Feb 8th, 2012 2:58 PM UTC
By Edith Jibunoh
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A decision by the Nigerian government to halt a hefty fuel subsidy on January 1 prompted one of the largest and most coordinated protests in Nigeria’s history. Though the protests are over, the issues that prompted them remain.
UPDATE, 2/9/2012: Yesterday, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed his rival in last year’s presidential election, Nuhu Ribadu, as chairman of a new oil task force dedicated to tracking revenues paid to the government, and monitoring crude oil production and exports. Mr. Ribadu is formerly the chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and accepted the post at the helm of the 21-man Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force despite his political affiliations because of the “national consensus” on the “deadly impact of corruption.”
 Occupy Nigeria movement. Photo credit: Temi KOGBE/ fatcityafrica.com
What is the fuel subsidy?
Though Nigeria produces more than 2 million barrels of oil a day, the vast majority of Nigerians see limited benefits from their country’s natural resources. Nigeria has four oil refineries that only operate at about 23 percent of their potential capacity — and as a result, the government has had to import refined products such as petrol to meet the needs of citizens. The government paid the importers in order to control the price, kept low at $1.70 a gallon, thus ensuring that Nigerians were able, until January 1st, to enjoy the low fuel price as one of the benefits of the crude oil they produce.
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Dec 13th, 2011 4:11 PM UTC
By Edith Jibunoh
Throughout Africa, there is amazing progress by civil society focused on ending extreme poverty and fostering socio-economic empowerment. These new ideas and exciting approaches are designed and implemented by Africans who understand the complexities of bringing about change and transforming lives in their communities. The ONE Africa Award applauds the progress of these unsung heroes and organizations and looks forward to solutions for the challenges ahead.
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Dec 13th, 2011 1:51 PM UTC
By Edith Jibunoh
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This piece was originally published on ONE’s Africa Blog.
The Africa Youth Trust (AYT) is the last of our five finalists to reveal before we announce the winner of the 2011 ONE Africa Award!
AYT was founded by a group of five young people in 2005, all working in different sectors, but with a common interest to profile the youth agenda. They recognized that scattered initiatives, which they were all individually involved in, were not going to be powerful enough to bring about change. With this understanding, they combined their efforts, and today their model promotes partnerships between the younger and older generation with a focus on economic empowerment and governance. Three of the original founders are still involved with AYT today.
AYT staff and network members
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Dec 5th, 2011 9:17 AM UTC
By Edith Jibunoh
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Last week we marked World AIDS Day, our annual time for reflection and a recognition that the beginning of the end of AIDS is upon us. As we commemorate the strides that have been made in the battle against the disease since its discovery 30 years ago, it seems the perfect opportunity to present our next ONE award finalist, Prévention Information Lutte contre le Sida (PILS) in Mauritius and honor the progress that they have achieved in the battle against this indiscriminate disease.
Nicolas Ritter
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Nov 23rd, 2011 2:50 PM UTC
By Edith Jibunoh
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This piece was originally published on our Africa Blog.
The 2011 ONE Africa Award finalists continue with the announcement of our third finalist, a model for social entrepreneurship in the agriculture sector. If you are already familiar with ONE’s recent activities then you will know that we recently launched our campaign to address the famine in the Horn of Africa. Hunger and malnutrition continue to be important issues on the continent and that’s why the work that our next finalist, Sylva Food Solutions (SFS), is doing is so important.
Sylvia Banda, the founder of SFS, is a very well known personality in Zambia and speaks regularly on the most popular private radio station in the country, Radio Phoenix, about the importance of using local foods, nutrition, and maintaining a healthy life style. With 10 employees, Sylvia started SFS in 2005 building on her successful catering business that had been around for about 25 years.
Sylvia Banda and members of her team
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Nov 2nd, 2011 12:05 PM UTC
By Edith Jibunoh
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This piece was originally published on ONE’s Africa Blog.
It’s time to announce our second finalist in the 2011 ONE Africa Award.
After our piece on a project in Togo, we went on to Accra, Ghana to meet the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR). The alliance was established by a group of NGOs in 2004 and evolved from a defunct Save the Children program on sexual and reproductive health. ARHR Executive Director, Ms. Vicky Okine, is the former Save the Children program manager, and recognized the importance of the continuation of this program. It builds on the potential of community health organizations to empower their communities and drive the demand for better access to sexual and reproductive health care.
 The Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights team
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Oct 24th, 2011 12:43 PM UTC
By Edith Jibunoh
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The 2011 ONE Africa Award process is halfway through — and when the call for applications closed on September 16, we had received more than 150 applications! ONE staff have spent the last couple of weeks reviewing the amazing applications that came in, and I am pleased to announce that we have identified our top five finalists!
Founders and staff of GF2D outside their office
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