While the White House seeks expansion of its liberal, populist agenda, Japan tries to seize the "African moment", much like China....

By The Editor-in-Chief

Africa will be an engine for world growth in the coming decades and Japan has to invest more on the continent, Japan's prime minister has said.

Shinzo Abe was speaking at the end of a three-day conference on African development in Yokohama.

Japan pledged $32 billion in "aid" to Africa, including money to help tackle militant Islamists. 

Japan appears to be worried that its rival China has built a strong presence in Africa, correspondents say.

"Africa will be a growth center over the next couple of decades until the middle of this century... now is the time for us to invest in Africa," Mr Abe said at the end of the conference co-hosted with the African Union (AU), World Bank and UN.

"Japan will not simply bring natural resources from Africa to Japan. We want to realize industrialization in Africa that will generate employment and growth."

Critics repeatedly accuse China of simply making a grab for resources in Africa, but it denies the charge.

It says it has invested heavily in building infrastructure on the continent, which it actually has in various countries on the continent.

Japan's five-year aid package includes spending in the public and private sectors to create jobs and develop infrastructure.

"We hope to further support and continue to expand together with Africa. We hope to develop a win-win situation in our relationship,'' Mr Abe told a press conference.

About 1,000 Africans would also be offered opportunities to study and work as interns in Japanese companies.

The "aid" package sets aside about $1 billion to help stabilize the Sahel region, where AL-Qaeda-linked militants have gained an increasingly alarming foothold.

Japan would also train some 2,000 people in counter-terrorism activities, it reports.

The five-yearly conference adopted a declaration pledging to promote trade, tourism and technology transfer.

It described the private sector as "a vital engine of growth" and said legal and regulatory frameworks should be improved in Africa to boost investments.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said it was important that the declaration be implemented "to the satisfaction of both sides".

Among other African leaders who attended the meeting were Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma.

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Opinion: Nigeria should ignore Obama’s snub

CC Sunday Viewpoint

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and indeed the most populous black nation in the world; one of the biggest producers of crude oil and 6th largest exporter of the commodity to the US; has the third fastest growing economy in the globe; one of the biggest contributors to United Nations peacekeeping operations worldwide.

Conversely, a perennial under-achiever, given its huge human and material resources, and now in the vice-grip of divisive terrorist elements on both sides of the River Niger. Easily the West African big brother, any sneeze from Nigeria, in spite of her challenges, could send more than cold shivers down the entire sub-region.

For these reasons, the good, the bad and the ugly, one would have thought any sustainable policy direction of the global police as represented by the United State of America would have Nigeria as the center-piece and nerve center. But since President Jimmy Carter’s visit in 1976, no sitting president of the United States has come knocking the country’s doors. President Bill Clinton did come, but he was already an ornament President on his way out of the prestigious White House.

President Barack Obama’s continuous snub appears even more frustrating and may have exposed the frustration of many Nigerians who actually supported Obama’s ascendancy –– albeit more for filial reason.

This is the second time that Obama is skipping Nigeria from his visit to Africa as the US president had excluded Nigeria during his first visit to Ghana on July 11, 2009.

However, if filial arrangement is a key factor in deciding which country Obama visits, Kenya appears more hard-done by the second snub.

Speaking on why Obama is again exempting Nigeria from his proposed visit to three African countries –– South Africa, Senegal and Tanzania, Professor Emeritus at the department of Politics and International Studies, Lead University, Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr. Alaba Ogunsanwo, perhaps in frustration, wants Nigeria to forget Obama and his visits and rather face up with the country’s domestic challenges.

Indeed, as the two-time Fulbright scholar (1979 and 1986) pointed out, one can only go by the publicly given reasons for the omission of Nigeria.

The first relates to the titanic fight against corruption, which the American administration, according to Ogunsanwo, erroneously believed the Nigerian government was engaged in before the advent of the current administration. “All knowledgeable Nigerians were aware that it was a phony war but US chose foolishly to believe in the genuineness of the fight. The current actions of the Nigerian leadership which confirmed the position of the ruling elite on the issue of what is called corruption must have been seen in bad light in Washington DC”, Ogunsanwo said.

Continuing, the respected don and diplomat said, “the US would have felt better if the loud noise against corruption had continued to come from Aso Rock notwithstanding the reality on ground.”

The second reason given by Washington DC relates to the fight against terrorists and acts of terrorism in Nigeria. The US government supports the fight against terrorism but expects the Nigerian Security forces to apply a level of sophistication, which Ogunsanwo said is presently beyond the capacity of any African-state. In his words: “Since 1992 when the Algerian government under the National Liberation Front embarked on a sustained campaign against the Islamists who were poised to massively win the elections of that year, the US support had been unceasing. The NLF has utilized methods considered necessary given the local conditions in that country. American and other western powers have been supportive. However the Algerian government has not requested any US President to visit their country.”

Dismissing the importance of the US president’s visit, he said, “it will be unfair to see this as a reflection of inferiority or colonial mentality on the part of our officials. They did not demonstrate this mentality under General Abacha! It must, therefore, be from the higher level that the feeling has percolated.

“Nigeria should just ignore the so called non visit of Obama. We have fundamental problems of Identity and Direction to contend with inside the country. Others will beg to visit us when we put our house in order. We will lose nothing by the non visit of US President Obama”, he said

Obama explained his inability to visit Nigeria during the trip to Ghana on the grounds of poor democratic credential and corruption, but the situation, in the thinking of the US government, is now worse as the aforementioned issues have now assumed a frightening dimension.

On why he decided to visit Ghana then, Obama had said, “Ghana’s history is rich, the ties between our two countries are strong, and I am proud that this is my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of the United States.

“And I have come here, to Ghana, for a simple reason: the 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra as well“

A statement by the Office of the Press Secretary in the White House, while clarifying Obama’s visit to Africa, reads in part, “President Obama and the First Lady look forward to traveling to Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania from June 26 – July 3.

Obama is expected to reinforce the importance that the US government places on  “deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, include expanding economic growth, investment, and trade; strengthening democratic institutions; and investing in the next generation of African leaders.

“The President will meet with a wide array of leaders from government, business, and civil society, including youth, to discuss our strategic partnerships on bilateral and global issues. The trip will underscore the President’s commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity.”

Nigeria's Entrepreneurship Development Program to target college graduates

Olusegun O. Aganga

CC Global Business Desk

Nigeria’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment recently inaugurated the University Entrepreneurship Development Program (UNEDEP) in the capital Abuja, to promote self-employment among youth, particularly college graduates.

According to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, the program is part of the government’s proactive strategies to tackle graduate unemployment.

UNEDEP will be implemented by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.

The program was created to enhance and re-orientate the values of undergraduates while providing a mentoring platform for students, with a view to reducing poverty and youth unemployment in the country.

Speaking during the unveiling of the program, Mr. Aganga, said it would give students the opportunity for practical hands-on-experience to enable them start and successfully  manage their own businesses.

"UNEDEP’s mission is to catch them young", he said. The program focuses on entrepreneurship development of undergraduates and aims to create future entrepreneurs by encouraging self-employment. 

“We will achieve this by using the existing Network for African Student Entrepreneurs club structure and deriving a standard schedule of activities for all members across all universities. Part of our strategy is to assess existing scalable student businesses, to determine ways to enhance these, and then create a platform for student mentoring by successful entrepreneurs. Our goal is for students to receive the necessary capacity building as part of the activities of the entrepreneurship clubs”, he opined. 

Also present at the event was Nigeria’s Education Minister, Prof. Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa'i. In her speech, she also stressed the need for the country to promote the culture of entrepreneurship among students, to reduce unemployment.

“All over the world, entrepreneurship has been identified as the major driver of economic growth and development… The success of many economies can be traced to entrepreneurs who started small and then grew to become multinationals”, she said.

Flashback and a must watch: Tiger Woods in-depth interview with Oprah after 1997 Master's victory (Part 3 & 4)

By The Editor-in-Chief

Interesting compilation of this rather historic as well as insightful interview Tiger and his late father had with Oprah Winfrey.

Part 3



Part 4

Flashback and a must watch: Tiger Woods in-depth interview with Oprah after 1997 Master's victory (Part 2)

By The Editor-in-Chief

Interesting compilation of this rather historic as well as insightful interview Tiger and his late father had with Oprah Winfrey.

Here is Part 2.

Flashback and a must watch: Tiger Woods in-depth interview with Oprah after 1997 Master's victory (Part 1)

By The Editor-in-Chief

Interesting compilation of this rather historic as well as insightful interview Tiger and his late father had with Oprah Winfrey.

It becomes easy to see the reasons for both his personal and professional trajectory over the last 18 years.

A must watch.

Of fried chicken and mountains out of mole hills

Tiger and his father late Earl Woods in the early years

By The Editor-in-Chief

Unless you've been caught up in a cave over the last 3 or so years, there is one individual that continues to be a lightning rod in the American sports and social landscape. That person of course is Tiger Woods, current world number one in golf. 

Recently, European golfer Sergio Garcia took his "rivalry" with Woods to a different level when asked about meeting with Woods at the U.S. Open, to which he (Garcia) responded, "We'll have him around every night. We will serve fried chicken."

There is no question as to what Garcia intended to do with such an ill-advised comment. Going into the annals of the shameful history of the United States where race is concerned, Garcia wanted to essentially "put Tiger in his place" as numerous others have tried to do (in so many ways) since Tiger announced his coming of age in 1997, with his dominating Masters' victory at Augusta. 

Most golf experts have always stressed the importance of Tiger to the game's bottom-line. 

The reality is that the golf fraternity never wanted Tiger to be part of the "family". In fact, they never invited him. Tiger essentially crashed the party and did so without any apologies or reservations in 1997.

The truth of the matter is they would prefer he just leave, but there is just one problem; his presence generates so much money for the game, hence the need to keep him around, even though they just can't stand the sight of him.

That is where comments from the likes of Garcia, Montgomerie and the European Tour CEO all come from.

No Colin, Garcia's unfortunate slur is not "a mountain out of a molehill" and it is shameful that you would see it that way. Perhaps, Colin Montgomerie would like us all to go back to the times when it was "kosher" (to quote Montgomerie) to be both callow and imbecilic at the same time, much like George O'Grady's philistine display.

As has always been the case, one would expect Tiger to ultimately accept Sergio Garcia's antiquated apology and move on to perpetually owning him and every other hypocrite on the PGA and European Tour, as he always has. 

It becomes rather easy to see what Tiger's enduring motivation is every time he steps on the golf course.

Nigeria Special Forces facing stiff resistance from Libyan Islamic insurgents roped in with Boko Haram

A Nigeria Special Forces Unit 

By ADEDEJI O. ADEGOKE - CC

Nigeria's military has been involved in heavy fighting with Islamist insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons from Libya, as it steps up an offensive aimed at flushing out Boko Haram from its North-Eastern bases.

This again confirms the ongoing frustration (across much of West Africa) with the unstable situation in the North African country (Libya) since the U.S. and France joined forces with these same Islamic insurgents to remove former Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi.

According to a Defense Ministry source, the Islamic insurgents "have been putting up very fierce resistance and they are very, very well-armed with weapons from Libya", the official stated.

A senior military official, also on condition of anonymity, stressed that intelligence gathered thus far from the Nigerian military offensive, lends credence to the initial thought that these hardened Libyan insurgents are now scattered across the region's semi-desert borders.

Concerns grew particularly after Islamist militants associated with al Qaeda seized the north of Mali last year and were dislodged only after French-led military intervention.

A renewed military campaign, including aerial bombardments of Boko Haram training camps in three remote states which were put under emergency rule this month had led to the capture of over 200 militants and the death of dozens in a week, according to the military.

In a sign of increasing concerns about jihadist movements (from Libya and North Africa) jumping borders, Nigeria has also asked neighboring Niger Republic for military support, as it seeks to police endless miles of shared desert borders, underlining moves towards West African cooperation against jihadists seen as a cross-border threat.

Military sources said the hardened Islamist rebels entrenched in the North were using cross-border routes to smuggle in weapons, to aid the Boko Haram insurgency.

Nigeria and Niger Republic signed a bilateral defense pact late last year, that includes sharing intelligence on Islamist groups, as well as joint military exercises. The deal stipulates that a request for military aid by one nation cannot be refused by the other.

The two West African nations share a porous frontier of more than 1000 miles. The fighting in Nigeria has pushed more than a thousand refugees across the border into Niger in the past few weeks, according to United Nations estimates, that have not been independently verified.

Soldiers from Niger and neighboring Chad recently participated with Nigerian forces in a joint assault on Boko Haram fighters last month in Baga, a fishing settlement on the shores of Lake Chad.

White House seeks to ensure "soft landing" for Obama's June visit to Africa

U.S. President Barack Obama

By The Editor-in-Chief

Coming on the heels of the emerging scandals that have the Obama White House on the defensive, the latter announced this week that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, would be visiting Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania from June 26th to July 3rd on the president's next visit to Africa.

This would be the president's second visit to Africa, his last and only visit being the trip to Ghana in 2009 when he only stayed for a day.

It would seem that the president's Africa itinerary has been careful selected to include rather small democracies such as Tanzania and Senegal, with South Africa being the only major African democracy on the list.

There have been several reports on how unpopular this president is on the African continent, mostly due to perceived attempts (on the part of this administration through the U.S. State Department) to impose values and policies seen as alien to the core fabric of African society.

It is therefore not much of a surprise that deeply conservative countries such as Nigeria (the most populous African country and the continent's second largest economy after South Africa) as well as Obama's own father's home country of Kenya, are conspicuously missing from the itinerary. 

The U.S. President is extremely unpopular in Kenya at the moment (evidenced by the victory of Uhuru Kenyatta over his preferred candidate - Raila Odinga). The same can also be said of his popularity in Nigeria, more-so as a result of the perceived indifference of this administration, to the Islamic insurgency that has claimed over 2000 lives in the northern part of Nigeria.

Furthermore, the statement by White House press secretary Jay Carney that "apart from strengthening democratic institutions and investing in the next generation of African leaders, this upcoming trip seeks to underscore the President’s commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity", flies in the face of reason, in light of how this administration has turned a disconcerting blind eye to the genocidal actions of Al Qaeda-backed Islamic militants in much of West Africa (following the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi).

Still along those lines, referring to the likes of Jacob Zuma and Jakaya Kikwete as "the next generation of African leaders" is at best laughable.

It remains to be seen if this president will for once seek to navigate an African foreign policy initiative grounded in mutual respect and a true understanding of Africa's complex political landscape.

Mexico and Peru: The African Grandma in the Closet

By Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

In Mexico and Peru Professor Gates explores the almost unknown history of the significant numbers of black people—the two countries together received far more slaves than did the United States —brought to these countries as early as the 16th and 17th centuries, and the worlds of culture that their descendants have created in Vera Cruz on the Gulf of Mexico, the Costa Chica region on the Pacific, and in and around Lima, Peru.