Foreign Policy: Does Obama Have a Strategy for Africa? – The ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the eurozone crisis have left the Obama administration with very little extra bandwidth with which to work, and “a sweeping new policy vision for Africa has doubtless felt like a luxury in the daily grind of waking up to multiple front-page international crises.” The administration did release a new Africa policy last week, and critics noted that “Africa is the only region in the world where a U.S. president could wait until June of his re-election year to announce a new strategy without setting off howls of protest.” Africa’s accelerating growth amidst an era of grim economic news calls for a “truly transformed approach to Africa.” (John Norris)
Reuters: Mozambique coal, gas: boom for all, or just a few? – The benefits of Mozambique’s emerging economic boom are out of reach for the majority of its 23 million people, more than half of whom still live in poverty. Mozambique’s untapped coal reserves and gas deposits have contributed to capital inflows expected to reach $50 billion over the next decade. These funds are slated to rebuild railways, roads and ports, yet the life for average Mozambicans has yet to improve and “some fear that they growing disparity between have and have nots could trigger protests” from an increasingly frustrated population. (Agnieszka Flak and William Mapote)
Devex: Firm commitments lacking in Rio+20 outcome document – The text expected to be adopted at the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development is complete, yet the document does not contain any proposed sustainable development goals. Instead the text sets a timetable for the creation of an open working group to draft sustainable development goals that will be created prior to the 67th session of the U.N. General Assembly. No new financial commitments were included in the draft, “much to the dismay of poor countries calling for a $30 billion annual pledge to promote sustainable development.” (Jenny Lei Ravelo)
Financial Times: Awareness grow of need to be sustainable – Today marks the launch of a partnership between the African Development Bank and the World Wide Fund for Nature, a global conservation group, in an effort to create a summary on the status of Africa’s environment. As many states remain in the beginning phases of construction, many are hopeful that opportunities exist to learn from others’ actions and to build appropriate sustainable mechanisms, as seen through the already rapid advancement of telecommunications in Africa. Representatives suggest policies must be completed quickly to ensure the best possible results. (Sarah Murray)
