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Youth Education and Employment key to Progress in Africa

 30 June 2011 –

The United Nations today urged African countries to empower the continent’s youth through schooling and jobs, stressing that the foundation for peace and development lay in giving young people opportunities to build better lives for themselves.

“If we are to bring lasting peace and sustainable development to the continent, we must empower Africa’s youth,” Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro told heads of State at the annual African Union (AU) summit, which is being held in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, and whose theme is youth empowerment for sustainable development.

She pointed out that 35 per cent of Africa’s total population is between the ages of 15 and 35, the phase in people’s lives when they lay foundations for their future, build careers and plan families.

“For too many young adults in Africa, this is a time of dashed hopes, frustration, and political, economic and social exclusion,” said Ms. Migiro. “But there is a way for African nations to defuse the youth time bomb – by empowering youth and reaping the benefits. You have recognized this yourselves – by choosing the theme of this meeting and by prioritizing youth development in your development agenda,” she added.

She said that the United Nations will continue to work closely with Africa’s leaders to maintain and strengthen peace by supporting the efforts of the African people to realize their right to choose their own leaders.

“Countries that prioritize democratic principles generally fare better in avoiding armed conflict, promoting stable and equitable development, and building socially inclusive societies,” Ms. Migiro.

“The young men and women of Africa need to know that their dreams can and will be achieved – not through violence and crime, but through the ballot box and the decent jobs that will come from thriving economies,” she added.

She pointed out that the continent has over the past decade undergone a period of rapid economic growth, a stark contrast to the stagnation and reversals of previous years.

Attractive investment opportunities are expanding beyond the minerals and energy sectors, and a middle class is also emerging in several countries, although extreme poverty, hunger and inequality remain a major concern.

“For Africa, this is, in many ways, an era of opportunity. Our job is to ensure that it is an era of opportunity for all,” she said.

Ms. Migiro reminded the African heads of State that this year marks the tenth anniversary of the coming into force of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The protocols prohibit the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has launched a global campaign to promote the universal ratification of the protocols, Ms. Migiro said, but only 18 AU Member States are parties. “I call on all 53 AU Members to become parties and implement them fully,” she said.

On Sudan, Ms. Migiro noted that despite the recent outbreaks of violence in Southern Kordofan and Abyei, the upcoming independence of Southern Sudan was another milestone for Africa, and for the continent’s partnership with the UN.

“The United Nations will remain committed to supporting South Sudan’s peaceful development and to good neighbourly relations between north and south,” she said

She also reiterated that the UN remains committed to the search for a political solution to the ongoing crisis in Libya.

“There should be no doubt about our aims. The objective – and the obligation – of the international community is to protect civilians and to work for a durable peace that meets the legitimate aspirations of Libyan people,” she added.

UN News Center

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Human Trafficking in Africa

by John Campbell

On Monday, the State department released its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report. The study uses a three tier system to rank countries based on compliance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA). More importantly, it includes in-depth evaluations of human trafficking in 184 countries as well as policy recommendations, victims’ stories, and “TIP Report Heroes.”

The Guardian (UK) produced a useful interactive map showing each country’s ranking, which clearly illustrates that human trafficking continues to be a serious problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Eight African countries received tier three rankings—meaning they do not comply with the TVPA standards, make no effort to address the problem, and, as per the TVPA, are subject to U.S. sanctions.

Only one country—Nigeria—received a tier one ranking, which indicates it meets the minimum TVPA standards. However, the report says that Nigeria is not doing enough to address the magnitude of the problem. For example, the report notes that the Nigerian agency responsible for dealing with trafficking, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters, despite identifying between twenty and forty thousand Nigerian women forced into prostitution in Mali, has not yet engaged Malian officials to rescue the victims and arrest the traffickers.

In contrast, the Democratic Republic of Congo received a tier three ranking. The report notes that much of the trafficking is internal and cites that armed groups outside the control of the central government as well as the Congolese national army (FARDC) use forced labor for mineral extraction and military operations.

As a result, the first recommendation in the report for Congo focuses on prosecuting the military and other official’s involvement in human trafficking, which highlights the importance of reforming Congo’s security services.

South Africa, a middle-income country, received a tier two ranking, below Nigeria’s. This ranking means that it does not fully comply with TVPA minimum standards but is making significant efforts to address these issues. The report emphasizes heavily the issue of sex trafficking, both into and out of South Africa. As Secretary Clinton points out in a recent statement, human trafficking disproportionately affects women, which makes combating this global challenge particularly salient in South Africa.

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Self Discovery: The Ultimate Path to True Happiness

How do we define ourselves? The process of giving oneself some kind of identity goes beyond a name and confidential details inscribed on a card or a passport. To journey down the road of self-exegesis without oversimplifying who we truly are is a challenging exercise that bears no categorical conclusion. For seldom do we uncover the truth about ourselves buried under the deluge of wills, mores, traits, impositions coming from an over bearing world which mount on our very being turning us into products we never were.

Does the true self even exist? The Greek philosopher Socrates admonishes us to uncover our true nature. Man, know yourself as he puts it. But is the self knowable? What we think we know maybe the outcome of the layer load imposed by the world around us. The sage’s advice nonetheless is worth pursuing for self knowledge is indeed the only key to happiness. Self knowledge guides and instructs us. We conduct our lives or rather we ought to conduct our lives based on what we know about ourselves and how we perceive our true nature. The true self á la Jean Paul Sartre does not even exist. According to him, Continue reading “Self Discovery: The Ultimate Path to True Happiness”

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Human Relations and Motivation: Workplace Attitudes in Liberia

Background and Introduction:

Human relations and motivation of workers in public service is a significant human relation scenario at workplace that requires training of workers and administrators especially in the Liberian society. These concepts are so significant that they can destroy the image of the entity or result to dignifying the organization, or lead to productivity. At one time, employees were considered just another input in the production of goods and services. What perhaps changed this way of thinking about employees was research done through the Hawthorne Studies, conducted by Elton Mayo (Oribabor, 2000). The Hawthorne studies began the human relations approach to management, whereby the needs and motivation of employees became the primary focus of managers. Motivation has been the focus of many studies due to its crucial role in determining how people choose to use their limited and precious time and energy. Theories have developed with the goal of understanding how humans are motivated and to what ends motivation can be used. The interest in human motivation can be traced as far back as historical records go, and what motivates humans continues to intrigue us. Greek philosophers; medieval writers, such as Saint Augustine; nineteenth – century Europe philosophers; and Eastern thinkers of many centuries all have proposed more or less complete theories about motivation(Berry, 1998). Moreover, public service motivation may be understood as an individual’s predisposition to respond to motives grounded primarily or uniquely in public institutions and organizations (Rainey 1982). This paper discussed those human relation issues like motivation, job satisfaction and performance. Specific cases of human relations in the context of Liberia are discussed.

Fredrick Taylor Human Relations Context:

Friedrick Taylor was an American and one of the early management consultants in the world that believed in “industrial efficiency” (Wall Street Journal, 1997). He believed that by nature man is lazy therefore all his activities must be regimented and set in strict framework with the emphasis of time. Taylor understanding was the “Machine Approach”. Man must work like a machine. That is why his concept is referred to as “Scientific Management”. Fredrick Scientific Management concepts have been critique and there are other schools like the theory “Y” concept that brings a good relationship with the employer and employee. Theory “Z” has been considered the best and it is extremely applicable in Japan. Let me give you some analysis on the Liberia Human relation factors.

Motivation and Job Performance:

Motivation: It is typified as an individual phenomenon. Every person is unique and all the major theories of motivation allow for this uniqueness to be demonstrated in one way or another (Mullins, 1996).  Motivation is also the arousal and the force of an individual to engage in desired behavior. It concerns action, and the internal and external forces which influence a person’s choice of action. There are two types of motivation: Intrinsic and Extrinsic. The intrinsic motivation relates to psychological rewards such as the opportunity to use one’s ability while the extrinsic motivation is related to tangible rewards such as salary and fringe benefits, security, promotion, contrast of service, the work environment and conditions of work. Additionally, (Osterloh and Frey, 2000), stated that employees are extrinsically motivated if they satisfy their needs indirectly, especially through monetary compensation. Job satisfaction is not the same as motivation. Job satisfaction is more of an attitude, an internal state. It means therefore, many of the Liberians who misbehave at their workplaces without exerting professional skills, doesn’t necessarily mean they are satisfied or not but rather they have an awkward attitude at work place.  There are many propositions which states that satisfaction leads to performance but sometimes it may not be the case. Therefore, motivation, job satisfaction and performance are crucial concepts related to work place that require considerate efforts if work attitude must be enhanced.

HUMAN RELATIONS AND MOTIVATION AT THE LIBERIA WORKPLACES: SOME CASES

Let me illustrate some classical examples of human relation at Liberian workplaces:

TAXI DRIVERS: When you ask the taxi drivers about direction, they will not answer. In fact, they demand the charge that does not conform to the government transport arrangement. When you refused while they are driving, they harshly demand you to get out of the car. This is why in most cases; they refused to pick up the University of Liberia students because some of the students always have their government transportation regulation in their bag or pocket to show it to them at any point. In most restaurants, when you enter, the waiter or waitress will sit and wait upon you until you send for them. If you sometime make an error to ask for something that is not in the restaurant, they will say “what brought you here” or tell you something that will not be encouraging.

HEALTH CARE WORKER & JOHN F. KENNEDY: Some of the health care workers (Nurse, Registrar, and Physician Assistant) believed that the patients who are the victims must show respect at all times. Some of them have stated that they are not motivated by the administrators of their various health centers while it has been observed that their awkward actions come from their behavioral pattern. In early April, 2011, I went to visit a patient at John F. Kennedy Maternity Hospital, a lady who was a nurse aid or a medical practitioner insulted a visitor until I told her, “the lady has already apologized to you just leave her alone”. The medical practitioner continued to insult the lady until she had to suspend her visit. On the other hand, there was a medical practitioner who said she enjoyed working with her patient and their family in fact, she allows her phone to be used by all patients at all times, whenever there is a need .

Let it be noted that psycho-socio training is the foundation of the medical discipline, therefore all medical associates respect the psycho-social foundation in the medical field. It serves as the conduit for promoting the human relation factor of life.

TOTAL GAS STATION OFFICE: At the TOTAL office around LPRC, a lady in the customer service made me to buy the TOTAL card twice simply because she did not explain the process well to me. When I told her, she begun to yell, saying “You were not paying attention, just buy another one, Mr. Man.” I did not have cash on hand, thereafter; I had to lobby with a decent lady who works in the customer service to assist me. She did professionally what I requested her to do for my second card and her cash was refunded later.

DSTV OFFICE: It was so funny and discouraging when two men assuming to be in their fifties went early in the morning, precisely at 9 A.M. in the morning to transact. They were thrown out because according to the workers it was too early and they were not ready to start job. I hope my analysis will not be taken out of context, meaning it is politics. It was difficult to confirm whether they were motivated or not. But the human relation with the customer was not encouraging with the men.

CONCLUSION: Human relation is a unique attribute to workplace. Motivation, Job satisfaction and Performance are characteristics of human relation factors that can stimulate or enhance productivity. Productivity is about the relationship between quantity/quality of goods/services produced and the quantity of resources used to produce them (Onyeonoru, 2005). Workers must ensure that the maximum productivity is yielded. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the management that all the core issues with human relations are settled within the workplace. Liberian workers will have to be more committed and ready to pay attention to duty. Let it be noted that the buyer and seller must respect each other. But, interestingly once there is competition in the market, the buyer will have many options; therefore it is incumbent upon the seller to exert the basic strategic human relations framework.

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Fear of Failure Undermines England, says Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher has admitted there is a fear factor playing for England.

“One mistake and you could be absolutely slaughtered,” the Liverpool defender told BBC Radio 5 live.

“At your club, you know you will not be criticised as much and perhaps three days later there will be another game.

“With England, it could be months before you have another fixture. There is a fear at times when playing for England.”

Carragher, speaking a year after England’s elimination from the World Cup, said players sometimes buckled under the media scrutiny.

“The intensity of the press does get to the players,” said the 33-year-old. “Sometimes I think players would prefer the press guy to think they had played well, rather than the manager.”

England were knocked out of the World Cup in South Africa by Germany, beaten 4-1 in the second round.

Carragher played in the group games against the United States and Algeria after coming out of international retirement but was on the bench for the defeat by the Germans.

In a BBC Radio 5 live documentary, to be broadcast on Tuesday at 1930 BST, Carragher appeared to criticise England’s set-up in South Africa, arguing that players were bored.

“You stay in a hotel all day but you are at a World Cup for a long time and should be able to experience different things,” he said.

“I wouldn’t want players holed up. Take away the boredom, embrace the country we are in more. You never see anything.”

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp echoed Carragher’s sentiments.

“I spoke to a few players who said they were sat in their rooms waiting for the day to pass,” said the Spurs boss. “Some said they were bored out of their brains.”

Redknapp also argued that many Premier League footballers now prioritise club football over representing their country.

“The rewards, the money that is involved in club football and the desire to play in the Champions League – it seems the international game is almost taking second stage,” he said. “Players are loved by their clubs but not always when they play for their country.”

England won only one of their four games in South Africa, recording a 1-0 victory over Slovenia in their final Group C match, and were widely criticised for their poor performances.

Coach Fabio Capello remains in charge and has started to place more faith in youngsters like Jack Wilshere and Adam Johnson.

Former German international and coach Franz Beckenbauer believes Capello should place more trust in his younger players.

“I like Fabio but maybe he still holds on to older players,” said Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as a player and as a coach.

“Maybe he should be brave and bring on more youngsters. England always has a lot of youngsters.”

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Grand Challenges Canada Announces Innovative Rising Stars in Global Health

From a tattoo that delivers drugs to combat the debilitating and disfiguring leishmaniasis disease; to solar powered tablets to train women in Haiti on HIV prevention; to a rugged, reliable fetal heart monitor that doesn’t require electricity in order to save babies’ lives in Africa, Canadian innovators demonstrate creativity, bold ideas and big hearts in the quest to make a difference in the developing world and save lives.

Today Grand Challenges Canada announces 19 grants totalling more than $2 million to Canadian innovators in the first phase of its Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health initiative.

The 19 projects being funded (detailed at www.grandchallenges.ca/canadianrisingstars_round1grantees):

  • Using mobile phone text messaging to reduce maternal and infant deaths in remote areas in China
  • Water and power: Energy-efficient water purification developed for point-of-care and scaled for public health
  • The use of a permanent make-up (or tattoo) device to target drug delivery against cutaneous leishmaniasis
  • mHealth for maternal and newborn health: Using mobile phones to support community health workers in kenya
  • Integration of pulse oximetry into the routine assessment of sick young infants at first-level clinics in Karachi, Pakistan
  • PPAR-gamma agonists for the treatment of cerebral malaria – tweaking the host response to save brains
  • Saving mothers: Preventing maternal mortality in rural Africa
  • A primary care toolkit to tackle child labour and promote health equity
  • Egg-free production of influenza vaccines using viral sensitizer technology : A reliable and affordable solution for developing countries
  • To develop a synergistic, innovative, implementation strategy for self testing for HIV in South Africa.
  • A low-cost, multiplexed, point-of-care test for extra-pulmonary tuberculosis
  • The world’s first free university
  • Paper as enabling platform for cell-based assays for basic research and medical diagnostics in resource-limited environments
  • Development of non-invasive diagnostic device for Diabetes
  • Development and evaluation of a tablet-based, community health worker delivered HIV/STI prevention intervention for women living in internally displaced persons camps in Leogane, Haiti
  • Revamping an old tool: point-of-care molecular diagnostics in blood capillary tubes
  • The fetal heart monitor project – human energy to save lives
  • Kumasi & Accra project to prevent AIDS (KAPPA): A social network-based intervention to prevent HIV among men who have sex with men
  • New therapeutic drug combinations for tuberculosis treatment.

“When I ran the in the Olympic Torch Relay with my wife Sandra, we felt a sense of pride in Canada as we had never felt before,” says Joseph L. Rotman, Chair of Grand Challenges Canada. “I feel the same sense of pride about these outstanding Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health who demonstrate the leadership Canadians can and do contribute to the international community.”

Says Dr. Peter A. Singer, Chief Executive Officer of Grand Challenges Canada: “These innovators are dedicated to bringing change to the world’s poorest countries. They believe Canada has a leadership role in improving health conditions in the developing world. Collectively they are a source of pride for our country.”

“We are enabling Canadians to make their contribution to global health challenges, in collaboration with colleagues in low- and middle-income countries. Grand Challenges Canada is just beginning to tap that potential,” says Dr. Singer.

In a first for a Canadian grant application process, these innovators each produced a short video to explain their ideas to Canadians. These videos are as creative as the ideas proposed, showing our innovators in a new engaging light. To watch the videos visit http://gcc.eyeptv.net

Through a rigorous peer review process, nineteen innovators’ proposals were selected from across Canada each receiving a grant of $100,000. Their ideas are innovative, plan to address barriers to implementation such as community values and ethics, the health systems required to deliver the discoveries, and cost-effective commercialization of their solutions Challenges Canada calls this Integrated Innovation, an approach which improves the success rate of discoveries. If their ideas are robust, effective, and proven, the innovators will be eligible for an additional scale-up grant of up to $1 million for each proposal.

There will be three rounds of Canadian Rising Stars for a total of $20 million. Of this amount, approximately $14 million will be available for scale-up grants.

Grand Challenges Canada is a new global health organization funded by Canada’s foreign aid budget. Its purpose is to fund research to address some of the most difficult global health issues through Integrated Innovation and save lives. Canada is the first country in the world to adopt a grand challenges approach to foreign aid.

Grand Challenges Canada participates in a consortium with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Mr. David Malone, President of IDRC, joins Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR in congratulating the new grantees.

“The grant recipients have all displayed enormous creativity and commitment to solving global health challenges,” says Dr. Beaudet. “It is exciting and very rewarding to have the opportunity to encourage them in their work.”

Adds Mr. Malone: “We’re very pleased to see Grand Challenges Canada, Canada’s International Development Research Centre and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research take a ‘whole of Canada’ approach to creating the Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health initiative and supporting Canadians’ contribution to global health.”

Today Grand Challenges Canada is also announcing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Round 2 of Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health. In Round 2, proposal submissions will require developing world innovators to collaborate with Canadians on their bold ideas.

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Please click on the following link to learn more about the Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health Grantees: www.grandchallenges.ca/canadianrisingstars_round1grantees

About Grand Challenges Canada

Grand Challenges Canada is a unique independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of people in developing countries by integrating scientific, technological, business and social innovation. Grand Challenges Canada works with the International Development Research Institute (IDRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR )and other global health foundations and organizations to find sustainable long-term solutions to the most pressing health challenges. Grand Challenges Canada is hosted at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health. www.grandchallenges.ca

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Inkoom Backs Ghana’s U-23 to Overturn 3-1 AAG Loss to Nigeria

Ghana U23 captain Samuel Inkoom has committed his own cash to the team

Ghana U23 captain Samuel Inkoom has committed his own cash to the team

Ghana U23 captain Samuel Inkoom says he has given US$10,000 to his team-mates for a “wonderful performance” in their defeat by Nigeria on Saturday.

The Black Meteors were beaten 3-1 by the Dream Team in the first leg of their All Africa Games qualifying tie.

The second leg is in Ghana in two weeks’ time and Inkoom says his side are determined to overturn the deficit.

“After the game I spoke to the players and told them it’s not over until it’s over,” he told BBC Sport.

“Ghana against Nigeria is like a derby game – they may have won but we are going back to Ghana to correct our mistakes.

“We need to buck up, but for a wonderful performance I gave [the team] 10,000 dollars from my own pocket.”

The Dnipro star, who was one of a number of players from the senior national team to be called up for the match, said his side still believed they could reach the finals in Mozambique later this year.

The motivation is there and you can tell everyone is happy in the camp

Samuel Inkoom Ghana U23 captain

“This team is more like a family – we do everything together [and] we have a lot of experience in the team,” he said.

Meanwhile Sunday’s All Africa Games qualifier between East African rivals Kenya and Uganda fell victim to the weather.

The teams were warming-up ahead of the game in Nairobi when the rain started and the pitch was quickly flooded.

The teams will try again at 12pm local time on Monday.

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Type 2 Diabetes in Newly Diagnosed ‘Can Be Reversed’

An extreme eight-week diet of 600 calories a day can reverse Type 2 diabetes in people newly diagnosed with the disease, says a Diabetologia study.

Newcastle University researchers found the low-calorie diet reduced fat levels in the pancreas and liver, which helped insulin production return to normal.

Seven out of 11 people studied were free of diabetes three months later, say findings published in the journal.

More research is needed to see whether the reversal is permanent, say experts.

Type 2 diabetes affects 2.5m people in the UK. It develops when not enough insulin is produced in the body or the insulin that is made by the body doesn’t work properly.

When this happens, glucose – a type of sugar – builds up in the blood instead of being broken down into energy or fuel which the body needs.

The 11 participants in the study were all diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes within the previous four years.

They cut their food intake drastically for two months, eating only liquid diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables.

Fat loss

After one week of the diet, researchers found that the pre-breakfast blood sugar levels of all participants had returned to normal.

MRI scans of their pancreases also revealed that the fat levels in the organ had decreased from around 8% – an elevated level – to a more normal 6%.

Three months after the end of the diet, when participants had returned to eating normally and received advice on healthy eating and portion size, most no longer suffered from the condition.

Professor Roy Taylor, director of Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre at Newcastle University and lead study author, said he was not suggesting that people should follow the diet.

“This diet was only used to test the hypothesis that if people lose substantial weight they will lose their diabetes.

“Although this study involved people diagnosed with diabetes within the last four years, there is potential for people with longer-standing diabetes to turn things around too.”

Susceptibility question

Dr Ee Lin Lim, also from Newcastle University’s research team, said that although dietary factors were already known to have an impact on Type 2 diabetes, the research showed that the disease did not have to be a life sentence.

“It’s easy to take a pill, but harder to change lifestyle for good. Asking people to shift weight does actually work,” she said.

However, not everyone in the study managed to stay free of diabetes.

“It all depends on how much individuals are susceptible to diabetes. We need to find out why some people are more susceptible than others, then target these obese people. We can’t know the reasons for that in this study,” Dr Lim said.

Professor Edwin Gale, a diabetes expert from the University of Bristol, said the study did not reveal anything new.

“We have known that starvation is a good cure for diabetes. If we introduced rationing tomorrow, then we could get rid of diabetes in this country.

“If you can catch people with diabetes in the early stages while beta cells are still functioning, then you can delay its onset for years, but you will get it sooner or later because it’s in the system.”

But Keith Frayn, professor of human metabolism at the University of Oxford, said the Newcastle study was important.

“People who lose large amounts of weight following surgery to alter their stomach size or the plumbing of their intestines often lose their diabetes and no longer need treatment.

“This study shows that a period of marked weight loss can produce the same reversal of Type 2 diabetes.

“It offers great hope for many people with diabetes, although it must be said that not everyone will find it possible to stick to the extremely low-calorie diet used in this study.”

Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, which funded the study, said the diet was not an easy fix.

“Such a drastic diet should only be undertaken under medical supervision. Despite being a very small trial, we look forward to future results particularly to see whether the reversal would remain in the long term.”