The Daily IIJ

There are fears that the activities of radical Islamist group, Boko Haram, will make it difficult for the World Food Programme (WFP) to source its supply from Nigeria to affected areas in the Sahel region, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food has stated. Read more http://www.globalnewsreel.com/2012/02/un-on-food-security.html#more

Sierra Leone is on the threshold of rapid growth in development. This year, our gross domestic product, GDP will grow to 50%, said President Ernest Bai Koroma as he opened the country’s first ever conference on development and transformation at the Miatta conference center in Freetown.

The president told his audience that Sierra Leone was very keen to take the driver’s seat of transformation, noting, “We have achieved a lot as a nation but more things need to be done in order to accomplish our prime aim which is development”.

He maintained that the process of transforming the country has started and must be sustained, while urging everyone to grab this “opportunity with strength and efficiency”.

“Though the challenges are huge but they must be surmountable,” Mr. Koroma insisted. “We can see that in the process of development many countries have been like us but now they are [far advanced than us]. Why can’t we do the same? We deserve good roads, infrastructure and education, among others.”

The president expressed optimism that the conference will come out with a clear strategy as to how Sierra Leone will be made less dependent on donors, adding that such a positive trend must be achieved in the next 25 years.

“The journey of the next 50 years has begun,” Mr. Koroma submitted. “We are here to find the way forward. The vision has already been captured and the aspirations are already known to all. Realization of this vision is within our reach; [therefore] we should not allow our country to be divided on partisan basis.”

State House Chief of Staff, Dr. Kaifala Marrah noted that agriculture was one of the “key holders when it comes to the development of the country”, stating that 191 agricultural business centres had been opened across the country and that village banks were also being established.

He opined that the rationale for the conference was to know how the country will look like in terms of development in the next 25 years, and that it will be looking at, among many other issues, how to secure the country’s natural resources in order for it not to be misused by foreigners.

One of the seven political parties that would compete in various categories in the forthcoming general elections, National Democratic Alliance NDA, has called for the immediate cease of the ongoing biometric voter registration by the National Electoral Commission NEC.

According to the party’s spokesperson, Chernor M. Bah, barely three days into the 64-day registration process of 3.5 million electorates, several problems have been reported by those who have gone through the exercise.  

“We have received reports from those that went to register that some of the machines, web cameras and generators are faulty and not working,” Bah said. “NEC staff lack the necessary capacity to carry out such exercise.”

He added that until technical problems associated with the process are addressed, the biometric voter registration BVR should be suspended.

“The biometric is totally useless,” he said. “We want them to immediately put on hold the process and solve the technical problems that are associated with it.”

He maintained that many of the voter registration staff recruited by NEC were not well trained to deal with such a system and the number of machines imported are not enough to carry out the exercise countrywide.

The NDA spokesperson claimed that NEC had spent huge amount of money to bring ‘faulty’ machines into the country for registration. “Some of the web cameras bought by NEC are not capturing the pictures of some people and we think that should not be the case,” Bah said calling for NEC to disclose details of the BVR machines bought and the procurement procedures used to buy them.

“There are less than 900 machines for a total number of 2, 998 biometric voter registration centres countrywide. Many are ineffective and we don’t want to see a situation wherein not all eligible voters go through the process. The process is extremely slow,” he stated.

Bah urged other political parties to join forces with NDA to set up a committee that would supervise and consult with NEC to find solutions to the technical problems of the BVR system.

In a related development, the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party SLPP stated that it has sent two letters to NEC conveying the party’s concerns and observations on the registration process but no response has been received.

In a release yesterday, the SLPP stated that though NEC has prepared rules and regulations for the biometric voter registration and there is no provision in those rules and regulations nor in the Electoral Laws Act or in the national Constitution prohibiting the recording of names of electors by political parties to enable them do a proper review of the provisional register compiled by NEC, the electoral body on January 23 disallowed the recording of the names and addresses of electors by political parties.

“It did this only after receiving a complaint from the All Peoples’ Congress,” the SLPP release stated. “This was confirmed by the Elections Co-ordinator of the APC, Mr. Balogun Koroma on the 24th January 2012 edition of “Good Morning Salone Programme” on Radio Democracy (FM 98.1).  We consider this complaint by the APC totally unnecessary because there is nothing in the electoral law that prevented them doing the same if so minded. This act by NEC also suggests that it is compromising its independence in the conduct and supervision of elections as guaranteed by the national Constitution

The SLPP says NEC’s attempt to interfere with the registration process is unjustified and not supported by any legal instrument.

Action Aid The Gambia Policy and Advocacy Manager, Mr. Lamin Nyangado has told a group of Gambian journalists that accountability goes with effective communication.

“When we talk about accountability, we are not only talking about money, but accurate information for the benefit of citizens especial the local communities.” [Read more →]

President Yahya AJJ Jammeh has been sworn-in for the fourth term in office. Gambian leader swearing in was administering by the Chief Justice Emmanuel Akimoyae Agim on 19 January 2012 at the Independent Stadium in Bakau at the hours of 13: 28 GMT. In accordance with Section 63 sub section (1) of the constitution of the Republic of The Gambia to serve for another five years term in office. [Read more →]

Every morning at sunrise, Sutas Kom Sri casts his net into the river out of faith. As the fog unveils the horizon, the Mekong River looms before him, luring him into the richness of its waters.

But like other fishermen in this part of the Mekong in northeast Thailand, his daily catch has been steadily declining through the years. As a result, he says, more and more fishermen have been abandoning their nets.

“There’s lesser fish and they’re smaller in size,” he says. “We’re earning less than half than what we used to get eight years ago.” The reason for this, he believes, is the waters’ increasing unpredictability wrought by dams in China in the upper mainstream.

Now he sees a bigger threat, a new dam in Xayaburi province in northern Laos, the first hydropower dam to be built on the mainstream of the Mekong River. But unknown to him and to the other fishermen in Chiang Khan, they would likely stand to lose in a complex web of power play that courts the interests of only the moneyed and the powerful.

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Reports has indicate that President Ernest B. Koroma will not later than next month reveal the name of his running -mate.
The issue of the President’s running mate came into the spotlight after a fracas in Kono when it was alleged that Daina Konomaini invited the Minister of Internal Affairs Musa Tarawallie in order to introduce him to the people of Kono as the next Vice President. Then came the time the Vice President Samuel Sam Sumana was allegedly involved in an illegal timber issues.
Now that the rumours are rife it is strongly believed that the president will decide whom he will choose as his running-mate. Many names have surfaced to take up the position.
Amongst them are the Information and Communication Minister Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, Honorable Chenor Bah, Foreign Affairs J.B Dauda, Kadi Johnson Cole, Diana Konomani and the controversial Minister of Internal Affairs Musa Tarawallie.
SALONE TIMES learnt that while some Kono people want the present VP, Chief Samuel Sam Sumana, to be retained, others stated that they would rather prefer another Kono man other than the incumbent.
“The issues now lies with President Ernest Bai Koroma, he will solve the situation,” an APC party member told us. President Koroma will make this all important disclosure latest this February SALONE TIMES learnt. “Any time from now, the President will make his choice public. It could be Sam Sumana or somebody else. But what I know is that, the President loves this country, and will make his decision in the best interest of both the party and the country,” an APC executive member said.
SALONE TIMES also learnt that V.P. Samuel Sam Sumana made a visit to his home town of Kono as a way of seeking their support in giving him a the second.

People, the world over are waiting in anticipation for the Christmas holidays which bring fun to families; but not so with the devoted staff members of the Freetown City Council who are in doubt over the payment of their salaries.
It is over four months now that salaries of staff of the council have not been paid, a staff disclosed to SALONE TIMES.
The devoted FCC staff went on to say that all the departments are in full operation working very hard and there is no need for their salaries to be delayed. “The departments are in full operation but there is no logistics,” they say.
The workers are calling on the central government to intervene pleading that they should not be punished for the sins of the Mayor.
He went on to say they also have their families to take care of and asked how they without can being paid salaries for the past four months” lamented one of the staff member.
Most of the staff members SALONE TIMES spoke to were almost in tears.
“We did not tell the Mayor to do what he did so why must we suffer for his sins,” they lamented.
Now most of the workers are crossing their fingers to see the fate of Mayor Williams and nine others as they made their second appearance in court since they were indicted by the Anti Corruption Commission.
What baffles most staff is that the Mayor was that it was only last week that the Mayor was indicted how should his problem be used as a yard stick of not paying staff salaries.

“HIV/AIDS is not only a problem but an opportunity to change the world,” said Michel Sidibe, the executive director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AISDS, during a high level and experts conference in Berlin yesterday.

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