Africa

Photo: Under Vision 2030, the agriculture sector in Kenya is to be made more innovative, commercially oriented and modern. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Kenyan Youth Need Jobs to Stem Radicalization

Viewpoint by Amina Mohamed and Siddharth Chatterjee

September 21 is the International Day of Peace. Ambassador Amina Mohamed (@AMB_A_Mohammed ), the Cabinet Secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Siddharth Chatterjee (@sidchat1), the United Nations Resident Coordinator to Kenya look into particular relevance of the Day for Kenya – its present and future.

NAIROBI (IDN) - Kenya has the largest number of jobless youth in East Africa, putting a strain on the economy’s growth and also threatening peace and security when hopeless youth gravitate towards violent extremist groups.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; OPINION; 21 September 2016

Photo: Willaim Ruto, Kenya's Deputy President said that, “This act will empower community based organizations to mobilize public opinion so as to shape development priorities as well as sharpen accountability mechanisms at all levels of government."

Kenya Moves Ahead to Achieve SDGs With a New Law

Viewpoint by Siddharth Chatterjee

NAIROBI (IDN) - The national implementation plan for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Kenya was launched on September 14. Representing President Uhuru Kenyatta, Mwangi Kiunjuri, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Devolution and planning, said Kenya was way ahead of implementing the SDGs through its Vision 2030, and the devolved system of Governance

Kenya now needs strategic and creative partnerships with civil society networks to raise public awareness and sustain momentum for the Goals’ diverse set of targets.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; OPINION; 19 September 2016

Photo: Residents of Vilabwa village attending a meeting, though men are still in the front row. Credit: Kizito Makoye

Tanzanian Women Getting an Upper Hand Over Land

By Kizito Makoye Shigela

VILABWA, Tanzania (IDN) - At a small village south of Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, women rarely talk about land issues because customary norms keep them at bay. “We don’t have the voice, its men who decide everything,” said Saada Hassan a resident of Vilabwa.

The 55-year-old farmer is among many women in the village who have long been campaigning against male dominance in land affairs. “They simply don’t believe a woman can be a good leader or make informed decisions,” she said.

: IDN-INPS Middle East & Africa Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 15 September 2016

Private Sector Key to Attainment of SDGs in Kenya

Justus Wanzala interviews UN Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee

NAIROBI (IDN) - Kenya held a national official launch of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on September 14 in an event presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta. A day to the launch, the government and partners in the private sector and civil society finalised a national road map to guide implementation of the SDGs.

This happened just a month after the appointment of Siddharth Chatterjee as the United Nations Resident Coordinator to the East African Nation. Chatterjee coordinates 25 UN agencies in the country and at the same time serves as the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Before his appointment, Chatterjee was the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Kenya.

: Justus Wanzala; THE WORLD; Africa; 15 September 2016

Photo: Garbage dumped in a field in the Eastland’s Suburbs of Kenya's capital Nairobi.

People Key to Sub-Saharan Africa's Sanitation Challenges

By Justus Wanzala

STOCKHOLM (IDN) – Rapid population growth in sub-Saharan Africa is leading to increased urbanisation resulting in high volumes of both solid and water waste, and making compliance with sanitation regulations and standards a major issue.

To face up to the challenge, participants in a session on sustainable urban sanitation during the World Water Week conference held in Stockholm, Sweden, from August 28 - September 2 called for a multi-pronged approach involving all stakeholders to achieve the goal of sustainable urban sanitation.

: Justus Wanzala; THE WORLD; Africa; 10 September 2016

Photo: Mampiti Mohapi. Credit: Sechaba Mokhethi | IDN-INPS

Fight Against HIV/AIDS Brings Hope to Lesotho

By Sechaba Mokhethi

QACHA’S NEK, Lesotho (IDN) – Mampiti Mohapi, a local chief of very remote Ha Nkoko village, travels ten kilometres every month to receive her antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication to counter human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

She was diagnosed with HIV in 2006 at the age of 62 but was not started on ART treatment immediately because at the time such treatment was not administered to people unless they had a CD4 count of 500 or less, which was not her case.

A CD4 count reports the number of cells in a cubic millimetre of blood, and a normal CD4 count ranges from 500 to 1,500 cells per cubic millimetre.

: IDN-INPS Middle East & Africa Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 08 September 2016

Photo: Uniformed children in class in Ha Nqabeni primary school, Lesotho. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

UN Gears Up to Help Lesotho End Poverty

By Majara Molupe

MASERU (IDN) - The United Nations in Lesotho is set to help the Mountain Kingdom implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular Goal One: End Poverty in all its manifestations, including extreme poverty, over the next 15 years in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda, comprising 17 Goals approved by UN member states on September 25, 2015.

Sylvia Tiisetso Khabele, the UN Volunteer on UN Communications told IDN that the key priorities of the world body's work on SDGs in 2016 include strengthening national capacities and those of the UN system for implementation of the Agenda 2030.

: IDN-INPS Middle East & Africa Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Poverty; 03 September 2016

Zimbabweans Become Weapons Against Climate Change

By Jeffrey Moyo

HARARE (IDN) – Carrying a gigantic sack full of plastics debris picked up from rubbish pits, 33-year-old Herbert Mbedzi trudges around downtown Harare, the Zimbabwean capital rummaging dustbins for some more plastic waste for resale to recyclers.

Mbedzi claims that he has never been employed in his life and has now found a reliable source of income in dumped plastic junk, which has become “like gold” to him. “I have realised that my earnings each week from selling the plastics that I collect come to around 80 dollars because I have found reliable and constant customers like local firms involved in recycling plastics products,” Mbedzi told IDN.

: Jeffrey Moyo; THE WORLD; Africa; 02 September 2016

Photo: Solar geysers Credit: Jefffrey Moyo

Zimbabweans Embracing Solar Energy in Remote Areas

By Jeffrey Moyo

MWENEZI, Zimbabwe (IDN) – Deep in Vesera village in Mwenezi district in Zimbabwe’s Masvingo Province, 34-year-old Albert Chindiro emerges from his pole and dagga thatched hut holding a medium size solar panel which he positions on the roof to recharge solar batteries for lighting when night falls.

The house of neighbour Alphios Mhike is linked to power lines from the state energy utility, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), but has long been disconnected from the after Mhike failed to keep up payments for prepaid electricity supplies. He too has now turned to solar energy.

: Jeffrey Moyo; THE WORLD; Africa; 28 August 2016

Photo: Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), Farid Zarif, briefs the Security Council. UN Photo/Manuel Elias

Liberia Needs Long-term Security Council Engagement

NEW YORK (IDN | UN News Service) - The United Nations envoy for Liberia has stressed the need for long-term, robust engagement by stakeholders, particularly the Security Council, towards a sustainable peace in the West African country.

Briefing the Council on August 25, Farid Zarif, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), said many Liberians are concerned about the prospect of the Mission’s withdrawal and potential lack of UN support during the October 2017 presidential and legislative elections.