tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27046906668053924482024-03-12T18:21:00.647-07:00Africa2UUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-12172151969207686852019-12-01T10:21:00.002-08:002020-05-31T17:37:38.219-07:00Barren Harvest<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b> What possible medical breakthroughs will be lost to climate change?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>By: Vivian Kobusingye Birchall</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Did you know that even in 2019 we are still discovering new medical uses for plants? Now, think of how many plants of medicinal value we may have already lost to climate change. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Earlier this year, I attended the Harvard Global Health Catalyst summit at which the International Institute for Phytomedicines was launched as part of an effort to convert potential high-impact medicinal plants to evidence-based pharmaceutical grade products for global health and economic development. One of the plants being researched is Justica carnea, believed to contain hemoglobin. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">During one of his visits to his ancestral home in Cameroon, Dr. Wilfred Nwa, an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, witnessed local households using the plant on patients exhibiting anemic symptoms and as a scientist, he was curious enough to bring the plant to a laboratory in the USA to research its phytochemical characteristics. This could be a big breakthrough in hematology for people who suffer from acute blood loss or chronic anemia and cannot receive blood transfusion because they have reactions to IV iron transfusions, or their religious beliefs prevent them from doing so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is just one example of a plant that could potentially save lives, if researched and made available to the public. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, climate change is a threat to biodiversity and plant species globally, and thus to the advancement of medical research. Medicinal plants are at stake, possibly getting wiped out through desertification, excess heat, wild forest fires like those in the Amazon, hurricanes, mudslides and other climate and weather events.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Every passing day, the human race is scrambling to deal with the effects of climate change, and also with emerging health issues. Some health issues were previously treated with various species of plants and are now treated with compounds derived from plants. Scientists may want to study related species, but find they face the threat of extinction. If the world continues with this trend, we face the threat of a “barren harvest,” not just in the context of food, but also medicinal plants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Historically, many communities used medicinal plants to treat various conditions, before the advent of modern medicine. While some of these plants have already been characterized, they account for only about 15 percent of known species, with 85 percent yet to be explored.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Some of the medicinal plants’ contribution to contemporary medicine include quinine, which for many years was on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. Quinine, which is believed to have been used since 1631 to treat malaria, and most recently to treat lupus and arthritis, was derived from the bark of a cinchona tree. However, the cinchona family has 24 species recognized by botanists. Could we save the known species, and are there more that have not been discovered? These are questions we need to reflect upon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Other concerns have been raised about threats to human settlement from climate change, such as displacement due to natural disasters due to rising sea levels, mudslides, and heat stress. This systemic displacement takes people away from the plant ecosystems they know and brings about depression.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We can draw from a previous environmental catastrophe, the Dust Bowl during the 1930’s that damaged the ecology and agriculture of the America’s South and Canadian prairies. This was not a result of climate change, but it is a reminder of what happens when we fail to become good land stewards. In the American Economic Review, Richard Hornbeck analyzed the economic impact of the American dustbowl. According to his analysis, more-eroded counties experienced large and permanent relative declines in agricultural land values: the per-acre value of farmland declined by 30 percent in high-erosion counties and by 17 percent in medium-erosion counties, relative to changes in low-erosion counties. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, I would like to focus on the medical impact. Reports show that during this period, Dust Pneumonia – whose symptoms are fever, chest pain and difficulty breathing – killed an estimated 7,000 people. It is of concern that researchers at Princeton published new findings that the dust bowl could occur again as a result of climate change and could stir up fertilizers, and other hazardous material in soil. It is critical that the world acknowledges the threat of climate change to our medical advancement, livelihood and existence. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pro-actively, medical researchers, government and health-related non-profits need to fast-track the exploration and research of medicinal plants, while the species are still available. We may have a short window to learn about these plants if environmental and land stewardship habits do not improve. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">References</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1. Hornbeck, Richard. 2012. “The Enduring Impact of the American Dust Bowl: Short- and Long-Run Adjustments to Environmental Catastrophe.” American Economic Review 102 (4) (June): 1477-1507. doi:10.1257/aer.102.4.1477. http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/aer.102.4.1477</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> 2. The paper, “Projection of American dustiness in the late 21st century due to climate change,” was published July 17, 2017 in the journal Scientific Reports (doi 10.1038/s41598-017-05431-9 ) and is available online.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-4317361178533307982019-11-24T19:03:00.001-08:002019-12-07T18:08:57.806-08:00Electric power trends in the United States and opportunities for investment in Africa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://youtu.be/b3gWtDefCdQ">Watch Video</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Life as we know it is significantly influenced by electricity. In health care, it is critical for storing vaccines at a controlled temperature, performing surgical procedures, diagnosis, and imaging. Other uses include lighting our homes, powering electronics, powering transportation (trains, cars, navigation systems et al), powering industries, agro-processing, storage of perishable food, and entertainment - to mention but a few. How well do we in the United States understand the generation and distribution of electricity globally, and what are the underlying issues in communities that are experiencing challenges of access to electric power? What are the opportunities for investment in the electric power sector in the United States and in Africa, and how can we ignite stakeholder action to invest in the sector to improve electrification globally?</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Mr. Lamine Savadogo and Ms. Vivian Birchall at the Acton TV studio</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I recently sat down with Mr. Lamine Savadogo, Président of Marison Energy Systems Corporation and Global Ambassador for Edison Electric Institute – International Programs to talk about the importance of electrification in economic development in the world, the trends of electrification in the United States, challenges in Africa, and opportunities for investment in the electric power sector. He has worked in the electric power sector since 1994, and his company provides intermediation between the United States and Africa. Over the years, he has worked with the U.S State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources, the U.S Trade and Development Agency, governments and utility companies in Africa, and private electric power companies in different parts of the world. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Mr. Savadogo at the Global Electrification Forum<br />Edison Electric Institute HQ, 2018, Washington DC</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As a United States citizen of Ugandan origin, I have been intrigued by the history and structure of electricity in the United States - from whale oil to hydropower, coal, natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable energy. I admire America’s stable, secured and highly regulated electricity infrastructure, recognizing the hard work and discipline that went into creating it. This has triggered me to reflect upon possible solutions to improve electrification in Sub Saharan Africa. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My experience, like that of many communities in Africa, was one of struggling to work or study after sunset due to limited lighting. If electricity was unavailable, the alternatives were often using candles or kerosene lamps to study. To cook, iron, or keep food warm overnight, we would use charcoal or firewood that women and children would walk long distances to collect. It is no that women and children in sub-Saharan Africa, who often sit around smoky fires cooking, are exposed to respiratory challenges.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My desire to understand the electric power sector led me to chat with an expert in the industry. As a resident, it has been helpful to understand the role of the Public Utilities Commission in overseeing investor-owned electric power, natural gas, and water companies in Massachusetts, the birthplace of Benjamin Franklin - one of the founding fathers of the United States and the inventor the electric battery and the lightning rod.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As one would expect, the electricity sector has developed since Franklin’s time, and in recent decades transitioned due to climate change concerns. The sector is now focused on decarbonization, digitalization and distributed generation on electric power. There are advancements in renewable energy technology and innovation in storage and digitization. However, this is mostly true in the United States and in other developed countries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, “In 2018, Massachusetts generated 67% of its electricity from natural gas and none from coal, making Massachusetts the third New England state without coal-fired generation. Almost all the rest of Massachusetts' electricity generation came from nuclear power and renewables.” And “By March 2019, Massachusetts ranked fifth in the nation in installed solar photovoltaic generation capacity with 2,354 megawatts of utility-scale and small-scale solar PV capacity.” But even so, few receive all their electricity from renewable sources. Although many homes here in Massachusetts have solar panels, most are also connected to the grid. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Mr. Lamine Savadogo (left) at the Gulf Cooperation Council's Interconnection Agency's <br />Power Trading Forum, 2019, Kuwait</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ouarzazate Solar Power Station, Morocco<br />Source: S2A_tile_20190320_29RQQ</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Elsewhere in the world, Morocco, the only African country with a power cable link to Europe, has built one of the largest solar power plants in the world, providing about 580 megawatts on 6,000 acres of land, as a response to the need for renewable energy. This plant is believed to save the planet from over 760,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. Some of the funders of this project include the World Bank and European Development Bank. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Saudi Arabia is also diversifying its energy sector from predominantly oil to solar power. The down side to the solar panels across the world is that they have a life cycle and some of these are made up of products that are not bio-degradable at the end of their life cycle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Many emerging economies are still grappling with electrification and yet there are dependent relationships between electricity and health, electricity and urbanization, electricity and transportation. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa experience voltage drops, and power outages causing serious challenges and in some cases loss of lives when they affect critical sectors like health care. The challenges that have dwarfed the electric power sector in much of Africa and in developing countries elsewhere are not necessarily due to the absence of natural resources, but rather the lack of tools of production including critical software, hardware and skilled personnel. There are also political hinderances which have created dysfunctional systems. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mr. Savadogo has worked with United States government and businesses to understand the challenges and complexities in the electric power sector in different countries in Africa and to develop strategies for doing business in Africa, and works with the African stakeholders to identify solutions available in the United States that could be applied to overcome constraints to advancing electric power in their environment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">According to him, the future of energy is electricity, and the US is on track. He specifically notes that in the area of transportation, automobile companies are predicted by experts to move from combustion engines to electric engines. Local municipalities and States could buy electric or hybrid cars for their fleet and through zoning laws plan to accommodate the need for more charging stations for the increasing number of electric cars. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On the other hand, electrification in Africa is still lagging. This situation provides the opportunity for private-sector Investment in the electric power industry because of the overwhelming need to have adequate electric power to meet the very basic needs, such as pumping clean water for domestic use, saving lives in hospitals, processing and preserving agro-products and advancing education. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image source: Atlas of Africa Energy Resources</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By: Vivian K. Birchall</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">https://www.eia.gov/state/print.php?sid=MA</span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-56324944513296504602019-09-15T18:38:00.004-07:002019-09-15T18:40:10.503-07:00Planning for Economic Development in Africa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The continent of Africa is rich in natural resources that support the main economic activities of its individual countries. In addition, the continent has the second largest and youngest population in the world, which positions it as a major world market in the coming years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sadly, in the post-colonial era, development planning at the macro-economic level has failed to create matching economic opportunities for young populations to boost economic growth. Planning is often influenced by donor needs, commitments and compliance with international goals, at the expense of sustainable exploitation of natural resources.<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My previous work with Uganda’s National Planning Authority gave me insight into the complexity of creating National Development Plans. This process requires integrating local sector plans, bi-lateral and multi-lateral plans of action, and internationally agreed goals such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. It takes effort to integrate all these actions, priorities and goals into a single National Development Plan, without losing sight of the salient needs of the predominantly informal economic sector.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Trying to keep up with these rapid changes in plans and programs has, in a way, enticed governments to borrow from international financial institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and from specific developed countries. The inability of many African countries to meet all their budget requirements internally stems from a narrow domestic tax base; high expenditure on public administration; unsatisfactory returns on exports; low foreign direct investment, to increase the tax base; and poor tax administration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As a result, the capacity of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa to develop self-reliant and self-sustaining economies is constrained by challenges of unsustainable debt, energy crises, and low human capital development, among others.<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There have been attempts to improve revenue performance and increase the share of internally generated funds to cover projected expenditures. It is, however, rather difficult to generate revenue from largely informal sectors and small family-owned businesses which do not necessarily embrace corporate governance principles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One of the ways some countries have tried to become players in the global economy is by becoming members of different regional economic blocs to improve trade. This has also not worked well for small economies that fail to position themselves well in the economic blocs. These countries need to identify their main resources, exploit them sustainably and position themselves competitively in the regional and global economy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In my opinion, especially with the newly launched Continental Free Trade Area, development planning will not only need to improve the areas mentioned earlier, but also to include the creation of trade corridors; improve transportation infrastructure; preserve the organic informal ecosystems; and increase access to local markets, to raise incomes, boost economic growth and strategically position the continent for making its mark in the global economy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For more about Africa, her people and how she connects with the rest of the world, e-mail me at africa2u.vivian@gmail.com or watch our videos on the youtube channel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Vivian Birchall</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-16310559967262622122019-07-31T20:12:00.002-07:002019-08-10T20:30:40.521-07:00Powering Regional Integration<div 0in="" 4.5pt="" cambria="" class="MsoNormal" font-family:="" justify="" margin:="" text-align:="">
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<span 14pt="" font-size:=""><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On July 17, 2019, the President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, officially opened the Source 21 High Level Business Summit and International Trade Fair of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi under the theme, “Powering Regional Integration,” the summit was also attended by the Presidents of the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of Zambia and the Republic of Uganda.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The COMESA Business Council organized the conference in partnership with national export promotion agencies and private sector associations from the 21 COMESA member states, together with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, to promote manufacturers' competitiveness and value addition for quality industrial output, and advance cross border trade and inter-business linkages among members of COMESA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> Some members of COMESA also participate in the United States’ Africa Growth Opportunity Act, or AGOA. In my previous episodes, I have mentioned US goals for Africa, including the recent extension of the AGOA program to 2025. On the margins of the summit, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni pointed out that Africa is not fully exploiting the opportunities offered by the United States through AGOA, to export over 6500 products free of taxes and quotas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">COMESA member countries were urged to tackle under-production and under-consumption to spur economic transformation through market integration, infrastructure such as roads and electricity, and other economic growth catalysts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">During the Presidential Public-Private Roundtable, the Heads of Government discussed stimuli available to help COMESA set the tone for the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, create opportunities for Africa, and shape the future of COMESA, and emphasized that Africa’s fragmented market must be integrated to encourage increased production and consumption of goods and services.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Leaders were urged to address shortcomings in infrastructure including transportation and electricity, develop human resources, and come up with innovative and practical strategies to promote industrialization and enhance trade in the region.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In my opinion, however, there are two points omitted from this conversation that would significantly contribute toward efforts to power regional integration and economic growth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The first is that women working in emerging markets find it difficult to get investors and consumers to believe in their products, especially products that are not gender-specific.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It would therefore be ideal to advocate for women’s increased access to financial services at lower costs, and for a change in how corporate entities relate with African markets, and specifically with female entrepreneurs, content creators and technological innovators.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Second is the role of the diaspora in advancing COMESA, the AfCFTA and other regional development initiatives. The African Union has often recognized the African Diaspora as its Sixth Region, and a large source of revenue to the continent of Africa, through remittances and investments.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However, this recognition is often on paper, and there are evident gaps in the African leaders’ direct engagement with the diaspora in terms of planning for the continent and translating the plans into actions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Africans in the diaspora have created platforms for sharing their common vision for a better Africa, and seek to bridge the gap with African regional bodies through meaningful engagement with representatives from the African Union, such as the African Union Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Over the years, in my interaction with diaspora groups, academia and university groups, health care professionals, local governments, and foreign governments, technology and innovation has been one of the cross-cutting themes as a catalyst for economic growth and development.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There is an underutilized opportunity to collaborate with the diaspora who have access to resources for innovation that would boost regional investment and commerce. The diaspora can bridge the digital divide through strategic partnerships and collaborations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It is exciting that the continent of Africa is making significant strides toward regional integration, but I would urge the leaders to tap into the Sixth Region, for a comprehensive approach to the integration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For more about Africa, the diaspora and the connection to the rest of the world, visit us at www.africa2u.org or email me at africa2u.vivian@gmail.com. You can also watch our episodes on our youtube channel.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-4998771667796865742019-06-16T14:55:00.000-07:002019-07-02T20:11:00.514-07:00Phytomedicine in Cancer Care and Research - Harvard International Phytomedicines Institute<div style="text-align: justify;">
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I am excited to say that Africa is at the forefront of bringing other disadvantaged communities together on a world stage to bridge health care gaps.<br />
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Harvard’s Global Health Catalyst program was initiated by Dr. Wilfred Ngwa, to bridge the healthcare gap in low- and middle-income countries around the world, through collaborations with more advanced economies. The GHC seeks to engage in high-level conversations and translate them into policy at national, bi-lateral, regional and international levels. </div>
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During the recent Global Health Catalyst Summit, I had the opportunity to chat with government leaders, diplomats, healthcare professionals and advocates from across the world. Some were seeking new collaborations to help their communities, including representatives from Pakistan and the Pan African Parliament, and Jamaica’s Minister of Commerce, Trade, Animals and Fisheries.</div>
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Over the years of the Global Health Catalyst program, international relations have been built through these partnerships. Growing global collaborations between people interested in cancer care and research has been an important result of the GHC. The program has attracted educational platforms like eCancer, led to the creation of tumor boards, engaged radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons and many other advocates for global cancer care and treatment.</div>
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It is not surprising that I recently heard from a GHC collaborator in Germany whose Rotary club has an exchange program for oncology nurses. He works with solar-powered technology for radiotherapy automation and digitization, and is seeking to build a network of Rotarians to advocate for the creation of a global program to fight cancer in low- and middle-income countries. </div>
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Modern healthcare professionals have recognized the need for holistic health care approaches that incorporate indigenous and multigenerational knowledge, and the Global Health Catalyst is no exception. This year, one of the significant outcomes of the GHC was the launch of the International Phytomedicines Institute, which Dr. Ngwa will tell us more about.</div>
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It is worth noting that plant-based medicine is not a new concept. In Africa and other parts of the world, plant-based medicine has for centuries been used to treat tropical diseases and other medical complications. Modern health care professionals are presently applying science to the herbs that have been used for centuries by indigenous communities around the world.</div>
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In recent weeks, I have browsed through different books on plant-based or herbal medicine. It has been interesting to learn about the different plants and where they are believed to originate. These include flaxseed from Egypt, Artichoke leaf from Mediterranean Southern Europe and the Canary Islands (Leung and Foster, 1996), Ephedra from south Asia, Chamomile Flower from southern and eastern Europe and northern and western Asia, and Cayenne pepper from tropical America. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KsXqaAYhzJI/XQa82kPnT7I/AAAAAAAABaw/mZqM7S2KfxUGPHSIEZcQGG3LPMIFbi9TACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_1984.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KsXqaAYhzJI/XQa82kPnT7I/AAAAAAAABaw/mZqM7S2KfxUGPHSIEZcQGG3LPMIFbi9TACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_1984.jpeg" width="300" /></a>This list is just the tip of the iceberg of the many plants we interact with, often without necessarily recognizing their health benefits. It is interesting to read about the chemistry and pharmacology of these plants. Of course I am not a scientist, but the fact that there is literature explaining the scientific significance of some of these plants takes us back to the conversation on the significance of indigenous medicine in bridging healthcare gaps.<br />
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In a previous episode (http://www.africa2u.org/2018/05/bridging-africas-healthcare-gaps-with.html), I talked about bridging Africa’s healthcare gaps with ethno-medicine. In my opinion, ethnomedicine and phytomedicine are both terms for indigenous plant-based medicine – the words have changed but the concept is the same. This is medicine that indigenous populations have used for centuries to bring relief to those suffering from different ailments. One could call it indigenous biotechnology. It is used to resolve health issues that cause social and economic impact to the communities.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dr. Wilfred Ngwa (left) and Vivian Birchall (Right)</span></i><br />
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Improving plant-based medicine would help bridge the health care gap, and would also be a catalyst for enabling socio-economic development. Agro-based medicines would not only keep the communities healthy, but also provide markets for the farmers of these plants and catalyze preservation of indigenous plants. </div>
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It makes sense for indigenous health care providers, pharmacologists and medical doctors to collaborate on phytomedicines, to provide additional knowledge through extensive research on formulation, dosages and quality control. It is important to note that these products should also be reviewed for safety and efficacy by health care regulators, like our Food and Drug Administration or its equivalent in other countries.</div>
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Vivian K Birchall<br />
africa2u.vivian@gmail.com</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-47075282363653601182019-05-27T19:15:00.001-07:002019-07-13T10:00:20.636-07:00Highlights of the Harvard Global Health Catalyst Summit 2019<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dr. Wilfred Ngwa (L)</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cancer is the growth of abnormal cells that damage or interfere with the body’s organs. Cancer treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation or surgery, and is often unaffordable, especially to people in low and middle-income countries. It has major impact on society emotionally, financially, physically and environmentally.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Led by Dr. Wilfred Ngwa, the Global Health Catalyst at Harvard Medical School’s Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital is dedicated to catalyzing high impact international collaborations and initiatives to eliminate global health disparities, with a main focus on cancer and other non-communicable diseases.</span><br />
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The GHC hosts an annual summit at Harvard Medical School, with satellite conference in Europe and Africa, and has collaborated with other universities to launch create online educational systems such as Global Oncology University (GO-U) and the Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Cloud (C4) to increase access to world-class cancer care, research and education.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">With my camera guru- Patrick Snow (L)</span></i></td></tr>
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This year, the 3-day summit attracted over 400 participants, including medical doctors, global health leaders, advocates, diaspora leaders, sports personalities, and politicians, especially from low and middle income countries, to break down barriers and create sustainable partnerships to impact global health.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Dr. Clare Karekezi<br />Neurosurgeon- Rwanda Military Hospital</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The speakers were from different countries and sectors. They included; Dr Laurie Glimcher - President of the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, H.E. Dr Brylyne Chitsunge - Pan-African Ambassador for Food Security; Global Health and Phytomedicines chair, Honorable Audley Shaw - Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Jamaica, Dr Ahmed Elzawawy - Professor and Chair of the Harvard GHC win-win, Dr Peter Nyongo' - Governor and former Minister of Health, Kenya, H.E. Carlos dos Santos - Ambassador of Mozambique to the USA, Michael Fitzgerald - The Boston Globe Magazine, Melvin Foote - President of Constituency for Africa, Dr Eduardo Cazap - Professor, President of SLACOM, Past President of the UICC, Hon. Henry Lowe - Executive Chairman- </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Environmental Health Foundation | R&D Group of Companies and Flavocure Biotech LLC, Dr Dennis Plamer- Dean, Baptist Institute of Health Sciences. Mbingo Baptist Hospital Cameroon, Raymond Dabney-President and CEO of CBIS, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe-Addai-President-elect, African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), Chief Executive Officer, Peace and Love Hospitals, Ghana, Calvin Johnson- Legendary former NFL player, Dr. Clare Karekezi- Neurosurgeon Rwanda, Dr Rebecca Buecker- Radiation Oncologist, German, Dr James Alaro- Program Director,National Cancer Institute Center for Global Health, Danny Burke- CEO of eCancer, Dr Johannes Schweizer - Chief Science Officer </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Arbor Vita Corporation and Mrs. Dorothy Nyong’o- Managing Trustee of Africa Cancer Foundation, First Lady Kisumu County, Kenya.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Danny Burke<br />CEO - eCancer</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over the years, as a result of the summit, MOUs have been signed, a comprehensive cancer center in the cloud ("C4") has been created to be accessed by anyone, works published, and healthcare ambassadors galvanized. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Over the next few weeks, I will share video highlights of the this year’s summit.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Watch Video</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="color: #274e13;">Interview with Jamaica's Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Hon. Audley Shaw</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Dr. Lydia Asana<br />Coordicator GHCS</span></i></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-54551346172756105762019-05-23T04:52:00.003-07:002019-05-27T16:40:59.498-07:00Keynote Address at the UMass Boston African Scholars Forum's Inaugural Ubuntu Awards <div align="justify">
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Beyond the image of mud huts and subsistence agriculture, ancient African Kingdoms, before they were overwhelmed by foreign entities, had structures and traditions that supported social, economic and political activities. These indigenous institutions and systems served to protect the interests of the people. Even with migration within and out of the continent, Africa’s image is been influenced by the crosscutting cultural practices that have been carried on by the various ethnic groups.<br />
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These practices are often rooted in “Ubuntu,” a foundational value for human interaction in the region, which has historically guided the way of life of the African People in conflict resolution, business negotiations and trade. It is through Ubuntu – characterized by humanity, community, compassion, and restoration of human relations – that communities have historically managed good relations.<br />
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Over the years, communities on the continent have evolved from a somewhat communal way of life to a more capitalistic way of life. This has of course been influenced by the history of colonization, and the new era of globalization. The continent of Africa, with its wealth of resources, has been a target of international interest for years.<br />
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Today, the demand for Africa’s resources and markets has led to a boom in the economic performances of the continent. Africa is experiencing rapid economic growth through economic reform programs and the growth of mobile technology, remittances, banking, healthcare and energy reform in the region. This should be accompanied with investment in productive enterprise and human capital.<br />
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However, the continent is still struggling with inadequate health care, tax bases too small to finance budgets, aid that comes with conditions, and the introduction of invasive species to the natural habitat, such as the water hyacinth, believed to have been brought by Belgians to Lake Victoria as an ornamental plant, that has since impeded fishing and killed off fish stocks.<br />
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Another challenge, especially in conflict areas, is that of good governance – a critical requirement for development. The African Union has created innovative initiatives through its New Partnership for Africa’s Development, such as the African Peer Review Mechanism to encourage peer learning, sharing of best practices and identifying crosscutting issues in economic, corporate and political governance and socio-economic development.<br />
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I worked with the APRM and other NEPAD programs before moving to the United States, and observed recommendations being integrated into national development plans, but these processes are still developing. All stakeholders should prioritize good governance, for the success of development initiatives.<br />
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The African Union categorizes the global African diaspora as the Sixth Region of the AU, and recognizes the contribution of the diaspora to the continent through remittances, but also the potential of the diaspora to help create what AU Ambassador to the US, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, calls “Wakanda Villages,” technologically-advanced communities in different regions of Africa, and to help the continent realize “Agenda 2063 – an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena.” Understanding some of the challenges faced by the continent helps us to identify ways we can effectively intervene.<br />
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It is also important to understand the history of the diaspora in the United States, our contributions, and the challenges we face. After all, much of the foundational economic contribution to this country that laid the groundwork for the industrial revolution was through forced labor by enslaved Africans.<br />
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The earliest members of this segment of the diaspora did not have the luxury to create structures to support their own development, let alone the development of communities in Africa, but their descendants played significant roles in many aspects of American life, producing celebrities in the entertainment and sports industries among others.<br />
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Today, African-Americans are increasingly returning to the continent to visit, invest, and contribute, and Africans are coming from the continent to America willingly, whether for educational or economic opportunities or marriage. But regardless of one’s history and how they got here, members of the African diaspora in the United States often face similar challenges in areas such as income equality, housing, and access to healthcare. We are keenly aware of these challenges in this region, since studies show that Massachusetts is the third most expensive state to live in, with neighboring Rhode Island and Connecticut also in the top 10.<br />
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As you probably know, there are many diaspora organizations in the area – perhaps you are already engaged in one specific to a certain country, tribe, profession, religion or interest. To create more significant impacts in community development – both locally, and on the continent of Africa – the diaspora needs larger, more inclusive groups with project-specific cohorts that can collaborate for change.<br />
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On that note, I would like to discuss Africans in Boston.<br />
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Africans in Boston is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that presents a unique opportunity for anyone of African descent in the New England area to mobilize, share resources, network, and share experiences, using the same platform. I have served on its management team since March of 2018, and will be passing the baton to a new Executive Director at the end of this month.<br />
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Living in this region, members of Africans in Boston face costs of living that are high in comparison to incomes. Our organization works to empower the diaspora in the region to create structures and pool resources, support each other in an economically realistic way, improve the community’s way of life, and eventually play a role in development on the continent as well. As an example, we have been exploring the creation of a diaspora-originated banking entity in the Boston area.<br />
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One key remaining challenge is to attract the different categories of diaspora such as African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Latinos and Africans from the continent to come under the same umbrella for large projects that affect us all.<br />
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All diaspora, in our respective capacities, share a duty to create a better future for Africa and its people. What are some roles we can play?<br />
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<li>Provide positive and forward-looking images of Africa, its people and relations through media platforms, research, and publications. Yes, we have savannah and safaris, but also entrepreneurs, artistes and intellectuals.
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<li>Mobilize human and technical capital for capacity building and technology transfer.
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<li>Support and engage in innovative development activities and initiatives.
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<li>Establish collegial relationships in order to build consensus, for the sustainability of the projects.
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<li>Perpetuate traditional practices that empower women, not those that hurt them, and take advantage of available opportunities to fund projects that empower struggling communities.
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<li>Create investment projects to help push African governments in the direction needed to propel economic progress on the continent
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<li>Offer Africans and their countries financial alternatives to international financial aid between nations or loans through Bretton Woods institutions
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How can the Africa Scholars Forum and scholars and leaders in global governance contribute?<br />
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<li>Celebrate Africa’s innovation, share success stories and be ambassadors for change
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<li>Send diaspora students to Africa, and bring students from the continent, for first hand experiences from which they can synthesize innovative recommendations and solutions
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<li>Form relationships and partner on initiatives with diaspora academics, student groups, innovators and organizations in the Boston area and beyond, as well as those on the continent, to advance shared visions
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<li>Equip scholars with the knowledge that fosters critical thinking and analysis to contribute significantly to academic research on Africa, and shape current and future policy in the right direction.
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<li>To the women, productively “interrupt” male-dominated processes.
</li>
</ul>
I would like to end by urging us all to think critically about the continent of Africa and its people in the context of the past, the present, and the future; to come up with a great vision for the continent, make realistic and attainable development projections, inspire and motivate each other toward realizing this vision, be willing to collaborate, and guide all research and projects towards increasing human capital, marketability, accountability, access to energy, trade and holistic investment strategies that favor Africans in the diaspora and at home. Most importantly, let us continue to be guided by the principle of “Ubuntu.”<br />
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Vivian Kobusingye Birchall<br />
africa2u.vivian@gmail.com<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-67941652122044860352019-05-22T19:13:00.003-07:002019-05-22T19:13:58.167-07:00U.S Policy in Southern Africa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today, Wednesday 5/22/2019, at the invitation of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs,in partnership withthe Bureau of Public Affairs,I participated in the Bureau’s stakeholder discussion conference call on U.S. Policy in Southern Africa.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MjVKWmzpkoM/XOX31mVa2qI/AAAAAAAABVk/3DxCZVg8oVEAymArGHC07I2AXX1sneRfQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Unknown.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="105" data-original-width="479" height="70" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MjVKWmzpkoM/XOX31mVa2qI/AAAAAAAABVk/3DxCZVg8oVEAymArGHC07I2AXX1sneRfQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Unknown.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The call, which is part of the Department’s domestic engagement with its stakeholders, was hosted by an experienced career foreign service officer, who provided a readout on current diplomatic relations with countries in Southern Africa; relief efforts towards victims of Cyclone Idai in Mozambique; and ways the United States government works with its partners to spur mutually beneficial trade and investment, strengthen security capacity, promote good governance, and engage youth through the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and Mandela Fellow programs.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rUDlvQ8nAL0/XOX3112XQRI/AAAAAAAABVg/zN5ue8fKx1gME8B6-169mvXEwauV9-C7wCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Unknown-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="385" height="108" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rUDlvQ8nAL0/XOX3112XQRI/AAAAAAAABVg/zN5ue8fKx1gME8B6-169mvXEwauV9-C7wCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Unknown-1.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The host highlighted some of the key US goals for Africa, including the extension of the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) program to 2025; the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact which offers grants rather than loans; and the upcoming US-Africa Business Summit 2019, June 18-21 in Maputo, Mozambique.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>SADC member states<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image: SADC</span></i></td></tr>
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During the question and answer session, participants discussed the representation of the U.S government in Africa’s regional bodies such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC), high-level visits to Africa, and the significance of African YALI and Mandela Fellows alumni.<br />
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Vivian Birchall<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VNBK2GbzHhc/W-9ZAIF2gAI/AAAAAAAABEU/a_CcKbiITgkFHTReoKufVVWvXYBbJJplwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/great-zimbabwe-ruins-masvingo-zimbabwe-ThoughtCo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VNBK2GbzHhc/W-9ZAIF2gAI/AAAAAAAABEU/a_CcKbiITgkFHTReoKufVVWvXYBbJJplwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/great-zimbabwe-ruins-masvingo-zimbabwe-ThoughtCo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-48896603701692255412019-04-17T05:20:00.002-07:002019-04-21T08:59:46.344-07:00Harvard Global Health Catalyst Summit - Catalyzing high impact international collaborations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SZV9g0NH1bI/XLTTIgqYzYI/AAAAAAAABTw/x8VYibw8CVoEfzRqHHMHNv_9NCkHJsgBQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/55672282_10156339603503067_1974491960274059264_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 238); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: start;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SZV9g0NH1bI/XLTTIgqYzYI/AAAAAAAABTw/x8VYibw8CVoEfzRqHHMHNv_9NCkHJsgBQCK4BGAYYCw/s400/55672282_10156339603503067_1974491960274059264_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last month on Africa2U, I hosted Dr. Lydia Asana, Coordinator of the Harvard Global Health Catalyst Summit, and Dr. Bashkim Ziberi, a member of the 2019 Summit’s Abstract Committee from the Department of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, to chat about the different ways low to medium income countries can benefit from collaboration and partnership in the health sector through Harvard Medical School’s Global Health Catalyst.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Watch episode</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ypARyYDbzIA/XLTQYpsnlPI/AAAAAAAABTY/Jn3nwsaM1hclUcN8xiRiOtDGxf3U6JarACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/55829106_10156339603428067_7115090724323852288_n-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ma-ipqB5Ghs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ma-ipqB5Ghs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The Global Health Catalyst program is funded by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute of Harvard Medical School, and a growing number of funding agencies and industry partners with goal to catalyze high impact international collaborations to eliminate global health disparities, primarily focusing on cancer and related diseases.</span></div>
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Dr. Ziberi and Dr. Asana highlighted some of the low-cost technologies that increase access to care, and approaches for global health that have been developed through this initiative, including “tiny drone” cancer therapy using nanotechnology that targets the tumor sites without having side effects. Dr. Wilfred Ngwa, a medical physicist and member of the African diaspora, developed this technology. The catalyst program also encourages local knowledge through the cloud system and tumor boards which doctors in participating countries that do not have resources to interpret results.</div>
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They described the process through which the abstract committee receives and selects abstracts from around the world, including summit participants; collaboration between GHCS, Cures Within Reach and foreign governments; the diaspora’s role in paving the way for African receptiveness to health programs; and benefits of collaborations in healthcare for communities in Africa.</div>
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Dr. Asana noted that at this year’s summit, top diaspora organizations will compete for the Harvard GHC Diaspora Impact Award, and attendees will have opportunities to enhance their skills by participating in leadership training. The nomination form and more information are available at: https://www.globalhealthcatalystsummit.org/agenda</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-91804394809262690962019-03-27T19:38:00.003-07:002019-05-22T19:24:45.575-07:00U.S. Policy in West Africa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mI5ziSlHbbw/XJwyvSfZhbI/AAAAAAAABSE/UJzo4-ec2lcuaaKPxoSSqpHVHXG1eZkWwCLcBGAs/s1600/1280px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1280" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mI5ziSlHbbw/XJwyvSfZhbI/AAAAAAAABSE/UJzo4-ec2lcuaaKPxoSSqpHVHXG1eZkWwCLcBGAs/s400/1280px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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On Wednesday 3/27/2019, at the invitation of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, in partnership with the Bureau of Public Affairs, I participated in the Bureau’s stakeholder conference call discussion on U.S. Policy in West Africa.</div>
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The call was hosted by an experienced career foreign service officer, who provided a readout on current issues and developments in West Africa and on ways the United States government can work with its partners to counter violent extremism, advance peace and security, promote good governance, and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment. </div>
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The host highlighted some of the key US goals for Africa, including making private capital available for investment and ongoing programs, such as: the Africa Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA); Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC); BUILD Act; and YALI. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gTq3vRdOPIA/XJwyvZkOTXI/AAAAAAAABSI/AnVUjAllhPYjiO0GVFE2kupMLrKQTJaXACLcBGAs/s1600/0fc8516b7193305ebed7dd2aaa42791a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1350" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gTq3vRdOPIA/XJwyvZkOTXI/AAAAAAAABSI/AnVUjAllhPYjiO0GVFE2kupMLrKQTJaXACLcBGAs/s400/0fc8516b7193305ebed7dd2aaa42791a.png" width="335" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Map of Africa with country flags<br />Photo: Wiki commons</i></span></td></tr>
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During the question and answer session, participants chatted about how to engage the diaspora in implementing US policies in Africa, factors that have contributed to the rapid economic growth of Africa including economic reform programs and the growth of mobile technology, remittances, increasing exports to Africa and the energy reform in the Niger delta region.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zqRm2zjWmx0/Wvdz3ywTwAI/AAAAAAAAAwg/A9p5tDBnRqgL21tCxV__VuapQW5Qxl5PQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="887" height="195" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zqRm2zjWmx0/Wvdz3ywTwAI/AAAAAAAAAwg/A9p5tDBnRqgL21tCxV__VuapQW5Qxl5PQCPcBGAYYCw/s400/hills.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Vivian Kobusingye Birchall<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-51872940080662391502019-03-17T20:09:00.001-07:002019-03-22T15:32:11.280-07:00Outer Space with Astrophysicist Prof. Datuk Mazlan Othman<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NhAZDAijPvw/XI8DAjT8_bI/AAAAAAAABPs/G_XICPvIqBEadlU-5HhZ_dg7ZbTShADIgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NhAZDAijPvw/XI8DAjT8_bI/AAAAAAAABPs/G_XICPvIqBEadlU-5HhZ_dg7ZbTShADIgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_5921.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Vivian Kobusingye<br />Birchall walking toward <br />one of the submillimeter array Antennas</span></i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NCJsFDD-PKk/XI72amcHipI/AAAAAAAABOE/PeFCsNKWIf8gq8uvHO-j7znLkCNPyK3-gCLcBGAs/s1600/1024px-San_Marco_launch_platform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FOu_8oz0r5o/XI8G6Z06jTI/AAAAAAAABRU/sAXEroXglxsW8oBR_dYwMLB9L2nPs4ktgCLcBGAs/s1600/1280px-Smithsonian_Submillimeter_Array.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="1280" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FOu_8oz0r5o/XI8G6Z06jTI/AAAAAAAABRU/sAXEroXglxsW8oBR_dYwMLB9L2nPs4ktgCLcBGAs/s320/1280px-Smithsonian_Submillimeter_Array.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>The eight radio telescopes of the Smithsonian Submillimeter Array</i><br /><i>Photo: Reno</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Historically, people have studied space, using the cycles of the moon for religious and agricultural purposes, and the positions of the stars and constellations for navigation. In the last century, these interests led to space exploration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Replica of Sputnik<br />Photo: NASA</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite into orbit on October 4, 1957. The first American satellite, Explorer 1, followed on January 31, 1958. The first human to orbit Earth was Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union, on April 12, 1961. John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth on February 20, 1962, and on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon. In the years since, thousands more satellites representing over 80 countries, and citizens of 37 countries, have been launched into space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Africa’s first spaceport, the San Marco Equatorial Range, opened in 1964 near Malindi, Kenya, as a partnership between NASA and the University of Rome. In 1970, the first satellite specifically for X-ray astronomy, Uhuru, was launched from Kenya. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NCJsFDD-PKk/XI72amcHipI/AAAAAAAABOE/PeFCsNKWIf8gq8uvHO-j7znLkCNPyK3-gCLcBGAs/s1600/1024px-San_Marco_launch_platform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1024" height="420" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NCJsFDD-PKk/XI72amcHipI/AAAAAAAABOE/PeFCsNKWIf8gq8uvHO-j7znLkCNPyK3-gCLcBGAs/s640/1024px-San_Marco_launch_platform.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>San Marco Equatorial Range- Malindi, Kenya<br />Photo: Wiki commons</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The site no longer launches satellites, but still tracks them. African countries from Morocco and Algeria to Ghana, Kenya and Mauritius now use satellites for scientific research, environmental and land-use monitoring, radio and television broadcasts, and internet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today, we live in a world where space technology is used in our day to day lives, and almost taken for granted. Our aircraft, ships, cars and even smartphones know where they are at all times. We have constant views of Earth’s weather and storms. And live television or radio broadcasts from anywhere in the world can be received worldwide, even by people who live “off the grid.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L_Yp2-eLdNc/XI8Kq4_7zDI/AAAAAAAABRo/-dyKaq34964-BivxdG7vwHwE5bTGP6a2gCLcBGAs/s1600/mazlan-othman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1178" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L_Yp2-eLdNc/XI8Kq4_7zDI/AAAAAAAABRo/-dyKaq34964-BivxdG7vwHwE5bTGP6a2gCLcBGAs/s320/mazlan-othman.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Prof. Datuk Mazlan Othman</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At the International level, the United Nations has an office for Outer Space Affairs which implements the decisions of the <span style="text-decoration: none;">United Nations General Assembly</span> and of the <span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space</span>, and maintains a database of satellites registered by the nations which launch them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In observance of International Women’s day, my guest, via Skype is Professor Mazlan Othman, former Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. Prior to taking that office, she was the founding Director General for Malaysia’s National Space Agency, Angkasa. She is currently the Director International Science Council- Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Watch Episode:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Professor Othman was the first woman to earn a physics Ph.D. from the University of Otago in New Zealand, and the first physics Ph.D. in Malaysia. Working in a field that was previously dominated by men, she led the way for more women to follow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We chatted about her experience working in the space industry for the past 29 years; people’s misconception that space is secretive and elitist; the positives and negatives for society, from the use of space; thoughts on establishment of a Space Force and the United Nations guidelines for the increased use of space</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Vivian Kobusingye Birchall with Japanese<br />Astronaut Koichi Wakata </i></span></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-15527722816945797722019-02-25T20:17:00.003-08:002019-03-27T16:54:43.064-07:00Harvard Medical School- Global Health Catalyst Summit 2019<div style="text-align: center;">
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In May 2019, Harvard Medical School will be hosting its annual Global Health Catalyst Summit. This summit is a unique event designed to catalyze high international collaborations to eliminate global health disparities and curb the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last year, I participated as a presenter at this Summit, on the “Wakanda” panel. My presentation was about bridging Africa’s Healthcare gap with ethno medicine, as a sustainable way to disrupt the health care disparities that communities in Africa face. <a href="http://www.africa2u.org/2018/05/bridging-africas-healthcare-gaps-with.html">Read more</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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On Thursday January 31, 2019, I hosted Oscar Nebangwa, Diaspora Outreach Coordinator- Harvard Global Health Catalyst Summit on Africa2U.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>Watch episode</b></span></div>
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We talked about the Global Health Catalyst Summit - its purpose and desired outcomes, the African Renaissance Ambassador Corp, and his experience working with processes and programs designed to create catalytic development in Africa and the United States.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-39969138583996079082019-02-24T07:53:00.002-08:002019-02-24T08:13:13.213-08:00MIT Africa Innovate Conference- Made in Africa<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O32vyzq9TFQ/XHK8yCnE_AI/AAAAAAAABMI/EP7oobZXTeYDHP-G1CSBXlLQ1dgMa5RDQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_3282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O32vyzq9TFQ/XHK8yCnE_AI/AAAAAAAABMI/EP7oobZXTeYDHP-G1CSBXlLQ1dgMa5RDQCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_3282.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Youssef Aroub- MIT and Vivian Birchall- Africa2U</i></span></td></tr>
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Africa is not labeled as an innovation hub, but it is home to some of the most significant inventions. A large number of inventions are developed to meet the needs of local communities, in predominantly poor economies.</div>
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Case in point, Malaria. It is estimated that malaria costs the African economy almost 1.5% of its GDP. Last year, a non-invasive malaria test called Matibabu, developed by Ugandan university students, won the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. The invention is being tested in partnership with a national hospital, and is expected to give results in one minute, with no need to draw blood. </div>
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However, the continent has also produced some high-tech inventions to address global issues in the healthcare, banking, navigation, space, energy and artificial intelligence fields.</div>
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The Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) recognizes African potential and for eight years, the MIT Africa Club has hosted an Africa Innovate Conference. As part of Africans in Boston, I attended last year’s conference, on the theme “Digitization of Africa,” which attracted a cross section of participants including MIT Alumni, business leaders and advisors from Africa and the United States, politicians, and members of the diaspora.</div>
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This year, the club will host the 9th annual MIT Africa Innovate Conference on April 14, 2019 at the Samberg Conference Center. The conference theme is “Made in Africa.” </div>
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On Friday February 22, 2019, I hosted Youssef Aroub, Chair, MIT Africa Innovate Conference, on Africa2u, to talk about the MIT Africa Innovate Conference (Origin/background, goals, objectives), significant innovations from Africa, the innovation patterns in Africa, and what Africa needs to get ahead in innovation and technological advancement.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><b style="background-color: white;"> Watch episode</b></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZwKMoDtO4fw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZwKMoDtO4fw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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The conference creates an opportunity for participants to learn and share best practices and strategies required to accelerate the scaling of impactful enterprises and innovations on the continent across sectors and create partnerships and collaborations.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-22717193818798624842019-01-03T20:19:00.000-08:002019-01-03T20:19:00.075-08:00Perspective on the History of South-South Cooperation and Migration in Africa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;">In this article, I provide perspective on the history of South-South cooperation in Africa and how it has influenced south-south migration.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://youtu.be/bL682X6efGQ">Watch Africa2u episode</a></span></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bL682X6efGQ/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bL682X6efGQ?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Approximately 215 million migrants live outside their home countries.</div>
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-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>80% of African migrants live within the region.</div>
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-<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Uganda has the largest number of refugees in Africa.</div>
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The history of migration and cooperation within the global south dates back to the beginning of mankind, and the global south, specifically Africa, has always been an important player in the international arena, though very rarely recognized as such.</div>
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In November, 2018, I traveled to United Nations headquarters in New York, to participate as a presenter and panelist at a side event to the Global South-South Development Expo. Convened by the International Organization for Migration, this event, like others at the Expo, contributed to the preparatory process for the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, which will be held this March in Buenos Aires, Argentina.</div>
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More immediately, the dialogue presented information to UN Member States and other stakeholders considering the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, and offered them an opportunity to discuss the benefits of South-South and triangular cooperation in promoting better migration governance. The Global Compact has since been adopted at a conference in Marrakech on December 10, and endorsed by the UN General Assembly on December 18, 2018.</div>
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It is worth recognizing, however, that South-South migration and cooperation pre-date modern diplomatic institutions.</div>
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In one of the previous episodes, I pointed out that migration has been a consistent part of human civilization. History reveals that mankind originated in Africa and through migration, spread to the other parts of the world. According to genetic evidence and the most recent fossil discoveries, groups of modern humans first moved across the Sinai Peninsula about 180,000 years ago. Innovative talent carried our species into every exploitable niche. We were living in the eastern Mediterranean region by 90,000 years ago and reached Asia and Australia by 40,000 years ago and Europe by 30,000 years ago.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRdVaForrdg/W8koHc2RFoI/AAAAAAAAA7c/bnqrKWKaNp8AlMJDCsdDf5pYKIYelptAACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="899" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRdVaForrdg/W8koHc2RFoI/AAAAAAAAA7c/bnqrKWKaNp8AlMJDCsdDf5pYKIYelptAACPcBGAYYCw/s400/IMG_7216.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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During ice ages, sea levels were as much as 425 feet lower than they are today, so there were land bridges connecting many of today’s islands and continents. Humans walked across what is now the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska by 15,000 years ago, and reached the southern tip of South America by 12,000 years ago. Polynesian voyagers even colonized New Zealand at least 700 years ago.</div>
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Historically, there have been different social, economic, and political reasons for migration.</div>
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These migration trends led to cities emerging, markets, trade routes and most importantly established trade relations and diplomacy.</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gYcZwZBFnCU/W-9Y2GMYbrI/AAAAAAAABEg/fW6FwLupkL8888-1OGXrnRK4UMwDfO5SwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Bilma-Salzkarawane1-%2BSALT%2BCARAVAN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="800" height="191" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gYcZwZBFnCU/W-9Y2GMYbrI/AAAAAAAABEg/fW6FwLupkL8888-1OGXrnRK4UMwDfO5SwCPcBGAYYCw/s400/Bilma-Salzkarawane1-%2BSALT%2BCARAVAN.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In Africa, as a product of these trade practices, many of the indigenous people of the Maghreb and the Sahara before the Arab/Muslim conquest, - the Berber, adopted whichever language was spoken by their conquerors or trade partners. Due to the transportation barrier caused by the Sahara Desert, they interacted more with the European and Arab traders who used the Mediterranean Sea as their trade routes, and picked up their culture.</div>
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This scenario is similar to the settlement and integration of refugees in Uganda. I earlier mentioned that Uganda hosts the most refugees in Africa and many of these refugees have picked up local identities and practices.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-syLB7UdVzk4/W-ZZK7t8NpI/AAAAAAAAA9c/JnmIT98MissWiqaEzkrPzFpACRfsYeGUQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Equator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="623" height="307" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-syLB7UdVzk4/W-ZZK7t8NpI/AAAAAAAAA9c/JnmIT98MissWiqaEzkrPzFpACRfsYeGUQCPcBGAYYCw/s400/Equator.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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However, there were also the trans-Saharan trade routes, and the Nile Valley migratory routes that led various groups of people from across the Sahara into Sub-Saharan Africa, and they settled there. As a result of the trans-Saharan trade, Berber merchants and nomads incorporated the lands of the Sudan and other lands in the sub-Saharan region into the Islamic world and culture. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lXqWE0KHz08/Wp_8tzyoJcI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/5O00x5Lv0NQ8-tmDHJLo0Oo95QgfuFrYgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/eb0ff9b668592871fe63afac1a0ee70e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="416" height="287" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lXqWE0KHz08/Wp_8tzyoJcI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/5O00x5Lv0NQ8-tmDHJLo0Oo95QgfuFrYgCPcBGAYYCw/s400/eb0ff9b668592871fe63afac1a0ee70e.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>The Zulu are part of the Bantu ethnic group</i></span></td></tr>
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There was also the great African Migration of the Bantu from West Africa, all the way to the south, and how the Bantu interacted with </div>
the nilotics, nilo-hamites, and other ethnic groups.<br />
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These routes would be equivalent to modern day migratory corridors.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SEzLlPMsx44/WtKQmsN8X8I/AAAAAAAAAvQ/Eed5NfcMSW85R-R1MOmX4CxrucXrNRFmQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Map_of_Trans-African_Highways.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="832" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SEzLlPMsx44/WtKQmsN8X8I/AAAAAAAAAvQ/Eed5NfcMSW85R-R1MOmX4CxrucXrNRFmQCPcBGAYYCw/s400/Map_of_Trans-African_Highways.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Most recently, with digitization and quick access to information, people have learnt in real time the facts and challenges that come with migration to the north and more are choosing to stay closer to their home countries. Major cities in Africa are becoming migration hot spots.</div>
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As the IOM points out, countries in the global South are increasingly generating their own best practices and knowledge to address sustainable development challenges. This is critical to a successful south-south cooperation that would have to tap into indigenous/local solutions to challenges, especially since there are less formal migration policies in the south, specifically Africa.</div>
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It goes without saying that there are financial challenges to migrant hosts.</div>
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Indeed, countries in the global south need to work together to strengthen south- south cooperation on national, bilateral and multi-lateral levels. </div>
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My recommendation is that Africa, as part of the global south, be more practical in its strategies by revisiting the things that Africa is naturally gifted with, such as its friendly people, flora, fauna and minerals, and leverage that in promoting south-south cooperation, without having to borrow a lot of money from the north, and get tied into debt.</div>
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Here are some of the things the continent can do.</div>
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Celebrate Africa’s innovation and share success stories</div>
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Specify benefits of migration to increase political will for mart migration policies </div>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Boosting tourism within the south and targeting visitors within the south. Give the people in the </div>
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south reason to invest in activities that appreciate nature in the south, in this case, Africa. That </div>
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would generate additional revenue for the countries</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-43oShaT-PVg/W8koIV9oGXI/AAAAAAAAA7g/2gGzUWIJ5tU4NoyHulGCzjE0LLR7p3nogCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_7218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="703" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-43oShaT-PVg/W8koIV9oGXI/AAAAAAAAA7g/2gGzUWIJ5tU4NoyHulGCzjE0LLR7p3nogCPcBGAYYCw/s400/IMG_7218.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Putting in place an ecosystem for the youth to thrive</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jMBtjN60wt4/W-9XsItbG-I/AAAAAAAABAc/hVtEwFTE2aMdljxZfBAnBRecq8APC27qwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Unknown-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="333" height="181" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jMBtjN60wt4/W-9XsItbG-I/AAAAAAAABAc/hVtEwFTE2aMdljxZfBAnBRecq8APC27qwCPcBGAYYCw/s400/Unknown-2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We also know for a fact that the diaspora is positioned to play a critical role in providing </div>
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solutions for south- south cooperation and migration. In a previous episode, I also mentioned that </div>
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reports indicate that immigrants from the continent of Africa to the United States are highly</div>
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educated and contribute significantly to academic research, though many are under-employed. </div>
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These immigrants can easily be engaged for consultation, strategic planning and networking</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4vPCDpAfpyM/XC7aLQ0WiHI/AAAAAAAABIU/QrVhtXjOTSUzptJEVu13aKCvFS5WqJxywCEwYBhgL/s1600/46e8a80b-ac29-41a5-877e-2a68d1ff0e8b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4vPCDpAfpyM/XC7aLQ0WiHI/AAAAAAAABIU/QrVhtXjOTSUzptJEVu13aKCvFS5WqJxywCEwYBhgL/s400/46e8a80b-ac29-41a5-877e-2a68d1ff0e8b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Vivian Kobusingye Birchall</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-66506822368076360182018-12-12T18:56:00.004-08:002018-12-13T10:06:43.796-08:00US Relations with Burkina Faso and Cabo Verde<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: justify;"><b>Interview with Ms. Maria G. Martinez- U.S Department of State</b></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3_qeD7IdNyg/XBG5-5itdQI/AAAAAAAABGk/79TiDU-C5vsKFalWjDgL8WhAA1wYYfa9QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_E0663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3_qeD7IdNyg/XBG5-5itdQI/AAAAAAAABGk/79TiDU-C5vsKFalWjDgL8WhAA1wYYfa9QCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_E0663.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Ms. Maria G. Martinez (left) - Department of State and Ms. Vivian Birchall (right) - Producer and Host, Africa2U at Acton TV</i></span></td></tr>
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2018 marks two hundred years since the U.S. opened its first consulate in Sub-Saharan Africa in Cabo Verde, then a Portuguese colony. Ms. Maria Martinez from the Department of State-Bureau of African Affairs represented the Department of State at the celebratory event in Quincy, Massachusetts. </div>
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Ms. Martinez was also hosted on Africa2u, in an interview about the United States’ bilateral relations with Burkina Faso and Cabo Verde, the African Growth Opportunity Act, (AGOA) and Millenium Challenge Corporation programs. She also discussed how the African diaspora can engage in Africa’s development processes and programs.</div>
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She joined the State Department as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2015, was a political-military officer at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and served as a desk officer for Qatar and for Nigeria. She is currently the desk officer for two African countries - Burkina Faso and Cabo Verde.</div>
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Prior to joining the State Department, Ms. Martinez served in the United States Marine Corps for 13 years, during which she was stationed in Okinawa, California and Virginia, and deployed to Australia, Thailand and South Korea to support bilateral military exercises.</div>
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She holds dual Bachelor’s Degrees in International Security and Conflict Resolution and Islamic and Arabic Studies, and a Master’s Degree in U.S. Foreign Affairs.</div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Watch Interview</span></b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6d7eRf4OK6Q/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6d7eRf4OK6Q?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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During the interview, Ms. Martinez mentioned cooperation areas and goals for the U.S. and Cabo Verde today, include promoting economic growth driven by the private sector. Cabo Verde has completed two Millenium Challenge Corporation compacts with the United States – the first country to do so – and the US government is promoting American business investment in the country.</div>
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The first compact signed in 2005 with approximately $110 million focused on expanding the port of Praia located in the southern part of the Island of Santiago, and building bridges and roads to promote internal integration of Cabo Verde’s markets and reduce transportation costs. The second compact, signed in 2012, focused on water, sanitation and land registration sectors, and promoting private investments.</div>
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The United States government is also working with Cabo Verde to strengthen its maritime security capabilities. The Department of Defense and Coast Guard conducted joint military training exercises with security forces, and provided 10 harbor patrol boats, which have already been used for rescue missions between islands.</div>
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Ms. Martinez also discussed the G5 Sahel regional cooperation framework, which includes Burkina Faso along with Chad, Mali, Niger, and Mauritania, the framework’s role in protecting the Sahel region from extremists, and how the United States has helped with this process.</div>
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She highlighted a joint force established by the G5 Sahel in February 2017, focused on counter terrorism operations. The United States announced $60 million in support in 2017, and has contributed a total of $110 million in bilateral security assistance to the joint force thus far, with the number expected to grow depending on specific country needs. The US government will provide $46 million to Burkina Faso in bilateral security assistance, including vehicles, training, and protective equipment.</div>
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Burkina Faso has completed one Millenium Challenge Corporation compact. A second compact is being developed, which will focus on the energy sector and human capital development to address energy quality, access to energy, and workforce development. </div>
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Both Cabo Verde and Burkina Faso are eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA. Ms. Martinez noted that it has been difficult for these countries to maximize the benefits, and that USAID’s Africa trade hubs can help develop strategies for maximizing benefits.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mlRfkTxzmAQ/XBG7Iz9_i-I/AAAAAAAABHE/j6XyqAW2CRUC8ZaHB4ibPadUZN2v2GytwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_E0666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mlRfkTxzmAQ/XBG7Iz9_i-I/AAAAAAAABHE/j6XyqAW2CRUC8ZaHB4ibPadUZN2v2GytwCK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_E0666.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ms. Martinez also offered guidance on the African Diaspora’s search for ways to partner with governments, non-profit organizations and businesses to contribute to the development of Africa, including Cape Verde and Burkina Faso in particular. She highlighted private investment in energy development, targeting collective remittances to specific projects, and working with the State Department and Embassies to identify available investment and loan opportunities.</div>
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Describing upcoming US policy on Africa, she noted that the President recently signed into law the BUILD Act, which consolidates the capabilities of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and USAID’s Development Credit Authority into the new US International Development Finance Corporation, with $60 billion in assets.</div>
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The House Foreign Affairs Committee convened a hearing on US Policy in Africa on December 12, 2018, including testimony from the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and National Security Advisor John Bolton will present the policy in remarks at the Heritage Foundation on December 13, 2018.</div>
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Of course, it remains how successfully the new programs can propel the growth of low-income and lower-middle income countries, in which large numbers of rural poor still practice subsistence agriculture and have few ties to western economic systems.</div>
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<a href="https://www.heritage.org/event/webcast-only-the-trump-administrations-new-africa-strategy">Here is the speech on the new Africa Strategy:</a><br />
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<a href="mailto:africa2u.vivian@gmail.com" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></a>
<a href="mailto:africa2u.vivian@gmail.com" style="text-align: justify;">Vivian Birchall</a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t0QerBBMuUw/XBG6H5foPQI/AAAAAAAABGs/-8glUR_N8ikDcvlHLWGXXg-5J5EPQ4lUgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/GIKHE7885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t0QerBBMuUw/XBG6H5foPQI/AAAAAAAABGs/-8glUR_N8ikDcvlHLWGXXg-5J5EPQ4lUgCK4BGAYYCw/s400/GIKHE7885.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Lunch at Asmara restaurant with diaspora, convened by Africans in Boston, in Massachusetts</span></i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3_qeD7IdNyg/XBG5-5itdQI/AAAAAAAABGk/79TiDU-C5vsKFalWjDgL8WhAA1wYYfa9QCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_E0663.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5Q4FoM3Y0s/XBG6-31GBhI/AAAAAAAABG8/4NCuqCSQXJUt8FH8uUlIojoQdcWfNiURACK4BGAYYCw/s400/IMG_E0670.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5Q4FoM3Y0s/XBG6-31GBhI/AAAAAAAABG8/4NCuqCSQXJUt8FH8uUlIojoQdcWfNiURACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_E0670.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-42684428978785787922018-12-11T19:54:00.001-08:002018-12-12T18:44:05.600-08:00Implementing the Global Compact for Migration through South-South Cooperation<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGiv_3-VQho/XBB9-s9-NnI/AAAAAAAABGA/DKzuBZvNTCsRPmRDg8sdvS-vwtmyBCv1wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_E0686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: start;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGiv_3-VQho/XBB9-s9-NnI/AAAAAAAABGA/DKzuBZvNTCsRPmRDg8sdvS-vwtmyBCv1wCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_E0686.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image: IOM</span></i></td></tr>
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I recently participated as a presenter and panelist at a side event to the Global South-South Development Expo, which took place between 27 and 30 November at United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York.<br />
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The informal dialogue was convened by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Office to the United Nations, as a contribution to the preparatory process of the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 20 to 22 March 2019. The outcomes will inform the upcoming UN conference to adopt the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration (Global Compact). It is intended to offer UN Member States and other stakeholders an opportunity to discuss the benefits of South-South and triangular cooperation in promoting better migration governance.<br />
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According to the IOM, the dynamics of South-South migration, and especially intra-regional migration, necessitate new and expanded forms of partnership between developing countries. Migration trends in the global South require further investigation and policy attention, given the challenges they pose for migrants and communities and the potential benefits these evolving trends may hold for development. At the same time, countries in the global South are increasingly generating their own best practices and knowledge to address sustainable development challenges. Exploring how to build upon those practices to promote better migration governance should be part of the discussion.<br />
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A summary of discussions was produced as a contribution to the broader Expo outcomes and other intergovernmental discussions on South-South cooperation.<br />
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<b>Details of my presentation</b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WQKHemZKVtA/XBB8TxmaUgI/AAAAAAAABFc/hP2gAgMZP64GCCvhSIdRGB5Tcw6-JPXLgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WQKHemZKVtA/XBB8TxmaUgI/AAAAAAAABFc/hP2gAgMZP64GCCvhSIdRGB5Tcw6-JPXLgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_0464.JPG" width="240" /></a>The South-South migration trend is characterized by people from very poor economies moving to emerging economies triggered by conflict (as refugees), search for better economic and employment opportunities, for school and sometimes in hopes of experiencing lifestyles they have only seen in the media or movies.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh3FNtozEGY/XBCA0HijceI/AAAAAAAABGY/NkwfDOHZdP86FmrJFEF8OhqZw-qg0m3hACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_E0270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yh3FNtozEGY/XBCA0HijceI/AAAAAAAABGY/NkwfDOHZdP86FmrJFEF8OhqZw-qg0m3hACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_E0270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>I was asked to share my experience working with the African diaspora in New England, and to highlight the contributions the diaspora community has made to home countries, as well as ideas for countries to work with their citizens living overseas to improve development at home.<br />
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Today, moving between countries in the south is easier for individuals with passports from the north than for those with passports from countries in the south. Changing the trajectory of migration from South-North to South-South can be encouraged and realized in part by improving mobility within the south. In Africa, this could entail revisiting the visa policies of different countries and working toward standardization of documentation, as well as improving infrastructure and getting rid of unnecessary customs, taxes, and tariffs. </div>
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As diaspora, we have the privilege of being removed from the day-to-day challenges in Africa such as access to electricity, modern health care and other basic needs, and the internet. This places us in a strategic position to do amazing things with technology that can be shared with the continent. We also have the capacity for high-tech, bio-tech, finance, and other infrastructure development for the advancement of poor and emerging economies.</div>
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In the African way of life, families are still deeply dependent on each other socially, economically and in other ways. This historical trend makes the diaspora a critical resource. Migrants maintain connections to their home countries, and send remittances to improve the ways of life of the people back home. These remittances make up a meaningful percentage of their home countries’ income.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UqdGL21ydB0/XBB-xSosv3I/AAAAAAAABGM/gDSCuKVUek46xWp7fGqHnu-U8LP2ohr5ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_E0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>According to the World Bank, remittances are the second-largest source of foreign inflows into Africa, after Foreign Direct Investment. Averaged across all of Africa, remittances account for a few percent of domestic GDP, but the percentage is higher in some countries. In 2017, Africa registered almost $40 billion in “formal” remittances, and more than 25% of Liberia’s GDP came from remittances.</div>
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In my experience with Africans in Boston, I have found that the diaspora is not only hungry to send remittances, but also to contribute to improving the economic and political governance of Africa, and is looking for entry points into building partnerships with corporate, political and social structures on the continent. This year, we have moved beyond providing a platform for the diaspora to build partnerships and social and economic networks and strengthen the socio-economic status of Africans in New England, and established a working relationship and partnership with the African Union Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao.</div>
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We engage in dialogue with the Ambassador about the different ways we can contribute to Africa. As a result of these conversations, Africans in Boston is exploring the creation of a Diaspora financial entity in New England, which would serve the diaspora in the region, and also be one of many avenues for investing in Africa, in the future.</div>
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In addition, we have created a “book of list,” which is a database of Afro-owned or Afro-themed businesses, both to take inventory of the African businesses in the area, and to be in a strategic position to mobilize capacity for future projects in Africa. The diaspora has the capacity to fill gaps that many countries in the South face, sensitizing communities in the south to support each other, to not only reduce “brain drain,” but also help build poor and emerging economies.</div>
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We recognize, though, that our influence as professionals is modest and must be leveraged using the right tools to have an impact. If the influence of a professional, teacher, innovator or doctor is a five out of ten, I might rate the influence of a celebrity or professional athlete in the diaspora at nine out of ten. Engaging influential figures the public looks up to can help mobilize both the diaspora and communities in Africa to create structures and infrastructure, advance the agenda for encouraging south-south migration, and create financial entities that would be a stepping stone for contributing to the development of the South.</div>
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<b>What the diaspora can do, given the tools</b></div>
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<li>Create financial entities to fund development projects in the South</li>
<li>Build universities in the rural regions, electrical power infrastructure, television and radio networks and sports to help transform these rural regions into mini cities with a full eco-system of their own.</li>
<li>Mobilize expertize to meet specific needs in the south, through creating a “Book of list” of diaspora businesses, professionals and organizations</li>
<li>Develop local eco-systems in the south with capacity comparable to those in the North for education, health care, technology, et cetera so that countries in the south can tap into these local eco-systems</li>
<li>Innovations and creations that utilize existing local resources to promote local capacity</li>
<li>Identify people and places in Africa with projects that the diaspora could help facilitate, equip with the necessary tools, and help succeed.</li>
<li>Create jobs and opportunities in the far remote villages that would reduce the need for people to migrate in search of economic opportunities.</li>
<li>Serve as advisors and consultants to governments and organizations trying to achieve good governance of South-South migration.</li>
<li>Work with organizations that facilitate South-South Migration as advisors</li>
<li>Build call centers in the south in partnership with governments, to create communication hubs</li>
<li>Create positive images of Africa, to help young media consumers feel proud and comfortable about where they live, to prevent peer-pressure triggers for South-North migration.</li>
<li>Speak well to the development of Africa, because the power of the spoken word and the power of the mind determine what one does.</li>
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To conclude, South-South migration, facilitated by the cooperation between developing countries will be realized by not only creating structures and policies that provide an environment for developing countries to help each other with knowledge, technical assistance, and/or investments, but also by the South, specifically Africa, tapping into its diaspora for professional advice, technical assistance and building partnerships with the north.<br />
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<a href="mailto:africa2u.vivian@gmail.com">Vivian Kobusingye Birchall</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-12848723680876318302018-11-16T16:30:00.001-08:002019-02-11T18:46:37.654-08:00Africa's Economic Systems Over Time<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Africa’s indigenous economic systems have influenced the current economic models on the continent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cRIHLJIW7ZE/W-4pY0S8zOI/AAAAAAAAA_o/3aCUm-b0ztM2vYMUkkjrL1glX_4h1QjGgCKgBGAs/s1600/ee8a3392-0fd7-4078-a68c-2ff2a3a4de78" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cRIHLJIW7ZE/W-4pY0S8zOI/AAAAAAAAA_o/3aCUm-b0ztM2vYMUkkjrL1glX_4h1QjGgCKgBGAs/s400/ee8a3392-0fd7-4078-a68c-2ff2a3a4de78" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Beyond the image of mud huts and subsistence agriculture, ancient African Kingdoms had economic structures that supported economic activities, before they were overwhelmed by foreign entities. These indigenous institutions and systems served to protect the social, economic and political interests of the people.</span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">The economic systems were characterized by </span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">self-reliance and built capacity for self-sustaining development, encouraged broad participation by the communities and consensual decision making, also known as inclusive planning. Social values, rather than formal rules and sanctions, worked to prevent conflict of interest in the socio-economic and political set up of these communities.</span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;">Niger-Sahara Medievel routes- Wikipedia</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Let us explore how production was organized, goods exchanged and distributed, how the natives obtained finance, and what role the chiefs or native governments played in the economy, and what indigenous technologies were applied.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Historically, these communities and kingdoms were decentralized into chiefdoms. Chiefs operated as custodians of customary law and communal assets, especially land. They dispensed justice, resolved conflicts and enforced contracts. They also served as guardians and symbols of cultural values and practices. They created local markets, and developed extensive trade routes between villages and kingdoms, including navigating rivers and constructing sea ports. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">The communities engaged in quite a wide variety of economic activities utilizing Africa’s robust natural resources and </span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">created an environmentally conscious marketplace that preserved culture, promoting a healthy population through high quality agriculture, food security and social protection. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">While reviewing the indigenous practices of the people of Africa, we learn that early civilization in Africa gave birth to not only passing on traditional survival skills such as the ability to produce food in deserts and scrublands, but also new and innovative ways of increasing productivity and some of these innovations include hydraulic engineering which was used to irrigate crops, iron smelting to make iron tools, and excavation of minerals such as gold, that were used as a form of currency.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Speaking of gold, Emperor Musa the first of the Mali Empire, also known as Mansa Musa, made a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 along with thousands of his people and tens of thousands of pounds of gold, some of which he gave as charitable donations in Cairo, Medina and Mecca. Mansa Musa gave away so much gold during his famous hajj that it caused inflation and depressed gold prices in the region for years, but in doing so, he also gave visibility to Mali. It is said that his lavish spending led to Mali appearing on the map of the world in 1339. Mansa Musa also created the city of Timbuktu, a strategic city along the trans Saharan trade routes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: x-small;"><i>King Jaja of Opobo</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">In what is now Nigeria, King Jaja of Opobo was a merchant prince who showed high aptitude for business from an early age. In his prime years, the European “Scramble for Africa” took place, and his kingdom was part of the territories allocated to Great Britain. It is said Jaja refused to accept British rule, levying duties on British traders and going so far as to shut down trade on the Imo river until one British firm agreed to pay duties. His rule ended when he was lured into a meeting aboard a British warship, where he was arrested and taken to Accra for trial, found guilty of treaty-breaking and blocking trade, and exiled to the West Indies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Africa’s abundant natural resources, and the indigenous markets and trade networks developed to exchange them, were among the factors that attracted colonial empires from Europe, eager to assume control of trade. As a result, the economic and political control of indigenous leaders was weakened. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">During the era of colonialism, local production was disrupted, as people feared working on the farms, going fishing or working on industrial processes for fear of being captured and taken as slaves. The economy in the region evolved, with cash crops emerging and taxation structured to serve the colonial regimes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Communities that were destroyed by anti-colonization and anti-slavery rebellions were left with ruined economic structures including disrupted human resource capacity. As a result, many post-independence governments inherited fractured communities and tried to create alliances by strategically appointing key tribal representatives to administrative structures. Lingering trauma caused by the slave trade also slowed the process of rebuilding these communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-size: xx-small;"><i>The president of the Republic of Uganda, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni with the King of Buganda,Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Today, many African countries are still striving to create macroeconomic frameworks that support sustainable development, including inflation control, increased access to credit, fiscal decentralization, and promotion of investment and gains in productivity and marketing of agricultural produce. They have also created </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">regional economic integration arrangements such as the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community, the Economic Community of West African States and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">African leaders have been called upon<b style="font-weight: normal;"> </b></span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">to rethink current economic models in a much more comprehensive way during planning, so as to respond to critical challenges that emanate from the new economic reality of a capitalist system in a largely communal society.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">NGO Forum, in its submission “Unlocking Uganda’s Development Potential”, notes that policies based on theories and models of purely self-interested “rational actors” are undermining, overwriting and displacing pre-existing norms, values, attitudes and practices among African populations. This cultural dimension of rapid neo-liberal reforms has negatively affected the previously reciprocal and cooperative relationships and trade practices between smallholder farmers and traders in rural markets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">That said, </span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">some leaders in Africa recognize the resilience of the indigenous institutions and practices and have incorporated these structures into their modern governance structures. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">I will end with a quote by the Republic of Guinea’s Dr. Ousmane Dore, an economist with the African Development Bank:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: white; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">“when policy neglects history, culture, and social context, huge amounts of effort and resources can be wasted on poorly conceived initiatives.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "adobe song std";"><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: white;"><b>Vivian Kobusingye Birchall</b></span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-544936192571097242018-11-09T20:18:00.003-08:002018-11-09T20:20:06.864-08:00Some Facts About Africa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Africa’s foundational value for human interaction is “Ubuntu,” characterized by compassion, and restoration of human relations.<br />
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Before I explain why, here are some facts about the continent of Africa:<br />
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World Meters reports that the continent of Africa has a population of almost 1.3 billion people, based on the latest United Nations estimates. If this is broken down into sub regions, the areas and their populations are:<br />
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Eastern Africa, 434 million</div>
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Western Africa, 382 million</div>
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Northern Africa, 238 million</div>
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Central Africa, 169 million</div>
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Southern Africa, 66 million</div>
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* Africa is home to one-sixth of the total world population.<br />
* Among regions of the world - roughly equivalent to continents - Africa is the second most populous.<br />
* Africa has a land area of 11.44 million square miles, and a population density of only * 113 people per square mile.<br />
* 40.6% of the population is urban<br />
* The median age in Africa is only 19.4<br />
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With these statistics, we can see why Africa is a force to reckon with in the global economy, but this is a conversation for another day.<br />
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So, going back to attributes that define Africa,<br />
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Even with migration within and out of the continent, Africa’s image has been influenced by crosscutting cultural practices that have been carried on by various ethnic groups. These practices include “Ubuntu,” which has historically guided the way of life of the African People in conflict resolution, business negotiations, and trade. It is through Ubuntu that communities have historically managed good relations. <br />
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Other cross-cutting practices include sharing household roles, community farming, initiation ceremonies, dances, spirituality, oral education, and crafts, to mention but a few.<br />
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Transformations within the continent of Africa have historically been influenced by the changes in the environment, soil fertility and climate. In the past, these changes influenced the community setup, including economic activities.<br />
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Pastoralism was carried out in the rift valley region of East Africa. Agriculture was common in the interlacustrine region, better known as the Great Lakes region, in East and Central Africa. This region is gifted with many lakes, including Victoria, Albert, Kyoga, Kivu, Tanganyika, Edward, and George, which endow the region with fresh water and fertile soils.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kf92o7VC7YQ/W-ZZ0iUBT6I/AAAAAAAAA_M/97_D8vZknH85HRgx7Esge4dFJgfLjP_-QCEwYBhgL/s1600/GreatLakesAfrica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="279" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kf92o7VC7YQ/W-ZZ0iUBT6I/AAAAAAAAA_M/97_D8vZknH85HRgx7Esge4dFJgfLjP_-QCEwYBhgL/s1600/GreatLakesAfrica.jpg" /></a>Records show that during the great African migration over 3,000 years ago, the Bantu are believed to have migrated from the Cameroon/Nigeria Border to the east and south. Many settled in Congo and the Great Lakes region, and intermarried with the hunters and gatherers who occupied that area. They created structured settlements, and elaborate administrative, governance and economic systems that made them stand out in the region.<br />
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Along with other ethnic groupings, this region was home to many kingdoms, including the kingdoms of Buganda, Bunyoro, Burundi, Busoga, Buvinza, Buyungu, Buzinza, Gisaka, Heru, Igara, Ihangiro, Karagwe, Kimwani, Kiziba, Kyamutwara, Kyania, Mpororo, Mubari, Muhambwe, Nkore, Rwanda, Ruguru, Rusubi, andToro<br />
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In future episodes, we will learn about how these kingdoms/states were disintegrated at the hands of foreign entities.<br />
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Just as a reminder, Africa is home to various ethnic groups speaking over 3,000 languages. Uganda alone is home to people speaking more than 50 languages.<br />
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African history and culture are broad and every aspect of them enables us to understand the continent and its people at home and in the diaspora.<br />
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Vivian Birchall<br />
africa2u.vivian@gmail.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-64334431486151377932018-10-18T15:14:00.000-07:002018-11-09T20:20:54.686-08:00Africa's Identity<br />
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People’s perception of Africa have been shaped by clichés of the “dark continent.” It is no wonder that many people are scared of visiting the continent, afraid of the unknown darkness. It is a continent that has been often grossly misunderstood, based on the labels given to it by authors, colonialists, traders, missionaries, visitors and other foreign entities.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Kilembe- Uganda<br />photo by Andrew Anderson</i></span></td></tr>
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It is important that one understands the pre-colonial social setup of African people. Historically, pre-colonial communities in Africa were communal, rooted in families and extended family systems. They identified themselves by clan, tribal or ethnic homelands, also known as kingdoms. It is estimated that Africa had about 10,000 different states and autonomous groups with distinct languages and customs. These structures of human relationships in Africa were and still are critical to the survival of communities - culturally, socially and economically.</div>
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In future episodes, we will review how the pre-colonial set up was disrupted over time.</div>
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These thousands of ethnic groupings did not have room for a single political word that defined the continent. So, where did the continent of Africa get its name?</div>
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The history of the word “Africa” is disputed. There are some theories:</div>
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Phoenician Theory: Phoenicians were some of the greatest traders of their time. Many North African cities and towns emerged as trading posts for the Phoenicians. Some believe that the name "Africa" was derived from two Phoenician words, "friqi" and "pharika," thought to translate as corn and fruit. The assumption is that the Phoenicians christened Africa as "the land of corn and fruit."</div>
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Roman Theory:' Some believe the Romans used the name “Afri' to refer to a group of a group of people, presumably the Berbers of North Africa.</div>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Weather Theory: the Greek word aphrike, meaning "without horror" and the Latin word apricus, meaning "sunny";</div>
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None of these theories indicate that any indigenous Africans had anything to do with what the continent was called. The name is descriptive of what people who came back to Africa to trade or other, witnessed or experienced.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Ankole lady making out the share of a cow's horn- People in the Ankole Kingdom , in Uganda, have historically been pastoralists.<br />Photo by Andrew Anderson</span></i></td></tr>
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So, going back to the identify of the people from the continent of Africa, think of every descriptive word you have grown up hearing about Africa, and the image that has given you about the continent. It is sad that this identity has been distorted over a long period of time, post colonialism. It characterized by national disasters and calamities, in addition to being called the “dark continent.”</div>
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However, what characterizes an African is their distinguishing food, language, dance, dressing, and other cultural aspects. This includes African-Americans and Afro-Caribbeans who had to create a new culture, following the slave trade era that caused cultural dislocation.</div>
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Vivian Kobusingye Birchall<br />
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References</div>
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http://countrystudies.us/libya/5.htm</div>
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https://www.tripsavvy.com/how-africa-got-its-name-3975025</div>
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https://file.scirp.org/pdf/OJPP_2013022614262155.pdf</div>
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Africa</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-15762806266421801782018-09-14T16:53:00.000-07:002018-10-18T15:05:39.809-07:00The African Peer Review Mechanism<div style="text-align: justify;">
The African Peer Review Mechanism is an important process for the transformation of Africa. The climax of it is that countries benefit from the gains of the Peer Review process when they implement the Programme of Action.</div>
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One of the strengths of the process is mutual accountability and responsibility to each other as participating countries. A country does this with support of her neighbors and other countries. This contributes to improved collaborations amongst states.</div>
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The process helps countries and states to come up with emerging issues, selecting issues of concern that should be given adequate and immediate attention, determining salient challenges facing a nation or state under review, identifying ideas for the solutions of the challenges. These ideas are subject to validation by the community and all stake holders before they are adopted to form the National Programme of Action. It is also a process for finding solutions for specific needs.</div>
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The APRM enables citizens to participate in the evaluation of how they are governed. Public involvement during the self-assessment and implementation phase of APRM process enables community engagement and participation in remediation. It also comes up with ways of developing models of community collaboration to improve the ability of community groups to hold their political and community leaders and themselves accountable.</div>
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Public involvement facilitates a positive change in the culture and values of people, businesses and organizations in the four thematic areas of Corporate Governance, Economic Governance Management, Socio-Economic Development and Democracy and Political Governance. It is a long-range change toward better awareness and improved stewardship at the community level. By changing the culture and values of those living in the community, a new set of sustainable behaviours can emerge. This can be one of the most subtle but powerful effects of broad public participation.<br />
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The process follows African and international standards and codes; deepens African solidarity; builds capacity in monitoring governance; show cases Africa’s innovative thinking in governance and contributes to facilitating greater advocacy.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-85492188175722361982018-09-14T16:49:00.000-07:002018-11-09T20:19:13.695-08:00A message from the African Union Ambassador to the USA, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-35344867886283829882018-09-06T20:03:00.001-07:002018-09-06T20:05:44.150-07:00Diaspora Support for Free Trade and Economic Growth in Africa<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; text-align: justify;">Many have pointed out that Africa is positioned as the last economic frontier.</span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; text-align: justify;">Africans in the diaspora have been recognized as critical players in this economy and are urged to actively participate in changing the economic trajectory of the continent, through, among other things, creating financial institutions to support the continent’s development initiatives. </span><br />
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During a meeting held on Thursday September 6<sup>th</sup>2018, the African Union Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, called on Africans in the diaspora to unite, create social and business partnerships and investments that would position Africa strategically in the global economy, and provide a basis for fair trade negotiations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As Ambassador, she is fulfilling the African Union Mission’s mandate to undertake, develop and maintain constructive and productive institutional relationships between the African Union and Africans in the Diaspora. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But there are many unanswered questions about the socio-economic status of different countries that make up Africa.That is why it is critical that we in the diaspora understand the trade terms and treaties signed by different countries in Africa, and how they impact the success rate of economic activities in those countries. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It is worth celebrating that recently, African Union member states recognized the need to break down trade barriers within the continent, with 49 of 55 signing an agreement to create the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Once the agreement enters into force, it will result in the largest <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-trade_area" style="color: purple;" title="Free-trade area"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">free-trade area</span></a> in terms of participating countries since the formation of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization" style="color: purple;" title="World Trade Organization"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">World Trade Organization</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As an action plan, the diaspora needs to rally around the countries that have already ratified or are planning to ratify, and remind them that there is strength in numbers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Vivian Kobusingye Birchall</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-21740373312264344772018-08-22T20:33:00.000-07:002018-08-24T14:22:07.132-07:00Transnational Migration Practices of Africans <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Migration has been a consistent part of human civilization. History reveals that mankind originated in Africa and through migration, spread to the other parts of the world. Historically, there have been different social, economic, and political reasons for migration.<br />
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Immigrants from Africa do not come from one homogenous group, but they do have similar practices when they move to their new home countries. In the United States, these are some practices of transnational migrants from Africa.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Vivian Kobusingye Birchall and H.E. Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, African Union Ambassador to the USA</span></i><br />
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In Africa, families are still deeply dependent on each other socially, economically and in other ways. Because of this, migrants maintain connections to their home countries, and send remittances to their home countries to improve the lives of their families back home.<br />
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These remittances make up a large percentage of their home countries’ income – according to the World Bank, the second-largest source of foreign inflows into Africa after Foreign Direct Investment. Averaged across all of Africa, remittances account for a few percent of domestic GDP, but the percentage is higher in some countries. In 2017, Africa registered almost $40 billion in “formal” remittances, and, more than 25% of Liberia’s GDP came from remittances.<br />
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African immigrants also maintain their cultural lifestyles, introducing cuisine, fashion, music and other aspects of their culture into the communities where they live. In doing so, they increase the cultural diversity of those communities.</div>
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Africans are very interactive people, and even with migration, they gradually create transnational identities that they maintain through social groups, networks and associations. They also use these platforms to address issues that affect them collectively and share experiences for self-improvement.</div>
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It is important to increase visibility of these vibrant groups of young people who are committed to finding solutions to inefficiencies both on the continent of Africa and in their new homes, especially in the technology industry.</div>
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Reports indicate that immigrants from the continent of Africa to the United States are highly educated and contribute significantly to academic research, though many are under-employed. These immigrants can easily be engaged for consultation, strategic planning and networking by the African Union Mission to the United States.</div>
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Early this month, the AU Mission hosted its inaugural African Diaspora Youth Leadership Summit, in partnership with the US State Department. I was among the participants selected from the African Diaspora in the United States, to meet with participants from countries within Africa and discuss issues including business leadership, technology, sports and entertainment.</div>
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The summit reinforced the key role that the diaspora plays in the development processes of the continent, through its networking and remittances practices. Transnational African Migrants also have strategic knowledge of both the African continent and the United States, which they sometimes apply to trade, innovation and developing technology that is applicable to the African ecosystem. </div>
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I hope you have learnt something new about practices of transnational African migrants</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-72075907733269548222018-08-15T19:26:00.002-07:002018-08-15T20:25:44.648-07:00Planning for Economic Development in Africa.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oogawgABU2E/W3Ti7Vft2SI/AAAAAAAAA1o/kNgOUwj7b2Ih1k7A9qbDTlQdH9c-GG_nQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oogawgABU2E/W3Ti7Vft2SI/AAAAAAAAA1o/kNgOUwj7b2Ih1k7A9qbDTlQdH9c-GG_nQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_0467.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by my friends Kerry and Susan, taken while on Safari in South Africa</span></i></td></tr>
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The 54 countries that make up the continent of Africa are individually rich in natural resources that support their main economic activities. In addition, the continent has the second largest and youngest population in the world, which positions it as a major world market in the coming years. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The sad reality, however, is that in the post-colonial era, development planning at the macro-economic level has failed to create opportunities for high economic growth and is often influenced by donor needs and commitments to compliance with international goals, at the expense of sustainable exploitation of natural resources.<b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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For a long time after Uganda’s current president came to power, the planning was based on a 10-point program he had developed during the guerilla war. This was followed by the Poverty Eradication Action Plan, which was less a plan than a framework focused on privatizing government institutions, through structural adjustment programs. It was not a blueprint for sector activities, but rather an instrument to appease the donor community. It was later realized that the PEAP had flaws that came with not being an actual plan, and the National Planning Authority was created to revive the national development planning process. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My previous work with Uganda’s National Planning Authority gave me insight into how complex it can be to create a National Development Plan, given that it requires integrating plans for different sectors with Plans of Action derived from African Union programs and other internationally agreed goals such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. It takes effort to integrate all these goals into a country’s Development Plan, but the good news is many of the goals are overlapping.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Trying to catch up with these rapid changes in plans and programs has, in a way, enticed governments to borrow from international financial institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and from specific developed countries. The inability of many African countries to meet all their budget requirements internally stems from a narrow domestic tax base; high expenditure on public administration; unsatisfactory returns on exports; low foreign direct investment, which could have increased the tax base; and high levels of corruption, especially in tax administration.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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As a result, the capacity of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa to develop self-reliant and self-sustaining economies is constrained by challenges of unsustainable debt, energy crises, low human capital development, corruption and lack of accountability<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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There have been attempts to improve revenue performance and increase the share of internally generated funds for funding projected expenditures. It is, however, rather difficult to generate revenue from largely informal sectors and small family owned businesses which do not necessarily embrace corporate governance principles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the ways some countries have tried to become players in the global economy is by becoming members of different regional economic blocs to improve trade. This has also not worked so well for small economies that have failed to position themselves well in the economic bloc. These countries need to identify their main resources, exploit them sustainably and position themselves competitively in the regional and global economy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is going to take the young generation to adopt planning processes that support the sustainable growth of African economies, while preserving their ecosystems and tapping into the local markets, as part of strategically positioning the continent for economic growth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zdoKiioKas/W3Ti-iIh0hI/AAAAAAAAA1s/8szyu-E1_3IjQaqCaVRjvgD4oSpXkfMBQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zdoKiioKas/W3Ti-iIh0hI/AAAAAAAAA1s/8szyu-E1_3IjQaqCaVRjvgD4oSpXkfMBQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0317.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Vivian Birchall</div>
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Africa2u.Vivian@Gmail.Com</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2704690666805392448.post-44725246105774609052018-05-20T18:00:00.000-07:002018-05-23T08:23:25.616-07:00Bridging Africa’s Healthcare Gaps with Ethnomedicine<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F4nPOsb3vVU/WwIKsi5N_OI/AAAAAAAAAzM/IiMS65pV0jkR_nZWn_RLyvmjML1Uj4NXQCLcBGAs/s1600/3180UgandadrumhandlesLG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="800" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F4nPOsb3vVU/WwIKsi5N_OI/AAAAAAAAAzM/IiMS65pV0jkR_nZWn_RLyvmjML1Uj4NXQCLcBGAs/s640/3180UgandadrumhandlesLG.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V0KW8jN4U_Q/Wp_8W04J9AI/AAAAAAAAAnA/Q1qK0HgFJwUuOsBSyQFP5A7HnHTg02kugCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Himba-%2Bflickr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="335" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V0KW8jN4U_Q/Wp_8W04J9AI/AAAAAAAAAnA/Q1qK0HgFJwUuOsBSyQFP5A7HnHTg02kugCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Himba-%2Bflickr.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A photo of mother and child from the <br />indigenous Himba Community in Namibia</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo:William Matews 2011 </span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">African ways of life are highly characterized by communities’ relationship with nature. Their mostly agricultural economies are also dependent on their natural environment for primary health care, in the form of Ethnomedicine.</span><br />
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Although healthcare is modernizing on a global scale, a significant number of African economies have limited resources to carry out decentralized responsibilities such as revenue collection, leading to limited funds for delivery of social services such as healthcare, particularly in rural areas. Lack of resources also results in poor enforcement of health standards and codes, leading to limited compliance.</div>
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Statistics show that approximately 60-80% of people in Africa still rely on traditional remedies for primary health care, to treat themselves for various conditions. This is because of limited access to modern health care facilities due to distance and high costs.</div>
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As a Development Studies student at Makerere University, I researched how indigenous knowledge has contributed to socio-economic development in Uganda, and wrote a paper on a case study in Masaka District. I interviewed traditional herbalists who use indigenous medicine to treat people, as well as farm owners, who use it to treat animals, and also use indigenous knowledge to control pests using animal urine, among other things.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ltulq9V_Sc/WwIKt1wd0uI/AAAAAAAAAzU/eZSwMEFcKH8ZKcsqkWFBLQmk7TibeiQ2gCLcBGAs/s1600/c0ac8153-2e10-4d3a-895c-d8e4189c6b8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="842" height="237" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ltulq9V_Sc/WwIKt1wd0uI/AAAAAAAAAzU/eZSwMEFcKH8ZKcsqkWFBLQmk7TibeiQ2gCLcBGAs/s320/c0ac8153-2e10-4d3a-895c-d8e4189c6b8a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">My maternal grandmother, with a herbal tea spice "omujaaja", </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">aka "African Basil," that helps with flatulence and constipation</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-khF-awMCoZ0/Wdw5l84f54I/AAAAAAAAAQw/N3ag6VivgEo1OrNJY0OixXGPfGULu-3HwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Omujaaja.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="608" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-khF-awMCoZ0/Wdw5l84f54I/AAAAAAAAAQw/N3ag6VivgEo1OrNJY0OixXGPfGULu-3HwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Omujaaja.JPG" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">"Omujaaja" Plant</span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: </span></i><i>Africa2U</i></span></td></tr>
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Of course, we know that medicinal plants date back to the Stone Age, making them the oldest form of primary health care, and various ancient cultures discovered medicinal plant usage through a process we could now call “botanical research.”</div>
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It is important to note that 30%-40% of allopathic drugs used to treat or suppress symptoms are derived from plant-based compounds, and many are synthetic analogues built on prototype compounds similar to those from plant species. Also, 11% of the World Health Organization’s essential medicines, 340 or more drugs considered as basic and essential to "satisfy the priority health care needs of the population," originate from flowering plants.</div>
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Unfortunately, indigenous remedies have been inconsistently documented, and this knowledge is transferred orally, thus creating a large possibility of error. Due to the nature of medicinal plants and herbal medicine, doses vary depending on the person administering them, and are usually given until symptoms disappear. However, that does not make a treatment itself ineffective unless it is wrongly administered, just as with any modern medicine.</div>
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Indeed, indigenous medicines contain more medicine and less packaging. Wikipedia reports that only 5 to 10 percent of a tablet or pill is the active substance, with another 10 percent being compounds for easy digestion and 80 percent being inactive fillers, binders, et cetera. So 90% of a pill is not even medicine, but packaging.</div>
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This takes me back to the primary health care practices of communities in Africa. </div>
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Regardless of modern challenges of cost and access, one cannot ignore that African communities had specialists in various medical procedures and health care in general. The question is, why have Africans lost these specialized indigenous skills?</div>
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One might argue the promotion of formal education and employment has drawn young people to urban areas, where they are less likely to perpetuate indigenous practices. Another factor is that many poor people are losing their land to commercial investors or government. </div>
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These factors disrupt the socio-economic and political stability of African communities, and threaten the livelihood of practitioners in indigenous medicine.</div>
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In addition, human activity threatens the habitat of medicinal plants. To produce indigenous medicine and offer treatment to the large populations that need it but cannot access or afford modern medicine, we must maintain ecosystems to sustain renewable natural resources for herbal medicine.</div>
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At a regional level, I know the African Union’s NEPAD Declaration is closely linked to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including human rights, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. </div>
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It should be reiterated, though, that these Health-related goals are only feasible when attention is given to key socio-economic indicators such as improving health outcomes and sustainable management of the environment. And these are not tenable without affected communities meaningfully participating in decision-making at all levels.</div>
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The state of healthcare and health financing in many African countries is lacking. Healthcare budgets are often donor-funded, which makes them unreliable for creating and sustaining affordable modern healthcare systems. There are also very long periods between censuses and other demographic or health surveys, which impacts the timeliness of information that could be used to improve healthcare.</div>
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Finally, in addition to high domestic birth rates and growing populations, some African Union member countries in sub-Saharan Africa have fulfilled their international obligations and taken in refugees from areas of conflict, who have few resources and require care from health care systems that are already spread thin. </div>
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So, what should African countries do to bridge the health care gaps? This takes me back to our theme, “Preserving Ethnomedicine.” I recognize that there are challenges that come with the undocumented herbal medicines used in the past, but African leaders can and should place emphasis on anthropological and agro-research in the health sector, and include the indigenous communities who are already heavily relying on this type of health care. This could help serve more people in a timely and cost-effective manner.</div>
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I will leave you with a thought exercise, to try to get a feel for the scope of accessibility and affordability of modern health care in sub-Saharan Africa.</div>
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Think of the average income of an individual in a rural African community.</div>
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How many people are in their household?</div>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How many of these people are employed?</div>
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4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What is the number of children in this average household? </div>
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5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What is the approximate household income?</div>
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6.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How many suffer from at least one condition requiring medicine in a month?</div>
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7.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How much does it cost for a single treatment with an essential drug?</div>
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8.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What are the percentage odds this household can afford modern medicine?</div>
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9.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How many will die without access to modern health care?</div>
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10.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How will that affect the productivity of the community?</div>
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11.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How will this affect the general human development index of the country?</div>
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12.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>How does this affect the future of the country?</div>
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13.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>After healthcare, what percentage of income is left for other necessities?</div>
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14.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Can you propose points for health care intervention in this scenario, to avoid the loss of life?</div>
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This presents us with the reality of the state of health care in Africa, and why it is necessary to bridge the health care gap by recognizing existing indigenous ethnomedicine and promoting its incorporation into healthcare.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Watch the Episode:</span></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bi2nUpiALYU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bi2nUpiALYU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); text-align: start;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Vernonia Amygdalina</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jvznOtKXcmM/WwIX8fhNGNI/AAAAAAAAAzs/AEWJ0mumlzoKmZc3GrfhhHQfSer8cAzoACLcBGAs/s1600/526x297-UO5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="526" height="358" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jvznOtKXcmM/WwIX8fhNGNI/AAAAAAAAAzs/AEWJ0mumlzoKmZc3GrfhhHQfSer8cAzoACLcBGAs/s640/526x297-UO5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo: Dailymotion. com</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><i>Local East and West African names </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Source: </span></span><span style="text-align: justify;">www.doktorsea. com</span></i></span></div>
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“mululuza” – Luganda (Uganda)<br />
“ewuro” – Yoruba (Nigeria)<br />
“onugbu” – Igbo (Nigeria)<br />
“shiwaka” or Chusar-doki – Hausa (across central and west Africa)bitter leaf 2<br />
“ndole” – Douala (Cameroon)<br />
“figatil” or “necroton” – Brazil<br />
“grawa” – Amharic (Ethiopia)<br />
“etidot” – Ibibios (Nigeria)<br />
“ityuna” – Tiv (Cameroon and Nigeria)<br />
“oriwo” – Edo (Nigeria)<br />
“labwori” – Acholi (North Uganda and South Sudan)<br />
“olusia” – Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)</div>
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The herb/plant is popular in these African communities. It has, historically been used to treat fevers related to Malaria, and as an anti-inflammation home remedy, among other things.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QYXROwGUvik/Wv9zFWHg6MI/AAAAAAAAAy4/7iLiabIGdU8MvJ2pmG60nOAUILabWNiIACLcBGAs/s1600/Talk%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1529" height="141" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QYXROwGUvik/Wv9zFWHg6MI/AAAAAAAAAy4/7iLiabIGdU8MvJ2pmG60nOAUILabWNiIACLcBGAs/s200/Talk%2B2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Vivian Birchall<br />
Africa2U</td></tr>
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