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African Bulletin  –  The role of African women in the informal economy should be recognized and valued by including appropriate

Africa: The role of women in the economy

‘Violence must stop now,’ says UN expert as fresh fighting displaces thousands in North Darfur – Warning that, in the last two weeks, a new escalation of violence has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur, a United Nations human rights expert today called for an immediate end to hostilities that have triggered new protection and humanitarian concerns in the long-restive region of Sudan.

Fresh fighting displaces thousands in North Darfur

A woefully low proportion of members of the world’s learned bodies and science academies are women.

Africa Analysis: Give women a push in science academies

The politics of tribalism in Nigeria has contributed to its enduring fragile democracy. The article explains the basis and origin of the phenomenon and offers some advice on ways forward.

The Nigerian Politics of Tribalism

International Seminar on Racism, Equality and Love of the Community in Time of Crisis by APGC

Tool KIt on Gender Equality Results and Indicators – This Tool Kit on Gender Equality Results and Indicators is a joint publication of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the

Tool Kit On Gender Equality Results And Indicators

The Report of the UN High-level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises focuses on health crises arising from the outbreaks of new, acute or re-emerging communicable diseases that

Report of the UN High-level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises

Aid effectiveness: bringing country ownership (and politics) back in –  The 2005 Paris Declaration grew out of a consensus on the importance of ‘country ownership’ to the success of development

Aid Effectiveness: Bringing Country Ownership (And Politics) Back In

<a href="http://www.african-bulletin.com/author/majsupport" target="_blank">African Bulletin</a> – The role of African women in the informal economy should be recognized and valued by including appropriate policy incentives because the economy still has many weaknesses (very limited mobilization of financial resources, low technology, irregular supply of inputs, lack of management training etc.). Certainly, several actions or initiatives have been developed in this direction (monographs, recommendations of women’s NGOs, small training projects and financing etc.).But much remains to be done because most of the time, the policymakers’ decisions were not followed by the facts. For many African countries, the economic sector purely formal or informal does not exist. Both maintain interdependent relationships particularly in terms of labour supply, raw materials and finished products. They are two complementary aspects of the same economic reality. The African women constitute nearly 70% of the agricultural labour and produce about 90% of all food. However, the vast majority of African women are employed in the informal sector and / or in low-skilled jobs. The percentage of women employed in the non-agricultural sector is one of the lowest of the world (8.5%). This weak status of women in sub-Saharan Africa formal economy is due to one crucial factor: Insufficient access to key resources such as education and health. If decisive participation of women in some income-generating activities such as trade, and appropriate technology is now proven, there are other areas such as industry, banking and real estate that still are purely a “Male business”. Entrepreneurship and any other form of economic responsibility are very hardly accessible or even forbidden to women. But recently a new generation of African women has decided to prove and impose their capabilities, showing that economic power can also be conjugated in the feminine. From Togo, Senegal, through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Tanzania, Uganda, all across the African continent, many private companies are now run by women, talking business plan and brewing millions and even billions of dollars.Thus, over the years, things have gradually changed to reach a consensus that the involvement of women in all the workings of the economic sector, even the most sensitive, is essential to the continent. However, many of these women, entrepreneurs and sometimes pioneers in the formal economy, continue to be discriminated when they create their businesses, mainly because of certain stereotypes and prejudices. Thus, many banks just “slam the door on” just by lack of confidence. For example, In Rwanda, a woman could not open a bank account without her husband permission, the Rwandan and President of the African Development Bank (ADB), Donald Kaberuka, recalled. After years of fighting, the African women entrepreneurs today are forcing compliance by defusing the toughest prejudices and clichés., and as an acknowledgment to their efforts and to encourage the woman insertion, the African Development Bank (ADB) had lunched the idea of “ The price of female innovation in Africa” to distinguish women with the most innovative projects and to spend the recognition of their involvement in development efforts of Africa.

‘Violence must stop now,’ says UN expert as fresh fighting displaces thousands in North Darfur – Warning that, in the last two weeks, a new escalation of violence has forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur, a United Nations human rights expert today called for an immediate end to hostilities that have triggered new protection and humanitarian concerns in the long-restive region of Sudan.“Violence is certainly not the way to resolve the current difficulties Sudan is facing, and must stop, now,” Aristide Nononsi UN Independent expert on the situation in Sudan stressed in a news release, urging all parties to the conflict to respect international human rights and humanitarian law, to ensure humanitarian access to people in need at all times, and protect unarmed civilians.The Sudanese Government, he continued, has a duty to facilitate free, full and unhindered access to all conflict-affected areas to the African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations.The ongoing hostilities between Government forces and the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid have reportedly resulted in human rights violations and abuses as well as violations of international humanitarian law, including destruction of civilian property and objects as well as considerable displacement of civilians, in addition to unspecified number of civilian casualties.According to UNAMID, up to 21,338 civilians, mainly women and children, have fled into North Darfur state and have sought refuge around their camp as of 1 February. About 15,000 others have fled into Central Darfur state, according to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan.The number of internally displaced persons following the attacks on Mouli and surrounding villages in west Darfur is estimated at 5,000 civilians, according to the Humanitarian Aid Commission of the Sudanese Government. These civilians have mostly fled to El Geneina, while the number of civilians who sought refuge in Chad remains unknown.“I call on the Government of Sudan to create the conditions for an inclusive dialogue and ensure the participation of all armed opposition groups to advance peace and reconciliation in the country,” the UN Independent Expert stated.Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.Photo: Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, on a visit to El Fasher in North Darfur, Sudan, on 19 May 2015. UNAMID/Hamid Abdulsalam<a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2016/02/521652-violence-must-stop-now-says-un-expert-fresh-fighting-displaces-thousands-north#.VrhtUPnhBD8" target="_blank">Courtesy: United Nations News Centre</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

A woefully low proportion of members of the world’s learned bodies and science academies are women.A report [1] published by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in collaboration with the Inter-Academy Partnership (IAP) and launched on 29 February puts the figure at 12 per cent, measured across 69 national academies, including 11 in Africa: Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.Among the African academies that participated in the survey, the mean proportion of women members was even lower — ten per cent. However, the tally varied widely between individual academies.<div><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/threepsmars/image/upload/v1661933253/hnrykzdsuncqbxt2mgbm.png" alt=""> </div>The ASSAf’s 24 per cent makes it one of the most women-friendly academies in the world, but at four per cent women, Tanzania’s Academy of Sciences shares the last place globally with Poland.The report recommends ways academies should promote greater gender parity among members. These include collecting annual data on women membership and establishing permanent structures to promote the role of women — not just within the academy but also more broadly across science, technology and innovation.However, many of Africa’s (mostly underfunded) academies will struggle to implement these recommendation, even if their leaders should want to. Better support for academies, and for research more widely, is therefore crucial to achieving better gender balance in African science.Dearth of women scientists?One thing is certain: The problem is not that there aren’t enough women scientists. Across the world, the proportion of women in science generally is vastly bigger than the proportion of women on the academies. So why is that?Many blame childcare and family responsibilities for the dearth of women that reach the highest echelons of academic institutions.But is that really all that there is to it? In the United Kingdom, for instance, the Royal Society has six per cent women members, while women, according to Nature [2], hold 18 per cent of the country’s professorships. The picture is more or less the same all across Europe.In Africa, it is difficult to find data on the numbers of professorships held by women. However, the disparity between the ratio between men and women scientists generally, and that found in the academies, mirrors the trends found in Europe and elsewhere.For instance, Ugandan women make up 24 per cent of the country’s scientists overall.However, women only make up 13 per cent of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences’ members. And in South Africa there is near-parity between men and women in research jobs across the board. Against that background 24 per cent women in the academy is “not a number to be proud of”, said Daya Reddy, president of ASSAf, at the report’s launch in Hermanus, South Africa.Africa Analysis: Give women a push in science academies Read more: SciDevNet

The Nigerian Politics of Tribalism By Ayodele OshoI found this article on the Nigerian Politics of Tribalism and wish to share it with my readers.The politics of tribalism in Nigeria has contributed to its enduring fragile democracy. The article explains the basis and origin of the phenomenon and offers some advice on ways forward.———————-This is an entry for the Pulse writer’s contest by Ayodele Osho. “…No nation can record progress if her people are suspicious of one another based on ethnocentric sentiments and historical resentment…”According to the 8th Edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, Tribalism is the behaviour and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group. Tribalism suggests the possession of a strong ethnic identity that distinguishes one member of a tribe from the members of another tribe. We can decide to let this hold us back or use the rich diversity in Nigeria to our benefits.Nigeria, being a multi-ethnic society has been faced with tribalism over the years. Each ethnic group has its own culture, language and traditional belief. There are numerous negative perceptions about the various tribes even by Nigerians. The various tribes in Nigeria have their mythologies about where they originated from. The diversities from the origin however ought to be a blessing to the Nigerian nation. However, its heterogeneous nature has been the bane of the nation at various times in her over hundred years of existence.The first step for Nigeria to really succeed in the 21st century is to put an end to tribalism and look forward to attaining true nationhood. No nation can record progress if her people are suspicious of one another based on ethnocentric sentiments and historical resentment.There is NO point in being tribalistic in this era of political and economic transformation. Some people from some tribes may have been seen in the past as the cause of the problems in Nigeria. However the time is right to put our Nigeria in the comity of nations that have outgrown sentiments and become united irrespective of all odds.The inter-ethnic relationship among the various tribes in Nigeria has been severed with power tussle and ethno-religious crisis among ethnic nationalities leading to marginalization and loss of lives and property.Tribalism is very much related to racism. Tribalism is at the very core of the nation’s politics and it will be a hindrance as long as it is allowed to continue. It is not the sole cause but of course it adds to the some of the social and political difficulties that Nigeria is facing today.The fundamental solution to the issue of tribalism is to love one another equally. We as a people must shun defamation of character in any form. The leadership of the nation should not base political appointments on tribe. We need to remember that we are all humans, and all have the same wants.Nigerian politics is very complicated but, it is not entirely different from world politics, which is often plagued by partisanship and sectionalism. Nigerian politics is unique however, because it brings into play so many factors, a few of which includes individual interests, geographic factors, ethnicity, religion and a host of other issues. Politics is an integral part of democracy, and in order for us to achieve sustainable development, we need to redefine politics in Nigeria. Up till this moment, true democracy has remained elusive to us, and we must do something about it.Recent political developments in Nigeria have unearthed the true depth of the underlying spirit of her nationhood. It has also put to a simple test, the character of our political leaders; who are supposed to be advocates of change. But as it is now, the parochial interests of the nation’s political, tribal, and religious leaders have made nonsense of the character of sound political leadership as prescribed in every healthy presidential democracy. It is most absurd to note that the political class has shamelessly turned Nigeria’s democracy on its head. This sad development is a clear demonstration that the noble democratic culture of good governance has been deliberately drowned in the pool of negative political scheming.Institutional framework has become too weak and consequently unable to carry the burden of Due Process and the Rule of Law. While Transparency and Accountability are products of the culture of Due Process, the Rule of Law promotes Justice and Fair Play. These principles are unarguably the pillars of any healthy society.This explains why Nigeria is still counted among the poorest nations of the world despite her abundant human and natural resources. It has also given a clue as to why Nigeria – the sixth largest producer of crude oil in the world relies on the importation of virtually all petroleum products. Instead of this sad reality posing a huge challenge to our political leaders; they have with selfish intentions allowed the nation to drift far into the ocean of anarchy and disintegration. Surprisingly, the political class is carrying on as if Nigeria has nothing to lose, even when the contrary is clearly the case.Nigeria’s greatest problem is tribalism. It is owing to the deep rooted culture of tribalism that successive administrations have not been able to effectively fight corruption in Nigeria. There is an unwritten law in Nigeria that forbids citizens from exposing or prosecuting fellow tribesmen for corrupt practices.That is the reason why public servants that earn less than N5Million annually will build mansions and own fleet of exotic cars worth over N500m and still be conferred with chieftaincy titles without verifying the sources of the sudden wealth of their kinsmen and women.Nigeria has been turned into a nation where one must also have his or her tribes person in position of authority in order to be employed, given a key appointment, or awarded a big contract. This anomaly is hugely responsible for why the issue of tribal lineage is regarded far above every other factor in the Nigerian society. In a nutshell; tribalism can only become rife in a nation where there is no transparency, accountability, justice, and fair play.Furthermore, tribalism promotes national poverty. It compels citizens to be lazy. In a tribal-induced bureaucracy, even people that sow nothing can reap bountifully simply because their tribes person is in power. This is clearly against natural principle. The more we promote tribal agenda above constitutional provisions, the closer we move toward disintegration. Everybody professes “One Nigeria” but is unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices to unite the various ethnic clusters in the nation.Power belongs to God. He gives power to whoever that pleases Him. God also takes away power whenever it pleases Him. One is therefore forced to wonder why people see and treat power with a “do-or-die” attitude. Perhaps, one should emphasize here that the basic aim of political power is to improve the lives of man and society through quality leadership.Nigeria is bigger than any individual or ethnic group. It is high time Nigeria became a nation; it is about time we have a shared culture and our national values restored.<a href="https://www.pulse.ng/communities/bloggers/pulse-blogger-the-nigerian-politics-of-tribalism-writers-contest-id4059945.html" target="_blank">Courtesy Pulse NG. Read More on this article and others from Pulse NG Magazine</a>&nbsp;

Rights: Can view and download License: CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike LicenseInternational Seminar of Racism, Equality, and Love of the Community in the Time of Crisis Join us for this Seminar tomorrow 31st July 2020 at 3pm (in Paris); 2pm (in Nigeria); and 9am (in East Canada and the USA).Zoom information: <a href="https://lnkd.in/g73ueCn" target="_blank">https://lnkd.in/g73ueCn</a> Meeting ID: 861 5179 5725 Passcode: 218384

Resources

Tool KIt on Gender Equality Results and Indicators – This Tool Kit on Gender Equality Results and Indicators is a joint publication of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Australia. It was prepared by Juliet Hunt, consultant, under the supervision of Shireen Lateef, senior advisor (Gender), ADB. The Tool Kit was peer reviewed by Sonomi Tanaka, lead social development specialist (Gender and Development), and Sunhwa Lee, principal social development specialist (Gender and Development), ADB; and AusAID staff.Rights: Can view and download License: CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License

The Report of the UN High-level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises focuses on health crises arising from the outbreaks of new, acute or re-emerging communicable diseases that pose a threat of international spread. The Panel saw its task as being forward-looking in proposing critical measures that would better prevent and respond to future health crises. The report should not be considered as a critique of the Ebola response, as other reviews were more technically qualified to address this. Nevertheless, it examined such reviews in-depth and used the global response to the Ebola outbreak as a point of departure for its deliberations.

Rights: Can view and download License: CC Attribution-ShareAlike LicenseAid effectiveness: bringing country ownership (and politics) back in – The 2005 Paris Declaration grew out of a consensus on the importance of ‘country ownership’ to the success of development efforts. In other words, it came to be recognised that the effectiveness of aid depends critically on whether or not a country’s leadership is really committed to development. The obvious question arising, then and now, is: how can international actors support the emergence of country-owned development efforts? Since Paris and Accra, however, attention has been focused on a subtly different question. The assumption is tacitly made that most countries already have development-oriented political leaderships. This paper considers that assumption untenable and agrees with those arguing that ownership should be treated as a desirable outcome, not an achieved state of affairs. It then asks the corresponding question: whether external actors have any useful role in assisting the emergence of developmental country leaderships.