ADF

REUTERS Power cuts in 15 Sub-Saharan African countries could become an exception rather than the norm in 10 years, with private capital expected to play an increasingly bigger role, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said in an August 2015 survey. Africa’s power generation capacity is expected to quadruple from 90 gigawatts in 2012 to 380 gigawatts in 2040, boosted by private investment, green energy initiatives and cross-border energy trade, the survey showed. Three-quarters of respondents said there was “a medium to high probability that the private sector will own and operate” more than half of power-generating projects by 2025. The continent needs about…

IPS Dr. Helena Ndume of Namibia was one of two people honored with the first United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize on July 24, 2015. Ndume has performed 30,000 pro bono surgeries for sufferers of eye-related illnesses in Namibia, according to the nonprofit Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International. The blind patients are fitted with intraocular lens implants free of charge. In 2015, she collaborated with SEE on three programs in Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The organization expected 700 patients to regain their eyesight in the programs. Ndume left Namibia for exile at age 15. She lived…

story and photo by JEFFREY MOYO/IPS Hillary Thompson throws leftover rice, mixed with some beer dregs from his sorghum brew, into a swimming pool he has converted into a fish pond. “For over a decade, fish farming has become a hobby that has earned me a fortune,” Thompson, of Harare, Zimbabwe, said in August 2015. In fact, he has been so successful that he acquired a number of properties that he rents out. African fish farming is growing as the United Nations urges nations to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns as part of its proposed new Sustainable Development Goals…

VOICE OF AMERICA Kenya and Uganda have agreed on the route for a pipeline that will carry crude oil from Ugandan oilfields to the Kenyan coast. The pipeline, when built, will run about 1,500 kilometers from Uganda’s Hoima district through the Lokichar basin in northern Kenya and to the Kenyan coastal town of Lamu. The East African neighbors also had considered building the pipeline through southern Kenya. Proponents of that route said the northern route is more vulnerable to attacks by the Somali militant group al-Shabaab. The decision was announced in August 2015, after talks between Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE The Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti has relaunched its national airline. Air Djibouti, which went bankrupt in 2002, recommenced flights in August 2015 with a cargo plane carrying 6 metric tons from Djibouti to Somalia. “This is the link in the chain that was missing from Djibouti,” said Abubaker Omar Hadi, chairman of Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority, who said he hoped the airline will help ferry cargo onward from Djibouti’s key seaport. “We need a national company to ensure our ambitions.” The airline is backed by British company Cardiff Aviation, whose chairman is Bruce Dickinson,…

VOICE OF AMERICA The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is developing plans for mega-farms of 50,000 to 150,000 hectares per province — producing food for local consumption and export. The government says the aim is to promote food security. A park at Boukanga Lonzo, in the western end of the country, has 5,000 hectares under cultivation. The site is on a plateau, and crops already stretch as far as the eye can see. Isaac Saleh, an economist in the prime minister’s office, said crops are being harvested on about 3,300 hectares of that land. Most of the production at…

ADF STAFF King Tenkamenin ruled the Kingdom of Ghana with style. He insisted on good etiquette. His airy, windowed court was built with teak and stone and filled with paintings and sculptures. The king wore fine clothes and a tall gold cap, and he adorned himself with gold necklaces and bracelets. In his court, 10 pages carrying gold shields and swords stood behind him. Ten horses were nearby, each with a gold-trimmed cloth. Finely dressed sons of lesser kings stood at his right, each with gold-braided hair. His subjects approached him on their knees, sprinkling dirt on their heads as…

CLUES The dunes here have red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow sand. This is the only place in the world that has earth in seven colors. The sands settle into layers to show bands of colors. Weathered volcanic basalt and the formation of secondary iron oxides and hydroxides produce the range of colors. ANSWER: The Seven Coloured Earths in Mauritius

The most successful militaries around the world hold a few things in common. They have high standards, they constantly look for ways to improve, and they place ethics at the center of all missions. In a word, they are professional. Fostering a climate of military professionalism is the challenge. It is complicated by the fact that many nations have histories marked by political turmoil, ethnic conflict and corruption. African militaries are rising to the challenge of instilling professionalism throughout their ranks. Some notable examples include: Investing in staff colleges and centers of excellence: The number of staff colleges in Africa…

Leadership is a process of exerting social influence to inspire others and enlist their support for accomplishment of a common goal. Strategic leadership provides sustainable visionary direction for the growth and success of an organization, meeting the aspirations of the led, and managing change effectively toward a desired future. Military leaders should not just focus on threats requiring hegemonic intervention, because threats have now shifted from state-centric to human-centered. As such, a military leader should not be looked at as a specialist on violence alone. A military leader should be looked at as a partner in sustainable development, but without…