Hundreds of villagers and town residents of Liberia’s Grand Cape Mount Country have attracted nationwide attention in their bid to recover what they say is land seized from them and turned over to a Malaysian agro-industrial concern. 

A petition sent to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s office in January by the aggrieved people’s political representatives demanded the return of their land. 

“This is unbearable,” Mary Freeman, 42, of Sinje Town said. “Our government must care for us and don’t allow these people to kill us silently. What have we done to go through all of these sufferings? This land belongs to us. We were born here and we give birth to our children here too. This is the only place we know.” 

Malaysian company Sime Darby Plantations was granted a permit on 21 April 2010 to cultivate 10,000 hectares of palm oil in Bomi and Grand Cape Mount counties. Now, the company has applied for an additional 15,000 hectares for palm oil cultivation in Garwular and Gola Konneh districts, in the Grand Cape Mount County, and another 20,000 hectares in Gbarpolu County. 

The attorney representing the aggrieved parties of Cape Mount County, Alfred Brownel, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to reject these additional requests. He vowed his rights group, Green Advocates, would continue to support those who had lost their land. 

“These things must stop,” he said. “Our people deserve the right to survive. They shouldn’t be denied their land. We will not stop until their lives are transformed and the situation changed.” 

Critics say the concession is a land grab. When unresolved, land disputes could plunge the country into “serious chaos”, said Jerry Lomah, president of Lomah National Law Firm in Monrovia. 

“The government must set up an active land commission to keep eyes on these issues,” Lomah added. 

Liberia has a history of land conflicts, especially since the end of the civil war in 2003. In the northeastern town of Ganta there is a long-running conflict over land between the Mandingo and Mano people. Lomah said a land commission could speed up resolution of such disputes and the Sime Darby case. 

Mistakes made 

A seemingly receptive two-term president reacted immediately to the Grand Cape Mount County concerns by visiting the area and meeting residents of Kon Town, Garwula District. She admitted the government should have gone about the negotiations differently. 

“Everybody made mistakes on this one,” she told villagers, “but the thing to do is to correct the mistakes. Now, something could have been done better when it comes to Sime Darby. More consultations and more talks with the people should have taken place.” 

She told them that before the government signs an agreement, the legislature conducts public hearings so that views and objections can be raised before an agreement is concluded. However, the residents said they were unaware of any such hearings. 

Johnson Sirleaf said the government would now correct this oversight and seek the views of county residents. 

“I've come to start the process,” she said. “I came with the ministers of justice, internal affairs, labour, and agriculture because all of them have [a] part to play in the process.” 

However, she also told residents of Grand Cape Mount County that when government, including legislators, signed documents with foreign companies or countries, these could not be changed. She said the constitution gave government the authority to sign agreements on behalf of the country, and people should not be directing their frustrations at Sime Darby. 

“So, if your government made a mistake, that’s your government. You have to come back to it so we can settle it,” she said. 

She said the citizens’ concerns, especially those about jobs and land-grabbing, would be addressed. She said government would ensure locals were given preference when it came to employment with Sime Darby in Grand Cape Mount County. 

The president has set up a committee, co-chaired by officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Justice, to look into the citizens’ complaints in an effort to resolve the dispute with Sime Darby. 

Most of those who lost their land have relocated to nearby villages and towns unaffected by the concession. Most are unskilled labourers. 

Sime Darby responds 

Meanwhile, Sime Darby has denied seizing land. It said it paid fairly for the land and that it had not used force to evict anyone, as landholders had earlier contended. 

Sime Darby Board Chairman Tun Hitam said the company had been serious about being part of the community in Grand Cape Mount County since it came to Liberia in 2010. The firm said it expected to invest US$3.1 billion in its Liberian estates by 2025. 

In addition, so far, it has rebuilt and refurnished 15 primary schools, and paid teachers the government rate. Sime Darby said it had also refurbished three new school buses, bought one ambulance and expanded hospital wards in its estates. 

Sime Darby plantation senior vice-president of the agribusiness division, Helmy Basha, said the firm had already established four plots of nurseries that would generate 780,000 oil palm seedlings. These would kick-start the first planting of 5,200 hectares at Grand Cape Mount County. He said that by 2025, the firm would have planted up to 170,000 hectares with oil palms in the counties of Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, Bong and Gbarpolu. 

"For the next 15 years, we're scheduled to invest in infrastructure like roads, bridges, electricity and piped water. We'll also put up the mills," he said. 

Basha said Sime Darby would undertake social and environmental impact assessments before the start of any development. For example, it would maintain riparian buffer zones between water bodies and planted areas. 

By 2015, the group would start to put up 15 mills - one for every 10,000 hectares. They would extract crude palm oil, be fuelled by biomass, and be self-sustaining, he said. 

The firm expects its business in Liberia to be fully-operational by 2035; 35,000 jobs would be created. 

“There will also be spillover impacts in uplifting the livelihoods of surrounding communities of the estates," Basha said. 

Liberians use palm oil to prepare meals. “If Sime Darby supplies some of the oil to the Liberian market, it will reduce the price of palm oil locally,” said Monrovia businesswoman Sarah Sando. 

Source: IRIN News

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Services, has completed the second, and final phase of its US$72 250 (R560 000) project to transport 21 black rhinos from the privately owned Solio Ranch and Mugie Rhino Sanctuary, both in the Rift Valley province, to Ruma National Park in the southwestern Nyanza province.

Home to a wide variety of birds and animals, including roan antelope which are found nowhere else in Kenya, the 120-square-kilometer Ruma National Park is managed by the Kenyan Wildlife Services (KWS) and was declared a rhino sanctuary at the end of 2011.

Another advantage is that it is free of tsetse fly, that large biting insect that transmits diseases such as sleeping sickness.

While the move was underway, the country’s forestry and wildlife minister Noah Wekesa reaffirmed Kenya’s stance on poaching, saying: “I want to send a strong message to the poachers that they shall be dealt with severely according to the law.”

He then said that his ministry will review current penalties for those caught poaching, and if necessary would make them harsher.

The move was also done to help encourage tourism in western Kenya. While it was once normal to see several rhino at once on a game drive, that is no longer the case, and the mighty animals were last seen in the area more than 50 years ago.

Saving the black rhino

Kenya’s black rhino (Diceros bicornis) population now numbers just 620, when a few decades ago it stood at over 20 000. The lowest numbers were seen in the mid-1980s, when just 300 individuals remained.

The country, which once had one of the largest rhino populations on the continent, is working tirelessly to help save the remaining individuals, and has seen its efforts rewarded with the doubling of the population of black rhinos in recent years.

The ever-present poaching situation is a serious threat to the goals of KWS to boost the numbers.

However, Kenya has still escaped relatively lightly compared to the poaching toll in other countries. Of the almost 500 rhino killed in Africa over the past five years, 70 died in Kenya. In South Africa, 52 animals have been poached in 2012 alone – around one every day.

Most poaching activity occurs in South Africa and Zimbabwe because of the bigger populations found there.

The greatest demand for rhino horn comes from Asian countries, whose citizens mistakenly believe it has near-miraculous medicinal properties, and Middle Eastern nations such as Yemen, where the horn is carved into a highly prized dagger handle.

The sophistication and the level of organisation of poachers and illegal traders has soared in recent years. Poachers are becoming almost military in the precision and speed of their operations and it has been noted that some former soldiers, with their combat training, have taken to poaching.

Various groups such as the WWF, the International Rhino Foundation, the African Rhino Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and Saving Rhinos, to name a few, as well as national wildlife authorities, are fighting a constant battle to protect the sought-after beasts.

Because of the poaching problem, KWS conducts a rhino census every year between July and October in the Tsaveo West Sanctuary. A few months after the census, which provides information on the number and distribution of black rhinos, the animals’ ears are notched to help with identification and tracking.

During the 2010 exercise, transmitters were also inserted into the rhino horns. Under sedation, the animal received the device, which was placed into a hole drilled into the horn. The hole was sealed and the animal was marked, allowed to recover and then released.

By Lyndon Jaftha

Source: Media Club South Africa

A homegrown information and communication technology innovation has made it onto Time Magazine's list of the top 50 inventions in the world for 2011.

The world's largest weekly news magazine cited South Africa's Digital Drum, jointly developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the UN Children's Fund (Unicef), on its prestigious list.

The Digital Drum, built for the Ugandan market, is a computer system that gives people access to information on issues such as health and education.

Based on existing technology

The Digital Drum is closely based on another CSIR invention known as the Digital Doorway. The main difference is that the former is housed in a discarded oil drum.

The Digital Doorway is a robust standalone computer system developed to promote computer literacy and provide information on a range of subjects.

The content includes the OpenOffice productivity suite; educational games and programs; an introduction to computer terminology; scientific software; 10 000 ebooks from project Gutenberg; a snapshot of Wikipedia; Mindset curriculum-based educational content; interactive science simulations and numerous other applications for children and adults.

The digital drum has two work stations, with content adapted from the standard Digital Doorway suite.

SA's technology invention in the spotlight

The listing is a major achievement for South Africa and showcases the country's technological innovation.

"It gives us recognition and acknowledgement for our ingenuity," says Meraka Institute technologist Grant Cambridge. "We are really proud of the achievement, which is good motivation for continuous innovation."

The Meraka Institute is the largest group in South Africa dedicated to ICT research.

Low-cost and sustainable

Cambridge believes that the Digital Drum was noticed by Time because it is an innovative, low-cost solution made using locally available material and simple construction techniques.

The Digital Drum designers recycle oil drums, which would otherwise be discarded, as casing for the computer terminals.

"The Digital Drum is providing access – at low cost and using an environment friendly solution – to technology, information and education for many who previously had no access to such resources."

Promoting ICT literacy

In today's modern world computer literacy is essential, but for this to happen, computers must be easily accessible to potential learners. This is why the Digital Drum is such a groundbreaking invention.

The Digital Doorway and its sister invention are ideal for encouraging unassisted learning as people can use the product to discover the wonders of ICT at their leisure.

Many developing countries miss out on the advantages afforded by ICT because of a lack of facilities and teachers trained in ICT.

According to the Meraka Institute, unassisted learning provides a mechanism to promote mass computer, technology and information literacy in developing countries.

Adapting existing technology

Cambridge says that the creation of the digital drum came about when a delegation from Unicef led by Dr Sharad Sapra, head of Uganda's Unicef country office, visited the CSIR Meraka Institute.

Here they were introduced to the Digital Doorway. They soon realised that it was very similar to a portable internet communication product they wanted to develop.

Following the visit, the CSIR was contracted to supply 30 units to Unicef Uganda for education purposes. However, as shipping costs of the product were very high, it wasn't economical to buy them from South Africa.

Unicef then considered manufacturing the product in Kampala. The contract would have required Cambridge, one of the Digital Door inventors, to travel to the East African country to investigate the feasibility of manufacturing the product there, and assist with training locals to install and maintain the devices.

However, his findings proved that there was neither capability nor technology available in Kampala to manufacture the devices there.

"Manufacturing the Digital Drum in Uganda was impossible as the country lacks the necessary technology – powder coating and laser cutting equipment – to manufacture it to specifications," he explains.

As a solution, Sapra suggested that the products be manufactured using locally- available materials.

"Because empty oil drums were readily available, Unicef thought it would be great to develop such a platform from the drums," Cambridge says.

Cambridge worked with Jean-Marc Lefebure from the Unicef Uganda office to come up with a prototype digital drum.

"The digital drum design proved to be an innovative way for Unicef and the CSIR to address a need through a solution developed in the absence of technology," he says.

By Wilma den Hartigh

Source: Media Club South Africa

Starting a business in any market, let alone a frontier market, comes with many inherent risks and challenges.  However, all successful businesses have had to overcome adversity at one point or another.  Loide Monteiro and Funke Opeke are two women who are fully aware of such adversities and today they each own and operate successful businesses in Africa.

Read more...

Developing countries with potential mineral riches have often fallen prey to corruption and mismanagement. As a result, they’ve failed to benefit from their natural resources and remained in poverty. Now, new guidelines have been drawn up to help such countries harness their mineral wealth.

The World Economic Forum and The Boston Consulting Group have identified six steps to help poor countries cash in on their mineral deposits. The recommendations are based on the advice of 400 experts from NGOs, governments and mining companies.

Learning from the past

“Historically, there have been so many cases where countries, who have lots of minerals, have systematically not developed those correctly. They haven’t done them in a socially or economically, what we call, responsible manner,” said Alex Wong, World Economic Forum’s senior director.

He said the “six steps” or “building blocks” can help prevent history from repeating itself.

“What’s happening now with the commodity price cycle that we’re in and the emergence of several countries onto the global stage - such as Mongolia, Guinea, Peru – these are countries who are now, for the first time in a way, having the opportunity to develop their mineral resources and using it as a major way for their countries to grow economically. So, it’s actually an incredible moment where we don’t want to make the same mistakes that have been made in the past,” he said.

Poor, yet mineral rich, countries face a number of challenges in developing their extraction industries. These include not having the expertise, skills or resources at hand to develop the industries. Another issue may be a failure to get local communities and civil society involved in the process. And often the negotiating process has not been transparent.

“So, people actually don’t understand what are the terms of the agreement. They have, therefore, mismatched expectations and lack of communication, which then obviously causes lots of tension and misunderstanding,” said Wong.

Doing what’s right

Wong said the recommendations help create a climate of trust, which can lead to all the stakeholders benefiting from the mineral wealth.

“First of all, promoting capacity building and knowledge sharing. And that includes making sure everybody understands how to do it. How to develop these mineral resources in a responsible manner. Making sure people understand the costs and benefits associated. The second category of actions is around collaborative processes, processes both at the national level and at the local level. So that you have mechanisms and processes for people to be included in the discussions and have a feeling that they’re part of the negotiations and the outcomes,” he said.

The final category of recommendations concerns transparency and dispute resolution.

Wong cautioned there is not an immediate return on investment for mineral rich countries, as there may be for oil-rich nations.

In for the long-term

“In mineral development, in particular, it’s especially challenging because governments don’t actually often get their revenue that comes from the process of extracting their minerals until a good 10 to 15 years later in some cases. And whereas oil is probably a little more immediate because you get stuff under the ground, you ship it out and the government’s seeing revenues,” he said.

Wong said there’s been a good initial response to the Framework for Advancing Responsible Mineral Development. It highlights 22 successful projects in such countries as Mongolia, Liberia, Ghana and Chile. He says a second initiative promoting responsible mineral extraction is the World Bank-led Extractives for Development initiative, or E4D.

By Joe DeCapua

Source: VOA News

In December of 2010, South Africa was officially invited to join Brazil, Russia, India and China as a member of the BRIC economic block.  These countries are all emerging economic powers that are predicted to become more prominent over the next few decades.  However, Simon Freemantle, with Standard Bank Research, says, “It’s very warranted, the attention they’ve been given, but I think it has been to the detriment to some of Africa’s other very important emerging world partners.  If you look beyond BRICS, you’re looking at countries like Turkey. Trade this year (2011) is expected to be around $19 billion and was around $16 billion last year.  That puts them on a very favorable footing, even in comparison to the BRICS nations.”

Turkey, in fact, is really starting to break out of its shell on a global economic level.  As Freemantle notes, the Turkish Prime Minister took a trip to South Africa in 2011 and, “sees Africa as part of Turkey’s reorientation towards this multi-polar world that we see.”  With economies in the Euro Zone and United States taking big hits over the past few years, countries are starting to look to other parts of the world with which to do business.  “Turkey’s looking to increase its exports globally to $200 billion in the next five years. Africa is going to be part of that as they look to export low cost manufactured goods, as well as textiles and other products into Africa’s rising consumer markets.”

The Trade Minister of Indonesia was also a recent guest in South Africa and is looking to do more business on the continent.  “One of his central ambitions is to really elevate Indonesia’s trade with emerging world partners.  They’ve been really successful in integrating with Southeast Asia and China, but Africa’s a priority on a number of levels.  South Africa-Indonesia trade this year will only be around $1.4 billion, (however) the trade minister’s indication was that that volume should go up to around $5 billion.”

You can also expect to see Saudi Arabia starting to get involved with Africa, but more so for agricultural purposes as food shortages are forcing them to start importing from elsewhere. Thailand may be a smaller player than the countries already mentioned, but they are also expected to start doing big business within the Africa continent.  As the middle class grows in Thailand, their appetite for food like meat and dairy, which are not abundant in the country, grows.  They will look to Africa to supply them with this food.

Other than agriculture, Africa is also expected to see growth in imported manufactured goods and ICT.  “I think there’s a lot of growth potential left in telecommunications in Africa,” notes Freemantle, “and we will see certain companies ambitiously unlock those opportunities.”

Mining, resources, and agriculture are still expected to hold on as the go-to industries on the continent though. Freemantle says, “I think that mining and agriculture will continue to be the core, but increasingly we’ll see some activity around some of the supportive sectors, such as ICT and financial services.”

While Freemantle recognizes that the United States, Europe, and Japan will continue to be very powerful, relevant commercial players in Africa, he believes that they will re-orient their strategies based on the rising competition from BRICS and other emerging markets.  Freemantle concludes that

“There are more players, there’s more interest, and that’s a very good thing for Africa.  But, it’s a good thing if we realize that it’s not a substitution, as much as it is an addition to what existed in the past

Download the radio episode here.

Source: Afribiz

South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has successfully piloted new road technology, specifically designed to improve the lifespan of roads that carry heavy traffic. If the technology is implemented nationally, it could mean the end of potholes on local roads.

Economic growth, higher traffic volumes and higher axle loads are some of the factors that have made it necessary to review how South Africa's roads are built and maintained.

South Africa has a well developed and extensive road network of about 754 000 kilometres, of which over 70 000km are paved or surfaced roads.

HiMA technology

High-modulus asphalt (HiMA) technology, which can be used on main routes, high-volume urban roads and at airports, is now being considered for use in routine road design and construction in South Africa.

HiMA could become a cost effective, innovative solution to help meet the increased demands placed on the country's road infrastructure.

HiMA is the South African name for an asphalt material type originally developed in France in the early 1990s. In France, the technology is now used extensively on main routes, airports and urban roads.

It is a composite material consisting of graded mineral aggregate blended with a hard bituminous binder.

It has improved resistance against permanent deformation and due to its high stiffness, provides better protection of underlying road layers. Its high binder content also makes it more durable.

Sustainable road maintenance

A research project was established to investigate the feasibility of HiMA technology as a solution to sustainable road maintenance in the country.

It is a joint initiative of the CSIR and the Southern African Bitumen Association (Sabita).

Sabita represents various organisations involved in the manufacture and supply of bituminous road building materials, construction, maintenance and design of roads.

At the request of Sabita, the CSIR was asked to develop South African specifications for the design of HiMA mixes, using local components such as aggregate (crushed rock) and bitumen.

Bitumen is a binder used for asphalt and is derived from crude oil at refineries, together with other products such as fuel.

Testing the benefits

The eThekwini municipality in Durban is the first road authority to implement the use of HiMA technology on a section of road at the entrance to the Durban harbour.

This road was the ideal trial site for HiMA technology as it's a major access route to the harbour, and always in need of frequent maintenance. Paving of the HiMA layers on the road was completed in September last year.

The base layers were constructed using cost-effective road materials technology with improved performance to cater for the extreme volumes of heavy vehicles entering and leaving the harbour.

One of the HiMA mix designs used at the Durban harbour contained 20% reclaimed asphalt and could carry much higher traffic loads than traditional mixes.

The trial yielded positive results and eThekwini is looking to implement HiMA technology more widely within its municipal region.

Krishna Naidoo, senior manager of eThekwini's road rehabilitation branch, says that the municipality is impressed with the results.

"We believe that HiMA offers a better solution, taking into account the challenges posed by the weather and high volumes of heavy, slow-moving traffic around the Durban harbour," Naidoo says. "Any interruption of traffic in that area affects the national economy."

If the harbour road requires less frequent rehabilitation, pollution generated by traffic jams caused by road repairs can also be reduced.

"The use of this technology in road construction leads to roads that last longer and need less maintenance, thus causing fewer delays for road users," explains the CSIR's Dr Erik Denneman, who also heads up the longer-life roads project.

HiMA also decreases the life-cycle costs of roads, increases sustainability and decreases the use of non-renewable materials such as aggregate and bitumen.

Lifespan of roads

Denneman says that HiMA is suitable for use in both new road construction projects and upgrading of existing roads.

"Roads lose strength over time due to traffic loads and this is why they need to be rehabilitated periodically," he says.

He adds that HiMA can also be used to build 'perpetual roads'. This is an innovative concept where roads are constructed to have a very high carrying capacity, using thick layers of high quality material.

Although this will cost more initially, in the long term the road would last longer and require less maintenance to the structural layer. Only the top layer would have to be replaced periodically.

"Over the life of the road, this will reduce road user delays considerably and increase the sustainable use of resources," he says.

The durability of roads also depends on other factors such as the weather.

"As South Africa has a hot climate, it is important that the asphalt remains stable at high temperatures," he says. On a hot day, the surface temperature of roads in South Africa can reach 60°C.

Asphalt is a visco-elastic material, which means that its stiffness decreases at higher temperatures.

"One of the advantages of HiMA technology is that it has a stiffness at high temperatures that is significantly higher than that of conventional asphalt."

Design guidelines for HiMA mixes

The CSIR and Sabita have developed preliminary guidelines for the design of South African HiMA mixes and roads containing HiMA layers.

The guidelines will be incorporated into the updated, comprehensive South African Road Design Method undertaken by the CSIR and other organisations for the South African National Roads Agency.

By Wilma den Hartigh

Source: Media Club South Africa

"It got the message out there to the decision makers, and because it was in their faces all the time… there has been offers of assistance," said Adrian Louw, programme integrator at Bush Radio. 

The emergence of social media has opened new opportunities for community broadcasters in Cape Town, South Africa. Not only are they able to interact more effectively with their audiences, but they can now do so cheaply. 

Bush Radio broadcasts to at least 260 000 listeners, predominantly in the poor Cape Flats, formerly an apartheid housing area for people of colour. 

But thanks to social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a blog, Bush Radio now maintains a strong presence in the community. 

"The use of social media has been important for us because it has allowed us to do stuff without getting a specific designer on board that knows our internet protocols," said Louw. 

The station has a rich history of defiance during the apartheid era. Back then it broadcasted illegally after repeated applications for a licence were turned down. Since the granting of a broadcasting licence in 1994, the station has evolved with the times. 

"If blogging works, why do we have to pay thousands of (South African) Rands to get a designer to design a fancy website for news when a free CMS (content management system) works?" asked Louw. 

Core to Bush Radio’s programming are issues that affect their audiences. These include HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, poverty and crime. Highlighting these issues through social media is convenient in several ways. "The nice thing about social media is that it really assists community media with its mission, in terms of increasing access to the station and really making people feel that they are owners of the station because they now can communicate with the station quickly," says Louw 

"Even if you are not interested in something you get an alert, like ‘do not forget that Sakhisizwe (radio programme) is going to talk about HIV/AIDS at 12pm.’ In that way, a specialised audience will interact." 

Bush Radio is also renowned for training young people in broadcasting. Social media has enabled them to spread the message quicker. "For instance we had a recruitement for news volunteers. We had a response from over sixty applicants within three days." 

For Bush Radio, social media complements the weaknesses of radio – its immediacy and transient nature. With social media, the station can now relay important messages that have a presence on the internet. 

"We seriously believe that technology must be used in bettering people’s lives," said Louw. 

Across town in South Africa’s biggest single township of Khayelitsha, Radio Zibonele has a lot in common with Bush Radio. Radio Zibonele’s listenership has steadily increased with the station’s meteoric rise from its days of broadcasting under the bed of a shipping container truck in 1995. 

With over 220 000 listeners, feedback grew and inundated the single studio phone line. The advent of social media has been a welcome development for Radio Zibonele. 

Like most community media, Radio Zibonele traditionally interacts with its audiences through outreach programmes such as road shows and other sponsored community activities. However, of late, dwindling sponsorship has been a hindrance. Social media, said Ntebaleng Shete, the station’s programme manager, fills the gap by reconnecting with the community. 

Radio Zibonele broadcasts mostly in the local language, isiXhosa. Its flagship programme discusses various social problems, and feedback peaks during this two-hour programme. 

The high penetration of mobile phones with internet connectivity has also boosted the number of listeners who log onto social networks. According to latest figures provided by Cellular Online, a mobile portal, South Africa has a growing subscriber base of close to 20 million users. 

"I think people are growing with technology…many of the people want to be on Facebook and Twitter," said Shete. 

However, Chris Kabwato, the director of Highway Africa, a Pan-African programme at Rhodes University that focuses on research, education, media and digital technologies, said community media in Africa has a long way to go to utilise social media. 

"(There are ) the perennial challenges of lack of internet access… and the general lack of technical knowledge around the use of new media on - mobile, internet, web-based social applications," said Kabwato of the factors that have hampered the full usage of social media. 

He, however, believes that vast opportunities to develop more interactive programmes and to generate revenue from social media exist. 

*This story was produced with the support of UNESCO. 

By Davison Mudzingwa

Source: IPS News

The launch of Sierra Leone’s first online mining database in West Africa comes with a promise to increase transparency and accountability in the country’s rich natural resource sector.

“This system will stamp out all forms of malpractice in terms of licensing, financial management and general information pertaining to the mining sector,” said Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources Minkailu Man