NEWSBRIEF PUBLISHED BY THE SWAC SECRETARIAT Club SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA Secretariat The opinions and interpretations expressed in this newsbrief do not necessarily reflect the views of the OECD or the SWAC Secretariat. N°62 11-17 APRIL 2012 FOCUS • New crisis as soldiers seize power in Guinea-Bissau • Mali opens talks with Tuareg rebels as junta relinquishes power • 2011 Military expenditures in West Africa up from 2010 • RPCA: A new regional leadership to address food security • ECOWAS approves plan to strengthen informal trade • ECOWAS and ECCAS confer on strategies to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea • Togo to host West Africa-Asia partnership conference • Ghana, Togo re-launch 40-year-old water deal • Sierra Leone’s ruling party defends weapons purchases • Guinea: Paris Club agree to USD 344 million debt relief deal • Nigeria’s finance minister falls short in bid for World Bank presidency PUBLICATIONS • ReliefWeb: Briefing kit for Mali • Borderless West Africa: 16 th USAID-UEMOA Road Governance Report IN THIS ISSUE Military spokesman Dabana na Walna of Guinea-Bissau
Transcript
NEWSBRIEFPUBLISHED BY THE SWAC SECRETARIAT
ClubSAHEL ANDWEST AFRICA
Secretariat
Club DU SAHEL ET DEL'AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST
Secrétariat du
The opinions and interpretations expressed in this newsbrief do not necessarily reflect the views of the OECD or the SWAC Secretariat.
N°6211-17 APRIL 2012
FOCUS
• New crisis as soldiers seize power in Guinea-Bissau
• Mali opens talks with Tuareg rebels as junta relinquishes power
• 2011 Military expenditures in West Africa up from 2010
• RPCA: A new regional leadership to address food security
• ECOWAS approves plan to strengthen informal trade
• ECOWAS and ECCAS confer on strategies to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
• Togo to host West Africa-Asia partnership conference
• Ghana, Togo re-launch 40-year-old water deal
• Sierra Leone’s ruling party defends weapons purchases
• Guinea: Paris Club agree to USD 344 million debt relief deal
• Nigeria’s fi nance minister falls short in bid for World Bank presidency
PUBLICATIONS
• ReliefWeb: Briefi ng kit for Mali
• Borderless West Africa: 16th USAID-UEMOA Road Governance Report
IN THIS ISSUE
Military spokesman Dabana na walna of Guinea-Bissau
Malian authorities opened talks with Tuareg rebels who have declared independence in the country’s north, just days after coup leaders handed power over to a civilian government. A representative of the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) described the talks as “positive.” Hamma Ag Mahmoud told the AFP that the meeting “enabled us to confi rm our willingness to have a dialogue, but we did not get into the details.” Interim President Dioncounda Traoré dispatched the delegation to the talks Sunday in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott. Traoré was sworn
Mali opens talks with Tuareg rebels as junta relinquishes power
in on Thursday under an ECOWAS-brokered deal that saw the military junta that seized power last month step down in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and immunity from prose-cution. Traoré, the former parliament speaker, is tasked with organising elections within 40 days while also dealing with the confl ict in the North. During an extraordinary meeting on 12 April in Abidjan, the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council recommended the deployment of a regional force in Mali should negotia-tions fail.
Article in English: http://www.tribune.com.ng/sun/news/6998-ecowas-security-council-okays-force-against-malis-tuareg-rebels
Article in French: http://www.jeuneafrique.com/actu/20120416T150431Z20120416T150428Z/mali-premiers-contacts-positifs-entre-les-
autorites-et-les-rebelles-touareg.htmll
New crisis as soldiers seize power in Guinea-Bissau
Just as the military junta was handing over power in Mali, ECOWAS was faced with another political crisis when soldiers in Guinea-Bissau seized power and arrested the country’s interim president as well as the leading candidate in the ongoing presidential elections. The move drew immediate condemnation from regional and inter-national leaders. A delegation headed by ECOWAS Commission President Desiré Kadré Ouédraogo was in Bissau on 16 April for talks with the military junta. Ouédraogo told journalists that the delegation was close to reaching a deal to return the country to civilian
rule, but he gave no timetable for the junta to meet the regional commu-nity’s demands to hand over power and release the detained offi cials. “After in-depth discussions, we agreed on the fact that the military accept the decision of ECOWAS to return to constitutional order,” the ECOWAS Commission President said. Former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr. fi nished fi rst in the fi rst round of voting in the presidential election, but opposition candidates rejected the results, alleging widespread fraud. A runoff was scheduled for 29 April.
2011 military expenditures in West Africa up from 2010
According to the Stockholm Inter-national Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) data released on 17 April, world military spending in 2011 remains essentially unchanged after 13 years of increases, though Africa in general, and West Africa more specifi cally, both saw an increase in spending. SIPRI notes that the 8.6 percent increase in Africa can be partly attributed to concerns over the confl ict in Libya, particularly a 44 percent increase by
Algeria. The fl ood of weapons from the Libyan confl ict has also added to insecurity throughout West Africa, as rebels in Mali and Boko Haram profi t from the movement of arms and fi ghters. All of the West African nations with reported data (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo) showed a slight increase in current dollar prices.
Article in English: http://www.sipri.org/
media/pressreleases/17-april-2012-world-
military-spending-levels-out-after-13-years-of-
increases-says-sipri
Article in English : http://news.ecowas.int/presseshow.php?nb=106&lang=en&annee=2012
Article in French: http://www.pressafrik.com/Guinee-Bissau-la-Cedeao-obtient-la-promesse-d-un-retour-a-l-ordre-constitutionnel-sans-
modalites-predefi nies_a81045.html
Dioncounda Traoré, President of Mali’s National Assembly
Military spokesman Dabana na walna of Guinea-Bissau
RPCA: A new regional leadership to address food security
Members of the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) gathered in Paris to analyse the results of the 2011/2012 agricultural campaign. The region’s cereal production increased overall by 5% (compared to the fi ve-year average 2006-2010). However, cereal production in the Sahel countries dropped signifi cantly. Concurrently, persisting high food prices hinder vulnerable populations’ access to food. As of March 2012, an estimated 6 million people were facing severe food insecurity while the food situation is particularly worrying in Northern Mali where the confl ict has already displaced some 210 000 people. Many response actions at the national, regional and international levels are underway. However, RPCA Members call upon West Africa’s regional leaders to take additional actions and to organise as quickly as possible
an ECOWAS high-level meeting. Commissioners of ECOWAS and UEMOA in charge of agriculture as well as the CILSS Executive Secretary attended the RPCA meeting and facili-tated the debate towards consensual agreements. This new regional leadership confi rms the region’s strong commitment to address food security issues in the short- and long-term as outlined in the Charter for Food Crisis Prevention and Management. The three regional leaders also met with the French and Mexican Ambassadors to the OECD, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as with OECD high-level representatives in order to raise awareness about ongoing West African food security initiatives (Regional Emergency Food Reserve) and to strengthen West Africa’s voice for the next G20 meeting in Mexico.
ECOWAS approves plan to strengthen informal trade
West African trade experts have approved a strategy to support informal trade in the region. Represent-atives from the ECOWAS Commission, member states and regional chambers of commerce met on 26 and 27 March at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja to review a study on the imple-mentation of a Regulatory Informal Trade Programme. Speaking at the opening session, Hamid Ahmed, the Commissioner for Trade, Customs, Industry and Mines, Tourism and Free Movement, noted the impor-tance of informal commerce for employment and wealth creation in
the region. The new initiative aims to integrate informal trade into the formal economy by streamlining administrative requirements and implementing institutional reforms to promote fi scal transparency. It also seeks to increase traders’ access to formal credit, funding and insurance. While the chief objective is to reduce poverty and improve conditions for individual traders, the Commission said the programme would also bring benefi ts for broader economic devel-opment and regional integration in line with the “ECOWAS Vision 2020.”
Article in English: http://
news.ecowas.int/presseshow.
php?nb=103&lang=en&annee=2012
ECOWAS and ECCAS confer on strategies to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
On 28 March, members of ECOWAS and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) met in Cotonou to discuss regional co-operation on maritime safety and security in a seminar hosted by the U.S. Africa Command and the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Considering that the West African coast is rated as one of the top ten piracy hotspots in the world, Boni Yayi, President of Benin, in line with UN Resolution 2018, encouraged ECOWAS and ECCAS to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat illicit activities at sea.
Lieutenant Colonel Abdourahmane Dieng, head of ECOWAS security stated, “This initiative comes at a time when the menace of and threat posed by piracy is touching the pillars of the economy of both the coastal and land locked states in our region. Within West Africa, and the Gulf of Guinea in particular, we can identify a series of trans-border crimes such as hijacking, armed robbery, illegal migration, illicit fi shing, toxic waste dumping, human traffi cking, illegal drug traffi cking, piracy and hostage taking.”
Togo to host West Africa-Asia partnership conference
Sierra Leone’s ruling party defends weapons purchases
The West African Development Bank (BOAD) announced plans to host a forum on the creation of a new economic partnership between West Africa and Asia. Scheduled for 21-22 May in Lomé, the conference will showcase the UEMOA region as a safe and attractive destination for investment. A statement from the BOAD listed some the forum’s objec-tives as to “encourage partnerships and economic exchanges between African enterprises in the UEMOA zone and Asian firms; mobilise funding for the infrastructure of the UEMOA
In a statement issued on 11 April, the UN Security Council expressed concern over the Sierra Leone govern-ment’s purchase of assault weapons earlier this year. Outgoing UN Envoy Michael von der Schulenburg told the council that weapons, including heavy machine guns and grenade launchers, bought by Sierra Leone in January are “of great concern.” In response, Victor Foe, the Secretary-General of the ruling Sierra Leone All People’s Congress (APC), stated that the purchases were to arm the police force and that the current unrest in West
zone; and to build on Asian best practices to improve the development models of UEMOA countries.” Five workshops are scheduled, covering the key sectors of energy, banking and finance, tourism, infrastructure and food processing. Organisers of the event are hoping to attract the attention of development institutions, banks and investment funds, as well as business and political leaders. Potential investors from China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam are expected to attend.
Africa gives the president authority to protect its citizens in times of peace: “Look at what is happening in the sub-region...Do [you] want to tell me that President Ernest Bai Koroma’s government must sit idly by and not arm the police, who are in charge of internal security and military, who are charge of external security?” However, the opposition, Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), maintains that the weapons are intended to intim-idate voters before the presidential elections scheduled on 17 November.
Article in English: http://appablog.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/ecowas-un-to-co-produce-documentary-film-on-west-african-women-traders/
Article in French: http://www.afriquejet.com/documentaire-commercantes-afrique-ouest-2012040536442.html
Article in English:http://www.
voanews.com/english/news/africa/
Butty-Sierra-Leone-Arms-Debate-Foe-
16April12-147541535.html
Ghana, Togo re-launch 40-year-old water dealThe governments of Ghana and Togo have agreed to revive a decades-old water deal that stands to enhance health and standards of commu-nities living on both sides of their common border. Ghanaian Minister for Water Enoch Teye Mensah and his Togolese counterpart, General Zakari Nandja, signed the agreement for the Sogakope-Lomé Trans-Boundary Water Supply project on 12 April. “Already we are enjoying energy supply from Ghana, so this project also goes to show our strong co-operation,” General Nandja said. First proposed
in the 1970s, the project would pump 40 to 70 million gallons of water each day from the Volta River in Ghana to supply residents of the Togolese capital, Lomé. Towns and villages along the pipeline would also gain access to potable water. A water treatment plant, to be constructed in Ghana, would be managed under a public-private partnership arrangement. Authorities in the two countries are seeking financial support from the African Development Bank for the project, which has an estimated price tag of USD 120 million.
Article in English: http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/component/content/article/96-top-headlines/12333-togo-to-enjoy-potable-water-from-
ghanas-volta-river-
Article in French: http://www.republicoftogo.com/Toutes-les-rubriques/Politique/Togo-et-Ghana-relancent-le-projet-Sogakope-Lome
Guinea, Paris Club agree to USD 344 million debt relief deal
Nigeria’s finance minister falls short in bid for World Bank presidency
The Republic of Guinea has signed an agreement with the Paris Club of creditor nations to cancel or restructure a significant portion of the country’s external debt. This follows the declaration from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in February that Guinea had taken the steps necessary to qualify for debt relief. Under the terms of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, the deal reached on 11 April will reduce the country’s debt servicing obligations by USD 344 million over the next three years, including USD 151 million in debt cancellation. As of January 2012, Guinea owed USD 750 million to
Hopes for a West African taking the helm of the World Bank were dashed Monday when the Bank’s executive board announced the selection of American health expert and university president Dr. Jim Yong Kim to be the 12th president of the multilateral finance institution. Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former managing director at the Bank, was the sole remaining challenger after former Colombian Finance Minister José Antonio Ocampo withdrew from the competition and endorsed Okonjo-Iweala. Kim’s election means that the Bank will continue its unbroken tradition of choosing
Paris Club creditors. In a statement announcing the deal, the Club said members welcomed the progress Guinea has made since emerging from military rule in 2010. “Partici-pating creditors noted that following the crisis that the Republic of Guinea has gone through, the government has quickly revived economic activity and resumed negotiations with the Paris Club,” the statement said. Guinea’s government has vowed to seek similar terms from other creditors and has pledged to use the money saved from debt payments to further its poverty reduction goals.
American leaders. Yet, Okonjo-Iweala said the contest demonstrated the progress achieved in the campaign for greater African representation in global governance. “We have won a big victory,” Okonjo-Iweala told reporters ahead of the World Bank’s announcement. “We have shown we can contest this thing, and Africa can produce people capable of running the entire architecture.” In a statement, the Bank expressed its appreciation for all of the nominees: “Their candidacies enriched the discussion of the role of the President and of the World Bank Group’s future direction.”
Article in English: http://www.clubdeparis.org/sections/actualites/guinee6443
From left to rIght: Dr. Jim Yong Kim and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-iweala
Article in English: http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/22163/2012/04/16/okonjoiweala_loses_world_bank_presidency_bid_kim.html
This briefing kit from the ReliefWeb service of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) brings together the latest information and most relevant background on the humanitarian situation in Mali. A useful feature on the ReliefWeb website allows visitors to compile customised briefing kits on humanitarian situations around the globe. Combining media reports, expert analysis and updates from international organisations and non-governmental organisations working on the ground, the briefing conveys a clear and contextualised
A survey of major corridors across West Africa shows a slight decline in bribes, checkpoints and delays in the second quarter of 2011. The Road Governance initiative of ECOWAS and UEMOA monitors conditions on roadways connecting six West African countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali Senegal and Togo. Drivers are asked about their experiences with uniformed services, including police and customs. The most recent report presents data gathered from 1 April to 30 June 2011. The study found a 6% decrease in bribes compared to
portrait of the interplay between the drought across the Sahel region, the Tuareg insurgency in northern Mali and the military coup in Bamako. A “Timeline of northern conflict,” delivers an almost day-to-day summary of developments and international reaction since Tuareg fighters began attacking towns in Northern Mali in mid-January. Key dates in the conflict and in Mali’s history are traced as far back as the creation of French Sudan, including much of what is now Mali, in July 1891, and the subsequent spread of French authority into Timbuktu and the surrounding areas.
the previous quarter. Checkpoints and delays fell more significantly, 27% and 22% respectively. A notable exception to the positive trend was Senegal. After more than two years of steady improvement, traders saw an increase in harassment, particularly at the hands of police and gendar-merie. Despite the overall progress, the report shows that bribery and delays remain a serious obstacle to regional trade. On an average trip, a truck driver can expect to pay about USD 93 in bribes, despite meeting all legal requirements.
ReliefWeb: Briefing kit for Mali
Borderless West Africa: 16th USAID-UEMOA Road Governance Report
Report in English: http://www.ecdpm.org/Web_ECDPM/Web/Content/Download.nsf/0/AAB2BA40A9A068AFC12579D6002CE00E/$FILE/GREAT1-2.pdf
Report in English: http://www.borderlesswa.com/sites/default/files/resources/jan12/111219%2016th%20IRTG%20Report_en.pdf
Report in French: http://www.borderlesswa.com/sites/default/files/resources/jan12/111219%2016th%20IRTG%20Report_fr.pdf
