The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group – born in early 2012 – is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel groups. The portfolio of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group includes more than 1,300 hotels, a global footprint spanning 80 countries, a powerful set of global brands (Radisson Blu, Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson^SM, Park Inn by Radisson, Hotel Missoni and Park Plaza®). In most of the group’s hotels, guests can benefit from the loyalty program Club Carlson, one of the most rewarding loyalty programs in the world. The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and its brands employ more than 80,000 people. The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is headquartered in Minneapolis, USA, and Brussels, Belgium. http://www.carlsonrezidor.com; http://www.rezidor.com

The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel companies worldwide, announces their 49^th hotel deal in Africa: The Radisson Blu Hotel, Port Harcourt Olympia in Nigeria is scheduled to open in 2016 and will add a further 206 rooms to Rezidor’s portfolio of 11,000 rooms on the continent.

“This announcement brings the total number to eight hotels which the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group operates and has under development in Nigeria. The success of the Radisson Blu Lagos illustrates the increasingly high demand for world class hospitality in Africa’s second largest economy,” comments Andrew McLachlan, Vice President Business Development Africa & Indian Ocean Islands.

“The new Radisson Blu Hotel, Port Harcourt Olympia complements the existing Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel in Lagos; the up and coming Radisson Blu Hotel in Abuja, and the Park Inn properties by Radisson in Lagos, Apapa, Ikeja, Abeoukuta and Abuja. Nigeria is a key development market for Rezidor – the group will be the first international operator to provide world-class hotel standards in the three major financial hubs of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt”, McLachlan adds.

Opposite the Port Harcourt Club 1928 Golf course and offering spectacular views over the fairways and greens, the Radisson Blu hotel site is located in the southern part of the city in the less congested old Government Reserve Area. Besides 206 guest rooms all featuring Radisson Blu signature services such as free high speed internet access, the hotel will also offer an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant & bar, and the largest conference facilities within the Niger Delta, with 2,100 square metres of conference and meeting space. Additionally there will be a gym, spa, outdoor swimming pool, business centre and rooftop bar & terrace.

Port Harcourt is the economic hub of the Niger Delta and the capital of Rivers State, one of Nigeria’s richest states due its large crude oil and natural gas deposits. It is home to major oil companies, banking institutions and government agencies. Hotel room supply in the city has not grown for several years, and the Radisson Blu business and conference hotel will benefit from being the most modern internationally branded property in the city.

“With no significant increase in hotel room supply in Port Harcourt since 2006, we feel the time is ripe to establish a Radisson Blu in Port Harcourt for the business traveler,” remarks McLachlan, “Carlson Rezidor has the largest pipeline of rooms under development in sub-Saharan Africa. This signing further strengthens our leading position and underlines the importance Nigeria has for our group”.

Contrairement à ce qui a été annoncé par erreur dans le communiqué précédent, l’événement s’est déroulé au NIGERIA et non au NIGER

Atlantic Energy (http://www.atlanticenergy.com) est un groupe privé pétrolier et gazier intervenant en amont du secteur, créé par des cadres nigériens et internationaux spécialisés dans l’exploration et la production (E&P) et dotés d’une expérience prouvée dans le secteur nigérian de l’E&P. La société travaille actuellement au Nigéria et elle continuera d’honorer son engagement consistant à développer le pays et ses abondantes ressources naturelles, par le biais de son développement énergétique et de ses infrastructures.

LAGOS, Nigeria /African Press Organization (APO)/ – CORRECTION/ Contrairement à ce qui a été annoncé par erreur dans le communiqué précédent, l’événement s’est déroulé au NIGERIA et non au NIGER.

Il fallait donc lire :

Atlantic Energy (http://www.atlanticenergy.com) était un sponsor Platinum lors de la récente 13e Conférence nigériane sur le pétrole et le gaz, un des plus importants rassemblements du secteur en Afrique. La conférence s’est tenue à Abuja et a réuni plus de 1 000 délégués de haut niveau, nationaux et internationaux, issus de l’ensemble des secteurs (amont, intermédiaire et aval) de l’industrie pétrolière et gazière.

Parmi les participants à la conférence, on peut citer le ministre nigérian des Ressources pétrolières, (S.E.) Diezani Alison-Madueke ; la société d’État pétrolière (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – NNPC), représentée par le Directeur général du groupe, Andrew Yakubu et par le Directeur délégué du groupe, Exploration et Production, Abiye Membere ; ainsi que des sociétés pétrolières internationales et autochtones, des sociétés de service, et des banques internationales et nigérianes, entre autres.

Le co-Président général d’Atlantic Energy, M. Scott Aitken, y a présidé un groupe de discussion consacré au sujet : Cap sur les indépendants – comment les sociétés autochtones sont en passe de transformer l’industrie pétrolière et gazière nigériane ? Les points clés évoqués ont été les suivants : (1) Créer un environnement favorable visant à encourager les sociétés nigérianes à participer à des opérations et à étendre leurs activités ; (2) Quelles sont les incitations fiscales et réglementaires dont les sociétés autochtones ont besoin ? ; (3) Comment les sociétés autochtones peuvent-elles accéder au savoir-faire technique et aux financements nécessaires pour élargir leur champ d’action ?, et (4) Le processus de désinvestissement des sociétés pétrolières internationales (SPI) au profit des sociétés autochtones : succès et écueils ?

Selon M. Aitken, alors que les SPI représentent environ 90 % de la production au Nigéria, il existe des centaines de gisements terrestres non exploités. Par conséquent, il est nécessaire que davantage de sociétés autochtones, comme Atlantic Energy, participent au développement de l’industrie pétrolière et gazière nigériane.

De même, il a signalé que récemment, le gouvernement nigérian avait chargé Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), un opérateur (filiale détenue à 100 % par la NNPC) qui participe à une alliance stratégique avec Atlantic Energy, de développer toute une série d’actifs de la NPDC, afin d’augmenter de manière drastique sa production de pétrole brut et de gaz naturel.

La production courante de NPDC se situe à 130 000 barils de pétrole par jour (bj)/ L’objectif est d’atteindre 250 000 bj d’ici 2015 et d’augmenter de manière significative l’approvisionnement en gaz national dans le pays, afin d’accroître la production d’énergie et de soutenir les industries manufacturières locales. Grâce à son alliance stratégique avec NPDC, Atlantic Energy aidera la société NDPC à atteindre cet objectif.

Par ailleurs, M. Atken a déclaré qu’une portion significative du gaz naturel commercialisé du Nigéria est transformé en GNL, et que ce gaz naturel ne représentait que 4 % de la consommation énergétique du pays en 2010. Néanmoins, la privatisation du secteur énergétique est en passe d’entraîner une hausse de la demande de gaz, avec une capacité installée de 7000 MW et une capacité cible de 16 000 MW d’ici fin 2013.

M. Aitken a ensuite énoncé les défis auxquels sont confrontées des sociétés comme Atlantic Energy et l’industrie en général. Il a proposé des solutions aux problèmes que posent la vétusté des infrastructures, les terrains marécageux et les terres, les rapports avec les intervenants locaux et les attentes de ces derniers, le caractère multiple des partenaires/les nouveaux modèles et les objectifs ambitieux. Il a indiqué que ces problèmes pouvaient être résolus en ayant recours à une évaluation approfondie et un remplacement/une modernisation graduel(le) des infrastructures, ainsi qu’en encourageant la gestion des marécages et des terres, en évaluant les engagements communautaires et en les actualisant. De même, un ordre de priorités devrait être établi parmi les projets, ainsi que des structures centralisées claires de gestion, avec en particulier, la mise en place de relations solides. Il est nécessaire de mettre en place des procédures accélérées susceptibles d’avoir des résultats rapides, afin d’asseoir un développement accru.

SOURCE

Atlantic Energy

Atlantic Energy (http://www.atlanticenergy.com) is a private upstream oil and gas group founded by Nigerian and international exploration and production (“E&P”) executives with an extensive track record and experience in the Nigerian E&P sector. The company currently operates in Nigeria and will continue in its Enduring Commitment to develop Nigeria and its abundant resources through energy and infrastructural development.

LAGOS, Nigeria, March 6, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ – Atlantic Energy was a platinum sponsor at the recently concluded 13th Nigerian Oil and Gas conference, one of Africa’s largest oil and gas conference held in Abuja was a gathering of over 1000 national and international senior level delegates from the Upstream, Midstream and Downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.

Representatives including the Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, H.E. Diezani Alison-Madueke; Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), represented by the Group Managing Director, Andrew Yakubu and Group Executive Director, Exploration & Production, Abiye Membere; International and Indigenous Oil Companies (IOCs), Service Companies; Nigerian and international banks amongst others.

The Co-Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Energy, Mr. Scott Aitken chaired the panel discussion on the topic: “Focus on Independents – How are Indigenous Companies Transforming the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry? Key points that were discussed included: (1) Creating an enabling environment to encourage Nigerian companies to enter and expand operations; (2) what are the fiscal and regulatory incentives that indigenous companies require? (3) How can indigenous companies access the technical know-how and financing to further their operations? (4) The divestment process from IOCs to indigenous companies successes and pitfalls?

Mr. Aitken noted that while IOCs are responsible for over 90% of production in Nigeria, there are hundreds of undeveloped onshore discoveries, therefore, there is a need for more indigenous companies like Atlantic Energy to join in taking the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry forward.

He also noted that recently, the Nigerian government tasked the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), an operator (and fully owned subsidiary of the NNPC) who are in a strategic alliance with Atlantic Energy to develop a number of NPDC’s assets to drastically increase its production of crude oil and natural gas.

NPDC has 130,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) of current production with a target of reaching 250,000 bopd by 2015 and significantly increasing the supply of domestic gas to the country to enable an increase in power generation and support local manufacturing industries. Atlantic Energy through its Strategic Alliance with NPDC, will assist NPDC attain this target.

Additionally, he stated that a significant portion of the Nigeria’s marketed natural gas is processed into LNG and this natural gas only constituted 4% of the country’s energy consumption as at 2010; however, the power sector privatization is driving an increased demand for gas, with an installed capacity of 7,000 MW and a target capacity of 16,000 MW by the end of 2013.

Mr. Aitken further stated the challenges facing companies like Atlantic Energy and the wider industry and proffered solutions to the problems raging from old infrastructure, Swamp and land terrain, community stakeholder relationships and expectations, multiple partners/new models, to ambitious targets can be addressed through detailed evaluation and phased infrastructure replacement/upgrade, encouragement of swamp and land terrain asset management, community engagements and updates should be assessed, there should be project prioritization and clear centralization management structures including strong relationship building and there is a need to have fast track solutions to deliver early results to fund further development.

SOURCE

Atlantic Energy

NEW YORK, Sept., 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Africa – Mobile Broadband, Data and Mobile Media Market

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0183041/Africa—Mobile-Broadband-Data-and-Mobile-Media-Market.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Broadband

African mobile operators make up to 30% of their revenues with non-voice servicesWherever 3G mobile broadband services are deployed in sub-Saharan Africa, they quickly take over as the preferred means of access to the internet, provided that a suitable backbone network is in place. DSL services offered by national telcos on their typically underdeveloped fixed-line networks are quickly reduced to niche market status, as are most traditional ISPs reselling these services or offering their own wireless access.

The extensive national network infrastructure of the mobile operators and their large user bases for voice services place them in a dominant market position for data services as well. The additional revenue is welcome in an environment of shrinking average revenue per user (ARPU) in the mobile voice market.

In many countries in the region, national fibre backbone networks are being rolled out, and new international submarine fibre optic cables along the continent’s East and West coast are providing the bandwidth needed to connect millions to the internet, at much lower cost than previously when satellites were the only option. In many cases the mobile operators are building their own fibre backbones under converged licensing regimes.

North Africa has traditionally been in a slightly better position in terms of fixed networks, but even here mobile broadband is quickly outgrowing other access methods. Mobile broadband prices are often comparable to fixed broadband offerings or at least not far behind. In Morocco, Africa‘s most penetrated DSL market with some of the lowest prices on the continent, 3G mobile broadband jumped from virtually zero to over 40% of all connections within two years after launch and made up more than 80% by mid-2012.

Using dual carrier DC-HSPA+ technology, up to 42Mb/s are currently being offered by 3G mobile operators in Africa. The continents first commercial LTE 4G networks have been launched in Angola, Namibia, Mauritius and Tanzania, with South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt expected to follow soon. Problems with frequency spectrum allocation have delayed commercial LTE services in some countries.

The arrival of low-cost smartphones, locally manufactured in Ethiopia for example, has lowered the barrier of entry to the internet market for African consumers. South Africas leading operator Vodacom has seen the number of smartphones on its network grow at almost twice the rate of 3G USB modems, reaching a combined total of more than six million or 20% of the subscriber base in early 2012. Average smartphone data usage almost doubled in the past year to reach 92MB per month.The highest number of active mobile broadband subscriptions as a percentage of the population is found in Ghana, at 23% in early 2012.

Mobile broadband and data services also make a significant contribution to the revenues of African cellcos. Leading operator Safaricom in Kenya made almost 30% of its revenue with non-voice services in 2011/12. More than half of this was generated by its tremendously successful M-Pesa mobile banking service, with the other half roughly evenly split between SMS and mobile broadband.

In the continent’s most advanced markets, m-commerce, mobile content, applications and media have reached a level of development that is beginning to foster an associated advertising and marketing industry.

Market highlights:
UMTS-based 3G mobile networks have been launched in more than half of all African countries;Most operators have included High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 3.5G mobile broadband in their service offerings, providing up to 42Mb/s;Commercial LTE 4G services have been launched in four countries, with trials of the technology ongoing in several others;Another 3G technology, CDMA2000 1x EV-DO has been deployed in around 30 African countries, offering up to 3Mb/s;There are significantly more 3G mobile broadband users than DSL subscribers in key African markets;New international fibre optic cables and national backbone networks support broadband growth;African mobile operators make up to 30% of their revenues with non-voice services;Mobile data services have helped to reverse declining average revenue per user (ARPU);The M-Pesa mobile banking service in Kenya carries about 20% of the countrys entire GDP.Data in this report is the latest available at the time of preparation and may not be for the current year.

1. Mobile Broadband Penetration2. Algeria2.1 Market Overview2.2 Mobile statistics2.3 Regulatory issues2.3.1 Registration of subscriber details2.4 Wireless broadband2.4.1 WiMAX and WiFi2.4.2 EV-DO2.5 Mobile broadband2.6 Broadband via satellite2.7 Forecast – mobile subscribers – 2013; 20163. Angola3.1 Market Overview3.1.1 Third generation (3G) mobile data services3.1.2 Satellite mobile3.2 Forecast mobile market – 2013; 20164. Benin4.1 Market Overview4.1.1 Mobile statistics4.1.2 EV-DO4.1.3 WiMAX4.1.4 WiFi4.1.5 3G and 4G5. Botswana5.1 Market Overview5.1.1 Mobile statistics5.2 Wireless broadband5.3 WiMAX5.3.1 Orange Livebox5.3.2 Netspread5.4 Third generation (3G)6. Burkina Faso6.1 Market Overview6.1.1 Mobile statistics6.1.2 EV-DO6.1.3 WiMAX6.1.4 Broadband via satellite6.1.5 Third generation (3G)7. Burundi7.1 Market Overview7.1.1 Mobile statistics8. Cameroon8.1 Market Overview8.1.1 Mobile statistics8.1.2 Wireless broadband8.1.3 Satellite mobile8.2 Forecasts – mobile market – 2013; 20169. Chad9.1 Market Overview9.1.1 Mobile statistics9.2 Satellite mobile10. Cote d’Ivoire10.1 Market Overview10.1.1 Mobile statistics10.2 WiFi10.3 WiMAX10.4 Mobile data services10.4.1 SMS10.4.2 MMS10.4.3 GPRS/EDGE10.5 Mobile content and applications10.5.1 M-payments10.6 Satellite mobile11. Democratic Republic of Congo11.1 Market Overview11.1.1 Mobile statistics11.1.2 Regulatory issues11.1.3 Mobile data overview12. Djibouti12.1 Market Overview12.1.1 Mobile statistics13. Egypt13.1 Market Overview13.1.1 Telecom Egypt’s mobile deal13.1.2 Third mobile licence13.1.3 Fourth mobile licence13.1.4 Mobile statistics13.2 Regulatory issues13.2.1 Tariffs13.2.2 International gateways13.2.3 Mobile Number Portability (MNP)13.2.4 Registration of user details13.2.5 GPS ban13.3 Wireless broadband13.3.1 WiFi13.3.2 WiMAX13.3.3 CDMA2000 1x EV-DO13.4 Broadband via satellite13.5 Mobile data services13.5.1 SMS13.5.2 MMS13.5.3 WAP13.5.4 GPRS and EDGE13.5.5 Mobile TV13.6 3G mobile broadband13.7 Mobile content and applications13.7.1 Mobile banking13.8 Forecasts – mobile subscribers 2013; 201614. Eritrea14.1 Market Overview14.1.1 Mobile statistics15. Ethiopia15.1 Market Overview15.1.1 Mobile statistics15.2 Mobile data services15.3 Third generation (3G)15.4 Mobile banking15.5 Satellite mobile15.6 Local handset manufacturing15.7 Smartphones15.8 Forecast – mobile subscribers – 2014; 201716. Gabon16.1 Market Overview16.1.1 Mobile statistics16.2 WiMAX16.3 3G17. Gambia17.1 Market Overview17.1.1 Mobile statistics17.2 Mobile data services17.2.1 SMS17.2.2 MMS17.2.3 GPRS/EDGE17.3 Third generation (3G)17.4 Mobile content and applications17.4.1 Mobile banking17.5 Satellite mobile18. Ghana18.1 Market Overview18.1.1 Mobile statistics18.2 Regulatory issues18.2.1 Licensing18.2.2 Tariffs18.2.3 Interconnect18.2.4 Taxation18.2.5 Mobile Number Portability (MNP)18.2.6 Infrastructure sharing18.2.7 Registration of subscriber details18.3 Mobile data services18.3.1 SMS18.3.2 GPRS, EDGE, WAP18.3.3 BlackBerry18.3.4 Mobile TV18.4 Third generation (3G)18.4.1 Mobile broadband18.5 Mobile content and applications18.5.1 Mobile money transfer18.6 Local handset manufacturing18.7 Satellite mobile18.8 Forecast – mobile market 2014; 201719. Guinea19.1 Market Overview19.1.1 Mobile statistics19.2 Mobile Broadband Overview19.2.1 SchoolWeb WiFi Network 19.2.2 VoIP Internet telephony19.3 Mobile data services19.4 Satellite mobile20. Kenya20.1 Market Overview20.1.1 Mobile statistics20.2 Regulatory issues20.2.1 Interconnection20.2.2 International gateways20.2.3 Mobile Number Portability (MNP)20.2.4 Quality of Service (QoS) control20.2.5 Registration of subscriber details20.2.6 Taxes20.2.7 Tariff regulation20.3 Wireless broadband20.3.1 WiFi20.3.2 WiMAX20.3.3 Mobile data services20.4 Broadband via satellite20.5 Mobile data services20.5.1 SMS20.5.2 MMS20.5.3 GPRS and EDGE20.5.4 BlackBerry20.6 3G20.7 LTE (4G)20.8 Mobile money transfer, m-banking20.8.1 M-Pesa (Safaricom)20.8.2 ZAP (Zain)20.8.3 yuCash (Essar)20.8.4 Orange Money20.8.5 Other services20.9 Mobile TV20.10 Satellite mobile20.11 Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 201621. Lesotho21.1 Market Overview21.1.1 Mobile statistics21.2 WiMAX21.3 EV-DO21.4 Mobile data services21.5 Third generation (3G) mobile21.6 Satellite mobile22. Liberia22.1 Market Overview22.1.1 Mobile statistics22.2 Regulatory issues22.2.1 Licence reform22.2.2 The Comium-Liberia Act22.2.3 GSM spectrum reallocation22.2.4 Interconnection22.3 Mobile Broadband overview22.4 EV-DO22.5 WiMAX22.6 Mobile data services22.7 Mobile content and applications22.7.1 Agricultural Market Information and Linkage System (AMILS)23. Libya23.1 Market Overview23.1.1 Mobile statistics23.2 Mobile data services23.2.1 SMS23.2.2 MMS23.2.3 GPRS/EDGE23.3 WiMAX23.4 WiFi23.5 Satellite broadband23.6 3G/HSDPA23.7 Mobile TV23.8 Satellite mobile24. Madagascar24.1 Market Overview24.1.1 Mobile statistics24.2 WiMAX24.3 EV-DO24.4 Broadband via satellite24.5 Mobile data services24.6 Third generation (3G)24.7 Mobile money transfer, m-banking24.8 Satellite mobile24.9 Forecasts – mobile market – 2013; 201625. Malawi25.1 Market Overview25.1.1 Mobile statistics25.2 Wireless broadband25.2.1 Broadmax25.2.2 Skyband25.2.3 Globmax25.2.4 eWiMAX25.3 Mobile data services25.4 Third generation (3G)25.5 Forecasts – mobile market – 2013; 201626. Mali26.1 Market Overview26.1.1 Mobile statistics26.2 Third mobile licence26.3 WiMAX26.4 Third generation (3G)26.5 Mobile content and applications26.5.1 M-payments and m-banking27. Mauritius27.1 Market Overview27.1.1 Mobile statistics27.2 WiFi27.3 WiMAX27.3.1 Nomad27.3.2 Other projects27.4 EV-DO27.5 Mobile data services27.6 Third generation (3G)27.7 Mobile broadband pricing27.8 Mobile content and applications27.8.1 Mobile TV27.8.2 Mobile banking27.9 Forecasts – mobile market – 2013; 201628. Morocco28.1 Market Overview28.2 Mobile statistics28.3 3G mobile broadband28.3.1 Inwi (formerly Wana, Maroc Connect)28.3.2 Meditel28.3.3 Maroc Telecom28.4 Broadband via satellite28.5 Mobile data services28.5.1 SMS28.5.2 MMS28.5.3 GPRS28.5.4 Blackberry28.5.5 Mobile TV28.6 Third-generation (3G) mobile28.6.1 Licensing28.6.2 Services28.7 Mobile payments, m-banking28.8 Satellite mobile29. Mozambique29.1 Market Overview29.2 Mobile statistics29.3 Wireless broadband29.3.1 EV-DO29.3.2 WiMAX29.4 Mobile data services29.5 Third generation (3G)29.6 Forecasts – mobile market – 2013; 201630. Namibia30.1 Market Overview30.1.1 The long road to Namibia‘s second mobile licence30.1.2 Mobile statistics30.2 Wireless broadband30.3 WiMAX30.4 WiFi30.5 Mobile data services30.5.1 SMS and MMS30.5.2 GPRS/EDGE30.5.3 3G/HSDPA30.5.4 LTE30.5.5 EV-DO30.6 Mobile content and applications30.6.1 Mobile TV30.6.2 Mobile banking30.7 Satellite mobile31. Nigeria31.1 Market Overview31.1.1 Mobile statistics31.2 Regulatory issues31.2.1 GSM licence terms31.2.2 Interconnection31.2.3 Mobile tariffs31.2.4 International gateways31.2.5 Unified licensing regime brings new competition31.2.6 Universal service31.2.7 Mobile number portability31.2.8 Central equipment identity register31.2.9 Poor quality of service31.2.10 Registration of subscriber details31.2.11 Foreign ownership31.3 Wireless broadband31.3.1 Odu’a Telecom31.3.2 Swift Networks31.3.3 Startech Connection31.3.4 Cyberspace Network31.3.5 Nitel31.3.6 Netcom Africa31.3.7 MWEB Nigeria31.3.8 Gateway Communications31.4 WiFi31.4.1 Accelon, Internet Solutions31.4.2 Jigawa Broadband Access Network31.4.3 Polestar/5G WiFi network in Lagos31.4.4 NaijaWiFi31.4.5 Abuja WiFi, WiMAX31.4.6 Enugu31.5 WiMAX31.6 Mobile broadband31.7 Mobile data services31.7.1 SMS31.7.2 MMS31.7.3 GPRS, EDGE31.7.4 WAP31.7.5 CDMA2000 1×31.7.6 BlackBerry31.7.7 Mobile money transfer, m-banking31.8 Mobile TV31.9 3G31.9.1 Licensing31.9.2 Globacom31.9.3 Zain31.9.4 MTN31.9.5 CDMA EV-DO31.10 LTE31.11 Satellite mobile31.12 Forecasts – mobile subscribers – 2013; 201632. Rwanda32.1 Market Overview32.1.1 Mobile statistics32.2 EV-DO32.3 WiMAX, WiBro32.4 WiFi32.5 Mobile data services32.6 Third generation (3G)32.7 Mobile money transfer, m-banking32.8 Forecasts – mobile market – 2013, 201633. Senegal33.1 Market Overview33.1.1 Mobile statistics33.2 Regulatory issues33.2.1 Mobile number portability (MNP)33.2.2 Registration of customer details33.2.3 Per-second billing (PSB)33.2.4 MVNO licences33.2.5 Millicom licence dispute33.3 WiFi33.4 Mobile data services33.4.1 SMS33.4.2 MMS33.4.3 GPRS and EDGE33.4.4 EV-DO33.4.5 WAP33.4.6 BlackBerry, iPhone33.4.7 Third Generation (3G)33.5 Mobile content and applications33.5.1 Manobi33.5.2 M-payments and m-banking34. Sierra Leone34.1 Market Overview34.1.1 Mobile licensing34.1.2 Mobile statistics34.2 Mobile data services34.3 Mobile content and applications34.3.1 M-payments34.4 Satellite mobile35. Somalia35.1 Market Overview35.1.1 Mobile market36. South Africa36.1 Market Overview36.2 Mobile statistics36.3 Market liberalisation and licence obligations36.4 Community service telephones (CST)36.5 Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC)36.6 Regulatory issues36.6.1 Prices36.6.2 Interconnection36.6.3 Handset subsidies36.6.4 International gateways36.6.5 Fees and obligations for 1800MHz spectrum36.6.6 Registration of subscriber ID36.6.7 Mobile Number Portability (MNP)36.6.8 Quality of service (QoS)36.7 Wireless broadband36.7.1 WiFi36.7.2 WiMAX36.7.3 EV-DO36.7.4 Wireless Access Providers Association (WAPA)36.7.5 MyWireless (Sentech) – decommissioned36.7.6 iBurst (WBS, Blue Label)36.8 3G mobile broadband36.9 Broadband via satellite36.10 Mobile data services36.10.1 Overview36.10.2 Mobile data revenue36.10.3 SMS36.10.4 MMS36.10.5 WAP36.10.6 GPRS36.10.7 EDGE36.10.8 BlackBerry36.11 3G and 3.5G (HSPA)36.11.1 Mobile broadband overview36.11.2 Vodacom36.11.3 MTN36.11.4 Cell C36.11.5 Telkom SA36.12 LTE (4G)36.13 Mobile content and applications36.13.1 Push-to-Talk (PTT)36.13.2 Mobile TV36.13.3 Mobile music36.13.4 CellBook36.13.5 M-commerce36.13.6 Mobile advertising36.13.7 Location-based services (LBS)36.13.8 Manobi36.13.9 Mobile social media36.14 Forecast – mobile subscribers – 2013, 201637. Sudan37.1 Market Overview37.2 Mobile statistics37.3 EV-DO37.4 WiMAX37.5 Broadband via satellite37.6 Mobile data services37.6.1 SMS and MMS37.6.2 GPRS and EDGE37.7 Third generation (3G)37.8 Mobile content and applications37.8.1 Mobile money transfer37.9 Satellite mobile38. Swaziland38.1 Market Overview38.1.1 Mobile statistics38.2 Third generation (3G)39. Tanzania39.1 Market Overview39.1.1 Mobile statistics39.2 Wireless broadband39.2.1 iBurst39.2.2 EV-DO39.2.3 WiMAX39.3 Mobile data services and pricing39.3.1 Third generation (3G)39.3.2 Blackberry39.3.3 Mobile money transfer, m-banking39.4 Forecasts – mobile market – 2013, 201640. Tunisia40.1 Market Overview40.1.1 Mobile statistics40.2 WiMAX40.3 DSL by satellite40.4 Mobile data services40.4.1 SMS40.4.2 MMS40.4.3 GPRS, EDGE, WAP40.5 Third Generation (3G)40.6 Mobile TV40.7 Satellite mobile41. Uganda41.1 Market Overview41.2 Mobile statistics41.3 WiFi41.4 WiMAX41.5 Mobile data services41.5.1 SMS41.5.2 WAP, GPRS and EDGE41.5.3 MMS41.5.4 BlackBerry41.5.5 Third generation (3G)41.5.6 Mobile TV41.6 Mobile money transfer, m-banking41.6.1 Traditional bank charges and international remittances41.6.2 Regulation41.6.3 MTN Mobile Money41.6.4 ZAP (Zain)41.6.5 M-Sente (UTL)41.6.6 Other services41.7 Forecasts – mobile market 2013; 201642. Zambia42.1 Market Overview42.1.1 Mobile statistics42.2 WiMAX42.3 WiFi42.4 Mobile data services42.5 Third generation (3G)42.6 Mobile content and applications42.6.1 M-payment and m-banking42.7 Local handset manufacturing42.8 Satellite mobile42.9 Forecasts – mobile market – 2013; 201643. Zimbabwe43.1 Market Overview43.1.1 Mobile statistics43.1.2 WiMAX43.1.3 WiFi43.2 Mobile data services43.3 Third generation (3G)43.4 Satellite mobile44. Glossary of AbbreviationsTable 1 – Active mobile broadband penetration in selected African countries – 2009 – 2011Table 2 – Algeria Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 3 – Algeria Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 4 – Angola Unitel 3G broadband pricing – 2011Table 5 – Angola Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 6 – Benin Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 7 – Botswana Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 8 – Botswana Mobile subscribers by operator and annual change – September 2010Table 9 – Burkina Faso Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 10 – Burundi Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 11 – Cameroon Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1998 – 2012Table 12 – Cameroon Mobile subscribers by operator and annual change – June 2011Table 13 – Cameroon Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 14 – Chad Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2000 – 2012Table 15 – Cote D’Ivoire Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2000 – 2012Table 16 – DRC Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 17 – Djibouti Mobile subscribers and penetration – 2000 – 2012Table 18 – Egypt Mobile subscribers and penetration – 2000 – 2012Table 19 – Egypt Forecast – mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 20 –Eritrea Mobile subscribers and penetration – 2004 – 2012Table 21 – Ethiopia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 22 – Ethiopia Broadband pricing comparison – HSDPA, GPRS, EV-DO, ADSL – August 2012Table 23 – Ethiopia Forecast mobile subscribers – 2014; 2017Table 24 – Gabon Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 25 – Gambia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 26 – Ghana Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 27 – Ghana Mobile subscribers by operator and annual change – May 2012Table 28 – Ghana Forecast mobile subscribers – 2014; 2017Table 29 – Guinea Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 30 – Kenya Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 31 – Kenya Mobile subscribers by operator and quarterly change – December 2011Table 32 – Kenya Safaricom voice/data revenue composition and annual growth – 2011Table 33 – Kenya Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 34 – Lesotho Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1997 – 2012Table 35 – Liberia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2001 – 2012Table 36 – Libya Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1998 – 2012Table 37 – Libyana 3G/HSDPA broadband pricing – 2010 – 2012Table 38 – Madagascar Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2000 – 2012Table 39 – Madagascar Forecast – mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 40 – Malawi Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 41 – Malawi Forecast – mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 42 – Mali Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2000 – 2012Table 43 – Mali Mobile operators, subscribers and annual change – June 2011Table 44 – Mauritius Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1995 – 2012Table 45 – Mauritius Orange mobile data/3G broadband post-paid pricing – 2008/09, 2011, 2012Table 46 – Mauritius Emtel mobile data/3G broadband pricing – 2011Table 47 – Mauritius MTML EV-DO mobile broadband pricing – 2012Table 48 – Mauritius Forecast – mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 49 – Morocco Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2000 – 2012Table 50 – Morocco Mobile subscribers by operator, technology and annual change – September 2011Table 51 – Morocco 3G mobile broadband subscribers by operator and market share – September 2011Table 52 – Morocco Meditel 3G+ broadband pricing – 2009 vs 2010Table 53 – Morocco Maroc Telecom 3G broadband pricing – 2009 vs 2010Table 54 – Morocco Maroc Telecom GPRS pricing – July 2010Table 55 – Mozambique Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1997 – 2012Table 56 – Mozambique TDM EV-DO broadband pricing – 2012 vs. 2010Table 57 – Mozambique mCel 3G prepaid pricing – 2010-2012Table 58 – Mozambique Vodacom 3G post-paid pricing – 2010-2012Table 59 – Mozambique Forecast – mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 60 – Namibia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1995 – 2012Table 61 – Namibia Netman 3G mobile broadband pricing – May 2012Table 62 – Namibia Netman 4G mobile broadband pricing – May 2012Table 63 – Nigeria Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1998 – 2012Table 64 – Nigeria Mobile subscribers by operator, technology – December 2011Table 65 – Nigeria Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 66 – Rwanda Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 67 – Rwanda Mobile subscribers by operator – November 2011Table 68 – Rwanda Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 69 – Senegal Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2000 – 2012Table 70 – Senegal Mobile subscribers by operator, technology, annual change – June 2011Table 71 – Senegal Orange GPRS/EDGE pricing – 2009; 2010Table 72 – Senegal Expresso EV-DO mobile broadband pricing – 2009; 2010Table 73 – Sierra Leone GSM licences and operations in Sierra Leone – 1998 – 2011Table 74 – Sierra Leone Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2000 – 2012Table 75 – Sierra Leone Zain mobile Internet pricing by data download – January 2010Table 76 – Somalia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2000 – 2012Table 77 – South Africa Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1994 – 2012Table 78 – South Africa Telkom SA WiMAX subscribers – 2008 – 2011Table 79 – South Africa WAPA industry survey – 2006 – 2008Table 80 – South Africa Sentech MyWireless subscribers – 2005 – 2008Table 81 – South Africa iBurst subscribers – 2005 – 2011Table 82 – South Africa Vodacom broadband subscribers – 2006 – 2011Table 83 – South Africa Telkom SA mobile subscribers – 2009 – 2011Table 84 – South Africa Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 85 – Sudan Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1996 – 2012Table 86 – Sudani mDSL pricing – 2012 vs. 2010Table 87 – Sudani 3G mobile broadband pricing – July 2012Table 88 – Swaziland Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 89 – Tanzania Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Table 90 – Tanzania Mobile subscribers by operator and annual change – September 2011Table 91 – Tanzania Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 92 – Tunisia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1995 – 2012Table 93 – Uganda Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1996 – 2012Table 94 – Uganda Forecast mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 95 – Zambia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1995 – 2012Table 96 – Zambia Forecast – mobile subscribers – 2013; 2016Table 97 – Zimbabwe Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2012Chart 1 – Algeria Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 2 – Benin Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 3 – Botswana Mobile subscribers in Botswana – 2002 – 2012Chart 4 – Burkina Faso Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 5 – Burundi Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 6 – Cameroon Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 7 – Chad Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 8 – Cote D’Ivoire Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 9 – DRC Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 10 – Djibouti Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 11 – Egypt Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 12 – Eritrea Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2004 – 2012Chart 13 – Ethiopia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 14 – Gabon Mobile subscribers in Gabon – 2002 – 2012Chart 15 – Gambia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 16 – Ghana Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999-2012Chart 17 – Guinea Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 18 – Kenya Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999-2012Chart 19 – Lesotho Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 20 – Liberia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 21 – Libya Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 22 – Madagascar Mobile subscribers in Madagascar – 2002 – 2012Chart 23 – Malawi Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 24 – Mali Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 25 – Mauritius Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 26 – Morocco Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 27 – Mozambique Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 28 – Namibia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 29 – Nigeria Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 30 – Rwanda Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 31 – Senegal Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 32 – Sierra Leone Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 33 – Somalia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 34 – South Africa Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 35 – Sudan Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 36 – Swaziland Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 37 – Tanzania Mobile subscribers in Tanzania – 2002 – 2012Chart 38 – Tunisia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 39 – Uganda Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 40 – Zambia Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Chart 41 – – Zimbabwe Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2012Exhibit 1 – An analysis of Egypt‘s third mobile licence valuationExhibit 2 – SMS as a weapon against drug counterfeitingExhibit 3 – Texting elephantsExhibit 4 – Job offers by SMS

To order this report:Broadband Industry: Africa – Mobile Broadband, Data and Mobile Media Market

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SOURCE Reportlinker

British-Nigerian director Obi Emelonye on: his latest film Last Flight to Abuja; how he came to make Mirror Boy; living between two worlds, Britain and Nigeria; financing his films; his focus on distribution and exhibition; and his next film project Safari.

Les Etats membres de la Communauté Economique Des Etats de  l’Afrique de l’Ouest(CEDEAO) s’étaient engagés en 2002 à Abuja de consacrer 15% de leurs budgets nationaux au secteur de la santé, conformément aux exigences de l’Organisation Ouest Africaine de la Santé(OOAS).

Mais 10 ans après, où en est-on dans la mise en œuvre de cet engagement ?

Selon le rapport ayant sanctionné la réunion  de plaidoyer tenue à Ouagadougou les 15 et 16 février 2011, la mise en œuvre de la déclaration n’est pas effective dans plusieurs Etats de la communauté à l’exception du Burkina Faso où le ratio était de 15,22% en 2008 et 15,46% en 2009.

Pour sa part, M. Albert DIAO chargé de la mobilisation des ressources et de la mise en œuvre des programmes à l’Organisation Ouest Africaine pour la Santé (OOAS), ‘’dix (10) ans après l’application de cette déclaration d’Abuja, le bilan n’est pas satisfaisant’’.

Afin de permettre donc aux pays en retard de se rattraper, un atelier dit de restitution du rapport de la réunion de Ouagadougou sur le plaidoyer s’est tenu le vendredi 15 juin 2012 à Lomé.

A la suite de cette rencontre, tous les pays concernés devraient donc pouvoir  affecter 15 %   de leurs budgets au secteur de la santé comme recommandé à Abuja.

Il faut souligner qu’au jour de l’atelier de Lomé, la plupart des pays avaient un taux qui tournait autour de 8 %.

Le Togo quant à lui pourrait  toutefois  atteindre les 15% de l’OOAS puisqu’il n’est actuellement qu’à 12%.

Louis BARARMNA

Last Flight to Abuja movie Press Release3 Mon 4 J une 2012 (Acrobat Reader .pdf)

Written, produced & directed by Obi Emelonye, the visionary award-winning UK based Nigerian filmmaker and starring Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Hakeem Kae-Kazim andJim Iyke, Last Flight to Abuja is an exciting new Nollywood film inspired by the tragic series of plane crashes in 2006 that rocked the Nigerian aviation industry. It is with great sadness that just as the film is set to world premiere on Friday 8th June at the iconic Troxy Cinema in London and further elevate and redefine Nollywood cinema, yet another Nigerian aviation tragedy has occurred.

As the final days approach to the premiere of this highly anticipated Nollywood movie, it is with a heavy heart that the producers now dedicate the premiere to the memory of the unfortunate victims of the Allied Air and Dana Air plane crashes that took place in Accra and Lagos respectively on 3rd June 2012.

After full consideration of the effects of postponing and taking full consultation with the lead actors flying in for the premiere, the producers feel that hosting the event is the best way to pay testimony to the memory of the victims of the crashes. To express their solidarity with the feelings of everyone affected by the tragedies, especially those who have lost loved ones, the producers will hold a minutes silence before the film screens and dedicate the film to the memory of the victims of the Allied Air and Dana Air plane crashes and in fact all victims of air crashes in Africa.

Further, the producers will look at how to use Last Flight to Abuja as an advocacy tool to highlight the issues of air safety in Nigeria and Africa at large.

The producers, the cast and all involved with the film being extremely sensitive towards the expressed concerns of the premiere guests, the Nollywood loving public and concerned citizens everywhere hope these actions in some small part will show support towards the family and friends of the victims and the nations of Nigeria & Ghana as they go through the pain of the healing process of these national disasters.

Our thoughts are with the victims, may their souls rest in God’s perfect peace.

END

For further information please contact:

GLYNIS KUFFUOR – for and on behalf of NIdeh PR
Email: lastflightpress@yahoo.com

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- Red Carpet arrivals from 6.30pm to 8.45pm.

- The evening commences at 7pm with an exclusive VIP Cocktail Reception together with presentations and interviews attended by a galaxy of top UK based African heritage film, television & music entertainment stars plus influencers from the worlds of fashion, media, sport and politics from the international cultural arenas.

- ThePremiere begins at 9pm and concludes with a Q&A with the stars and filmmakers. Directly preceding the Premiere there will be a minutes silence to honour the memory of the victims of the Allied Air crash in Ghana and the Dana Air crash in Lagos that both took place on 3rd June.
The evening ends by 12.30am

- Limited Tickets for this exclusive event are nearly sold out and available to be purchased online from; http://lastflightpremiere.eventbrite.com and from a few select outlets and marketing agents across London.

- Journalists and Press photographers are invited to cover the arrival of invited guestsas well as conduct filming and radio interviews. Press accreditation is open from until 6th June. Please confirm your interest atlastflightpress@yahoo.com

- Images & videos can be found at the Facebook and Youtube social media below.

FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/LastFlightToAbuja

TWITTER http://www.twitter.com/LastFlightFilm

YOUTUBE http://www.youtube.com/LastFlightFilm

WEBSITES http://www.lastflighttoabujamovie.com Film

http://www.thenollywoodfactory.com The Nollywood Factory

http://www.facebook.com/ScreenNationScreen Nation Media

Group

OBI EMELONYE- One of Nollywood’s most visionary filmmakers

CHARLES THOMPSON MBE -The UK’s top Ghanaian born film producer

OMOTOLA JALADE-EKEINDE- Africa’s number one female movie star

HAKEEM, KAE-KAZIM- Hollywood based top Nigerian actor

JIM IYKE- Nigeria’s best loved male movie star

THE NOLLYWOOD FACTORY – One of new Nollywood’s leading production houses
SCREEN NATION PICTURES- UK’s leading marketer of black film talent & product
NOLLYWOOD- The world’s second largest producer of movies after Bollywood

PREMIERE PARTNERS:
Diamond
Bank, Zinox Computers, CNN, Nollywood Movies, Hi TV, BEN TV, Vox Africa, OK!
Nigeria, The Voice, Colourful Radio, DJA Media, Spotlight Marketing, Femtej
Kreations Media, Afropulp, Nollywood Focus, J2 Konsults

The small West African country of The Gambia with its 1.8 population is on its foot to host an historic event dubbed ‘African Women in Leadership Conference (AWLC) 2012’ from June 13 to the mid of June this year. At a press discourse in Statehouse recently, Mrs Edith Uyovbukerhi, Executive Director, African Women in Leadership Organisation says “The 2012 AWLC will be the 4th annual conference. Its maiden event was held in 2009 in Accra, Ghana; the second annual event was held in Abuja Nigeria in 2010; and the most recent 2011 edition [was held] in Accra, Ghana.” The team from AWLO, which organises the African Women Leadership Conference (AWLC), was in Statehouse to brief the vice president about the event.

Her excellence flanged by Mrs Edith Uyovbukerhi, Executive Director AWLO and Elisha Attai, Founder of AWLO The objectives of AWLC include among other issues, fostering an alliance among African women in leadership position for proper conduct in office; to create a platform for unity, solidarity, cohesion, dialogue and networking amongst members for self-development; and to influence the improvement to access to legal, political, economic in the spirit of advancing the status of women in poor Africa. The Gambia’s vice president Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, who is a continental exemplar and Hon Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the deputy governor of Lagos State, Nigeria, are the two influential and strong African women shortlisted to deliver papers at the event, which will be held at the Sheraton Hotel. “The African Women in Leadership Conference 2012 will be the largest gathering of African women on the continent. It is a three-day event that brings together women leaders from diverse backgrounds across the region to interact, dialogue and discuss relevant issues aimed at empowering women to develop their leadership capability towards greater self and national development,” she adds. “There is a need for African women to achieve gender parity, access finance, insurance, education, healthcare and housing to help them spiral upwards. There has to be a focus on finding a good approach to solving the incapacitation of poor women in rural and disadvantaged areas of Africa to move out of poverty.

Her excellence, the team from AWLO and the deputy speaker of parliament, Hon Fatou Mbye For this to materialise, women must develop the capacity to generate and maintain their means of livelihood and produce excess that will eventually lead to savings,” she says, adding these are some of the issues that will be discussed in the conference, hence are the primary priorities of the AWLO. Cognizant of the Gambia government’s effort in empowering women, the organisers deemed it fitting to have the programme conducted in the country. “The choice of The Gambia is borne out of the fact that The Gambia has unique qualities over many other destinations in Africa and high among them is its government’s active inclusion of women in key leadership and decision making positions,” Elisha Attai, Founder of AWLO was quoted as saying. Currently the country boasts of 38% of women in cabinet, a percentage many hailed as good move to empowering women. Pertinent issues will be on the table for discussion, among which are ‘how does the role of the African woman in politics contribute to securing reformation for Africa and protect its political future’; ‘what strategies do African women in politics apply for impacts’?; is the notion of increased gender participation for the African woman in government and society merely a political tool’? The event will x-ray sessions that address the woman’s spiritual, mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. “Other sessions will explore the woman in the African context, where the challenge can be two-pronged: cultural environment and conditioning of the girl-child imposed on the characteristics and expectations of a strong Africa woman leader,” Mrs Uyovbukerhi notes. The meeting at Statehouse was attended by national women leaders, the permanent secretary at the office of the vice president, deputy speaker of the National Assembly, and the vice president.

Amat JENG

http://mediarevolution-amat.blogspot.com/

ABUJA, Nigeria, May 7, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ — ECOWAS Member States have been called upon to own and promote the ECOWAS Common Position (ECP) on Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) Negotiations ahead of and during the final negotiations coming up at the UN headquarters, New York in July 2012.

This was one of the key recommendations of a two-day final roundtable meeting on the ECP involving officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the ECOWAS Commission, which ended at the Commission’s Abuja headquarters on 26th April 2012.

Since 2010, both the ICRC and ECOWAS have been engaged in a partnership to promote the attainment of an ATT through regional level consultations and agreements, resulting in the ECP, which has been presented and debated at various fora and is accepted as the true aggregation of the position of Member States on the ATT.

This initiative has also inspired efforts to develop and agree an African Common Position (ACP), which is awaiting endorsement by the African Union’s Security Council.

The roundtable meeting urged ECOWAS Member States to adopt the text of

the Conference President as the basis of discussion and ensure the participation of their Permanent Missions at the UN, New York negotiations.

They should also consult, articulate and coordinate efforts working under the leadership of the current ECOWAS Chair, Cote d’Ivoire.

Furthermore, the meeting recommended that the region identify and create alliances with other groups such the East African Economic Community, Central Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean Community and Common Market, the EU and the Pacific islands, among others.

Member States should identify the “hawk” nations and promote platforms of engagement with a view to supporting the ECP, while the ECOWAS Commission should make provisions to facilitate regular consultations and meetings among member States and with other delegations.

The meeting noted that the lack of an African Common Position, barely eight weeks to the final negotiations raised the fear of African countries working at cross-purposes in New York.

However, to meet the challenge of sensitization in ECOWAS Member States, the meeting acknowledged the offer of support by the ICRC to contact the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the region to rally support for the ECP.

In his keynote address to the meeting, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, reiterated the key positions enunciated in the ECP and urged ECOWAS Member States to be aware of challenges that may arise such as deliberate delay, definition of weapons, as swell related activities and transaction, among others.

Speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission, Maj.-Gen. Charles Okae (rtd), Director of Peacekeeping and Regional Security, observed that “the proliferation of conventional weapons and ammunition, including small arms and light weapons, and their irresponsible transfer” were aggravating human suffering, repression, crime, destabilization of regional security, violation of arms embargoes and human rights abuses.

He cited the ongoing violence in northern Mali, which is linked to the Libyan crisis, adding that this underscored the importance of the upcoming UN Conference on ATT.

The Head of ICRC Delegation to Nigeria, Mr. Zoran Jovanovic, said the ICRC strongly supports the adoption of a comprehensive and effective ATT, adding: “it is urgent that States negotiate an Arms Trade Treaty that would establish common international standards for responsible trade because there are lives for whom this decision will make a

difference.”

SOURCE

Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS)