The Independent: Agribusiness opportunity – A new report by the World Bank has called for new strategies on how to help Africans seize the continent’s agribusiness opportunity. The report says Africa’s food systems, currently valued at $313 billion a year, could triple if governments and business leaders re-align their policies to support agriculture, farmers, and agribusinesses, which together account for nearly 50% of Africa’s economic activity. (Julius Businge)
This Day Live: Collier: Nigeria’s Problems are Valuable Resources no Raised by Taxes and a Weak Sense of Common Identity – In this in-depth interview with Professor Paul Collier on economic and governance issues in Nigeria, he specifically highlights the danger of mismanaging oil revenues. Collier explains that with all of the oil money, “Nigeria really has got all the makings of being a really prosperous, dynamic society.” But the Nigerian “government should show us what it’s doing with [the oil revenues], as “you need to be using that revenue to invest in assets for the future.”
The Guardian: Middle classes have most power to effect political change – Chief of campaign group Avaaz, Rick Patel, said that the focus on the most marginalized in developing countries too often overlooks the role of educated, middle-class groups, which he argues have “the most power, right now, to effect political change in their countries. Focusing on the most marginalized often means too little attention is paid to those with “tremendous power” to push their societies and governments “in the direction they want to and that we need them to”. The most effective mass mobilisations are those which start from a new modernized middle class and particularly the enormously swollen body of students. (Claire Provost)
AllAfrica: UN Health Agency and Partner Call for Funds to Address Tuberculosis Threat — The United Nations health agency and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said some $1.6 billion in international funding is needed every year to treat and prevent tuberculosis before drug-resistant strains of the disease spread widely. $1.6 billion is needed to fill the funding gap in 118 low- and middle-income countries, the majority of which are located in Africa. These funds could enable full treatment for 17 million TB and MDR-TB patients, and save some 6 million lives in the next three years.
