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Sierra Leone Parties Fish For Youth Vote

November 16, 2012 Al-Sankoh Conteh, NYC Leader

As in most parts of Africa, young people in Sierra Leone make up the majority of the population and thus represent a formidable force in this year’s elections.

Aware of this critical voting bloc, political parties have made youths one of the top priorities in their manifestoes and have been mobilizing the young to vote for their candidates.

Widespread family planning can save US$11.3bn yearly - UNFPA

November 16, 2012 A planned African family

The cost of maternal and newborn health care will drop by US$11.3 billion a year, through widespread voluntary family planning in developing countries, says a new report by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

The State of the World Population 2012 released Thursday said access to family planning is an essential human right that can trigger unprecedented economic development.

 

Senegal: Ex-president’s party takes umbrage at ‘graft’ probe

November 16, 2012 Ex-Pres. Wade and son Karim

The former ruling Parti Democratique Senegalaise (PDS) of Abdoulaye Wade has denounced the summoning of former officials on allegations of corruption, calling it a witch hunt by the current government.

Karim, the son of ex-President Wade, Thursday became the first of several officials of Wade’s administration to face probe at the Gendarmerie offices here in the capital, Dakar.

Sierra Leoneans crave better ICT connectivity

November 15, 2012 Information Minister Ibrahim Ben Kargbo

Upon coming to power five years ago, the government of Ernest Bai Koroma promised improvement in the communication sector, especially internet connectivity.

Hopes were raised when on 2September 2011 the government launched the Sub-marine Fiber Optic Cable to ease connectivity in the country.  

 

Guinea: New measures to beef up security

November 15, 2012 Pres. Alpha Conde of Guinea

Guinean authorities have announced new measures to beef up police and military presence nationwide in an ‘all out war’ against crime and insecurity.

Security Minister Mouramani Cissé told a news conference said the measures include nighttime roadblocks in Conakry, the capital, and across the country and provision of motorcycles to the security forces.

Liberia: OSIWA head stresses post-war healing

November 15, 2012 Abdul Tejan-Cole, OSIWA

The Executive Director of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), Abdul Tejan-Cole, has said post-war reconciliation must continue as a crucial element to sustaining peace in Liberia.

OSIWA was a major funder of Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that looked into the causes, culprits and way forward in healing the wounds of the 14-year civil conflict that ended officially in 2003.  

S. Leone: Commonwealth observer group arrives for polls

November 15, 2012 Members onf the Commonwealth Observer team

An observer mission from the Commonwealth of Nations has arrived in Sierra Leone to observe polls scheduled for 17 November in response to an invitation from the National Electoral Commission.

On Saturday, over 2.3 million Sierra Leoneans will be voting for a president, parliamentarians, local councils and mayors in the country’s third democratic election since it ended a decade of civil conflict in 2002.

Liberia Erects Memorial For Massacre Victims

November 15, 2012 George Boley's LPC Blamed for Alleged Massacres

The transitional Justice Working Group in Liberia in collaboration with its partners Wednesday dedicated a palava hut to the memory of dozens of people massacred in two villages in central Liberia during the country’s civil war.

There was a mass execution of at least 500 residents and displaced people in Kpolokpala and Samay in Bong County in 1994 allegedly by the Liberia Peace Council, a rebel faction then led by George Boley.

Senegal women launch fight against illegal migration

November 14, 2012 Illegal migrants being rescued by Italian Coastguard

A sizable number of Senegalese youths and nationals of other African states risk their lives on makeshift boats each year to cross the Mediterranean Sea headed for European shores in search of ‘a better life’.

In Senegal, women play a major role in encouraging their children and wards to make the journey in search of greener pastures, with some women even selling their valuables to assist youths take the journey.

Ghana, 100 other nations to miss MDG education target

November 14, 2012 Children, the target of MDGs 2

An official of the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says Ghana and some other Sub-Saharan nations will not achieve universal primary education by 2015, as originally targeted.

Professor Kwame Acheampong, UNESCO’s Senior Policy Analyst in Ghana, also said over 100 countries worldwide will not achieve basic education for all children by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) number two.