The Surge of Extreme Hunger In Africa

By Agbaje Ayomide

Over the past years, immense efforts have been made by the governments, stakeholders, non-governmental organizations and reputable international bodies to end hunger crisis and curtail food insecurity most African countries are confronted with. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, about 153 million people suffered from severe food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa.

Millions of people especially in the rural areas have died as a result of chronic starvation, and putting others at great risk of suffering from the famine in drought-prone areas while many have been displaced and become refugees in faraway regions in desperate search for food and to secure their livelihoods.

Parable Of The Self-Appointed Messiah

By Chris Nonyelum

The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Namibia, Retired General Mamodu Basiri sat in his palatial office ruminating over the events of the past three and half years since he assumed the mantle of leadership of the Namibian nation as a democratically elected civilian despot. The tides of reckoning were moving too fast, and his country men and women were subjecting him to certain ‘uncharitable’ assessments of his stewardship. Too much had been said and written about his messianic mission for his beloved country. 

He had mounted the saddle of leadership with the promise to clean the Augean stables and set his country men and women on the part of economic rediscovery and glory. But the burden of leadership has overstretched his sanity almost to breaking point. He was no longer sure how effective his sense of rational judgment was. One thing though, was very clear to him. He has failed woefully in his much touted messianic mission. But he was determined to cling to power at all costs. 

The Peacetime In Ghana Collapsing?

By Abdul Karim Issifu

 “Globally, Ghana is noted for her democratic practice. The country has witnessed more than two decades of democratic political transitions from 1992 to 2016. Ghana continues to play a key role in peacekeeping missions in other war devastated countries. 

However, in recent times, a series of threats to democracy and security could ruin the enviable peacetime that Ghana is currently enjoying. There are testaments from elsewhere that shows unemployment, history of past wars, poverty and weak state was the causes of civil war onset in countries like Syria, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, DR Congo, Central Africa Republic and many more.

Lai Mohammed Says US Non-Recognition Of IPOB As A Terrorist Group Is Unfortunate

Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, said in a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) interview in London on Wednesday that the refusal of the United States’ government to classify the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organization was “very unfortunate”.

*Lai Mohammed 

“That’s very unfortunate because if countries decide to pick and choose which organizations are terrorists and which are not, bearing in mind that terrorism has no boundaries, I think what we should do is, every country should work together to ensure that terrorism does not strive,” Mr. Mohammed told the BBC.

New African Woman Magazine Presents The African Women Of The Year 2016

Revealing the brave, the agitators and the controversial! OUT NOW!

London: 5th December 2016 -/- New African Woman magazine has released its annual African Women of the Year list. The list celebrates and highlights the ground-breaking and game-changing women who made the most impact on the continent in 2016. Find out how.
 
Broken into 10 categories, the magazine describes the 2016 list as one of its most diverse yet, and features remarkable African women from all walks of life, all of whom were nominated by New African Woman readers.
 
The much-talked about Fadumo Dayib, the mother of four who is boldly standing as Somalia’s first-ever female presidential candidate, not only graces the cover of this edition, but she is also one of the women breaking the mould in the politics and public office category. In an exclusive interview with the magazine she opens on why she decided to run for office – and the uphill challenges she has faced – including death threats. “I am constantly aware that every time I leave my house, that could be the last time I am leaving and that I might not return… If violence were to bring any solution, Somalia would be the most peaceful country in the world today…we need change, and I want to help bring about change despite the risk am taking.”
 
Fadumo is joined by an array of other equally formidable visionaries in an extensively diverse listing in the often male-dominated fields of business; finance and banking; agriculture; mining; architecture; science, technology and innovation. 
Other sections feature women in the media and literature; civil society and activism; health and education, the arts; sport; creative, beauty and fashion industries; and a new category: the next generation – stars on the rise.
 
Commenting on the ‘African Women of the Year’ 2016 list,  New African Woman magazine Editor reGina Jane Jere says: “What stands out most in this year’s list is that we have gone the extra mile and taken into account a number of unsung heroines - as chosen by our diverse readers. Women are truly changing the game in Africa in so many uncelebrated ways. This year we see a lot of new names - as one reader suggested last year ‘We need New Names”, and I think we have delivered. It is quite an inclusive list, although not exhaustive.
 
She adds: “The list is packed with surprises. And my hope is that it will make readers go, ‘Wow! we didn’t know a woman did that!' And that they will get know some truly amazing African women. It is astonishing just how much work, zeal and tenacity these unsung African women are putting into breaking the cycle of gender imbalance and how hard they are working to break the status quo and enhance our continent’s development. This list is truly refreshing and uplifting.”
 
Find out what makes Fadumo and these other phenomenal women stand out as New African Woman’s ‘African Women of the Year’ 2016.
 
There will be a further celebration of African women game changers at the New African Woman Forum and Awards, which take place in Dakar, Senegal, next year.
 
 The full ‘African Women of the Year’ list can be found here

Can East Africa Avoid A Major Food Crisis In the Near Future?

By Isaac Mwangi

More often than not, East Africa finds itself in an unending precarious food security situation. From the evolving political and economic situation, this could soon turn into a major crisis.

All the ingredients are already present. From civil war to corruption and population displacement to climate change, man-made disasters have combined with natural factors to create ideal conditions for a major regional food crisis.

Even in the best of times, East Africa is never far removed from hunger. Poor policies that have removed support previously given to farmers, low producer prices that have discouraged farmers, rural-urban migration in search of better opportunities, the loss of productive land to cities, and a host of other factors have led to a situation where regional countries can hardly feed themselves.

These problems have been compounded by joblessness and rising insecurity. Deadly cattle rustling raids between rival communities within and between countries, made worse by the influx of small and light weapons, have made pastoralism a dangerous occupation among nomadic communities.

The conflicts that afflict the region are likely to be the most important factor behind the unfolding food insecurity. Needless to say, conflicts displace productive populations, move human and other resources from productive endeavours to the war effort, and leave whole farms untended. Existing food stocks are abandoned in haste as civilians flee or looted by marauding troops, while markets and supply chains are disrupted.