[African Citizens] PRESS RELEASE - 19 th AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT

Comrades,

Important information on the upcoming AU Summit! Enjoy!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Desire Assogbavi <desire.assogbavi AT oxfaminternational.org>
Date: 2012/7/4
Subject: [African Citizens] PRESS RELEASE - 19 th AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT
To: AfricanCitizens AT yahoogroups.com

AFRICAN UNION		UNION AFRICAINE
		UNIÃO AFRICANA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  P. O. Box 3243  Téléphone : 5517 700  Fax : 5511299 website :   www. africa-union.org

DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

PRESS RELEASE N0. 01/ 19th AU SUMMIT

NINETEENTH AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT TO FOCUS ON BOOSTING INTRA-AFRICAN TRADE

Addis Ababa, 3^rd July 2012 – The 19^th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) is scheduled to take place from 09 to 16 July 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Holding under the theme: “Boosting Intra-African Trade”, the 19^th Ordinary Session of the Summit of the African Union will officially kick off on Monday 9^th July 2012, with the 24^th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC).  The PRC will discuss items on the agenda in preparation of the upcoming AU Summit, to be submitted to the Executive Council for adoption.

According to the PRC agenda for the 19^th AU Summit, the Ambassadors will, for two days (09 and 10 July 2012) exchange views on specific reports including the reports of the Advisory Sub-committee on administrative, budgetary and financial matters; sub-committee on programmes and conferences; sub-committee on structures; multilateral cooperation;; economic and trade matters; the report on the NEPAD as well as that of the refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons in Africa). They will consider the working documents and draft decisions in preparation for the 21^st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council.

On the other hand,        the 21^st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council will hold from 12 to 13 July 2012 at the headquarters of the AU in Addis Ababa. The Ministers of External Affairs and other ministers or authorities designated by the governments of AU Member States will deliberate on the different reports of the ministerial meetings organised by the AU Commission during the last six months.  They will consider the activity report of the Commission; the recommendations of the PRC on the implementation of previous Decisions of the Executive Council and the Assembly; and the report of the ministerial committee on candidatures.

The Executive Council will further look into reports of some AU Organs including the Pan-African Parliament (PAP); the African Committee of the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC); the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the Union (ECOSOCC); the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption; and the African Union Commission on International Law (AUCIL) before embarking on the consideration of items proposed by Member States. One of the high moments during the Executive Council meeting will be the election of Commissioners of the African Union and the election of three judges of the African Court of Human and People’s Rights (AfCHPR) as well as the appointment of one judge of the AU Ad-Hoc Administrative Tribunal.  

The 19^th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union is scheduled to take place on 15 and 16 July 2012.

AU Summit to Discuss President’s Report of Activity:

The AU Heads of State and Government will consider the recommendations of the Executive Council on the report of the Commission on the implementation of previous Decisions of the Executive Council and the Assembly; the report of the Peace and Security Council on its activities and the state of peace and security in Africa, including the activities of the Panel of the Wise; the report of Mr. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC); and that on Africa’s preparation for the Climate Change Negotiations at the 18^th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP18), in his capacity as Coordinator of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC).

The Presidents and Heads of Delegations will also exchange views on the report of Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo and Africa’s Coordinator on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) .They will discuss the report of Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Chairperson of the Committee of Ten on the UN Reforms.

The Assembly will further consider the report of the High Level Committee of Heads of State and Government/ Chair of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on Boosting Intra-African Trade, among others. According to the agenda of the Summit, the Heads of State will proceed to the election of the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission.

For more information, consult the African Union website: www.au.int  and visit the 19^th Summit web page of the AU at the following link:  http://au.int/en/summit/19thsummit

Journalists are invited to cover the official opening and closing ceremonies of the 24^th   Ordinary Session of the PRC on 9 and 10 July 2012, the 21^st  Ordinary Session of the Executive Council 12 and 13 July 2012 and the 19^th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly on 15 and 16 July 2012.

Journalists wishing to interview the leadership of the AU Commission during the Summit should submit their requests to Mrs Esther Azaa Tankou E-mail: YambouE@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com

********************************
Desire  Assogbavi (Mr.)
Head of Office
Oxfam International
Liaison Office with the African Union
TK Building - Bole Airport Area Suite 406
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tel.: +251 11 661 1601
        +251 11 661 2492 (direct line)
Mobile: +251 911 20 83 32

Fax:        +251 661 2795
E-mail: desire.assogbavi@oxfaminternational.org
             
----- Forwarded by Desire Assogbavi/Addis Ababa/International/Oxfam on 04/07/2012 18:19 -----

From:        Tankou Azza Esther <YambouE@africa-union.org>
To:        Wynne Musabayana <MUSABAYANAW@africa-union.org>, Asmerom Girma <AsmeromG@africa-union.org>, Yaye Nabo Sene <SENEY@africa-union.org>, "afraht@hotmail.com" <afraht@hotmail.com>, "Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar" <GamalK@africa-union.org>, Mike Fikre <m_fikre@hotmail.com>, Molalet Tsedeke <MolaletT@africa-union.org>, Seblu Zenebe <SebluZ@africa-union.org>, Rahel Akalewold <RahelA@africa-union.org>
Cc:        Habiba Mejri-cheikh <HabibaM@africa-union.org>
Date:        04/07/2012 18:10
Subject:        PRESS RELEASE - NINETEENTH AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT TO FOCUS ON BOOSTING INTRA-AFRICAN TRADE

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AFRICAN UNION		UNION AFRICAINE
		UNIÃO AFRICANA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  P. O. Box 3243  Téléphone : 5517 700  Fax : 5511299 website :   www. africa-union.org

DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
 
PRESS RELEASE N0. 01/ 19th AU SUMMIT
 
NINETEENTH AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT TO FOCUS ON BOOSTING INTRA-AFRICAN TRADE

 
Addis Ababa, 3^rd July 2012 – The 19^th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) is scheduled to take place from 09 to 16 July 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Holding under the theme: “Boosting Intra-African Trade”, the 19^th Ordinary Session of the Summit of the African Union will officially kick off on Monday 9^th July 2012, with the 24^th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC).  The PRC will discuss items on the agenda in preparation of the upcoming AU Summit, to be submitted to the Executive Council for adoption.
 
According to the PRC agenda for the 19^th AU Summit, the Ambassadors will, for two days (09 and 10 July 2012) exchange views on specific reports including the reports of the Advisory Sub-committee on administrative, budgetary and financial matters; sub-committee on programmes and conferences; sub-committee on structures; multilateral cooperation;; economic and trade matters; the report on the NEPAD as well as that of the refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons in Africa). They will consider the working documents and draft decisions in preparation for the 21^st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council.
 
On the other hand,  the 21^st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council will hold from 12 to 13 July 2012 at the headquarters of the AU in Addis Ababa. The Ministers of External Affairs and other ministers or authorities designated by the governments of AU Member States will deliberate on the different reports of the ministerial meetings organised by the AU Commission during the last six months.  They will consider the activity report of the Commission; the recommendations of the PRC on the implementation of previous Decisions of the Executive Council and the Assembly; and the report of the ministerial committee on candidatures.
 
The Executive Council will further look into reports of some AU Organs including the Pan-African Parliament (PAP); the African Committee of the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC); the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the Union (ECOSOCC); the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption; and the African Union Commission on International Law (AUCIL) before embarking on the consideration of items proposed by Member States. One of the high moments during the Executive Council meeting will be the election of Commissioners of the African Union and the election of three judges of the African Court of Human and People’s Rights (AfCHPR) as well as the appointment of one judge of the AU Ad-Hoc Administrative Tribunal.  
 
The 19^th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union is scheduled to take place on 15 and 16 July 2012.
 
AU Summit to Discuss President’s Report of Activity:
 
The AU Heads of State and Government will consider the recommendations of the Executive Council on the report of the Commission on the implementation of previous Decisions of the Executive Council and the Assembly; the report of the Peace and Security Council on its activities and the state of peace and security in Africa, including the activities of the Panel of the Wise; the report of Mr. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chairperson of NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC); and that on Africa’s preparation for the Climate Change Negotiations at the 18^th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP18), in his capacity as Coordinator of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC).
 
The Presidents and Heads of Delegations will also exchange views on the report of Mr. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo and Africa’s Coordinator on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) .They will discuss the report of Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and Chairperson of the Committee of Ten on the UN Reforms.
 
The Assembly will further consider the report of the High Level Committee of Heads of State and Government/ Chair of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on Boosting Intra-African Trade, among others. According to the agenda of the Summit, the Heads of State will proceed to the election of the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
 
 
 
For more information, consult the African Union website: www.au.int  and visit the 19^th Summit web page of the AU at the following link:  http://au.int/en/summit/19thsummit

 
Journalists are invited to cover the official opening and closing ceremonies of the 24^th   Ordinary Session of the PRC on 9 and 10 July 2012, the 21^st  Ordinary Session of the Executive Council 12 and 13 July 2012 and the 19^th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly on 15 and 16 July 2012.
 
Journalists wishing to interview the leadership of the AU Commission during the Summit should submit their requests to Mrs Esther Azaa Tankou E-mail: YambouE@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com
 
 
 

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Tankou Azza Esther Information Officer Communications and Information Unit African Union Commission

Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 Mobile: Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 Email: YambouE@africa-union.org Web: www.au.int

Roosvelt Street(Old Airport Area)W21K19 3243 Addis Ababa Ethiopia Disclaimer: This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the recipient . If you are not the intended message recipient  you must not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The Sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a result of e-mail transmission.    Please consider the environment before printing this email message.

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PR 01 ON THE AGENDA 19th AU Summit 4 7 12 rev.doc Download this file

SOCIAL SECURITY:"Providing retirement benefit for migrant workers in West Africa"

from:  http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/43410.html

Providing retirement benefit for migrant workers in West Africa

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OMOBOLA TOLU-KUSIMO 25/06/2012 21:16:00

The plight of migrant workers in Nigeria and other West African states with little or no access to social protection and retirement benefits was recently brought to the fore by the International Social Security Association (ISSA), West African Regional Office and the National Pension Commission (PenCom). OMOBOLA TOLU-KUSIMO reports. Amidst the rising number of migrant workers due to the various bilateral and mul-tilateral agreements on the move-ment of people, goods and services across countries, the right to ensure protection for migrant workers has remained a challenge in the West-African sub-region. Indeed, the growing pace of eco-nomic globalisation has created more migrant workers than ever be-fore. Unemployment and increasing poverty have prompted many people in developing countries to seek work elsewhere, while developed coun-tries have increased their demand for labour, especially unskilled la-bour. As a result, millions of workers and their families travel to coun-tries other than their own to find work. According to the United Nations, 230 million people, that is, more than 3 percent of the world’s population lived and worked outside their coun-try of birth in 2011, as opposed to 75 million or 2.3 percent in 1965. At present there are approximately 175 million migrants around the world, roughly half of whom are workers. Migrant workers contribute to the economies of their host countries, and the remittances they send home help to boost the economies of their countries of origin.

Yet, they often enjoy little social protection and are vulnerable to exploitation.

Worried by this wave, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) and the International Social Security As-sociation (ISSA), West African Region-al Office recently organised a meeting in Abuja to guaranty the protection and portability of benefits of workers across the West African sub-region.

The occasion was the meeting of the migrant workers working group in Ni-geria held recently and it focused on identifying ways that would ensure the provision of retirement benefits for every migrant worker in the sub-region, facilitate the transfer of these benefits as and when due and provide adequate protection to the pension as-sets of this class of workers.  

At the end of deliberations by all stakeholders, a draft working docu-ment was produced to help address most if not all social security chal-lenges associated with migrant work-ers across African sub-region.

According to the National Pension Commission, the region has witnessed an annual average growth rate of 1.8 percent in the number of migrant workers between 2005 and 2010, which proportionally represented 2.8 percent of the total population of the sub-re-gion. 

In an address by the Director-Gener-al of PenCom, Mr. Muhammed Ahmad recalled that Nigeria introduced the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in 2004 that allowed employees of both the public and private sectors to open Retirement Savings Accounts (RSA) in which they accumulate assets for payment of pension after they retire from employments.

He stressed that the system made it possible to isolate the pension as-sets of every registered contributor right from inception.

According to him, retirees have the option of procuring Programmed Withdrawal or purchasing Life An-nuity as a way of accessing their re-tirement benefits from their RSAs.

He, however, stated that while mi-grant workers are allowed to trans-fer the full content of their RSAs to their countries of choice on retire-ment, there are challenges that has made this difficult.  He said, “It is well known that many pension schemes are not as flexible.

Thus, portability of the re-tirement benefits of migrant may not be possible. Indeed in some cas-es, the workers are employed as con-tract staff with contract salaries that are slightly higher than the benefits of the employees that could benefit from some form of pension arrange-ments.  The former employees are not entitled to any retirement ben-efits. 

This bias has since been cor-rected in Nigeria by the introduction of the CPS, which allows every em-ployee to register an RSA and have his or her retirement benefits remit-ted on monthly basis.“This step taken by Nigeria solved not only the above problems and oth-er logistics associated with retire-ment benefits, but also generated a pool of log term funds for economic development.

“So far, about N2.6tn, equivalent to over $16bn has been generated under the scheme and had been in-vested in various sectors of the economy. The scheme had created institutional investors and gener-ated direct employment as well as provided business opportunities to third party service providers.”

He urged the participants from other West African countries to ful-ly explore the experiences of other jurisdiction in handling the subject matter and try to come up with solu-tions that are workable for the coun-tries in West Africa even as he ask that their recommendations should not be unmindful of the various existing agreements between coun-tries in the sub-region, particularly.

He added that there is also the need to identify areas that require amendments in such bilateral and multilateral documents in order to facilitate the protection and por-tability of migrant workers retire-ment benefits.

Also speaking at the meeting, ECOWAS President, Mr. Kadre De-sire Ouedraogo stated that the ne-cessity of ensuring social protec-tion for migrant workers and the portability of their benefits has be-come increasingly imperative and the issues bothering on the rights of workers, integration, provision of social security and portability of benefits among member countries through the provision of enabling laws, enforcement and conducive working environment must be ad-dressed.

Minister of Labour and Produc-tivity, Mr. Emeka Wogu noted that various conventions and bilateral agreements notwithstanding, the protection of migrant workers’ rights remains a significant chal-lenge, especially for workers in the informal and unregulated sectors of the economy such as domestic work and those involved in forced labour.

He said, “Migrant workers with irregular status are particularly vulnerable to exploitation in work.

“Areas of concern include threat or physical harm to the worker; re-striction of movement and confine-ment to the workplace or to a limited area; debt bondage; withholding of payment or excessive wage reduc-tions; retention of passports and identity documents; and threat of denunciation to the immigration authorities where the worker has an irregular immigration status.

As labour mobility increases, these concerns are likely to become even more acute for low-skilled and ir-regular migrants.”Wogu pointed out that the initia-tive by the ISSA Liaison Office to address the course of migrant work-ers is a welcome development as it would engender a common position on the issue of social protection for migrant workers and the portability of their benefits among West Afri-can countries.

The problem with bilateral arrange-ments he said, lies in the fact that such arrangements can put West African countries in a delicate position as some of the provisions of these arrangements may run contrary to the ECOWAS proto-col on free movement of persons, goods and services.

Besides, some transiting migrants could be stranded as a result of contra-dictory provisions in the bilateral ar-rangements and the ECOWAS protocol, he added.

In his view, “available documents such as Draft ECOWAS General Conven-tion on Social security of 1993, the 2006 ECOWAS Common Approach on Migra-tion, the ILO and UNO Conventions on various rights of migrant workers and the portability of their benefits should serve as working tools in coming up with a common position for West Africa states on the social protection of mi-grant workers and the portability of their Benefits”.

#youth offers both an...

...opportunity and challenge for country's #peace and #security #ejnGhana

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*Contact me: +233.268.687.653// +233.243.111.789

Dr.Baah-Boateng:#employment...

is very different from #jobs. #sustainability is key #EJNSeminar

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UN calls for Mobile Banking rules in East African Community(EAC)

dtlstict2012d2_en-mobilemoney.pdf Download this file

from: http://www.mfw4a.org/news/news-details/2/un-calls-for-mobile-banking-rules-in-eac.html

UN calls for mobile banking rules in EAC

19.06.2012

The United Nations is calling for rules to be introduced to coordinate the use of mobile money services in East Africa.

The United Nations is calling for rules to be introduced to coordinate the use of mobile money services in East Africa.

Using mobile phones to make payments and transfer cash is popular in this part of the continent, UN News Service reports.

The UN Conference on Trade and Development has published a report on the matter called Mobile Money for Business Development in the East African Community: A Comparative Study of Existing Platforms and Regulations, focuses on the East African Community (EAC).

In it, the organisation states: "Governments in the region need to address issues relating to telecommunications and financial regulation to ensure that mobile money services bring the desired broad benefits, especially to the poor."

Currently, the EAC offers more than a quarter of all mobile money systems in Africa.

Mobile banking has grown considerably in Africa in recent years, with figures from the African Development Bank showing there were less than two million mobile phone users on the continent in 1998. By 2009, this had grown to over 400 million.

ENDs

Pls find attached herewith the UNCTAD report in question. 

Happy reading!

Emmanuel

UPCOMING: "Africa-wide Cross Networks Meeting on the African Mining Vision (AMV)"

Upcoming Africa-wide Cross Networks Meeting on the African Mining Vision (AMV)

The Pan-African extractive sector network AIMES (African Initiative on Mining, Environment and Society) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Africa are jointly organizing a meeting of Africa-wide cross networks/constituencies on the Africa Mining Vision (AMV). The meeting is being hosted by the Third World Network – Africa (TWN-Af), with support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) from June 26^th to 29^th, 2012 at Mensvic Grand Hotel, East Legon, Accra, Ghana.

From February 2007 to December 2011 the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) and the Africa Union (AU) led a process of reforming the mining regimes operating in Africa. This follows recognition of the marginal developmental impacts and the preponderant negative environmental and social impacts in the over twenty years of mining on the continent. This process resulted in the adoption of three important policy documents: the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) in February 2009 and an Action Plan in December 2011 for the realization of the AMV. A Report of the International Study Group (ISG) which offered an intellectual analysis by deepening key tenets of the AMV and from which the Action Plan draws content was also launched by African ministers responsible for the development of mining in December 2011.

These policy documents set the stage for a departure from the current regimes operating on the continent into a new regime in which mining catalyses transformation mineral producing African countries. A departure into the new regime envisioned by the policy documents requires a strong constituency of change rooted in ownership and support within African society. African civil society organizations and networks/coalitions are key part of this constituency. Secondly, the scope of issues raised by the reform agenda requires an engagement with a broad range of civil society actors and constituencies for the realization of the change set out for mining in Africa.

The meeting would bring together representatives of African civil society networks/coalitions and social constituencies from labour movements, mining affected community groups, artisanal and small scale mining organizations, gender groups, the media among others to discuss and improve understanding of the AMV and related policy documents, issues and processes of the Africa mining reform agenda. 

The meeting is also expected to generate a common understanding about opportunities and challenges for civil society advocacy around the African mining reform agenda and make inputs and contributions to the finalization of the business plan of the African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC). The AMDC is being established as result of the decisions of the December 2011 AU Ministerial  Conference  on Minerals and Development and will be a coordinating centre for the implementation of decisions towards the realization of the AMV.

Thank you for your attention and looking forward to welcoming you to the meeting.

You can find more information on http://www.twnafrica.org. Check us out on http://www.facebook.com/twnafrica

Draft Concept Note - Cross neworks meeting on AMV.doc Download this file

Draft Programme for Meeting on AMV.doc Download this file

ECONOMIC JUSTICE NETWORK (EJN) WORKSHOP ON JOBS & LIVELIHOODS

EJN is organising a seminar on Jobs & Livelihoods on Thursday 9am at Coconut Grove Hotel, Accra. Please see below & attached.

ECONOMIC JUSTICE NETWORK (EJN) WORKSHOP ON JOBS & LIVELIHOODS

Concept Note

Introduction: The EJN is organizing a workshop on current problems, challenges and appropriate policy responses to the crisis of Jobs and Livelihoods in Ghana today. The workshop will bring together trade unions, women and youth organizations, farmers, industrialists, policy makers, academics and policy research and advocacy organizations and networks. It will be held in Accra on 21^st June 2012.

 

Background:  In 2011, Ghana attained record levels of GDP growth, marking a pronounced accentuation of the long-term trend of positive economic growth experienced over the last several decades. On the face of it, this reflects the success of the export-led strategy that has dominated policy and economic restructuring over this period. But this masks severe problems and developmental costs that this has entailed.

 

Primary among these is the crisis of joblessness that has characterized the pattern and nature of Ghana’s economic growth. Only an estimated 11% of the labour force remains in the formal sector; and only one-seventh of these are young workers under the age of thirty. In a country in which more than 70% of the population are young people this shows the depth and severity of the crisis of income-generating livelihoods and productive employment. In the context of the afore-mentioned export-led growth it also reveals the underside of an economy incapable of generating sustained improvements in the standard of living for a growing majority.

 

The dimensions of this that are given most recognition in official circles (at least at the rhetorical level) are the socio-political problems of the apparent inequality reflected in the regressive distribution of the benefits of the jobless growth that prevails. In recent years, mainstream policy establishment have emphasized this danger by reference to the upheavals in North Africa and across the Arab region. The most high profile policy response has been the increasing promotion of ‘inclusive growth’ which can be summarized as more systematic public policy interventions that privilege employment creation schemes within the mix of poverty reduction tools.

 

But this poverty-reduction or consumption-driven orientation of ‘inclusive growth’ has already shown crucial limitations. It retains the add-on, post-facto character of the social intervention programmes that have become institutionalized in the structural adjustment years, starting with PAMSCAD in the late 1980s. As such it does not bring into view, let alone seek to address, the actual source of the problem which is constantly reproduced and whose effects such interventions are intended to mitigate.

 

In particular, it overlooks the implications of the domestic deflation that has been pursued as the prerequisite of maintaining international cost competitiveness and external market share for both the foreign capital and primary commodity exports that Ghana has become even more narrowly dependent upon. Nor does it pay serious attention to the ever deepening economic distortions accompanying and resulting from the suppression of wage costs, employment growth, domestic consumption and the production that would have been oriented on growing domestic demand.  Another cost of the resultant de-industrialization and agrarian paralysis is an import dependency that accentuates both the shock of every economic downturn as well as the distortions of every export-led growth cycle.

 

Crucially, the global economic crisis has greatly undermined the credibility and sustainability of primary commodity export-led growth strategy, which is revealed not only as a threat to poor people or for social and political stability, but, just as much, if not more, for the sustainability of growth and the prospects of development transformation.

 

There is now an urgent imperative to reorient growth on the more sustainable base of rebuilding domestic production capacity and domestic markets on the basis of the transformation of productivity and its structural integration.

 

 An employment- and incomes-led growth path is a vital part of this – both as a kick-start and as part of long term sustainability. This must also situate itself on economic justice critiques and agenda’s of key constituencies such as the Trade Union’s current ‘Decent Work’ project, among others.

 

The EJN seminar will explore how developing the advocacy work of key constituencies in responding to current context of the jobs and livelihood crises can also set the agenda for alternative growth and developmental transformation policy in Ghana today.

 

Forum Objectives:

i)                    Develop shared understandings of causes and trends of joblessness; pressures on job-creation, viability of rural, smallholder and informal productive activity; and livelihood incomes.

ii)                   Share experiences by key socio-economic constituencies of jobs and livelihood threats and challenges and their struggles for defending and improving conditions

iii)                 Explore and share approaches and initiatives for policy and advocacy alternatives in response to the jobs and livelihood question

iv)                 Develop shared understanding and a collaborative agenda of collective organizational, networking and advocacy requirements for EJN as vehicle for contributing to synergizing and strengthening jobs and livelihoods agendas of popular constituencies in the context of alternative paradigms for economic growth and development.

Seminar Programme Structure:

The one-day workshop will comprise of 3 sessions:

Session One: Analytical Overview of Policy Approaches and Initiatives for Jobs and Livelihoods in Ghana

a)      Government approaches and policy programmes to Employment Creation and Livelihood enhancement in Ghana: Past & Present

b)      Employment, Growth and Development in Ghana: An analytical overview

c)        Export-led Growth & the Politics of Jobs and Incomes Policy in the era of Global Crisis

(or: The Politics of Jobs and Livelihood under the Export-led Growth and Trade Liberalisation regime)

d)      Alternative Initiatives for Jobs: The Decent Work Agenda for Ghana

 

Session Two:   Strengthening Constituencies for Effective Advocacy

a)      Experiences and Responses of Trade Unions, Farmers, Informal Sector, Women and Youth to Jobs and Livelihood challenges

b)      Lessons of Popular Needs and Struggles for Jobs and Livelihoods

 

Session Three: Elements of EJN’s possible contribution to a Developmental Jobs & Incomes Agenda

a)      Synergies for a common alternative paradigm

b)       Mobilising constituencies towards an EJN agenda for advocacy

CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE ELABORATION OF MASTER PLAN FOR THE AFRICAN POSTAL SECTOR.

EOI_-_CONSULTANCY_SERVICES_FOR_ELABORATION_OF_POSTAL_MASTER_PLAN[1]_0.pdf Download this file

The African Union, established as a unique Pan African continental body, is charged with

spearheading Africa’s rapid integration and sustainable development by promoting unity,

solidarity, cohesion and cooperation among the peoples of Africa and African States as well as

developing a New Partnership worldwide. Its Headquarters is located in Addis Ababa, capital

city of Ethiopia.

Overall Objective

The overall objective of the master Plan is to provide the African Union with a vision of postal

sector’s future in Africa in the forthcoming thirty (30) years supported by the relevant policies,

guidelines and priorities program proposals, taking into account the changing world.

In view of the above, the African Union Commission intends to hire a qualified firm or

Individual to carry out a consultancy service on the Elaboration of the Master Plan for

the African Postal Sector.

Summary of Outputs and Services to be provided by the consultant

The following deliverables are required for this project and shall be submitted to the Head of

Postal Telecommunication and ICT Division.

The final report will be issued after comments from a validation workshop gathering member

States of the African Union and Experts. It would include an Executive Summary in English and

French. This will be done after issuing an Inception and Draft Report for the same consultancy.

Interested consultancy firms may obtain further information from Vincent Moola, Procurement

Expert, African Union Commission, Procurement and Travel Division, Roosevelt Street,

P. O. Box 3243, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The telephone number is +251-11-551 7700, the

fax number is Fax: +251-11-5517844/5510442 and the Email: moolav@africa-union.org

from 09:00 hours to 16:30 hours local time.

AVIATION: "ECOWAS" airline ASKY to Fly to Brazil through Lome

from:  http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/iata-ethiopian-targets-brazil-with-sao-paulo-route-372817/

IATA: Ethiopian targets Brazil with Sao Paulo route

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By:   DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW BEIJING

01:07 11 Jun 2012 

Source: 

 

Ethiopian Airlines is aiming to begin Sao Paulo services this year, having identified Brazil as a crucial market, and intends to feed the flights with its Togolese operator ASKY.

Chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam says the carrier will have a "heavy emphasis" on Brazil, China and India and claims these countries will drive the "huge growth" central to its Vision 2025 strategy.

He says the carrier hopes to start the Sao Paulo route in December and operate via Lomé, where its West African venture ASKY will serve as a feeder.

Ethiopian will also broaden its African base reach, Gebremariam adds, with a hub in southern Africa - in Zambia or Tanzania - as well as a central hub in "one of the Congos", to complement its base at Addis Ababa.

Its network will extend to Cotonou, Benin, in mid-June and Toronto in July, with the Namibian capital Windhoek following in October-November.

Gebremariam stresses that the carrier, whose financial year ends in June, is profitable, even if it "might not have been as profitable as expected" in the Vision 2025 plan, owing to fuel prices. "But growth has been beyond our expectations," he says, indicating it has achieved a traffic rise of 30% and forecasts a repeat for the next fiscal year.

He says Ethiopian is trying to redress an imbalance, claiming 80% of African traffic is carried by non-African carriers. "It has to be fair," he says.

Ethiopian's mainline operation is one of seven business units which make up a broader aviation group, and Gebremariam says some of these other activities must be developed to achieve its strategic plan. It has invested heavily in its training academy, with the first multi-crew pilot licence cadets coming onboard in January 2013, and intends to enhance its maintenance business.

"You can only grow so much as an airline," he says. "Beyond that, it has to come from a diversified model."

TECHNOLOGY: New Research: Tablets in Africa

Please note while reading that Africa is NOT a country!;-D

Enjoy,

Emmanuel

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Kathryn Cave (Africa) - The Emergence of Tablets

Posted by Kathryn Cave Company IDG Connect 06/18/2012

 

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Last Thursday IDG Connect released global tablet research based on a survey of 3124 IT and business professionals. Kathryn Cave looks at the African results.

It is hard to talk about IT in Africa without touching on mobility. Yet this is mostly defined as handheld devices rather than tablets. Our June research shows that only 55% of Africans surveyed own a tablet device compared to a global average of 71%. This is the lowest level of any continent in the world and compares to 66% of Asians and 69% from the Middle East. These African tablet users also demonstrate the lowest percentage with iPads (46%) and the joint highest number of Android owners (49%) with Asia.

The most prolific tablet users

Tablet penetration is only half the story though. Whilst Africans have the lowest volume of tablets, they are the most prolific users. Our findings reveal that 80% use their tablet daily for work, compared to a global average of 61%. 95% use it daily for personal use compared to a global average of 87%. On top of this, 46% of Africans who don’t own a tablet say they intend to invest in one within the next three months. This is the highest percentage anywhere else in the world and compares to a global average of 31%.

When we asked non-tablet owners who intended to buy a tablet in the next 12 months what operating system they intended to go for, only 21% of Africans said an iPad (the lowest globally), whilst more than twice as many (44%) placed their faith in Google Android. These findings suggest that although Africa may be behind the world in the tablet space - amongst a professional audience at least - this trend will not last long.

Africans have unique opinions

Interestingly, as we’ve discovered with other global research we have run, African opinion diverges from the global average in a number of different ways. Not only does the situation appear to actually be different on this continent, the way Africans view the situation appears to be at odds with the rest of the world too. A picture rapidly emerges of a truly unique emerging hub.

When we asked respondents which features they regarded to be most important when selecting a device Africans came out stronger on ‘brand reputation’, ‘appearance’ and ‘price’ than any other continent in the world. 42% said ‘brand reputation’ was very important, compared to a global average of 25%. 40% said ‘appearance of device’ was very important, compared to a global average of 24%. Whilst 54% said ‘price’ was very important, compared to a global average of 41%.

I was fascinated by this because although an emphasis on the price makes complete sense, an interest in ‘brand reputation’ and ‘appearance’ actually seems to contradict a move away from the iPad. What is more, the African interest in price was not significantly different from the rest of the world, especially when you add together those who rate it ‘very important’ (54% in Africa, 41% globally) and ‘important’ (27% in Africa, 37% globally).This means the African average becomes 81% against a global average of 78%.

The growth of African mobility

The other area where Africans revealed strong trends of their own was when we asked respondents why they think tablets are popular in the market generally. In this question everyone in the world thought ‘Mobility: easy to download content and access it on the move’ to be the biggest draw of tablets. However, more Africans believed this to be the main attraction (84%) than any other continent in the world.

Interestingly, 44% also think ‘Sharing: ideal for showing information to others’ as a main attraction of tablets compared to a global average of 30%. This appears to highlight a different approach to information.

Overall, Africa is renowned for its mobility. It is the country with the highest penetration of mobile phones, it is famous for its innovative use of mobile banking and m-government, but tablets have not caught up yet. On a continent where mobility seems to be of paramount importance it can’t be long before this global trend takes off with a vengeance.

Kathryn Cave is Editor of IDG Connect.

===============

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: IDG Connect <IDGConnect@idgconnect-resources.com>
Date: 2012/6/18
Subject: New Research: Tablets in Africa
To: ekbensah AT gmail.com

CYBERCRIME: Australia's Federal Police & Nigeria's EFCC Call for ECOWAS Convention on Cybercrime

Comrades,

Fox Africa (avaiable on SKYY Plus here in Ghana) only last week concluded the third franchise of the crime drama "Underbelly" series, which offers serious insights into true, organised crime of the New South Wales Police. This corruption reached its peak in 1994 that there had to be established a Royal Wood Commission to look into organised crime, including drug-dealing by detectives of that force. 

Wikipedia reports that "The Royal Commission uncovered hundreds of instances of bribery, money laundering, drug trafficking, and falsifying of evidence by police. Of particular note was the detective division of the Kings Cross patrol, of which almost all the senior ranks, including the chief detective, were involved in serious and organised corrupt activities, including taking regular bribes from major drug traffickers."

Anyone who failed to report to the Commission was jailed.

I personally doff my hat to the Australians While they may have their claws out for West Africa's natural resources, I think, after the UK and the US law enforcement agencies, the Australians are great source of inspiration on dealing with policing in general and organised crime in particular. 

In Ghana, we joke about the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS)--primarily because they seem to be reduced to a footnote, when a country like Austalia takes policing the police very seriously. The Australians, in my humble opinion, are spot-on and here's where I would like to think we ought to draw serious lessons from their history of fighting organised crime.

That they are offering capacity-building WITH Nigeria's commendable Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) can only offer some hope that there's a lot more to our neighbours-we-love-to-hate!

Enjoy!

Emmanuel

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from:  http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/letters/42673-ecowas-and-the-need-for-a-convention-on-cyber-crime

ECOWAS and the need for a convention on cyber crime

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Monday, 18 June 2012

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A three-day regional 
workshop on cyber 
crime, convened by the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), ended in Abuja on Wednesday, April 18th, 2012, with a call on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to establish a convention on cyber crime to fashion a common law among member states in order to promote cooperation among them in the fight against cyber crimes. 

A ten-paragraph communiqué issued at the end of the conference also called for a closer collaboration among all law enforcement agencies like the INTERPOL and others in the West African countries. Such officers should be trained on cyber crimes to assist them in sending the right information on cyber crime cases.

The conference also deliberated on the need for practical cooperation among West African countries in terms of policing and intelligence gathering on cyber crime-related issues and other organized crimes. 

It also called on all law enforcement agencies in the sub-region to constantly come together and think up policies on how to tackle the issue of cyber crime. 

Countries, the conference further said, must put aside bureaucracy in order to get result on the prosecution of cyber crime cases in the sub-region. 

“Cyber crimes need spontaneous response and the bureaucracy involved in receiving information among countries is a huge barrier. 

Countries should set up cyber crime patrol units, where officers will act as victims in order to track and trace these criminals.”

Beside, the conference resolved that all countries should acquire the necessary software that will help in the identification of the originating locations of scam mails and the Internet Service Provider, ISP’s addresses used in this act. 

The AFP is however encouraged to organise more training for the law enforcement agencies in the West African sub-region and Cameroun on cyber crimes and other forms of organised crime. 

=============

[African Citizens] Consultancy Opportunity: Study on the Freedom of Movement in Africa

Study TORs for Free Movement of People (1).pdf Download this file

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Free movement of people is central to continental integration and can therefore not be divorced

from other integration initiatives such as economic integration, political and security cooperation.

It is difficult to imagine how free movement of goods and services, let alone continental

integration will be achieved for as long as there are restrictions to the movement of people in the

region.

From a civil society perspective, at the basic level, free movement of people would be in the

form of removal of VISA restrictions for short-term visits for an agreed period. At a deeper level,

free movement of people involves removal of internal border controls within member states,

harmonization of migration policies, procedures and travel documents and adequate

infrastructures to enable African citizens to easily and affordable access different countries.

Free movement of people also entails efficiency, security and safety of migrants as they move

from place to place and also as they seek to reside, work or establish themselves in another

country.

If achieved, free movement of persons will be epitomized by the creation of a community of

African citizens, who can move from country to country without restrictions; citizens whose

human rights are respected; respect of the rights of migrants; tolerance; people to people

solidarity and more importantly a sense of belonging to the African Continent.

This is call for application by experts willing to do the study.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Janah Ncube - Musimwa <janah.ncube AT gmail.com>
Date: 2012/6/14
Subject: [African Citizens] Consultancy Opportunity: Study on the Freedom of Movement in Africa
To: africancitizens@yahoogroups.com

 

Colleagues

Please find attached the TORs for a study on the Freedom of Movement of Persons in Africa.

Kindly share with your contacts and networks and/or recommend someone(s)

If you have comments and elements you think will enrich this study please share with me so we enrich the TORs before we sign the contract with the identified consultant to carry this important work.

Apologies for cross posting.

Best regards

[African Citizens] Consultancy Opportunity: Study on the Freedom of Movement in Africa

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Free movement of people is central to continental integration and can therefore not be divorced

from other integration initiatives such as economic integration, political and security cooperation.

It is difficult to imagine how free movement of goods and services, let alone continental

integration will be achieved for as long as there are restrictions to the movement of people in the

region.

From a civil society perspective, at the basic level, free movement of people would be in the

form of removal of VISA restrictions for short-term visits for an agreed period. At a deeper level,

free movement of people involves removal of internal border controls within member states,

harmonization of migration policies, procedures and travel documents and adequate

infrastructures to enable African citizens to easily and affordable access different countries.

Free movement of people also entails efficiency, security and safety of migrants as they move

from place to place and also as they seek to reside, work or establish themselves in another

country.

If achieved, free movement of persons will be epitomized by the creation of a community of

African citizens, who can move from country to country without restrictions; citizens whose

human rights are respected; respect of the rights of migrants; tolerance; people to people

solidarity and more importantly a sense of belonging to the African Continent.

This is call for application by experts willing to do the study.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Janah Ncube - Musimwa <janah.ncube AT gmail.com>
Date: 2012/6/14
Subject: [African Citizens] Consultancy Opportunity: Study on the Freedom of Movement in Africa
To: africancitizens@yahoogroups.com

 

Colleagues

Please find attached the TORs for a study on the Freedom of Movement of Persons in Africa.

Kindly share with your contacts and networks and/or recommend someone(s)

If you have comments and elements you think will enrich this study please share with me so we enrich the TORs before we sign the contract with the identified consultant to carry this important work.

Apologies for cross posting.

Best regards

French Study TORs for Free Movement of People -French trans -Final.pdf Download this file

Study TORs for Free Movement of People.pdf Download this file

Consultancy Opportunity: Study on the "Freedom of Movement in Africa"

Please find below a Consultancy opportunity to do a study of Free Movement in Africa. 

Given that the http://www.ccpau.org website is under construction, please contact me on ekbensah AT ekbensah.net so I send you the TOR. Alternatively, contact info@ccpau.org to obtain both the English and French versions of the Consultancy.

Good luck!

------

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Free movement of people is central to continental integration and can therefore not be divorced

from other integration initiatives such as economic integration, political and security cooperation.

It is difficult to imagine how free movement of goods and services, let alone continental

integration will be achieved for as long as there are restrictions to the movement of people in the

region.

From a civil society perspective, at the basic level, free movement of people would be in the

form of removal of VISA restrictions for short-term visits for an agreed period. At a deeper level,

free movement of people involves removal of internal border controls within member states,

harmonization of migration policies, procedures and travel documents and adequate

infrastructures to enable African citizens to easily and affordable access different countries.

Free movement of people also entails efficiency, security and safety of migrants as they move

from place to place and also as they seek to reside, work or establish themselves in another

country.

If achieved, free movement of persons will be epitomized by the creation of a community of

African citizens, who can move from country to country without restrictions; citizens whose

human rights are respected; respect of the rights of migrants; tolerance; people to people

solidarity and more importantly a sense of belonging to the African Continent.

This is call for application by experts willing to do the study.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Janah Ncube - Musimwa <janah.ncube AT gmail.com>
Date: 2012/6/14
Subject: [African Citizens] Consultancy Opportunity: Study on the Freedom of Movement in Africa
To: africancitizens@yahoogroups.com

 

 

 

Colleagues

Please find attached the TORs for a study on the Freedom of Movement of Persons in Africa.

Kindly share with your contacts and networks and/or recommend someone(s)

If you have comments and elements you think will enrich this study please share with me so we enrich the TORs before we sign the contract with the identified consultant to carry this important work.

Apologies for cross posting.

Best regards

-- 
Janah Ncube-Musimwa

================================

 

GHANA ENERGY: "Ghana:Powering Up"

from:  http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/economic_updates/ghana-powering

Economic Update

Ghana: Powering up

Ghana | 18 Jun 2012

Aiming to sustain its impressive economic growth of recent years, Ghana is increasingly focusing on improving its electricity infrastructure. Rising demand, together with inconsistent input supply, is putting pressure on the government and key players to bolster the country’s production and transmission capacity.

Electricity demand in Ghana has risen over 10% a year for the past three years, according to figures from the Ministry of Energy, in line with population growth and business development. Electricity consumption is currently estimated at 7.09bn kilowatts per hour (KWh), while production capacity hovers at around 6.49bn KWh, according to a recent statement by William Hutton-Mensah, the managing director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). This means that Ghana is constantly running on a tight demand-and-supply balance, which exposes the network to blackouts.

Gas supply from the West African Gas Pipeline, for example, which brings natural gas from Nigeria, has been erratic and generally below contracted levels over the past few months, reducing available supply. This has resulted in occasional load shedding in recent years, which in turn has constrained the expansion of manufacturing and heavy industry activity. To help minimise this, and stimulate new capital formation in labour-intensive fields, Ghana aims to raise its current generation capacity from the current 2000 MW to 5000 MW by 2015, local media has reported.

The Volta River Authority (VRA), the country’s biggest electricity producer, is well aware of the need for increased generation. According to Kweku Awotwi, the CEO of VRA, “Over the past couple of years, we have seen double-digit growth in terms of energy demand. Many of the investments coming into the country for the oil and gas sector will certainly fuel further demand.”

Awotwi recently confirmed that the up and coming Bui Dam, which will add an extra 400 MW to the country’s electricity production capabilities, will be completed by 2013, as scheduled. Initial supply from the $623m project is expected to come online by December 2012.

In line with the government’s moves to try and expand the role of the private sector in electricity generation, transmission and distribution, an increasing number of public-private partnerships are popping up. The Shenzhan Energy Group and the China Africa Development Fund, for example, jointly established the Sunon Asogli plant at Kpone. The $200m power plant currently produces 200 MW of electricity. The second phase of the project, which is now underway, is set to add an additional 360 MW of production capacity when completed. The upgrade will dramatically increase Sunon Asogli’s total electricity production, and will allow the power plant to sell directly to bulk customers, such as mining companies and heavy industry.

As it strives to develop a reliable electricity supply, Ghana is also determined to accelerate the expansion of its power grid within the country. The government has a stated goal of reaching universal electricity access by 2020. To this end, Ghana was recently awarded a $350m line of credit from US-based Exim Bank. The loan will finance the extension of electricity supply to reach 1400 communities in the Western, Central and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana.

Work is also under way to complete the Kintampo substation, a $29m project that will draw power from the Bui Dam. The substation is one of 44 infrastructure-upgrade projects currently being undertaken by GRIDCO, the country’s transmission company. According to Charles Darku, the CEO of GRIDCO, “The current generation and transmission system is running very close to its top capacity. That is why we are investing so much into infrastructure.”

Ghana and South Korea have also recently signed an agreement that will see the Asian country provide a loan of $67.2m to finance GRIDCO’s development of the 330-KV Prestea and Kumasi substations and inter connecting transmission lines. Ghana’s electricity grid company is aiming to raise around $1bn to help finance infrastructure upgrades over the next four to five years.

Other projects will also add production capacity in the coming years. VRA is conducting feasibility studies for the construction of another dam in the north of the country. Furthermore, construction has begun on Ghana’s first solar power project, which will add 2 MW in electricity production, with another 8 MW expected to follow. VRA has also begun feasibility studies for the establishment of wind farms.

All of these are essential if the country is to continue its impressive rate of GDP expansion. These developments will also place Ghana squarely in the centre of the West African Power Pool, which when established will connect neighbouring countries within the same electricity grid using high-voltage lines – paving the way for a regional energy market.

Ecowas Games Coverage by GTV ends with Azonto Dance!

Am just watching closing credits of Ghana Televisions's coverage of the first day of ECOWAS Games, which started today, to the tune of the infamous "Azonto" song.

Who would have thought that two weeks earlier, the El-Wak Stadium played sorry host to the tragic loss of ten lives as they made their way to their homes in a tro-tro mini-van, after a Nigerian cargo plane crashed.

Even as we speak, ECOWAS officials are shuttling up and down the sub-region trying to bring a degree of closure to the the Mali crisis. Years to come, our yet-unborn children and maybe grandchildren might marvel at the prospect of what might be considered the "West African" spirit, which might be defined as the ability to overcome tragedy, loss, and pain that the sub-region has inflicted upon us...to still come together as one West Africa under an ECOWAS Games. 

Some day!

Please find below the official communique from the ECOWAS Website of the commencement of the Games:

-----------------

from: http://news.ecowas.int/presseshow.php?nb=164&lang=en&annee=2012

The 2nd ECOWAS Under-23 Games open in Accra, the Ghanaian capital on Saturday 16th June 2012, featuring athletics, handball, volleyball, African wrestling and boxing, which is making its debut at the biennial regional sporting competition. During a recent courtesy call by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Gender, Dr. Adrienne Diop on Ghana’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Honourable Clement Kofi Humado, the two officials reaffirmed the commitment of the country and the ECOWAS Commission to ensure successful Games. While expressing confidence in Ghana’s capacity for the hosting, Commissioner Diop, also assured of ECOWAS’ readiness to assist the country host a successful competition. Members of the Games’ Local Organizing Committee and the Technical Committee, supported by the Monitoring and Supervisory Committee, have been working round the clock to ensure seamless and successful Games. The Technical Committee comprises among others, the presidents of the West African Federations of the five sports featuring in the Games, representatives of the ECOWAS Commission and the Ouagadougou-based ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre which is coordinating the Games on behalf of the Commission, Speaking in Accra on the eve of the opening, the Director of the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre, Mr. Francis Chuks Njoaguani, described the level of preparations as impressive. Nigeria hosted the inaugural edition of the regional Games in 2010 with competitions in four sports - athletics, handball, volleyball and African wrestling. The competition seeks to promote and enhance sports as a means of uniting and encouraging the youth in West Africa to progress through balanced development. It also provides a forum for interaction among West African youths; strengthens sporting and economic ties between Member States and promotes a sense of belonging among participants. Eleven of the15 ECOWAS Member States have confirmed their participation in the Accra competition, which is a good opportunity for West African sports men and women to test-run their preparations for the forthcoming London Olympic Games.

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