The Strengthening Education Performance (STEP-UP) Zambia project is intended to support the Ministry of Education, Science and Vocational Training, to reform the education sector in Zambia.

USAID education team leader Wick Powers said in a statement issued in Lusaka recently that the project would run for five years.

The project was aimed at, among other issues, assisting the Ministry of Education to improve education management.

It also aims at assisting the ministry to raise academic achievements in reading and mathematics.

“Reading is the foundation upon which all future learning is built. Children who do not attain core skills in reading and mathematics at the primary level face a lifetime limitation of education opportunity and, therefore, limited economic potential,” he elaborated.

Mr Powers said the project would enable the country promote well-informed policies and decision making, as well as bolster community support.

In addition, STEP-UP Zambia will improve education quality by enhancing the existing education management information system with innovative mobile technology to increase data collection efficiency and accuracy.

“The data will give the ministry, provinces and districts the information they need to make good policy decisions and monitor progress,” he said.

The project would strengthen basic education by reinforcing HIV workplace programmes and assisting the ministry to establish an HIV referral service.

Gambia's Foreign Affairs Minister Tangara

In a press statement, The Gambia’s foreign affairs ministry says the country has been elected from the West African region for the period 2012 to 2014.

Foreign ministry attributes the country’s successful election to AU PSC to President Jammeh’s “keen interest in fostering peace and stability for sustainable development throughout the continent and beyond.

This, according to the press statement is evidenced by President Jammeh’s mediation efforts in Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal as well as troubled parts of the world where The Gambia commits peacekeeping troops.

Composed of 15 countries, of which five are elected by AU Assembly to three-year terms, and ten to two-year terms, African Union’s Peace and Security Council is the organ of the continental grouping in charge of enforcing the Union decisions.

The Gambia’s election was made at the recently concluded 18th Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Alongside Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania, Lesotho, Egypt and Angola, the natural resource-poor tiniest country in mainland Africa assumes its mandate in the Council on April 1, 2012.

The new members replace Burundi, Chad, Mali, Namibia and Rwanda, joining five countries – Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, who are currently serving in the Council for a three-year term.

12 000 jobs will be created during the construction period with another 5 000 once it becomes operational. The oil refinery is scheduled to be constructed in the next five years.

“We are very excited about this project. It has come at the right time when the demand for fuel and other by-products is on the rise in the country,” said SGE chairman Phesto Musonda at the signing ceremony held in Ndola on February 15, 2012.

The refinery project will also increase the refinery capacity of the country in addition to contributing significantly to the country’s economy, he added.

It is a fact that Zambia’s economic growth has been affected, to a great extent, by the cost of fuel products and once completed, the new plant will help to lower fuel prices, thus attracting more foreign investors to Zambia.

The project encompasses the construction of a pipeline, warehouses, dry ports and housing units.

Zambia will also have capacity to export fuel to neighbouring countries in the SADC region. The new oil refinery will have a capacity of five million tonnes per annum. This will see Zambia pump more than five times the current capacity at its four decades-old Indeni Oil Refinery, also situated in Ndola. The pipeline to Dar-es-Salaam will be 1 800 km long.

And finance and corporate services manager from Maysen and Borowski Group, Mathews Borowski said Zambia has a lot of potential and that his company is pleased to invest in the country.

“The oil refinery plant will help to reduce the prices of  fuel in the country and also create jobs for Zambians,” he pointed out.

He commnded Government for tabling the idea on the sidelines of the Commonwealth meeting in Perth, Australia last year.

Speaking at the same event, minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Bob Sichinga said the project was viable, hence the need for the two companies to remain focused in the implementation of the project.

“As Government, we are tasked to facilitate for investment in the country.  With such projects taking place, we will renew the hope of our people to reduce poverty levels and improve living standards. What we want to see is a win, win situation where both investors and Zambians benefit,” he enthused.

According to Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba, Zambia will meet investors to gauge interest for its debut Eurobond within two months.

The Zambian government is seeking two bookmakers and a legal advisor. Rabobank owns 49% of Zanaco. A number of South African and Zambian lenders have also expressed interest in bookmaking for the country following an advertisement in local and foreign newspapers.

Zambia is to sell a 10-year Eurobond this year to raise funds for infrastructure and other construction projects, Finance minister Alexander Chikwanda announced on November 11, 2011.

The bond stalled from last year as the Eurozone debt crisis stifled demand for debt. Zambia has been rated at B+ by two international rating, Fitch and Standard and Poor’s. This is four levels below investment grade but better than several African countries.

Experts say that Zambia is one of the more stable countries on the continent at the moment. It is one of the biggest foreign direct investment (FDI) recipients, mainly due to its robust mining sector. Zambia is Africa’s top copper producer.

“I think the European countries are looking for a stable destination to economically partner with and Zambia right now presents that opportunity,” Mr. Yamba elaborated.

Zambia will join other sub-Saharan African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Gabon, Senegal, Seychelles and Namibia, which have undertaken the initiative.

Permanent secretary in the ministry of Finance Joseph Kinyua disclosed last December that Angola, Africa’s second largest oil producer Nigeria, and Rwanda also plan to raise capital from the global market. The Kenyan government cancelled plans to sell a Eurobond this fiscal year and may instead raise $600 million from international banks.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, which is also rated B+ by S & P, in January 2011 sold its first dollar-denominated debt. The yield on the bonds due 2021 has fallen 93 basis points since the issue to 5.86%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Lars Reno Jakobsen

Lars Reno Jakobsen will take up the position from 1 March 2012. He has until now headed the Network and Product division in Maersk Line, the Group’s container shipping business. Jakobsen has long-time experience with international trade, having worked on four continents including Africa.

“We already have strong positions in Africa, but there are many more opportunities to be explored for our Group. Lars Reno Jakobsen is the right person to coordinate and promote our initiatives,” says Kim Fejfer, CEO of APM Terminals, member of the Group’s Executive Board and Lars Reno Jakobsen’s immediate superior on behalf of the Executive Board.

“Lars Reno Jakobsen is one of our most experienced leaders and an expert on Africa and global trade. He knows the Group’s businesses both from the frontline and on the planning side. He has a widespread network and the skills needed to coordinate our initiatives and strengthen our relationships with customers, partners and authorities,” says Kim Fejfer.

On the appointment, Lars Reno Jakobsen says he’s looking forward to take on the challenge:

“It is a very exciting new position in a region I know well. Africa has huge growth potential and we are investing significantly in the region. It is a privilege to get the chance to work with all of our businesses in Africa to push forward and make the most of our potential to enable trade and fuel growth and development.”

Lars Reno Jakobsen joined the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group as a trainee in Maersk Drilling in 1977. He has worked in several management positions across the Group in numerous countries around the world. From 1998 and on, Jakobsen worked with Africa-related trade; in the years 2002-2009 located in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2009, Jakobsen was appointed head of Network and Product in Maersk Line. Due to his new position, Lars Reno Jakobsen will return to live and work in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Group is represented in almost every country in Africa, not least within container shipping, terminals and oil and gas. Its total revenue generated on the continent is around USD 5.4 billion (2010). One of the Group’s two main priorities for 2012 is to continue expansion in growth markets including select African countries such as Nigeria and Angola.

The tasks of the Network and Product division will mainly be transferred to the new Product & Yield division, headed by newly appointed Senior Vice President Vincent Clerc.

Ambassador Ray with Grace Chirenje

“Quite often the problem faced by both Africans and African Americans when we meet on the continent is big expectations based on ethnicity, which I think needs to be put in a proper perspective,” said the U.S. ambassador.

“There is an expectation that because you are African American, somehow your actions are going to be different.  And there is on the part of the African American side an expectation that because I am African American, my reception is going to be different.  In fact, both sides get disappointed,” noted Ambassador Ray.

The U.S. Ambassador was the guest at a forum organized by the Zimbabwe United States Alumni Association (ZUSAA) to commemorate Black History Month.  ZUSAA brings together Zimbabwean  alumni of State Department exchange and educational programs with Zimbabweans who have either lived or have been to the USA on different initiatives to share memories, experiences and lessons learned from the U.S.

Since his arrival in Zimbabwe, the Ambassador has been at the receiving end of racially-motivated criticism from some sections of the media for U.S. government policies on Zimbabwe.

“As a diplomat of the Foreign Service of the USA, I am first and foremost an official of the American government…  I just happen, coincidentally, to be African American.  And it’s the same thing with Barack Obama, he happens, coincidentally, to be a black man who is President of the United States, but the important phrase there is ‘President of the United States,’” said the Ambassador.

The discussion centered on the topic “being an African American diplomat in an African country.” The U.S. Ambassador is in his second posting in Africa after serving as deputy Chief of Mission in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  Most of his 30-year diplomatic career has been in Asia.

Event host Grace Chirenje took the American diplomat to task about his African-American roots, but the capacity audience at Café Expresso learned that the race dichotomy in the U.S. was more complex than just being white and black.

“There are very few Americans who are a single race,” noted the U.S. Ambassador. “During the time when I grew up the only groups that received any attention legally, socially and in the media, were African Americans and whites. We have a large percentage of the population that has Native American heritage but they have never received much attention.”  He said his grandmother, whom he described as “the defining person in my entire life,” was half Native American and half African, and she was never accepted by any community because she did not fit in to any of the norms.

“She was a strong willed person, and I learned to look at life by how I define myself and  not how others define me,” said the U.S. diplomat.

Despite these differences, said Ambassador Ray, “The African American basket is one that I was most comfortable with as I got to know myself and my inclinations.”

“As a student of history, I look back at the often unremarked history by people from the African continent — not just in the U.S. but in the world.  I feel a sense of pride being part of that and a sense of motivation to make more people aware, including people from the continent itself because they are sometimes unaware of the contribution that their ancestors made to the world.”

The Ambassador recounted the significance of Black History Month to human rights.

“The hundreds of years of enslaving others and treating them as property was terrible, but if you look at the history of African Americans in the U.S., there is that bright spot that shows that these things can be changed and, ultimately, can be overcome,” said Ambassador Ray. “We went from being slaves, and according to the first draft of our constitution being only three-fifths of a human being, to having a black person sitting in the White House.  You can make light of that or you can make politics out of it, but that is useful because it shows that with perseverance and faith you can overcome anything.”

The Ambassador said the ascension of Barack Obama to the presidency was significant, saying, “Barack Obama was the right person at the right time in history, regardless of his skin color or his racial background. He came along at a time when younger voters in America were angry and aching for change, and he was able to articulate that change in a way that none of the people against whom he competed could do,” said Ambassador Ray. – ZimPAS© February 2012

By Peterking Quaye

The Deputy UN envoy in Liberia for Rule of Law, Louis Aucoin has called on all actors of the criminal justice chain in Liberia to redouble their efforts to revamp the country’s justice system. Speaking at a ceremony in the Liberian central city of Gbarnga at which 120 members of the Nigerian Formed Police Unit (FPU) were awarded with UN Peacekeeping Medals, Mr. Aucoin said despite the tremendous improvements the justice sector had witnessed since 2003, much more remained to be done.

“It is important to remember that Liberia still faces important challenges in re-establishing the rule of law,” he pointed out, saying, “There is the need to address the challenges identified within the criminal justice system that hinder the required progress in this sector.”

The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Rule of Law said with the successful completion of the elections in Liberia, UNMIL was on the path of embarking on the Mission’s transition with the gradual hand over of greater security responsibilities to Liberian authorities, noting that, “This is a systematic process that requires time and preparation.”

Commenting on the expected arrival in Monrovia on Sunday of a Technical Assessment Team from New York to assess the security situation in Liberia, Mr. Aucoin said the team would focus on the progress made so far with respect to the Mission’s strategic objectives to ensure a sustained state of security in Liberia.

DSRSG Aucoin said the assessment of the status of a mission is a customary event every UN peace mission goes through after traversing a specific phase, and that this is not the first time such a Technical Assessment Team is coming to Liberia to evaluate the status of UNMIL.

Nigeria’s  FPU, the DSRSG applauded their contribution to the restoration of peace and security in Liberia. “Your support, in the past six months, to the Liberia National Police and UN Police in curbing criminal activities and violent disorder is a vital step towards re-establishing rule of law in Liberia,” he told the Nigerian peacekeepers.

Among the dignitaries present medal-awarding ceremony were UNPOL Commissioner Gautam Sawang;  Charge d’Affaires  of Nigerian Embassy in Liberia, Mike Omotosho; Representative of Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, Saidu Daya; Sector B Commander, Brigadier-General Emadul Haque; Nigeria FPU Commander Yahaya Ibrahim Danjuma; and Bong County Superintendent Lucia Herbert.

Later, DSRSG Aucoin in the company of envoys from Sweden, German, the US and the UK, and Liberian security officials visited the US$3.7 million Justice and Peace Hub being constructed in Gbarnga through the UN Peace Building Fund to house courts and offices, barracks and training centres of security agencies in Central Liberia. They were conducted round the project by Lakis Papastavrou, UNOPS Chief Technical Adviser in Liberia.

Liberia Fashion and Art Expo came off over the weekend in the colossal poolroom, of the Golden Gate Hotel adjacent the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex) .The event showcased some of the latest fashion and arts from Liberian.

Organizers Fanta Kamara and Chiquita Johnson said the event is intended to create sustainable income for marginalized youth and women/girls in Liberia. “The 2012 Liberia Fashion and Art Expo show will provide a dynamic, professional production in partnership with leaders in the retail, fashion and entertainment industries.

The Liberia Fashion and Art Expo is expected to become the second major fashion show in two years. It can be recalled, last year, a US based Liberian fashion designer Korto Momolu staged an extravagant fashion show in Liberia, featuring international standard fashion designers and designs with authentic Liberian flavor. The event set the tone for elevating Liberia’s image in a new dimension – fashion and arts, the LFAE 2012 raised the bar even higher.

The proceeds of this event will go towards Marazetti, an organization with hopes of building a facility that will develop a technical skill workshop and apparel production facility; a place where women and girls can come to acquire skills in the art of Fashion and Design while earning a sustainable income via employment.

The show included the latest fashions from designers such as Marazetti, Chris Collins, and Afropolitan and among others, as well as entertainment by Liberian and international artists.

 Fanta Kamara in an interview Focus news said with this Liberia Fashion and Art Expo it    certainly provide  a one-of-a-kind event which displayed  the beauty of fashion, art and music which unveils the great mounts of talents we’ve had just in our backyards”  . She added: “The Liberia Fashion and Art Expose Project culminates in a country-wide fashion show featuring art and clothing that is edgy, trendy sophisticated, elegant and very much tasteful.

The inkling that appeared just a few months ago has now become reality. Although it’s a local event, our goal had always been to support the fashion talents in Liberia and develop them to international recognition standards.”

All Fundraising efforts for this project will go to the purchasing of equipment and supplies such as sewing machines and materials, fabrics and computers. This facility will also host production of Uniforms and Reflective Gears, workbags for International companies operating in Liberia.

Marazetti has already embarked on sampling Corporate Wear, Reflective Gears, work uniforms and bags for BHP Billiton manufacturing for BHP will begin in February of 2012.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Many of the nominees will be subject to confirmation by the Liberian Senate. A statement from the Executive Mansion quotes President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as saying the nominations are aimed at targeting reforms that are crucial to delivering Liberia’  highest priorities including the improvement of the welfare and development of the people.

Among public entities whose board members and chairpersons have been named are Liberia Maritime Authority (LMA), Liberia Petroleum Refining Corporation (LPRC), and National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL).Others are Liberia Airport Authority (LAA), Liberia Telecommunications Corporation,

National Social Security & Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) and the National Port Authority (NPA).

Those nominated to the National Social Security & Welfare Corporation Board include

Francis A. Dennis, former President of the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI), Chairman.

Mr. Dennis replaces Mr. Milton Weeks, the Chairman of the Board who has been retired.

Mr. Cletus Sieh, as Co-Chairman. Mr. Sieh replaces Oscar Cooper, who was elected to the Liberian Senate.

Hawa Ellen Knuckles, Member, replacing Ms. Mydea White,

Mr. Oscar J. Quiah, Member (retained)

Mr. Mulbah Daku, Member (retained)

Mr. Gama Roberts, Member (retained)

Mr. Edwin Cisco, Member (retained).

National Port Authority,

Mr. Morris M. Dukuly, Sr., Vice Chairman (retained),

Mr. Amara Konneh, Statutory Member,

Ms. Miata Beysolow, Statutory Member,

Mrs. Grace T. Kpaan – Member (retained),

 Mr. Tom Kamara – Member, replacing Mr. Charles Stuart.

Mr. Rudolph J. Merab, Member (retained),

Ms. Mary T. Broh, Member (retained),

Mr. James Davies, Member (retained),

Ms. Maureen Shaw, Member (retained),

Ms. Faustina Merchant, Member (retained),

Mr. David S. Gibson, Jr., Member (retained)

Mr. Sam Wlue,  Member (retained).

President Sirleaf has also nominated Ms. Matilda Parker as Managing Director of the National Port Authority, while the Chairman of the Board will be named subsequently, the Executive Mansion release said.

Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation,

 Mr. Kimmie Weeks has been named as board chairman, replacing Mr. Musa H. Bility,

Mr. James L. Thompson, II, Member (retained),

Mrs. Loris Mardia Shannon, Member (retained),

Mr. Philip C. Parker, IV, Member (retained),

Mrs. Christiana P. Tah, Member (retained) and

 Mr. Amara Konneh, Statutory Member.

Liberia Maritime Authority (LMA),

Mrs. Theresa Leigh-Sherman has been appointed Chairman of the Board, replacing Mr. John Morlu (retired),

 Mr. Willard Russell, Member.

The release also quotes the President as saying other members of the Board will be named subsequently.

Liberia Petroleum Refinery Corporation (LPRC),

Rev. Dr. Herman Brown, has been named as Chairman of the Board, replacing Cllr. T. Negbalee Warner, who recently resigned,

Dr. Henrique Tokpa, Member (retained),

Mrs. Nohn Kidau, former Nimba County Lawmaker, Member, replacing Nowai Gbilia,

Mrs. Ophelia Freeman Johnson, Member (retained).

Manyu Kamara, Member (retained),

Rev. Emmanuel Bowier, Member (retained)

Mr. George Kpawulu, Member (retained),

Mrs. Tupee Taylor, Member, replacing Cllr. Scheaplor Dunbar.

At the same time, the Liberian leader has re-nominated

Mr. T. Nelson Williams as the corporation’s Managing Director.

National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL),

Dr. Randolph McClain has been appointed president, National Oil Company, replacing Mr. Christopher Neyor.Dr. McClain is serving on a pro bono basis, meaning that he will not accept payment from government for the job.

The President appointed Mr. Robert Sirleaf as Chairman of the Board, replacing Mr. Clemenceau Urey (retired).

Mr. Fred Bass, Member (retained),

Mrs. Idella Cooper-Shannon, Member,

Mr. Amara Konneh, Member,

Mr. Joseph Howe, Member

 Mr. Patrick Sendolo, Member, replacing Mr. Ben Cooper (retiring).

Liberia Airport Authority,

Musa Bility has  been appointed  Chairman of the Board, replacing Mr. William E. Dennis, Jr.

Mr. Eugene Nagbe Minister of Transport, Statutory Member,

Mr. Moses Weefur, Statutory Member (LCAA),

Mr. Massaquoi Kamara, Member (retained),

Mrs. Amy Clark, Member (retained),

Mr. Pierre S. King, Member, replacing Mr. William Witherspoon (retired).

Liberia Telecommunications Corporation,

Rev. Dr. Olu Menjay, was named Chairman of the Board, replacing Dr. Randolph McClain, who has been appointed President and CEO of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL),

 Dr. El Mohammed Sherif, Member (retained),

Mr. James P. Cooper, Member (retained).

Mr. Floyd Thomas, Member (retained),

Ms. Ciata Victor, Member (retained),

Mr. Jackson E. Doe, Member, replacing Mr. Harwene Tyee.

This was contained in a statement signed by LPRC Board of Directors, the statement further says that Japan had already written to authorities at the Ministry of Commerce informing government of the grant, The Board of Directors, the highest decision-making body of the company further disclosed that the grant is expected to arrive in Liberia this year.

At the time of purchase, the board said, the US$13 million allocated by the Japanese government was not sufficient to purchase 15,000 metric tons of mixed petroleum products due to the increase in the international petroleum price index.

Despite the accusation leveled against LPRC for the first grant project that is was not managed with the highest degree of transparency, professionalism and efficiency by the LPRC Board of Directors. The LPRC Board declared last week in a statement that on the contrary, The Government of Japan was so pleased with the management of the first grant that is why they contacted the Ministry of Commerce concerning a second grant to Liberia in 2012. The Board statement also stated that a total of 12,404.041 metric tonnes was delivered to LPRC by the Japanese Government in the first oil grant.

In the LPRC Statement, the board said the decision by the Japanese Government was triggered by the manner in which the first grant delivered to Liberia was managed.

The board also named the Government of Liberia, represented by the Ministry of Commerce, as consignee, and LPRC as custodian. They were the two government entities that were represented at the turning-over ceremony of the grant.

LPRC explained that upon the arrival of the grant into the country, a total of 12,404.041 metric tons provided was given to a local petroleum dealer, Aminata, who sold the oil on behalf of LPRC. The LPRC management stated that based on the Liberianization Policy, Aminata, representing a group of Liberian importers, was appointed as Trustee to market and distribute the products.

The Board asserted that said arrangement was approved by the Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC), based on a letter that was submitted by the Minister of Commerce. The said letter was part of the report prepared by LPRC and the Ministry of Commerce.

The Board further explained that Aminata sold said products to Monrovia Oil Trading Company (MOTC), Petro Trade and West Oil, and subsequently paid a total of US$839,268.40 to LPRC for storage and handling fees, an amount agreed to in the MOU representing 100 percent of the storage and handling fees due to LPRC from the Japanese Oil Grant arrangement.

Additionally, the company said Aminata deposited a total of US$8,504,177.50 into the escrow account opened at the Central Bank of Liberia. The government of Liberia, according to LPRC, was also paid $1,859,075.00 while the National Port Authority (NPA) was paid US$18,606.07 as port charges relating to the Japanese grant.

Crown Agent, representing the Japanese Government, was paid US$122,068.72 while the LPRC received only US$22,500.00 as administrative cost, the board said.

The LPRC management, however, mentioned that there were losses associated with the transaction such as evaporation, ship-to-shore and demurrage (compensation for loading or unloading delay), which are normal occurrences in the petroleum industry.

Said losses, the corporation said, were communicated to all stakeholders, and were absorbed by LPRC. The figures given by the corporation to date, however, do not account for the losses in numerical terms.

Meanwhile, the Board of directors has also reiterated its commitment to the government’s Liberianization Policy, evidenced by its providing 60 percent of all importation allocation to Liberian firms, while 40 percent is to be shared by international firms.

The LPRC Board insisted that Liberians must be empowered to take charge of their economy. The company did not however state when the product would arrive in the country.