We need to radically rethink the notion that Britain is helping Africa to develop. The UK's large aid programme is, among other things, being used to promote African policies from which British corporations will further profit. British policy in Africa, and indeed that of African elites, needs to be challenged and substantially changed if we are serious about promoting long term economic development on the continent.

UK companies’ increasingly dominant role in Africa, which is akin to a new colonialism, is being facilitated by British governments, Conservative and Labour alike. Four policies stand out. First, Whitehall has long been a fierce advocate of liberalized trade and investment regimes in Africa that provide access to markets for foreign companies. It is largely opposed to African countries putting up regulatory or protectionist barriers to such investment, the sorts of policies where have often been used by successful developers in East Asia. Second, Britain has been a world leader in advocating low corporate taxes in Africa, including in the extractives sector.

Third, British policy has done nothing to challenge multinational companies using tax havens; indeed the global infrastructure of tax havens is largely a British creation. Fourth, British governments have constantly espoused only voluntary mechanisms for companies to monitor their human rights impacts; they are opposed to enhancing international legally binding mechanisms to curb abuses.
scramble for africa

The result is that Africa, the world’s poorest continent, is being further impoverished. Recent research calculated, for the first time, all the financial inflows and outflows to and from sub-Saharan Africa to gauge whether Africa is being helped or exploited by the rest of the world. It found that $134billion flows into the continent each year, mainly in the form of loans, foreign investment and aid. However, $192billion is taken out, mainly in profits made by foreign companies and tax dodging. The result is that Africa suffers a net loss of $58billion a year. British mining companies and their government backers are contributing to this drainage of wealth.

We need to radically rethink the notion that Britain is helping Africa to develop. The UK’s large aid programme is, among other things, being used to promote African policies from which British corporations will further profit. British policy in Africa, and indeed that of African elites, needs to be challenged and substantially changed if we are serious about promoting long term economic development on the continent.

By Mark Curtis
Mark Curtis is an author and consultant. He is a former Research Fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and has been an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Strathclyde and Visiting Research Fellow at the Institut Francais des Relations

Freedom they say is taken and not given especially when one or groups are held down by Baboons and Monkeys in the zoo without a cogent reason other than Mr White man dictated it. As part of the effort from the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) to take freedom from Islamic Republic of northern Nigeria and her southern slave counterparts. 


The controversial and charismatic leader of the group (IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the top leadership has announced the 16th of February 2019 as the D-day for the much awaited Referendum-date for Biafrans to cast votes to prove to the whole world their aspirations and seriousness to secede from the darkest damnable evil zoological contraption called Nigeria and into a nation.. There is no doubt the date chosen by IPOB coincides with the date of Nigeria general election coming up on the 16th of February , a ploy to cast aspersions and to demonstrate to the world Biafra's rejection of the Nigeria state as a willing partner.

Biafran Referendum unlike many others will be a Sit-At-Home Instead of the masses trooping out en mass to vote people they will vote by complying with "Sit-at-Home" order. Many thanks to Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his deputy Uche Mefor and to all the hardcores Ipob's all over for the massive awareness in the land of 'milk and honey' (Biafraland) through the finest and second to non-Radio Biafra London. From all indexes and indications Biafrans at home and abroad are ever ready to obey the 'stay-at- home' as a way to support the good work of their leaders call for Referendum and Freedom.

The world is watching, while the Islamic oligarchs are scheming in disarray one things is for sure Biafrans are ready to leave Egypt and no amount of pressure will dissuade the children of God's not to end the 'devil and long spoon' romance with Almajiris north. Let us take solace in the wise counselling of supreme leader who always says 'In the end the popular wishes of the indigenous people of Biafra shall prevail and Biafra will come… Nigeria as a state has failed in every ramifications the only things awaits her now is to finally to crumble to earth. By boycotting the "repetitive deception" in the name of voting is the best way to go about the injustice and injury perpetuated by Fulani Oligarchies to Biafrans.

Therefore it now behold upon any sane minded Biafran that had made up his or her not to vote to carry others alone in the direction of this noble call. Hurray! Biafra is about to be free, do your part now. Cast your vote by adhering to "Sit-at-Home" order on the 16th of February 2019..May Chukwuabiama bless Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and all the principal officers of IPOB. Iseeee iseeeees iseeeees. Happy birthday to me once again.

By KC Adams

The communication experts of the NPP,NDC,PPP and the NDP speak to Radio Topafric on HOW and IF they intend to address the challenges Ghanaians in the diaspora face with the issue of retaining Dual citizenship ,the enforcement of the ROPA LAW that is enshrined in the constitution and states that each and every Ghanaian abroad or in the diaspora MUST be allowed to vote.

The two party supporters Mr Alex Tufuor of the NPP and Mr Lingani ,former secretary of the NDC party committee in Hamburg were in the studio and sure a studio political battle as to who win the elections:

EFFIYA  AGYEIWAAH

Our beloved country Ghana, goes to the polls to elect new parliamentarians and a president. It is our desire that we have a peaceful, free and fair elections. The destiny and future of Ghana lies in the hands of her people.

There is going to be about 15.7 million voters out there to cast their votes. Out of this, practically 15 Million voters have their votes set at AUTOMATIC-VOTE. They will even vote against Jesus Christ, if he is not their candidate!!!

We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the 700.000 patriotic, objective and constructive Ghanaians who are going to vote decisively. For the 15 million Ghanaian auto-voters, please remember we have only ONE GHANA and about 10 million non-voting Ghanaians over there. Please after casting your auto-votes, go home peacefully whilst you wait for the results.
God Bless Ghana.

At just 31 years old, Rebeca Gyumi has a list of accomplishments anyone twice her age would be proud of. She has successfully challenged her country's legal system, winning a landmark ruling in 2016 to raise the age of child marriage for girls in Tanzania from 14 to 18; started a foundation to advocate for girls' education; won the UNICEF Global Goal Award and was named 2016 Woman of the Year by New Africa Magazine. Now, she's on her way to New York to collect the 2018 Human Rights Prize awarded by the United Nations.

"I was pretty much shocked. So shocked and caught unaware that I was even considered for such a prestigious prize," she tells CNN.

Gyumi was just a child herself when she started to see the injustice happening around her. She was 13 when some of her schoolmates were forced to drop out of school because of pregnancy and were married off. Volunteering at a youth initiative at the age of 20, she began to realize it was a national problem and not just a local one happening in her hometown of Dodoma.

"It bothered me that the age for boys to be married was 18 but for girls it was 14," she says.

It wasn't until she was in university studying law that she learned about the Law of Marriage Act of 1971 and saw the potential in trying to mount a legal challenge against it.

In 2016, with a couple of years as a lawyer under her belt, Gyumi and her colleagues decided to do just that. They started work on a legal case to petition against the Marriage Act, compiling reports to prove that child marriage for girls was an issue nationwide and why it needed to be stopped.

According to the country's national demographic and health survey of 2015/16, two out of every five girls marry before their 18th birthday with a prevalence rate of 37% nationwide, giving Tanzania one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world.

"Lots of people were not amused and thought we were disruptive, saying 'young people have tried before and failed.' But when we started attending sessions in court with a positive outcome, organizations came back and said they were willing to work together with us."

Gyumi and her colleagues persevered and in 2016, at the age of 29, she was victorious. Tanzania's High Court ruled that sections 13 and 17 of the Marriage Act were unconstitutionaland that the age for girls to legally marry should be raised to 18.

"I was so happy that day for the fact that a girl child had won. I was overwhelmed with joy," she says.

"I felt duty bound to fight for the girls I had interacted with. They didn't have enough information to know how to challenge what was happening to them."

The woman who fought to stop child marriages, and won

While her success was celebrated by many around the country, some hard-liners and traditionalists were not happy, attacking her for promoting a "Western culture."

Furthermore, the landmark ruling was subsequently thrust into legal peril when the government appealed against it last year. One of the arguments of their appeal states that child marriage can actually protect girls who get pregnant out of wedlock.

The case is currently in Tanzania's high court with a verdict due soon. Despite the challenge, Gyumi remains steadfast.

"For me I feel like we are at the moment where our country really needs to defend girls' rights. This appeal does not send a good message of our country's intention to protect girls generally. It will look really bad on the government if they win. There is no victory in winning a case that allows girls to get married younger. It's not a victory a country can be proud of."

Even if the law is upheld, Gyumi says there's still a lot of work to be done.

"The change in the law is not the only thing we're advocating for. We need to make sure the law is implemented at a ground level. We need to teach girls around the country to stand up for their rights and continue engaging with communities."

A girl gets married every 2 seconds somewhere in the world

Gyumi's success is testament to the power of education, a cause she now advocates for through her foundation, Msichana.

"The fact that I'm here today and doing what I'm doing is due to education. My family didn't have a lot but they sacrificed what they had to give me an education. Imagine what it's like for other people in my country, if they're able to get an education and explore life without limits, without boys telling them 'you're a girl, you can only go as far as this,' those kind of voices can then be challenged."

Winning the 2018 Human Rights Prize puts Gyumi on the international stage alongside other activists such as Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege and Nelson Mandela, and it's not something she takes lightly.

"It's not just a personal honor but my country's honor, putting our country on the map. It's a proud moment for me and for the girls I stood up for and for the ongoing global progress that is happening around girls' and women's rights."

Asked what her message is to other young girls out there, her answer is simple.

CNN

For more than a decade, Jack Chako, 38, has been living happily with her two husbands, Michael Hwita and Liford Chimoto, with whom she shares one bed.´Chako is the head of the family. On how she gets maximum sexual satisfaction from her husbands, she said:

“We are a happy family, I live with my two husbands and we love one another. My two husbands are best friends and they are always together. Chimoto is the elder husband, while Hwita is the junior. I married the second Hwita because Chimoto is elderly and increasingly becoming weak in bed and was starving me sexually. In terms of conjugal rights I favour Hwita.

He gets me there. I only do it with Chimoto as a token. At times, I feel pity for Chimoto and give him token conjugal rights and he appreciates that. 
The rule is no one gets out of the room, because he is not on duty. Whoever is not on duty, just watches us at it. I am in charge and my two husbands are now used to sleeping side by side in one bed."

Speaking further, the mother of five, three children from a previous marriage and two from this polyandrous affair, said, “I use some concoction to pacify my husbands. It is not a secret that I used a concoction to cow them down. I also sell this concoction to other women to cow down their errant husbands and make them compliant. None of my two husbands wishes to leave me."

The husbands, Hwita and Chimoto, on their parts, said they don’t have problems taking Chako says their joint wife. Chimoto said, “I know my failings and I appreciate the decision which was taken, we have various duties and life goes on.”

Hwita said, “I see no problem. She loves both of us and we understand our situation. “I respect Chimoto as the elder husband because I found him here.

Source: 
Kemifilani.com 

Gunfire was heard in several districts of Kinshasa as demonstrators called for President Joseph Kabila to step down. Kabila's term expired at midnight, but he appears set to stay on as ruler

Gunfire was heard in several parts of the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, early Tuesday morning as protesters took to the streets calling for the resignation of current President Joseph Kabila.

While Kabila's second term officially expired at midnight, the President has shown little sign of stepping down.

Shops were closed in the main square on Monday, and soldiers and police outnumbered passersby in the capital in anticipation of possible violence. Social media access has been blocked and protests were outlawed. The UN human rights office in Congo said 28 people were arrested in Kinshasa and 46 in the eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu.

Demonstrations took place in the districts of Kalamu, Matete and Lingwala. Students at Kinshasa University clashed with soldiers and police, blowing whistles and burning tires.

Kabila, meanwhile, doesn't appear to be willing to leave his post.

"I don't see [Kabila] caving in to pressure," said Kikaya Bin Karubi, Kabila's diplomatic adviser, earlier Monday.

Staying in charge:

Critics have accused Kabila, who has been in power for 15 years, of clinging to power by letting his term out without announcing a successor or planning an election. He is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.

The ruling party, the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), and some opposition leaders have agreed to schedule an election in 2018 and allow Kabila to remain in office until then. But the main opposition bloc disagrees with the plan.

Kabila has been in power since 2001:

Kabila has served as president of the central African nation since his father, Laurent Kabila, was assassinated in 2001. Joseph Kabila was elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2011, but the opposition said the 2011 election was rigged.

Appeal for 'peaceful resistance'

In a video posted on YouTube Tuesday, opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called on the Congolese people to peacefully resist what he described as a "coup d'etat."

"I launch a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to not recognize the ... illegal and illegitimate authority of Joseph Kabila," Tshisekedi added.

Should Kabila stay in power, there is growing concern over another civil war. Conflicts in central Africa between 1996 and 2003 killed millions.

According to news agency Reuters, senior diplomats have urged Kabila to step down to stem the prospect of another civil conflict.

Kabila meanwhile has sought to smooth opposition grievances by promising to expand the government by some 20 ministerial posts to more than 65, many of which would be reserved for opposition party members.

However, the main opposition bloc led by Tshisekedi appears unlikely to be appeased by such a deal.

kbd,dm/cmk (AFP, Reuters)

More Articles ...