WA MAREHEMU PETER FROM UK AKIWEKA MAUA.
MKE WA SASA MARHEMU PETER BABY FAIZA.
WATOTO WA MAREHEMU FROM UK.
PACHA WA MAREHEMU.
PACHA WA MAREHEMU, SUPER STAR MBONI + SUPER STAR BEN KINYAIYA.
JUMA MABAKILA + JUMA PINTO