African ministers meeting in Cairo two months ahead of the COP27 climate summit called, in September, for a sharp expansion of climate financing for their continent while pushing back against an abrupt move away from fossil fuels. Egypt, an oil and gas producer considered highly vulnerable to climate change, has positioned itself as a champion for African interests as it prepares to host the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh in November. A communique released after a three-day forum for finance, economy, and environment ministers said Africa benefited from less than 5.5 percent of global climate financing despite having a low carbon…
Author: NLM writer
International Criminal Court (ICC) appeals judges in September rejected a decision to award a record $30 million in compensation for child soldiers and other victims of convicted Congolese militia leader Bosco Ntaganda, sending the case back to a lower court for a new ruling on the reparations amount. The appeals judges said the order was missing a fundamental detail, “namely the number of victims whose harm it was intended to repair,” and added it was “not discernible” how the lower court had arrived at the sum of $30 million. Ntaganda was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2019 for…
The recent abrupt shattering of a fragile five-month-old truce has punctuated the restarting of Ethiopia’s third year of civil war between the federal government of prime minister Abiy Ahmed and that of the Tigre region, led by the Tigre Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF). The return to war has effectively sidelined a confederal constitution enshrining self-determination for Ethiopia’s many ethnic communities. That constitution was established by the Tigrean-led four-party Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF, 1991-2018), which had overthrown a brutal military regime (1974-1991) that, in turn, had ended the 44-year regime of Ethiopia’s last emperor, Haile Selassie/ By its pervasive…
The August 9 presidential election lived up to expectations by producing probably the most fiercely contested poll in the history of Kenya, with the William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza coalition taking victory. Most politicians know all too well that to win an election you must campaign in poetry. Governing is, however, a whole different ball game. And this is probably the greatest test president Ruto will face in his illustrious political career. Reconciling his campaign promises with real tangible deliverables in a harsh economic environment will be hard. He has promised so much in times and moments of extreme scarcity. Did…
with Greg Mills & Marie-Noelle Nwokolo In the late 1990s, South Africa’s then-Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin likened the country’s trade strategy to a “butterfly,” according to which the thorax ran north-south to Europe and North America, while the “wings” oriented west-east were to link Africa with Latin America and Asia. Erwin’s concept promised much then, as now, for a diversification effort, but so far has delivered less. Still, there is much to gain from closer regional ties, in at least two respects. The first of these is underscored by the growth and nature of economic relations. While trade…
By Chris Mwabe The United Kingdom government says it will establish an independent regulator in football after endorsing recommendations made in the fan-led review into the game. The review was chaired by former sports minister Tory Crouch following a number of high profile crises in the sport, such as the failed European Super League and the collapse of Bury FC. The new regulator will be backed by laws which allow it to hand out punishments and have financial oversight of clubs, meaning it can investigate and gather information. It will also apply the new “enhanced” owners’ and directors’ test which will replace the current tests…
A group of women in a Kenyan village have shaken off the economic and cultural shackles of widowhood and abuse to chart a new path of self-empowerment for themselves, for girl children and for their community, thanks to a tailoring programme. By Edith Chepng’eno “Barely a month after I buried the love of my life, my in-laws descended on us. First, my brother-in-law said I was too young to be a widow, so he wanted to inherit me as his wife. I couldn’t hear any of this outdated culture, and they now went for the property left to us by…
By Jacob Oketch It is often said that less is more, and Brenda Wanjira’s HEART WHISPERS: poems from the heart and soul lives up to this concept. In HEART WHISPERS, the author has packed her pieces with loaded meaning and yet manages to do so with very few words thereby giving one characteristic of the poetic form-economy of words, some significance. One technique that the author employs effectively in most of the pieces is that of contrast. Sometimes we see clearly by focusing on the opposite of what we intend to see. Take for instance the piece entitled “Morning at…
By Dr Tom Odhiambo We live in difficult economic times. Wages are rising slower than the prices of goods and services. Families are being forced to rejig their budgets. Salaried workers and the self-employed are complaining about a rapidly rising cost of living. The cost of living is directly linked to the cost of production of goods and services. The price of a loaf of bread includes the cost of farming, what is charged to transport raw products from the farm to the factory, the cost of making the loaf, the tax that the government charges, the transport from the…
There is not just a moral but a strong business case for ensuring workplaces are inclusive. Companies that are do better business. By Nicodemus Ong’angi Since I was four years old, I have had a physical disability that makes it difficult for me to walk long distances or sit for long periods of time. Growing up, I was lucky that this didn’t stop me achieving my dreams. My mother has always believed in me, and my father has always understood my potential. At school and college, I was encouraged by staff and students alike. I am proud to say I…