President Kagame
Rwandan Leader appears to win new term – Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, who has been in control of the country since 1994, appeared to have been re-elected on Monday by a staggering margin. Voters were mixed, with some saying the leader has delivered tangible benefits while others complained of corruption. (Jeffrey Gettelman, The New York Times)
AIDS drugs flow to the third world – Once blasted for their practices, a number of pharmaceutical companies are slashing prices and licensing AIDS drugs for free to nonprofits or local manufacturers in developing countries. However, there are benefits for drugmakers, who receive favorable press and avoid high distribution costs by adopting this model. (Simeon Bennett, Businessweek)
HIV/AIDS medicine is only one piece of the puzzle – (RED) CEO Susan Smith Ellis argues that with the upcoming UN Summit and Global Fund replenishment, we are at a turning point in the fight against HIV/AIDS. She calls on governments, foundations, NGOs and the private sector to “amplifying the urgency of the effort and the moral power of its success.” (Huffington Post)
HIV is a 20th-century disease that needs 21st-century research – Global health advocates, Alan Bernstein and Peter Piot argue that with new research bolstering the fight against HIV/AIDS, we need smarter approaches to clinical trials that are more efficient and economical, while preserving safety, community engagement and ethical guidelines. (The Globe and Mail)
Every woman is a leader, says advocate – CEDPA President, Carol Peasley, argues that weeks after the International AIDS Conference, one lesson still stands out: women are at the center of all communities and hold the key to mobilizing their communities, particularly in leading integrated health service programs on the continent. (Huffington Post)
U.S. charges 14 with giving support to Somali insurgent group – Federal authorities charged 14 people accused of providing funding and recruits to a militant group in Somalia with ties to al-Qaeda. Last month, the group claimed responsibility for bombings in Uganda that killed at least 76 people. (Greg Miller, Washington Post)
White House Party for Africa Leaves Out Leaders – President Obama celebrated the 50th anniversaries of 17 African nations, but he did not invite a single African leader to the forum. The State Department denies accusations that the President refuses to celebrate with corrupt leaders, noting that American officials have met with African leaders in other settings. (Adam Nossiter, NY Times)
President Paul Kagame under scrutiny – Despite Rwanda’s election marred by murder, censorship and meaningful opposition, Paul Kagame, the incumbent, is set to win 90% of the vote. Kagame is trying to focus on his past achievements – food security, record harvests, women empowerment, and the strengthening of government institutions. (The Economist)
Young Africans Seek U.S. Partnership to Boost Democracy and Development – AllAfrica.com reports on this week’s White House forum celebrating leading young Africans. “I don’t see Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world,” Obama said at the forum. (Saratu Abiola and Carine Umuhumuza, AllAfrica.com)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in Rwanda today after meeting with President Paul Kagame. This is the first time a French president has visited the country in 25 years.
According to the Washington Post:
The trip is also the first by a French leader since Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. It aims to cement diplomatic ties that were restored in November, three years after they broke down because of the arrest warrants that accused those close to Kagame of a role in the presidential assassination that sparked the genocide.
Sarkozy was met at Kigali’s airport by Rwanda’s prime minister and then visited the main genocide museum in the tiny, mountainous central African country. Afterward Kagame welcomed Sarkozy at his official residence.
France and Rwanda have sparred for years over an alleged French role in the genocide, in which 500,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis but also moderate Hutus, were massacred in frenzied killing led by radical Hutus.
Forbes Magazine this week features an article by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Paul Kagame, Seretse Khama Ian Khama, and Abdoulaye Wade (the presidents of Liberia, Rwanda, Botswana, and Senegal respectively.) In the piece entitled “Partnership, Not Patronage” the presidents discuss the challenges and opportunities confronting Africa as Secretary of State Clinton embarks on her 7-country, 11-day trip through the continent.
The presidents also discuss the need to curb corruption, reduce poverty, and address the global recession. You can read excerpts below, full piece here. Be sure to follow our coverage of Secretary Clinton’s trip here.
Just three weeks after President Barack Obama’s triumphant return from Africa, the real challenge to achieving strategic change lies in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s own upcoming visit. Left unsaid as the president boarded Air Force One is the fact that Africa seeks not patrons but collaborators who will work “with” rather than “for” the continent. If the Obama administration wishes to truly make a difference, it must do so as an equal partner, addressing several low-cost, high-impact priorities.
Ultimately, Africa’s quality of life will depend on the health of its citizens. The centerpiece of U.S. support for HIV/AIDS in Africa–the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief–has helped expand life-saving treatment. President Obama has an opportunity to make PEPFAR more effective by moving from emergency to long-term support–as in the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s five-year partnership model, with each country taking ownership of the design of its programs.
Finally, we need more effective and predictable development lending. The U.S. remains the main exception to the common donor practice of channeling development assistance through financial systems of recipient countries. Done with sufficient safeguards, this strengthens country ownership, responsibility and accountability. The U.S.’s reluctance to embrace shared multilateral approaches limits the impact of its foreign assistance.
President Obama’s charisma, oratory and heritage have excited Africa as never before. Now substantive action that realizes the promise of his visit needs to be on Secretary Clinton’s agenda during her visit to seven African countries.
-Chris Scott
Today marks the first day of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s seven-nation, 11 day trip to Africa. Her first stop is Kenya, where she’ll speak at the 8th African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Nairobi, an annual forum that examines trade and investment relations between the U.S. and Africa.
Following her time in Kenya, Clinton will then travel (in order) to South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Liberia, and will end her trip in Cape Verde on August 14. As Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, noted in a press briefing last week, the “Secretary’s trip follows the themes laid out by President Obama during his visit to Ghana: supporting strong and sustainable democratic governments; promoting sustainable economic development; strengthening public health and education; and assisting in the prevention, litigation, and resolution of conflicts around Africa.”
Check out Carson’s complete description of the trip (or click here to read the State Department’s press release.)
In the days ahead, stay tuned to the ONE blog, as we’ll continue to offer updates and insight on Clinton’s travels throughout Africa!
-Kara Arsenault
In light of a recent New Times headline stating that Rwanda President Paul Kagame was moving to “shun” development aid, The New Times published a letter today from David Himbara of Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s office clarifying President Kagame’s position. Himbara clearly states:
“The President’s position is very clear – and cannot just be summarised as a call to “shun aid”…Now, as the President has repeatedly said, we in Rwanda, along with other less developed countries, need initial and temporary support to build the foundations to enable us, for ourselves, to create prosperity.”
More excerpts from Himbara’s letter to the New Times are below, the full piece is here.
Good aid, if you will, is assistance with a purpose – the purpose to support a countries’ development in their own terms, for the benefit of many not the few. In contrast, bad aid is often tied to vested interests and does little to promote real development.
He does not condemn all aid – only bad aid. He has never called to setting timelines for ending aid for any country, let alone Rwanda, especially given that we still receive substantial amounts of support – around just under fifty percent of our budget – from external assistance, which we still require in order for us to develop and prosper.
-Chris Scott
Reporting to you live from outside the 2008 MDG Malaria Summit…
At the 2008 MDG Malaria Summit in New York today, global leaders in health, government and business announced over $3 billion in new malaria money to help spur the world toward ending malaria deaths by 2015 – making it the single biggest day for malaria announcements in the history of the fight against the disease.
Speakers including Bono, Gordon Brown, Bill Gates, President Kagame of Rwanda and President Kikwete of Tanzania discussed how far the world has come in recent years to combat malaria and how far we still have to go. Peter Chernin, President and COO of News Corporation and Malaria No More Chairman, helped moderate the event, adding that malaria is not an isolated disease but both a consequence and cause of extreme poverty.
Two of the biggest announcements were from the World Bank and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, announced $1.1 billion as funding for Phase II of the World Bank Booster Program and Rajat Gupta, Chair of the Global Fund, announced Round 8 funding recommendations for malaria control efforts totaling $1.62 billion.
In celebrating the new commitments, grassroots support and political will that is driving the worldwide effort to end malaria deaths, event host UN Special Envoy for Malaria Ray Chambers urged the community not to become complacent. While today represents a big step forward, the race to end deaths – 3,000 children every day – is far from over.
For more information on the event and commitments, visit www.MalariaNoMore.org.
-Emily Bergantino, Communications Officer, Malaria No More
