May 2013 www.un.org/africarenewal AFRica’S YOUTH Driving innovation Interview: UN youth envoy Counterfeit drugs raise Africa’s temperature CONTENTS May 2013 | Vol. 27 No. 1 16 SPECIAL FEATURE African youth hungry for connectivity More young people are finding opportunities in mobile technology. 10 Africa’s youth: ticking time bomb or an opportunity? 13 Youth unemployment: lessons from Ethiopia African youth hungry for connectivity. 14 Interview with Ahmad Alhendawi, UN youth envoy Jonathan Kalan 19 Africa’s mobile youth drive change 20 A seat at the table: African youth demand a say Editor-in-Chief ALSO IN THIS IssUE Masimba Tafirenyika 5 Counterfeit drugs raise Africa’s temperature Managing Editor 8 Somali diaspora’s remittances cast a life line Ernest Harsch 22 What does the ‘Doha Climate Gateway’ mean for Africa? Staff Writers 24 Nigeria’s film industry: a potential goldmine? Kingsley Ighobor Jocelyne Sambira Research and Media Liaison DEPARTMENTS Rebecca Moudio Arao Ameny 3 Watch Pavithra Rao 28 Wired Aissata Haidara 30 Appointments Design & Production Books 31 Mulumba Lwatula Cover photo: Administration A young woman uses a computer at iHub, Nairobi’s innovation hub for the technology community. Bo Li Panos/Sven Torfinn Distribution Atar Markman Africa Renewal is published in English and French organizations. Articles from this magazine may be by the Strategic Communications Division of the freely reprinted, with attribution to the author and United Nations Department of Public Information. to “United Nations Africa Renewal,” and a copy Its contents do not necessarily reflect the views of of the reproduced article would be appreciated. Africa Renewal is published by the United the United Nations or the publication’s supporting Copyrighted photos may not be reproduced. Nations, New York, on recycled paper. Address correspondence to: Subscribe to Africa Renewal The Editor, Africa Renewal Africa Renewal offers free subscriptions to Room S-1032 individual readers. Please send your request to www.un.org/africarenewal United Nations, NY 10017-2513, USA, Circulation at the address to the left or by e-mail to Tel: (212) 963-6857, Fax: (212) 963-4556 [email protected]. Institutional subscriptions facebook.com/africarenewal are available for thirty-five US dollars, payable by international money order or a cheque in US dollars E-mail: [email protected] drawn on a US bank, to the “United Nations” and twitter.com/africarenewal sent to Circulation at the address to the left. 2 AfricaRenewal May 2013 AfrICA WATCH concerned about life-saving issues than wards across Africa. That is because they are about health and education, adds maternal deaths are decreasing on the IRIN. continent, says Gifty Addico, a South According to Lori Heninger, the Africa-based adviser for the UN Population director of the Inter-Agency Network for Fund (UNFPA). New figures in a UN Education in Emergencies, which helps report, Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 coordinate non-profits providing educa- to 2010, show that maternal mortality has tion in conflict areas, parents are the ones declined by 41 per cent in the past 10 years mostly asking for interventions in educa- in sub-Saharan Africa. “But we need to do tion. She describes as “pretty abysmal” last more to make sure that every mother lives year’s 0.9% devoted to education from the to see her child,” Ms. Addico told Africa humanitarian budget. Renewal. Mali’s government has been too preoc- An awareness campaign called Every cupied with the rebellion to make any Woman, Every Child, initiated by UN meaningful intervention. Maiga Dramane, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in head of basic education at the education September 2010 aims to save the lives of ministry says the lack of education was 16 million women and children by 2015, having enormous psychological impact on as part of the broader drive for the UN the children. Millennium Development Goals. A year Most of the displaced children are from earlier the African Union partnered with northern Mali, the region hit hardest by the the UNFPA to launch a similar programme. rebellion. Even before the rebel invasion, Called the Campaign for the Accelerated teachers in the towns of Gao, Kidal and Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa Conflict in Mali’s northern region has dis- Timbuktu were on strike for better service (CARMMA), the programme lent strong placed thousands of children and their families. conditions. When the Islamist rebels took support to existing strategies and plans. OCHA/Nicole Lawrence over a swath of northern Mali, they also Within three years of CARMMA’s initi- declared Sharia law and were set to intro- ation, 37 of the 54 countries in Africa had duce Qur’anic schools, which require boys taken steps to upgrade national maternal Malian children face and girls to attend separate classes. health programmes and services. About education crisis Teachers, parents and pupils had to flee 30 have made political commitments, such to the south and now expect UNICEF and as setting aside funds for maternal health. Conflict disrupts schools other charity organizations to help rescue Rwanda now offers financial incentives to children’s education. “When a teacher is high-performing health facilities. By Kingsley Ighobor afraid to teach and when a student is afraid CARMMA urged African countries to go to school, the whole education is at to put together “a roadmap for maternal hile the world remains focused on risk,” said UNICEF’s Representative in and new-born health,” Dr. Wilfred Ochan, W ending Mali’s conflict following Mali, Françoise Ackermans. The agency is a UNFPA assistant representative, told rebel incursions into the northern part of dispensing psychological support and mine Africa Renewal. Uganda and Kenya, for the country early last year, there are about awareness to students who were exposed to instance, focus on training midwives, 400,000 Malian children facing severe violence. But with the country still highly improving ambulance response times, disruptions in their education, warns the volatile, getting students back to school enhancing community mobilization, UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF. The fund remains a huge challenge. reducing the number of still births and and other aid agencies need $18 million to increased the use of family planning reverse the situation. So far, donor response programmes. has been poor, says IRIN, a UN humani- High fees for childbirth services and tarian news service. As of March, UNICEF Mothers’ health is hospital stays, little or no access to nearby has been able to raise only $3 million, improving across health facilities and shortages of health creating panic among aid agencies. Africa workers are some of the factors affecting “Most of the donors have drawn back maternal health, explains the World Health after the [2012] crisis - we are still trying By Arao Ameny Organization (WHO). to mobilize as much funding as possible,” Ms. Addico cites the poor quality of Euphrates Gobina, the head of educa- n recent years, the shrill cries of a Africa’s health systems. Mothers who make tion at UNICEF in Mali told IRIN. The I newborn baby have been bringing more it to a hospital may have to wait long hours real problem is that donors are far more shouts of joy than of anguish in maternity to see a doctor. Facilities often do not have AfricaRenewal May 2013 3 adequate resources — either equipment or of war crimes and crimes against humanity staff — to help mothers deliver. including the rape, murder, sexual slavery WHO also reports that women, espe- and recruitment of children in the North QUOTABLES cially young prospective mothers, may not Kivu province in eastern Democratic be fully aware of the health risks when Republic of the Congo, according to ICC’s they are about to deliver. Pregnant young records. women who gave birth between ages of The ICC is an independent, permanent 15 and 20 are twice as likely to die during court that investigates and prosecutes childbirth as women in their 20s or older. persons accused of the most serious crimes Girls under the age of 15 are five times more of international concern, namely genocide, likely to die during childbirth. crimes against humanity and war crimes. Religious barriers have posed chal- Mr. Ntaganda follows in the footsteps lenges, Ms. Addico agrees. Some health of Thomas Lubanga, another Congolese facilities run by religious groups, for warlord who was recently sentenced to 14 example, may not offer family planning years in jail by the Tribunal for recruiting Silveiro UN Photo/Cristina options or other alternatives they disagree and using child soldiers in his rebel army with. between 2002 and 2003. So far, 30 people I have to speak for them. The East African Community is have been indicted, all of them Africans, I have to make sure that however making sure that women who go leading to accusations that the court has their stories are told. I to a religious hospital are also taken to an been going after Africans. have to be able to make alternative healthcare facility. In addition, The DRC is one of the seven situations sure that they have the Ms. Addico points out that “We tend to under investigation by the ICC. The others opportunity to rebuild forget that women with HIV have maternal are northern Uganda, the Darfur region of their lives... and reproductive needs because of the Sudan, the Central African Republic, Kenya Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special [AIDS] stigma.” and Côte d’Ivoire. The court is also exam- Representative of the Secretary-General Despite gains in maternal health, Mr. ining claims of murder, mutilation and on Sexual Violence in Conflict Akinyere Eric Dairo, a senior programme torture committed since January 2012 by and technical advisor to the UNFPA, insurgent groups in Mali.