NewsBrief, 3-9 March 2015

 

FESPACO: ECOWAS prize salutes women

 
Dyana GayeECOWAS special prizes went to Burkinbe Sékou Traoré and Senegalese Dyana Gaye. The two directors, whose works were in official competition at the 24th Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) received their awards from ECOWAS Commission President Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, who attended the closing ceremony on 7 March. Honoured for her feature film "L'œil du cyclone" ("Eye of the Storm"), Sékou Traoré received the special prize for integration, which is endowed with a trophy and a check for CFA francs 15 million. Dyana Gaye received CFA francs 10 million and the trophy for best female director for her film entitled "Des étoiles" ("Stars"). While the special prize of integration has been awarded since 1993, it was a first for the best female director award, which aims, "to promote women as creators and as major actors in development", according to the ECOWAS Commission president. These efforts are in line with the West Africa organisation's policy of promoting gender equity. ECOWAS in intent on demonstrating unwavering commitment to breaking down the barriers between the sexes, to supporting and encouraging member states to adopt gender mainstreaming and women's empowerment in order to stimulate efforts for integration and regional development. On the occasion of International Women's Day, celebrated on 8 March, the ECOWAS Commission president paid tribute to the women of West Africa, who have stood shoulder to shoulder with men since the period of the struggle for the independence until the present day. Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo said women continue to serve as pillars of families and societies and are the great nation builders.
 
Article in French: http://news.ecowas.int/presseshow.php?nb=059&lang=fr&annee=2015
Article in English: http://news.ecowas.int/presseshow.php?nb=058&lang=en&annee=2015

 


BCEAO predicts 7.2% growth in the UEMOA zone in 2015

 
The inflation rate within the UEMOA area was 0.1% year-on-year at the end of December 2014, according to a 4 March statement from the BCEAO. The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee said this is linked to the rising costs of water and electricity services in some countries of the Union, mitigated by lower food prices. The Bank announced that the year-on-year inflation rate is projected at 1.7% over the next 24 months, in line with the Bank's objective of price stability. The Committee said it considers the upside and downside risks on these projections to be balanced. UEMOA continues to record solid economic performance, maintaining sustained economic activity in the fourth quarter of 2014. The central bank estimates that the gross domestic product of the Union will grow by 7.2% in 2015, compared to 6.6% in 2014 and 5.9% in 2013. This is attributed to the strengthening of agricultural production and good performance in the industrial sector and market services, in particular the dynamism of the construction and public works segment.
 
Article in French: http://www.bceao.int/Communique-de-presse-de-la-reunion-3170.html
Article in French: http://economie.jeuneafrique.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24285

 


CILSS/Agrhymet: taking stock of 40 years of experience

 
The Agrhymet Regional Centre, one of the specialised agencies of CILSS, celebrated its 40th anniversary in Niamey, Niger. Since 1974, Agrhymet has welcomed learners from the 13 Sahelian and coastal countries that make up CILSS, offering training in various skills. It has a specialised focus on science and technology applicable to the sectors of agricultural development, development of rural areas and the management of natural resources. The Agrhymet Centre brings its expertise to bear to help sub-regional institutions, notably ECOWAS and UEMOA, achieve their goals related to food security, increasing agricultural production and improving natural resources management in member countries. Over the years, Agrhymet has proven itself as a regional centre of excellence, particularly in the training of executives from Sahel countries. Based in Niamey, the Centre has remained true to its mandate, which is to inform and educate on food security, water management and the fight against desertification in the Sahel and West Africa. It stands today as the principal regional data bank on agriculture. CILSS Executive-Secretary Djimé Adoum, Agrhymet Director-General Kouamé Guy Marcel Bouafou and representatives of technical and financial partners took part in the 40th anniversary celebration on 27 and 28 February.
 
Photos of the 40th anniversary celebration: http://www.agrhymet.ne/PDF/photodoc_40annivCRA.pdf
Presentation of Agrhymet in English: http://www.agrhymet.ne/eng/presentation.html

 


Fight against Boko Haram: regional forces gain ground

 
The Chadian and Nigerian armies are determined to put a stop to the Islamist group that controls parts of north-eastern Nigeria. On 8 March, one day after Boko Haram announced its allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq, the Chadian and Nigerian troops jointly launched ground and air offensives in the Bosso region and near Diffa, both border areas of Nigeria. North-eastern Nigeria is considered the stronghold of Boko Haram, where members of the Islamist group have for months defied the national armed forces and threaten to thwart the holding of a presidential election scheduled for 28 March. The joint offensive agreed among Nigeria's neighbours, namely Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, is beginning to bear fruit. According to reliable sources, the Islamists have suffered significant loss of life and have been forced to retreat, liberating several localities in Nigeria. The will of African leaders to eradicate Boko Haram by is gaining momentum with the creation of a regional force that should eventually consist of about 10 000 troops. On 6 March, the African Union endorsed the mandate of the force, which will have its headquarters in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena.
 
Article in French: http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/03/09/offensive-dans-le-nord-du-nigeria-contre-boko-haram_4589802_3212.html
Article in English: http://www.voanews.com/content/chad-niger-launch-joint-offenseive-against-boko-haram/2672156.html

 


Mali: deadly attacks in Bamako and Kidal

 
"This is an attack on the entire international community." That was the reaction from the Malian president on 8 March, a day after a shooting at a Bamako restaurant killed five people, including two international experts working for the United Nations. "Mali and its young partners, who came to help us, within the framework of bilateral or multilateral co-operation, were cut down basely, brutally, cruelly and unjustly," Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta said. On the same day, two children and a Chadian peacekeeper were killed in Kidal, in the north of the country, following rocket fire into the base of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The UN Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned both attacks and called for an investigation to shed light on the events. The resurgence of insecurity comes just a week after Malian actors initialled a draft agreement for peace and reconciliation during negotiations in Algiers. The deal was an important first step towards a final accord, after eight months of negotiations between the government of Mali and various militants groups.
 
Article in French: http://www.journaldumali.com/article.php?aid=9947
Article in English: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=50276#.VP2DtY6S-Hs

 


Who's who? Michael Lollesgaard, the new MINUSMA commander

 
Michael Lollesgaard, the new MINUSMA commanderAppointed on 6 March by the UN Secretary-General, Michael Lollesgaard is taking command of the forces of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The Danish Major General replaces another General, Rwandan Jean Bosco Kazura who spent a year and a half at the head of the peacekeepers deployed in Mali. According to a biography published on the UN website, Michael Lollesgaard rose to the post after holding several functions within the Danish army and internationally. He has deployed to multiple theatres of peacekeeping operations in Iraq and in the Balkans. Lollesgaard graduated from the Command and General Staff College military school in Copenhagen. He was director of the multinational training centre for peace support operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 2007 and 2009. Having served as deputy military adviser to the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations in New York, General Lollesgaard is quite familiar with UN administration. He takes office at a time when MINUSMA is trying, with some difficulty, to help the Malian government complete priority tasks such as security, stabilisation and protection of civilians and supporting the national political dialogue and national reconciliation. The UN force has about 9 000 peacekeepers, deployed mostly in the north.
 
Article in English: http://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sga1552.doc.htm
Article in English: http://cphpost.dk/news/danish-major-general-handed-key-un-peacekeeping-position.12942.html

 


Publication: the AfDB West Africa Monitor examines health challenges

 
West Africa has shown resilience in the fact of the Ebola outbreak and falling commodity prices, according to the West Africa Monitor. The January 2015 edition of the quarterly published by AfDB is devoted to the health sector in twelve countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo). Economic diversification helped mitigate the impact of these events. However, although the outbreak is contained, the episode has exposed the fragility of health systems in West African countries, demonstrating that health sector reform remains a major challenge for the region. The report strongly recommends increasing budget allocations to the health sector and building sustainable business models in this field. It calls on leaders to developing more synergy at the regional level to improve the co-ordination of a regional response to shared problems.
 
West African Monitor, no. 5, January 2015: http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/_N_5.pdf


Maps & Facts

 
The country's Human Development Index (HDI) was the lowest in the world in 2014. Per capita GDP in 2013 was USD 778 (PPP), just over half that of Mali, and one-sixth that of Nigeria. The fertility rate was 7.6 children per woman of childbearing age in 2013, and the annual population growth rate was 3.9% (compared to 3% in Mali and Chad, and 1.9% in Algeria). 75% of the population live below the poverty line. The poverty rate is higher in rural areas where 82% of the population live. A fragile country, grappling with structural food and nutrition insecurity, Niger is caught in a tectonic of threats which are sharply increasing on its borders with Libya and Nigeria. Oil exploitation, which began in 2011, offers some hope in the economic sector. > download the map