Xinhua–World Bank approves governance reforms for Africa
The World Bank has approved a first phase of reforms to increase the influence of developing countries within the World Bank Group, including adding a seat for Sub-Saharan Africa to allow developing countries a majority of seats on the Executive Board, and expanding voting and capital shares. A statement from the bank’s office in Nairobi said today that these reforms were initially agreed at the World Bank Group’s Annual Meetings in October 2008, ahead of the Spring 2009 target. “Expanding the developing world’s voice is central to delivering effective aid and promoting shared prosperity and development within a 21st Century economic reality,” World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick has said.

TIME: Ben Affleck—A Glimmer of Hope in Africa
Ben Affleck writes a dispatch from the Democratic Republic of Congo in TIME magazine, looking at the war-torn country and the devastation the conflict has left, especially on children.

Reuters—Chinese back Africa’s farms but want greater support
Chinese companies are lining up to invest in African agriculture, but Chinese investors are saying African governments must do more to limit the risks for investors. Ahead of a visit to Africa this week by China’s President Hu Jintao, Chinese markets remain hungry for crops grown in Africa. Chinese—African trade has jumped from around $10 billion per year in 2000 to over $106 billion last year, and analysts say Hu will try and show that China’s interest in the continent extends beyond extractive industries in resource-rich countries.

People– Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Visits West African AIDS Clinic
France’s first lady and now Global Fund Ambassador, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, is visiting the west African nation Burkina Faso. Bruni-Sarkozy is touring health clinics in the country, which while ranked the world’s third poorest, has dramatically reduced HIV infections over the past decade.

-Steve Wilson