African Poorest Farmers Hit by Climate Change

HARARE, Zimbabwe — As she surveys her small, bare plot in Zimbabwe’s capital, farmer Janet Vambe knows something serious is happening, even if she has never heard of climate change. “Long ago, I could set my calendar with the date the rains started,” the 72-year-old said. Nowadays, “we have to gamble with the rains. If… Continue reading African Poorest Farmers Hit by Climate Change

Mobile Phone Access Varies Widely in Sub-Saharan Africa; South Africa Leads

This is the first of two articles that examine access to information and communications technology in sub-Saharan Africa. WASHINGTON, D.C.– Fifty-seven percent of the adult population — or more than an estimated 151 million people — have mobile phones across the 17 countries Gallup surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa in 2010. The percentage of adults with… Continue reading Mobile Phone Access Varies Widely in Sub-Saharan Africa; South Africa Leads

Africa’s Group of 33

Since 1971 when the least developed countries (LDCs) category was created by the UN, sub-Saharan African countries have dominated the list. Four decades later, with 33 members (only 14 of the region’s 47 countries are not LDCs), sub-Saharan Africa still maintains the biggest regional presence in the group. All parts of the sub-continent are represented.… Continue reading Africa’s Group of 33

Clinton Chastises China on Internet, African ‘New Colonialism’

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, sharpening her criticism of China, said the world’s second-biggest economy was doing everything to “stifle the Internet” and displaying traits of “new colonialism” in Africa. Asked today during the recording of a television program in Lusaka, Zambia about whether China was a role model for governance, Clinton answered: “In… Continue reading Clinton Chastises China on Internet, African ‘New Colonialism’

U.S. Seeks Greater Economic Role in Africa

By PETER WONACOTT LUSAKA, Zambia—U.S. officials and business leaders have gathered here for a bout of soul-searching on how to lift trade and investment in Africa, underlining a broad recognition that American companies are trailing those from China and India in tapping the continent’s economic opportunities. The meeting in Zambia has drawn one of the… Continue reading U.S. Seeks Greater Economic Role in Africa

In Africa, Clinton will See a Continent Starved for Aid, Change

(CNN) — Hillary Clinton’s weeklong trip to sub-Saharan Africa takes her to a continent hungry for economic growth and political accountability but still shackled by poverty and government corruption. The U.S. secretary of state will see the effects of that poverty close-up: — In Tanzania, she’ll meet with women who are victims of gender-based violence.… Continue reading In Africa, Clinton will See a Continent Starved for Aid, Change