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International Diplomacy Has Economic Face, and Not Humanitarian

Finally, NATO has reluctantly agreed to shoulder the burden of the ‘No-Fly-Zone’ air-raid mission of the Allied nations in Libya. The Coalition Forces has decided on the next line of action to take in Libya. They claim everything is being done in line with UN resolution 1973. But much is left to be achieved as major nations who spear-headed the air-raid would soon to find out. What the Coalition Forces did not realize before they moved in was the fact that Gaddafi is no mean man to be pushed aside just like that. He said at the heat of the battle that he would not be intimidated by the Coalition Forces; that he is ready to die in Libya’s soil. It is clear that the rebels are not organized in their bid to take over power from their leader of 42 years. They are confined to Benghazi which is far away from the capital, Tripoli. How successful will the insurrection be without them taking hold of the Tripoli?

The outcome of the London Conference is still very vague as it was not totally agreed on the use of ground troops in order to flush out Gaddafi troops. How far would they go to completely oust Gaddafi? Would they assist the rebels to export crude oil in order to raise finance for the humanitarian needs of the people? The situation in Libya still remains very critical. The international media which the whole world rely upon for first-hand information from Tripoli, are facing the challenge of access as Gaddafi will only allow them to report what he deems fit.

It is still unclear why Western Powers have not taken any military action against Mr. Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d’Ivoire, who has been on killing spree since January. Mr. Gaddafi and his Ivorian counterpart are doing this same thing-killing their civilian population. Why is Cote d’Ivoire’s case different? Is it because Gbagbo‘s soil cannot spew the ‘Black Gold’? International diplomacy has been reduced squarely to economic interest rather than humanitarian interest. Their strategic interest is oil, and nothing less. While the air-raids continued; only time will tell the consequences of the action so far taken. The World is waiting.

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Gyan Powers Ghana Black Stars to Draw With England at Wembley

BBC

Asamoah Gyan’s injury-time equaliser deprived England of victory in a highly entertaining friendly against Ghana at Wembley.

Andy Carroll’s first international goal just before the interval looked to have settled the game in favour of Fabio Capello’s revamped England side before Gyan gave Ghana a draw they fully deserved.

Ghana’s vast and colourful support inside Wembley celebrated wildly as Gyan bamboozled England substitute Joleon Lescott, not for the first time, inside the area before clipping a composed finish beyond Joe Hart.

Liverpool’s £35m striker Carroll still looked short of match fitness after a lengthy recent injury absence – but gave a glimpse of his rich potential when he rounded off a fine move with a powerful finish just before half-time.

Ghana, however, were a threat throughout and Gyan’s goal was fitting reward for his tireless display and the Black Stars’ ambitious attacking approach.

Dominic Adiyiah forced Hart into two fine saves in the first half, while Ashley Young should have scored for England when he drove a close-range effort against the bar from Stewart Downing’s cross.

Despite fears that Capello’s decision to make seven changes from the team that beat Wales in Saturday’s Euro 2012 qualifier would take the edge of this friendly, Wembley played host to a vibrant occasion that was given a game to match the atmosphere.

Capello will be disappointed that victory was cast aside so late, but England’s coach can still take away plenty from the game, particularly Carroll opening his England goal account and accomplished performances from Young and Downing as he worked with a 4-3-3 formation once more.

And it was also a memorable night for Wolves winger Matt Jarvis and Danny Welbeck, on loan at Sunderland from Manchester United, as they made their England debuts in the second half.

Capello made the expected changes prior to kick-off, but the alterations did not affect the rhythm of a thrilling first half as both sides showed commendable attacking intent.

Ghana, urged forward by a huge following banked at one end of Wembley, were a constant threat and Adiyiah signalled their positive approach early on when he raced clear only to be thwarted by the advancing Hart.

England’s response was swift, with Downing shooting well over from an angle and Young forcing an athletic save from Ghana keeper Richard Kingson with a rising effort from 20 yards.

Sunderland’s Gyan was the darling of the Ghana fans, but his ambition got the better of him when he tested Hart from in excess of 40 yards – a shot that carried plenty of power but was straight at the England keeper.

Young’s enterprising start should have been rewarded with a goal after 24 minutes. He arrived perfectly on the end of a cross from Villa team-mate Downing but turned his shot against the bar with Kingson beaten.

Hart was England’s saviour again when Adiyiah sent in a shot from Sulley Muntari’s free-kick, sticking out a hand to make a fine reflex save to ensure Capello’s side remained on terms.

Ghana were unhappy when England full-back Leighton Baines launched himself into a 50-50 challenge with Isaac Vorsah that left the Ghana player rolling in agony, but Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir kept his yellow card in his pocket.

As an end-to-end half somehow looked to be ending goalless, Carroll rounded off a slick passage of play to give England the lead. Young picked out Downing with precise pass and Carroll slammed a left-foot finish low past Kingson.

Capello made one change at half-time, sending on Lescott for Glen Johnson – and it was Ghana who made the early running after the break.

Ghana’s following almost got the goal they craved as the Black Stars threatened twice within second, England captain Gareth Barry deflecting John Pantsil’s shot over the top and Jonathan Mensah heading the resulting corner just wide. Carroll had given England an hour before he was replaced by Jermain Defoe and Capello later introduced two more debutants when Jarvis came on for Jack Wilshere and Welbeck replaced Young.

Welbeck was not afforded a warm reception by Ghana’s followers after pledging his loyalty to England despite qualifying for the Africans.

They forgot their anger at Welbeck when the goal they had been waiting for arrived as the fourth official signalled the start of three minutes of added time. Gyan’s sleight of foot was all too much for Lescott and the striker rounded off a fine night’s work with a goal that was greeted ecstatically by Ghana’s fans.

England v Ghana line-ups

England: Hart, Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Milner, Barry, Wilshere, Downing, Carroll, Young.
Subs: Green, Lescott, Parker, Jarvis, Welbeck, Defoe, Crouch, Bent, Carson.

Ghana: Kingson, Pantsil, Vorsah, John Mensah, Lee Addy, Adiyah, Annan, Agyemang-Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, Muntari, Gyan.
Subs: Adjei, Opare, Inkoom, Derek Boateng, Tagoe, Ayew, David Addy, Jonathan Mensah, Kumordzi, Clottey, Sowah. Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)

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The Wal-Mart Question Finally Hits Africa: South Africa Should Ensure Robust Scrutiny of The Deal

The next two months remain crucial in the history of foreign direct investment in South Africa. Wal Mart, the US retail giant is negotiating its grand entrance to Africa’s growing markets and this deal is reported to be its biggest acquisition since 1999 when it bought Asda, the British supermarket. A few months back, the international company offered to pay billions to facilitate its 51 % ownership share of South Africa’s biggest retailer MassMart. The deal was approved by Massmart shareholders in January this year. However, if recent objections in South Africa to Walmart’s anticipated entry into the African market are anything to go by, then it is assured an uphill battle in the next coming months.  South Africa’s powerful trade unions seem determined to take the retail giant head on and continuously express a strong desire to oppose the merger. Also, government has so far shown strong determination to oppose a deal that stands in contrast to South Africa’s economic development plans and its strategic priorities for the next years.

Since the announcement of the Massmart/Walmart merger numerous yet critical and necessary questions have arisen around the desirability of the deal in particular the implications it is likely to have for South Africa’s retail industry, small –to medium –sized enterprises and the country’s job creation project. The Competition Commission, a body tasked with regulating the South African market in the public interests recommended to the Competition Tribunal that the deal be approved without conditions. This decision was highly questioned by those who specifically maintain that Wal Mart needs to guarantee job security for its workers and voluntary bind itself towards using domestic suppliers.  The Competition Tribunal had scheduled public hearings on the deal last week but these have been postponed to May to allow opposing parties to the deal an opportunity to prepare for a cross examination of  witnesses provided by Massmart/Walmart.

Critics of Wal Mart’s operation and practices whether in the USA, Chile, Argentine, or India raise issues which create many uncertainties and questions about the deal. Also, Wal Mart’s alleged poor global reputation as an employer and increasing allegations of its lack of respect for workers rights including its negative attitude towards labour union activities cannot be ignored. Reports by Human Rights Watch and other human rights activists also paint a depressing picture thus making it absolutely necessary for South Africa to ensure a proper scrutiny of the merger. Obviously, there are two sides to any story and Wal Mart has in the past disputed the allegations. Nevertheless, the risks of ignoring the issues raised by those with direct experiences of Wal Mart operations are simply too much to be left unaddressed. When Norway disinvested from Wal Mart its pension fund’s ethics committee alleged that “Wal-Mart is involved in “serious and systematic human rights abuses”, consistently flouting international rules on child labour, health and safety, underpaying women and blocking unionisation in the workforce”. Can South Africa afford to turn a blind eye to these allegations?

What is in South Africa’s best interest? Without doubt, the country needs direct foreign investment, but at what cost?  Trade Unions maintain that they want ‘responsible’ foreign direct investment. It is therefore clear that South Africa needs to vigilantly apply its mind on this merger and any further dialogue should be in line with its strategic plans and priorities.

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Togo and Ghana Receiving More Ivorian Refugees as Crisis Spreads

UN Refugee Agency
Refugees from Côte d'Ivoire walk along a forest trail to find safety and shelter in eastern Liberia.

GENEVA, March 29 (UNHCR) – The Ivorian refugee crisis is spreading further across West Africa, with Ghana and Togo receiving a growing number of new arrivals. While the southern city of Abidjan has been relatively calm in recent days, fresh clashes were reported Monday in Côte d’Ivoire’s west, centre-west and east.

In the west, renewed fighting has been reported in the town of Duékoué, which has experienced several waves of violence since December. Hostilities have also spread to the town of Daloa, some 100 kilometres east of Duékoué, and to Bondoukou near the Ghanaian border.

“UNHCR continues to advocate with both forces for civilians to be protected from harm,” said the UN refugee agency’s chief spokesperson, Melissa Fleming, at a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

In neighbouring Liberia, Grand Gedeh County in the east has registered over 10,000 newly arriving Ivorians in the last week alone, mostly in the Gbarzon and Tchein districts. Around 300 to 400 people are still arriving every day, and refugees tell UNHCR that many more are on their way.

“Several people say they left family members behind in their panic, including children. To reach Liberia, they cross the Cavally River with very few possessions and usually no money. Some could only carry bundles on their heads,” said Fleming.

The remote locations, rough terrain and long travel time between locations mean that UNHCR staff can only register refugees and distribute at one place at a time. The agency has dispatched relief items and is working with the World Food Programme to ensure food distribution and provision of high energy biscuits for all new arrivals. Additional staff have been deployed from Saclepea further north to strengthen the response.

A total of 24,507 refugees are now in Grand Gedeh, accounting for 22 per cent of the total 112,000 Ivorian refugees who have fled to Liberia since the crisis erupted after a presidential election in late November.

On Côte d’Ivoire’s eastern flank, Ghana has received 3,129 new refugees, mainly from Abidjan and its suburbs. UNHCR has set up a transit centre at the Elubo border crossing, as well as a refugee camp in the town of Ampain that can hold 3,000 people. The agency is providing food and relief items while racing to complete works on water, health and sanitation facilities.

The search is on to identify a second, bigger camp with the authorities. Fleming noted, “Although the number of refugees in Ghana is relatively small, the rapidly deteriorating conditions in Côte d’Ivoire require that we be prepared for a major influx. In the coming days, we will be deploying a team of six emergency staff to Ghana.”

Further east still, in Togo, some 857 Ivorians – over 60 per cent of them male – have also found safety in the capital Lomé. They fled through Ghana from Abobo, PK-18, Adjame, Williamsville and Yopougon, which are among the most populous and dangerous districts of Abidjan. Some in the group told UNHCR their properties were looted, others that they had been physically assaulted. Several women said they were raped.

In total, some 116,000 Ivorians have fled to eight West African countries since the post-election crisis started. In addition to Liberia, Ghana and Togo, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin and Nigeria are also hosting Ivorian refugees.

Of the US$97 million UNHCR needs for this emergency response, donors have thus far funded US$20 million.

By Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba
In Geneva

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Resource-rich Africa Well Placed to Transition to ‘Green Economy’ – UN official

Windmills along the coast of Tunisia, (picture-alliance/dpa)

28 March 2011 –Africa is well poised to take advantage of a host of opportunities on the continent for building a ‘green economy,’ one that generates decent jobs in an environmentally sustainable way, a senior United Nations official said today.

“This continent is in many ways the envy of the 21st century world,” Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), told African ministers of finance, planning and economic development gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“Africa is rich in the kinds of natural resources that in many parts of the world have been over-exploited and diminished by centuries of unsustainable development,” he stated.

This includes not just precious and semi-precious metals, but also nature-based resources such as forests and biodiversity, which support tourism and could also underpin inventions and pharmaceutical breakthroughs.

At the same time, many parts of the continent are rich in so-called natural fuels such as wind, solar and geothermal.

“The fundamental question,” said Mr. Steiner, “is how will all this potential be harvested for the benefit of Africa’s citizens and in a way that promotes stability in Africa and beyond.”

He noted that the green economy is not a substitute for sustainable development, but a way of realizing it. “It is as relevant to developing economies and it is to developed ones; it is as central to more state-led economies as it is to more market-led ones. It is not a straitjacket, nor is it prescriptive.”

In February UNEP released a report outlining how investing 2 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) in 10 sectors can catalyze the transition to a green economy.

It also provided a global compilation of case studies from across the globe, including Africa, where forward-looking policies by governments are “watering the green shoots” of the global green economy.

One example is South Africa, whose Green Economy Plan focuses on investments that create more decent jobs, and where nearly $1 billion is being spent on railways, energy-efficient buildings, and water and waste management.

He also highlighted Kenya’s new green energy policy, including a feed-in tariff and 15-year power purchase agreement, which is catalyzing an initial target of 500 megawatts of energy from geothermal, wind and sugar wastes systems.

Later this week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Kenya’s main geothermal sites, located north-west of Nairobi, to learn first-hand how these developments have been achieved, as well as how they are set to generate thousands of new jobs in the clean energy sector while reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels.

“The rest of the world can learn from Africa, but Africa can also learn from other continents,” said Mr. Steiner.

He added that the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development, set to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 – 20 years after the Earth Summit of 1992, could prove to be one of the most transformative moments in international affairs.

“In 1992, we could only perhaps glimpse the scale some of the challenges emerging on the radar from climate change and the loss of healthy, productive cropland,” he noted.

“But in the world of the here and now, many of those challenges have become all too real. There is an urgency to swiftly and decisively evolve the sustainable development agenda onto a far more focused and far reaching level.”

He said that the question now emerging is not whether a green economy is desirable but how to realize a green economy in practical terms.

“Rio+20 offers an opportunity to accelerate and scale-up transitions, already under way across this region and indeed across the world in order to catalyze growth and employment opportunities for around nine billion people by 2050,” he stated. “But in a way that also maintains and enhances the regional and global planetary services that underpin wealth generation in the first place.

“Africa’s experience on what has worked and what has not worked over the past two decades offers an invaluable foundation upon which a transformational outcome next year can be built.”

UN News Center
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A Green Economy Statement by Achim Steiner to African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development

Delivered at the 2011 Joint Annual Meetings of African Union Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance and the Economics Commission for Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development

28 March 2011- Addis Ababa, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We meet some 13 months before what could prove to be one of the most transformative moments in international affairs.

Nearly 20 years after the Earth Summit of 1992-which established much of the sustainable development of the intervening years-nations are again traveling on the Road to Rio for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development 2012-or Rio+20.

In 1992, we could only perhaps glimpse the scale some of the challenges emerging on the radar from climate change and the loss of healthy, productive cropland.

But in the world of the here and now, many of those challenges have become all too real-there is an urgency to swiftly and decisively evolve the sustainable development agenda onto a far more focused and far reaching level.

There is now an essential need to implement the vision of 1992.

Two themes have been agreed in order to achieve that.

A Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

An International Framework for Sustainable Development.

What do they mean for the world and what do they mean for Africa in particular?

To my mind they could mean quite a lot if the countries of this Continent decide to fully engage on these twin agendas and through the numerous preparatory meetings of the coming months and year.

On the one hand the nations of this Continent face the same challenge that now faces every country on Earth.

How to grow and how to generate good and decent jobs, but in a way that does not push humanity’s footprint beyond planetary boundaries.

But Africa has many challenges and opportunities that are unique.

While not diminishing the challenges, let me set aside these issues as they are well known and familiar to everyone in this room.

Let me instead dwell on the opportunities.

Firstly, this Continent is in many ways the envy of the 21st century world.

Africa is rich in the kinds of natural resources that in many parts of the world have been over-exploited and diminished by centuries of unsustainable development.

Many rapidly developing economies are also finding scarcities are now emerging too.

I am not just referring to precious and semi-precious metals.

But also nature-based resources such as forests and biodiversity-biodiversity that underpins tourism, but which will also underpin the inventions and pharmaceutical breakthroughs of the emerging biological age.

Land too, which as we know, is increasingly attracting investors from overseas for growing crops to feed their growing and more affluent populations.

Meanwhile, many parts of this Continent are rich in what one might term natural fuels-wind, solar, geothermal; hydro both large and small and perhaps soon the possibility of wave energy.

Meanwhile Africa is now undergoing some of the fastest-if not the fastest-urbanization rates in the world and in many places and in many ways almost from scratch.

I could go on. But the fundamental question is how will all this potential be harvested for the benefit of Africa’s citizens and in a way that promotes stability in Africa and beyond.

In an economic mode of the 20th century-or in a way that maximizes the true value of these resources.

In a way that weighs all the economic, social and environmental options rather than just one or two-

Will Africa’s forests be exported as logs to overseas buyers?or will they be managed in ways that reflect not only their commodity value but their multi-trillion dollar services they provide for the Continent but also the world?

Will the urbanization of Africa leapfrog the unsustainable paths of Europe, the United States or the development paradigms of many rapidly emerging economies in Asia or Latin America?

Because the fact is that in many parts of the world, countries will have to re-build and retrofit sustainability into their economies if sustainable development is to be realized.

Whereas in Africa you have the chance to build it up and build it into your growth early on.

Honorable delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

UNEP’s work on the Green Economy and now the work of many organizations and institutions world-wide have gone from theory to the potential for a new development reality in just two to three years.

It is not a substitute for sustainable development, but a way of realizing it.

It is as relevant to developing economies and it is to developed ones: it is as central to more state-led economies as it is to more market-led ones.

It is not a straight-jacket, nor is it prescriptive.

The Green Economy is about shaping public policy including market mechanisms and fiscal strategies in a way that unleashes the private sector into a more meaningful notion of wealth creation that achieves the aims outlined above.

Our report-Towards a Green Economy-which was presented to environment ministers attending UNEP’s Governing Council in Nairobi in February, outlined how investing 2 per cent of global GDP in 10 sectors can catalyze that transition.

It also provided a global compilation of case studies from across the globe, including Africa, where forward-looking policies by governments are watering the green shoots of that Green Economy everywhere.

  • Uganda – policies to promote organic agriculture have generated 200,000 certified farmers and exports growing from close to $4 million in 2003 to nearly $23 million now
  • Rwanda’s initiative on forest ecosystem restoration is another landmark in the shift
  • The Democratic Republic of Congo’s accessing of the emerging potential under the UN’s Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (UN-REDD) is another.
  • The solar power partnership between countries in North Africa and European companies under Desertech promises to be transformational.
  • South Africa’s Green Economy Plan with a primary focus on investments that create more decent jobs, and related to this, investments in infrastructure-nearly $ 1 billion is being spent in railways, energy efficient buildings, and water and waste management..
  • Kenya – its new green energy policy, including a Feed-In Tariff and 15 year power purchase agreement, is catalyzing an initial target of 500MW of geothermal, wind and sugar wastes-into-energy systems: a rise in the country’s installed capacity of over 40 per cent.

Indeed later this week UN Secretary-General Ban ki-moon will visit Kenya’s main geothermal sites north west of Nairobi to learn at first hand how these developments have been achieved.

And how they are also set to generate thousands of new jobs in the clean tech, clean energy sector while reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels.

UNEP is in discussions as to how to integrate and computerize all these different renewable energy components in order to maximize efficiencies in the evolving Kenyan grid and in ways that may also benefit the planned East African Power Pool.

The rest of the world can learn from Africa, but Africa can also learn from other Continents.

Currently only 25 per cent of the world’s waste is reused or recycled-a waste of raw materials and a waste of opportunities for transforming hazardous, informal jobs into decent, formal ones.

  • The Republic of Korea has, through a policy of Extended Producer Responsibility, enforced regulations on products such as batteries and tyres to packaging like glass and paper, triggering a 14 per cent increase in recycling rates and an economic benefit of $1.6 billion
  • Brazil’s recycling already generates returns of $2 billion a year, while avoiding 10 million tones of greenhouse gas emissions; a fully recycling economy there would be worth 0.3 per cent of GDP

Ladies and gentlemen,

As we head down this Road to Rio, the question now emerging is not whether a Green Economy is desirable but how to realize a Green Economy in practical terms.

Firstly, all countries are at different points in their development path and with different mixes of sectors.

How you realize a Green Economy in say Nigeria or Mauritania will no doubt be different in say South Africa, Sudan or Gabon.

Secondly, it is loud and it is clear that good public policy is central and that the cross fertilization of experience and directions already being implemented in and outside Africa are invaluable.

Third, directing domestic investment flows into sustainable wealth generation that reflects national circumstances, deals with multiple challenges and realities and maximizes multiple opportunities is key.

Fourth-the role of the international lending and financing institutions, from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to regional development banks and bilateral assistance flows, need to support national transitions to a Green Economy.

Rio+20 offers an opportunity to accelerate and scale-up transitions, already underway across this region and indeed across the world in order to catalyze growth and employment opportunities for around nine billion people by 2050.

But in a way that also maintains and enhances the regional and global planetary services that underpin wealth generation in the first place.

Africa’s experience on what has worked and what has not worked over the past two decades offers an invaluable foundation upon which a transformational outcome next year can be built.

Africa’s determination to adopt a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy development path can also inspire others to take the kinds of next steps that can ensure that both poverty eradication and wealth generation happens faster for those that need it most.

Africa’s decision to engage fully on the Road to Rio will make it an equal partner in a new era where sustainability, equity and fairness win out over instability, imbalance and the interests of the few over the many.

Indeed investing analytical and political capital in this process may be one of the best investments that you as ministers could make in Africa’s future.

It may well define Africa’s strategy for new kinds of wealth generation that in turn may define a new and more sophisticated era of trade and cooperation with the rest of the world and a fast track to prosperity for many if not all of this Continent’s citizens.

United Nations Environment Programme
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The Commitment of Liberians on National Affairs and its Impact on Development

Liberia: Students taking part in the Flag Day parade in front of the Centennial Pavilion in Monrovia. Photo Credit: James M. Garresen, II/Executive Mansion

Over the period of time in the history of Liberia, in fact since independence in 1847, the leadership of the country has plundered the wealth thus enabling the country to suffer a massive underdevelopment. Those wealth are mostly taken to the Americas and other parts of the world while majority of the country suffered poverty. The leaders help to exploit their homelands. Frantz Fanon (1966) refers to those leaders as Phantom Bourgeoisie.

When 2003 Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in Accra, the various actors of the civil conflict decided to improve the socio-economic and political situations of the country. They agreed to develop mechanisms through which the wealth of the country can improve the living standard of the people by conducting free and transparent elections and setting up structures or improving the agencies of government that will control the rampant corruption in the country. The international Community ensures that the transitional Government of Gyude Bryant signed the Governance Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP) in 2005 to provide financial control and avoid corruption that has broken the governance system in the society. In essence, the GEMAP program was to reshape the governance system of the country.  This effort proves fruitless because the members of the GEMAP were not appreciated in the agencies of Government. The European Union and the Government of President Ellen Sirleaf improved the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to audit agencies of government. President Sirleaf nominated John S. Morlu as the Auditor General and he demonstrated the task by sincerely auditing major agencies of government and stating that these agencies were corrupt and weak. The Auditor General has become the enemy of the state for performing such enormous task. Why are Liberians not committed to national affairs that will impact the development of the country? The actions of the Government to ignore the various audits and to allow some eminent Liberians to disrespect the decent work of the auditors prove no commitment to the development of the country.

How long will the oldest African Republic continues to be in a socio-economic fragile condition? The basis of corruption and the lack of development have led to the death of two hundred thousand in a brutal civil conflict, yet the leadership of the country is not committed to improving the lives of the people. Even the ordinary Liberians always applaud those who get ill-gotten wealth from the resources of the country. Some of the parents will encourage their children to always get in touch with the phantom bourgeoisie to get some of the ill-gotten wealth. The resources of the country seem to belong to one group or few Liberians who are committed to the outside World.

For Liberia to be a better place on the continent, we need to be committed to national affairs and ensure that our resources are managed and strictly intended to improve the lives of the people. It is only Liberians who can build and strengthen the socio-economic & political conditions of the country. The leadership must be committed to the structures of government that intends to improve the status of the country. The ordinary Liberians need to participate in community initiatives, and be committed to statehood.


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How Did Evangelicalism and Tolerance Become Incompatible?

Over the weekend, I was reading a column in the February issue of the magazine Drug Discovery News when I came across  a question which led me to write this article . On page 10 of the magazine, Prof. Peter T. Kissinger, CEO of Prosolia and Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University, asked “How can one be tolerant and evangelical simultaneously”? At first, I thought the question was superfluous and misplaced because I have never thought of evangelicalism and tolerance be to irreconcilable. In fact, I thought of evangelical as the most tolerant among Christian denominations because of their zeal to bring outsiders into the folk. When I was a student at the University of Ghana a few years ago, it was cool to be called an evangelical. The Ghana Fellowship of Evangelical Students (GHAFES) was the organization you would want to be part of to be considered hot and up-to-date. In those days, I thought Evangelicalism was the direct opposite of fundamentalism. Evangelicals were the type of Christians who did not want to appear intolerant or closed-minded.

In the West, especially in the United States, an evangelical is not the most welcome of Christians in some places and Prof. Kissinger’s question got me thinking about this situation. Again, I remember when I was a graduate student at the University of Florida, Gainesville, a friend of mine once suggested the name of the student group Graduate Evangelical Fellowship (GEF) be changed to Graduate Christian Fellowship (GCF) in order to attract newcomers because of the negative connotation the term ‘Evangelical’ carries on campus. I didn’t understand it then, because I had just come from the University of Ghana where being an ‘Evangelical’ was sexy. So when did evangelicalism become synonymous to extreme fundamentalism? The latter is surely taking over the concept of old-time common sense evangelicalism and growing rather surprisingly fast. And it scares me because whatever originates in the US eventually becomes a global fashion and supplants venerable time-honored systems, especially in parts of Africa and other places where sophistication to sift the good from the bad is less than adequate.

Several reasons can be attributed to the deteriorating image of the term ‘Evangelical’ and discussing each of these is surely beyond the scope of this article. I will rather briefly touch on the intrusion of ‘extreme fundamentalism’, often cloaked in the garments of evangelicalism, into politics. As I have written before, politics mixed with religion is always explosive, and can be very destructive. Those of you who follow US politics will have no problem understanding why “Evangelical” carries such a negative stereotype. When media persons and politicians with hazardous and extreme views on important issues of the day are collectively classified as ‘Evangelicals’, then where is the coolness in being an Evangelical? In a society where being adamantly intolerant is equated to being evangelical, defining everything absolutely  based only on one’s views is a perfect description of an evangelical, and giving a simplistic answer to the most complicated question of society is described as the classic evangelical way, we have come just too far.

Why do I care about this? I’m not worried about who calls himself or herself an evangelical. People have the right to call themselves whatever they want. I am afraid of the impact on vulnerable societies, especially those from where I come from. In November of last year, one Ugandan MP, with financial and other support from a fundamentalist Christian organization in the US, proposed the death penalty for suspected gay people.  I mean the death penalty, not jail time. Again, the Prime Minister of Kenya, on Nov 29, 2010, declared a national crackdown on homosexuals and called upon the police to arrest and jail anyone suspected to be a homosexual. It is not the desire to fight what these people see as unhealthy intrusion of western lifestyles that bothers me. What I am afraid of, and you should be worried about also, is when a group from a powerful country such as the US, is allowed to use their financial power and politicians influences to dictate legislation in other countries by bribing gullible politicians. This cannot be labeled Evangelicalism; it is extreme right-wing fundamentalism which should be condemned by all Christians.

Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds, and I think what ‘evangelicals’ need to ask is “What Would Jesus Do?