Life Under Water

May-July 2017 www.un.org/africarenewal

Life under water

Plastics pose biggest threat to oceans

Global economic gravity pulling towards Africa CONTENTS May – July 2017 | Vol. 31 No. 1 3 SPECIAL FEATURE COVER STORY

It is time to save our oceans 4 Overfishing destroying livelihoods 6 Plastics pose biggest threat to oceans Sustainable Development Goals banners at the

Global Goals World Cup in Nairobi, Kenya. UN 8 Africa feeling the heat of climate change 10 Interview: Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

12 How South Sudan’s ‘lost boy’ brought water to his village Editor-in-Chief 14 Urban growth a boon for Africa’s industrialization Masimba Tafirenyika 16 Africa’s quest for a cashless economy gains momentum Managing Editor 18 Global economic gravity moving towards Africa Zipporah Musau 20 Disaster insurance against climate change attracts African countries 22 Young South Africans investing in lucrative renewable energy sector Sub-editor Kingsley Ighobor 24 Conservationists take aim at poachers 26 Pension funds, insurance companies as key drivers of regional integration Staff Writer 28 International Criminal Court: Beyond the threats of withdrawal Franck Kuwonu

30 Gambia’s democracy survives political turbulence Research & Media Liaison 32 Paris Agreement on climate change: One year later, how is Africa faring? Pavithra Rao 34 Africa’s digital rise hooked on innovation Eleni Mourdoukoutas Ihuoma Atanga 36 The Internet of everything water Design & Production DEPARTMENTS Paddy D. Ilos, II 38 Books Administration 38 Appointments Dona Joseph

Cover photo: Underwater view of fishes and the reef, Red Sea, Egypt. Alamy /Jan Wlodarczyk Distribution Atar Markman Africa Renewal (ISSN 2517-9829) is published in supporting organizations. Articles from this English and French by the Strategic Communications magazine may be freely reprinted, with attribution to Division of the United Nations Department of Public the author and to “United Nations Africa Renewal,” Information. Its contents do not necessarily reflect and a copy of the reproduced article would be appre- Africa Renewal is published by the United the views of the United Nations or the publication’s ciated. Copyrighted photos may not be reproduced. Nations, New York, on recycled paper.

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2 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 In our ongoing special coverage of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we profile SDG 14, whose aim is to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. We review some of the challenges facing life under water. Over 3 billion people worldwide depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.

SAVE OUR SEAS

An underwater view of fishes and coral reef in the Red Sea near Marsa Alam, Egypt. Alamy/Jan Wlodarczyk It is time to save our oceans More efforts required to protect marine life and coastal biodiversity from plastic litter

Africa’s policy makers and prominent he ocean is in deep trou- livelihoods of its millions of citizens, espe- Africans, including former UN Secretary- ble.... Marine pollution is cially those who live along the continent’s General Kofi Annan, are unhappy over the taking us to a point where, 30,500-kilometre coastline and depend billions of dollars lost annually to illegal, by 2050, there will be more on fish for food and income. Every year unreported and unregulated fishing. The “Tplastic in the ocean than there will be fish,” Kenya’s supermarkets alone use about 100 cost of illegal fishing to Somalia alone is said Peter Thomson, the 71st president of million plastic bags, many of which end up about $300 million annually. the United Nations General Assembly, in an in the ocean. And more plastics, which do Mostly perpetrated by foreign fishing interview with Africa Renewal (see page 10). not rot, in the ocean means more deaths of fleets, overfishing also disrupts ecosys- Mr. Thomson’s dire warning is not a sea creatures. tems and endangers biodiversity. Currently hyperbolic flourish: about 80% of ocean Africa’s coastal communities also grap- some 37 types of fish are on a growing list of litter is plastics that, when ingested, can ple with a changing climate and overfish- species becoming extinct in Africa, includ- kill fish, seabirds, turtles, oysters and ing. As a result of coastal erosion, whole ing octopus and grouper, which are hardly other creatures. Also, plastics washed communities in Mozambique have had to found these days in Mauritanian waters on ashore often damage agricultural relocate, while Togo has suffered economic the West African coast. land and discourage tourism. losses of about 2.3% of GDP, according to a Africa is primarily concerned with the 2016 World Bank report. see page 39

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 3 SAVE OUR SEAS

Fishermen in Inhaca Island, Mozambique. AMO/Paul Weinberg Overfishing destroying livelihoods African waters are powerful magnets for illegal and unregulated foreign fishing operations

BY KINGSLEY IGHOBOR

t was midnight on 14 December 2016, drowned, despite his colleagues’ frantic Alimamy’s to sail far from home. “There when five fishermen in Tombo vil- efforts to save his life. are no fish nearby anymore,” lamented lage near Freetown in Sierra Leone “It was a sad day for us in this village,” Mr. Bangura. revved up a small outboard engine said Samuel Bangura, the local harbour Overfishing occurs when more fish are Iand powered their boat far out to sea. master, who recounted the story to Africa caught than the population can replace They threw in their net and soon bagged a Renewal. Mr. Bangura, whose job includes through natural reproduction. This is good quantity of fish. But as they hauled in the search and rescue of fishermen miss- linked to illegal, unreported and unregu- their catch, a terrible storm blew in. When ing at sea, had dispatched a search party lated fishing (IUU) or fishing piracy. the waters finally calmed, one of them, an to recover Alimamy’s body. Some 37 species were classed as 18-year-old named Alimamy, could not be threatened with extinction and 14 more found. Dwindling fish populations were said to be “near threatened” from Alimamy had stood precariously on the Tragedies such as these are common in Angola in the south to Mauritania in canoe’s edge—something he was used to Africa’s coastal nations but fishing itself is the north, according to the Interna- doing—onloading the fish when the storm in deep trouble. Fish populations are being tional Union for the Conservation of waves hit. He was tossed overboard and lost due to overfishing, forcing boats like Nature (IUCN).

4 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 Mr. Bangura lays blame on foreign unregulated fishing,” maintained Ms. Mauritanian waters, having been fished trawlers scooping ashore almost every life Belhabib. away by trawlers from Europe and Asia. form at the ocean floor. “We are competing In July last year, a Spanish trawler ‘Got- with big trawlers,” he said. “They take all land’ was impounded in Spain for illegal Destroying livelihoods the fish and they destroy our nets.” fishing in Senegalese waters. The vessel, IUCN director-general Inger Andersen The sturdy fishing trawlers, owned registered in Mauritania with a Russian insists that the livelihoods of local coastal mostly by Asian and European compa- crew, fled to the Exclusive Economic Zone communities still could depend on properly nies, are able to drag better and stronger waters of Mauritania after it was spotted by managed marine fish species. trawl nets over a large expanse of sea bed. Senegalese security authorities. “Fish provides a major source of animal The trawlers can easily withstand sea tur- In October 2016, Somali authorities protein for the coastal communities, which bulence and are able to mechanically haul observed a Panamanian-registered fishing account for around 40% of this region’s netted fishes into pre-positioned storage vessel named GREKO 1, flagged to Belize, population,” said Mr. Andersen, adding that rather than haul them by physical labour. seeking port access in Mombasa. The vessel the current situation undermines Sustain- In Somalia and Tanzania, trawlers escaped to Kenya where it was arrested able Development Goal 14, which refers to “deploy giant, non-selective nets, wiping under the FISH-i protocol. The FISH-i is a life below water. out entire schools of tuna, including the programme by Comoros, Seychelles, Soma- Africa loses billions to illegal fishing, young ones, which they discard dead,” lia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozam- corroborates Kofi Annan, a former UN reports IUUWatch, a European Union bique and Tanzania to combat IUU through secretary-general and head of the African based organization whose website is spon- information sharing and enforcement. Progress Panel, a group of 10 distinguished sored by The Environmental Justice Foun- The Somali authorities settled out individuals who advocate for the conti- dation (EJF), Oceana, The Pew Charitable of court with the registered owner and a nent’s sustainable development. Somalia Trusts (Pew) and World Wide Fund for $65,000 fine was paid. alone loses $300 million annually to pirate Nature (IUU) fishing. In 2015, two of six fishing vessels (dubbed fishing. the “Bandit 6”) on Interpol’s wanted list A direct consequence of overfishing is Illegal trawling were arrested on the Cape Verdean coast, that communities relying on fish as a source Some trawlers are licensed in Africa while off the port of Mindelo, as they poached of protein have less to eat. This leads to mal- others operate illegally. The licensed ones toothfish–a tasty relative of cod typically nutrition, especially in children. Women pay taxes, although the dynamic nature sold in North America. Their arrest followed who mostly process the fish earn less than of the fishing business complicates tax a campaign by the ocean conservation group they did previously. In West Africa, times computation. Many governments lack the Sea Shepherd. are rough for the nearly seven million capacity to monitor the operations of fish- people who depend on small-scale fisheries. ing fleets, thus undercutting efforts to fix Overfishing in African waters fair tax rates, let alone collect revenues. West African waters are powerful magnets Efforts underway Mr. Bangura expressed outrage that for foreign fishing operations because they To combat overfishing, Greenpeace recom- illegal fishing vessels operate with impu- “are amongst the most fertile in the world,” mends countries set up regional fisheries nity in Sierra Leonean waters, but it is also notes Greenpeace, underscoring that the organisations, reduce the number of regis- a situation that puts African countries in resources are fast dwindling. Some of the tered trawlers operating in African waters, a bind. Governments need revenues, no endangered fishes include Osteichthyes, increase monitoring and control and ensure matter how meager, to invest in agricul- popularly known as bony fish, which has that fish processing operations are managed ture, social services and other sectors that 1,288 species, majority of which are found by Africans. can expand economic opportunities. Yet on Africa’s west coast. The Madeiran sar- The World Bank’s West Africa Regional fishing revenues are low compared to the dine is overfished in west and central Africa, Fisheries Program (WARFP), whose partic- tons of fish that are carted away. according to the International Union of ipating countries are Liberia, Sierra Leone, “The revenue generated by these Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s Cape Verde and Senegal, has empowered catches doesn’t make it back into state largest environmental network. The IUCN countries with information, training and coffers,” observes Dyhia Belhabib, research reported in January that due to overfish- monitoring systems. associate and fisheries scientist at the ing, “the endangered Cassava croaker is Under WARFP, small-scale fishers University of British Columbia, Canada. estimated to have declined by 30% to 60% receive training in the use of GPS-enabled “Boats from China and Europe caught over the past 10 years.” cameras to take photos of illegal trawlers. As fish valued at $8.3 billion over 10 years The United Nations Food and Agricul- a result, by 2016, Liberia had collected $6.4 (from 2000 – 2010) from the [West African] ture Organization further estimates that million in fines from IUU fishing, while the region. Only $0.5 billion went back into 57% of fishes are exploited while 30% are percentage of foreign vessels committing local economies.” over-exploited or depleted. IUU infractions fell from 85% to 30%. An additional $2 billion worth of fish As far back as 2013, the journal Fish Liberia also enacted a fisheries is “either taken out without prior con- and Fisheries reported that the octopus regulations Act in 2010 and installed a sent from local governments or is never and grouper fish were hard to find in reported due to illegal, unreported and see page 39

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 5 Plastics pose biggest threat to oceans Oceans chocking on millions of plastic water bottles, cups, straws and single use plastic bags

BY ZIPPORAH MUSAU

SAVE OUR SEAS

A man sorting a sea of plastic bottles at one of the Wecycler hubs in Lagos, Nigeria. Most plastic litter from cities ends up in oceans. Panos/Joan Bardeletti

enowned American oceanographer Sylvia Oceans are choking on plastic junk—millions of Earle has studied the sea extensively for tonnes of water bottles, soda bottles, drinking straws more than 60 years, and logged more and single use plastic bags. Worse still, what we see than 7,000 hours researching and filming floating on the surface accounts for only 5% of all Rmarine life since her first dive at age 16. the plastic litter that has been dumped into the sea. 99% Ms. Earle, who in the 1980s was the first woman According to Ocean Conservancy, a US environmen- of all seabirds chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmos- tal non-profit, the other 95% is beneath the surface, will have pheric Administration, now faces a challenge greater where it strangles underwater creatures and wrecks than the round-the-world oceanographic cruise she aquatic ecosystems. ingested took in 1964 or the 1970 experiment for which she, and “Oceans are now clogged with plastics, especially plastic by her all-female crew, spent two weeks in an underwater discarded fishing gear and single-use plastics,” Ms. 2050 if nothing capsule on a coral reef. Earle told Africa Renewal in an interview. is done to Ms. Earle is rallying the world to save the seas, Today the world is producing 20 times more plas- reverse the which face the deadliest threats to their existence— tics than 40 years ago. This means that each year more trend. as do the millions of world citizens whose survival than 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans, depends on them. wreaking havoc on marine wildlife, fisheries and From her bully pulpit, Ms. Earle warns that sea life tourism and marine ecosystems. Only less than 14% is being destroyed from every direction, by a combina- of all plastic is recyclable, and it is high time someone tion of overfishing, rising temperatures and plastic came up with an innovation or technology to deal with waste. She notes that since the 1950s, the world has the remaining 86%, which could create $80bn-$120bn lost 50% of its global coral reefs and 90% of its big fish. in revenues, according to a recent report by the Ellen

6 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 MacArthur Foundation which works with entangled in the plastic debris, while Early this year Kenya announced a ban business, government and academia to others like seabirds, turtles, fish, oysters on the manufacture and import of all plas- build an economy that is restorative. and mussels ingest the plastics, which tic bags, effective later this year. Some 100 Oceans chocking on millions of plastic water bottles, cups, straws and single use plastic bags Sadly, plastic waste that finds its way end up clogging their digestive systems million plastic bags are handed out every into the ocean will remain there for hun- and causing death. Fish and birds mistake year in Kenya by supermarkets alone, which dreds of years because plastic does not smaller plastic particles for food and feed UN Environment says, become trash that rot. In fact, plastic is so durable that the on them in enormous quantities. will kill birds, fish and other animals that United States Environmental Protection “When the young birds eventually die, mistake them for food, damage agricultural Agency says, “Every bit of plastic ever made you can literally see small balls of plas- land, pollute tourist sites and provide breed- still exists.” Once it gets in the seas, plastic tics next to their skeletons after the body ing grounds for the mosquitoes that carry waste leaches chemicals, many of them decomposes,” Ms. Earle lamented. malaria and dengue fever. toxic, into the seas. The plastic menace has become so dire “Up to 80% of all litter in our oceans is that in February the UN launched the Turning the tide made of plastic. At the rate at which we are Clean Seas campaign at the Economist’s “Are our oceans dead? I would say they dumping items such as plastic bottles, bags, World Ocean Summit in Bali, Indonesia. are not dead yet, but they are in deep trou- cups and straws after a single use, by 2050 This is a global effort to convince govern- ble,” says Ms. Earle. “Plastic marine litter we will have more plastics in the oceans ments to pass plastic reduction policies, knows no boundaries and can wash up on than fish,” warns the United Nations Envi- and industry to minimize plastic packag- any shores, including those of uninhabited ronment, the UN agency mandated to pro- ing and redesign its products. The UN is islands. It is a global problem requiring a tect the environment. also urging consumers to change their global action.” Because of its low density, plastic litter plastic disposal habits before irreversible Ms. Earle believes governments should is easily transported over long distances damage is done to the seas. pass laws that discourage the use of single- from source areas. The ocean undercur- use plastic such as bags, cups, bottles and rents scatter it to every corner of the earth, the microplastics that are used in millions some of it floating on the oceans and others of items every year. She further suggests sinking to the seabed. incentives for citizens who make choices According to the US-based Center for By 2050 that limit their use of plastics, such as Biological Diversity, there are “15–51 tril- we will have more plastics by using cloth or sisal bags for shopping, lion pieces of plastic in the world’s oceans— adding that countries can also tax those from the equator to the poles, from Arctic in the oceans than fish who use plastics and use the money for ice sheets to the sea floor.” Emerging according to the United cleanups. research suggests that not one square mile Nations Environment Big corporations have joined the global of ocean surface anywhere on earth is free effort to turn the tide of marine litter. The of plastic pollution. technology company, Dell announced in Making matters worse, the cosmetics February that it has started using recycled industry now adds tiny plastic beads called “It is past time that we tackle the plastic plastic fished out of the sea for its product “microbeads” to hundreds of toiletries, problem that blights our oceans. Plastic packaging. such as body and facial scrubs and even pollution is surfing onto beaches, settling More announcements and pledges by toothpaste. These tiny particles easily go onto the ocean floor, and rising through the countries and organisations worldwide through water filtration and drainage sys- food chain onto our dinner tables. We’ve are expected at ‘The Ocean Conference’ tems to end up in the sea, where they are stood by too long as the problem has gotten to be held at the UN headquarters in New ingested by fish and seabirds. UN Environ- worse. It must stop,” said Erik Solheim, the York on 5-9 June, that will bring together ment warns that about 99% of all seabirds head of UN Environment, at the launch of governments, the UN agencies, financial will have ingested plastic by 2050 if noth- Clean Seas campaign. institutions, NGOs, civil society, academia, ing is done to reverse the trend. Throughout the year the campaign will scientists, the private sector and other Africa has not been spared the plastic be announcing ambitious measures taken actors to assess challenges and opportu- menace. Even though most of the plastic by countries and businesses to ban or tax nities relating to, as well as actions taken trash in Africa comes from outside the con- single-use bags, eliminate microplastics towards the implementation of Sustainable tinent, African cities and coastal towns from personal care products and otherwise Development Goal 14: Life below water. are grappling with their own mountains dramatically reduce the use of disposable At the individual level, choosing reus- of garbage, mostly plastic that ends up in plastic. able shopping bags, cups, straws and water the ocean. Ms. Earle cited the islands in So far more than a dozen countries in bottles, and saying no to personal care the northwest Indian Ocean as the most Africa—among them Cameroon, Ethiopia, products that contain microplastics and affected by plastic marine litter in Africa. The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mali, plastic packaging can go a long way toward Plastics in the ocean kill or harm Mauritania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanza- curbing the plastic menace. When it comes more than 300,000 marine animals every nia and Uganda —have either adopted or to plastics, no action is too small to make year, said Ms. Earle. Some creatures get proposed bans on polythene bags. a difference.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 7 SAVE OUR SEAS

The Sahel has been battered by drought due to climate change. Panos/JB Russell Africa feeling the heat of climate change Affected countries require funds to build more resilient and climate-smart economies

BY DAN SHEPARD

esearchers are still trying to learn quarter of all people rely on the ocean as a warming Indian Ocean has damaged coral why the population of African primary source of food. reefs that are essential for tourism, fishing, penguins has dropped precipi- Globally, average temperatures will and the protection of the shoreline. tously over the last 15 years—some increase by more than 2°C by the end of the “One of the biggest threats to coastal and Restimates say by 90%—but most agree that 21st century, and could increase by as much marine systems in Africa is climate change,” climate change is a major factor in the as 3°C by 2050 and even by 6°C by 2100. says Yuvan A. Beejadhur, team leader on decline of this iconic African species. The impacts of this warming on the ocean ocean economy at the World Bank, adding, There may be additional forces at work, surrounding the continent are already being “The impacts are already being detected in including pollution, overfishing, predators felt. many areas of the continent.” and disease, but warming currents on both Small-scale artisanal fishing and According to Mr. Beejadhur, natural sides of the continent are driving the huge tourism are critical economic pillars for resources specialist, sea temperatures in shoals of sardines and anchovies on which communities along Africa’s 30,500-kilo- coastal boundary systems may continue the penguins dine farther south toward metre coastline. Many of these are grap- to increase over the next few decades and cooler waters. pling with the effects of climate change, centuries. If current trends continue, sea Warming waters are not a problem only including rising sea levels, warming waters temperatures will increase from 0.62°C to for penguins and other sea creatures. They and increasing ocean acidification, which 0.85°C over the next few years and from have major implications for coastal com- has led to greater coastal erosion that has 2.44°C to 3.32°C over the long term, he munities all around the continent, where a damaged infrastructure in West Africa. A warns.

8 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 “This will mean Africa will need a cas- threat to coral reefs and biodiversity. About Between 2017 and 2020, the initiative cade in financing. It will require significant 30% of carbon dioxide caused by human will mobilize between $500 million and funds, finance and investments that need activity dissolves into the oceans, and the $900 million and implement programs to be unlocked, leveraged and catalysed for increased acidity prevents organisms that linked to climate change adaptation and building resilient and climate-smart ocean depend on calcium carbonate from produc- mitigation. economies,” he predicts. ing shells and skeletons. World Bank experts caution that with- Jacqueline Alder, manager of Global Fisheries in the western Indian Ocean— out action, fish catches are projected to Partnerships for Responsible Fisheries at off the east coast of Africa—mainly depend drop because of climate change—possibly the Food and Agriculture Organization on coral reefs, Mr. Jumeau points out. by one half in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, (FAO), also notes the significant impact on Increased coral bleaching and mortality Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo, according coastal infrastructure of coastal erosion. (generally caused by warming ocean temper- to the FAO. Fishery landing sites have been forced to atures) will have negative effects on fisheries, “These ambitious programmes aimed move, resulting in higher fishing costs. In fishery-related employment and nutrition. at strengthening the resilience of African some cases poorer-quality fish has led to Corals across the western Indian Ocean coastal communities are critical to meet- lower market prices. declined by an average of more than 35% ing the challenges and opportunities of In addition, more frequent flooding has after bleaching events in 1998, 2010 and climate change, especially for vulnerable affected coastal systems, with runoff from 2016. Such events have an economic cost: Small Island Development States,” observes the storms ending up in the oceans, reduc- the coral bleaching event in 1998 cost the Maria Helena Semedo, FAO’s deputy direc- ing the salinity of the water and causing scuba dive tourism industry an estimated tor-general for natural resources. fish to move farther offshore. Consequently $2.2 million in Zanzibar and up to $15.09 “African coastal communities are some fishermen have to travel farther to catch million in Mombasa, Kenya. of the most affected by climate change,” she fish, “or they don’t fish at all,” she says. continues. “FAO is fully engaged and ready In Mozambique, coastal erosion due to Acidification of the ocean to be at the heart of these significant devel- rising sea levels has significantly altered Coral reefs in the Seychelles also suffered opments to work alongside countries and the coastline, says Eugénio João Muiange, from the 1998 bleaching event, which was communities to reduce their vulnerabilities, the director of the National Institute of the caused by warming from an El Niño weather build their resilience, and maximize oppor- Sea and Boundaries. “When we look at old phenomenon, but other bleaching events tunities emerging from climate change.” maps and compare them with now, we see have also affected the country, recalls The African package for climate-resil- lots of changes. Small islands and sandbars Mr. Jumeau. Some reefs have since been ient ocean economies is composed of five have disappeared.” restored to health; others have not. Coral flagship programmes, and each will have its “Erosion has eaten land 2 to 3 kilome- reefs are an essential tourist attraction and own focus as well as sharing knowledge and tres inland,” he adds. “When we look for a provide protection from coastal erosion for best practices with the others. reason, we can only reach one conclusion— the hotels on the islands. In North Africa, the focus will start with that it is sea-level rise.” Around 2.5 million tourists per year fisheries, aquaculture and ocean observa- Coastal erosion has led to the displace- visit the tropical coast area of Egypt; 23% tion systems; West African priorities will ment of communities in West Africa and has of these tourists come specifically to dive, include fisheries, combating coastal erosion, already resulted in economic losses of about and a further 33% participate in snorkelling and building tourism; in Central Africa, 2.3% of GDP in Togo alone, the World Bank activities. stretching from Cameroon to Angola, pri- reported in 2016. Cognizant of the destructive impact orities will include a focus on safety at sea; Ronald Jumeau, permanent representa- of climate change on the oceans around East Africa will develop its aquaculture and tive of the Seychelles to the UN, says many Africa, affected countries came together tourism; and the Small Island Developing of these trends have been noticed for years at the African Ministerial Conference on States, often the most dependent on the yet were poorly understood. Coastal erosion Ocean Economies and Climate Change in oceans and the most vulnerable to disas- in West Africa has been “huge,” he says, and Mauritius in September last year to assess ter and erosion, will focus on the develop- as a consequence many people have been the challenges faced by coastal and marine ment of an economy designed for sustain- forced to abandon their communities on the systems in Africa and discuss the need to able development, generally referred to by coast and look inland for new opportunities. develop climate-ready ocean economies. experts as the “blue economy.” “Suddenly it becomes a political issue,” he And last November, at the 2016 Mar- African countries will be participating says, adding, “There’s a demographic shift rakech Climate Conference held in Egypt, in the Ocean Conference to be held this underway.” the World Bank, the Asian Development year in New York from 5-9 June, which is African countries often lack the data, the Bank and the FAO announced a “African aimed at promoting the implementation computing power and the analytical ability package for climate-resilient ocean econo- of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life to take action, Mr. Jumeau points out. mies,” an ambitious bundle of technical and below water). The goal calls for action to Another result of climate change is ocean financial assistance focused on measures address a range of ocean issues, including acidification. As the ocean absorbs greater to build resilience, reduce vulnerability, protecting marine biodiversity, reducing amounts of carbon dioxide, it becomes more develop early warning systems and opti- overfishing and addressing ocean acidifica- acid, and its changing chemistry poses a mize carbon sequestration. tion and marine pollution.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 9 INTERVIEW Ocean Conference: Our best and last chance to get things right — Peter Thomson

a look around to see what human sewage and runoff from agriculture and industry are doing to coastal ecosystems. This ocean conference is very timely. We will have scientists, civil society and the private sector present. This is not just about governments; it’s about humanity responding to the woes that have been put upon the ocean and cor- recting them.

You recently said that human-induced problems require human-induced solutions. What did you mean by that? The Paris Climate Agreement is a human solution to a human-induced problem. Our big job is to stay true to that agreement. When you look at ocean acidification, the solutions will emerge. I don’t pretend to SAVE OUR SEAS have them on my desk, but I have talked to experts; it’s about understanding the

Peter Thomson , the 71st president of the United Nations General Assembly. AR/Eleni Mourdoukoutas problem and then working out solutions. We have to stop these crazy subsidies that are given by industrialized nations to fishing fleets. We have to identify what species are eter Thomson assumed his current one-year term as the 71st president of the United under threat and agree to only fish to quota P Nations General Assembly in September 2016. Before that Mr. Thomson had served or stop fishing those species altogether. since 2010 as Fiji’s permanent representative to the United Nations and its ambassador Those are human solutions. We’re tipping to Cuba. Africa Renewal’s Masimba Tafirenyika sat down with Mr. Thomson in New York a garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean to discuss preparations for the Ocean Conference to be co-hosted by the governments every minute of every day. We have to have of Fiji and Sweden at UN headquarters from 5 to 9 June 2017. The UN Conference to better rubbish collection systems. We have Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, as it is officially to do what Rwanda has done: ban plastic called, coincides with World Oceans Day (June 8). SDG 14 deals with the conservation bags. Just don’t use plastic bags, even if and use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The following your government can’t get around to ban- are excerpts from the interview. ning them.

You mentioned the effect of climate change on fish. How can we reverse the trend and Africa Renewal: Could you please tell us opportunity to reverse the cycle of decline support the worst-affected regions? why the UN is organizing such a major the ocean is currently caught in. That may The overall problem is climate change— conference on oceans now, and what you sound alarmist, but, coming from an island bringing ocean warming and ocean deser- expect to achieve? country, I know the ocean is in deep trouble. tification. That’s the mother of them all in Mr. Thomson: The ocean conference is The science is clear. Marine pollution is terms of problems with fish stocks. We have in support of [SDG] 14, which is mandated taking us to a point where, by 2050, there to stay true to the Paris Climate Agreement. under the 2030 Sustainable Development will be more plastic in the ocean than there But beyond that, we can set up marine Agenda to conserve and to sustainably will be fish. We just need to look at the protected areas where we can sustain- manage ocean resources. This conference effects of climate change on the ocean to ably manage our fish stocks. We have to is probably the best and possibly the last see how much trouble the ocean is in. Take stop illegal and harmful fishing practices

10 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 such as bottom dredging. We have to end that? It’s at the World Trade Organization end-all. We are basically the gathering of those ridiculous fish subsidies and use that [WTO], which is the best forum for dealing humanity. We don’t come from another money to restore coastal ecosystems. with subsidies. But it should also be among planet. What we are trying to do with the the domestic populations of the countries Ocean Conference is say to humanity, As you pointed out, some parts of the ocean concerned. They should be saying, “Why “We’ve caused this problem. What are we are heavily polluted. What are the other is our money being spent on these fleets going to do to fix it?” This is a conference main pollutants besides plastics? which are no longer economically viable?” not just for governments. It’s open to civil Microplastics, which are bits of plastic There also needs to be international action society, the private sector and NGOs. We are inserted into things like toothpaste and at WTO level. The Ocean Conference will hoping to raise hundreds, hopefully thou- face creams and other cosmetics, are a big be a good platform for us to articulate that. sands of voluntary commitments through problem. We have to stop the industrial use an online register—that’s an action agenda of microplastics because they get ingested Obviously it won’t be easy given the expe- we can work with in the coming years. into the biosphere. Their implications are rience with talks at the WTO. far-reaching. When I was in Indonesia No, but they need to start waking up to How far are African countries involved in recently, I talked to a minister who said some of the realities. I was in West Africa the conference? they have come to realize that by not paying recently and I saw the huge infrastructure Africa has a massive coastline. I’ve been more attention to how garbage, which is in artisanal fishing. Thousands of boats line encouraging African countries to partici- basically plastic, gets into the ocean, they up on the beaches. As the fish is depleted by pate at the conference at a high level because were hurting employment. This is because these big, industrialized fleets, what can this is existential business for many of them it puts tourists off when they start get- these guys do with the boats which are basi- who rely on the ocean so heavily for their ting hit by plastics at a beach. Basically, cally their only family possession of value? protein. When I was in Ethiopia, they said, the minister was saying they’ve come to People will turn to things like human traf- “SDG 14? Glad to hear you’re working on realize that if they want tourism to flour- ficking as an alternative if there’s no fish out that, but we don’t have a coastline.” I said, ish—it’s a great job provider and earner of there anymore. And the pirogues that I saw “Look, 50% of the air you are breathing foreign exchange—they’ve got to clean up are fully capable of moving from the West comes from the ocean. If something goes the plastic pollution on their beaches and African coast to Europe. This is the conse- wrong with the ocean’s health, it’ll affect in their seas. quence of irresponsible industrial fishing. If you. Think in terms of getting behind SDG you’re going to be killing off the livelihoods 14 even if you are a landlocked country.” Since, as you said, plastics are the main of artisanal fishermen, expect there will be pollutants, and given how the global econ- negative consequences. And it’s also a driver So how much cooperation have you been omy is dependent on plastic products, can for migration if people lose their traditional getting from African countries? the world survive without plastics? livelihoods. I was in Senegal and they’re very fired up Absolutely! Human ingenuity knows no about it. They will be one of the co-chairs bounds, and I have no doubt that we will You mentioned the effect on small island of the partnership dialogues, so I’ve encour- break this problem. It was within my life- developing states (SIDS) to changing aged them to speak to the rest of the West time when plastic problems emerged in the weather patterns, particularly rising sea African community. Kenyans are very world, and within my children’s lifetime levels. What are we doing about it? involved and I’ve encouraged them to speak that it should be solved. Hopefully in my life- SIDS are particularly vulnerable to these to the rest of the East African community. time, but I doubt it. There’s a lot of thought changes in the ocean. This is one of the rea- This has been my approach. When I was in being put into a more circular economy to sons why the SIDS were the ones that were Egypt, I told them, “Please make sure this reuse plastics so that they’re not thrown really at the forefront of the formation of is not a forgotten corner of Africa. You’ve away. If you must have a plastic cigarette SDG 14, the call for the Ocean Conference got the Red Sea. You’ve got the Mediter- lighter, why can’t it be a refillable one? Like- and the call for ongoing action between now ranean—both with big problems. Be [at the wise with plastic straws, they’re one of the and when [by 2030] we are mandated to conference].” So there’s a lot of skin in the big things that end up on the beaches. Why achieve success. In fact, some of the targets game for Africa at this conference, and I not substitute that with paper straws? within SDG 14 fall earlier than that. For hope to see many African leaders present. SIDS, ocean warming is one of the biggest of You have talked about fishing subsidies. threats—I think it’s about 40% of the drivers And finally, how optimistic are you Are countries that provide these subsi- of the rise in sea levels. For some countries, about implementing the conference’s dies willing to stop them? And if not, what this means going totally under water. resolutions? should be the solution? Look, two years of hard work have gone into First of all, let’s look at the problem. The How do you respond to critics who say, this conference. It was clear to me after the problem is we have massive fleets of indus- “Well, the UN is very good at talking and preparatory meeting a month or so ago that trialized fishing boats out there basically organizing conferences but we do not see the momentum is there. It’s clear to me from depleting the world’s fish stocks. Let’s sort much action on the ground”? just talking to big civil society organizations, this out: an easy target from my point of view One of the things I say about the United is fishing subsidies. Where do you address Nations is that we are not the be-all and see page 39

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 11 Salva Dut (left) pumps water from one of the boreholes he has helped drill in South Sudan. Water for South Sudan

WATER How South Sudan’s ‘lost boy’ brought water to his village Salva Dut, a former refugee, has helped drill 300 boreholes in his country

BY ZIPPORAH MUSAU

alva Dut was 11 years old, sit- After a single gunshot, the teacher it was no longer safe for the students to ting through the last lesson in peeked outside, just as more gunshots rent remain at school, and the teachers ordered class and looking forward to the the air. “Get down, lie on the floor,” the them to run and hide in the bushes, because trip home with his schoolmates. teacher cried out to the frightened pupils. they knew their villages would be attacked SSuddenly all hell broke loose. An infernal Rebels from southern Sudan had taken soon. civil war had ignited in his native South up arms against the government in the This marked the beginning of a long Sudan. The year was 1985. north in a war for independence. Suddenly odyssey for Salva and the other boys from

12 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 Loun-Ariik village fleeing from war. He unsafe terrain in search of water,” Salva told State. They will focus more on schools and escaped before seeing his parents or know- Africa Renewal. the new county headquarters in Payam. ing whether they were alive or not. Having seen how the project had trans- Salva says that wherever the boreholes He joined a group of villagers from formed the lives of people in his village, Salva are sunk, schools and markets spring up, his Dinka ethnic group who walked for felt the need to do more. It costs from $8,000 transforming the area and changing liveli- two months, with many succumbing to to $15,000 to sink a borehole in South Sudan, hoods. It is this kind of transformation that hunger, dehydration and famished wild and all the equipment is imported. keeps Salva energized and the WSS project animals along the way. Upon reaching Back in the United States, Salva shared strong. A board of 14 directors in the United neighbouring Ethiopia, they were sent to his story with friends, members of the Roch- States, all volunteers, helps with strategic Itang refugee camp in the western part ester church and others who contributed planning. The organization has three full- of the country. Salva was among some to his cause. He received small grants from time and one part-time employee. Salva is 20,000 children, mostly boys between 7 various faith-based organizations, from based in South Sudan. and 17 years of age, according to UNICEF, Rotary International and from sales of a Lynn Malooly, who has been WSS execu- who were separated from their families novel based on his life journey—A Long tive director for the last seven years, says, during the war and ran into the bush and who came to be known as the “lost boys of Sudan”. The change was immediate. Women and girls After six years at the Ethiopian refugee no longer trekked for hours in unsafe terrain in camp, it was time to move again. Salva led a group of 1,500 “lost boys” who walked search of water. hundreds of kilometres over 18 months, through the desert and across three countries, to reach Kakuma refugee camp in Walk to Water, a New York Times best-seller “We are proud to be helping Salva and to be northern Kenya. Only 1,200 boys made it written by Linda Sue Park, which is read by part of this.” to Kenya. There Salva had the good fortune seventh graders in American schools. Many For the team, though, it has not been to get a sponsorship to travel to the United students have contributed to the project. an easy ride. Transportation of borehole States in 1996. “We have supporters in all 50 US states equipment from one part of the country to In the United States, Salva was taken and in 33 other countries, among them Aus- the other is often impeded by the frequent in by an American family and a church tralia, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Japan, conflicts in South Sudan, as well as poor in Rochester, New York, who took him to Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, United Arab infrastructure. school. All this time he kept wondering Emirates, and the United Kingdom, because “Oftentimes there are neither existing what had befallen his family back home. of the book. Many international schools roads nor gas stations where we can refuel Since no one seemed to know their fate, he worldwide read it,” said Salva. the trucks transporting the machines,” said assumed they had died in the war. By March 2017 Salva’s organization had Salva. One day Salva received a message from drilled 300 wells in South Sudan. Experts Extreme weather conditions, with tem- his cousin that his dad was very sick back are involved in the project to ensure the peratures rising up to a punishing 38°C, and home. He was a patient in a health centre boreholes are far enough apart to keep the the outbreak of malaria during the rainy supported by the UN. water aquifers sustainable, usually not less season also affect the pace of the work, but “It was the first time in years to hear than 100 miles. The borehole water is then do not stop it entirely. about a member of my family,” recalled treated and used for drinking, domestic use Salva. “I was excited—even though my and watering cattle, but not for irrigation or Future plans father was very ill, at least he was alive.” other large-scale purposes. Salva plans to seek more partnerships to He travelled back home and was eventually For the project to be popularly accepted, help many more people in South Sudan get reunited with his family. Water for South Sudan involves local com- access to clean drinking water. He hopes He learned that his father had fallen munities from the planning stages. To avoid his water project will help foster peace and sick from drinking dirty water. This trig- conflicts, disagreements and misunder- bring together the warring ethnic groups of gered Salva’s resolve to help his village get standings, the organization also engages Nuers and Dinkas for the sake of developing clean water to drink. When he returned local leaders and elders to decide the loca- their country. to the United States in 2003, he started tion of future boreholes. “We are one people no matter what. We Water for South Sudan (WSS), a nonprofit “We also train the villagers on how to have to work together. When I go back and organization, together with his partner operate the boreholes, and they are part of see all these positive changes, I feel good. from the Nuer ethnic group, a rival of Sal- the committee that is charged with oversee- We are just planting a seed and you never va’s Dinka group. Through the NGO, Salva ing maintenance and repair of the equip- know what that seed could turn out to be in raised funds and sank the first borehole in ment,” he said. the future,” he said. his village in 2005. This year Salva’s team plans to drill up to At the end of the day, the “lost boy” of “The change was immediate. Women 40 new boreholes in Waubaai County in Wau South Sudan has come home bearing gifts, and girls no longer trekked for hours in State and in Kuac North County in Gogrial and his people are grateful.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 13 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Urban growth a boon for Africa’s industrialization The 2017 Economic Report on Africa calls for harnessing urban growth

BY FRANCK KUWONU

An administrative building at the new Diamniadio industrial park in Dakar, Senegal. Reuters/Nellie Peyton

here has been much talk about The report, titled Urbanization and process of transforming raw materials into Africa’s urban dividends—the Industrialization for Africa’s Transforma- finished products. increased prosperity and sus- tion, is the fifth in as many years to high- The 2017 report, launched in Dakar, tained socioeconomic develop- light the need for structural transforma- Senegal, in March 2017, was one of the Tment resulting from the expansion and tion in Africa through industrialization. high-level events marking “Africa Develop- industrialization of African cities. ment Week.” The purpose of the report is Yet such dividends can be derived only Rural-to-urban migration to “assist governments and policy makers from governments’ deliberate planning Two years ago the ECA called on govern- with strategies to harness urban growth and management of cities. That is the ments to use smart trade policies to advance and advance Africa’s industrialization,” essential wisdom shared in the 2017 Eco- industrial goals. Last year the report argued says Adam Elhiraika, the director of the nomic Report on Africa (ERA), written by for “green industrialization,” urging coun- Macroeconomic Policy Division at the ECA. experts at the United Nations Economic tries to infuse green initiatives into value- Experts calling for increased attention Commission for Africa (ECA). chain activities, especially during the to management and planning of cities often

14 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 refer to a UN report that highlights the fact In 2015 the Mo Ibrahim Foundation The colonial legacy continues to over- that 4 out of 10 people in Africa currently referred to selected non-African countries shadow Africa’s current economic reality, live in cities. With an annual urban growth to argue that there is a correlation between which has remained tied in large part to rate of 3.4%, that number will rise to 5 out urban growth and increase in GDP per the extractive industries. For years the ECA 10 in about 18 years, meaning that by 2035 capita. The foundation’s report, African and a variety of experts have urged Afri- half of the continent’s population will live Urban Dynamics 2015: Facts and Figures, can countries to use value addition to raw in cities. demonstrates “a consistent link between a materials sourced locally as a vehicle for Such urban growth can be explained country’s level of urbanization and its GDP industrialization. by rural dwellers’ migration to the cities per capita,” although such a link remains The Asian experience demonstrates that in search of better economic opportunities relatively and historically low in African structurally and historically, urbanisation and access to essential services. countries, with the exceptions of Morocco, is a by-product of agricultural or industrial But these population movements from South Africa and a few other cities. productivity growth. However, the problem rural to urban areas are rarely properly with Africa is that countries with low pro- managed, and cities are often unable to Colonial legacy ductivity growth also appear to be witness- provide residents with such public ameni- That African cities are not contributing ing urban growth, but without structural ties as housing, water, electricity, health, enough to GDP may be explained in his- transformation. education, sanitation and jobs, to name torical and geographical contexts. Africa’s “In some African countries, urbaniza- a few. major cities, for example, were located by tion has been driven by the effect of natural Traditionally, urban growth in develop- the European colonial powers along the resource endowments rather than indus- ing countries is seen more as a challenge coast for the easy removal of raw materials trialization,” the Mo Ibrahim Foundation than an opportunity, Pierre Goudiaby by sea, or inland near the sources of those underscored in its 2015 report. Atepa, a prominent Senegalese architect, materials. told Africa Renewal. “It doesn’t have to be see page 39 like this forever,” he said. Some governments have responded to urban population pressures by building The urbanization–industrialization nexus new cities, such as Diamniadio in Senegal, or rehabilitating older cities, such as Kigali in Rwanda.

Urbanization and industrialization The 2017 ERA does not, however, advocate the creation of new urban centres to solve the problems associated with urbanization. Instead the report points out the need for governments to plan “urban and industrial development through deliberate policies Drivers and investments as a priority for the sus- Urban demand for industrial products - processed food, tainability of both cities and industries.” housing, infrastructure In other words, according to the report, urbanization and industrialization should Enablers (system level) go together. “History and experience dem- Urban system - diverse & specialized onstrate that urbanization is closely linked linkages to economic growth and the transformation of economies towards productive sec- Enablers (city level) tors, namely industries and services.”

The idea that African cities and towns matching, learning through proximity could be engines of economic growth and and mobility social development is not entirely new. Five years ago the African Development Barriers Bank pointed out that 55% of the conti- land systems, infrastructure nent’s GDP comes from cities. In South Africa more than three-quarters of GDP comes from “metropolitan and other large Policy levers urban municipalities,” according to Lung- isa Fuzile, South Africa’s former director- Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa general of the treasury.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 15 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Africa’s quest for a cashless economy gains momentum Insufficient financial inclusion, unbanked masses and financial literacy are increasingly attracting investors BY KINGSLEY IGHOBOR

hen she needed to trans- This strategy is an offshoot of Rwan- fer money to a friend in da’s Vision 2020, a government blueprint a faraway village last designed in 2000 for achieving a knowledge- demonstrating “the potential of mobile March, Mouna Ahmed, based economy (in which growth depends technology to transform access to financial Wa gender equality activist in Liberia, did more on information than on production) services in emerging markets.” not have to worry about long bank queues and leading the country to the middle- Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Côte and complex paperwork. Instead she took income bracket by 2020. d’Ivoire, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa her phone, tapped on the mobile money Already most bus operators in Kigali, are also bellwethers of cashless payment app, punched in an amount and pressed Rwanda’s capital city, accept prepaid cards. use in Africa, according to GSMA. the send button. Minutes later, her friend Thousands of commuters riding swanky The Egyptian government, in collabo- acknowledged the kind gesture. city buses need only swipe a debit card on a ration with MasterCard and the Egyptian “Transferring the money took less than card reader fitted on a bus dashboard before Banks Company (EBC), is working on a a minute,” Ms. Ahmed told Africa Renewal. taking their seats. Gone are the days when similar project that will allow 50 million A leading Liberian telecom company, conductors collected cash payments. citizens to use a single mobile payments Lonestar Cell MTN, launched mobile gateway. The gateway will link citizens’ money in the country in 2013. Since then, M-Pesa sets the pace national IDs to a digital system, which Ms. Ahmed says, “I pay my electricity, Philip Ngarambe, the chief operations means all those in the financial main- water and cable television bills through officer of AC Group, a digital payment sys- stream—suppliers, distributions, custom- my cell phone.” Last year, the company tems company in Rwanda, explains that ers, government and so on—can transact announced it will offer transfers in both US previously, “by the time [cash] gets to the with one another. and Liberian dollars—a relief for customers company there are so many hands it has Similarly, the Nigerian government and who must currently use the US dollar for gone through—from the conductor to the MasterCard are planning a national ID payments. bus driver to the person collecting it, to programme with biometric functionality Liberians haven’t had much experience taking it to finance and the bank account,” that citizens can use to pay for goods and with cashless payment methods, particu- that businesses lost between 40% and services and to receive salaries. That pro- larly mobile money (popularly known as 60% of revenues through cash pilfering. ject, targeting 100 million citizens, will be “mobile wallet”); even credit and debit Rwanda may be ahead of the curve in the largest of its kind on the continent. cards are little used. Although businesses cashless commuting, but Kenya’s M-Pesa, a and individuals still issue age-old cheques, mobile payment service launched in 2007, Tantalizing investment opportunity mobile wallet use is steadily increasing. is acclaimed for the revolutionary impact it A pan-African bank, Ecobank, and Mas- Unlike in Liberia, where mobile money has had on society. M-Pesa (a Swahili word terCard have set their sights on 100 mil- is the primary means of making cashless for “mobile money”) allows people, even lion customers in 33 African countries payments, Rwanda is using several dif- in rural areas, to transfer money to one (including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tan- ferent methods. The country’s ambitious another, make day-to-day purchases and zania and Rwanda) with a service dubbed Smart Rwanda Master Plan (SRMP) seeks pay for services such as electricity and water. Masterpass Quick Response (QR). Mas- to digitize all government financial transac- The Global System for Mobile Com- terpass QR is a digital system that enables tions by 2018, which will allow citizens to munications Association (GSMA), the customers to make online and in-store make online payments as well as use debit London-based industry group that rep- payments. In-store customers can make and credit cards for services in health care, resents mobile operators worldwide, has payments by scanning a QR bar code finance and education, among other areas. lauded M-Pesa’s pioneering effort for downloaded on a mobile device.

16 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 mostly require receivers to pick up cash With 40.5% of its GDP in the informal from banks, WorldRemit enables African sector, Africa has the highest rate of the immigrants in Europe and North America shadow economy, according to the World to use their debit or credit cards to send Bank. By comparison, the figure is 16% for money directly to recipients’ bank accounts countries in the Organisation for Economic or mobile wallets in Africa. Co-operation and Development (OECD). “I send money to my folks in Ghana “Payments provided via an account can every month. I use WorldRemit,” says Naa provide the on-ramp to financial inclusion,” Atswei Kodia, a Ghanaian living in the maintains the World Bank. United States. For individuals, digital payments save Digital payments and SDGs time; for businesses, they send monies GSMA considers mobile payments rel- seamlessly into accounts; and even gov- evant to 11 Sustainable Development ernment transparency and accountabil- Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1, because it ity credentials are enhanced with digital helps to eliminate extreme poverty; SDG payments. “The use of smart cards…also 5, because financial services empower protects the environment, as there are no women economically; and SDG 9, because longer paper tickets littering [Kigali],” adds digital payments and access to credit ser- Mr. Ngarambe. vices lead to new industries. An advertisement for a mobile phone money In Rwanda, electronic payments have But regulatory bottlenecks often slow transfer company hangs over stalls of fruit and reduced the birth registration time from progress in the cashless payment industry.

vegetables at a covered market in Kigali, Rwanda. six hours to 40 minutes, reports GSMA. In A lack of interoperability among mobile Panos/Sven Torfinn Tanzania, paying a vehicle license fee now transactions in some countries, meaning takes an hour, instead of a whole day, as was individuals cannot transact across carriers, the case previously. is a problem, says Daniel Monehin, Master- Paradoxically, Africa’s lack of finan- Less cash leads to less crime, research- Card’s division president for sub-Saharan cial inclusion—the slow adoption of tools ers say. A study by William Jack and Tavneet Africa. In Liberia, for instance, Ms. Ahmed of global commerce, such as banking and Suri titled, Mobile Money: the Economics of says that she cannot send money to people financial literacy—has proved attractive M-PESA, published by the National Bureau on another mobile phone network. to investors. About 90% of retail transac- of Economic Research, a US-based non- GSMA advises countries to allow banks tions in sub-Saharan Africa are cash based, profit research organization, found that a and nonbank actors into the financial sector while just 34% of adults have traditional few months after M-Pesa debuted, consum- and advises providers to focus on “opera- bank accounts, according to the World ers cited personal safety and security as tional efficiency.” Bank—suggesting tantalizing potential for reasons for using the service. Nigeria penalizes certain amounts of investors. cash withdrawals, which encourages people More than 500 million Africans cur- Benefits to make cashless transactions. That policy rently use mobile phones; according to Jude Onwuegbuzie, a Nigerian businessman will help modernize Nigeria’s payment GSMA’s 2016 annual report, that number and legal practitioner, told Africa Renewal, system, says GSMA. will rise to 725 million by 2020, while 84 “These days, people traveling between cities Still, Neal Estey, a former director of million have active mobile money accounts. don’t carry cash, so highway robberies are the Boston University’s Center for Finance, That report also notes the use of mobile no longer lucrative in Nigeria.” Law and Policy, is circumspect about digital money in 31 African countries. The United States Agency for Inter- payments. Mobile money “should not be sold Mobile money transactions in sub- national Development (USAID), the for- as a miracle cure for financial inclusion,” Saharan Africa could exceed $1.3 billion by eign aid arm of the US government, touts he argues, because people in developing 2019, according to data by the consulting success in partnering with the Liberian countries who use mobile money instead firm Frost & Sullivan. Experts forecast that government to implement the Mobile Solu- of opening bank accounts cannot build a the increasing number of mobile subscrib- tions Technical Assistance and Research financial record, have no credit ratings and ers will inevitably lead to an increase in the (mSTAR) project, which enables teachers do not enjoy the benefits of banking. mobile money market. in Nimba County in northern Liberia to But banks hungry for good returns are Also on investors’ radar is the $62 billion receive monthly salaries paid in the capital, feeling the winds of change, which is why per year—and growing—of international Monrovia, through their phones. many are already partnering with credit remittances to Africa, which a company “The mobile money payment elimi- card and mobile payment companies. like WorldRemit, an international money nated time away from their classrooms and “The future of mobile banking will transfer enterprise founded by Somali- reduced costs to receive their salaries by sooner or later belong to the banks,” says land’s Ismail Ahmed, has successfully tar- 84%,” USAID states on its website. Sunil Sachdev, CEO and chief business geted. Unlike the big global money trans- Mobile money moves the poor from development officer of Meed, a US-based fer companies such as Western Union that the informal to the formal financial sector. mobile financial services company.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 17 INTERVIEW Global economic gravity rapidly pulling towards Africa — Abdoulaye Mar Dieye

he second International Conference on the Emergence of Africa (ICEA) was held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, in March 2017. Since T the first conference in 2015—at a time of robust economic growth on the continent—hopes for economic progress have dimmed because of a crash in the price of commodities, volatile global financial markets and a slowdown in global growth. Before departing New York to attend the second ICEA conference, jointly organized by the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and head of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa Abdoulaye Mar Dieye sat down for an interview with Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor to talk about Africa’s economic development opportunities and challenges.

Africa Renewal: Why have you organized the International Conference on the Emer- gence of Africa? Mr. Dieye: In 2015, when the first conference took place in Abidjan, Africa’s GDP was growing at around 5% since 2000. The Economist in 2000 had called Africa the “hopeless continent.” Ten years later it apologetically referred to Africa as the “rising continent.” Then the [economic indicators] were changing in terms of growth rate, poverty reduction and human development. I had a discussion with President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, and we agreed to capitalize on the emerging new spirit and organize a conference to study the reality of the narrative. How do we consolidate and sustain that emerging trajectory? That was the rationale behind the conference.

Given current economic headwinds, triggered mainly by the crash in commodity prices, can you still say Africa is emerging? Yes. The analysis shows that one-third of the 5% growth was triggered by the Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, head of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa. UNDP/Freya Morales emerging middle class and one-third by better economic and political governance. Only one-third is explained by the rise in have been badly affected by the commo- contributed to the continental economic commodity prices. The average growth dity prices, especially those producing oil, growth downturn. But some countries are rate from 2000 to 2015 was 5% in real GDP for example Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial continuing on the path of emergence. Côte terms. Now it is between 2% and 3%. Don’t Guinea and Angola. Those are the ones d’Ivoire is almost growing at double digits. be fooled by the tyranny of the average. whose growth rates have decelerated sub- Rwanda and Senegal are growing at more Some countries are still growing at more stantially, particularly Equatorial Guinea. than 6%. Therefore, the narrative is still than 5%, for example Ethiopia, Rwanda, Countries in conflict such as South Sudan right, but you have different situations in Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda. Some and the Central African Republic also the growth path.

18 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 How do you achieve the equilibrium when How do you ensure economic patriotism, There is a huge impact. Africa is the least countries with varying growth rates sit to which I presume is patronizing locally polluting region, but we are bearing the discuss common economic issues? produced goods and services, if the local pollution burden. Africa deserves more They have some commonalities. Even coun- population prefers imported items? resources for adaptation. I’m glad that Afri- tries like Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal The government should start economic can countries have identified their Intended that have high growth rates still see areas patriotism. I am mystified that some min- Nationally Determined Contributions for more investment to sustain growth. istries in Africa import furniture from (INDCs). UNDP is supporting countries to Germany, France or the UK. We have to implement INDCs and plans for adaptation Such as? use our local enterprises. that came out after the Paris Agreement. Such as structural economic transforma- Most African countries are also candidates tions. For instance, the cocoa value chain Where has economic patriotism worked? for the green climate fund. has an average of 15% retained in the con- Nigeria and Kenya have local content tinent, while 85% is outside the continent. policies, both in the procurement of How do you convince a government deal- You can’t sustain development on that goods and in giving preference to local ing with acute poverty to spend money on path. So how do you improve transforma- entrepreneurship. climate change? tion of raw materials in the country before Climate change is a global public good. It export? And you cannot do structural How can there be enhanced levels of means everyone has to foot the bill. And transformation without an increase in regional cooperation when intra-Africa the greatest polluters have to spend more, productivity. trade is only about 11%? including the US, China and others. Some regions are doing better, like Many conferences take place on the con- ECOWAS [the Economic Community of A lack of financial inclusion dispropor- tinent. Critics call them talk shops. How West African States]. SADC [the South- tionately affects African women, experts is this one different? ern African Development Community] is say. What’s the solution? In Abidjan [in 2015] we wanted to test the getting better lately. There are barriers Our latest Africa Human Development model that we offered: a developmental you have to deal with, including in infra- Report shows that by not including women state that helps change the pattern of pro- structure. The market is booming between in the development process, Africa lost duction and consumption but also impacts Ghana and Togo in West Africa, although an annual average of $95 billion, peaking human development. We have done some the facilitation is not there. The people are at $104 billion in 2014. That’s 6% of GDP. calculations on elasticity. The Abidjan yearning for integration but the states and The paradox is that our banks have money. One—I call it the Abidjan One model—seeks governments are lagging behind. Where we We are not using it. UNDP and the AfDB to enforce a developmental state through have a better climate of peace and security, are advocating for countries to invest in a wider fiscal space to drive development the people trade and cooperate with one women to cure this syndrome of exclusion, and to rely on internal resources, instead of another more than in situations where you which is also bad economics. Investments ODA [official development assistance]. You have insecurity, like in the central African in women easily double GDP growth rates cannot sustain a development path if you region. and improve the wellbeing of the society don’t consume what you produce locally, at large. if you do not expand the value you retain Does Africa have enough domestic internally, and if growth is not impacting resources to mobilise for development? There is a sociocultural subtext, including human development. You need regional If so, which ones? barriers associated with patriarchy. How cooperation because our economies are Absolutely! Most of Africa’s developing do you break such barriers? extremely narrow in size. In the longer economies were funded in the past by ODA. Economic policy can only work when you term you need to have inclusive dialogue. In Today even the remittances are trumping get the political economy right. And you’re Africa, whenever you have a change in lead- ODA. ODA in Africa is below $60 billion correct to say that in Africa we have some ership, there’s a change in plan. These are per year and remittances are up from $62 cultural norms that are barriers to women’s the main messages sought to pass across to billion to $65 billion. We have a study development. In some countries, women top-level policymakers in Africa, in addition by former South African President Thabo cannot access or possess land to use as col- to bringing experts from all over the world Mbeki’s group [the African Union’s High lateral for loans. So we need to work with to share experiences on how to consolidate Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from community leaders, civil society and others and sustain emergence. Africa] that shows that the continent is to break these cultural barriers. losing yearly between $50 billion and $60 Do you believe in what some experts billion due to illicit financial flows. That is Is there a country where women’s empow- refer to as “sophisticated protectionism,” 3% of GDP lost. Now, if we enhance good erment has led to economic development? which is basically formulating policies governance, stronger control of corruption, Seychelles, Rwanda and Senegal are some that protect local industries? we will retain that amount. examples. In these countries you see I don’t think so. Protectionism is in the past. improving economic development. I believe in economic patriotism, which is What is the impact of climate change on completely different. African economies? see page 39

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 19 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Disaster insurance against climate change attracts African countries Innovative risk-pooling initiative will give a lifeline to countries in distress

BY BILL HINCHBERGER

hen disaster strikes in detectors prove insufficient and everything Africa, humanitarian goes up in flames, a system is in place for aid can take months prompt payouts. to reach people on the “As a technician, my message is that we Wground. By then a lot of damage may have cannot depend on nature,” said Hastings been done. During a drought, for example, Ngoma, the government coordinator for small-scale farmers facing a sequence of ARC Malawi. “We need risk management.” harsh dry seasons may sell their cattle and ARC promotes the value of insurance pull their children out of school. A quicker coverage to national leaders, advising coun- response could minimize the long-term tries to develop contingency plans before effects of such a crisis. they purchase coverage. This encourages To address the problem of slow response preparedness and makes sure countries to disasters, international development know what to expect as they pay for the practitioners are advocating for “resilience premiums. building,” a term that refers to efforts to ARC uses a straightforward, novel help communities brace for extreme events system called parametric insurance to before they happen. determine payouts. Under the parametric The goal is “to move away from disaster insurance policies, payouts are made when response and shift the conversation to one a predetermined threshold is reached—for that is more proactive,” says Dolika Banda, instance, if rainfall falls below a certain a Zambian economist who was recently level. named chief executive officer of African Risk Capacity, Limited (ARC Ltd). Customized policies “The continent needs to move from “You need to reach the trigger,” says Ms. an ex post humanitarian response to ex Banda. ARC and countries have to jointly ante preparation and disaster management develop customized policies that assure a plans,” says Ms. Banda. payout when one is needed, she added. ARC Ltd is the private-sector arm of The organization’s original capital infu- the ARC Agency, established as a special- sion was a loan. Opening shop in 2014 with ized agency of the African Union (AU) to drought coverage, ARC marked its inau- help Member States improve their capaci- gural period with $26 million in payouts ties to plan for and respond to extreme to Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. More weather events and natural disasters, there- recently, Malawi has qualified for $8 mil- fore protecting the food security of their lion in cash. vulnerable populations, according to their The ARC brain trust has calculated that website. It was launched by a 2012 treaty a dollar in premiums translates into at least with 32 signatories and joins a small but five dollars’ worth of traditional response— growing group of “risk pooling” initiatives with quicker delivery. ARC aims to cut around the world (others are the Caribbean down its current payout response time of A flooded road. AMO/B. Karlie Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility and the six weeks, but even six weeks outpaces the Pacific Risk Pool). United Nations’ response in providing relief insurance in ARC’s first three years in ARC’s plan works like orthodox insur- supplies for the Sahel. operation. Total coverage in the second ance; think of homeowners who must install Eight countries, including Kenya, year for seven nations was $178 million. smoke detectors to get fire coverage. If the Malawi and Zimbabwe, have taken drought Six countries (Burkina Faso, the Gambia,

20 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal) are pledges from countries including Canada, triggers are fairly calculated and correctly currently on board for the annual period France, Germany, United Kingdom and the measured. that runs through mid-2017. United States. Indian Ocean countries such as Mada- ARC emerged partly in response to con- Last year the WFP announced collabo- gascar have expressed interest in cyclone cerns about the often delayed and high cost ration with ARC to extend disaster insur- coverage, notes Ms. Banda. It is due to be of response of the UN’s World Food Pro- ance coverage to more African countries, rolled out later this year. Several donors gramme (WFP) and donor countries when partly thanks to European donors. The appear ready to help launch the flood providing humanitarian relief. The German WFP’s replica insurance programme will scheme. development bank KfW and a UK aid agency, match outlays for countries that consist- To ensure that payouts are used for dis- the Department for International Develop- ently invest in insurance premiums via aster-mitigation purposes, ARC Ltd. plans ment, laid down a $200 million interest-free, ARC. The UN agency hopes that by 2030 to establish parameters for aid distribution 20-year loan as seed capital. insurance will finance half its natural dis- and a monitoring system. “We need a fool- aster aid expenditures in Africa and Asia. proof methodology for the traceability of “WFP is transforming the way we payouts,” says Ms. Banda, adding that one assist vulnerable communities to cope with of her goals is to have African governments natural disasters, from disaster response feel that the programme is theirs. to risk management,” said WFP executive Beyond its current drought coverage, director Ertharin Cousin during the World ARC Ltd could be well placed for expan- Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul last sion. But in an era of ever-tightening public year. “Countries themselves need to own budgets, national leaders also need to be and manage their disaster risk, first and convinced to shell out cash for premiums. foremost.” “We need to work with host countries in To make sure that it can make good on terms of financial trade-offs with respect any and all claims, ARC has its own insur- to premium affordability,” said Ms. Banda. ance, spreading its risk among many of the The lack of deeply-rooted insurance world`s top reinsurance companies, includ- markets also seems to present a barrier to ing such big names as Munich Re. many African countries. Of all premiums in sub-Saharan Africa, 80% are concen- Reinsurance companies trated in South Africa. “Insurance is a rela- The number of reinsurers that back ARC’s tively new sector,” observes Mr. Ngoma. portfolio stands at 24, twice the number “We don’t have a culture of insurance.” that signed on at the beginning in 2014. However, South Africa’s dominance “They needed us more than we needed is set to be challenged by a number of them,” says Simon Young, former head of promising countries. Nigeria tops the list, ARC, Ms. Banda’s predecessor. Mr. Young with Kenya and Ethiopia showing signifi- remains in an advisory capacity. cant growth in insurance markets on the Big insurers have been trying to tap the continent. African market for years, without much This is “something [leaders] never con- success. “ARC is a really nice vehicle for sidered paying for before,” according to them to get a lot of risk in a nicely packaged Mr. Young. way,” says Mr. Young. Malawi was among the first countries Using this leverage, ARC Ltd. can nego- to sign on, partly due to its experience tiate favorable prices, Mr. Young noted. The with a World Bank pilot programme for appetite among reinsurers is sufficient to drought insurance in 2008–2011, noted cover ARC Ltd.’s needs “many times over,” Mr. Ngoma. “Our current minister of observes an insurance industry insider finance is an economist. He understands who preferred to remain anonymous. the advantages.” ARC Ltd. hopes to provide up to $1.5 To prime the pump for those not yet billion of coverage for 150 million people convinced, international donors and insti- against drought, floods and cyclones in 30 tutions such as the African Development countries by 2020. Sixteen countries have Bank may be willing to subsidize premi-

A flooded road. AMO/B. Karlie signed memorandums of understanding, a ums for a while, Ms. Banda notes, while key step toward obtaining coverage. cautioning the need to gradually reduce Donor and WFP support for ARC is Cyclone and flood programmes are in the role of outsiders. “The original concept expected to continue. During the COP21 the research and development phase, a behind ARC was that over time it would climate summit in December 2015, ARC process that includes number crunching to be mutually owned by the sovereigns of announced more than $150 million in new make sure that necessary parameters and Africa.”

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 21 BUSINESS Young South Africans investing in lucrative renewable energy sector Pele Energy Group joins the league of independent power producers BY TSIDI BISHOP

umani Mthembi, who runs a renewable energy producing company in South Africa, has no regrets about leaving her secure Fjob in the middle of an economic recession to start her own business in 2009. Ms. Mthembi and four of her friends, barely in their thirties at the time, left the banking industry to start a development project to help less privileged youth in the country. However, they were forced to change their plans when they struggled to raise funds to run the programme. They opted for renewable energy. In an interview with Africa Renewal, Ms. Mthembi, the only woman among the five founders (the others being Gqi Raoleka, Obakeng Moloabi, Boipelo Moloabi and Thapelo Motlogeloa), said that while they were battling to keep their dreams alive with the youth project, another opportunity presented itself, which led to the creation in 2009 of the Pele Energy Group (PEG), based in Sandton, Johannesburg. South Africa’s Energy Department was searching for independent power producers for renewable energy. Companies had to meet a few criteria to be considered. First,

they were required to have the financial Fumani Mthembi, one of the founders of Pele Energy Group. Tsidi Bishop muscle and expertise to run a business and also have a solid social development strategy for communities where they would be “So it was clear that, as someone with to become one of the independent power constructing energy plants. Of importance an economics and development back- producers. also were the company’s plans to raise capi- ground and as an economist, I could plug One of its first big projects was a power tal and its technical expertise in producing in. We had community development skills, plant producing 36 megawatts of solar CPV energy. The department was also looking we had a plan on job creation and on how (concentrator photovoltaics) in the Eastern for technical expertise and hence worked we were going to raise capital to finance Cape Province. with independent power producers that had our equity positions in these projects,” However, the company’s good for- that expertise. said Ms. Mthembi, who was just 25 at the tune was short lived. In 2012 all its bids “This was actually representing an time, with a bachelor’s degree in economics failed, so the company generated income opportunity for us because we had skill sets and politics and a master’s in politics and through consulting. It did research on that we gained from our days in the banking development from the University of Sussex the townships and rural areas where sector that would enable us to make sense of in the UK. there was a need for development, and what was required by the Energy Depart- Pele Energy Group’s first break came then used that information to advise clients ment,” said Ms. Mthembi. in November 2011, when it successfully bid on where to invest their money. Among

22 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 other things, Pele would help companies assess the best size for a project in a given community. “We were doing everything to get noticed. We were willing to get our hands dirty,” said Ms. Mthembi, adding, “We did hard ground work which involved print- ing reams of paper for procurement sub- missions, finding information, talking to banks about the funding, interfacing with law firms to negotiate contracts. Our business even today is not funded by anyone but us; everything we have is from our sweat.” This was a difficult period for the group. The founders had put all their savings in the company and had gone for months without pay. It was also imperative to find foreign partners with a winning formula. In South Africa the law encourages foreign companies to partner with local firms in this sector. Outsiders may hold majority stakes. “The quality of the people on the other side is important because they own 60% of the project, so we had to figure out our own value and start to tailor things according to our intrinsic attributes. But 2012 was a tough year because all of a sudden, all that momentum that we had gained felt like it was slipping away,” she says. The group’s fortunes began to improve in 2013 after the founders made some strategic changes to the business structure. They divided it into three specialised enti-

ties—Pele Green Energy (an independent Ms. Mthembi and her colleague at work. Tsidi Bishop producer of renewable energy), Pele Natural Energy (which produces conventional fuels) and Knowledge Pele (a research and devel- Pele soon expanded beyond South outages since then have cost the economy opment implementation firm). Africa. Pele Natural Energy is co-owner of dearly, forcing Eskom to ration electricity. Soon after the changes, the group won a a natural gas-fired power plant in Mozam- Ms. Mthembi believes the reason there number of government procurement bids. bique. The expansion helped the company was no load shedding or electricity ration- Pele Green Energy, together with an Italian increase its staff from five to 25 young per- ing in 2016 was that renewable energy was contractor, currently owns and operates manent employees. brought into the grid. The entire sector now has 92 projects providing power to 110 rural and township communities around The quality of the people on the other side is the country. important because they own 60% of the project, Last year the energy ministry announced that it had added 4,322 mega- so we had to figure out our own value and start to watts of renewable energy capacity to the tailor things according to our intrinsic attributes. national grid in less than four years. Meanwhile, Pele’s five founders are determined not to become just another generation facilities for 884 megawatts of Firms like Ms. Mthembi’s have helped black-owned investment holding company. solar and wind power. These include the the country through difficult times. South “We want to develop, own and fully oper- Tom Burke Solar Park and Paleshuiwel pho- Africa’s energy monopoly, Eskom, was ate our plants,” fellow founder Gqi Raoleka tovoltaic power plant in Limpopo Province. forced to implement scheduled blackouts— avers, though he acknowledges that Pele Some of Pele’s wind and solar plants are in also known as load shedding—in 2008 as still has some way to go to achieve that the Western and Northern Cape provinces. demand for electricity grew. Numerous aspiration.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 23 Baby elephants “play soccer” as they graze at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya. AMO/Stephen Mudiari Kasabuli

CONSERVATION Conservationists take aim at poachers Newly-created commission will gather evidence to help dismantle organized wildlife crimes

BY BENJAMIN DUERR

s the rate of animal poaching Hague, The Netherlands, near the Inter- of high-profile perpetrators. They publish continues to rise, conserva- national Criminal Court and several UN this information on social media, along with tionists have begun calling tribunals that try genocide, war crimes and audio and video evidence and incisive intel- for stronger laws and deter- crimes against humanity. The Commission’s ligence analysis. Arents to wildlife crimes. intelligence unit has since 2015 been gather- Because it was not set up by an inter- African governments and non-govern- ing information to create tactical, opera- national treaty, the WJC cannot enforce mental organizations are starting to take tional and strategic intelligence assessments laws itself or hand down binding verdicts. wildlife crimes as seriously as other trans- in support of current investigations, as well After an investigation, the commission national crimes such as drug smuggling and as disseminating information to law enforce- starts a period of dialogue and diplomacy human trafficking. In recent years coun- ment agencies and other non-governmental to increase awareness, put the topic on the tries have strengthened anti-poaching laws organizations on wildlife criminals. political agenda and push for prosecutions. and stepped up prosecutions. The WJC team of experts in law, crimi- However, if national authorities are taking Conservation groups have begun back- nology and wildlife conducts field inves- no action, the commission can hold public ing new ways to deter poachers. The newly tigations worldwide to identify the people hearings before an accountability panel. created Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), behind the poaching, trafficking and trad- “I firmly believe that law enforcement for example, gathers evidence to disrupt ing of wildlife products. In what they call can change the behaviour of people,” says and help dismantle transnational, organ- “Maps of Facts”—consisting of hundreds of Olivia Swaak-Goldman, the commission’s ized wildlife crime. The WJC is based in The pages—they list the names and whereabouts executive director.

24 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 Poaching is rampant because the prob- States and the international commu- to Edna Molewa, the minister of water and ability of being caught is extremely low, Ms. nity are both increasingly recognizing the environmental affairs. Swaak-Goldman told Africa Renewal in an need for better laws and law enforcement. Heavier penalties aren’t a cure-all, interview at her office in The Hague. The United Nations General Assembly though. “One of the major challenges of The WJC aims to encourage the pros- in July 2015 adopted a resolution (69/314) deterring poaching activities via convic- ecution of these crimes, increase risks for intended to tackle illicit trafficking in wild- tions is weak evidence gathering, which perpetrators and, in the long run, generate life. It urged member states “to take deci- has resulted in weak prosecution and lack a deterrent effect. sive steps at the national level to prevent, of evidence or proof,” says Mr. Kamau, the Arrests and the disruption of wild- combat and eradicate the illegal trade in Kenyan conservationist. “This means that life smuggling networks in various Afri- wildlife.” many offenders have gone unpunished.” can countries have resulted from this Several African countries have already In a move to address this issue, Kenya approach. However, challenges still adopted new laws or increased penalties. and South Africa have set up laboratories remain. In recent years, the number of Mozambique enacted a new conserva- that collect DNA information in a database animals killed reached historic heights— tion law in June 2014 that makes wildlife that links stolen ivory and game meat to a development with far-reaching conse- poaching a serious crime. specific animals. The DNA information quences. For example, nearly 1,400 African In Tanzania, the National and Trans- can be used in court as watertight evidence. rhinos were poached in 2015. In 2010 the national Serious Crimes Investigation Unit It can prove the link to a suspect, for exam- number was about 400. (NTSCIU), an elite task force, is increas- ple, through hairs at the crime scene or a Poaching and illegal trade not only ingly called in to prosecute wildlife crimes. knife with blood. Moreover, most animals present real environmental dangers, but One of NTSCIU’s major successes was the appear to have been killed in few specific ultimately undermine the rule of law by arrest in August 2015 of a Chinese woman hotspots in Africa. potentially fueling conflict, reports the known as the “Ivory Queen,” one of Africa’s Sometimes suspects are never caught, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime most notorious smugglers of ivory to Asia. their cases fail to come to trial or they (UNODC) in its first World Wildlife Crime She is said to have led a smuggling ring that receive penalties that are far too weak. This Report, published in May 2016. “Poaching has damaged the wildlife population in Kenya, with fears that some Poaching and illegal trade present real species could be pushed into extinction,” environmental dangers and ultimately Julius Kamau, executive director of the undermine the rule of law by potentially East African Wildlife Society, told Africa Renewal. fueling conflict. Historically, Kenya has treated poaching as a petty offence, but a law introduced in 2013 requires high minimum penalties killed animals in Africa and sold several can be due to corruption, weak investiga- for wildlife crimes, including imprison- millions of dollars’ worth of tusks to East tions or a lack of judicial appreciation of the ment for the killing of endangered species. Asia. seriousness of wildlife crime, according to “Penalties for wildlife crimes in Kenya Conservationists say they can’t under- Mr. Thomas of TRAFFIC. are now the harshest in the world and score enough the necessity of law. “Swifter There are cross-cultural challenges as even include life imprisonment in some prosecution with heavy penalties could well. If Asians are arrested, African inves- cases,” explains Paula Kahumbu of the play a significant role in helping deter wild- tigators frequently struggle with interroga- Kenyan conservationist action group, life criminals—especially if those near or tion due to language barriers. Mr. Thomas WildlifeDirect. at the top of the criminal hierarchy are prescribes better collaboration between Since then the number of elephant caught,” says Richard Thomas of the wild- Asian and African authorities. For exam- deaths from poaching in the country has life trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, ple, Asian countries could strategically decreased by 80% and the number of rhino a global non-governmental organization station law enforcement personnel and let deaths from poaching by 90%. The decline based in the UK. investigators call them in to support inter- can in part be attributed to the strengthen- And African countries are enacting rogators and get information from seized ing of the laws, Ms. Kahumbu wrote in an and enforcing such laws. In March 2016, a documents, laptops and cell phones. article for the Guardian, a British daily. Tanzanian court sentenced two Chinese Another possibility is for more coun- In its report, UNODC notes that gaps in men to 35 years in prison for smuggling tries to adopt an equivalent of the Ameri- legal enforcement are facilitating wildlife ivory. A few months earlier it had sentenced can Lacey Act, enabling them to pros- crimes. “Illegal trade could be reduced two men to 20 years in jail for smuggling ecute their own citizens for wildlife crimes if each country were to prohibit, under rhino horn. regardless of where the crimes were com- national law, the possession of wildlife In South Africa, 414 poachers were mitted. “If arrested, nationals could be that was illegally harvested in, or illegally arrested between January and September extradited and prosecuted in their home traded from, anywhere else in the world,” 2016. This marked an increase in arrests country—that would certainly be a game UNODC writes. from 317 for the whole of 2015, according changer,” says Mr. Thomas.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 25 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Pension funds, insurance companies as key drivers of regional integration Survey shows regional institutional investor base expanding due to favourable demographics

BY JOHN SCHELLHASE

A retired couple go through their financial files. AMO/George Philipas

apital markets, where money Institutional investors in the region insurance industries. According to national from savers is put into long-term are already making some intra–regional statistics, EAC pension funds and insurance investments, can contribute asset allocations, but there is potential for companies managed $19.1 billion in assets as significantly to socio-economic expansion, according to the Milken Insti- of 2015, up from $10.7 billion in 2010. Cdevelopment if they invest in productive tute, an economic think tank based in the When it comes to investing abroad, projects and enterprises. But small size and United States that conducted a survey early about 50% of the firms studied allocated a market illiquidity can undercut this process. this year of over 40 institutional investors portion of their portfolio to assets beyond The East African Community (EAC) has in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. their own country’s domestic markets. Most been prioritizing regional financial-market With this survey, the institute sought to of their foreign investments, though, stay integration, creating linkages between the examine current intra-regional invest- within the regional bloc. region’s markets, as the combined pools ments and how their role may develop in Ugandan institutional investors, for of local savings, pension funds, insurance the future. example, were most likely to hold foreign companies and other local institutional The regional institutional investor assets, with 70% of surveyed Ugandan funds investors will be the essential drivers of base has been expanding lately, as favour- deploying at least some capital abroad. Their capital-market development and the inte- able demographics and economic growth main motive for doing so was to access gration of markets in the EAC. spur the development of local pension and Kenya’s more developed securities markets.

26 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 “Assets outside our country are in ill-prepared to manage the currency risk East African institutional investors also Kenya, specifically in the equities market. involved. Nearly a third of the survey clearly signaled their appetite for two other Kenya is a more active economy with a respondents rated their ability to assess new products that would drive regional liquid stock market, it is growing and we exchange-rate risk as “poor” or “very poor.” integration. Nearly three-quarters of the want to participate in this growth,” a fund About 73% of the firms said they lack the firms surveyed would be interested in manager told the Milken Institute. tools needed to hedge against negative cur- investing in a regional fund focused on For their part, the Kenyan institutional rency movements. infrastructure, while 64% would look to investors that made foreign investments invest in a regional fund of funds for private Survey shows regional institutional investor base expanding due to favourable demographics primarily did so to diversify their portfo- Possible futures equity and venture capital. lios in light of domestic concerns, such as The survey findings indicate that institu- These kinds of funds, if they were political dysfunction, budget deficits and tional investors are ready to increase their established, would be invested in multiple the depreciation of the Kenyan shilling. intra-regional investment. First, nearly projects or enterprises, thus pooling and As one survey participant explained, his half of participating firms would be willing dividing the risks among various investors. fund was “diversifying away from Kenyan- to increase investment in Rwanda, if they Moreover, these funds would be managed specific risk.” had access to better currency hedging solu- by specialists, enabling some institutional While some Kenyan firms directed tions that are used to mitigate the impact investors to access expertise they might around 5% of their portfolio to securities of foreign exchange risk on international not be able to otherwise. Donors could beyond the EAC, most cross-border Kenyan investments. help facilitate the creation of such funds investment stayed within the region. Given The new frameworks for derivatives by providing first-loss capital —where they that Kenyan firms manage more than half of established by Kenya and Uganda may offer agree to bear first losses in the invest- regional assets, this is an important finding firms the currency hedging instruments ment in order to encourage the participa- for Kenya’s neighbours, as well as for any they need, though these instruments are tion of co-investors that otherwise would long-term investments in regional infra- not a panacea. not have entered the deal, or other credit structure, such as projects to link the EAC’s Another solution would be not to require enhancements. Northern Corridor. hedging products at all. What if the Rwan- The survey also found out that about dan government, for example, were to issue Next steps a third of Rwandan pension funds and bonds denominated in Kenyan shillings According to the recent EAC common insurance companies invested abroad, instead of Rwandan francs? About 75% of market scorecard, the region is already one with Kenyan markets the most common EAC institutional investors say they would of the most integrated in Africa, although destination. be interested in investing in such an issu- challenges remain. In Tanzania no participating firm held ance. For Kenyan investors, this product Developing products that meet the foreign assets, mainly because of long- would enable cross-border diversification needs of institutional investors as they look standing regulatory restrictions on invest- without exchange-rate risk. For the Rwan- to diversify beyond their national markets ments abroad. Some of these restrictions dans, this kind of security would likely would be one step toward further inte- have only recently been lifted. facilitate further investment from Kenyan grated regional capital markets. Such an Under the 2010 EAC Common Market firms, which manage the region’s largest approach will require constant engagement Protocol, Member States are required to pools of capital by far. with firms to understand how and why they remove all restrictions to the intra–regional allocate assets. It will also require expand- movement of goods, labour and capital. ing awareness among fund managers and Overall the EAC has made significant By the numbers investment boards, so that they are able advances toward this goal, although some to take advantage of new developments as restrictions still remain, such as rules pre- $19.1 Bn they become available. venting Tanzanian and Ugandan insurance the amount in assets managed by Pooling regional institutional investor companies from investing in other EAC pension funds and insurance compa- capital to finance cross-border infrastruc- countries. nies in the East African Community ture or invest in the region’s growth-ori- Regulations, though, are not the only (EAC) ented small and medium-sized enterprises obstacle to further market integration. (SMEs) would, of course, have widespread Investment guidelines imposed by boards benefits beyond financial sector develop- often place tighter restrictions on fund 73% ment. If managed properly, these invest- managers than regulations do. At the same of firms lack tools need to hedge ments could further unite the economies time, investors do not always know where against negative currency movements of the EAC member states, expanding trade regulations allow them to invest. The survey and spurring economic growth. showed that this lack of awareness was particularly notable among Ugandan pen- 70% Mr. Schellhase is a consultant at the Milken sion funds. of surveyed Ugandan funds have been Institute Center for Financial Markets, where Even when firms want to invest in invested outside the country he researches on deepening and strengthening their regional neighbours, they may be capital markets in developing countries.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 27 JUSTICE ICC: Beyond the threats of withdrawal African countries in dilemma over whether to leave or support the International Criminal Court BY FRANCK KUWONU

castigated the court as a “tool of global power politics and not the justice it was built to dispense.” Dissatisfaction with the court lies in the perception that the ICC has dispro- portionally targeted Africans and does not respect the politics and sovereignty of African countries. Nine out of the 10 cases currently before the court involve African countries. Fatou Bensouda, the ICC prosecutor, who investigates and prosecutes crimes under the jurisdiction of the court, namely genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crime of aggression, routinely dismisses those criticisms, saying that since most of the cases were initiated by the countries themselves, it makes no sense to accuse the court of bias. Still, the court appears to be sensitive to the criticisms and has now invited scholars to debate the subject in an online forum. After all the pronouncements and threats, however, only Burundi is on course People queue to enter the new headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, to leave the ICC before the end of this

Netherlands. AP/ Mike Corder year. Opinions are divided among African countries and among citizens within the countries advocating withdrawal. Even ometime last year, three African Since then, the feared exodus from the as the AU was reported to have adopted a countries—Burundi, the Gambia ICC by African countries has not materi- mass withdrawal strategy, some countries, and South Africa—signalled their alized. Not even after the African Union such as Nigeria, opposed it, particularly intention to leave the Interna- (AU) reportedly agreed on a strategy call- the idea of leaving en masse. Stional Criminal Court (ICC). There was ing for a collective withdrawal from the “Nigeria is not the only voice agitat- fear that more countries would follow. court. Meanwhile, compelled by its own ing against it; in fact, Senegal is speak- After years of criticisms, it appeared courts for having failed to follow proper ing very strongly against it. Cape Verde as if aggrieved African countries would be legal procedures, South Africa ended and other countries are also against it,” making good on their repeated threats to up revoking its notice of withdrawal in remarked Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria’s leave the court. March. foreign affairs minister, speaking at the In October 2016, Burundi and South end of the AU summit held in Addis Ababa Africa formally wrote to the United Distrust in January. “Each country freely and will- Nations Secretary-General to communi- “A bunch of useless people,” Yoweri Musev- ingly acceded to the treaty,” he said. “So cate their decision to withdraw from the eni, the Ugandan president, once called the each country, if they want to withdraw, has ICC. Around the same time, The Gambia, ICC, while his Rwandan counterpart, Paul the right to do that individually.” a tiny country tucked inside Senegal off Kagame, said the court was never about “Whatever problems the ICC might the West African coast, also indicated that “justice but politics disguised as interna- have don’t justify its vilification,” Désiré it would withdraw, only to reverse course tional justice.” Assogbavi, a human rights activist, and a almost immediately after a newly elected President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, representative of Oxfam International to government assumed power. who once faced indictment by the ICC, the African Union, told Africa Renewal.

28 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 Oxfam and a group of African civil soci- Africa’s Institute for Security Studies refers Annan, agree with some of the criticisms. ety organisations that formed a global coa- to as “the elephant in the room: immunity Writing in the Guardian, a UK news publica- lition for the ICC, started campaigning in for sitting heads of states.” tion, he acknowledged several weaknesses 1995 for the strengthening of international At one point in the short history of of the court. justice. The coalition successfully lobbied the court, two sitting African heads of “Most egregiously,” Mr. Annan wrote, African countries in dilemma over whether to leave or support the International Criminal Court for the adoption of the Rome Statute of state were indicted. Charges against Mr. “only two of the five permanent members the International Criminal Court in 1998, Kenyatta, the Kenyan president, and his of the UN Security Council—the UK and which led to the creation of the ICC in 2002. deputy William Ruto were later shelved, France—are signatories to the Rome Stat- “Granted, almost all the cases before the but Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese presi- ute [and therefore members of the ICC], court were initiated by African countries dent, remains under indictment, while open[ing] the court up to accusations of themselves, including the first historic case Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Côte double standards.” by Uganda. [So] to now turn around and d’Ivoire, is currently on trial. Nonetheless, Mr. Annan strongly advo- vilify the ICC smacks of hypocrisy,” says Burundi allegedly decided to leave the cates for the continent to stay engaged with Mr. Assogbavi. court in protest over the ICC prosecutor’s the court, saying, “ICC remains the conti- Indeed, in January 2004, President move to launch investigations against its nent’s most credible court of last resort for Yoweri Museveni and the then ICC pros- leaders. Yahya Jammeh, then the president the most serious crimes.” ecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo appeared of Gambia, may have been motivated by His views are espoused by a majority of together at a confirmation press confer- similar concerns. And after being censored civil society organizations in Africa, doubt- ence in London to announce that the ICC by its own court for failing to execute an ful of their own governments’ abilities to was going after the Lord’s Resistance Army ICC arrest warrant against the Sudanese prosecute serious crimes, even as African (LRA)—a vicious rebel group in conflict president as he visited the country, South Union members push for the establishment with the central government. Soon the Africa decided that it could no longer be part of an African Court to try international Democratic Republic of the Congo would of the Rome Statute. crimes. follow suit, followed by the Central African To many observers, however, reforms Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali. Justice and politics may be just what aggrieved countries have In the case of Sudan and Libya, the ICC Critics of the ICC point out that both Sudan been calling for all along. As early as 2013, sprang into action after both cases were and Libya were referred to the court by the Kenya asked for sitting presidents not to referred by the United Nations Security UN Security Council, where three of five be indicted, while South Africa pressed for Council, while for Kenya, the cases were veto-wielding countries (China, Russia and their immunity against prosecution to be opened at the initiative of the prosecutor but the United States) are not even members respected. with the full cooperation, at least initially, of of the court. While the Security Council Last year, in the aftermath of its fail- the government. was quick to have leaders of the two coun- ure to arrest the Sudanese president, the So why is the court being criticised tries indicted, the critics have observed South African government indicated that for taking up African cases, a majority of that efforts to refer countries like Syria the “main problem with the ICC is the obli- which were instigated by the countries have so far been thwarted by some of these gation to arrest heads of state.” That obliga- themselves? countries. tion, said Michael Masutha, the minister At the heart of the distrust lies what Even steadfast supporters of the court, of justice, was inconsistent with the inter- Allan Ngari, a senior researcher at South such as former UN Secretary-General Kofi national practice of diplomatic immunity. In March 2017, even as Pretoria revoked its notice of withdrawal, a group of South African former constitutional judges was lobbying parliament against withdrawing from the ICC. Justice Zak Yacoob, one of the former judges, framed the issue at the time: “In joining the ICC, South Africa made the choice of saying some human rights viola- tions are so gross, so bad, so punishable, that no leader, even if he or she was a state leader at the time, should be able to get away with it.” The ICC judges allegedly said, “The ICC works within an imperfect framework. However, leading nations like South Africa and its parliamentarians should spear- head initiatives to improve the court. This is something that can only be done from

Fatou Bensouda, ICC Prosecutor (left) and James Stewart, ICC Deputy Prosecutor. ICC within the system.”

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 29 ELECTIONS Gambia’s democracy survives political turbulence Peaceful transfer of power trending on the continent BY PAVITHRA RAO

s the results of The Gambia’s presidential election trickled in last December, incumbent President Yahya Jammeh Arealised his power was slipping away. Indeed, final results showed that a new- comer, 51-year-old businessman Adama Barrow, had garnered 45.5% of total votes, while Mr. Jammeh received 36.6%. Mr. Jammeh unexpectedly conceded defeat and informed Mr. Barrow in a con- gratulatory telephone call that “the Gam- bian people have spoken and I have no reason to contest the will of the mighty Allah.” He promised “guidance on your transition and when selecting a government,” and signalled the beginning of the end of his 22-year rule. To the surprise of many, a president who once boasted he would rule “for a billion years if Allah decrees it” was presiding over its annulment. Fear of unrest, intimidation armed forces and from citizens who insisted a peaceful election and transition. and arrest forced citizens to flee to neigh- on a peaceful transfer of power—prompted The Gambia’s election indicated that bouring Senegal. One of those who fled was Jammeh to agree to vacate office. He left African democracy and obedience to the law Mr. Barrow, the president-elect. the country on 22 January for Malabo, the was coming of age, analysts said. Regional Human Rights Watch, a US-based non- capital of Equatorial Guinea. bodies, the Africa Union (AU) and the Eco- governmental organization that promotes Experts are still debating the factors nomic Community of West African States human rights globally, accused Jammeh of that influenced Jammeh’s capitulation, and (ECOWAS) jointly congratulated the people human rights abuses and urged the interna- what lessons, if any, can be learned. of The Gambia “for peaceful, free, fair and tional community to stand by Mr. Barrow. Despite security problems in many Afri- transparent presidential elections.” can countries, from the Central African In a joint statement, ECOWAS, AU and Why Jammeh capitulated Republic, the Democratic Republic of the the UN also commended President Jammeh There were fears that the already muddled Congo to South Sudan, the peaceful trans- for gracefully conceding defeat, and also political and security situation could dete- fer of power can be seen in a few excep- congratulated Mr. Barrow for winning the riorate further after Mr. Barrow was sworn tional cases—a development that may have presidential election. in at a hastily arranged ceremony without inspired Gambians to hold the line, experts Nic Cheeseman, a professor of democ- the usual fanfare in the Gambian embassy say. racy at the University of Birmingham, UK, in Dakar. “This is a day no Gambian will Some examples: In 2015, Nigeria’s Good- and the author of Democracy in Africa: Suc- ever forget in a lifetime,” Mr. Barrow said luck Jonathan conceded defeat after voters cesses, Failures and the Struggle for Political in a speech immediately after being sworn chose opposition leader Muhammadu Reform, summed it up: “The news out of The in. “Violent change is banished forever from Buhari in the presidential poll. In Decem- Gambia is a boost for African democracy. the political life of our country. All Gambi- ber 2016, Ghanaian opposition politician It reinforces important principles about ans are therefore winners.” Nana Akufo-Addo prevailed over incum- leaders standing down after losing power.” Intense international pressure from bent President John Mahama, and a peace- But excitement soon evaporated, as days ECOWAS that threatened military force ful handover transpired. later, on 9 December, Mr. Jammeh cited to bring stability to the country—from key Peaceful elections took place in Tan- irregularities in the election and called for national institutions, from Jammeh’s own zania in November 2015 when President

30 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 and defiance,” writes Baba Galleh Jallow, a The second lesson is that “fashiona- Gambian journalist, who escaped to the US. ble biometric election technology is not The ex-president, a homophobe, once required to remove an authoritarian gov- Gambia’s democracy survives political turbulence threatened to slit the throats of gays and ernment from power.” Gambians voted with lesbians, and later promoted a law that dic- marbles, yet Jammeh lost. But Mr. Jammeh tated a life sentence for homosexuals. He had anticipated victory, and his rejection referred to himself as a miracle worker with of biometric voting, which uses biometric powers to cure AIDS, and left some 21,000 identifiers such as fingerprints to minimize HIV-infected Gambians without lifesaving election fraud, could have been a ploy to antiretroviral drugs. avoid a free and fair process. In the three previous presidential elec- The third lesson, continued Professor tions, in which he managed to whip the Cheeseman, is that “it is very dangerous opposition, Jammeh was accused by the to start talking about prosecuting leaders opposition of widespread rigging and voter before they have actually left power,” allud- intimidation. ing to Mr. Barrow’s publicized threat to Regional economic and political group- bring charges against Mr. Jammeh before ings, particularly ECOWAS and the AU, as the ICC. well as international organisations such Mr. Barrow himself rode to power on a as the United Nations, helped force Mr. wave of populist messages: he has vowed to Jammeh to relinquish power, analysts respect human rights, media freedom, civil believe. society’s right to free expression, and judi- The UN Secretary-General’s Special Rep- cial independence. Last February he was resentative and head of the United Nations spotted wearing a T-shirt reading, “Free Office for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Cham- Press for a New Gambia.” Some interpreted bas, stressed that “for Mr. Jammeh, the end this as a symbolic show of support for a free is here and under no circumstances can he press and, perhaps, a dig at his predecessor. continue to be president.” Of greatest concern was the threat by Hopes brighten for the future ex-president Jammeh to withdraw Gambia It may take time before Gambians begin from the International Criminal Court. to enjoy the economic dividends expected The Gambia’s former president Yahya Jammeh However, after his victory at the polls, Mr. in a functioning democracy. Because Mr. (in white) prepares to depart from Banjul airport Barrow took a different tack, announcing Jammeh strained The Gambia’s relations to exile in Guinea Bissau on January 21, 2017. that the country would remain in the ICC with the EU, the country lost millions in Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon and hinting that criminal charges could precious aid money. As a result he looked soon be pressed against Mr. Jammeh to the Middle East and obtained a financial Jakaya Kikwete handed over power to John himself. bailout. In 2015 he renamed the country Magufuli. In Somalia, Mohamed Abdul- “the Islamic Republic of The Gambia,” a lahi Mohamed, a former prime minister, Lessons learned move that Gambians saw as an attempt to defeated sitting president Hassan Sheikh A last-minute agreement brokered by curry favour with his new allies. Mohamud and assumed the presidency, fol- ECOWAS suggests Mr. Jammeh may have The Gambia ranks 172 out of 186 coun- lowing two rounds of voting in the capital been concerned about his post-presidency tries in human development, according to city’s heavily fortified airport. The coun- life. The final agreement guarantees “the the UN’s Human Development Index report try doesn’t have universal suffrage, so the dignity, respect, security and rights of of 2016. The Index rates countries based on president was picked by the country’s 329 former President Jammeh.” their progress in education, health and the lawmakers. In an interview with Africa Renewal, environment, among other areas. In The Gambia, citizens had begun Professor Cheeseman listed three lessons The Gambia’s current administration mobilizing against the 55-year-old Jammeh, that countries can learn from The Gambia. has accused Mr. Jammeh of emptying state who seized power in 1994 in a bloodless The first lesson is that “opposition unity is coffers and siphoning $11.4 million of state coup. His government censored the media critical to opposition success.” funds just before fleeing the country. and was intolerant of the opposition. Jour- As the elections approached, two par- In light of the country’s precarious nalists who dared criticise the president ties, the Gambia Party for Democracy and financial situation, donors seem ready to were jailed, while others fled into exile. Progress and the Gambia Moral Congress, respond positively. The EU recently pledged International journalists were rarely given combined to form the Peoples’ Alliance, led about $238 million towards a rescue pack- permission to enter the country. by Mr. Barrow. This allowed the coalition to age for the country. Even before donor funds Mr. Jammeh “did not see that his repres- successfully wrestle power from Mr. Jam- flow in, Gambians are grateful that an elec- sive practices had gradually generated a meh’s Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation toral crisis that appeared poised to degener- mass of popular anger, anguish, discontent and Construction Party. ate into civil strife was averted.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 31 A farmer in the drought-affected area of Senegal watering plants. UN Photo/Carl Purcell

ENVIRONMENT Paris Agreement on climate change: One year later, how is Africa faring? Several African countries have begun implementing climate resilience activities

BY RICHARD MUNANG AND ROBERT MGENDI

ince December 2015, when Signed in late 2015, the Paris Agree- Beyond the ratifications, many coun- 195 countries signed the Paris ment entered into force on 5 October 2016. tries have also fulfilled a key requirement in Agreement on climate change, One month later, at the COP22 (Confer- the agreement by formulating their Nation- several countries in Africa ence of the Parties to the United Nations ally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The Shave begun implementing climate resil- Framework Convention on Climate Change NDCs are the countries’ individual efforts ience activities that will allow them to UNFCCC) in Marrakech, Morocco, world to achieve climate change goals. In their better absorb and adapt to harsh climatic leaders formally adopted the Marrakech NDCs, the majority of African countries changes. Action Proclamation, which recommitted indicated plans to prioritize climate proof- However, an assessment of the conti- parties to full implementation of the Paris ing development activities, especially in nent’s progress in combating climate change Agreement. And implementation has since economic sectors such as agriculture and brings to mind a popular African proverb: “A started. energy. large chair does not make a king”—in other As of April 2017, of the 143 countries that An example of climate proofing in the words, huge implementation challenges have so far ratified the agreement, 33 are agriculture and energy sectors is the resto- remain. Africa’s policy makers, however, in Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, ration of ecosystems, a development that is are eager to meet these challenges, believing Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, already gathering steam on the continent. that achieving the objectives of the climate Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Tunisia, Uganda Agenda 2063—a set of aspirations formu- change deal could unlock the continent’s and Zambia. That is 60% of the total number lated by the African Union (AU) to point socio-economic potential. of African countries. the way to prosperity on the continent—also

32 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 spots’, including having 65% of the world’s initiatives, which is that it can be a win-win: arable land and 10% of its inland freshwa- protecting the environment can also benefit ter resources. The continent’s renewable the bottom line. energy potential can be realized through hydro as well as solar power. Harnessing A boost for SDGs these resources in a sustainable way will A green initiative such as that of the Con- boost Africa’s development. golese agri-preneurs will contribute to Sus- Agro-value chains in Africa, if properly tainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 (com- harnessed, can reduce poverty two to four bating climate change), SDG 7 (affordable times faster than any other sector, accord- and clean energy), and SDGs 1 and 2 (tack- ing to the World Bank. The agricultural sec- ling poverty and boosting food security). tor’s projected value by 2030 is $1 trillion, In Kenya, the use of information and and this sector could potentially provide 17 communications technology to garner per- million jobs, says the Bank. tinent information for financing purposes The Paris Agreement accentuates the is increasing agricultural production and opportunities in Africa’s economic sectors; promoting a clean energy value addition. what remains is for countries to implement Through EdenSys, an end-to-end agri-busi- the agreement with full attention to domes- ness management app for mobile phones tic development needs. and computers, enterprises engaging in EBA and clean energy agro-business activi- Ecosystem-based adaptation ties can post their financial records online The UN Environment, which promotes and use them to apply for loans. A number sustainable environment through sound of microfinance institutions are providing policies and practices, is providing techni- these loans, which indirectly contributes cal and other forms of assistance to African to the SDGs pertaining to climate change, highlights ecosystem restoration as a way countries implementing the Paris Agree- clean energy, the elimination of poverty and to catalyze socio-economic development. ment to enable them to adequately address food security. The AU maintains that by applying socio-economic challenges, particularly In Makueni County in eastern Kenya, ecosystem-based adaptation in the agri- food insecurity and unemployment, as well the UN Environment is helping local culture sector in combination with clean as macroeconomic growth. authorities create a climate change fund. energy, countries can add agro-value chains, The Ecosystems Based Adaptation for The plan is to make the fund a financ- spur food security and increase economic Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA) is one ing pool for climate resilience activities, opportunities along the value chain, while of the initiatives to power sustainable agro- particularly those focusing on ecosystems- simultaneously lowering carbon emissions industrialization. EBAFOSA is facilitated based adaptation for food security. The fund Several African countries have begun implementing climate resilience activities and conserving ecosystems. by the UN Environment supported by the will be the first of its kind in Africa. Currently, Africa’s development chal- AU and state and non-state actors, includ- Makueni County’s climate fund goal is lenges are many. One serious disadvantage ing private-sector partners. Ecosystems- to set aside 50% of its portfolio as collat- is that more than half of its 1.2 billion popu- based adaptation for food security consists eral for loans of up to 10 times the security lation lives on less than $1.25 per day—the of methods of agricultural production that sum. Enterprises engaging in ecosystems- standard threshold for absolute poverty. promote conservation and sustainability based, adaptation-driven agriculture and Also, about 60% of Africa’s unemployed through integrated management of land, clean energy value addition could benefit are youth. Food security is also a problem: water and living resources. from such loans. a quarter of Africa’s population goes to bed Many of the 40 African countries While Africa may have lagged in devel- hungry, while more than 200 million Afri- implementing EBAFOSA are successfully opment in the past decades, the Paris Agree- cans suffer from severe malnutrition. using a combination of policies and other ment provides an opportunity to accelerate operational interventions to address socio- socioeconomic development. Instruments Africa’s strengths economic priorities, offset carbon emissions such as the global SDGs, the AU’s Agenda To respond to these challenges while imple- and protect ecosystems. 2063 and the Paris Agreement are creating menting the Paris Agreement, experts In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the policy framework and operational paths say African countries should maximize for example, a group of young agri-preneurs to sustainable development, experts say. the potential of key sectors capable of (agricultural entrepreneurs) are using clean So far Africa’s climate change imple- boosting socio-economic development. energy to process cassava (an indigenous mentation activities are encouraging. The In other words, the focus should be on climate resilient crop) into flour. They then questions are how much longer countries agriculture, food production and clean package and standardize the flour before can maintain the momentum and how energy, among other sectors. selling it. An agri-preneur can rake in up to much support, especially financial, will Africa’s strengths lie in its immense $4,000 weekly. This business model rein- come from abroad. On these, the jury is natural resource potential and other ‘sweet forces the overarching argument for green still out.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 33 TECHNOLOGY Africa’s digital rise hooked on innovation Engineers are adapting technology to suit the specific needs and dynamics of the continent

BY ELENI MOURDOUKOUTAS

A Kenyan teacher checks his mobile phone while guarding his cattle. Panos/Sven Torfinn

hen the world was changing from Africa remains the fastest-growing mobile phone mechanical and analogue technol- market in the world, and is on track to have 725 million ogy to digital electronics four dec- smartphone users by 2020, according to a 2016 report ades ago, Africa was nowhere on by the Global System for Mobile Communications Wthe scene. Association or GSMA—a trade body representing the Fast-forward to the present, and Africa has largely interests of mobile operators worldwide. been able to catch up with other regions in mobile phone The majority of cell phone users in Africa are not use and Internet access, successfully sidestepping the using smartphones. Across seven countries—Ghana, 725mn era of desktop computers and landlines. Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and smartphone The key to Africa’s achieving its own digital revolution Uganda—only 15% of respondents reported having users by 2020 has been innovation at every step, with engineers adapt- a smartphone in a 2014 survey by the Pew Research ing technology to suit the specific needs and dynamics of Center, a “fact tank” based in the United States that in Africa, the the continent instead of the other way around. informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends fastest-growing About 80.8% of Africans own a mobile phone, shaping the world. Instead, until recently, many Afri- mobile market according to 2016 data from the International Telecom- cans used “feature phones”— lower-cost mobile phones in the world munication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for with limited capabilities. information and communication technologies. This is According to one study, however, by 2019 feature a 10% jump from 71% in 2014. phones will account for only 27% of Africa’s mobile

34 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 handset market. The market for smart- access have allowed governments to put their results, hot spots where electoral violence phones—fuelled by handsets priced at under services online and digitize their records. may occur and general election information, $100 per unit—continues to grow. Rwanda bills itself as the continent’s leader a major step towards encouraging transpar- A recent report by the global technology in complete digitization. For the past 15 ency. Experts agree that they are also cru- consulting firm International Data Corpo- years, the country has been working to digi- cial in efficiently organising demonstrations ration predicts smartphone shipments will tize its education, health care and economy, and other political activities. top 155 million units by the end of 2015 in and now it is pushing to be Africa’s first However, the power of information is the Middle East and Africa—after increas- cashless society in the public sector; it is not missed on certain African governments, ing by 66% during the first quarter of 2015. already paying its government employees some of which took to shutting down net- Feature phones are equipped to handle electronically. works or certain websites during elections calling and messaging, as well as basic text- In late 2015 the government in Kigali and other politically sensitive periods. In based apps, which are generally tailored to address a community’s specific needs. One A major reason for cell phones’ ability to transform prominent example is M-Pesa, the popular mobile money system in Kenya that allows Africa so successfully is that they serve as the users to store money on an account on their primary platform for Internet access. phones and make payments via secure SMS text messages. Other innovative apps range from a rolled out Irembo, an e-platform billed by 2016, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic South African start-up called Livestock Rwandans as a one-stop shop for govern- Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Wealth, used to buy and sell cows, to ment services and applications. The online the Republic of Congo and Uganda blocked M-Kopa—an expansion of M-Pesa used in portal offers a list of 44 services, includ- access to social media, while others, such as Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to generate ing registration for birth certificates and Ethiopia, Madagascar and Tanzania, intro- solar electricity for domestic purposes and, driving licences, passport applications, duced censorship legislation. of course, to recharge cell phones. and it accepts a variety of digital payment One initiative to circumvent such blocks According to GSMA, mobile services methods. comes from the Tor Project, a non-profit accounted for 6.7% of the continent’s GDP A 2014 World Bank Group report noted creating free software to enable anonymous in 2015, largely due to their ability to stimu- that digitization of economies contributes communication. Its mobile app, OONI- late financial development. For example, to broad economic growth, individual finan- Probe, works by detecting censorship and farmers can now, by sending a message to a cial empowerment, and financial inclusion. allowing users to access restricted content code, find out market prices for crops before anonymously. going to market, says Ernest Acheampong, a Challenges While some aspects of Africa’s digital research analyst at the African Technology The greatest obstacle to digitizing Africa revolution are still lagging, the continent as Policy Studies Network, based in Nairobi. is financial. Despite the price of smart- a whole is looking towards the future. “Mobile phones have really changed the phones dropping to under $100 in 2015, “The prospects are great. You have a lot face of how we do business in Africa,” Mr. that amount is still high for Africa’s poor, of interest in people developing innovations Acheampong told Africa Renewal. and the added cost of data plans is often that are related to mobile technology,” said prohibitive. Mr. Acheampong cheerfully. Internet Access Remote areas in Africa face additional A major reason for cell phones’ ability to challenges, as it is often difficult to connect By the numbers transform Africa so successfully is that these regions to the Internet due to poor they serve as the primary platform for infrastructure and lack of funding. Inves- Internet access. Internet penetration tors are hesitant to finance Internet cable 80.8% reached 29.3% on the continent in 2016, expansion into rural areas, since the profit the percentage of Africans who own a according to data from ITU. margin is lower than in urban areas. mobile phone Thanks in part to submarine Internet Suveer Ramdhani, the chief develop- cables lining the continent’s coasts, Internet ment officer at Seacom, a pan-African Inter- access has become more affordable and has net service provider based in Mauritius, says 6.7% increased in quality since the first cable private-public partnerships are the best the percentage of the continent’s GDP in 2002. High-bandwidth undersea cables way to combat this, as they force private attributed to mobile services enabled countries to upgrade from 2G to companies to duplicate in remote areas the 3G technologies, and even 4G/LTE in Addis infrastructure that they have produced for Ababa and Nairobi. urban areas. 80% GSMA foresees 80% of the Afri- Mobile phones and mobile platforms the percentage African continent can continent being connected to have also become dynamic tools for promot- connected to 5G internet network by 5G internet networks by 2022. ing democracy during elections in Africa, as 2022 Mobile phones coupled with Internet they can be used to quickly communicate

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 35 TECHNOLOGY The Internet of everything water Local communities boosting water monitoring systems using the Internet

BY IHUOMA ATANGA

magine a world where your spice cabi- net reminds you to buy salt, or your cell phone sends a text message about the amount of water left in your water Itank. These are the wonders of the Inter- net of things (IoT). It has been over a decade since Kevin Ashton, co–founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Auto-ID Center (now Auto-ID Labs), coined the term Inter- net of Things to describe the network and communication of physical objects that have an IP address for the Internet. Since then the world has transitioned into a digital age, one in which IoT devices are being harnessed to improve quality of life on a global scale. African countries such as Ghana, Niger, Rwanda and South Africa, among others, have seen a steady rise in successful IoT implementation meant to improve key areas of sustainable development—water monitoring being one of the most popular sectors. In order to get the full picture of how IoT technology works to improve water monitoring, Africa Renewal talked to Ilana Cohen, the senior market engagement man- An official checks data from an internet-based water monitoring device at a borehole in Basbedo, ager of the Mobile for Development Utilities

Burkina Faso. Panos/Andrew McConnell Programme at the Global System for Mobile Communications Association or GSMA—a trade body representing the interests of technology to transfer data over long dis- quantity and soil humidity. They can even mobile operators worldwide. tances. However, because GSM consumes report a faulty water pump. GSM, the global system for mobile a lot of power and relies on network cover- The good news is that the implementa- communications, refers to the Internet of age that is mostly unreliable in rural areas, tion of this technology in Africa is not a Things as a broad concept, describing it as utility companies are switching to Nar- thing of the future; it is happening now with an open, digital cellular technology used for rowBand (NB IoT) because it is cheaper and start-ups and institutions embarking on transmitting mobile voice and data services. consumes significantly less power, which missions to conserve water, provide clean Mobile technology enables IoT appli- is ideal for utility applications that mostly water, irrigate farms and monitor water cations to function machine-to-machine require occasional connectivity with mini- usage, among other objectives. (M2M), meaning machines use network mal throughput. The NB IoT standard is Traditional water meters are notorious resources to communicate with remote starting to emerge as the preferred mode for inaccuracies in reporting water con- application infrastructure, like a water by users. sumption; consumers sometimes pay for meter, for the purposes of metering and Sensors and actuators (a component in water not used, or find themselves unable control. a machine that is used to induce or control to pay, where there is a dispute in payment, For emerging utility models mostly motion) used by water-related IoT devices the accumulated cost of running water at operating in rural locations, GSM remains can detect anything from changes in tem- home. The consequence of non-payment the most widely used machine-to-machine perature and chemical composition to water for services is that utility companies cannot

36 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 sustainably provide safe drinking water to insecurity in rural areas. Around one mil- The objective is to reduce pump downtime certain areas, and for customers it means lion hand pumps supply water to over 200 to zero, Mr. Thomson explained. possibly consuming unsafe water, or allocat- million rural water users across Africa, yet CityTaps founder Grégoire Landel ing more time and resources to finding clean as many as one-third of all hand pumps are explained to Africa Renewal how the com- water away from the comfort of their homes thought to be broken at any given time.” pany’s IoT tech solution works, saying that (e.g. from standpipes). In underserved com- Mr. Thomson described the impact of CityTaps provides utility companies with munities in Niamey, Niger, where residents the water pump project on the community guaranteed pay for their water services via use CityTaps smart metres, consumers have as money-saving and transformative. He a prepaid meter system that uses mobile gained access to running water at home, and mentioned a crucial thesis question posed money. The utility company installs the spend 15 times less than they previously did. by his colleague, Dr. Tim Foster: “Could we smart pay-as-you-go water metres that help In Niger, CityTaps, a social and tech do things differently if the hand pump itself monitor the exact amount of water used. company seeking to provide running water could tell you it was broken?” This thesis The company’s goal is to supply communi- to every urban home, provides IoT tech question has been answered by the success ties in need with clean running tap water. solutions via smart metres to the national of the project. Mr. Thomson and his team Implementing these technologies utility company, Société d’Exploitation des found ways for a pump to literally tell you involves complexities and challenges. While Eaux du Niger (SEEN), helping them pro- when it is defective, via a GSM network. recounting his experience in West Africa, vide drinking water to underserved com- Mr. Landel said he has witnessed water munities in a sustainable manner. How does this technology work? and energy utility companies perform ‘little In Rwanda, SweetSense—a tech com- Mr. Thomson explained: “A device in the miracles’ daily for the people they serve. pany that provides low-cost remote moni- pump handle uses an accelerometer, just Once people see the fundamental benefits toring for water, energy and environmental like the one in your smartphone that of the product, they are usually willing to projects—uses sensor technology to moni- works out which way you are holding it, pay for what is generally a much better tor water pump performance. to sense the movement of the handle. quality of life. In South Africa, EZ Farms, created by IBM Research, is an IoT remote water monitoring system that uses sensors on the field Water service reliability is closely correlated with to tell small-scale farmers how to better extreme poverty and water insecurity in rural manage water and agricultural aggregators (websites or a computer programme that areas. Around one million hand pumps supply sums up specific type of information from water to over 200 million rural water users multiple online sources) to enable farmers across Africa, yet as many as one-third of all hand identify the best prospects for business. Africa Renewal spoke with Patrick pumps are thought to be broken at any given time. Thomson, the lead researcher on the water programme at Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment From this movement we can tell if the In the case of the Kyuso project, Mr. and CityTaps, which are funded partly by pump is working and how much water is Thomson said that while there isn’t an the GSMA, to learn more about their work being produced by it. This information is excess of challenges, some communities with water metering and conservation in then transmitted over the GSM network and governments are more open to projects East and West Africa. to a central server, where we process and that meet their immediate needs. He and Africa has a plethora of ongoing IoT present this information.” In a matter of Mr. Landel believe it is important to watch, water metering projects, one of which 48 hours, as opposed to several weeks, the listen and develop solid relationships within was launched in 2013 by the University of pump is repaired. the community in order to build technology Oxford, spearheaded by Mr. Thomson. The Moreover, since the success of the Kyuso that best serves it. It is, after all, the people project started off with a 12-month smart project, Mr. Thomson said other new and that determine the success of the product hand pump trial in Kyuso town in Kitui exciting findings have emerged that could and give meaning to the projects. County, Kenya, with the goal of resolving completely prevent any kind of water pump Can we benefit if the water pump itself the problem of constant breakdown of water breakdown in the future. can tell you it is broken? The answer is a pumps. In a new water pump project supported simple and definitive yes. A broken hand According to a report on harnessing the by UNICEF in Kwale County in southeast pump that goes unfixed is expensive and Internet of Things for global development Kenya, new research is underway to deter- dangerous to the community that depends by the International Telecommunication mine how the data from the accelerometers on it. Water is life, and the Internet of Things Union, a United Nations agency whose pur- can be used to determine the depth of the is doing its part to provide sub-Saharan pose is to coordinate telecommunication water beneath the pump, in order to moni- Africa with smart and affordable ways of operations and services throughout the tor the condition of the pump. This way an monitoring, metering and conserving, and world, “Water service reliability is closely accurate breakdown prediction can be made by so doing bettering the lives of urban and correlated with extreme poverty and water before the pump actually stops working. rural communities in the region.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 37 BOOK REVIEW The Rise of Africa’s Middle Class by Henning Melber Zed Books, London, UK, 2016; 288 pp; $34.95

he book, The Rise of Africa’s Middle Dag Ham- an inflationary manner to cover almost T Class, poses a perplexing question marskjöld everything without any further internal about Africa’s middle class: “By defini- Foundation differentiations that exist within a very tion, ‘middle class’ is a relative term—it’s in Sweden, broad band of income groups, thereby somewhere above poor but below rich, is one such signifying little to nothing.” but where?” researcher As such, Mr. Melber’s 288-page book This fluidity and lack of defini- who has provides empirically-backed case studies tion on what makes up Africa’s middle sought to on sub-Saharan African countries such class, especially since the continent is provide a as South Africa and Kenya that shows experiencing the emergence of a notable framework a diverse array of perspectives of what middle class only recently, has captivated to define the middle class in Africa entails. He is able to many anthropologists and researchers term. Mr. weave together short essays along with into finding out what sets this economic Melber, initially, through recent writings in the input of political scientists, econo- class apart from others and what exactly Organisation for Economic Cooperation mists as well as development experts to defines it as being “middle.” and Development (OECD) reports and further explore the status of the conti- Henning Melber, a senior adviser of the UNDP Human Development Reports, nent’s middle class. both the Nordic Africa Institute and the explained that middle class “is used in — Pavithra Rao

APPOINTMENTS

United Nations Secretary-General António Najat Rochdi of Morocco has been appointed Guterres has appointed Vera Songwe of as deputy special representative for the Cameroon as Executive Secretary of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabiliza- United Nations Economic Commission for tion Mission in the Central African Republic Africa (ECA). She most recently served as the (MINUSCA), where she will also serve as UN Photos International Finance Corporation’s regional UN Photos the UN resident coordinator, humanitarian director covering West and Central Africa. Ms. Songwe succeeds coordinator and resident representative of the UN Development Carlos Lopes of Guinea-Bissau. Programme. Ms. Rochdi succeeds Fabrizio Hochschild of Chile.

Jeremiah Kingsley Mamabolo of South Africa Maj-Gen. Tesfay Gidey Hailemichael of has been appointed as the joint special repre- Ethiopia has been appointed as force com- sentative for Darfur and head of the African mander for the UN Interim Security Force for Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Abyei (UNISFA). He most recently served as Darfur (UNAMID). He most recently served the head of the Defence Logistics Department

UN Photos with UNAMID as deputy joint special repre- UN Photos in the Ethiopian Armed Forces. Maj-Gen. sentative (Political). Mr. Mamabolo succeeds Martin Ihoeghian Hailemichael succeeds Maj-Gen. Hassen Ebrahim Mussa, also of Uhomoibhi of Nigeria. Ethiopia.

François Louncény Fall of Guinea has been Major General Jean-Paul Deconinck of appointed as special representative of Belgium has been appointed as force com- the secretary-general and head of the UN mander of UN Multidimensional Integrated Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA). Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Prior to his appointment, he had been serving Prior to his appointment, Maj-Gen. Deconinck UN Photos within the same office in an acting capacity UN Photos had served as commander land forces of the since November 2016. Belgian armed forces from September 2014. He succeeds Michael Lollesgaard of Denmark.

38 AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 It is time to save our oceans Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14. communities in Cape Verde have organized from page 3 But individual African governments, with to protect fishing zones, and Mozambique support from the World Bank, the UN and has carved out an area for conservation that other institutions, are already taking meas- includes coastline. In June, when scientists and representa- ures to tackle climate change, overfishing Sylvia Earle, a renowned American tives of governments and civil society gather and plastic in the ocean. oceanographer, says that she’s hopeful that at the UN headquarters in New York for the The Rwandan government has banned life in African seas, though in trouble, is crucial Ocean Conference, they will discuss plastic bags, Liberia and Sierra Leone not dead. Sounding a note of optimism, Mr. ways to prudently manage ocean resources have enacted acts to regulate fisheries and Thomson says, “I have no doubt that we will for sustainable development, which is installed ocean surveillance systems, fishing break this problem.”

Overfishing destroying livelihoods Fishermen in Cape Verde fishing com- by, among other measures, designating from page 5 munities of Palmiera and Santa Maria have ports for use by foreign-flagged vessels. This organized themselves to protect fishing is expected to contribute to stopping IUU. zones. In southern Africa, Mozambique cre- The efforts of ocean resources conserva- satellite-based monitoring system. Sierra ated and is protecting a conservation area, tion advocacy groups, policy frameworks Leone’s sea monitors recently arrested including a coastline. and capacity building of coastal nations over 14 industrial vessels. In 2015, Senegal The FAO in 2009 framed the Port State spearheaded by international organisations enacted a fisheries code, focusing on com- Measures Agreement (PSMA) to stop pirate such as the UN and the World Bank, and munity-led fisheries management. Some fishing. But it was not until 2016, after the increasing awareness among countries and of the 12 participating fishing communi- US signed and inspired other countries to citizens of the consequences of IUU, could ties are reporting up to 133% increase in join, that the treaty became operational. potentially slow, if not reverse, overfishing returns. The agreement makes fishing control easier in Africa, experts say. Time will tell.

Urban growth a boon for ... make, and for the spatial pattern (where the of the past,” Mr. Elhiraika clarified at the from page 15 cities are located and how they interact) and report launch. urban form they want to see.” Population growth, according to Mr. The ERA acknowledges those countries Elhiraika, could lead to a rise in the middle This year’s ECA report corroborates making efforts to tackle urbanization fall- class population, which in turn would trig- the Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s argument. out, such as by building new cities, but it sees ger new consumption patterns, leading to “Africa’s unguided urban expansion risks room for improvement. an increase in demand for processed goods, perpetuating non-inclusive and unsustaina- “When we call for urbanization and a development that itself presents an oppor- ble development growth,” warn the authors industrialization to be included and prior- tunity for industrialization. of the report. For that reason governments itized in national development plans, we What Africans must do, he concluded, are advised “to make hard choices for the are not advocating for a return to central- is add value locally to valuable mineral and scale and type of investments they need to ized and rigid national development plans agricultural resources.

Global economic gravity moving ... is 90% in congruence with the Agenda Ocean Conference: Our best .. from page 19 2030. I would recognize a modest credit from page 11 to UNDP for supporting the African Common Position. How is UNDP supporting Africa’s from talking to big member states, that development? What’s your vision for the African everybody realizes that this is our best and Africa is the heart of opportunity economy? last chance to get things right. I am very and home to about 60% of our invest- The centre of global economic gravity is hopeful that we can turn things around. I’ve ments [UNDP invests about $5 billion a tilting slowly but surely towards Africa. got grandchildren—I want them to have an year in Africa] and my greatest pride is Countries like China, India and Turkey ocean where they can see live coral, where that when we were preparing for Agenda and others sense that Africa is the future they can see fish in the ocean. I’ve been 2030, [the UN’s development framework], of the world, where you can get the high- to parts of the world—I’m a diver—where UNDP supported the African Union est returns on investment. I bet that if you swim in the water and see nothing. It’s Commission in formulating the African we manage to deal with insecurity in the beautiful and the water is clear. But you see Common Position. Africa’s Agenda 2063 Sahel, in the Great Lakes, in the Horn of no life, no fish. We don’t want that to happen [the AU’s regional development blueprint] Africa, Africa will be the new El Dorado. to the ocean.

AfricaRenewal May - July 2017 39 www.un.org/africarenewal facebook.com/africarenewal twitter.com/africarenewal

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