Opportunity: Washington Fellowship of Young African Leaders 2014 by January 27 2014

Find full info. here http://youngafricanleaders.state.gov/washington-fellows/

Application portal: http://www.irex.org/applyyali

The World Bank Group Fellowship Program for PhD Students from the Continent

Find full information here

[RE] Screening: God Loves Uganda, Sept. 6 2013 @ the NEST

Friday September 6, 2013 I got the chance to see God Loves Uganda that was first screened at the nest on August 31, 2013. I missed the first screening because I was out of the country and I am glad the Nest yielded to public pressure to screen this flick again.

God Loves Uganda takes an investigative ‘look’ into the affairs of the American conservative movement which has had a significant influence in Uganda. The American conservative’s activities in Uganda have resulted in the mushrooming of evangelicals, the introduction of legislation which are anti homophobic and the rise in the number of street preachers.

This documentary brings to light some aspects that I did not know and after watching it I was able to connect the dots on the recent anti-homophobia public sentiments coming out of Uganda and the killing of David Kato, one of the gay activists whose death was given prominence by CNN.

What emerges from this documentary is that the American conservatives are exporting the American Cultural wars into Africa. They are doing this through youths and students in their gap years. The young folks are flown into Uganda to come and spread the gospel in the pearl of Africa. 

This North-South gospel interaction has also resulted in benefiting a small number of African pastors who are living lavish lifestyles and have amazing worship venues which are financed by American dollars. These pastors are gaining influence and traction and are being used to influence politics of Uganda. A case in point was the anti-homosexual bill in which the bill sponsor seemed to enjoy the patronage of the conservative pastors in Uganda. Also, in the documentary you have American pastors coming to Uganda to conduct workshops and in a surprising move even addressing the Ugandan parliament!

Obviously, this documentary is funded by the Ford Foundation and as such it seems to take a certain line. However, as is always the case with Ford Foundation activities they showcase some activities in society that are not being reported due to their nature.   

Bottom line God Loves Uganda is this is an insightful documentary which portrays the fallacies of American Conservative practices in Uganda, the politics of contraceptives in an African Country and the plight of minorities.

Event posting on NairobiNow

What Happens to former Presidents who Retire and Presidential Candidate who lose Election in Africa?

This is a qustion which has been on my mind considering we have now two retired presidents [retired President Moi and Kibaki] and a former Prime Minister Raila A. Odinga who was a co-principal in the Grand Coalition formed after disputed 2007 polls.

Also, joining this exclusive club is the former Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Morgan Tsvangirai. I looked around and realised there is a 'retirement' home of sorts for this statesmen. There is an African Presidential Center in Boston which offers residency program to former democratically elected African leaders [I guess we can count out Robert Mugabe!] The Mission of this centre reads;

The African Presidential Center (APC) at Boston University is an unprecedented and unique approach to studying democratization and free market reform in Africa.

This year they had the African Presidential Roundtable 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa from June 5 to 7 where it is indicated that they discussed the cost of democracy. Looking at the participants you will notice former Presidents Moi and Mwai Kibaki are conspiquosly absent. The old leader from Kenya is the former Prime Minister. Perhaps, we can allude that our former presidents we're NOT democratically elected or that they are not into those sort of things! It could be they shall be attending one but albeit when the Chinese come up with an equivalent platform they might be more comfortable with such [tongue in cheek]

APR 2013  I  Photo credit to Prince Eno Bassey

The heads of state/governments who attended the 2013 African Presidential Roundtable at Constitution Hill, from June 5-8. From left to right, Ambassador Charles Stith, Prime Minister Sumaye of Tanzania, President Chissano of Mozambique, President Pires of Cape Verde, President Mbeki of South Africa, Prime Minister Odinga of Kenya, President Offmann of Mauritius, President Mwinyi of Tanzania, President Soglo of Benin, and President Karume of Zanzibar.

Photo additional info from African Presidential Center Facebook Page

Thought Provoking Read: Africa's Big Brother Lives in Beijing by John Reed

John Reed in an investigative piece on Foreign Policy contends that China might actually be spying on Africa. One of the question he possess is Is Huawei wiring Africa for surveillance? 

"Generally, most of the employees operating these systems are Chinese and the arrangements usually include delegating maintenance and decisions about future updates to Huawei as well, thus ensuring the Chinese firm's control of the basic technological architecture's foundation, evolution, and operations,"  - Chris Demchak, co-director of the Center for Cyber Conflict Studies at the U.S. Naval War College

Looking at this from a Kenyan perspective and given the happening on the ground this might actually be true. If you look at Safaricom the biggest player in telecommunications you will notice that it has close relationship with Huawei. One of the goals of Safaricom Ltd is to offer it's services to anyone and that means getting in agreements with Huawei which offers affordable phones to the base of pyramids. This agreements between Huawei and Safaricom usually extend to other areas apart from the hand-set market.

Also, sometime back I happened to have gone to an official launch at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation headquarters and I noticed most of the equipments and renovations of the state broadcaster were installed by the Chinese. This was during Kibaki administration who found a win win situation with the Chinese government. 

When one also looks at the Chinese Consulate in Kenya one will notice that they have a substantially huge complex which is next to Hurlingham plus another office dealing with trrade matters along Ngong Road. Certainly if the all countries snoop on each other but Chinese seem to be on the look out for new trade deals for their companies.

Also, looking at the Chinese benevolence in providing the African Union with a state of the art new headquarters in Ethiopia. This is the same building John Kerry the American Secretary of State marvelled upon in his first visit to AU headquarters. 

The Chinese certainly seem to have done their homework on the continent and now they unlike Americans do not need an African Drone Programme! 

Africa Features Nowhere in President Obama’s Second Term Agenda

President Barack Obama's second term inauguration is taking place on Monday January 21, 2013. This marks the start of his second and last term in office. This being so a number of think tanks have prepared a set of briefs outlining what the president should strive to achieve in his second term in office. One glaring thing about most of these briefs is Africa is nowhere in their Agenda. At-least from the very top.
Which raises the question. Should the US and Europe for that matter have problems with countries that bet on Africa?

Have a look at the Brooking Institution: Big Bets and Black Swans-Crises & Opportunities for President Obama in his Second Term

Download the report here

Guess who else said Devil? Watch the Trailer of Mugabe to know

Jubilee presidential candidate has been hitting the airwaves with his 'the devil made me sign the pact with Musalia Mudavadi' comment. We'll he is not the ONLY one to come up with such comments. A sitting African head of state has attributed the devil with phenomena happening in his country.
Mugabe "Villain Or Hero" Trailer from undertheradar on Vimeo.

Dispatches from Addis Ababa: 4 Days of Conference Proceedings, Visit to the AU HQ and Ethiopian Nights

FES last week brought together young leaders from East and Central Africa for a four days conference in Addis Ababa. This conference incorporated presentations from guest speakers, deliberations from the participants and a visit to the African Union Headquarters. In we had dinners so as to socialize and get to know about each other’s countries in an informal setting.

Kenya was ably represented by a contingent of five [three gents and two ladies] who hail from various backgrounds. This was my first time in Addis and in the wake to the visit I had got different perspectives as to what to expect in Addis Ababa. Some of the things I had been told to expect turned out to be true while others we’re NOT. 

Better Understanding of East African Region

One of my main take-away from this conference is a better understanding of this region. I greatly appreciated presentations and talking to Rwandan delegation. This folks have a lot going on in their country. I also learnt of their two months initiative where they crowd source monies from the populace to fill in the gaps of donor money. I thought this is a pretty good nation building tool where you have folks from all social structure contributing money to build their nation. I also got to appreciate the leadership of HE Paul Kagame. The folks in Rwanda approach things in a different way as opposed to us!

The Southern Sudan delegation also caught my eye. The delegation was made up of US and British educated young lads. These guys also are NOT politicized as we are and are time conscious and have a western look. We talked at length with this delegation and I got an insider’s perspective into happening in Juba.

The other insights generated are how outsiders perceive Kenyans especially Ugandan’s. The Uganda delegation had this joke

 ‘I have finished my diner as fast as the swearing ceremony of Kenya’s president’

If you are an Investor Ethiopia is the place

In Addis Ababa you will not miss seeing rapid infrastructure development. Just to drive the point home from my hotel lobby I was able to spot more than ten building being out up. Also during our visit to the AU hq we saw the building of Sheraton Hotel next to the AU hq.

However, this said I experienced problems of changing my foreign currency. If you are visiting Ethiopia then it is best advised you change your currency at the airport. Otherwise you risk exchanging your cash in the black market which charges a premium of about 10%.

In terms of the media I had a look at the hotel newspaper and it seems very small and only does reportage with very few opinion pieces.

The town has a huge Chinese influx. The road from the airport is being constructed by the Chinese.

China Aid Plaque at AU Hq

The African Union Visit

AU Hq

There is lots happening at the African Union and as a citizenry we should ask for more reporting. I learned of the ‘I am African Project’ there plus in my opinion there are lots of opportunities which Kenya can tap into at the AU.

I am African Project

In the arts, I was able to see a quite a few paintings which had been donated by Northern African states namely Egyptian & Algerian government.

Art at the AU Hq

Ethiopian Nights

Ethiopians unlike Kenyan’s really appreciate their culture and you will notice despite the economic growth the country is experiencing it is still a melting pot of rich traditions. In fact most of the Ethiopians prefer to speak in their dialect and English I came to learn is taught from secondary level of education.

Ethiopian Nights

Bottom Line

Young leader and youth should be given more chances to interact so that the region can forge cohesion from an early age. If it could be possible to begin such initiatives from as back as high school it would be great. Also, more chances for citizens from Africa to visit the AU HQ’s are needed.

Turning Tables: Hay at 25

Hay Festival is turning 25 and in doing so it has come up with an ingenious way of crowd sourcing views from its audience

The way we live now from Hay Festival on Vimeo.

This could be as a result of understanding the wisdom of crowds. So this is our chance to turn those tables on the writers and thinkers that have graced Hay Festival over the years.

Hay Festival organizers asked a panel to come up with 25 questions which would be put to the audience. These questions are;

1. Why do we read novels?
2. 25 years ago, the whole world lived in fear of an aids pandemic, the Berlin wall divided east and Western Europe, China and Latin America were considered part of the developing world and less than 1% of the world's population used mobile phones or computers. What changes will we see to the way we live now in 25 years time?
3. What was the last thing you made with your hands?
4. Which smell makes you happiest?
5. Do you think we are reaching a point at which technological 'progress' kills the spirit and what we are or will it liberate us all?
6. Which freedoms are you prepared to trade for greater security?
7. How can we see the ratio of women to men reach equality in every walk of life, from birth to death, in education, work and play?
8. What would you do if you knew you would never be caught?
9. What piece of writing has most changed your heart and mind? Phrase, lyric, letter, book, poem, inscription.
10. Would you like the United States of America to a) grow stronger? b) stay more or less the same? c) grow weaker? Why?
11. 25 years from now climate change will have created over 100 million refugees. Where should they go?
12. Are you happy? If yes, why? If not, is there something you can do about it?
13. How will the world benefit from a realignment of economic superpower in the 21st century?
14. Are religion and democracy incompatible?
15. Half the world's languages are so seriously endangered that they are likely to die out during the course of this century. Does it matter?
16. What determines what food you buy?
17. Will genetically modified crops and lab meat save the world from famine?
18. What can the country and the city learn from each other?
19. If you became the leader of your country what would you fix first?
20. Which season matters most to you and why?
21. Mental health problems afflict 25% of us every year. Do we need to treat the perception of mental illness in the sufferer or in society?
22. Is it possible to truly care about events that will happen after the death of one's great grandchildren?
23. Teach us something important that you know.
24. Which living leaders, writers, scientists, and artists, are opening the doors of the future for humankind?
25. We're building a library of literature, music and cinema. Which one book, film and album would you contribute to it?

These questions have reminded me of rapper 50 cent who saw this way before them! When he came up with his 21 questions.

This questions in my opinion do NOT feature or address Africa because the 'panel' which came up witht e questions is mainly compromised of people from Europe [not that I have any 'beef' with Europeans or Eurocentric thinking]. Also it could be as a result of Hay festival having a massive footprint in other continents. In Africa Hay has a presence ONLY in Kenya through Storymoja. However, this said, question 2 is the one I relate to;

25 years ago, the whole world lived in fear of an aids pandemic, the Berlin wall divided east and Western Europe, China and Latin America were considered part of the developing world and less than 1% of the world's population used mobile phones or computers. What changes will we see to the way we live now in 25 years time?  

It would also be great to map out the responses in a website so that we can see the response of the world.  I plan on attending the festival and raising more Africa centric questions and telling the world what I think. Will you?

The Winds from Beijing

The Chinese community in Nairobi had a rare concert/Performance on September 8, 2011 at the University of Nairobi Taifa Hall.  The performance was aptly titled ‘The wind from Dunhuang’ and was performed under the auspices of Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) which China in cooperates a culture aspect of engagement with Africa.

So under this auspices China has a Chinese Culture in Focus 2011 calendar of events in which it organizes exhibitions, performances, concerts, operas, kite flying and Chinese book fairs in countries where it has a presence in Africa. Some of these countries are Mauritius, Tanzania, Seychelles, Gabon, Burundi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Senegal, South Africa and Kenya.

The last two countries South Africa and Kenya experiencing a lot of contact and spotlight from Beijing now that Egypt the seat of FOCAC  is undergoing some turbulent times as a result of the Arab Spring/Uprising.

The Event

The event was set up at the Nairobi University grounds which houses the Confucius Institute and has been very cordial to China under Prof. Magoha’s tenure.

The performance was an evening event and by 7.30 the hall was half full of Chinese living in Kenya (Some of the with Jackets with the logo of Wu Yi a Chinese company constructing Thika road) and few students (some Chinese students) and other students at the University who out of curiosity wanted to see what was happening in the hall.

A table with red piece of cloth was set for the dignitaries at the front (Chinese ambassador to Kenya and other dignitaries accompanying the troupe on its tour of African countries).

The Performance

The performance started at 8pm and we were treated to some great performances on this evening. A dance: Raise your bridal veil kicked off the evening with Chinese drums playing in the background. Mind you the evening performances were done with a playback on the background. There after a female solo: A glass of good wine was performed by one of the MC’s.

Tibet

We were also given a folk dance number from Tibet: The Love Song of Kangding and boy that dance was perfectly executed. This showcased the liveness and kind of shyness of Tibetan girls and later we were treated to a male group dance-the happy Tibetans (Political undertones?)

Mongol

Showcasing the diversity of China we were treated to a play of Matouqin. A Mongol string musical instrument with two aptly titled performances; A thousand horses are galloping ahead and sing a spring song in pasture

Acrobatic Shows

Also on the menu from China was an acrobatic show which was good and a unique skill in Sichuan opera-Changing Faces which great.

Friends, Partners & Brothers

Just as we have a book by Elizabeth Gilbert with the philosophy of eat, pray and love. The philosophy or the mantra that Beijing is sending out to Africa was out there to be showcased.

The evening ended with these words ‘Friends Partner Brother’ in a banner. This is the message that Beijing is sending out to Africa.

Now I am looking forward to Embrace China-Performance and visit by Chinese Arts Troupe and Chinese Book Fair.

The Return of China to Africa

Dan Large’s book The Return of China to Africa is a worthwhile read to understand the China-Africa Geopolitics.

In Love with Africa

Paa ya Paa are organizing an exhibition by the above name currently on going. I had a chance to attend the opening ceremony because of what I assist in co-editing.

Paa ya Paa is an exhibition space which is located on your way to Kiambu (off Kiambu road) on your way to Windsor. What makes this place so iconic is that it is the first exhibition gallery in town first situated in Nairobi town but taken to its current place due to exorbitant rents in the city.

The director is Elimo Njau is an accomplish artist in his own right having sketched the Muranga Anglican Cathedral in 1956 (During the Colonial times!) and having taught at Makerere University immediately after graduating there.

His work at the cathedral has been resembled to that in Sistine chapel in Rome which then equates him to Michelangelo

That said he is a very humble and down to earth man and the exhibition space has NOT been so lucky. It was reduced a time back by Fire which let the walls of the exhibition space so dynamic such that the phrase below was used; 

“If you want to create exhibition spaces as dynamic and exciting as the new galleries at Paa ya Paa, it could be a painful process.

For first you have to burn your house down”. - Frank Whalley (Columnist with Eastandard)

That said the exhibition at hand ‘In love with Africa’ had been influenced by young personalities Nuru Bahati and Boyd Oyier who organize events for the gallery and was staged to honour the 4^th commandment. 

The exhibiting artist is a young Ugandan Artist Kayiira Mamartyn (Owentebbe) who has done some sketches most notable of founding Presidents Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya) and Julius Nyerere (Tanzania). Also on the gallery is a portrait of Yoweri Museveni (in his typical cow boy hat). In fact the Ugandan ambassador to Kenya was the special guest who opened the exhibition.

Exhibition Poster

About the exhibition space (Paa ya Paa), it is currently being innovated thanks to friends of paa ya paa. Some of this hail as far as South America, Coastal Rica and America (USA). Not to be let behind we have Kenyans, a Kikuyu businessman has sponsored the replacement of the current roof. 

Jeff Koinange’s Interview with the Prosecutor

The ICC Prosecutor interview with K24’s Anchor Jeff Koinange just in case you missed it.

Youtube links:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4

China in Kenya

On Wednesday April 20, 2011 HE Mr. Li Changchun a member of standing committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China gave a keynote address at the University of Nairobi. The key note address was titled; ‘Strengthening China-Africa Friendship & Co-operation to build a better tomorrow’.

As the name denotes the speech was intended for the whole of Africa. Considering that China has come up with a policy of engaging the whole of Africa under the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) initiative that predates early 2005.

So this was a major scoop for Kenya considering this kind of lectures would have perhaps been done in Egypt. Now that there is Uprising in the Arab world Kenya is now the reference point for China-Africa Co-operation.

Preparations

The run up to the Public lecture saw the University of Nairobi turned into a small ‘China Town’ of sorts. An exhibition was put up in record time from Monday April 18, 2011 to late Tuesday April 19, 2011. The exhibition: ‘As Others See US-China in the Eyes of African Artists’ was one of the best exhibitions put up by Chinese I have come to see to date.

It has around 30 paintings from 15 artists from all over Africa (Mainly the stations where China is HIGHLY present). Some of these countries and artists exhibited are Lesotho (Thakane Lerotholi), Ethiopia (Daniel Asfaw Tadesse), Zimbabwe (Tonely Ngwenya), Zambia (Gordon Shamulenge), Cape Verde (Bento Oliveira), Senegal (Amadou Camara Gueye), Tanzania (David Hezekia Mzuguno), Cameroon (Irene Mejane Epie), Tunisia (Mohammed Regaieg), Mauritius (Pascal Jean Francois Gaspard) and Kenya (a fine arts lecturer from KU).

D-Day

The public Lecture was commencing at 2.40pm and we had to be seated by 2pm. The security was tight but did not have the signature hullabaloo of the Americans. The Chinese perhaps a cognizant of this fact and do NOT like rubbing feathers in their hosts country. The University was awash with banners/posters going by ‘Warmly welcome HE Mr. Li Changchun to UON’ and ‘warmly welcome HE Mr. Li Changchun to CIUON’.

There were lots of Chinese in the Taifa hall auditorium taking photos with high end user camera’s (A sign of the high purchasing power of the Chinese in Africa).

At exactly 14.40hrs HE Li Changchun arrived to the hall accompanied by Hon. Helen Sambili (Minister for Higher Education, Science & Technology-Acting), Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, Chair of the University Council Prof. John Simba, The V.C. Prof. Magoha, PS Prof. Kiamba and the Chinese itinerary of HE Mr. Li.

The Principal CHSS Prof Mbeche made some opening remarks and welcomed HE Mr. Li to give the Keynote Speech.

Key Note Speech: Strengthening China-Africa Friendship & Co-operation to build a better tomorrow

HE Mr. Li began his speech by bowing to the audience and the high table. He then followed that his visit was meant to promote get together between the people of China and Africa. He extended the warm wishes of his people to the brotherly people of Kenya and Africa. He observed that Kenya was a friend in East Africa and a strong partner.

FOCAC

He noted that since the last presidents delegation in Beijing China had honored its end of commitments to Africa despite harsh economic times. In total China have over 500 projects in Africa worth around 30 billion.

He also mentioned that China and Africa have been able to maintain the strong bond because they have fought colonialism, advocated Independence. He noted that China was a country that respects countries despite their sizes (Large or small) and has been against bulling from western governments. China also advocates for equality and their relationship has provided tangible benefits to both parties.

HE Mr. Li noted that his country is looking for deep and pragmatic friendship from Africa and hinted that a pragmatic strategic relationship was on the works from Beijing.

He also suggested the following four points to Africa which they should cultivate with China;

1. Enhance Political Relationship with China

On this he encouraged and high level exchange between members of Kenyan Political Parties and Chinese Communist Party. On his visit to Kenya he mention of meeting the President, the Vice President and the Speaker of the National Assembly.

He invited the high level members in their respective parties to visit China and learn a thing or two from the Communist Party of China.

He also mentioned that his country China was looking to cultivate high level friendship among members of government, legislature and political parties.

2. Promote Economic being and reciprocity

China was joining Africa in mutual trade opportunities. Some of the areas China is looking to invest is Agriculture, Medical care etc. China was looking to promote development of Africa as a whole.

On his part Mr. Li shared with us that China was encouraging capable and trustworthy Chinese Companies to work in Africa. This he said will contribute to employment and economic well being to Africa.

China will also provide assistance to Africa in the following areas;

• Education
• Agriculture
• Healthcare
• Energy Conservation & Environmental Protection

During his last day in Kenya he will over see the signing of a concession loan worth 750,000 Chinese Ruan. Some of these monies will over see the construction of a referral hospital in Kenyatta University.

3. Encourage People to People Exchange

This he noted will foster and deepen friendship through cultural exchanges. He personally was going to encourage the interaction of Chinese youngsters, women, media, institutions of higher learning/academics etc with Africa.

He doubled the number of scholarship China had offered to Kenyan Students from 32 to 64 on this day.

On tourism he directed China TV, CCTV to produce more documentaries about Kenya especially the Rift Valley so that more Chinese tourists can come and visit the country. This he noted will contribute to lowering of the deficit that exist between Kenya-China.

4. Strengthen Communication (Consultation & Coordination)

This is to enable the developing country have one voice in the international community. He looked forward to more consultation especially from African Union, AU to come up with common stand points on the following issues;

• Sovereignty
• Security
• Territorial Integrity
• Food Security

Present Day China

He noted that the communist party will be celebrating its 90^th Anniversary. He noted under the 90 years the party had undergone revolution, contestation and reform (last 30years of reform & opening up).

Under the last 30 years he noted the party had adopted ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics’.

HE Mr. Li seemed to be a realist person in that he noted as much as people are talking about China being a super power there was a huge discrepancy in its GNP Vs Per Capita income. He briefly talked about the Delegates Coference in March and how china was adopting a new blue print for the next 5 years whose theme or backdrop is ‘scientific development’.

He noted that development of the world and that of China was interlinked and that no one should fear China as it is seeking a harmonious world of lasting peace and prosperity.

Youth

He correctly pointed out that most of the audience were young people and he quoted Mao Zedong ‘World belongs to you (youth) and us (old)’.

On a light note he said the youth present made him feel young and he was relishing the university years (40 years ago!).

He noted a lot of volunteers were coming to Africa and China was institutionalizing this and we should expect more Confucius Institutes in Africa.

Bottom Line

HE Mr. Li Changchun seemed to be genuine about his message he was delivering on behalf of his people. However, there was no Q&A which was removed at the last minute due to ‘time’ constraints.

NB: The lecture was given in Chinese with an interpreter translating it to English.

Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's Political Bureau dances with students from Nairobi University, in Nairobi, Kenya, April 20, 2011. Li gave a speech at Nairobi University on Wednesday.(Xinhua/Zhao Yingquan)

Delivering Aid Differently: Lessons from the Field

Book Cover

‘Delivering Aid Differently: Lessons from the Field’, is a new book by Wolfgang Fengler and Homi Kharas that was recently launched at University of Nairobi. 

This book argues the 200 billion dollar aid industry faces new realities from the tradition model of development assistance. What makes this book fascinating is that the author’s backgrounds i.e. Dr Wolfgang Fengler is the World Bank's lead economist in Kenya and Homi Kharas is a scholar based at the Brooking Institution* in Washington D.C. having previously worked for the World Bank.

The book has contributions from all over the place which makes it admirable that the World Bank boys sought collaboration from their African counterparts. The World Bank country Johannes Zutt did make it clear that this book is NOT a World Bank publication BUT nevertheless it offered new insights both to him and the Bank.

Other Scholars that contribute to this book include; Cut Dian Agustina (World Bank), Getnet Alemu (College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University), Rustam Aminjanov (NAMO Consulting), Ek Chanboreth and Sok Hach (Economic Institute of Cambodia), Firuz Kataev and Matin Kholmatov (NAMO Consulting), Johannes F. Linn (Wolfensohn Center for Development at Brookings), Abdul Malik (World Bank, South Asia), Harry Masyrafah and Jock M. J. A. McKeon (World Bank, Aceh), Francis M. Mwega (Department of Economics, University of Nairobi), Rebecca Winthrop (Center for Universal Education at Brookings), Ahmad Zaki Fahmi (World Bank)

Book Overview

The book has ten chapters which contain six country case studies. These are;

• Kenya,
• Ethiopia,
• Aceh (Indonesia),
• Cambodia,
• Pakistan, and
• Tajikistan

The book has three thematic chapters. These are;

• Joint Assistance Strategies,
• Information Systems, and
• Humanitarian Aid

NB: All country case studies written by scholars of aid-recipient countries.

Reviews of this book

"Can aid deliver the economic, social, and political transformations development demands, or is it condemned to small successes and failures? This is the central question that Wolfgang Fengler and Homi Kharas take on. Their approach is novel: to elicit the answers from scholars from the aid-recipient countries themselves. I commend this book to all those interested in reforming how aid is delivered so that it eventually becomes redundant."—Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, The World Bank, and former Minister of Finance, Nigeria

"This book highlights the problems faced by recipient countries in prioritizing and managing aid receipts. Its recommendation to strengthen and differentiate aid coordination and management at the recipient country level is very appropriate. Both development partners and recipient countries need a constructive discussion; and hearing the aid recipients can yield crucial insights."—Farrukh Khamraliev, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Tajikistan

Book Launch

The book was launched at University of Nairobi’s main campus, multipurpose hall 8-4-4 on September 30^th 2010 at 1400hrs.

The dean faculty of arts, Prof. Njeru introduced us to the university and afterwards the World Bank Country Director Johannes Zutt had a few words. It is at this juncture he highlighted that this publication is not a World Bank publication. The director did point out that this publication was important since it gives the Bank new insights into this important field.

Dr. Wolfgang Fengler made his presentation which was very insightful. (Can download the presentation on this site

Some of the highlights for me in this presentation were;

• Aid Can Work. From the Marshall Plan in Europe after World War II to M-PESA in Kenya today, aid has often played a critical role in the development of countries.
• The New Reality of Aid. The number of new players has increased rapidly and the demands of clients have differentiated. New players have brought fresh energy and approaches to the delivery of aid. But they have also added to fragmentation and volatility. 

The old reality of aid

The new reality of aid

The new aid architecture

1. Demand Differentiation-A wide spectrum of clients: Fragile states, MICs, small states, etc
2. Diversity of Donors-Traditional donors, “New Bilaterals”, NGOs
3. Dynamics of Development-Innovation, Information, Evaluation, Scaling up

The total no of projects has quadrupled while the average size declined sharply (ODA only)

...and new players have added to increased Fragmentation (A case study of Aceh-Indonesia)

Aid to Kenya has been declining until recently...(Case Study Kenya 1981-2006)

... and donor funding has become increasingly unpredictable (Case study Kenya 1981-2006)

• Delivering Aid Differently. Filling gaps is not sufficient. Today, aid needs to leverage knowledge, the hardest currency of the 21st century, to evaluate programs, identify success, and then scale up.

Summary

After the presentation there was an interesting panel discussion which was moderated by Prof. Michael Chege. The panel consisted of;

• Dr. Wolfgang Fengler (author)
• Dr. Kamau Thuge, economic secretary (representing the PS Treasury Joseph Kinyua)
• Dr. Richard Leakey
• Johannes Zutt (World Bank Country Director)

Among the things that emerged were the contentions of conditionality that the WB pegs to funding projects. Other issue addressed from the government side was the desire for consultation and fact checking before going to some civic societies.

Also Dr. Leakey advocated on the need for the WB to reconsider its aid dispensation. Perhaps, it should link up with Commercial Banks to facilitate low interest loans borrowing

Additional Information on the Authors

Wolfgang Fengler

Dr. Wolfgang Fengler

Wolfgang Fengler is a lead economist in the Nairobi office of the World Bank, where he covers Kenya, Rwanda, Eritrea, and Somalia. Previously, he was a senior economist in the Jakarta office and managed the Public Finance and Regional Development team.

Education

Graduated from German Universities in 1996 (Masters) and 2000 (PhD)

Career history

Founded a number of companies, including Africa Consulting in the 1990’s
Left Germany and joined the World Bank in January 2000
Became Senior Economist for the World Bank in Indonesia in 2004
Moved to Kenya as World Bank Lead Economist in August 2009

He is a guest writer for rich.

Previously, Wolfgang used to blog at the East Asia & Pacific on the rise blog .

For more than five years he lived with his wife and three small children in Indonesia. He has been managing the Public Finance and Regional development team consisting of 27 members, predominantly national research analysts and economists.

While in Indonesia, Wolfgang worked on several activities, including a national Public Expenditure review, a sub-national support program to provinces, Aceh post-Tsunami reconstruction, Development Policy Loans and SWAPs.

Prior to joining the World Bank, he was a Fellow at the Research Institute for International Relations (now in Berlin) and set up Africa Consulting, LLC.

Wolfgang loves ping-pong and tries to play every Friday afternoon with the drivers and security guards in one of the Bank’s conference rooms. He was also part of the World Bank Jakarta soccer team and intends to continue his sports activities in Kenya.

Source

Homi Kharas 

Homi Kharas

Homi Kharas is a senior fellow for Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution. Before joining Brookings, he was chief economist for the East Asia and Pacific Region at the World Bank.

Notes

* The Brookings Institution is a non profit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. One of Washington's oldest think tanks. Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and global economy and development.

China Africa Agricultural Forum

China next frontier in Africa after successively transforming the infrastructure of most African countries including Kenya now lies in Agriculture.

This frontier is now marked and defined with the recently held China-Africa Agricultural Forum which was held on August 11-12 2010 in Beijing, with the theme of opportunities and challenges for China-Africa agricultural cooperation in the new situation. Heads of parties and governments, agricultural ministers and entrepreneurs from nearly 20 African countries attended the forum with Kenya being represented by the Vice President Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka. The Chinese partners pointed out that the convening of the forum demonstrated the sincerity of China to help Africa achieve their independent development.

Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) which spell out the outcomes of contacts between China and Africa mostly from Chinese perspective gives a good indication on what Beinjing is up to i.e. China unveils proposals for agricultural cooperation with Africa 

At the closing ceremony, China and the African countries issued the Beijing Declaration of China-Africa Agricultural Forum, highlighting the problem of food security.

Recognizing that food security is a serious challenge for the world, the declaration said the international community in general, and developed countries in particular, should pay more attention to food security in Africa and honor their aid and debt-relief commitments.

"We call upon developed countries to make more effort to help African countries realize the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations," said the declaration.

Jointly organized by the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, the forum focused on opportunities and challenges in China-Africa agricultural cooperation and to show case the seriousness of this the China Daily had a story on China, Africa forge farming ties.

The vice President has of late has gone viral show casing his endeavors on facebook  and  mykalonzomusyoka website has kept everyone who cares updated on what he is up to.

So one has to wait to if the Chinese will carry on this as opposed to the Americans that have feed the future

Map of Africa

African Leaders

VP addressing the Forum

Obama Hosts Young African Leaders August 3–5

The US president will host African young leaders forum as from August 3-5 2010 and as fate should have it. He will also be celebrating his 49th birthday on August 4th 2010. Perhaps, this is the presidents gift to Africa as he celebrates his 49th birthday.
This conference brings together 100 young African leaders who will examine how they see Africa's future in the next 50 years and also come up with innovative solutions to the problems we face as they network and build working relationships.
This conference comes after he gave the 'Accra speech' in Ghana on his first visit to Africa as the president of USA where he put it bluntly that the future of Africa is with Africans themselves. This conference comes head over heals after an African team, the Ghanaians, sent the USA packing from the world cup!
The president has continued with the policies of previous presidents such as President Bill Clinton who came up with African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and his administration has come up with $ 3.5 billion food security initiative called feed the future which will help 12 African focus countries in modernizing their farm sectors.
So what does the president have in mind when he convened this forum?

“These steps are about more than growth numbers on a balance sheet. They’re about whether a young person with an education can get a job that supports a family; a farmer can transfer their goods to market; an entrepreneur with a good idea can start a business,” Obama said. “It’s about the dignity of work; it’s about the opportunity that must exist for Africans in the 21st century.”


So if he succeeds in his en devours we shall look in year 2060 and say the seeds of Africa's transformation started in 2010.

Below is the town hall meeting the president spared time for.

Town hall meeting at the white house

Important links:

• Feed the future website
• White house blog
• Obama's full speech at Town Hall meeting with Young African Leaders