Business24 ePaper Feb5 2020

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020

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2020 Education budget to pay ‘only’ salaries ...works, capitation grant hard hit

Customer battles UBA over EOCO arrest Benson Afful

Benson Afful

A Business24 analysis of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education’s report has revealed that 96.64 percent of the education sector budget of GH¢8billion for 2020 fiscal year is to be used in paying salaries; with a meagre 1.7percent channeled to general activities and payment of capitation grants.

Also, feeding grant to special schools, administrative grant to GES headquarters, Regional, Districts, Circuit offices and Special Schools among others, will also be paid from

the same 1.7percent.

This means of the GHC 8bn allocate to the sector, over GHC 7.7bn will be spent on paying salaries while under GHC300million is spent on goods and service, CAPEX. The education sector, which is one of the key areas that can spur growth, has in the past years faced a lot of challenges ranging from poor infrastructure and lack of education materials to aid teaching and learning at all levels.

The introduction of the Free Senior High School programme, which has almost double enrolment in secondary education, means that there should be a conscious effort to improve infra-

structure both at the secondary and tertiary levels of education.

However, the continuous spending of education sector budget to pay salaries and compensation will deprive the sector of the needed infrastructural.

In 2018, the Ministry of Education spent about 99 percent of the oil cash used to support the country’s education budget mainly for the payment of school fees in respect of government’s Free SHS programme, while a paltry 1 percent was spent on physical infrastructure.

An analysis of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee’s An-

nual Report on Management and Use of Petroleum Revenues for the Period 2018 revealed that of the total Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) allocation of GH¢419,871,012 to the education sector, a little over GH¢414.6million was spent on fees for Free SHS beneficiaries and GH¢5.2million was spent on expanding existing infrastructure and building new ones.

7.7bn

will be spent on paying salaries

A customer of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr. Prosper Kweku Tunnu, has sued the bank at the Circuit Court in Accra for breach of bank-customer relationship.

He is seeking from the bank an amount of GH¢50,000 in damages for having to endure public embarrassment as a wrong target in EOCO’s undercover investigations.

The suit, which was filed in March 2019, is yet to have its first hearing after several adjournments.

The plaintiff, who is also a Senior Accountant at the Ghana School of Law, filed a motion for default judgment in April 2019 as the defendant bank, UBA, had delayed in filing its defense statement.

Background to the case Mr. Tunnu who has been a customer of the bank for more than 10 years, had gone to the Accra Central branch of UBA on December 28, 2016 to sign a valid counter cheque to withdraw some money, but was subsequently arrested by EOCO officials.

According to him, EOCO had instructed the freezing of his bank account because UBA made misrepresentations to EOCO about his identity as one Bashiru Abdallah, an alleged Nigerian fraudster, who EOCO was looking for.

But, Prosper who is not happy with the ordeal he suffered from EOCO, said the bank has refused to apologise to him although he has been a loyal customer of 10 years in good standing with the bank hence the suit.

MORE ON PAGE 2

Galamsey is Back: Over 2000 illegal mining sites resurface Eugen Davis In spite of government’s quest to stem the tide of illegal mining, otherwise known as “galamsey”, over 2000 illegal mining sites have resurfaced, reports say.

Government in July 2018 procured close to 200 drones to assist its fight against illegal mining across the country.

The machines are expected to be used to take live images in districts where the practice is rampant.

A recent tour of various sites and water bodies in the Western Region by the Lands and Forestry Minister, Kweku Asoma Kyeremeh, revealed that the Oda and Ankobra rivers remain heavily polluted, an indication of the continuous illegal mining happening along the banks of the two major rivers and surrounding areas, despite the 85% success rate in fighting against illegal mining touted by government.

Government’s effort in fighting the galamsey, though, has been

questioned by the Vice President of IMANI, a policy think-tank, “We are not serious about galamsey, every place it happens is a district, the chiefs receive support from all these people [illegal miners]. We have been paying lip service with this,” he said on a recent radio talkshow.

The fight against ‘galamsey’ has long been fought in Ghana but never won.

However, the current government stepped up its efforts at the start of April 2017, when it issued

FEATURE

FEATURE

Africa Is the Last Frontier for Global Growth

The Real Consequences Of Fake Medicines

NEW HAVEN – Africa today accounts for around 17% of the world’s population, but only about 3% of global GDP. PG4

NEW HAVEN – Africa today accounts for around 17% of the world’s population, but only about 3% of global GDP. PG8

200 drones deployed to fight illegal mining

a three-week ultimatum to illegal gold miners operating in the country to either stop their activities or face prosecution.

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News/Editorial Editorial Government’s quest to build a solid educational sector by the introduction of the Free Senior High School programme, though laudable, should be augmented with investment in infrastructure.

But sadly, the analysis of the education sector budget for this year, shows that more attention is devoted to paying salaries.

Analysis of the Parliamentary

Education sector deserves more Select Committee on Education’s report shows that has revealed that 96.64 percent of the education sector budget of GH¢8billion for 2020 fiscal year is to be used in paying salaries; with a meagre 1.7percent channeled to general activities and payment of capitation grants.

Also, feeding grant to special schools, administrative grant to GES headquarters, Regional, Districts, Circuit offices and Special Schools among others, will also be paid from the same 1.7percent.

This means of the GHC 8bn allocate to the sector, over GHC 7.7bn will be spent on paying salaries while under GHC300million is spent on goods and service, CAPEX. Lack of investment in educational infrastructure has historically been poor. Indeed, in 2018, the Ministry of Education spent about 99 percent of the oil cash used to support the country’s education budget mainly for the payment of school fees in respect of government’s Free SHS programme,

while a paltry 1 percent was spent on physical infrastructure.

Continuous investment in educational infrastructure is imperative for growth. Indeed, the World Economic Forum notes that all countries, regardless of their national wealth, stand to gain from more and better education.

According to a recent OECD report, providing every child with access to education and the skills needed to participate

fully in society “would boost GDP by an average 28% per year in lower-income countries and 16% per year in high-income countries for the next 80 years.”

Business24 believes that more investment in classroom blocks, hostels, dormitories, construction of new school blocks and most importantly completion of on-going works are crucial is the ‘true success’ of the Free SHS is to be fully realized going forward.

Sahara Group tackles substance abuse with #CleanLoveFeb campaign

Connect us on Social Media

Customer battles UBA over EOCO arrest continued from page 1 Trial Adjournments The plaintiff and the defendant were in court on 25th June 2019 for practice directions of the court and the case was adjourned to 30th August 2019 after the plaintiff and the defendant had both filed witness and defense statements by 31st July 2019 and 6th August 2019 respectively.

On the 30th of August 2019, the date set for the hearing, the Circuit Court Judge adjourned the case to 22nd October 2019, of which would have been the second hearing of the case after the practice directions of the court were given on 25th June 2019.

The plaintiff in an interview with the Business24 said his hope of first pre-trial in court could not materialise on 22nd October 2019 as it was adjourned for the third time to 3rd. December 2019, then to 14th. January 2020; and now to be held on 21st February 2020.

Leading energy conglomerate, Sahara Group, is dedicating the month of February to a campaign against substance abuse which claims the lives of 11.8 million each year, which is more than the number of deaths from all cancers.

Tagged #CleanLoveFeb, the focus of the campaign is to sensitize the public, particularly young people, to the dangers of substance abuse. The campaign will involve various activities across Sahara Group’s locations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

In 2018, Sahara Group launched an initiative to shift the focus of Valentine’s Day from a one-day event to a month-long activity aimed at taking the celebration of love to the level of giving more attention to serious global issues.

According to Bethel Obioma, Head, Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, the initiative commenced with the “GreenLove” campaign in February 2018. The focus then was on safeguarding the well-being of

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the planet earth that is home to almost 8 billion people.

“In 2019 we celebrated #PinkLove to increase cancer awareness. This February, Sahara Group is spreading “#CleanLoveFeb” all around the world, hoping that the message will connect with people caught in the web of substance abuse and above all, deliver an overwhelming zero tolerance narrative that will make living and staying clean a way of life for everyone,” he said.

Obioma said the energy giant will be working with Dr. Tunde Fadipe, a psychiatrist, to engage various stakeholders on the campaign and undertake school activations such as open conversations, essay and chess competitions.

Other activities include awareness walks, press and radio interviews as well as visits to rehabilitation centers. “For us at Sahara Group, the #CleanLoveFeb campaign also represents a critical vehicle for beaming the searchlight on mental health issues that often emerge from substance abuse.

We invite everyone to join us in promoting this noble cause by

sharing our posts on the social media to ensure that the #CleanLove message gets to much more people, especially, young and impressionable individuals,” he added.

Speaking on the partnership with Sahara Group, Fadipe described Sahara’s global campaign against substance abuse as “timely and exemplary, seeing that we are all affected as relatives, friends, colleagues, teachers, or neighbour and the scourge is a major health concern all over the world.”

Noting that the impact of psychoactive substance abuse on young people had become a growing source of concern for mental health practitioners, Fadipe canvassed the declaration of a state of emergency to address the menace.

“What we have in our hands is a monster with huge forensic and socioeconomic implications. Seeing that prevention will always be better than cure, we need more sustained awareness initiatives like Sahara Group’s #CleanLoveFeb campaign. All hands need to be on deck to tackle this menace and I am excited to be a

Editorial: Dominic Andoh: E ditor Eugene Kwabena Davis: Head of Parliamentary Business & Commodities Benson Afful : Head of Energy & Education Patrick Paintsil : Head of Maritime & Banking Eliezer Mensah: Head of Production Marketing: Alexander Lartey Agyemang: Business Development Manager

part of this commendable campaign,” he declared.

Fadipe said statistics sourced from the United Nations office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) show that up to 270 million people, aged 15 – 64 years use psychoactive substances in a year and up to 13 percent of these people abuse them globally.

“Substance abuse does not discriminate as it affects people irrespective of age, gender, culture or socioeconomic status. It is linked with untoward effects on both the individual and society with corrosive effects on health, safety, wellbeing and productivity,” he stated.

A seasoned psychiatrist, Dr. Fadipe is currently a consultant psychiatrist (addiction, consultation-liaison services) at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital where he is involved in rendering clinical service, teaching and research.

In the last few years, his practice and research have focused on general adult psychiatry, addiction, psychosocial issues among underserved populations, and mental health advocacy.

Gifty Mensah: Snr. Marketing Consultant Irene Mottey: Snr. Marketing Consultant Edna Eyram Swatson: Snr. Marketing Consultant Ruth Fosua Tetteh: Snr. Marketing Consultant Events: Evelyn Kanyoke Snr. Events Consultant Accounts Joseph Ackon Bissue: Accountant Operations: Ampomah Akoto: Director of Operations

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News

GH¢2.5m set aside to contain Corona virus The government has allocated an initial amount of GH¢2.5 million, as part of a national preparedness plan to fight the deadly coronavirus if it is detected in Ghana.

The Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, announced this on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, when he briefed Parliament on the government’s preparedness to fight the disease if the deadly corona virus is detected in the country.

According to the Minister, the government has designated the Ridge Hospital (Greater Accra Regional Hospital), Police Hospital, Tema General Hospital and Ga East Municipal Hospital as treatment centres in case the virus is detected in the country.

“We have designated treatment centres, isolation facilities and holding places for the management of confirmed and suspected cases,” he said, stressing that there are dedicated ambulances for safe transport of any suspected and confirmed case.

He said all Teaching Hospitals in the country also have the capacity to treat any reported cases as well.

The Minister told Parliament

that Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) has agreed and consequently demonstrated its capacity to conduct tests for any confirmation of the deadly virus.

He indicated that his ministry has already initiated a process to procure 10,000 pieces of personal protective equipment for the use of all front-line workers.

“Arrangements are being made to procure insurance cover for all front-line workers,” he said.

He said the Ministry is using a health declaration form to exact salient information from travellers into the country to assess their risk profile while there is a continuous screening for fever using walk-through thermometers and non-contact thermometers at the Kotoka International Airport and other designated points of entry.

He however said that the ministry is mounting greater surveillance at Aflao and Elubo borders since the two border points are very busy for road travellers internationally “We are all in this together and therefore call on the private sector and development partners to give

their support to our national effort in this period of preparedness,” Mr. Agyeman-Manu said.

The deadly virus, first detected in Wuhan, China currently shows no sign of slowing and presents a significant treat to people and businesses.

With a total of 425 deaths out of 20,438 confirmed cases in China alone, the outbreak has led to significant disruption in trade, aviation and tourism among others.

Many airlines across the world have stopped servicing the Chinese market while many countries have either temporarily suspended visa issuance to and from China temporarily.

Standards Authority wants off gov’t subvention THE GHANA Standards Authority, in a move backed by Parliament, is seeking greater financial autonomy in order to ensure efficiency in its operations and check sub-standard goods flooding the Ghanaian market.

The state institution that ensures standards, wants to be weaned off central government’s subvention and be allowed to keep a significant portion of its Internally Generated Funds (IGF) for its operations.

The Vice Chairman of the Committee of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Ato Pamford, told Business24 that the Committee is fully in support of the GSA’s proposal.

“We realized that this is going to be a very critical thing to the nation; we need to rise up and support the GSA to make sure that proper surveillance and laws are put in place. So the Committee’s recommendations in short, we looked at the way GSA can be financially equipped in terms of human capacity to be able to deliver their mandate by law.”

Furtherance to this, the GSA has a legislation before Cabinet that is expected to come to Parliament soon. The proposed legislation is expected to consolidate the myr-

iad of laws governing the GSA’s operations into a single law which will empower the institution to be more effective. Checking sub-standard electrical cables According to the Report of the Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism on the challenges of imported sub-standard electrical cables, gadgets and accessories, there is the need to review the legal mandate of the GSA to incor-

porate the imposition of administrative fines as well as the power to destroy sub-standard goods upon seizure. This they reckon would serve as a deterrent to offenders.

The report also recommended, as a matter of urgency, for the Ministry of Finance restore the 15percent share of the 1percent Destination Inspection Levy to the GSA without being capped to enhance their operations.

A key challenge that was identified by the Committee was the lack of a warehouse or storage facility for the Authority to store impounded non-conforming goods.

Due to delay in adjudication of quality related cases, the Committee also recommended the establishment of a Specialised Quality Court to fast-track the adjudication of quality related cases.

The Authority, have thus, been

urged to collaborate with the Office of the Chief Justice to designate the Commercial Division of the High Court to set up an administrative tribunal to facilitate the speedy adjudication of cases relating to sub-standard goods, products, equipment and services.

Additionally, the Committee urged the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the GSA to speed up the process of developing the National Hydrocarbon Measurement Standards to ensure value for money in the Oil and Gas industry.

The Director General of Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Prof.

Alex Dodoo, says they Authority is not well resourced and “if they are weaned off and portions of funds is given to them as done in the past” they can expand capacity and serve the country better, by way of protecting businesses.

He also added that the Authority’s role in trade facilitation should be highlighted and is hoping it can be expedited into proper action.

On the expectation of the legislation that will be brought before Parliament, he indicated that “the GSA will be given the powers to fine. We want strong punitive sanctions; to be given the powers to bite”.

Civil society must help build resilient cyber space—SGI Coordinator Hanan Morsy Sustained cooperation among stakeholders within and outside of government—including civil society organizations (CSOs)— will help government to build coordinated and appropriate responses to cyber threats, Osei Bonsu Dickson, Chief Legal Advisor to the National Security Secretariat and coordinator of the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), has said.

Addressing a workshop on the theme “Making Our National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy Citizen-Centric” in Accra, he called for a more collaborative approach among public and private sector actors, including CSOs on

that discourse. “This workshop is timely and appropriate; if we have the right appetite, we can inoculate the current draft national cyber security policy and strategy, make it truly citizen-centric, more hygienic and healthier,” he said.

According to Mr. Dickson, although multiple legal instruments provided policy guidance for improving cyber security or responding to cybercrime, previous gaps in responsibilities manacled the national effort for unified direction.

“Previously, most public prosecutors, defence lawyers and even judges lacked the capacity to adequately prosecute cybercrime, inefficient processes in validating identification documents contributed also to high incidence

of identity theft or what I call cyber-galamsey,” he noted.

The workshop provided the platform for participants the dual opportunity to learn about the present draft national cyber security policy document and to contribute to the future ultimate document.

Mr. Dickson said: “We must ponder the role of CSOs in cyberspace; we must ask how best CSOs can contribute in coalition building global, regional and national capacity.

Accra remains the political Mecca of Africa, and so in the sphere of digital rights, cyber law and cyber norms, Ghanaian civil society organizations can offer a directional role in norms development, implementation, and enforcement.”

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Features

Addressing Africa’s Skills Mismatch Hanan Morsy

While much of the world struggles with rapid population aging, Africa is experiencing the opposite trend. With 60% of the continent’s population under the age of 25, African leaders must ensure not only that a sufficient number of quality jobs are available, but also that young people receive the education and training necessary to fill these positions. And when it comes to the latter imperative, much action is needed.

Mismatches between available jobs and the skills and qualifications of the workforce are widespread across Africa. According to a recent African Development Bank study of ten countries – Benin, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia – a majority of young Africans are undereducated for their jobs, and nearly one-third are under-skilled.

Moreover, young people who are over-skilled or overeducated for their current positions are underpaid and frustrated by their limited career opportunities and wasted or deteriorating talents.

Undereducated youth do enjoy a wage premium, but it comes at the cost of job satisfaction. The underskilled suffer from the pressure of trying to keep up with the requirements of their job, and from the constant fear of losing it. Eventually, underskilled youth suffer “scarring,” or lasting damage to their economic circumstances and prospects. They accept mismatched jobs out of desperation rather than waiting, unemployed, for more suitable positions that may never come.

Given the magnitude and persistence of job-skill mismatches, and their adverse effects on individuals and economies, reducing them should be a top priority for African governments. The first step is to improve access to education.

Though many African countries have made significant progress in boosting education rates in recent years, many young people, especially girls and rural dwellers, receive only limited schooling, or none at all. Furthermore, even 38% of employed youth never attended school for economic reasons, and another 12% because there was no school nearby.

Governments can make a difference by investing in educational infrastructure: building new

schools and renovating old ones, improving working conditions for teachers, and upgrading school equipment, including information and computer technology. At the same time, they should eliminate primary-school fees, limit the costs of secondary and tertiary education, and finance scholarship programs.

African governments must also do a better job of supporting young people in their transition from education to employment.

As it stands, very few young Africans, employed or not, receive job-seeking advice from the government or employment agencies.

To improve young workers’ prospects, governments should help to disseminate information on available jobs, and create incentives (such as tax breaks or subsidies) for firms to offer internships and apprenticeships to graduates.

Where such arrangements already exist, governments should strengthen their impact by broadening their reach and mandate, advertising them more widely, and investing in monitoring and impact measurement.

Finally, for such programs to work, young graduates need the knowledge and skills that the labor market demands. African em-

ployers often complain about the difficulty of finding candidates with specialized training in the so-called STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math), as well as complex problem-solving and communication skills. And nearly 40% of those surveyed did not consider their education useful in finding employment.

The African Development Bank has taken the lead in creating opportunities for African youth in ICT by providing financing to Carnegie Mellon University Africa in Rwanda, which was established in 2011 to serve as a center of excellence and a regional ICT hub for East Africa. This institution, in collaboration with the Rwandan government, has established an innovation incubator to help students create their own businesses.

Addressing the mismatch problem will require African governments to foster more demand-driven, forward-looking education and skills training. For example, they can create forums for companies to communicate their needs regularly to educational and training institutions, which would then adapt curricula accordingly. The result would be a new generation of attractive local candidates, thereby mitigating a

Hanan Morsy

severe constraint on firms’ ability to expand output and create jobs.

Africa’s youth bulge is a major asset, with the potential to drive economic growth and development for decades to come. But if the continent’s young people are unproductive, frustrated, and desperate, it could become a major liability that undermines economic prosperity, social progress, and even political stability. The outcome in the coming years will depend on the policies that African governments adopt now.

Hanan Morsy is Director of the African Development Bank’s Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting, and Research Department. © Project Syndicate 1995–2020

Africa Is the Last Frontier for Global Growth

By Colin Coleman

NEW HAVEN – Africa today accounts for around 17% of the world’s population, but only about 3% of global GDP. These statistics not only attest to a failure to tap the continent’s developmental potential, but also highlight the tremendous opportunities and risks ahead. As long as Africa continues to lag economically, it will be a source of global instability and extremism. But if it rises, it could be one of the major sources of growth for the world.

Africa is no stranger to suffering.

The continent has been ravaged by slavers, plundered by colonizers, exploited by world powers during the Cold War, and ravaged by the post-colonial conflicts leaving a legacy of relentless volatility, horrific violence, and widespread poverty.

Consider the atrocities committed by King Leopold II of Belgium in the so-called Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC) in the late 1890s, as he looted the country’s ivory and rubber. As Adam Hochschild recounts in his book King Leopold’s Ghost, a young Edmund Morel, who witnessed Leopold’s plunder for profit, described the forced labor, “directed by the [king’s] closest associates,” as “terrible and continuous.”

Women were abducted and raped. Men were enslaved and worked to death. Resisters risked death, and their hands would be severed – while they were still alive – as proof of punishment.

And with nobody left to cultivate or find food, millions suffered near-famine and died of diseases that they might have survived otherwise. “It must be bad enough to stumble upon a murder,” recalled Morel. “I had stumbled upon a secret society of murderers with a King for a croniman.”

Well over a century later, the DRC still struggles to maintain peace and stability, let alone secure growth and development. Indeed, all of Central Africa has suf-

Colin Coleman,

fered from seemingly unremitting conflicts – a dynamic that, since the end of the Cold War, “developed into an avalanche of killing and destruction,” as the regional analyst and advocate Kris Berwouts put it a decade ago. Approximately six million people died as a direct or indirect consequence of the two wars in the DRC – in 1996-1997 and 1998-2002 – which followed the brutal genocide in Rwanda.

Yet, in spite of this history, Africa has managed to make important gains in recent decades. In Sub-Saharan Africa, GDP growth has averaged 5% per year since 2000. For the entire continent, the rate is only slightly lower.

Moreover, according to a 2019 World Bank report, poverty in Africa (defined as income of less than $1.90 per day) declined from 54% in 1990 to just over 41% – affecting around 400 million people – in 2015. If the economy continues to grow at today’s rate through 2030, the continent’s poverty rate will decline to 23%. Given rates of poverty reduction elsewhere

in the world, however, this would still represent a rising share of global poverty.

Africa has the potential to go much further. The world’s youngest and fastest-urbanizing continent, Africa will have 24 million more people, on average, living in its cities each year between 2015 and 2045 – more than India and China combined – according to a 2016 McKinsey & Company estimate. This implies major increases in consumption. Already, spending by consumers and businesses in Africa totals $4 trillion.

Household consumption is expected to grow by 3.8% annually until 2025, reaching $2.1 trillion, and business spending should grow from $2.6 trillion in 2015 to $3.5 trillion in 2025. Altogether, the McKinsey report predicts $5.6 trillion in African business opportunities by 2025.

Some of these opportunities lie in agriculture: if Africa, which possesses 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, intensified its agricultural productivity, it could produce 2-3 times more ce-

reals and grains, with similar increases in horticulture crops and livestock. Other opportunities lie in infrastructure: as of 2010, Africa still needed at least $46 billion in additional spending each year to upgrade its energy, water, and transportation networks.

Of course, some valuable investment opportunities also involve Africa’s abundant natural resources, which include 10% of the world’s oil reserves, 40% of its gold, and 80% of its platinum. But the importance of such resources to Africa’s future prosperity shouldn’t be overestimated. According to a 2019 Goldman Sachs economic research report, commodities have accounted for only around 30% of Africa’s GDP growth since 2000.

In fact, the report concludes, the drivers of Africa’s “secular acceleration” appear to be “deep and structural.” This reflects success, which needs to be reinforced from now on by continuing to strengthen institutions, support political stability, promote democratization, enhance policy coordina-

tion, improve ease of doing business, reduce debt, open financial markets, attract foreign direct investment, facilitate technology transfers, and nurture human capital (such as through education and health care).

Some countries – particularly the smaller economies of East Africa – are already demonstrating how powerful such reforms can be. If the entire continent took this approach, sustaining and accelerating the needed reforms over the next half-century, some believe that Africa could emulate China’s rapid rise of the last 50 years.

But not everyone is optimistic about Africa’s ability to fulfill its promise. Some doubt that the continent will manage to overcome its legacy of slavery, colonialism, and great-power competition.

There are also concerns about the global economic landscape, especially trade tensions between the United States and China, and the attendant effects on growth and commodity prices. Much will hinge on the performance of Africa’s largest economies – Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa – and progress on making the African Continental Free Trade Area a functioning regional economic bloc.

If Africa succeeds, it could lift millions of its own out of poverty, while serving as a stable and prosperous economic partner for the rest of the world. Otherwise, the continent will remain constrained by poverty, institutional lethargy, and corruption, which will feed instability, and possibly spill over to the rest of the world. Africa will soon to be home to one-fifth of the global population. The world would sleep easier if the continent could put itself on the road to growth and prosperity.

Colin Coleman, a former CEO for Goldman Sachs in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a senior fellow and lecturer at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Yale University.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2020. www.project-syndicate.org

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Energy

2020 Could Be Africa’s Arrival As A Solar Market With Size

By Colin Coleman

After a long wait, 2020 could well mark a decisive shift in the energy availability graph for countries in Africa, as multiple approaches and tactics finally make a case for a stronger push.

For long, Africa has suffered from the world’s lowest electrification rate. Figures from 2017 state that Its power consumption per capita is just 613 kilowatt-hours per year, compared to 6,500 kWh in Europe and 13,000 in the United States. take out relatively industrialised South Africa, and the figures become even worse. In figures that have been cited regularly, electricity con¬sumption per person in large African countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria is less than one-tenth that of Brazil or China.

In poorer countries such as Mali, a typical household uses less electricity in a year than a Londoner uses to boil a kettle each day.

And nearly 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity altogether — with the result that whole communities live in the dark, come night time.

It’s a story that is repeated in country after country in the massive continent, with lack of transmission infrastructure to blame usually. This is a legacy of the blighted way in which most borders were drawn up by colonial countries, as well as issues with terrain, political instability, and lack of financing. All this has coalesced to create a big opportunity in the continent today, for renewables, as well as distributed or off grid solar, in fact. The efforts are finally beginning to show results, in fact.

Back in April this year, the African Development Bank started a campaign to “light up and power Africa”. It has committed $12 bil-

lion to energy projects between 2017 and 2022, and aims to attract a further $50 billion in private sector investment.

The World Bank has agreed to bolster the Regional Off-Grid Electrification Project (ROGEP) with access to $225 million in cash and credit.

The project improves off-grid access to electricity through standalone solar systems in 19 countries in West Africa and the Sahel including Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo. Funding is critical to cover the high initial capital costs, as well as cover for lack of adequate information on key parameters like credit history of customers etc.

The World Bank funds include $150 million in credit and grants from the International Development Association – a unit of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries – and a $74.7 million contingent recovery grant from the Clean Technology Fund of the Climate Investment Funds, which are also administered by

the World Bank alongside regional development banks. Contingent recovery grants must be repaid if other lenders go on to supply funding to ROGEP. “The project is expected to benefit about 1.7 million people currently living without electricity connections or with unreliable supply, as well as businesses and public institutions who will use modern standalone solar systems to improve their living standards and economic activities,” the World Bank had said in a statement announcing the funding.

Taking the cue is a new breed of African innovators that is harnessing mobile money, along with advances in solar power and battery storage, to leapfrog the continent’s gaps in electric power generation. One example is Kenya-based M-Kopa, which provides solar-powered electricity generation and storage solutions to households that lack access to the grid — and finances payment over a twelve-month period via mobile money accounts. Since its founding, in 2011, M-KOPA has sold more than 600,000 household kits and garnered investments

from multinationals including Japan’s Mitsui.

Another example is Uganda-based Fenix, which has sold 140,000 solar power kits, also enabled by mobile money. In late 2017 Fenix was acquired by Engie, a major global energy company based in France, as part of a drive to use digital technologies to provide 20 million people around the world with decarbonized, decentralized energy by 2020.

Yet another pioneer is UK-based BBOXX, which distributes its solar kits through agents in ten African countries — and uses remote monitoring technology to improve battery life and users’ experience.

The fact that most off grid suppliers have to compete with diesel powered captive power, and barely any central grid, makes the opportunity, and the battle more even. The drop in solar power costs means that they find themselves very competitive versus captive power today, without adding to the pollution or logistics of fuel transport too. That means, even in larger economies like Nigeria, there is a market. Firms like Lumos, a big provider of off grid power in Nigeria, claim that their monthly costs are $15 per household, as compared to $70 for captive power.

While a variety of technologies and products are considered part of the off-grid ecosystem, solar home systems have been the favoured option from an investment perspective, and particularly those sold under a pay-as-you-go (paygo) model.

Under this model, residential customers in remote areas are provided with a solar-generation unit, usually backed up with a battery, and the homeowners make lease payments over time as they benefit from the electricity. Paygo allows solar companies to tap into a vast base of potential customers that cannot pay for a

system upfront, but it means the companies must carry that debt on their balance sheet. Of course, the model requires scale, which itself requires funding. The good news? Funding has become much more cheaper and widely available for firms with a proven model and technology, enabling some to grow faster.

Firms like Engie are also investing in a big way in mini-grids, which seek to power entire villages with renewable systems upto 5 MW in capacity. With many such projects and pilots launched in the past 18 months, 2020 might just be the year when the next level of push happens. Another example of the unconventional partnerships taking shape in the continent is that between telecommunications operator Orange pay-as-you-go solar power provider Greenlight Planet, to provide Orange customers with access to clean energy solutions in several African countries.These countries include Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone etc.

The partnership involves both companies deploying Greenlight Planet’s Sun King range of off-grid energy systems available to the hardest-to-reach regions, especially to the households who live off-the-grid.

Greenlight Planet’s solar systems first become available for Orange’s eight million customers in Burkina Faso from November 2019 onwards.

Thus, even as total capacity number projections or the continent vary between 3 to 4 GW from various estimates, these probably ignore the possibilities for off grid solar, which can contribute massively. 2020 will hopefully being both clarity and direction, to make it even easier for firms to consider the continent’s countries in their plans.

Critical Resources for Renewable Energy – Part 1 Dr Jody Muelaner

Which resources are required to build today’s renewable power generation technologies?

Wind and solar power are now the cheapest ways of generating electricity in most parts of the world. The costs have become so low that it’s often cheaper to build new renewable power generation than continue operating existing coal power stations. It may seem strange, therefore, that there is not a focused effort to replace all power generation with wind and solar as soon as possible. Why are we still talking about an energy mix that includes other more expensive and polluting technologies?

As engineers, with an understanding of manufacturing, we often assume that the more of something we make, the cheaper it will become. This is almost always true for the actual cost of manufacturing. However, when production depends on scarce resources, the exact opposite happens. The more you produce, the more you drive up the cost of the resources you need to buy. Unfortunately, this may be true for many types of renewable energy.

This is one of two fundamental reasons we need a range of different renewable technologies. The other is intermittency of supply.

Some of the scarce resources required for renewable power include:

•

Land in suitable locations for wind and solar power generation • Geological features suitable for pumped-storage hydroelectricity to store intermittent power at a low cost • Cobalt and other minerals to store power in lithium-ion batteries • Rare earth magnets to produce efficient generators for wind turbines • Minerals to produce solar panels • Land for Wind and Solar Power Generation One of the first considerations when siting new wind and solar power installations is where they will be located. The site must provide reliable wind or sunlight, and the land must be a reasonable cost. Other societal impacts must also be considered. Additionally, the power must be generated sufficiently close to where it will be used so that power transmission doesn’t represent too much additional cost. Many of the best sites have already been used, which means that new renewable power facilities must choose sites where not as much power can be generated, the land is more expensive or electrical transmission costs will be higher. Despite this, the rapidly falling cost of manufacturing and installing the power generation hardware means that the total cost continues to fall. This cannot go on indefinitely. There will come a point when sites either provide very little energy, are in prime real estate or involve huge

transmission costs.

The big question is how close are we to using up the economical sites, causing the price of wind power to rise. The good news is that we are a long way away from reaching capacity. In fact, a study carried out last year by the University of Sussex and Aarhus University found that just the onshore wind sites in Europe could power the whole world. Other studies have shown similar results for other regions and solar energy. When offshore wind is considered, there is real abundance of potential sites for power generation. The transition to wind and solar power will not be slowed by any shortage of suitable locations.

Geological Features for Pumped-storage Hydroelectricity Wind and solar only produce power when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. Fully transitioning to these power sources would, therefore, require greatly increased storage capacity within our electrical grids. The only current or near-term technology that can economically store the required quantities of energy is pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH). Energy is stored by pumping water up to a large reservoir, typically on a mountain. When the energy is needed, it is allowed to flow back down to another reservoir, often 100s of meters below, through a high-pressure pipe that is typically supported by surrounding rock. At the bottom of the pipe the water flows through a turbine at immense pressure to generate electricity.

Although smaller PSH installations are significantly cheaper than equivalent lithium-ion battery banks, the costs of PSH fall dramatically for larger installations. The lifecycle costs are also far lower. Batteries last at best 15 years. While PSH is typically designed to last 100 years, it could last indefinitely with regular maintenance. PSH is an investment that requires a small maintenance cost. Battery storage needs to be completely replaced periodically. It isn’t an investment. It is simply an expense. Despite the long-term economic advantages of PSH, considerable initial capital investment is required and large installations may take over 10 years to come online.

The issue for PSH is finding suitable locations. Two reservoirs must be sited close to one another but with an elevation difference of more than 500m. There must be suitable geological features to contain each reservoir and support the high-pressure pipe connecting them. The mountainous sites with these features are often in unspoiled natural locations.

They have ecological and societal value that makes it difficult for a major engineering project or the construction of concrete dams to disturb them. A huge supply of water is also required, which often means depleting local aquifers.

Many countries have sites that are technically able to provide sufficient energy storage for a full transition to wind and solar. However, full-scale adoption is held back by the desire to make stor-

age available rapidly and without major disruption to valued beauty spots and ecological sites.

One interesting solution is to use concrete spheres submerged in the sea close to offshore wind turbines. A study carried out by Goethe University Frankfurt and Saarland University has shown this could deliver economically competitive power. It would, however, be limited to sites with suitable geological features to site both wind turbines and storage spheres in close proximity, with an estimated global capacity of 900 GWh, equivalent to 20 minutes of the worlds average electricity use.

Mineral Resources for Lithium-ion Batteries There is a growing acceptance that utility-scale lithium-ion battery banks will be required for rapid increases in the use of wind and solar power. PWH capacity cannot be increased rapidly enough and is limited by available locations. Other energy storage technologies just won’t be ready quickly enough, for example, the production of synthetic fuels from solar energy and alternative batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries require cobalt, most of which currently comes for the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are serious ethical issues with these mines, which are closely linked to conflict and child labor. Scaling up battery production for utility storage, as well as increasing use of electric vehicles, will require vastly more continued on page 6

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Africa Economy

In Landmark Agreement, US, Gov’t of Jersey to Repatriate Fresh $308m Abacha Loot to Nigeria The Government of Jersey, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Government of the United States of America have entered into an Asset Recovery Agreement to repatriate over US$308 million of forfeited assets to Nigeria.

This was disclosed in a joint statement by the three countries obtained on Tuesday.

According to the statement, the funds were laundered through the US banking system and then held in bank accounts in Jersey in the name of Doraville Properties Corporation, a BVI company, and in the name of the son of the former Head of State of Nigeria, Late General Sani Abacha.

It explained that in 2014, a US Federal Court in Washington DC had forfeited the money as property involved in the illicit laundering of the proceeds of corruption arising in Nigeria, during the period from 1993 to 1998, when Abacha was Head of State.

The case was a result of extensive co-operation between the Jersey authorities, the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with crucial assistance from other governments around the world.

The statement further revealed that at the time, the case was filed as part of the US Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative in 2013, and then was the largest US kleptocracy forfeiture action ever commenced.

“In 2014 the Attorney General of Jersey applied for, and was granted, a Property Restraint Order over the Jersey bank account balance of Doraville.

“This was challenged in the Royal Court of Jersey and Court of Appeal, and an application for permission to appeal to the Privy Council by Doraville was refused.

France and the United Kingdom restrained additional funds at U.S. request.

“General Abacha and his associates stole and laundered many hundreds of millions of dollars of public money during his military regime, doing vast harm to the futures of his own people. The monies were laundered by his family, including his sons Ibrahim and Mohammed, and a number of close associates.

“The laundering operation extended to the United States and European jurisdictions such as

the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Luxembourg,” it stated.

In addition, the statement revealed that in 2018, governments of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, United States of America and the Bailiwick of Jersey commenced the negotiation of the procedures for the repatriation, transfer, disposition and management of the assets. It, however, pointed out that the tripartite agreement signed this week represents a major watershed in international cooperation in asset recovery and repatriation, and would provide benefit to Nigerians.

It listed the projects on which the funds would be expended on by the federal government to include the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, stressing that this would be, “independently audited.”

“The Federal Republic of Nigeria will establish a Monitoring Team to oversee the implementa-

tion of the projects and to report regularly on progress. The Nigerian government, in consultation with the other parties, will also engage civil society organisations, who have expertise in substantial infrastructure projects, civil engineering, anti-corruption compliance, anti-human trafficking compliance, and procurement to provide additional monitoring and oversight,” it added.

Commenting on the landmark agreement, the Solicitor General and Attorney General designate of Jersey, Mark Temple QC, who signed on behalf of Jersey, said: “This Agreement represents the culmination of two decades of intensive work by Law Officers in Jersey, the United States and Nigeria. The return of the assets to Nigeria had been delayed by a number of hard-fought challenges by third parties which were defeated in the Courts in Jersey and the United States.

“The agreement establishes

a framework based on fruitful co-operation, trust and respect so that the forfeited funds can be repatriated to benefit the people of Nigeria, from whom they had been taken. The use of the funds will be subject to monitoring and reporting obligations.

“This is a very significant achievement, and, once again, demonstrates Jersey’s commitment to tackling international financial crime and money laundering.”

Also, Jersey’s Minister for External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, said: “Since becoming aware that the alleged proceeds of Abacha corruption and money laundering had passed through Jersey financial institutions, the Jersey authorities have done everything within their power to investigate what happened and to return the money to its rightful owners, the people of Nigeria.

“I would like to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to the dedicated team within the Law Officers’ Department, and their colleagues in United States and Nigeria.

“Their excellent level of cooperation in the fight against corruption, at domestic and international levels, should be an example for other jurisdictions to follow.

“As a leading international finance centre with an effective and robust regulatory regime, Jersey has a responsibility to firmly address any instances of alleged money laundering and corruption. “Our commitment to seeing these funds repatriated has led to a positive outcome for the people of Nigeria, has established lasting partnerships and given us a pioneering role in asset-recovery that is based on the principles of national interest, trust and mutual respect.” In the same vein, the Deputy Assistant Attorney Brian Benczkowski, who announced the agreement on behalf of the United States stated: “The Department is pleased to enter into this agreement with The Bailiwick of Jersey and the Federal Republic of Nigeria to return this enormous amount of stolen funds for the benefit of the people harmed by the corruption in Nigeria.

“Through the recovery of these funds — and this mutual agreement — the people of Nigeria can see the money they lost to corruption in flagrant disregard of the rule of law is returned through a lawful process, and in a manner

that ensures transparent and accountable use of the funds. This is a major achievement.

“It also stands as a clear statement of our commitment to safeguard the United States from those who seek to launder the proceeds of corruption through the abuse of our financial system.”

On his part, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, who signed on behalf of the Nigerian government noted that this agreement has, “culminated in a major victory, for Nigeria and other African countries as it recognises that crime does not pay and that it is important for the international community to seek for ways to support sustainable development through the recovery and repatriation of stolen assets.

According to him, “without the commitment of the three parties to the Agreement (Nigeria, Jersey and the United States) and that of the legal experts and Attorneys representing Nigeria, it would have been impossible to achieve the success recorded today.”

Malami added: “As you are aware, the government of Nigeria has committed that the assets will support and assist in expediting the construction of the three major infrastructure projects across Nigeria – namely Lagos – Ibadan expressway, Abuja – Kano expressway and the second Niger bridge.

“These projects currently being executed under the supervision of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority as a public private partnership (PPP) will boost economic growth and help alleviate poverty by connecting people and supply chains from the East to the West and to the Northern part of Nigeria, a vast area covering several kilometers with millions of the country’s population set to benefit from the road infrastructures.“ He stressed the need for greater cooperation and mutual respect amongst countries in the implementation of expeditious cooperation measures already set out in the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and in the implementation of the GFAR principles on the repatriation of stolen assets.

He called for civil society organisations and the Nigerian public to be involved in the monitoring of the implementation of the key infrastructure projects that would greatly enhance road transportation in Nigeria.

South African court issues arrest warrant for ex-president Zuma in graft trial

A South African court issued an arrest warrant for former president Jacob Zuma on Tuesday, after he skipped court on grounds of needing medical treatment, but the judge stayed the warrant until his corruption trial resumes on May 6.

Zuma’s lawyer presented the judge with a sick note from what he said was a military hospital, but Judge Dhaya Pillay questioned whether the note was valid, as there was no medical number showing if and where the doctor was certified.

“I don’t even know if [he] … is a doctor. There is … nothing to suggest that he is,” she said, before issuing the warrant.

The former leader is on trial on 18 charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to a $2 billion arms deal with French defense firm Thales in 1999, when Zuma was deputy president. He rejects the allegations as a politically motivated witch-hunt.

Dan Mantsha, Zuma’s lawyer, said that he was abroad for medical treatment, without saying where. Local media have suggested he is in Cuba, although it was not immediately possible to verify this. Pillay concluded that the note was insufficient to excuse Zuma from appearing for the trial, but gave him until it resumes on May 6 to turn up before the warrant kicks in.

Zuma, president from 20092018, had previously applied for a permanent stay of prosecution but the court in Pietermaritzburg

threw out his appeal in November.

He is accused of accepting 500,000 rand ($34,000) annually from Thales in 1999, in exchange for protecting the company from an investigation into the deal.

Thales, known as Thompson-CSF at the time, has said it had no knowledge of any transgressions by any of its employees in relation to the award of the contracts.

The National Prosecuting Authority initially filed the charges against Zuma a decade ago, but set them aside shortly before he successfully ran for president in 2009. Following appeals and lobbying by opposition parties, the NPA reinstated the charges in March 2018.

Pillay also accepted an application by the company on Tuesday to be represented by lawyer Barry Roux, who defended Paralympian athlete Oscar Pistorius over the 2013 murder of his girlfriend.

Reuters

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Pharmaceuticals

The Real Consequences of Fake Medicines David Richmond

Niger’s government is sounding the alarm about bogus meningitis vaccines – and it is not the first time. Five years ago, hundreds of Nigerien people died after receiving fake vaccines. The problem, of course, is not vaccines. It is the widespread distribution of substandard and falsified medical products. And it is a problem that disproportionately affects Africa.

The global market for medicines that are substandard (failing to meet quality specifications) or falsified (with the composition, identity, or source deliberately misrepresented) is estimated to be worth up to $200 billion, or 10-15% of the total pharmaceutical market. But it could be much bigger: according to the World Health Organization, which relies largely on voluntary reporting by health-care professionals, we may know about “just a small fraction” of all cases.

What we do know is that the problem is particularly acute in Africa. In 2013-2017, 42% of substandard and falsified medicines

found were on the continent. This is undermining Africa’s hard-won progress on health, not least by eroding trust in nascent healthcare systems.

Needless to say, the use of substandard or falsified medicines – which range from ineffective to poisonous – can have devastating consequences, with the poorest and most vulnerable being hit the hardest. After all, it is those with limited funds and poor access to medical professionals and quality health care who are most likely to buy discounted medicines on the streets, where there is no guarantee that they are real, let alone of high quality.

Ultimately, this can result in much higher costs for victims, who must pay more to treat the original illness once it has progressed further, as well as for any side effects from the fake medication, if they survive at all. A 2015 study estimated that, in Sub-Saharan Africa, 122,000 children under the age of five had died in just one year as a result of substandard or falsified antimalarial medications. Moreover, since people don’t know what they are taking, let alone the proper dose, falsified and substandard medicines contribute to rising antimi-

David Richmond

crobial resistance – a trend that doesn’t discriminate between rich and poor.

Yet fake-medicine traffickers have little incentive to stop. It is estimated that every $1,000 traffickers “invest” in counterfeit medicines can yield as much as $450,000 in profit. That margin is 10-25 times larger than that enjoyed by sellers of illicit narcotics. And those massive rewards are not counterbalanced by significant risk. Even when caught, fake-medicine traffickers often avoid prison time. They merely pay a fine and get back to business.

Like narcotics trafficking, however, it is a business that depends on – and reinforces – broader criminal activity, including that

of terrorist groups. In fact, fake medicines are trafficked through the same organized-crime networks as illicit drugs and weapons. These networks destabilize communities and countries, particularly in already-fragile regions like the Sahel.

Fortunately, seven African countries – The Gambia, Ghana, Niger, the Republic of Congo, Senegal, Togo, and Uganda – are set to take action to address the scourge of fake medicine. This month, the Brazzaville Foundation, of which I am Chief Executive, will bring together the heads of these states in Lomé, Togo, to sign a political declaration and a legally binding agreement committing them to introduce legislation to this end.

The agreement will include a clear timetable, and demand tough new criminal penalties.

Furthermore, recognizing the critical importance of rigorous enforcement, it will include provisions on capacity building, including community engagement, and on coordination among government agencies. As such, it will lay the groundwork for a broader campaign to ensure that all citizens have access to quality health care, including safe and effective

medicines.

The Lomé Initiative represents an historic opportunity to step up the fight against the trade in substandard and fake medicines. But to subdue this deadly business, which claims hundreds of thousands of African lives every year, more of the continent’s leaders must join the fight. And the international community must support them.

Some international actors have embraced this imperative. Beyond the WHO, the Council of Europe has created the MEDICRIME Convention, the first international treaty against counterfeit medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health.

And the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has produced a guide to good legislative practices for combating falsified medical product-related crime.

But more must be done, and the Lomé Initiative can go a long way toward ensuring that it is. To minimize the risks that fake medicines pose to us all, the world must offer its support.

David Richmond is Chief Executive of the Brazzaville Foundation, an independent London-based charity that focuses on African issues. © Project Syndicate 1995–2020

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Aviation

Namibia suspends visas for Chinese nationals Namibia has become the first Southern African Development Community (SADC) country to stop granting visas to Chinese nationals as a precautionary measure due to the coronavirus outbreak that has become a global health emergency with the death rate increasing daily.

The decision was made known by the Namibian Ambassador to China Elia Kaiyamo who on Twitter on Sunday said, “As from now our mission in China will not issue visas to Chinese national until further notice. Exceptional case like this diplomat maybe considered.”

As of yesterday, three African countries reported that they were investigating suspected cases of coronavirus. Kenya, Ethiopia and Botswana reported three, four, five cases respectively. The only other African country to declare a suspected case negative is Ivory Coast.

Health executive director Ben Nangombe yesterday said no coronavirus has been detected and the ministry is on high alert and have put in place measures to detect the spread of the coronavirus at ports of entry.

He said the health ministry has sent protective clothing to ports of the country and a meeting was to

be held yesterday with all stakeholders to sensitize them about the seriousness of the virus.

Chinese Ambassador to Namib-

ia Zhang Yiming last week confirmed that a “few” Chinese nationals have returned to Namibia after the outbreak of the coronavi-

Emirates and Expo 2020 Dubai: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2020 opens Emirates is taking its partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai to new heights and educating festival goers about its involvement at The World’s Greatest Show during the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, which is set to start today, and will run through 9 February at the InterContinental Hotel Dubai Festival City.

In line with the theme of “Tomorrow” – Emirates and Expo 2020 Dubai will be activating a joint interactive space and rolling out unique experiences onground to interact with visitors of all ages, fostering an environment of creativity and encouraging discussions around Expo 2020’s main theme: “Connecting minds, Creating the future.” From 5 to 8 February, visitors can learn more about The World’s Greatest Show – and get a sneak preview of the Emirates Pavilion, which will be an exploration of the future of commercial travel.

Children will enjoy creative activities at the kids’ area while reading their favourite novels and discovering the airline’s “Fly With Me Animal Toys” activity book with specific Expo 2020 Dubai activities inside. A large colouring wall with exclusive artwork design curated by Emirati artist, Abdulla Lutfi, will also be on display for children to enjoy. The design will include a visual interpretation of The World’s Greatest Show, including the Emirates Pavilion and Emirates aircraft adorned with Expo 2020 decals.

A bespoke Expo 2020 Dubai “pop-up” display will showcase the Expo grounds including a deep dive into the Emirates Pavilion. Visitors will have a chance to join an interactive quiz and win vouchers to select leisure outlets in Dubai as well as Expo 2020 wristbands. Festival-goers will also get a chance to interact with Emirates’ pilot and cabin crew mascots as they roam the festival grounds with Expo 2020 Dubai mascots, Rashid and Latifa. A photo-booth will be available for visitors to take pictures as personalised souvenirs. Emirates continues to strengthen its

rus in China, but appealed to Namibians to remain calm, reaffirming his country’s commitment to stop the virus from spreading.

“I must admit we have a very few Chinese nationals who arrived in the country a few days ago – our embassy is busy contacting each one of them, we are demanding all of them to stay at home, isolate themselves, strictly at home for 14 days and report to our embassy every day. We will make sure that no one carries this virus to this country,” said Zhang while addressing the media in Windhoek on Friday.

He called on Namibians and the international community for support, saying that it is only through such support that China will be able to tackle the outbreak of the virus.

“We are a global village, we should support each other, either materially or emotionally,” Zhang said. He said there are currently an estimated 6 000 Chinese nationals living in Namibia with the majority still in China celebrating the Chinese New Year, which is on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

“We have advised those who are still in China to stay there up until the virus is contained. China

New ‘Ghana Airways’: Airbus conducted initial feasibility studies

Various source have revealed that aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, which last week paid £3bn fines after it admitted using agents across the globe to bribe officials to land high-value contracts in 20 countries including Ghana, conducted and presented a comprehensive plan to aid the Government of Ghana re-establish a new home-based carrier.

The documents submitted to government between 2014 and 2016, according to sources, were not acted upon. However, the

commitment to cultural events in the UAE, and has played a pivotal role in growing the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature into the most prominent literary event in Dubai’s annual calendar. The airline supports over 50 cultural, sports and music events around Dubai as well as the UAE, helping to build up the city into a leading centre for world-class events and festivals, and fostering vibrant communities by bringing people from all backgrounds together for

unique shared experiences.

Emirates is a Premier Partner and the Official Airline for Expo 2020 Dubai, and has been working to spread awareness and capture the world’s attention around the global event and attract visitors.

Expo 2020 Dubai will run from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021. It will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region. albawaba

is serious in containing the virus, we don’t want the virus to spread to other continents,” asserted the Chinese ambassador.

He also confirmed that no Namibians in China are affected by the virus.

Zhang also advised Namibia against the evacuation of its about 400 students in Wuhan, saying that it is very dangerous at the moment to evacuate anyone from Wuhan that has been isolated from the rest of the world.

US Ambassador to Namibia Lisa Johnson last week during a courtesy call to President Hage Geingob at State House said her office is prepared to work with health authorities to respond to any outbreak of the virus.

Coronavirus is part of a vast family of viruses that includes those that cause the common flu, but also Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The first symptoms are high fevers and cough, which can worsen to the extent of causing pneumonia. The epicenter of the virus is the city of Wuhan, China, where it has claimed several lives. At least 362 people have died from this disease and 17 300 cases have been confirmed. (Source: NewEraLive)

documents found their way to the management of a sub-regional airline based outside Accra who relied heavily on it for their decision making.

The action is one of the key reasons why Airbus decided not to get involved anymore with Ghana’s quest to re-establish a new national airline after the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government came to power.

Ghana, rather, has signed a deal ( Letter of intent) for three (3) Boeing 787-9 and six (6) Dash8-400 aircraft. AviationGhana

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Energy

Critical Resources for Renewable Energy – Part 1 continued from page 6 cobalt than is currently being produced.

Land-based cobalt reserves are not easily extracted, but there is abundant cobalt in nodules on the ocean floor. For this reason, there is increasing interest in carrying out deep ocean robotic mining to extract these modules. An EU research project has been launched to understand the impact this might have on the ecosystems in the deep ocean.

Extracting the required quantities of cobalt will involve technical challenges and potential ecological damage. In the long term, a scarcity of cobalt should not prevent a barrier to widespread adoption of lithium-ion batteries for utility scale power and automotive electrification. However, the time required for new mines to start producing will present a barrier to rapid deployment.

Wind and Solar Dependence on Critical Metals Rare earth magnets are currently used to produce efficient generators in wind turbines and electric motors in vehicles. This already consumes a significant amount of the world’s supply of neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium and

terbium. Motors and generators can be constructed without these, using conventional steel and copper windings, but they are less efficient. Superconducting motors and generators offer a possible solution to achieving even higher efficiency and power density without dependence on these rare

earth magnets.

All three current photovoltaic technologies are dependent on indium. Silicon cells, which still dominate the market, require silver while the two emerging thin film technologies use a number of critical elements. The leading thin film technology is cadmium tellu-

ride (CdTe), which requires a large proportion of tellurium supplies as well as some cadmium. The other main thin film technology, copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), requires a significant amount of tellurium as well as selenium and gallium.

It is relatively easy to substitute for rare earth magnetic in wind turbines, meaning that availability of critical metals should not have a significant impact on this sector.

The major issues are with photovoltaics and energy storage. The amount of photovoltaics are likely to be limited to a small percentage of the energy mix by critical metal availability. A recent report commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management shows that achieving the Paris Agreement goals for wind and solar power will require the global production of some metals to grow at least twelvefold by 2050.

Energy storage to mitigate for intermittency in the supply of renewable energy is a major barrier to rapid decarbonisation. Existing technologies will require 10 to 20 years to create pumped-storage hydroelectricity or the cobalt mines required for lithium-ion batteries. Alternative technologies, such as new batteries or

synthetic fuels, are likely to take at least that long to be available at scale. For these reasons, it is not realistic to expect battery-electric vehicles to achieve rapid decarbonization. There should be greater emphasis on alternatives, such as active transport, mass transit and electrified highways. We should also be building pumped-storage hydroelectricity with urgency, preserving critical resources for battery use where there are no suitable alternatives. In the long term, hydrogen produced using electrolysis or thermo-chemical reactors might remove storage and transport barriers to renewable energy.

However, many technical barriers remain, which is something I will cover in a future article.

It is interesting to note that the world is heavily dependent on China for many of the required critical metals. Renewables may improve energy security, but they do not eliminate strategic interests. As oil loses its strategic importance, we are entering a new age in which geopolitics will be dominated by critical metals.

Critical metal dependence for low-carbon technologies is a complex area I will explore in more detail in the second part of this article. ENGINEERING.COM

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Commodities

World Food Programme (WFP) commends Uganda Gov’t for assisting 1.2 million refugees THE UNITED NATIONS World Food Programme (WFP) commends the Government of Uganda and all its donors for helping it to contribute to the basic food needs of 1.2 million refugees and their host communities across the country in 2019.

Donors and the Government of Uganda supported WFP to meet the basic dietary needs of refugees through monthly food or cash transfers. In addition, donors funded the treatment and prevention of malnutrition among refugees and Ugandans living around refugee settlements.

WFP was also able to support smallholder farmers to improve their yields and incomes while reducing food losses.

“The partnership between government, donors and WFP is vital to fight hunger and malnutrition in Uganda,” said El-Khidir Daloum, WFP Country Director.

“The ability of donors to swiftly provide funding and entrust us to deliver assistance to those seeking refuge —often women and children fleeing unimaginable hardships—needs our heartfelt recognition.”

In 2019, WFP’s refugee operation received contributions from Uganda, Canada, the European Commission, Ireland, Japan, Sweden, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund and the United States of America.

Donors enabled WFP to help boost economies within Uganda by purchasing food locally. In addition, WFP strengthened its food and cash distribution procedures, including using biometrics to confirm identities in order to improve the accountability and integrity of

the refugee response.

The government and donors helped WFP to expand cashbased transfers, reaching 35 percent of all refugees assisted. Cash allows refugees to choose what food they buy and stimulates economic growth in and around settlements. Cash also boosts government efforts to enhance financial inclusion.

Through cash-based transfers, WFP injected US$35 million into refugee settlements in 2019.

At the end of 2019, Uganda hosted 1.38 million refugees— the highest number of refugees in Africa. More than 67,300 refugees arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan between July and December.

Women and people under the age of 18 make up 83 percent of refugees.

They typically arrive in Uganda with little to no assets, leaving them heavily dependent on assistance. A WFP and government study in 2017 found that even

while the government gives land and the UN and other organizations provide additional assistance, refugees remain vulnerable for years.

By meeting their basic food and nutrition needs, WFP and its partners enable refugees to begin a journey toward self-reliance and resilience in line with Uganda’s refugee policy.

Donors to WFP’s relief and development work in Uganda to support refugees and host communities in 2019 were: Canada (US$562,000), the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (US$16 million), Ireland (US$2.3 million), Japan (US$2 million), the Republic of Korea (US$7 million of oil and rice), Russia (US$1.5 million), Sweden (US$1.7 million), Uganda (US$2.7 million of rice), the United Kingdom (US$56 million), the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (US$3.5 million) and the United States of America (US$110.6 million).

Marathon Gold Reports Commencement of 2020 Exploration Drill Program at Valentine Gold Project

MARATHON GOLD CORPORATION (“Marathon” or the “Company”) (TSX: MOZ) is pleased to report the commencement of the 2020 exploration drill program at the Valentine Gold Project (the “Project”) in central Newfoundland. In total, 44,000 metres of diamond drilling with a total budget of C$8.9 million has been approved by the Company’s Board of Directors.

Matt Manson, President & CEO commented: “Our 2019 drill program at the Valentine Gold Project was primarily an in-fill campaign designed to upgrade the Project’s existing Mineral Resources in support of our ongoing Pre-Feasibility Study.

The 2020 drill program will be focused on new exploration in areas shown previously to have exhibited high potential from pre-

vious drilling, surface trenching or prospecting.

A priority will be the Sprite Corridor, where drilling in November 2019 returned very encouraging intersections of gold mineralization in a setting similar to that seen at the nearby Leprechaun Deposit. In parallel with our mine development activities, which are based on open pits at the Leprechaun and Marathon Deposits, our intention is to maintain a high level of exploration activity going forward, with a view to new discovery and continued resource growth along the approximately 20 kilometres of mineralized trend at the Valentine Property.

The 2020 exploration drill program will be fully funded from existing cash resources, and drilling has already commenced.”

(EIN News)

Future of Mining returns to Sydney with new perspectives essential to mining industry growth and stability in Australia THE FUTURE of Mining Australia conference will build on its two previous years, taking place Sofitel Sydney Wentworth from 23-24 March, with a strategic agenda delivering a wide range of content spanning the entire mining life cycle that reflects the needs of the industry.

The key speakers on the agenda so far include: Jake Klein, Executive Chairman, Evolution Mining; Michelle Ash, CEO – GEOVIA Division, Dassault Systemes and Chair, Global Mining Guidelines Group, Gerard Barron, CEO & Chairman, DeepGreen Metals Inc; Nneoma Nwogu, Senior Counsel, The World Bank Group; Matthew Johnson, Partner, Global Head of Mining, Hogan Lovells; Jon Wylie, President Global Natural Resources Proudfoot; Lesley A Warren, Claudette Mackay-Lassonde Chair in Mineral Engineering, Director, Lassonde Institute of Mining University of Toronto; Ben Adair, CEO, CRC ORE and

Thomas Schröder, Head of Climate Action, South Pole.

The agenda is shaped around the opportunities, challenges and new developments within Exploration, Mine Development, Processing, Sustainability, Con-

nectivity/Digitisation and Leadership with topic areas including: Changing with the times: Where is mining lagging, and leading the 21st century industry charge to be relevant, responsive, sustainable and valuable?

Others are; Defining industry’s climate change action through the lens of the circular economy: How is the industry reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using more energy-efficient technology, improving waste management

and becoming a bigger part of solutions rather than being a perceived problem?.

Empowering women in mining: Achieving the right mix of skills, ethnicity, gender and generations offering a plethora of benefits to help deal with the rapidly evolving challenges facing the industry, and Achieving mining operational excellence with Artificial Intelligence: Exploring the use of Machine Learning and Deep Learning in mine development The conference is well supported with partnering solution providers including Dassault Systemes, Business France, Proudfoot, Telstra, Fluor, MMD, Motion Metrics, VEGA, AspenTech, Conveyor Manufacturers Australia, Honeywell, iVolve, Chesterton, LASE, Uptake, Petra and Unearthed.

For those who are interested in discussing new ideas, concepts and strategies; the Future of Mining Australia 2020 is a great opportunity for those conversations and connections (EIN).

DAFM announces expansion of market access for Irish livestock exports to Algeria THE DEPARTMENT of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has expanded market access for Irish livestock exports to Algeria during day one of the Trade Mission.

Algerian authorities agreed and signed a certificate for the export of cattle for slaughter from Ireland to Algeria with immediate effect. This follows on from agreement from last year on certificates for export of cattle for breeding and fattening. Today’s agreement offers significant opportunities for

Irish livestock exports and reflects the highest standards of animal health and welfare in Ireland. In relation to live exports the stringent systems of animal health and welfare controls are operated by DAFM to protect the welfare of cattle during transport.

The meeting also progressed discussions on market access for beef and sheepmeat exports. Other issues discussed were possibilities for engagement and partnerships between both countries and

technical cooperation.

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BUSINESS24 | MONDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2020