Tuesday, December 9, 2014

U.S. $100 Million Set Aside for African Entrepreneurs



The Tony Elumelu Foundation has launched a $100m Pan-African entrepreneurship initiative.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme - a multi-year programme of training, funding, and mentoring, designed to empower the next generation of African entrepreneurs.
The programme is the first initiative of its kind to be launched by an African philanthropic organisation and is the largest African sourced philanthropic gift, targeting the entrepreneurial space.
"The opportunity and challenge in Africa is scale - in our people, our resources and our horizons. In my business and philanthropic journeys, I have always sought ways to help inspire a generation across our continent," Tony Elumelu, CON, Founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation said.
He said this programme brings together my own entrepreneurial experience and my fundamental belief that entrepreneurs - "women and men across Africa - will lead Africa's development and transform our futures."
"The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme will offer a structured, multi-year opportunity to access funding, knowledge and perhaps most importantly mentoring, on scale that is unprecedented in Africa - it is our opportunity to empower a generation," he said.
The programme will identify and help grow an initial 10,000 start-ups and young businesses from across Africa over the next 10 years, targeting the creation of 1,000,000 new jobs and $10 billion in annual revenues.
Whether you're in Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg, Nairobi or Dakar, Africa is buzzing with entrepreneurs who need a platform that enables them to take their business or idea to the next level.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme has been designed to provide that mechanism," said Parminder Vir, Director of Entrepreneurship at The Tony Elumelu Foundation.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme is inspired by three guiding principles: the inclusive economic philosophy of Africapitalism, based on the belief that a vibrant African-led private sector is the key to unlocking Africa's economic and social potential; commitment to drive African economic growth through the empowering of African entrepreneurship; and a mission to 'institutionalise luck' by creating an environment where African entrepreneurs can get critical elements of support in the early stages of their business life.
World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim has an agenda focused on innovation and entrepreneurship as a key prerequisite to achieving global competitiveness and building long-term wealth, especially for the youth, Dr Vera Songwe, Country Director for the World Bank Group said.
"We must strive for entrepreneurial innovation in Africa and my participation in this programme further promotes the World Bank Group's push for entrepreneur-led global development," Dr Songwe said.
Successful applicants will participate in a comprehensive programme designed to equip them with the skills needed to build a successful business.
The programme includes seed funding, a customized 12-week business skills training course, mentoring, an entrepreneurship 'boot camp', participation in the annual Elumelu Entrepreneurship Forum, membership of the Alumni Network and much more.
"Entrepreneurship is the cornerstone to African development and the key to local value creation in Africa. I am determined to ensure that Africa's next generation of entrepreneurs have the platform they need to turn their entrepreneurial aspirations into sustainable businesses that will drive economic growth and job creation across Africa," Elumelu stated

Monday, December 8, 2014

Tanzanians ‘among meanest in Africa’



Contrary to the widely-held belief about our unrivalled generosity and compassion, Tanzanians are amongst the meanest people in Africa, according to the World Giving Index 2014.
Yet, interestingly, neighbouring Kenya—a nation we have all along associated with ruthless capitalism and self-centredness as opposed to Tanzania’s more humane socialist background—has emerged the most generous and compassionate on the continent.
The new study released by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) was conducted by the market research firm Gallup and included data from 135 countries across the globe that were collected throughout 2013.
Tanzania ranked 14th amongst the 24 African countries surveyed and 87th globally with just 27 per cent, far behind Kenya which tops the continent with 49 per cent that also put it at number 15 globally.
Kenya is followed by Nigeria which stands at number 21 globally with its overall 44 per cent score. At number three is Uganda which scored 40 per cent and stood at number 34.
The top three meanest countries are Tunisia and Egypt with 21 per cent each, putting the North African countries at number 120 globally, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo which stands at number 112 globally with its 22 per cent score. Notably, many of the countries Tanzania is ahead of are war-torn and volatile states.
In order to establish a rounded measure of giving behaviour, the researchers asked the respondents if they had done any of the following in the previous month prior to the study: donated money to a charity; volunteered their time to an organisation or helped a stranger, or someone they didn’t know who needed help.
Tanzania scored the highest in helping a stranger with 44 per cent followed by donating money, 23 per cent and the country performed worst in volunteering time to organisations, just 13 per cent. Kenya on the other hand, also scored the highest in helping a stranger with 67 per cent followed by donating money, 43 per cent and volunteering time with 37 per cent. Globally, the US shared first place ranking with Myanmar, both recording the score of 64 per cent which is the highest on record in the five year history index.
According to the report, the US is the only country to rank in the Top 10 for all three kinds of giving covered by the index: helping a stranger (1st), volunteering time (joint 5th) and donating money (9th).
Myanmar on the other hand, has improved on its joint second place reported in 2013, with an increase from 58 per cent to 64 per cent. Notably, the country’s lead ranking was mainly due to an extraordinarily high incidence of donating money, which has seen a further uplift this year to stand at 91 per cent from 85 per cent reported in last year’s report. Nine out of ten people within Myanmar follow the Theravada school of Buddhism, under which the lives of the Sangha (ordained monks and nuns) are supported by dana (charitable giving) by lay followers of the religion.
“This clearly translates into a strong culture of charity, with Myanmar ranked first for donating money and 13 percentage points ahead of the second placed country,” reads the report in part.

Sri Lanka, another country with a strong Theravada Buddhist community also ranked within the Top 10 of the World Giving Index. It is placed at number nine.

Call to Intensify PPP Implementation

PUBLIC Private Partnership (PPP) implementation needs thorough preparations to enable the nation benefit fully from the initiative, Policy Research for Development (REPOA) Executive Director, Prof Samwel Wangwe, has advised.
Addressing journalists in Dar es Salaam on Friday, Prof Wangwe noted that if such preparations would not be taken into account, then PPP goals' realisation would be a dream.
A study jointly conducted by Prof Wangwe, Godwill Wanga and Johansein Rutaiwa on PPP and implications for Tanzania has found out that it was necessary for the country to examine international and recent experiences to make the initiative more viable.
He said that national development policies recognise the large potential of PPP and expectations were high, however, a number of cautions and deeper knowledge of what it takes to realise the potential from the initiative contribution in Tanzania was still inadequate.
According to Prof Wangwe, some of the things that must be put in place to make PPP more successful include putting in place operational guidelines and procedures to ensure that PPP is technically, financially, economically and socially viable. He added that the government must also ensure that appropriate instruments to enable private sector to mobilise resources for development of PPPs are put in place.
"Risk sharing framework in PPPs investments to ensure that risks are assigned to the party must be suited to manage them and the risk allocation is cost-efficient and optimal.
This is also very significant in realizing PPPs goals," he noted. Speaking on the lessons drawn from international experience and own past experience, Prof Wangwe noted that capacity of the government was essential in terms of human capacity especially technical managerial capacity and ability to negotiate and manage contracts.
He noted that the experience also suggested that legal and regulatory framework must provide for comprehensiveness with simplicity in application and facilitating investments which are under competitive and transparent procurement and providing for public scrutiny and accountability.
He also underscored the need of educating the general public on the significance of PPPs which is now believed to be the greatest actor for socio-economic development.
"If these are properly taken into consideration, then PPP can be successfully used to promote private sector development of the domestic private sector and to enhance economic empowerment through joint ventures, sub-contracting and through facilitating the acquisition of shares in the capital market," he explained

Thursday, December 4, 2014

How technology can improve life for 1 billion persons with disabilities



More than one billion people – or approximately 15 per cent of the world's population – live with some form of disability and have generally poorer health, lower education achievements, fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities, the United Nations highlighted today on its International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Observing the Day, marked annually on 3 December, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moonsaid that persons with disabilities face limitations and hardships largely due to the lack of services available to them.
“Through adaptive, assistive and inclusive technology, persons with disabilities can make the most of their potential in their communities and in the workplace,” said Mr. Ban.
The UN Chief also emphasized how employers can harness technology to create environments for persons with disabilities to find productive work and fully use their skills and capacities.
“Technology can also help persons with disabilities caught up in natural disasters by making sure that critical information reaches them,” Mr. Ban added.

This year’s International Day, on the theme Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology will look at this issue in the context of the post-2015 development agenda.
"Let us spare no effort to ensure that policies, programmes, guidelines and 21st century technologies are accessible to persons with disabilities, and sensitive to their perspectives and experiences,” Mr. Ban said.
The UN defines disability as a condition or function judged to be significantly impaired relative to the usual standard of an individual of their group. The term is often used to refer to individual functioning, including physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, intellectual impairment, mental illness, and various types of chronic disease.
As it stands now, 80 per cent of all people with disabilities live in a developing country and 50 per cent of them cannot afford health care. More than 100 million disabled persons are children and children with disabilities are almost four times more likely to experience violence than non-disabled children.
People with disabilities are also at higher risk of violence include stigma, discrimination, and ignorance about disability, as well as a lack of social support for those who care for them.
Evidence shows that when barriers to their inclusion are removed and persons with disabilities are empowered to participate fully in societal life, their entire community benefits.
Barriers faced by persons with disabilities are, therefore, a detriment to society as a whole, and accessibility is necessary to achieve progress and development for all.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) – signed by 159 Member States and adopted by the General Assembly in 2006– recognizes that the existence of barriers constitutes a central component of disability.
Under the Convention, disability is an evolving concept that “results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities was established following an adoption of a General Assembly resolution in October 1992, to promote awareness and mobilize support for critical issues pertaining to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in society and development.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Provisions on quality education



The proposed Constitution may become our new Constitution from May next year if things go well during the referendum. The proposed Constitution luckily has, among other things, guaranteed a right to primary education to every Tanzanian child [Article 53 (1)(c)]. The constitution making process has come at a time when every sensible adult person knows about the poor quality of education offered in this country, especially in public schools.
The quality of education is a concern for everyone. For many years now our quality of education has been declining from nursery to university level. Both primary and secondary education is an international disgrace.
Good enough, the proposed Constitution has adopted all rights proposed by the Warioba Commission and added many more others. Figuratively speaking, we can say the proposed Constitution has incorporated almost all basic rights, including right to education. Currently, public education, both at primary and secondary schools has been expanded and for primary schools, enrolment is almost 100 per cent now.
For this reason, we have already reached goal No 2 of the Millennium Development Goals. However, our education is still offered in a poor environment and with inadequacy of almost everything, including teachers, books, desks, classrooms and laboratories. Thus, education in Tanzania is quantitatively, but not qualitatively offered.
Article 52(1) of proposed Constitution, which provides this right does not only guarantee a Tanzanian citizen a right to education, but also quality education. The Article states: “Kila mtu ana haki ya kupata elimu bora ya msingi inayomtayarisha kikamilifu kuendelea na elimu ya ngazi inayofuatia au kuweka msingi wa kuanza kujitegemea.
In English translation: “Every person has a right to get quality primary education that perfectly prepares him or her to continue with the next level of education or that which will build the foundation for him or her for self-reliance. Generally speaking, this provision is very good, but I doubt if there will be any politician, who will make it a reality for every Tanzanian citizen. While for many years our national education standards had been among the lowest in the world, our political leaders and senior government officials have not been paying the right attention to it because their children and grand children do not go to public schools.
We all know how our education system is. We highly have unequal and dualistic education system. One system is for the rich and the other one for the majority poor. During Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s era and before neo-liberalisation, we used to have one education system for all Tanzanians regardless of their social status.
Nyerere’s children went to the same public schools with children from poor families. Nyerere, being president, could afford sending his children to get better education abroad. Or he could educate his children in the country, but at international schools like International School of Tanganyika.
Do we have today or will Tanzania get another president, whose children will attend public schools? Will one day ministers, deputy ministers, permanent secretaries or any public official send his or her children to these public schools? I don’t think so! If this won’t happen now or in the future what will be the fate of this nation?
Our political leaders are like a cook, who cooks food, but cannot eat or even taste it because he or she is cooking something, which is not fit for human consumption, although it will be eaten by other people. Thus, our leaders are less concerned with public schools because they are not using them. Currently, our political leaders at regional and district level are busy trying to meet a deadline set by President Jakaya Kikwete to complete building school laboratories.
But they are doing these as a mere political agenda. They are just like a cattle keeper, who prepares feeds for his cattle, but he cannot taste it because it is only for cattle not for human beings. Ward secondary schools, some of them were built 20 or 10 years ago, but have been in existence without laboratories for all that time.
No wonder, these politically oriented laboratories will remain ‘white elephant’ for another decade or so without being facilitated with equipment, technicians and reagents without which they won’t function. This country has enough money for embezzlement and corruption, but not for social development.
By Mwassa Jingi

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

TGNP Organises Public Debate On Gender Violence

MORE than 500 people are expected to take part in an open debate organized by the Tanzania Gender Network Programme at the Mabibo grounds tomorrow aimed at addressing gender-based violence.
A statement issued in Dar es Salaam by TGNP Acting Director, Ms Lilian Liundi, said the open debate was part of celebrations to mark the 16-days of activism against genderbased violence.
She said according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health last year, 23 per cent of school-going girls aged between 15 and 19 years got pregnant.
Moreover, she said 18 per cent of girls in the age group were being married off while 15 per cent were found to have undergone female genital mutilation.
"That is why during the 16-days of activism against gender-based violence we have decided to organize the public debate at which we shall focus more on youth, especially girls, to discuss the best way against the violence," she said.
The guest of honour will be the Executive Secretary of the Human Right and Good Governance Commission, Ms Mary Massey, while top artists had been invited to give a special message on gender-based violence.
Ms Liundi said the debate, among other things, was intended to empower youth on resource distribution as they deal with gender-based violence, and the importance of taking care of their health, with early marriages being a factor that endangers their lives.
She said the youth would be given a chance to discuss the challenges they face, adding that sexual corruption was increasing in schools, colleges and at the workplace.

Monday, December 1, 2014

AIRTEL YAFANYA MATEMBEZI YA HISANI NA KUKABIDHI KISIMA CHA MAJI SAFI SHULE YA MSINGI KUMBUKUMBU


Kampuni ya Airtel leo imeendesha matembezi ya hisani ili kuchangisha  pesa kwajili ya kuendelea kuboresha shule ya msingi kumbukumbu iliyopo jijini Dar es salaam 
Matembezi yenye lengo la kupata pesa ili kufanya ukarabati wa darasa la watoto na kununua viti na meza za kukalia yameetimishwa kwa uzinduzi wa kisima cha maji kilichojengwa kwa hisani ya Airtel kwa kushirikiana na wafanyakazi wake ili kukabiliana na tatizo la maji shule hapo
Akiongea wakati wa kuzindua kisima hicho mgeni rasmi , Kaimu Mkurugenzi wa Maendeleo ya Watoto wa Wizara ya Maendeleo ya Jamii, Jinsia na Watoto, Benedict Missani kwa niaba ya Waziri wa Maendeleo ya jamii  jinsia na watoto Mh. Sophia Simba alisema”  naunga mkono juhudi zilizofanywa na Airtel katika kuendelea kuboresha mazingara ya utoaji elimu shuleni hapa. Nimefurai kuona kuwa Airtel haikuridhika na ujenzi wa kisima hii tu bali wameamua kuchua hatua nyingine ya kushirikisha wadau mbalimbali katika kutatua changamoto walizoziona shuleni hapa.
Leo tumetembe kwa pamoja ili kuweza kuchangisha kiasi cha shilingi milioni 10 zitakazowezesha kazi ya kuendelea kuboresha mazingara ya shule hii kuendelea. 
Serikali inaunga mkono dhamira hii na jitihada hizi zinazoenda sambamba na kauli mbiu yetu ya “matokeo makubwa sasa”  na kuhakikisha tunaboresha maeneo muhimu hususani elimu kwani vijana hao ndio nguvu kazi na taifa la kesho. Natoa wito kwa mashirika mengine watu binafsi na taasisi mbalimbali kujitokeza na kuchangia katika shughuli za jamii ili kukubiliana na changamoto tulizo nazo sasa.
Kwa upande wake Mkurugenzi mkuu wa Airtel Bwana Sunil Colaso alisema” nawashukuru wafanyakazi wa Airtel na kila moja aliyeshiriki hapa kwa kujitoa katika kusaidia jamii, sisi Airtel tumejipanga kutimiza dhamira yetu ya kuchangia katika kuhakiksha tunachangia katika sekta ya elimu kwa kuendelea kutoa vitabu na kuboresha mazingira ya shule. Kupitia mradi wa Airtel Shule yetu tumeweza kuzifika shule nyingi kwa kuwapatia nyenzo muhimu katika elimu na leo tumewafikia shule ya msingi kumbukumbu tukiwa na lengo na kuendelea kuboresha sekta ya elimu.
Mpango huu wa Airtel Tunakujali ni endelevu bado tutakuwa  shughuli nyingi zaidi na shule nyingi zikipokea misaada hivyo tunawaomba wadau mbalimbali kuendelea kushirikiana nasi.
Mfanyakazi wa kitengo cha Mawasiliano bi.Getrude Shayo alisema” nia na madhumuni ya kuchagua shule ya msingi ya Kumbukumbu ni kuweza kuwasaidia watoto hawa ambao wapo jirani na sisi na kuwawezesha kukaa kwenye darasa lililoimara na mtazamo mzuri. Ukaribu wetu na shelu utatuwezesha kuweza kufwatilia maendeleo yao kwa umakini na ukaribu zaidi”.
Kwa upande wake mfanyakazi wa Airtel Bi Veneranda Boniface Alisema amejisikia furaha kutumia jumamosi yake kutembea kwaajili yakusaidia jamii, hii ni sehemu pia ya mazoezi lakini zaidi ni njia pekee ya kuniwezesha mimi kwa nafasi yangu katika jamii kushiriki kuchangia.
Nae mwananfunzi wa shule ya msingi Kumbukumbu….. aliongeza kwa kusema”tunawashukuru Airtel kwa kuweza kutuletea maji hapa shuleni kwani kwa sasa hatuna haja ya kutoka nje ya shule na kwenda kutafuta maji ya kunywa na kumwagilia maua yetu hapa shule. Hii inatusaidia tunapata muda mwingi wa kusoma na kupumzika pale tunapopata muda wa mapumziko”.
Matembezi hayo ya hisani yalianzia katika makao makuu ya Airtel yaliyoko Moroco Dar esaalam na kwenda njia ya Ali hassan Mwinyi, kupitia Kaunda, Bongoyo , haile selaile , Ali hassani Mwinyi na kuishia katika shule ya msingi Kumbukumbu.



HIV cure continues to evade doctors

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks the immune system
Giving drugs within hours of HIV infection is not a cure, say doctors treating a baby in Milan, Italy.
The newborn infant cleared the virus from their bloodstream, but HIV re-emerged soon after antiretroviral treatment stopped.
Doctors had hoped rapid treatment would might prevent HIV becoming established in the body.
Experts said there was "still some way to go" before a cure was found.
Drug treatments have come a long way since HIV came to global attention in the 1980s and infection is no longer a death sentence.
However, antiretrovirals merely clear the virus from the bloodstream leaving reservoirs of HIV in other organs untouched.
The hope was that acting before the reservoirs formed would be an effective cure.
HIV baby
Doctors at the University of Milan and the Don Gnocchi Foundation in the city have reported a case, in the Lancet medical journal, of a baby born to a mother with HIV in 2009.
Drug treatment started shortly after birth and the virus rapidly disappeared from the bloodstream. HIV was undetectable at the age of three.
The doctors said: "In view of these results, and recent reports of apparent cure of HIV infection, and in agreement with the mother, we stopped antiretroviral therapy."
For one week everything seemed fine, but in the second week, after treatment stopped, the virus had returned.

Prof Mario Clerici, from the University of Milan, told the BBC News website: "Just a couple of hours after infection, the virus has already started seeding the organs and hides so therapy cannot eradicate HIV.
"You can treat patients, but you cannot cure them. Right now it is impossible."
In July, a baby girl in the US born with HIV and believed cured after very early treatment was found to still harbour the virus.
Doctors said tests on the four-year-old child from Mississippi indicated she was no longer in remission.
She had appeared free of HIV as recently as March, without receiving treatment for nearly two years.
"A cure for HIV is still at ground zero," said Prof Clerici.
Distant prospect
Commenting on the findings Prof Sanjaya Senanayake, from the Australian National University Medical School, said: "This case shows that undetectable HIV in the blood does not mean that the body is free from virus and that there is still some way to go before a cure is found."
Only one person has been "cured" of HIV.
In 2007, Timothy Ray Brown received a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that resists HIV.
He has shown no signs of infection for more than five years.