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AmandlaVolume 11 Issue 8 Global African Newspaper amandlanews.com Telephone: 973-419-0073 / 973-731-1339 August 15, 2012

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Founded October 2002

By Kwabena Opong

Ghanaians on Tuesday, July 24received news of the death of theirpresident John Evans Atta Mills withanger, sadness but not surprised.People were angry because theybelieved their president’s death waspreventable; they were sad because ithappened to a man who did notdeserve to be neglected by hishandlers; but they were not surprisedbecause he was visibly ill.President Mills assumed office in2009 after a hard-fought election thathe won by a handful of votes. Lead-ing a party that described itself as so-cial democratic, the amiableprofessor of law inherited a boomingeconomy cushioned by new oil findsand high gold prices. Ghana in 2009was a country on the move with in-frastructural projects that promisedthe West African country a new lookafter three decades of military dicta-torship that metamorphosed into aconstitutional government. PresidentMills was for four years between1996 and 2000 the vice presidentunder the Rawlings administration ofthe PNDC turned National Demo-cratic Congress (NDC). His victoryin 2008 followed three previousfailed attempts.Mills’ NDC’s incessant and bittercriticism leveled at the Kufuor ad-ministration of the New PatrioticParty (NPP) that was

in office for two termshelped Mills’to win the2008 elections.By the end of the firstyear of Mills, however,Ghanaians began toquestion the capability ofthe administration tocontinue from where theNPP left off.The NPP was able to es-tablish macro-economicstability. Small busi-nesses prospered whileforeign direct invest-ments increased in leapsand bounds. Investmentsin the mining and petro-leum sectors increased asmore oil finds and golddeposits were discov-ered. Energy supply sta-bilized considerably. Thegovernment embarkedon a massive housingproject all over the coun-try. Road constructionfeatured prominently ininfrastructural develop-ment.The economy, however,began to plunge towardthe end of the adminis-tration’s two terms. Thevalue of the redenominated Cedibegan to pick up some losses invalue to the dollar. Inflation that hadbeen contained and even reduced

considerably began to rise again. Theeconomy’s discouraging signs wereblamed on the imminent global re-cession that had started in the West,but the Kufuor administration did

not help matters with its spendingspree, prominent among which in-cluded the building of Jubilee Houseto accommodate Ghana’s presidentsand a bulging pay roll.

Expectations grew high amongGhanaians as Mills ascended thehigh position of president in hiscountry.

Continued on page 7

John Evans Atta Mills, Late President of the Republic of Ghana

President John Evans FiifiAtta Mills 1944 - 2012

Ghanaian Engineers Urged to M.O.V.E.

By Kwabena Opong

The president of the newly formedGhanaian Engineers & Architects ofAmerica (GEAAA), George Korleyhas urged members of the associa-

tion to be guided by the acronymM.O.V.E. - , Momentum, Opportu-nity, Vision and Engagement. Mr.Korley was delivering his welcomeaddress at the official launch of theGEAAA on Saturday, July 28 at the

Pines Manor in Edison, NJ. He ex-plained Momentum as motivational,Opportunity as chance to be seizedto move forward, Vision, to unite fora common goal and Engagement tocollaborate with others with like vi-

sion. He observed that GEAAAwould develop strategic plans to pro-vide guidance for the future of theorganization.”He said the association would en-gage with universities and institu-tions of higher learning forpartnership in their endeavors. “Heacknowledged the challenges aheadof his organization, saying that“these challenges will only make usbetter.”Mr. Korley envisaged the formal in-auguration of the association notonly as “announcing its presence butalso to serve as a platform to startthe Diaspora debate in the interestand benefit of Ghana by bringing to-gether representatives of otherGhanaian organizations….”The president asked that GEAAA beconsidered as a resource group foryouth who want to consider engi-neering and architecture as a profes-sion.Dr. DeForest B. Soares, a formerSecretary of State for the State ofNew Jersey congratulated the mem-bers of the GEAAA for coming to-gether. He saw the association as avindication of the presence of immi-grants in the United States. Immigra-tion is a solution and not a problemfor America, he added.

He referred to the inscription “thedoor of no return” on the slave dun-geon at the Cape Coast Castle andthe idea embedded in it as defeatistafter all. Some Africans in the Dias-pora including African Americansare returning while at the same timeAfricans from the continent are alsocoming into America, this time vol-untarily. He commented on the rushto Africa by the Chinese, Indians andothers and added that it is about timeAfrican Americans also joined in in-vesting on the continent.The keynote address was deliveredby the Deputy Ambassador and Per-manent Representative, Mr. WilliamA. Awinador-Kanyirige, on behalf ofAmbassador Ken Kanda, Ghana’sPermanent Representative to theUnited Nations. Mr. Awinador-Kanyirige, paid tribute to the mem-ory of President Mills and said thatthe Mills’administration is leverag-ing energy infrastructural plan forGhana’s development, adding that“energy is a strategic point in our de-velopment.” The political develop-ment of the country is on trackcreating an enabling atmosphere forinfrastructural and economic take-off, the deputy ambassador said.

Continued on page 4

Dr. DeForest B. Soares delivering his keynote speech

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amandla

Amandla Vol. 11 Iss. 8 August 15, 2012 page 2

EditorialFare Thee Well, Mr. President

The death was reported of Ghana’sPresident John Evans Atta Mills onTuesday, July 24, just three days afterhe had celebrated his 68th birthday.Ghanaians mourned until their presi-dent was buried on August 10 in thenation’s capital.The death of the president certainlycame as a shock to Ghanaians as everydeath is, but not unexpected. Mattersarising from Mr. Mills’s demise centeron what must have caused the deathand the lack of transparency on thepresident’s state of health. While someare calling for an autopsy report, gov-ernment spokespersons are saying thatit is not necessary because it is a per-sonal and private matter of the latepresident. This has not stopped severalGhanaians from blaming the presi-dent’s death on his staffers.Ghanaians on the other hand must becommended for allowing the demo-cratic process to prevail. In some de-veloping countries the death inharness of a president could result inconfusion and instability. Within lessthan 24 hours as the constitution pre-scribes, a new president was sworn inby the country’s legislative body. Bythe time of going to press, a vice pres-ident has been approved for appoint-ment to replace the current presidentwho occupied the position. Thesmooth transitional process and re-spect for the constitution is anothertestimony to Ghana’s growing demo-cratic credentials.The response to President Mills’ deathby Ghanaians is also another indica-tion of a people endowed not onlywith the respect for the dead, but alsoable to bury their political differencesin time of crisis. In an election year,all political parties have suspendedtheir campaigns, and politics havebeen put on hold until the burial of theleader. Nana Addo Dankwa AkufoAddo, NPP’s flag bearer had to breakhis campaign to join fellow Ghanaiansto mourn the president. Ex-PresidentJ. A. Kufuor has also asked all Ghana-ians to join hands to celebrate the lifeof the late President Mills. MostGhanaians believe that Mr. Mills’death would herald a new era of unityin the country.Amandla joins Ghanaians in mourningthe late president and urges all Ghana-ians to take advantage of the goodthings that could emerge from suchtragedy. Ghanaians should learn thelessons that have accrued from the sadevent. In particular, uncivil politicallanguage, lies and innuendoes aimedat impugning the integrity and the rep-utation of political opponents shouldbe casualties.President Mills spoke several timesagainst the politics of insults but couldnot make any meaningful attempts tostop it. We hope President John Dra-mani Mahama would go further tostop what his predecessor couldn’t.President Mills had a peaceful andnon-belligerent political demeanor andwe urge Ghana’s political establish-ment to take a cue from him and torecognize that political differences donot mean and should not create enmityamong them.Damirifa due; due ne amanehunu,President Mills.

Community NewsLarteh Association of North America inaugurated

By Kwabena Opong

The Larteh Ewuebi Association ofNorth America was inaugurated onSaturday, July 28 at the Center inNewark, NJ.The organization, formed to increasenetworking among its members inthe United States, Canada and else-where is principally aimed at the de-velopment of Larteh in the EasternRegion of Ghana.According to Mr. George ObiriAgyapong who briefed Amandlaabout the plans of the association,the North American chapter of theglobal organization would cooperatewith the Larteh Development Com-mittee at Larteh for direction andguidelines for effective developmentof the town.Citizens of Larteh came to the func-tion from Canada and other parts ofthe United States. Others, like thechief of Larteh accompanied by hiselders came from Ghana.In a short speech, the Ankobiaheneof Akwapim Guan Traditional AreaNana Gyedu Nkansah III admon-ished people in the Diaspora to becircumspect in their spending habitsand to desist from giving impressionamong their relatives in Ghana that

living here has made them rich orwealthy. According to the chief thelittle experience he had on his shortvisit taught him that life here is hardand that money is not as easy to ob-tain as is normally thought in

Ghana.He appealed to his people here toadequately sustain themselves, whilethinking of helping those at home.A raffle was organized to raise fundsfor some development programs at

Larteh.For a function of its importance andnature, the inauguration was poorlypatronized by the indigenes ofLarteh living in North America.

Ankobiahene Nana Gyedu Nkansah III delivering his keynote speech

Africa: MakeBreastfeedingEasier forMothers, SaysUnicefNew York — On the 20th anniver-sary of World Breastfeeding Week,UNICEF says strong national poli-cies supporting breastfeeding couldprevent the deaths of around 1 mil-lion children under five in the devel-oping world each year.Despite compelling evidence thatexclusive breastfeeding preventsdiseases like diarrhea and pneumo-nia that kill millions of childrenevery year, global rates of breast-

feeding have remained relativelystagnant in the developing world,

growing from 32 per cent in 1995 to39 per cent in 2010."If breastfeeding were promotedmore effectively and women wereprotected from aggressive marketingof breast milk substitutes, we wouldsee more children survive andthrive, with lower rates of diseaseand lower rates of malnutrition andstunting," said UNICEF ExecutiveDirector Anthony Lake.Some of the roadblocks to improv-ing breastfeeding rates are wide-spread and unethical marketing bymakers of breast milk substitutes,poor national policies that do notsupport maternity leave, and a lackof understanding of the risks of notbreastfeeding.In June, world leaders meeting inWashington, D.C., pledged as part ofthe "Committing to Child Survival:A Promise Renewed" movement to

work toward ending preventablechild deaths. World BreastfeedingWeek provides an opportunity to re-state the critical role of breastfeed-ing in reducing child mortality.The 2008 Lancet Nutrition Serieshighlighted the remarkable fact thata non-breastfed child is 14 timesmore likely to die in the first sixmonths than an exclusively breast-fed child. Breast milk meets a baby'scomplete nutritional requirementsand is one of the best values amonginvestments in child survival as theprimary cost is the mother's nutri-tion."Breastfeeding needs to be valued asa benefit which is not only good forbabies, mothers, and families, butalso as a saving for governments inthe long run," said Mr. Lake.

Source: UNICEF

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Immigration

By Steve Magee

As an immigration lawyer, and a for-mer immigrant, President Obama’sJune 15th press conference announc-ing the new initiative called DeferredAction was something I havedreamed of for years. Many of thereaders of this newspaper may benefitfrom the new program, which is whyit is important to explain it in detail.Illegal immigrants fit into two cate-gories: Those who enter the U.S.without inspection and remain, thusbecoming “undocumented aliens”, orthose who enter with a valid visa butwho overstay their authorized stayand become “illegal”. Forming asmaller subgroup are people whocome here as children, usually not oftheir own volition. Deferred Action isa program designed to give people inthat subgroup a chance to do some-thing positive with their lives, comingout of the shadows of the illegalworld and beginning to fulfill theirpotential.My mother brought me to the U.S.from a foreign country when I was

five. Because she had been born inthe U.S., I was able to remain legallyand achieve my dreams. What if shehad been born somewhere else andwe had been illegal? Therefore, thereis a thin line separating me from myclients. My mission as an immigra-tion attorney is also to help as manypeople as I can achieve those dreams.In order to evaluate whether you or afamily member or friend might qual-ify, here are the essentials of the De-ferred Action program:In order to be eligible for deferred ac-tion, individuals must:1) Have come to the United Statesunder the age of sixteen;2) Have continuously resided in theUnited States for at least five yearspreceding the date of this memoran-dum and have been physically presentin the United States on June 15, 2012;3) Currently be in school, have gradu-ated from high school, have obtaineda general educationdevelopment (GED) certificate, orhave been honorably discharged vet-erans of the Coast Guard or ArmedForces of the United States;

4) Have not been convicted of afelony offense, a significant misde-meanor offense, multiple misde-meanor offenses, or otherwise pose athreat to national security or publicsafety;5) Not be above the age of thirty.Individuals must also complete abackground check and, for those indi-viduals who make a request to USCISand are not subject to a final order ofremoval, must be 15 years old orolder. Illegal immigrants who enteredthe U.S. as children may finally beable to work, get a driver’s licenseand a social security number. In orderto determine whether you qualify, it ishighly recommended that you consultwith a specialized immigrationlawyer and that you do not under anycircumstances apply until the officialannouncement specifying forms, fees,filing requirements, instructions, andevidentiary documentation to be sub-mitted is made, by the United StatesCitizenship and Immigration Service(USCIS), on or around August 14,2012.

Steve Magee is a practicingImmigratin lawyer in �ew York, �Y

A Step in the right direction: Young illegal immigrants get areal chance to realize their dreams

Ghanaian Engi-neers Urged toM.O.V.E.

Contd.from front page

He urged the GEAAA to partner withother organizations in the communityhere and in Ghana to expedite the de-velopment of Ghana.

Other speakers included Ms.Stephanie Dawson of the Port Au-thority of New York and New Jerseyand Mr. Yaw Barima Sarpong an en-gineer who relocated to Ghana fromthe U.S .The vice president of the association,Mr. David Nyarko introduced someyoung students and members of “En-gineers Without Borders” and “EliteProgram” from the Columbia Univer-

sity in New York. The young gradu-ates were acknowledged for their vol-untary works in Ghana. Mr. Nyarkochallenged his colleague engineers totake a cue from the altruistic nature ofthese young non-Ghanaians to helpdevelop Ghana. A power point pres-entation showed some projects theyouths were undertaking in andaround Nsawam in the Eastern Re-gion.

Africa: ToProsper,Continent MustDiversifyEconomies,Focus OnAgribusiness -UN Official

Africa needs to embrace economicdiversification as well as focus onagribusiness to lift the continentout of poverty and put it on thepath to prosperity, a senior UnitedNations official said today."Agriculture is the most importantsector of the African economy andwill have to be its driving engineout of poverty. It accounts for 65per cent of the continent's employ-ment and 75 per cent of its domes-tic trade," the Director-General ofthe UN Industrial Development Or-ganization (UNIDO), Kandeh K.Yumkella, said in a news release.He added that Africa is also urban-izing at a fast rate, noting that "inorder to turn bright prospects intoemployment opportunities for itsyoung people, Africa needs to em-brace economic diversification."Mr. Yumkella's comments came atthe Africa Caucus Meeting in Kin-shasa, the capital of the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo (DRC),which brought together Africa's fi-nance ministers, central bank gov-ernors, and representatives ofinternational development agencies

and financial institutions and wherehe was a keynote speaker.The Director-General stressed theneed to boost agricultural produc-tivity to achieve sustainable indus-trial and agribusiness developmentas a means of wealth and job cre-ation."The transformation of agriculturalraw materials into industrial prod-ucts depends increasingly on thecapacity of African entrepreneursto participate and compete inglobal, regional and local valuechains."Accordingly, African agribusinessvalue chains will have to adapt tochanging market conditions, con-tinuously improve efficiency andstrive to meet consumer require-ments in a competitive global tradesystem," said Mr. Yumkella.He added that Africa needs "newlearning and innovation systems in-volving regional cooperation, newtypes of partnerships betweenfarmers, sellers, investors and re-searchers, and the right incentivesand public actions that crowd-inrather than crowd-out private in-vestment."Investment in transport infrastruc-ture, access to energy and water, in-formation and communicationtechnologies and management effi-ciency were vital for agribusinessto thrive, he noted.In 2012, in partnership with the UNFood and Agriculture Organization(FAO) and the International Fundfor Agricultural Development(IFAD), UNIDO launched the Ac-celerated Agribusiness and Agro-industries Development Initiative,or 3ADI, to promote value additionto agricultural commodities. Theinitiative is now operational in 12African nations. -- UN News Service


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President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills 1944 - 2012Continued from front page

However, factors both external andinternal would stall the plans laiddown by Mills’ party. By 2009 whenhe took office economic recessionwas rocking the world. The NDC in-herited a single spine salary systemthat amounted to several millions ofGhana cedis which, according to thegovernment was not available. Mills’promise to put money in people’spocket never materialized. Instead ofreducing petroleum pricesas as theypromised in the campaigns, the gov-ernment resorted to hiking pricesseveral times affecting food pricesand almost everything on the market.The cost of living assumed an up-ward jolt.In the meantime, government com-municators continued to tout theNDC government’s achievement ofsingle digit inflation. Unfortunatelythe decreasing inflation did not cor-respond with a dwindling job mar-ket, food prices and a general dearthof housing in the country. Uncom-pleted projects Mills inherited wereleft untouched. Portions of the Accra– Kumasi highway, hundreds ofapartment buildings and severalother projects still remain incom-plete.Early in Mills’ administration, somesenior appointees of the governmentwere indicted for obtaining bribesand kickbacks from the British com-pany, Mabey and Johnson. They included Dr. Sipa Yankey, thenMinister of Health and KwamePeprah, Minister of Finance andEconomic Planning in the Rawlings’government, among a few others.Even though the courts exoneratedSipa Yankey, it did not stop the per-ceptions that have been implanted inthe national psyche, especially, theopposition. Toward the end of hislife, President Mills would bedogged by his government’s budget-ing for and payment of judgmentdebts. The role played by the quon-dam Attorney General Betty MouldIddrissu in the payment of the judg-ment debts put the president’s con-trol of his cabinet into question.In a few of the payments made, nocontracts existed to support theclaims made. Alfred Agbesi Woyomeis alegged to have received 51 mil-lion Ghana cedis for no contract andno work done. According to a reportby the Economic and OrganizedCrime Office (EOCO) payment wasmade against the express warningsby the president.In some cases the previous adminis-tration claims to have struck a dealto reduce the payments or the caseswere still being argued in court. TheNDC government paid anyway andalmost in all cases ignored the dealsmade by the previous administration.A new development in the judgmentdebt saga is serialization which, ac-cording to the NPP is an attempt tobring it [the NPP] into the picture ashaving caused some of the debts.Also significant is the readiness ofgovernment officials to defendclaimants against the governmentleading opponents to rule in collu-sion and corruption in the claims.Political pundits believe judgmentdebts could lead to the NDC’s loss inthe elections.For a person of his quiet and gentledemeanor, Mills would be remem-bered for employing young and bel-ligerent officials spearheading a

campaign of insults and attacksagainst political opponents and any-one who opposed the government’spolicies. He was often accused of hisinability to rein in his officials, eventhough he often advised against poli-tics of insult.Though he was perceived to be toler-ant, the late president would also beremembered for his government’ssensitivity to criticism and its readi-ness to employ strong-arm tactics todeal with those who criticized himand his government.According to former President JerryJohn Rawlings, Mills was battling

throat cancer that affected his earsand eyes and so could only work fortwo or three hours a day. Reports inforeign media also indicate that theex-president had throat cancer. Hishandlers and Mills himself, however,would never admit and continued todeny and shroud the president’s stateof health in secrecy. Could it be thereason he saw doctors outsideGhana?It was such lack of transparencyabout the president’s health that fu-

eled rumors in the country. News ofhis death was reported in the rumormill on a few occasions. It was fol-lowing one such rumor that Millsemerged at the Kotoka InternationalAirport with his officials emplaningfor New York for medical check-up.In a characteristic response to a get-well wish sent to the president byNPP’s flag bearer Nana AddoDankwa Akufo Addo PresidentMills’ handlers described NanaAddo’s gesture as ill-intentioned.The NDC was miffed at NanaAddo’s use of “treatment” instead of“check-up.”

Mills’ death questions the continuousdenials about his health status andthe reasons behind that act by theparty and the government.So many questions arise from thesad departure of Ghana’s president.First of all, what killed him? Was ithis decision to deny himself the ben-efit of a thorough medical attention?Did any of his handlers play a part inwhat culminated in his demise?Why Mills himself denied that hewas ill and encouraged his party to

do so same runs along the lines ofthe story in T.S. Elliot’s Murder inthe Cathedral. Did the president sethimself up for martyrdom or did heintentionally sacrifice his well-beingfor his nation, and what was itworth? Like Archbishop ThomasBecket Mills probably knew his truecondition and the consequences butchose to ignore it against the adviceof his doctors. Those who met thepresident in his final moments speakabout the nasal twang in his speechwhich was abnormal. The usual re-sponse was that it was the public ad-dress systems that produced the

twangs. According to Brig. Gen. NunooMensah, the national security advi-sor to the president, Mills attemptedseveral times to resign but he [Gen.Nunoo Mensah] egged him on. Mrs.Naadu Mills also kept pressuring herhusband to resign largely becauseshe could not handle the ugly criti-cisms leveled against him. Perhaps,if Mills had listened to his wife andto his own voice he would be alivetoday.

Post-mortem analysis in the media islargely focused on the cause of thepresident’s death, reasons for the ad-ministration’s combative responsesand what many consider as less thantruthful explanations. The govern-ment seeks to posit the issue of thepresident’s health and death as a pri-vate matter, but most Ghanaiansopine otherwise. The president be-comes public property once electedand everything about him becomespublic. If the tax payer funds hismedical treatment overseas, then thepeople deserve to be duly informed.So far the funeral committee has an-nounced that the funeral would costGhanaian taxpayers 30 millionGhana cedis; that is in addition tofunds being raised from privatesources. Ghanaians’ response to the death oftheir president has been unique. Allpolitical activity has ceased. The rul-ing party and the opposition partieshave all joined hands in mourning.Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo,the NPP’s flag bearer had to breakaway from campaigning in the West-ern Region. Former President J. A.Kufuor and the leaders of the otheropposition parties have all paid theirrespects to the late president. Com-plementary to the unified approachof the political parties is the massesresponse to the death which has beenequally remarkable. The trauma of President Mills’ deathemanates from it being the first timein the country’s history. The leader-ship vacuum that a president’s deathcreates could be cause for powerstruggle among the ruling classes. Insome countries it could generate along period of instability. Within lessthan 12 hours of the death of Presi-dent Mills, however, Ghanaiansswore in his vice as prescribed bythe constitution. Shortly thereafter,the new president also nominated hisvice. The show of solidarity amongthe political parties and the people,and the order of events following thedeath of President Mills have shownthe depth of democracy in Ghana.Hopefully the same maturity wouldguide the upcoming elections in De-cember. John Evans Atta Mills by all accounts was a very decent person,peace-loving and a man of integrity.He served his country well, asteacher of law, tax commissioner,vice president and president. He de-serves to be honored by his country-men. A singular most significant achieve-ment of Mills is his refusal to acqui-esce to former President Rawlings’request to arrest NPP government officials for corruption without evi-dence. He averted a possible chaoticbacklash that could have ensued. One lesson learned: as observed byKwaku Baako, Managing Editor ofthe New Crusading Guide, the ad-ministrative structure around thepresidency needs to be carefullyscrutinized and managed for trans-parency, good governance and to re-flect the personality of the sittingpresident.President Mills died too soon. At 68,he was not too old. He might havelived longer if the right measureshad been put in place. But Provi-dence dictates its own order ofevents that mere mortals cannotcomprehend.

The hearse carrying the remains of Late President John Atta Mills arrives at the Banqut Hall of theState House for viewing by dignitaries and Ghanaians

His Excellency Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al Nasser, President of the UN General Assembly signing abook of condolence at the Ghana Mission in New York in honor of President John Atta Mills

Amandla joins Ghanaians and friends of Ghana to mourn the Late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills. Ye ma wo damirifa due ne amanehune; Osahene da yie

Credit: Ghana Mission


Liberia: Oil Exploration SuspendedAuthorities of the National Oil Com-pany of Liberia or NOCAL say allactivities surrounding explorationsince the pronouncement of oil dis-covery here in February this year bythe African Petroleum have beenhalted, pending a full reformationprocess as requested by Liberiansand the 53rd Liberian Legislature.Speaking recently at NOCAL head-quarters on Randall Street in Mon-rovia during a consultative forumheld with media executives, VicePresident for Public Relations IsraelAkinsanya said, since the discovery,the government through PresidentEllen Johnson-Sirleaf halted all ac-tivities leading to oil explorationprocess in order to give the reforma-tion exercise sufficient time so thatcitizens from every sector can makevital input in the country's natural re-sources exploration.According to him, there are series ofconsultations ongoing with all sec-tors in the country, including themedia, communities, stakeholders,Liberians in the Diasporas and thegeneral public on the way forward inthe utilization of resources that willbe generated from oil exploration.It is not clear how long the reforma-tion exercise may last, but Akin-sanya, former Chairperson of theopposition Liberty Party and onetime unbending critic of the Sirleaf-led administration, indicated that thereformation process may be com-pleted early December.It can be recalled this same year,Liberians woke up one morning toan announcement by Africa Petro-leum of oil discovery in commercialquantity in its exploration blocks off-shore Liberia.But authorities at the National OilCompany of Liberia subsequentlyclarified the discovery is not detailedenough to establish whether or notthe oil is above or below commercialquantity.However, the international watchdogGlobal Witness, later warned that ifthe discovery reaches production, thenational oil company NOCAL,should be kept in check to protectthis major source of revenue.NOCAL was recently brought to thelimelight by Global Witness, warn-ing that if the Government of Liberiainsisted on maintaining its nationaloil company, it should determinehow much control the companyshould exercise over revenues gener-ated by the sector.This was received by many in thepublic as vital to ensuring thatLiberia's oil revenues would ratherhelp to further cure the wounds ofconflict and improve the standard oflife of the citizenry rather thanserves as a curse to the country's re-covery from decades of civil strifeand economic decline.The apprehension is that any attempton the part of the state-owned Na-tional Oil Company - which GlobalWitness observed that in many coun-tries, is an institution with a historyof corruption and fiscal mismanage-ment - to autonomously handleLiberia's oil money will no doubtlead to chaos in the society.It would be a travesty to have suchlucrative natural resource discoveredalong the country's coast to benefitonly those who are already wealthy,while the poor continue in poverty.Oil wealth, on all fronts, must trans-

late into increased economic growthand development boom for all citi-zens. However, if the pockets of onlya few political and social heavy-weights continue to get deeper anddeeper, then there is a problem. Source:allAfrica.com

Liberia: ForLiberia's Oil -Nocal May Become a Mon-ster If...A Ghanaian energy economist work-ing for the natural resources firmIBIS based in the Republic ofGhana, has warned that the NationalOil Company of Liberia (NOCAL)may become what he calls a monsterif care is not taken in which roleNOCAL plays in Liberia's oil andgas sector.Mr. Mohammed Amin, who is thekey facilitator of a two-day civil so-ciety organizations gas and oilknowledge transfer workshop, takingplace along the Robertsfield High-way, outside Monrovia, sounded thewarning Wednesday, August 1, 2012,when he spoke to journalists.The workshop is organized by thelocal civil society group the LiberiaOil and Gas Initiative (LOGI), incollaboration with the internationalgroup, Africa Against Poverty.Listen to Mr. Amin: "I have seen thatthe National Oil Company of Liberia(NOCAL) is proposing that it shouldplay interim regulatory role ratherthan establishing an independentregulator to regulate operations inthe (oil and gas) industry, and I thinkthat is problematic, because whatyou must prevent is for the NOCALto become a monster unto itself."He stated that if NOCAL will play aregulatory role in the country's oiland gas sector, it will have to regu-late itself, adding that this will not begood, because issues such as conflictof interest among others will be theorder of the day.He cautioned that if the necessarypolicy to properly guide Liberia oiland gas sector is not put in place, thecommissioning of oil in the countrywill be a curse to the citizens ofLiberia.He stressed: "It is important thatLiberia avoids the resource case;therefore, by ensuring that the rev-enues that come from oil are in-vested efficiently and productively inareas that will create jobs, in areasthat will support the economy; evenafter the oil is depleted."He added that it is also importantthat resources that will be accruedfrom the oil and gas sector be usedto build strong institutions such asthe Legislature and civil society.He recommended that in the event ofsigning oil contracts, the Legislatureand not the President should be thelast resort to approve contracts be-fore they (oil contracts) become ef-fective, adding that: "It shouldn't endwith presidential approval, becausethe parliament (Legislature) is an ac-countability body which have over-sight responsibility over thecountry's resources."But NOCAL's Vice President forPublic Affairs, Israel Akinsanya,when contacted, refuted the Ghana-ian energy economist's claim of con-flict of interest regarding NOCAL'srole in the oil and gas sector.

He divulged that due to the currentlaw governing the sector, it givesNOCAL the authority to play a regu-latory role, but he was quick to pointout that the company's present roledoes not in any way place it in theposition of conflict of interest,adding that this is why NOCAL hasembarked upon a vigorous reformprocess.He among others stated that theNOCAL's reform effort is contingentupon what role the citizens ofLiberia will determine the companyto play in the future. – Heritage

Africa: HillaryTours the AfricanFrontlines ofAmerica's War OnTerrorUS Secretary of State Hillary Clin-ton descended on Africa on Wednes-day, kicking off her continentalexpedition with a visit to Senegal,described by one US official asAmerica's closest friend in the fran-cophone world. It's as good a placeas any to start, having turned over anew leaf this year with the unex-pected and unexpectedly peacefulelection of President Macky Sall.Clinton Begins Visit to Africa, AsJonathan's Absence Stalls NigerianLegOver the course of 10 days, Senegalwill be followed in quick successionby South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya,Malawi, South Africa and Ghana, alast-minute addition to the scheduleto allow Clinton to attend the statefuneral of recently-deceased presi-dent John Atta Mills. It's a hecticschedule (good thing she's travellingon her own plane; good luck gettingthrough all that with SAA, Kenyanor Ethiopian Airways on time andwith all your baggage intact).US State Department said the trip isall about re-affirming America'scommitment to Africa. "During thistrip, the Secretary will emphasizeUS policy commitments outlined inthe Presidential Policy Directive-tostrengthen democratic institutions,spur economic growth, advancepeace and security as well as pro-mote opportunity and development

for all citizens," said spokespersonVictoria Nuland.While she's here, Clinton won't missthe chance to give African leaderssome friendly, not-at-all-biased ad-vice. US politics website Politicospoke to some State Departmentstaffers about what Clinton plans tosay.Her speeches will center on Africa'sneed to choose responsible partnersfor development, a veiled but unmis-takable warning against Africa'sclose and getting closer relationshipwith China. "Clinton will urgeAfrican leaders to carefully considerprojects proposed by foreign coun-tries that do not demand completeaccountability and may encouragecorruption to the detriment of thepeople of some of the world's mostimpoverished nations," wrotePolitico.It seems unlikely, however, thatClinton has come all this way to de-liver gentle rebukes steeped inhypocrisy. It was, after all, the Amer-ican government that funded HosniMubarak's military to the tune of$1.3-billion per year, and has contin-ued to do so even as the militarytook control of the country and con-tinued many of Mubarak's policies,adding a few new twists of their ownsuch as virginity testing.As her itinerary reveals, Clinton andthe USA have a few more pressingconcerns in Africa: namely, their waron African terrorism, currently being

fought by proxy by a number ofAfrican countries.Although the Daily Maverick hasbeen reporting on this developmentfor a year (see here and here), it hasonly recently garnered attention inAmerica with the publication of twomajor articles.The first, from The Washington Postin June, detailed the rapid expansionof America's secret intelligence oper-ations in Africa. It described a net-work of small, unmarked propplanes monitoring militant organiza-tions in Mali, Nigeria, Somalia andUganda.The second, in the Los AngelesTimes 29 July, was even more re-vealing, focusing on America's rolein the Somali conflict. It is worthquoting at length:"Nearly 20 years after US ArmyRangers suffered a bloody defeat inSomalia, losing 18 soldiers and twoBlack Hawk helicopters, Washingtonis once again heavily engaged in thechaotic country. Only this time,African troops are doing the fightingand dying."The United States is doing almosteverything else."The US has been quietly equippingand training thousands of Africansoldiers to wage a widening proxywar against the Shabaab, the AlQaeda ally that has imposed a harshform of Islamic rule on southern So-malia and sparked alarm in

Contd. on page 9

African News

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

google


President Mills is laid to rest

Amandla Corrspondent

Accra, August 10: Ghana’s latePresident, Professor John EvansAtta Mills, was on Friday, Au-gust 10 buried with full militaryhonors at a location near the OsuCastle called the Geese Parkafter some 90 minutes of burialservice held at the IndependenceSquare in Accra.The first to lay the wreath on be-half of the government and peo-ple of Ghana was President John Dramani Ma-hama, who since the death ofMills has been visibly somber.Wreaths were also laid on behalfof the Parliament and the vari-ous political parties.A state funeral held at the Inde-pendence Square was attendedby several African leaders in-cluding Presidents Goodluck

Jonathan of Nigeria, Jakaya Mr-isho Kikwete of Tanzania, HelenSirleaf Johnson of Liberia andAlassane Ouattara of La Coted’Ivoire, among several others.The United States was repre-sented by Secretary of StateHillary Rodham Clinton.A military cortege had conveyedthe late President Mills’ bodyfrom the Banquet Hall of theState House, where it had lain instate since Wednesday, to Inde-pendence Square, where the fu-neral began Friday morning.After the funeral service, thecortege moved slowly out of theIndependence Square and droveonto the High Street and throughsome principal streets of Accra,where tens of thousands of peo-ple dressed in red and black hadlined the streets waving minia-ture flags while others drummed

and sang. Some mournerswailed uncontrollably.A number of pigeons were alsoreleased as a sign of peace forPresident Mills who was calledthe “King of Peace.”For a brief period ahead of thestart of the funeral, a helicopterhovering over the area droppedleaflets reading, “We wantpeaceful elections in 2012.”And later after the casket con-taining the mortal remains of thelate president was lowered intothe grave, there was a fly-pastby three Ghana Air Force jetsejecting long lines of smoke inthe national colors of red, goldand green, while Ghana Navyships also performed ceremonialmaneuvers on the shoreline be-hind the Independence Square.

Hillary ToursAfrica

Contd. from page 8

Washington as foreign militantsjoin its ranks."Officially, the troops are underthe auspices of the AfricanUnion. But in truth, according tointerviews by US and Africanofficials and senior military offi-cers and budget documents, the15,000-strong force pulled fromfive African countries is largelya creation of the State Depart-ment and Pentagon, trained andsupplied by the US governmentand guided by dozens of retiredforeign military personnel hiredthrough private contractors."So much for the African Union'sintervention in Somalia being anAfrican solution to an Africanproblem; instead, the militarypush has American fingerprintsall over it. It's no surprise, there-fore, that Clinton is visiting bothKampala and Nairobi on herAfrican trip. Uganda and Kenyahave provided the bulk of thetroops operating in Somalia,and-within an African context-much of the political impetus. Itwas Kenya's sudden invasionlast October which changed thedynamics of the Somali conflictand put Al Shabaab on the backfoot. Just how much this inva-sion was motivated by Americaninfluence and incentives wedon't know for sure. (One cansuspect it was the main motiva-tion.)Uganda is also spearheading thehunt for Joseph Kony, the Ugan-

dan warlord immortalized in theKony 2012 campaign. About100 American troops are on theground in Chad, the DRC, SouthSudan and Uganda to assist inthe as-yet unsuccessful search.This support could well be aquid pro quo for Uganda's bull-ish approach to Somalia; it's cer-tainly not an altruistic gesture,given that Kony has been aroundfor decades and the US has pre-viously shown little to no inter-est.In the light of all this, Clinton'svisits to Juba, Kampala andNairobi make perfect sense.Someone needs to make sureeverything's on track with Amer-ica's proxy war on Al Shabaab inSomalia; that would be her.The Senegal leg is also not as in-nocent as she would like us tothink.Dakar just happens to be thebase of the Trans-Sahara Coun-terterrorism Partnership, a US-led programme designed tostrengthen regional counterter-rorism capabilities, discredit ter-rorist ideology and reinforcebilateral military relations withthe US. Its geographical scopeextends across seven countries,including Mali, Mauritania,Niger and Nigeria. Nigeria hasbeen helpless to deal with Is-lamist militant group BokoHaram, while the other three,Mali in particular, have all beenused as bases for Al Qaeda inthe Islamic Maghreb. As stabil-ity in Mali has decreased, Amer-ican fears about Al Qaeda in theIslamic Maghreb have increasedexponentially. The Trans-SaharaCounterterrorism Partnership isthe most important weapon

they've got to deal with theproblem, hence the secretary ofstate's Senegal visit.It's only on the last few legs ofher trip that Clinton will be al-lowed to relax a little, and forgetabout Islamist militants and thewar on terror for a few minutes.Al Qaeda hasn't managed topenetrate Malawi yet, and theSouth Africa and Ghana seg-ments are both for specific ap-pointments: a personal meetingwith Nelson Mandela in Qunu,and John Atta Mills' funeral re-spectively.Make no mistake, these are littleextras that help disguise the realpurpose of Clinton's trip. She'stouring the frontlines of Amer-ica's war on African terror. Itwould be wise for Africans toremember this as she lectures uson choosing responsible partnersfor development.The Daily Maverick is a uniqueblend of news, information,analysis and opinion deliveredfrom our newsroom in Johan-nesburg, South Africa. Read uson dailymaverick.co.za.

Africa: To Prosper,Continent Must Diversify Economies,Focus On Agribusiness - UNOfficialAfrica needs to embrace economic diversi-fication as well as focus on agribusiness tolift the continent out of poverty and put iton the path to prosperity, a senior UnitedNations official said today."Agriculture is the most important sector ofthe African economy and will have to be itsdriving engine out of poverty. It accountsfor 65 per cent of the continent's employ-ment and 75 per cent of its domestic trade,"the Director-General of the UN IndustrialDevelopment Organization (UNIDO), Kan-deh K. Yumkella, said in a news release.He added that Africa is also urbanizing at afast rate, noting that "in order to turn brightprospects into employment opportunitiesfor its young people, Africa needs to em-brace economic diversification."Mr. Yumkella's comments came at theAfrica Caucus Meeting in Kinshasa, thecapital of the Democratic Republic of theCongo (DRC), which brought togetherAfrica's finance ministers, central bankgovernors, and representatives of interna-tional development agencies and financialinstitutions and where he was a keynotespeaker.The Director-General stressed the need toboost agricultural productivity to achievesustainable industrial and agribusiness de-velopment as a means of wealth and jobcreation."The transformation of agricultural rawmaterials into industrial products dependsincreasingly on the capacity of African en-trepreneurs to participate and compete inglobal, regional and local value chains."Accordingly, African agribusiness valuechains will have to adapt to changing mar-ket conditions, continuously improve effi-ciency and strive to meet consumerrequirements in a competitive global tradesystem," said Mr. Yumkella.He added that Africa needs "new learningand innovation systems involving regionalcooperation, new types of partnerships be-tween farmers, sellers, investors and re-searchers, and the right incentives andpublic actions that crowd-in rather thancrowd-out private investment."Investment in transport infrastructure, ac-cess to energy and water, information andcommunication technologies and manage-ment efficiency were vital for agribusinessto thrive, he noted.In 2012, in partnership with the UN Foodand Agriculture Organization (FAO) andthe International Fund for Agricultural De-velopment (IFAD), UNIDO launched theAccelerated Agribusiness and Agro-indus-tries Development Initiative, or 3ADI, topromote value addition to agricultural com-modities. The initiative is now operationalin 12 African nations. -- UN News Service

Africa: 'Africa's IntraTrade Relations toGenerate U.S.$200Billion Annually'President of the Pan African ParliamentBethel Amadi has said the economic inte-gration of Africa will improve its economicprosperity as mere two percent intra tradesamong Africans could generate as much as$200 billion annually.He said yesterday in Abuja that the parlia-ment is doing everything within its powers

to ensure that Africa is integrated economi-cally as this will have a spiral effect on theeconomies of the 54 countries in the conti-nent.He said: "Once we make available a blue-print of the proposed economic integrationof the continent to the assembly of heads ofstates and approval is given we will set theball rolling to better the lot of Africans."Once there is a legal framework in this di-rection, the issue of unnecessary and heavytaxation as being experienced in Ghana byNigerian businessmen will be a thing of thepast. The continental body will ensure thatsuch continental laws must be domesti-cated by member states of African Unionand erring states will be adequately sanc-tioned."Some countries have more trade advan-tage and without proper collective bargain-ing on behalf of member states it may notaugur well for weaker countries."He also said the face-off between Nigeriaand Ghana over excessive taxation onNigerian investors in Ghana is beinglooked into, saying, "I believe theECOWAS is looking into it but a stronglegislative framework could have solvedthe imbroglio."

East Africa: SomaliPirates Get 20 YearsBehind BarsSEVEN convicted Somali pirates havebeen sentenced to 20 years each by a Mom-basa court.The seven were arrested in October 2009off the Gulf of Aden by Danish navalforces and handed over to the Kenyan au-thorities for prosecution. The pirates wereattempting to hijack after they attempted tohijack a Sri-Lankan fishing trawler. BarreAli Farah, Abdi Mohammed, Ali HusseinHassan, Abdulkarim Nur Shire, Bashir Mo-hammed Ehmi, Abdulrazak Abdullahi Aliand Abdulfaruk Hussein Ali sat pensivelyin the court as Mombasa senior residentmagistrate Joyce Gandani made the ruling.Gandani noted that piracy was on the rise

and that the punishment would serve as awarning to others intending to commitpiracy. "I have considered the mitigation byyour lawyer on Monday. However thecourt takes note that piracy has been on theincrease in the international seas," saidGandani. "The act of piracy has adverselyaffected the security and the trade of notonly our country but the entire region."The magistrate, in her ruling, consideredthe four years the pirates had been in re-mand at Shimo la Tewa prison in Mom-basa. Defense attorney Jared Magolo pledfor leniency, asking the court to release thesuspects as they had already been rehabili-tated in remand. "The purpose of any sen-tence is to reform those who have beenconvicted. This is one rare case where thetrial has achieved what the sentence wouldhave achieved. They have been reformed,"said Magolo.Magolo asked the courts toconsider similar cases where pirates weresentenced to lesser punishment.In 2006, the first group of pirates was sen-tenced to seven years in a Mombasa court.Despite international efforts to curb piracyoff the coast of Somalia, it has spread fur-ther into the Indian Ocean, widening thearea under the pirates. The Horn of Africacoastline is considered one of the world'smost dangerous stretches of water becauseof piracy. -- allAfrica.com

The casket containing the remains of President Mills being lowered into the grave

Somali pirates

Africa has hermysteries, andeven a wise man

cannot understand them.But a wise man respects them. ~ Miriam Makeba


FUNERAL ANNOUNCEMENTThe Nsona Ntwaa Ekisi Ebusua of Edina, Sekondi & Abandze, Mrs. Emelia (Acquah) Owusu- Sekyere (Daughter), Samuel Owusu-Sekyere, (Son in-Law),

Mr. Ato Dadzie, Pastor Otobo Sheri�, Rev. Father Charles Akoto, Aunt Muriel Ampah, Mrs. Caroline Appiah and sisters, Auntie Ivy Arthur.Respectfully invite Family and friends to join to celebrate the �nal funeral rites, the life and passing of

EDWARD KOBINA ACQUAHAge -76

aka “Mr. Sputnik” Iconic and Legendary Footballer and Star of Sekondi Eleven Wise and the Ghana Black Stars of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s Era

Date: Friday September 7, 2012Venue: St. Benedict Catholic School Auditorium 285 Clove Rd. Staten Island NY, 10310Time: 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM (Staten Island City ordinance strictly enforced)MC: Opanyin Nana Adututu MensahDJ: Daniel Quartey Special Guests: Mr. Anue Kou�e, Mr. Bob Hackman

Sponsoring Organizations:Ghanaian Association of Staten IslandInternational Christian Center (North)

National Council of Ghanaian AssociationsKente Int. Club of Greater Cincinnati

RSVPMrs. Vero Kwaafo-718 390 0423

Mrs. Sarah Mensah- 917 693 5557Emelia Owusu-Sekyere-347 628 3565

Sunrise: July 23, 1935; Sunset: October 7, 2011

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President Millswas a good man,not a great leader- Sekou NkrumahThe son of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,Ghana’s first President, SekouNkrumah has discounted claims thatlate President John Mills was a greatleader.Dr. Sekou Nkrumah who onceheaded the National Youth Authorityrather described him as a good man.Speaking on Joy FM’s news analysisprogramme, Newsfile, Saturday, hesaid, “we have heard remarks of peo-ple say Professor Mills was a greatleader and honestly we don’t speakill of the dead that is our culture, werespect that and I think we gave Profthe due respect but again it doesmean that we should go out of ourway to say things that are not true.”“Professor Mills,” according to him,“can never be described as a greatleader but [he] was I think a goodperson who severed his country well.He got caught in politics; he madethe choice to accept to become apolitician and had to play the gameof politics, rose to the highest of theland.”He said President Mills did not re-ally have what it takes to be a leaderbecause he was imposed on the Na-tional Democratic Congress (NDC)and Ghanaians in general.“As I had pointed out long ago, hedidn’t really have what it takes to bea leader because he didn’t gothrough a certain process to emergenaturally as a leader. He was im-posed on his party, and therefore au-tomatically on Ghana, and I thinkthat is why there was a lot questions

marks with the presidency,” headded.Due to this, he, Sekou Nkrumah,“will be a hypocrite to call ProfessorMills a great leader.”In another development, the son ofGhana’s first President Dr. KwameNkrumah jabbed the state media forliterary recognizing one Dr. OnsyNathan Kwame Nkrumah as a son ofthe late President.Dr. Onsy Nkrumah, born on 17thMarch, 1957, went public early thisyear, claiming to be the product froman intimate relationship Dr. KwameNkrumah had with an Egyptianwoman called Madam Isis Nashid.The family of Ghana’s foundingpresident in Nkroful, have reportedlyaccepted the man who is also knownas “the lost son of KwameNkrumah”, whom they admired forrefurbishing their family house.However, the youngest of Dr.Nkrumah’s children, has consistentlychallenged the legitimacy of Onsy’sclaim. Onsy was seemingly featuredon GTV as well as Ghana NewsAgency reports, as one of Dr.Kwame Nkrumah’s children whojoined the thousands of Ghanaianswho congregated at the State House,to view the mortal remains of latePresident Mills while it was laid instate.Speaking Saturday on news analysisprogramme News File on Joy News

TV on Multi TV and broadcast onJoy Fm, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah took aswipe at the Ghana BroadcastingCorporation, particularly GTV andthe Ghana News Agency, for givingprominence to “that guy who callshimself son of Nkrumah”.“Anyone who wants to know thechildren of Kwame Nkrumah shouldgo the Nkrumah Mausoleum inAccra, to see the names of the chil-dren Kwame Nkrumah had”, Sekousaid.He described the publicity Onsy hasbeen enjoying ever since he brokehis silence, as one of the several at-tempts by government through themedia to propagative falsehood. –Joy News

Africa - GlobalPirates Vs. TaxJusticeA new report from the Tax JusticeNetwork estimates that the globalsuper-rich have at least $21 trillionin secret tax havens, the equivalent

of the United States and Japaneseeconomies combined. While theseestimates presumably include fundssuch as those held by Mitt Romneyin "offshore" accounts in the Cay-man Islands, they also include asmuch as $944 billion estimated lastyear to be derived from capitallosses to Africa between 1970 and2008.And a report from a High-LevelPanel sponsored by the AfricanUnion, Illicit Financial Flows fromAfrica: Scale and DevelopmentalChallenge, announced recently butnot yet published (seehttp://tinyurl.com/clvch9b) estimatesthat Africa loses as much as $1.5 tril-lion in illicit financial flows eachyear.All such figures are of course esti-mates, with secrecy and incompletedata making more precise calcula-tions impossible. But there is nodoubt about the astounding order ofmagnitude of sums hidden from taxauthorities of developing and devel-oped countries alike. The entireprocess is facilitated by a "pirate"network dominated by the world'sleading banks and related financialinstitutions, and by consistent failureof governments in both rich and poorcountries to enforce anti-money-laundering regulations that in theoryare supposed to prevent such trans-actions.In other words, Africa's capitallosses, which by far exceed the inter-national debts on the books ofAfrican countries or the official de-velopment assistance provided toAfrica, are part of a more generalpattern which pervades the interna-tional financial system.This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains apress release and a memo on key is-sues from the report "The Price ofOffshore Revisited," released late

last month. The full report and otherrelated material is availablehttp://tinyurl.com/9bp73wq and onthe websites of the Tax Justice Net-work (http://www.taxjustice.net andhttp://www.tjn-usa.org).For additional commentary on thisreport, see the Democracy Now in-terview with author of the studyJames Henry, video and transcript athttp://www.democracynow.org / di-rect URL:http://tinyurl.com/cma8u5q

Africa: DlaminiZuma Honouredfor Contributionto AfricaPretoria — Newly-elected chairper-son of the African Union (AU) Com-mission and Home Affairs MinisterNkosazana Dlamini Zuma has beenhonoured for her contribution to thecountry's democracy and efforts toadvance women's issues on the con-tinent.She was the recipient of an awardfrom TOPCO Media at its ninthyear's Life Time Achievers Awardsat Emperor's Palace in Johannesburgon Wednesday.The award was in recognition ofDlamini Zuma's contribution to theconsolidation of South Africa'sdemocracy, her role in the strugglefor women's emancipation and inrecognition of her recent election asthe first female and southern re-gional candidate to assume the posi-tion of the AU Commissionchairpersonship in 49 years.

Sekou Nkrumah

Onsy Nkrumah


Africa: ChinaPlans $20 BillonLoan for AfricaChina, one of the fastest developingcountries plans to grant a loan to-talling to $20billion between 2013and 2015, a top official at the Chi-nese Embassy in Uganda has said.Speaking to The Independent in aninterview on August 9, Zou Xiaom-ing, the counsellor at the Economicand Commercial Counsellor's Officesaid China is interested in fundingprojects like infrastructure say roads,power dams among others instead ofgiving grants to fight diseases andhunger."We know infrastructure is the keyto development," Xiaoming said."Once these are in place, other activ-ities like trade and others can go onvery well."He urged the Uganda government toprovide a favourable environmentfor businesses if the country is to de-velop.China granted a loan of $5billion toAfrican countries between 2006 and2009 and $10 billion loan between2009 and 2012. These investmentshave contributed to tax revenuegrowth and employment.In Uganda, Chinese investments wasestimated at about $596 million bythe end of 2011 according to datafrom the Uganda Investment Author-ity and around 265 Chinese compa-nies opened their business inUganda, creating 28,000 jobs.

Africa: Global Diamond Production DeclinesGlobal diamond output in 2011 de-clined by 3,4 percent to 123, 989million carats from 128,3 millioncarats the year before, latest statisticsfrom the Kimberley Process show.The diamond industry has beenstruggling as major mines in top pro-ducing countries begin to age, cou-pled with the economic crisis in theeurozone, which has sapped demand."It should be said that the downwardtrend in global diamond productionwill continue to develop mainly dueto the exhaustion of mine fields," KPsaid in a report."Also given the difficult market con-ditions, we can expect that diamondminers will cut production in linewith falling demand for roughgems."According to the figures, Russia wasthe top producer having upped itsrough diamond production by 0,8percent to 35,1 million carats fol-lowed by Botswana which churnedout 22,9 million carats, an increaseof 4 percent.The statistics show that third placedDRC and fourth-placed Canadarecorded a 13 percent and 8,8 per-cent decline in their production re-spectively. Zimbabwe, which rankedfifth, recorded a marginal increase of0,7 percent to reach 8,5 millioncarats from 8,4 million carats in2010.Angola, South Africa, Australia andNamibia complete the top nine pro-ducers in the world for 2011, havingrecorded sharp declines in their pro-

duction levels. Meanwhile, the KPsaid the total value of rough dia-monds produced in 2011 increased toUS$14,4 billion from US$11,39 bil-lion in 2010 and US$8,26 billion in2009.However, the KP noted that Zim-babwe's gems were not fetchingfavourable prices on the marketsmainly due to embargoes imposedon some of its diamond mining firmsby the US.While other countries, includingNamibia sold their gems for as highas US$694 per carat, Zimbabwe's di-amonds sold for US$56 per carat.According to the KP, India andChina remained the biggest con-sumers of rough diamonds in theworld."India is still the largest final con-sumer of rough diamonds, the coun-try imported 132 095 million caratsof rough diamonds."The second largest diamond cuttingcentre is China, where net imports ofrough diamonds in 2011 totaled 6095 million carats."Zimbabwe, with a huge resourcesbase of between 60 000 and 70 000hectares in the Marange diamondfields, has potential to supply 25 per-cent of global demand and has alsobeen tipped to become the thirdlargest producer by the end of thisdecade.But its potential is being stifled byWestern countries led by the UnitedStates which have been trying toblock Harare from marketing its dia-monds.This is in spite of the green light thatthe country has obtained from theglobal diamond watchdog, the Kim-berly Process, to freely market itsgems on the international markets.

New Ziana

Africa: AU toFurther DevelopChina-Africa RelationsThe African Union will further de-velop its relations with China andpush co-operation between Africanmedia and Chinese media includingXinhua News Agency, said Dr.Elham MahmoudAhmed Ibrahim,Acting Chairper-son of the AUCommission, onWednesday.The media couldplay a role ofbridge in the pro-motion of friend-ship andunderstanding be-tween the peoplesof Africa andChina, saidElham, who isalso AU Commis-sioner for Infrastructure and Energy,when meeting He Ping, Editor-in-Chief of China's Xinhua NewsAgency at the Headquarters of theAU.Elham told He Ping that the AU hasset up a three-stage economic devel-opment plan for Africa for the yearbetween 2012 and 2040, with an in-vestment amount of up to US$360billion.As China has become an importantco-operative partner with Africa inthe latter's economic and social de-velopment, more Chinese enterprisesare welcomed to invest in the conti-nent, she said.He Ping said as the world's biggest

developing country and developingcountries' group, China and Africaare developing new strategic partner-ships, which are important for worldprosperity and development.He said Chinese President Hu Jintaohas said during the fifth MinisterialConference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation that to open upnew prospects for a new type ofChina-Africa strategic partnership,China and Africa should increasecultural and people-to-people ex-change, and increase contacts be-

tween media, so as to provideintellectual inspiration and culturalsupport for China-Africa co-opera-tion.As China's official news agency anda media of international influence,Xinhua has the duty to play a moreactive role in intensifying contactsand co-operation between the mediaof both countries, announced He.In reporting Africa's news, includingthe progress achieved by African na-tions, Xinhua is committed to pursu-ing its coverage in a general,objective and balanced style, saidHe. -- Xinhua

Chairperson of AU Commission Dlamini Zuma


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Throat Cancer –Causes and Effectsby Kofi Ayim

Normal body cells grow in a very or-ganized way. They grow at a specificrate, and when they complete thefunction that they are supposed toperform, they stop growing. Eventu-ally they die and are replaced by newcells. Cancer is caused when this or-derly growth of cells is disturbed.There are therefore many differentkinds of cancer, depending on thepart of the body where the abnormalcells are coming from. When the ab-normal growth begins in the pas-sages behind the nose, mouth or inthe larynx (Adams apple) it istermed throat cancer. Tobacco is by far the commonestcause of throat cancer. Tobacco useis also a cause of lip cancer, mouthcancer, and lung cancer. Lip canceris more common in those whosmoke pipes, mouth and tongue can-cer in those who chew tobacco, andcancer of the throat, larynx, lungs,food pipe (esophagus), stomach,pancreas, and bladder are all associ-ated with cigarette smoking. Studiesshow that tobacco and cigarettesmoke contain chemicals that changethe manner in which cells grow,therefore causing cancer. Other fac-tors such as diet and inheritance con-tribute very little to the risk of thesetypes of cancer. There are basicallytwo types of throat cancer: Squa-mous and Adenocarcinomas with theformer more predominant in blackmen and in developing nations.Squamous cell carcinomas is a ma-lignant growth that begin in the flatSquamous cells as thin, flat cells thatlooks like fish scales.Early signs of throat cancer include,but not limited to sore throat thatnever goes away; hoarseness orchange of voice; a lump or swellingin the neck; a red or white patch inthe mouth that doesn’t go away;chronic sinus infections that do notrespond to treatment; dentures thatno longer fit; loosening of teeth; dis-

coloration in a mole (a skin sore thatcrusts or ulcerates); persistent pain inthe neck, throat or ears; difficultychewing or swallowing; swelling ofthe jaw; numbness inside the mouthand nose; trouble breathing, speak-ing or hearing; and swelling or trou-ble with the eyes. It must be noted,however, that these symptoms maynot necessarily be signs of cancer,but medical attention must be soughtto confirm its presence or otherwise. When these symptoms last longerthan a few weeks they could be asign of cancer. Late signs may beproblems like weight loss. Bleedingfrom the mouth or nose can be a signof throat cancer. Bleeding can alsobe a complication of the treatmentsthat are given for throat cancer. Doc-tors and dentists can detect cancer inthis area by close inspection, oftenusing special mirrors, lights and in-struments. It is possible that someforms of cancer are not recognizedin countries where these facilities arenot readily available. Indigenousforms of medicine may not alwaysrecognize the symptoms. For exam-ple, a sore or ulcer that does not healfor a long time (what the Akan ofGhana call “kooko”) may sometimesrepresent early cancer. It is possiblethat some cases previously thoughtto be “nantwie pompo”, which in-volved swellings in the throat, mayactually have been throat cancer. There are basically three ways oftreating cancer: surgery, radiation, orchemotherapy. Surgery involvesdoing an operation to remove thecancer. Surgery is therefore mostuseful when the cancer is still smalland has not spread. Radiation is atreatment in which very strong X-rays are pointed at the cancer in

order to destroy the cancer cells. Ra-diation is also most useful when thecancer remains in a small area (stage1). Once cancer cells spread throughthe blood stream, however theytravel to many different parts of thebody, and they can grow in thoseparts. The cancer is then said to bemetastatic, or in stage 4. Most of thetime, once a cancer has spread itcannot be cured. Howeverchemotherapy can be used to slowdown the growth of the cancer so thepatient can live longer and avoid theeffects of the cancer. Sometimeschemotherapy is given not becausethe cancer has already spread, but toprevent it from spreading. Commonside effects of chemotherapy arenausea, vomiting, and hair loss.Even though multimodal treatment(utilizing more than one approach oftreatment) is gaining popularity,some factors that are considered intreatment include, exact location ofthe tumor, stage of cancer and theoverall health of the patient.The most important thing anybodycan do to prevent and/or minimizethroat cancer is to avoid tobacco inall forms. The risk of many types ofcancer is directly proportional to theamount of smoking, and the lengthof time that someone smokes. It isalso important to get regular check-ups by a dental hygienist, dentist ordoctor. Any abnormal signs shouldbe reported to the doctor. Credit: Clarence Sarkodee Adoo,MD FACP, Hematologist and oncol-ogist: ArizonaPius Owusu Afriyie, PA-C, JohnHopkins Hospital Dept of MedicineHematology, MarylandWebsite referrals: Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center, �ew York.

Africa: ClimateConversations -Will Information - or Infrastructure - Help WithFood Price Shocks?

We have heard the story repeatedly -

countries fall further behind the restof the world when they lack the in-frastructure needed to sustaingrowth. It may seem repetitive, butsometimes it's important to reiteratewhat may appear obvious.Last month the International FoodPolicy Institute (IFPRI) launched anew tool - the Food Security MediaAnalysis. The online tool is intendedto help governments of developingcountries better predict what com-modity prices will do based onmedia reports. Although the mediado not directly impact the prices ofcommodities, Maximo Torero, direc-tor of the markets, trade and institu-tions division at IFPRI, said thatwhen the media cover events relatedto food prices, agriculture or climateshocks that may affect consumer ex-pectations, and in turn have an effecton what the market does.In theory tools to better predict whatmay happen in international foodmarkets should help even out theplaying field for countries that havealways lacked them. Better toolswould help governments makemoney by speculating on risingprices of commodities they import orprotect them against loss by hedgingagainst potentially falling prices oftheir exports.There is potential to make and save alot of money predicting the interna-tional market, but governments whohave yet to, for example, integratetheir own farmers into their country'sdomestic agricultural market willfind these tools offer little in thegrand scheme of their concerns.In many countries, farmers sell onlyto their neighbors or farm for theirown subsistence, effectively barringthem from domestic markets.Marc Bellemare, a public policy as-sistant professor at Duke University,said tools like the Food SecurityMedia Analysis are a "laudable effort... but what developing countriesneed is better infrastructure and gov-ernance."Countries that still lack access toeven basics like decent roads willstruggle to take advantage of newtechnology, in other words.

DISCONNECTED FARMERSAccording to World Bank statistics,70 percent of people living on lessthan $1 a day in rural areas dependon agriculture as their primarysource of income.Of those farmers, only about onefifth to two fifths are "significantparticipants" in agricultural markets,according to a 2011 report by the In-ternational Fund for Agricultural De-velopment (IFAD).And we aren't talking about big in-ternational markets. According to thereport, most small farmers only haveaccess to one local market (the oneclosest to their home) if they haveany access at all.Lack of information due to poor, andoften virtually non-existent, commu-nication systems leave many farmersat the mercy of buyers, often sellingtheir crops for below market price.When a majority of rural people sur-vive on agriculture and are unable tomake a fair profit, they are left withlittle money to buy additional foodand other goods they need.Access to more and larger marketswould allow farmers to buy and sellgoods at fair prices, improving theirincomes. And increased competitionbetween farmers could keep pricesfair and improve the quality of prod-ucts.THE ETHIOPIAN COMMODITYEXCHANGEIn 2008 the Ethiopian CommodityExchange (ECX) was established -the first of its kind in Africa, and agood example of how access to in-formation can benefit small-scalefarmers.ECX connects buyers and sellers,electronically posts the current mar-ket prices of the five commoditiestraded through the exchange, andimplements quality control checks ofall the food being sold.The exchange helps member sellersget a fair price for their goods, andbuyers are sure they are getting qual-ity for their money.The exchange also offers help withanother concern for farmers - stor-age. Farmers with surplus crop canstore their goods in large warehousesprovided by the exchange.Unfortunately, there are many obsta-cles, like transportation, that determany farmers from participating inlarger markets, despite their advan-tages. -- AlertNet Climate

South Africa:Country TapWater RemainsWorld Class -MolewaCape Town — South Africa's drink-ing water is among the best in theworld, and the country remainsamong a few in the world wherewater can still be consumed from thetap, the Minister of Water and Envi-ronmental Affairs Edna Molewa saidon Monday.Releasing the 2012 Blue Drop reportduring the Water Institute of South-ern Africa Conference at the CapeTown International Convention Cen-tre, Molewa said 98 municipalitieswere this year awarded Blue Status,up from 66 last year.The average national Blue Statusscore jumped from 72.9% last yearto 87.6% this year.

Source: BuaNews (Tshwane)


Environment & Health


Artcultainment

Ananse’s Justice& Ampoma andthe LeopardMany Ghanaians raised in the tradi-tional family setting where morethan one nuclear family lived in ahome may be familiar with such pasttimes as storytelling. Invariably, theeponymous hero of such storieswould be Kwaku Ananse and hisfamily comprising Okonore Yaa andNtikuma. Unfortunately, however,such forms of traditional entertain-ment are dying away, especially withthe incidence of western educationand emigration. It was not uncom-mon to see girls playing ampe at thevillage square while others are en-gaged in storytelling and riddles –Agya rekɔ ogyaa me deɛbɛn?- undera full moon at the village square.Fortunately, Michael Ofori-Mankata,a teacher and story teller, as he de-scribes himself, is one person whofeels the need to preserve the tradi-tion for posterity. He retells the sto-ries in books. In Ananse’s justice,Mr. Ofori-Mankata writes of how theAnanse (the Spider) reprieves theRat (Okusie) from the clutches of theLeopard (Osebo) who the Rat hadjust rescued from a trap. The Hare makes a beautiful yellow

spotted coat for Osebo who wouldproudly wear it and take strolls in theforest for a showoff of his new sarto-rial presentation. It is just at that mo-ment that Dede Akai, the Queen ofthe Ga people decides she wants anew pet. To catch the pet, herhunters investigate the pathways ofthe various animals in the forest anddig a hole as a trap. The hole is cov-ered with leaves and small twigs andmade difficult to recognize. Themonkey, always in the trees saw mendigging the hole and warned hisneighbors about it. In his attempt toinvestigate the veracity of the mon-key’s warning Osebo falls into thetrap. After several attempts by theElephant and the Cobra to saveOsebo fail, Okusie of all animals isable to rescue the great Krotwia-mansa, the mighty one. Instead of rewarding Okusie, Osebodecides to kill him to ensure that thenews of his rescue never travels far.“The only way to make sure thisstory is not broadcast all over theworld is to put you away. I am there-fore going to kill you as painlessly asI know how.” Osebo tells Okusiewho at this time is shaken and sweat-ing profusely. As the Rat and theLeopard continue to haggle over lifeand death, Ananse arrives at thescene. Sensing blood, Ananse findsout the intentions of the Leopard anddecides to save his friend Okusie.Osebo tells his story to Ananse wholistens carefully and shakes his head.

“Some story! Most incredible! Thisis fiction! Out of this world…,”replies Osebo. Ananse continues toexpress disbelief but both Okusieand Osebo insist on the truth of thematter. To prove the truth, Anansedemands evidence and that is forOsebo to jump back into the holeand come back. This Osebo doesreadily, but could not come back be-cause Okusie blocked off the tunnelwith a huge stone leaving Osebotrapped once again and Okusie goingfree. This short story shows the wit andpracticality of Ananse which is dis-played in stories in which he fea-tures. Ananse stories also hold plentyof moral. They teach societal normsand orient both teller and listenerabout life in its pragmatic simplicity.In this particular story, Osebo seeksonly to show his might and strength.It shows how completely consumedhe is by his pride, selfishness andstrength, but how unwise and un-thinking he is. And society is full ofsuch people. Ananse who could bedescribed as the itinerant judge andlawyer in this story is an even fraileranimal, but Osebo in his little mindis not able to see through his inten-tions. Ananse stories are also a reflectionon Ghanaian society. Just visit thechief’s palace and listen to an adju-dication process.Witness the witti-cism of the prosecutors and thedefenders who are all elders of the

palace and probably do not have thebenefit of western education. Onecan come back from such experiencequestioning the relevance of formalwestern education and its book-based and book-sourced thoughtprocess. Ananse’s Justice reflectssuch societal behavior. In Ampoma and the Leopard,Kwame Atuo lives with his beautifuldaughter, Ampoma in the forest in alonely cottage. Ampoma and her fa-ther play games with the heads ofanimals her father kills. One as thefather leaves for work, the Leopardvisits Ampoma, alone in the cottageand demands to play with the headsof the animals. In course of play,Leopard sees the head of a Leopardwhich happens to be his wife’s killedby the hunter. His suspicions areconfirmed and he decides to re-venge. Ampoma tells her father about theLeopard and the father advises her totell the Leopard she does not recog-nize whose head it is, but the Leop-ard would not believe it and insistson knowing, or else… . But HunterKwame Atuo would also be readyfor the Leopard and so on the thirdvisit he ambushes the Leopard whoin the course of playing with Am-poma attempts to pounce on the littlegirl. The Leopard receives a shot onhis chest and dies. According to the writer, the moral inthe story is simple: No matter howgainfully employed or engaged littlechildren are they must not be leftalone. In this world of danger andwickedness, it is not safe to leavechildren unprotected.But then again, why would the Leop-ard seek revenge on the little girl in-stead of the father? After all, theLeopard is also a hunter who couldhave hunted Kwame Atuo. Many atimepeople perceived to be strongand ruthless are also probably cow-ards deep within them. Why elsewould the Leopard prey on helplessAmpoma? Mr. Ofori-Mankata has retoldAnanse and other folk stories inabout 12 books with more in the pipeline. They include Hohore, Ananse’sJustice, Ananse and the Squirrel, YaaForiwaa, the Golden Forest, TheCrab and the Elephant, Mister Min-uuu, Ananse’s Magic Drum, Ananseand the Scarecrow, the Homecomingof the Cat, The Homecoming of theGoat and the Chipmunk and theLeopard. And they are all publishedby Ansaa Reads LLC Publishers.Essentially the publications are tar-geted to children at various levels ofeducation. They are an easy read, in-teresting and humorous and thought-provoking.One remarkable feature about hisbooks is the exercises that Ofori-Mankata provides for comprehen-sion. At the end of each of the booksare quizzes to provoke more interestand increase knowledge. He alsosuggests to readers to try their handson story writing.The writer taught in Ghana and atthe United Nations InternationalSchool in New York for severalyears. Now retired, he intends tomake Ghanaian folktales his fulltime vocation. Like Dr. Seuss, Ofori-Mankata is not only children’sfriend, he is also a preservationist ofa culture that is nearing extinction. He can be contacted at (973) 856-7804,www.facebook.com/ansaareads andamazon.com/Michael-Ofori-Mankata. You may also visit thewebsite athttp://ansaareads.weebly.com

Knii Lante Releases “Tributeto a King”Following the untimely death ofPresident of Ghana H.E Prof J.E.AMills, the creative industry has beenvery vocal in their contribution withtribute songs from different artistesto the late president.One of such persons is Knii Lante,who has released a masterpiece titledTribute to the King. The 2010 BestVocalist of the year is though veryrespected by his peers in the industryis very cool in his approach to musicwith the afro pop/reggae vibes heldtight.

Knii Lante’s Tribute to the Kingtalks about the good Professor’sundying memories and his traits andreminds us of his everlasting attrib-utes of peace loving. Some lines likeYou live on, No matter where u are,You live on, Though u're gone, YouLive on, in our hearts Live on care-fully permeates the heart of therhythm.The soothing and rhythmic naturemakes it a complete piece of talent.What is unique about this tributesong is the fact it has a multi-pur-pose appeal and use, with a huge po-tential of making it on the playlist ofmany.Knii lante has hits like Lagos to Vi-enna, My Girl, Rocky Road, Shidaaet al, and featured on hits like Ngoziwith the late Michael Dwamena andalso Blakk Rasta’s barrack obamawhich has made waves around theworld. He recently release an albumtitled love and revolution which ismaking huge impact and great sales,a close source have said. -- ghp

Joey B ft. Amadaa– Azonto BombBrand New Bam signee who broughtu 'Strawberry Ginger' featuring E.Land dropped the last verses on D-Black's smash hits 'VERA' and 'MyKinda Girl GH Remix' drops his of-ficial first single of 2012.It’s the “AZONTO BOMB” featur-ing Amadaa a.k.a Krynkman. Notwo ways we have a banger here anddefinite shoo in for discovery of theyear!!Joey B goes straight to the 'Maami'(streets) with this banger andswtitches up the style and languageas he kicks his verses in 'GA'. Dropmo bomb eh!! Let's Go!-- ghp

Book Review

Knii Lante


SportKenya: 'You TubeMan' Yego MakesHistoryNairobi — It took the very last effortand another national record forJulius 'You Tube Man' Yego to makehistory as the first Kenyan Javelinthrower to make the Olympics finalon Wednesday night.With qualification to the medal eventslipping as he took the run up for hislast effort, Yego, the African title-holder, took one look up andlaunched the Javelin well over theLondon night before it sailed pastthe 80m mark as it speared the field81.81m to qualify him fifth in GroupB.Moments later, the 23-year-oldKenya Police officer was pumpinghis fist in a mixture of triumphantjoy and utter disbelief of making theapex of his sport at his very firstOlympics.He was ranked the ninth out of 12qualifiers for Sunday's final in thefirst round where Czech Republic'sVitezslav Vesely registered the lead-ing effort of 88.34.The African champion progressedthrough the qualifiers with an open-ing effort of 79.10m then 79.33mthat saw him oscillate between 12thand 16th overall before his clincherthat nailed his place in the finalswithout a doubt.Yego, who refined his act last yearby watching his heroes, recordholder Jan Zelezny, Olympics cham-pion Andreas Thorkildsen and for-mer world champion Tero Pitkamakion You Tube before he won the AllAfrica Games title in Maputo, beathis own 81.12m previous best setonly last month in Finland.Now coached by Norwegian Thork-ildsen, who also made the final withthe second best throw of the quali-fiers of 84.47m, and Tero Kristian,Yego's progression since Maputo hasbeen nothing short of stunning.The athlete who is internally com-peting with himself to top theKenyan standard in Javelin since heburst to the scene at the Trials for the2010 World Juniors in Bydgoszcz,Poland has adjusted his benchmarkthus 81.81m (August), 81.12 (July),79.95 (April) and 78.34 (September2011) when he first broke the previ-ous best.Prior to London, Yego enjoyed twostints in Finland where he metThorkildsen and Pitkamaki, who alsomade Sunday's final with his finalthrow of 83.01 to finish second inthe Kenyan's group.His surprise qualification to themedal round will come as a huge liftto the team that has failed to sparkthus far at London 2012 by openingup another possible frontier awayfrom the traditional distance running."My dream is just to appear at thestadium to represent Kenya as thefirst Javelin thrower from Kenya. Itis hard to match what those peopledo since we are too far behind butcompeting against them will beenough for me," Yego who qualifiedfor his first Olympics with B-Stan-dard told Capital Sport before de-parting to the UK.He was granted special dispensationby IAAF (Kenya is rated A-Stan-dard) when he threw 79.95m onApril 17 at Nairobi's Nyayo NationalStadium that beat the 79.50 B-Stan-dard.From here, he travelled to Finlandwhere he broke the 80m barrier forthe first time with his immediate pre-

vious national record of 81.12m onJuly 22."I have greatly improved my tech-nique there since Javelin in Finlandis like distance running in Kenya andmy dream is to be the first from thiscountry to enter the stadium in theevent I love," he earlier said.Even if he does not medal on Sun-day, Yego has already potted his sta-tus as one of Team Kenya's mostresounding successes from London2012."When I did not have a coach, I useda lot of money in Cyber Cafes andthe gym to get into shape. I just be-lieved in it and now, I have a quali-fied coach. Being at the Olympics isa great honor and I hope to inspiremore upcoming athletes to look out-side distance running," was his part-ing shot to before he left for hisOlympics debut.

Cameroon:Olympic Defec-tors Win EmpathyFrom YouthAfter participating in the OlympicGames, seven Cameroonian athleteshave apparently 'defected'. Thoughtheir disappearance might puzzlesome, Yaoundé's younger generationseems unfazed and even empathic.Bouenguegni Patrick, a 22-year-oldstudent, is frantically messaging withfriends online. The chat is about themissing athletes."Objectively, I think that they stand abetter chance of succeeding in Eu-rope than in Cameroon. I think theyare looking for better working andliving conditions," he says. All hisfriends share this opinion, he notes.So do other young Cameroonians.Thirty-five year-old journalist Jean-Bruno Tagne actually knows some ofthese athletes. "Having been aroundthese sportsmen and knowing theconditions under which they live andtrain, we can at least understand thatin a survival reflex, they try to flee,"he says.The act might even have been en-couraged by friends and familieswho expect so much of them, Tagnetheorizes. "Admittedly not all ofthem are going to succeed, but thosewho are a bit lucky will be able totrain one day under good conditions,will be paid correctly, which is cur-rently very far from being the casefor athletes engaged in Cameroon."Sports journalist Ateba Biwoleagrees. "Without supporting this act,I understand, and I think they canbetter do their job in Europe," hesays.'To the frontline'The missing athletes are boxersAbdon Mewoli, Blaise YepmouMedouo, Serges Ambomo, ChristianDonfack and Thomas Essomba, fe-male football player Drusille Ngakoand swimmer Paul Edingue.In a telephone interview conductedby the Cameroonian daily newspaperLe Jour, the boxers' coach, JustinTchuem, talked about his missingtrainees. "One evening, they left andnever came back. They vamoosedafter making sure that we wereasleep and all our attempts to findthem were in vain," he said.Tagne readily shares his thoughts onwhat motivated such an act. "Thereason for the defection of these ath-letes is the same as that for all candi-

dates of illegal immigration give," hesays. "They seek a better existence, acountry where they think they canlive better. They are all young. Theycharge ahead saying 'to the front-line'."Not the first timeThe disappearance of Cameroonianathletes in international competitionsis not new."Examples abound of runaway ath-letes who have become great cham-pions in their host country and seemto motivate others candidates to dosame," says Tagne. He cites the box-ers Issa Hamza, Hassan NdamNjikam and Herman Ngoudjo.According to Tagne: "Many are tak-ing advantage of competition in so-called big countries to escape."Essomba's disappearance in Londonis not his first post-Olympics vanish-ing act. "This boxer had already dis-appeared after the 2008 Olympics inBeijing," explains Biwole. "How-ever, he returned to Cameroon after awhile and told reporters he had doneso in the hope of finding better livingand working conditions in China."Worth the riskThe missing athletes won no medalat the 2012 Olympics. Before leav-ing for London, Cameroonian news-papers had publicized the poorconditions that the sportsmen had todeal with, noting the insufficient fi-nancial and material resources madeavailable to them."These athletes have surely toldthemselves that their future is uncer-tain in Cameroon and it is better tobe in Europe, even at the risk ofbeing illegal immigrants," saidMinette Ninko, a 20-year-old stu-dent. "For as long as the state willnot improve the living conditions ofyoung people - by providing em-ployment, for example - there willalways be such cases of defectionthat do not honor our country."Source: Radio Netherlands World-wide

South Africa:Hartley WinsKayak BronzeBridgitte Hartley won South Africa'sfirst bronze medal at the OlympicGames, in the women's kayak singleK1 500m race at Eton Dorney onThursday.Hartley crossed the line in oneminute, 52.923 seconds (1:52.923).The gold medal went to DanutaKozak of Hungary who finished in1:51.456, followed a second later byUkrainian Inna Osypenko-Radomskain 1:52.685.South Africa now boast three goldmedals, one silver and one bronze,lying in 20th position on the medalstable.

Is Azumah NelsonAfrica's greatestboxer?Accra, Ghana (CNN) -- In his fight-ing days during the 1980s and 1990s,Ghanaian boxing legend AzumahNelson's thudding jabs and powerfuloverhands earned him the moniker"The Professor," named for the les-sons he'd teach opponents inside thering.

A former three-time world cham-pion, Nelson is often described asthe best boxer to come out of theAfrican continent.His daring feats inside the four cor-ners of the ring made him a nationalhero in the West African country,while in 2004 "The Professor" be-came the first African to be inductedinto the International Boxing Hall ofFameToday, Nelson's nickname has takenon new meaning as the former cham-pion now spends his time teachingthe secrets of boxing to a new gener-ation of athletes."The Professor" has established theAzumah Nelson Foundation, a not-for-profit organization working tohelp Ghana's deprived youth realizetheir potential through education andsport."We opened the foundation to helpthe needy children," says Nelson."We look at you, see your talent andput you there -- the school is therethe most important [thing]."Born in 1958, Nelson made his pro-fessional debut in 1979. He quicklybecame a household name in Ghanaand went on to win the British Com-monwealth's Featherweight title.But despite his early success, Nelsonwas still unknown outside his coun-try -- that changed, however, in June1982 when he was given the chanceto fight world Featherweight cham-pion Salvador Sanchez at NewYork's Madison Square Garden.Although Nelson lost the fight in the15th round, his impressive perform-ance against a formidable opponentsuch as Sanchez established him as atop talent in the international boxingscene.He made history in 1984 when hebeat Wilfredo Gomez to be crownedthe World Boxing Council Feather-weight champion. Four years later hecemented his reputation as boxingroyalty when he won the worldSuper Featherweight/Junior Light-weight title.Nelson's illustrious career went onfor years until he decided to hang uphis gloves with a record of 39 wins,5 losses and 2 draws, with 28 knock-out victories.Nowadays, Nelson is trying to pre-serve the legacy of boxing in Ghana,working with young talent to helpcreate the country's next crop ofchampions. He says the sport canhelp children escape poverty andhardship."I'm a servant -- God brought me toserve the people, especially theneedy children," he says. "I want tosee everybody smile."

Balotelli expectedin Ghana on Sept15Manchester City star Mario BarwuahBalotteli is among a star studded in-ternationals expected to play in apeace match in Ghana on September15.

The Italian super star will join leg-endary players like Robbie Fowler,Andy Cole and Steve McManamanto engage former Black Stars playersin a move to create awareness forpeace ahead of the December pollsand also to honour deceased Ghanapresident John Atta Mills.All the flagbearers or their represen-tatives from the various political par-ties in the country are expected toattend the event at the Accra sportsstadium.The potential arrival of the contro-versial football figure will be a mo-mentous one for soccer fans inGhana who will get a rare chance towatch the 21-year-old in action.Balloteli, born to Ghanaian parentswas initially billed to visit his home-land before the start of the EnglishPremier League to see his grandfa-ther at Konongo but the passingaway of the ‘old man’ altered hisplans.The former Inter Milan forward isarguably the most controversial fig-ure in world football, with hisshenanigans off the pitch or mo-ments of magic on the pitch alwayscatching headlines.The peace match is being put to-gether by by G7 Koncepts in collab-oration with Joy Sports and theBritish Council.

Black Stars go oneplace up on rankingtable

Ghana has moved one place up inthe FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankingreleased Wednesday for the month ofAugust.The Black Stars are now placed32nd on the overall table but theirpoint accumulation still stood at 707points.Little changes occurred but moremovement can be expected in theSeptember edition, with the inclu-sion of the many friendlies due to beplayed on 15 August.The Black Stars who are angling fora fifth African Nations Cup are stillthe continent’s second best side be-hind Ivory Coast. Algeria and Libyafollow in third and fourth positions.European champions, Spain re-mained tops with Germany secondand England jumping third on theworld ranking table.According to FIFA, the results of 12matches were taken into account forthe current edition of the rankingwhich welcomed a newcomer to thefold. ghp

Azuma Nelson

Balotelli

"However far thestream flows, itnever forgets itssource" -- Yoruba

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