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The Hip-hop Star President’s Debut

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Rapping President Yoweri Museveni
Photographs of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni showing him as a rap star are causing a star in his administration. His Press Secretary described it as very damaging.
The images started appearing in the local media after a rap remix of a song the president sang became a hit ahead of presidential elections next year.
Some of the photographs shows the president half-naked and wearing bling.
However, some of the president’s supporters argue that it shows the president is in touch with the interests of the youth.
But others think ” president with tattoos, a president with necklaces, a president half naked’ is just too much.
Mr. Museveni has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. He was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin, ending his rule in 1979.
Rather than work on improving the living conditions of his people, Museveni and some in his cabinet will rather spend their time planning with the American fundamentalist Christian organization The Fellowship (also known as “The Family”) on a path to execute suspected gays and lesbians in Uganda.

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Museveni can, and I know will, surely rap his way to another term, but it is the unemployed youth on the Uganda street and pregnant women who cannot see a doctor who will pay for his albums with their lives.

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African dictators need tough love too, not cuddling.

 
amin_dada
For far too long, Western governments have cuddled and praised African tyrants even when everything they do and stand for is against the Western definition of democracy. On the other hand, dictators from the Middle East are not indulged with the same policies. They are offered tough love.
 French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama both considered Africa as high profile agendas before and after their elections. I am yet to really see this in action. I do not blame either of them for the progress made or otherwise. Surely, I know none of them was prepared for the Greece problems, healthcare battle and backlash from corporate bailout. These circumstances presented them with more pressing priorities than addressing the problems of Africa, so long ago judged unimportant to global affairs.
I admire the manner both Western leaders rebuke dictators and governments who place themselves on the axes of evil. But these 'bad guys' only have to worry if they are not on the African continent. African dictators enjoy rest, peace and comfort that are difficult to describe. In reality, many of Africa’s most repressive dictators have been friends of the West.
In fact, France actually has about 60,000 troops on the African continent most of who are protecting dictators and driving out their rivals, as a result of defense agreement France signed with some countries. Why did President Sarkozy endorsed Ali Bongo to succeed his father in Gabon's disputed presidential election?
Tell me who among these did not (or does not) have a powerful western friend: Robert Mugabe ((Zimbabwe), General Sani Abacha, (Nigeria), Idi Amin, (Uganda),  P.W. Botha (South Africa), General Samuel Doe (Liberia), Francois Duvalier (Haiti), Jean Claude Duvalier (Haiti),Mobutu Sese Seko (Zaire), Charles Taylor (Liberia)
 
At the inauguration of President Barrack Obama, he issued a stern warning to those who cling to power through deceit and corruption and the silencing of dissent. One would expect such a warning to have shivers in Mugabe's spine, and turns Mr. Museveni face red. But it did touch them, because dictators on the African continent know that no one will take them seriously, and their issue won’t even be on the table.
When are we going to see the World Powers hit Pres. Mugabe and Museveni with the same rod that is used on Iranian president or Saddam Hussein.
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Ghana’s Economy 75% Bigger Than Previously Estimated

cedis notes
By Moses Mozart Dzawu
Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) — Ghana’s economy is 75 percent bigger than previously calculated, the country’s Statistical Service said, slashing the relative size of the fiscal deficit and the current-account shortfall.
The West African nation’s gross domestic product this year is 44.8 billion cedis ($31.2 billion), compared with the previous estimate of 25.6 billion cedis, Grace Bediako, head of the Accra-based agency, told reporters today.
“The revisions will be a huge positive for the relative risk matrix” of Ghana, Stephen Bailey-Smith, an analyst at Standard Bank Plc in London, said in a note to clients. The changes “should foster a rating upgrade.”
Standard & Poor’s cut Ghana’s credit rating to B, five steps below investment grade, on Aug. 27, citing concern about the large fiscal deficit and a lack of clarity on oil-industry laws. The government posted shortfalls equivalent to 14.5 percent of GDP in 2008 and 9.7 percent in 2009. The International Monetary Fund said on Oct. 1 that the shortfall may exceed the 8 percent target this year. Those figures are now significantly smaller.
The statistics service also raised its growth forecast for this year to 6.6 percent from 5.9 percent, and revised up its calculations for the previous three years. GDP expanded 4.7 percent in 2009, 8.4 percent in 2008 and 6.5 percent in 2007, compared with previous estimates of 4.1 percent, 7.2 percent and 5.7 percent.
Economic growth slowed in 2009 after the government embarked on an austerity program to bring down the budget deficit. Ghana posted a current account deficit of about 7.9 percent of GDP last year, according to the previous data.
Eurobond
Ghana’s 8.5 percent fixed-rate Eurobond due October 2017 was bid for as much as $115.50 at 5:14 p.m. in London, with a yield of 5.746 percent, according to data compiled by Standard Bank London. The bid price is 0.5 percent higher than yesterday’s close of $114.87, while the yield is 10 basis points lower.
Today’s announcement “confirms that over the last five years Ghana has performed better than most of its peers,” Wayne Mitchell, the country representative for the IMF, said in an interview today.
The revision won’t affect IMF support for the country, since “assistance is determined by need and not economy size,” Mitchell said.
Deputy Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Seth Terkper, said on Oct. 20 that Ghana may lose access to cheap loans if the new data show the country is wealthier than thought.
New Activities
The size of the economy was revised up after new economic activities were added, methodology was improved and the base year was shifted to 2006 from 1993, Bediako said.
“The new data series includes activities of the oil sector, forest plantations and information and communication, which were not included in previous estimates,” she said.
The new GDP places Ghana among middle-income countries, as defined as those with a per capita income of more than $976 a year, Bediako said. Ghana’s is now $1,318.36.
The statistics aren’t all good news, said Sampson Akligoh, an analyst at Accra-based Databank Financial Services.
“If GDP is 44 billion cedis and tax revenue is less than 7 billion cedis, it tells you tax collection is not enough,” he said in an interview today.
Ghana’s economic growth may average about 8 percent in the next three to five years, as oil production starts from the West African nation’s Jubilee oil field December, Kofi Wampah, deputy central bank governor said Oct. 7.
Wampah said the economy may expand 10 percent to 15 percent next year, slower than Finance Ministry’s prediction of 20 percent.
–Editors: Philip Sanders, Ana Monteiro
To contact reporter on this story: Moses Dzawu in Accra at mdzawu@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net.
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National hunt for a First Lady

President Ian KhamaBotswana President Ian Khama’s continued bachelor status is now increasingly worrying his countrymen and members of his own political party-Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
Party leaders have since registered their concern and initiated a move to hunt for a suitable first lady.
Reports from the diamond rich southern African country indicate that during a party gathering on November 15 one brave former cabinet minister, Kebatlamang Morake asked Khama when he would marry.
Giving an impression that the whole scene was stage managed, Khama responded by saying “For your information, I want a woman who is tall, slim and good looking” reports say.
“You are guilty of ridiculing the President. The best that you should do is to go all out and look for the woman that you prefer for me as I hardly have time to hunt for a woman who will become my wife” Khama is quoted saying.
Vice President, Mompati Merafhe later told the gathering that his several attempts to remind Khama to marry hit a brick wall.
“I don’t think there is anything else that I can do for now because I did my very best during our days at the barracks to remind my boss to marry without success,”
Khama was a few years ago previously engaged to a Gaborone dentist, Dr Nomsa Mbere. Arrangements had been made for their marriage with the exception of a wedding date. But, all came to an abrupt end when Khama’s mother, Lady Ruth Khama died.

(Kabelo Marupi,Afrik-News)

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Nigeria’s Adamu banned for three years

Nigeria's Amos Adamu
Banfo Agrey
Nigeria‘s Amos Adamu has been suspended from all footballing activity by Fifa’s Ethics Committee for three years and fined $10,000.
Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii was suspended for one year and fined $5,000 by the committee.
The move follows allegations that the pair asked for money in return for voting on World Cup hosting rights.
It means they will not be able to vote on which countries will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.
Adamu released a statement protesting his innocence and vowing to fight the ruling.
“I am profoundly disappointed with the Ethics Committee’s findings and had honestly believed I would be exonerated of any charges by now,” he said.
“I am innocent of all the charges levelled against me by the Ethics Committee and I completely refute the decision they have made.
“I will be lodging a full appeal against it with immediate effect.”
Four former executive members – Slim Aloulou of Tunisia, Mali’s Amadu Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi of Tonga and Botswana’s Ismael Bhamjee – all received sanctions from Fifa.
Bhamjee was banned for four years, Diakite and Fusimalohi for three and Aloulou for two and all four were fined $10,000.
But the committee dismissed accusations of collusion between Spain/Portugal and Qatar, who are bidding to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively.
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Imagine all you needed at the ATM was your face, no card

Mamadu Yvonne
You may soon withdraw money from an Automated Teller Machines without using your credit or debit card, thanks to a face recognition technology in the making.
Known as the Basic Intelligent Automated Teller Machine, if the new device is incorporated in the current ATMs, all one will require to get money is to stand in front of the machines.
It is the brainchild of Dr Waweru Mwangi, the director of the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technology at Jomo Kenyatta University, and is on display at the national scientific conference in Nairobi.
The smart ATM removes the need to carry cards every time one wishes to access the bank account. The idea behind the machine’s development is to make banking friendly.
“We realised that many people feel uncomfortable with the card, which in some cases is retained by the machine,” Dr Mwangi says.
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Its use could also reduce the now common incidents where carjackers force their victims to empty their accounts at gunpoint, often taking the card and the personal identification number (PIN).
The Intelligent ATM comes equipped with a camera that recognises the customer’s face and sends details of the facial dimensions to a database for verification.
The camera uses the system of biometrics to recognise the account holder — those used in computer science are the distance between the eyes and the proportion of the nose to the mouth and the location of the cheekbones.
Once the image is found to be authentic, the customer is then prompted to enter their PIN or asked a personal question such as “What’s your pet’s name?”
The correct PIN or answer would then allow the person to use the ATM in the normal way. Your twin brother or sister would pass the face test but fail at the PIN or question stage.
It also impossible to use a life-size photograph of the account holder as the machine uses three dimensions, length, width and depth, to recognise the image.
Dr Mwangi said the only requirement would be for the software to be working properly and then it would be linked to the current system of machines in use.
Face recognition technology is used to control access to buildings, but Dr Mwangi said it has never been used in ATMs anywhere in the world.
Dr Mwangi said at the current rate of progress, a prototype would be ready for testing in a few months and then the idea would be sold to banks and implemented.
It is one of the projects being developed by the National Council for Science and Technology and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
However, face recognition technology has struggled to perform under certain conditions in other countries where the technology has been tested, some researchers say.
Mr Ralph Gross, an American researcher at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, says where face recognition does not work well include poor lighting, sunglasses, long hair, or other objects partially covering the face, and low resolution images.
However, the Kenyan innovators are optimistic that they will beat the setback upon further improvement of the technology.
And at the same exhibition, two student innovators have finally presented the bicycle-powered smart mobile phone chargers in the market.
This is a year after Pascal Katana, 24, and Jeremiah Murimi 25, featured their innovation at the national scientific conference. The simple device is expected to change lives in rural areas as well as boost the boda boda industry.
(The Nation)

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Robbed!!

I stated sometime ago on this blog that when it happens to an African American, or a Latino, or any other minority group,  it happens to all of us.
 Brandy was just voted off of 'Dancing with the Stars' last night to the surprise and shock of majority of the viewers. I don’t usually watch unless there’s nothing on ESPN.
Let me say that the 'Dancing with the Stars' has become notorious for voting off obviously more talented African American celebrities earlier than most observers expect. Remember that Lil Kim and Toni Braxton were voted off early in the competition last season. I was actually sad in the case of Lil Kim because I personally like the girl. In 2009 Mya ejected unexpectedly.
Can somebody help me understand this?  Why should Bristol Palin who can barely keep a beat with a single shake or twist , which is exactly what most people want to see, stay in the competition while Brandy packs home? When a stellar contestant such a Brandy goes home when a talentless dancer like Bristol stays in, I just say OMG!
 Do you feel different from what I feel? Go ahead; use the space below to tell others how you feel.