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257-West-Africa-Brief 25Dec 2017-8Jan2018 EN.Pdf WEST AFRICA BRIEF www.west-africa-brief.org No. 257, 25 December 2017 - 8 January 2018 ▶ George Weah becomes Liberia’s president ▶ Partners help Cabo Verde cope with food insecurity ▶ Mauritania revamps its currency ▶ CILSS opens training for water engineers ▶ Must read: For the dignity of farmers ▶ Must read: Does pastoralism still have a future in West Africa? ▶ Opinion: The urban poor have been too long ignored ▶ Maps & Facts: Liberia’s 2017 presidential election ▶ Who’s who: George Weah, President of Liberia GEORGE WEAH BECOMES LIBERIA’S PRESIDENT 42% of the country’s electorate is concentrated. This first peaceful democratic transition is a historic milestone for the country. Liberia was hit hard by the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak, and has been aff ected by sluggish commodity prices. The development challenges for this small West African country are enormous. Liberia ranks in position 177 on the Human Development Index, and more than half of its 4.5 million people live below the poverty line. Its lack of infrastructure undermines Liberia’s development prospects. According to the African Economic Outlook report, less than 10% of its roads are paved, and only about 45% of Liberian households can access an all-season road within five kilometres. The country’s education quality © Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon is low, particularly outside of Monrovia. The primary net enrolment rates increased from 33% in 2008 to 49% in 2015, Following the first female president of Africa, Liberia will but that still means that only one out of every two Liberian now have the first president who has been an international children is enrolled in school. The health system was football star. George Weah won the country’s presidential strengthened following the Ebola crisis, but it continues to election run-off on 26 December 2017 with 61.5% of the face serious challenges. George Weah’s campaign – with its vote beating his rival, the outgoing Vice-President Joseph slogan, “Change for Hope,” successfully won the youth vote. Boakai, who got 38.5% of the vote. Some 1.2 million In an interview, George Weah announced that he intends to Liberians cast their ballots, but voter turnout was low place a strong emphasis on developing agricultural exports, at 55.8%, down from 74.5% during the first round. Aft er using Ghana as a model. Employment and education will losing the 2005 presidential elections in the second round be key priorities for his government. George Weah will be against the incumbent, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, sworn in as the 25th president of Liberia on 22 January, Weah made progress by garnering over 50% of the votes taking over from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who has been in in Monrovia province, where he is a senator and where off ice since 2006. The West Africa Brief is published by the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD). It presents political, economic and social developments in the region. Special focus is given to news regarding regional organisations (ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS) as well other SWAC Members’ activities. The articles should not be reported as representing the off i cial views of the OECD or of its member countries. Contact: [email protected] SAHEL AND WEST AFRICA Club www.west-africa-brief.org Secretariat PARTNERS HELP CABO VERDE COPE WITH FOOD INSECURITY that some 36 000 people (6.8%) will face a crisis situation by June-August 2018. Following a call for assistance from the Cabo Verde government, several partners mobilised additional support to address the crisis. The European Union has granted a EUR 7 million aid package to mitigate the impact of the bad harvests. Its support also aims to encourage rural transformation and climate-smart agriculture practices. The Luxembourg Ministry of Cooperation and Humanitarian Action granted emergency assistance worth EUR 500 000. Cabo Verde has reported almost no harvests for the 2017-18 “Our support is not only aimed at helping the most vulnerable agricultural season because of a severe drought. According households who have lost all or a large part of their crops, but to the Cadre harmonisé analysis, some 28 000 people (5.3%) also to pursue, through our other co-operation programmes, are currently facing food insecurity. While the market supplies resilience building and poverty reduction in Cabo Verde,” are mostly normal, the supplies of grains, legumes and declared minister Romain Schneider. Similarly, the FAO tubers are below last year’s average. This situation might launched an emergency assistance project to help vulnerable deteriorate in some municipalities, notably on the islands of livestock farmers whose livelihoods have been affected by the Santo Antão, São Vicente and Santiago (including the capital drought. The USD 500 000 project covers the islands of Brava, city of Praia), and become a crisis situation. It is estimated Boa Vista, Santiago and São Nicolau. MAURITANIA REVAMPS ITS CURRENCY transactions, to protect the public’s purchasing power and to reduce the amount of currency in circulation.” According to a statement from the Central Bank of Mauritania, the value of the ouguiya will remain unchanged. However, many citizens expressed concern about losing purchasing power fearing a hidden devaluation. Since the announcement, a large number of people have been queuing in front of bank offices in order to change their savings against dollars and euros, and the ouguiya has lost ground against the US dollar and the euro on the As of 1 January 2018, Mauritania is using a new series of black market. The former banknotes and coins will be polymer bills, and the currency was redenominated with progressively withdrawn and replaced until the end of June 10 ouguiyas becoming one ouguiya. President Mohamed 2018. The process is starting with the 5 000 banknote, which Ould Abdel Aziz announced the decision on 28 November will already be phased out by end January. The ouguiya on the occasion of Mauritania’s National Day. The measure was initially introduced in 1973, replacing the CFA franc. aims to help the ouguiya “resume its place in financial The last currency overhaul was in 2004. CILSS OPENS TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR WATER ENGINEERS resource management is a key priority for the Sahel and West Africa. The World Bank recently launched the Sahel Irrigation Initiative Support Project (SIIP), which aims to more than double the irrigated areas in the Sahel to one-million hectares by 2020. The project covers six Sahelian countries and will benefit some 80 000 farming households. CILSS is in charge of co-ordinating and aligning regional activities with country specific needs and priorities. There is a permanent need for © SWAC/OECD experts in the region who are familiar with its local contexts and constraints. Capitalising on its experience with studying climate Following a request from the government of Burkina Faso, the change, agriculture and food security, CILSS has decided to CILSS Agrhymet Regional Centre will launch in Februrary a new initiate this new master’s programme. The application deadline master’s programme for water engineers. Improving water is 20 January 2018. MUST READ: FOR THE DIGNITY OF FARMERS A new book by Deogratias Niyonkuru from preface for the book and praises the author’s Burundi, offers a large number of ideas and first-hand knowledge and modesty. “The food for thought about the condition of African contrast is striking between the accumulation smallholder farmers. How can we support of first-hand information and the refusal family farms in Africa? What type of support is to offer recipes, or even to draw general needed? How can we reconcile the need for lessons,” he writes. The author does suggest increased productivity and poverty reduction one important lesson: the issue of decision- in rural areas with the protection of the making urgently needs to be addressed. ecosystem? One of the author’s key messages Farmers are not sufficiently involved in the is this: it is vital to support, first and foremost, decision-making processes that concern small farmers, especially women farmers, in their future. The book will be presented at order to help them regain self-confidence in a meeting organised by the Belgian Group their activities and thus regain their dignity. for Research and Information on Peace and Olivier de Schutter, the former UN Special Security (GRIP) on 12 January in Brussels. Rapporteur on the Right to Food, wrote the MUST READ: DOES PASTORALISM STIll HAVE A FUTURE IN WEST AFRICA? This special issue of the Grain de Sel magazine production capacity and improved santirary published by Inter-réseaux, is part of a series conditions, coastal countries are still very of reflections on pastoralism in West Africa, far from satisfying their respective domestic which started in 2015. It underlines the demand. Production systems of coastal linkages between pastoralism in the Sahel and Sahelian countries are not necessarily and coastal countries, which have often competing but complementary. The magazine been neglected in development strategies. compiles some 20 articles and interviews to Sahelian countries could contribute to satisfy analyse the complex challenges related to the a strongly rising demand for livestock products development of pastoralism, transhumance, in coastal countries. Despite increased conflict prevention and regional integration. OpINION: THE URBAN POOR HAVE BEEN TOO LONG IGNORED In this blog post published by IRIN, editor are crowded, “but not economically dense.” Obi Anyadike draws attention to the many More investments in infrastructure, business, challenges faced by African cities. Despite and affordable housing are needed. “It is an large intra-regional disparities, Africa overall urbanisation of people, not capital,” explains is urbanising rapidly; nearly 40% of its people Anyadike. 2) African cities are disconnected. already live in urban settings. Moreover, They are collections of small, fragmented nearly half of Africa’s urban population – neighbourhoods poorly served by unreliable and a fifth of the total population – live in transportation.
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