Côte d’Ivoire: Gbagbo’s ICC Transfer Advances Justice

Promptly Investigate Ouattara Camp’s Crimes as Well

(Nairobi, November 29, 2011) – The transfer of former President Laurent Gbagbo to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for his alleged role in international crimes during Côte d’Ivoire’s devastating post-election violence is a major step toward ensuring justice, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on the ICC prosecutor to move swiftly on investigations for grave crimes committed by forces allied with the current president, Alassane Ouattara.

NDC’s Akrasi Sarpong – the NACOB Boss Should Give us a Break!

By Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang, Hull. UK.

In one of my recent write-ups, I made a genuine call to policy makers to fashion out a policy that could overhaul the current educational system so that emphasis could be placed on the teaching of “traditional/natural wisdom” but many a Ghanaian especially those in the current mediocre Mills’ administration took offence to that suggestion. However, I strongly believe that I hit the nail right on its head because if Ghana’s educational system had churned out products like Kobby Acheampong, Kweetey, Ablakwa, Pratt, Baba Jamal, Agyenim Boateng, Tony Aidoo, Bissiw and Benyiwa Doe, then of course as a country we need to go back to the basics if we are serious about developing our human resource capacity.

Cote d’Ivoire: Accountability Yes, Retaliation No

By Ivan Simonovic, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights

Traveling around Abidjan and the west of Côte d’Ivoire last week, as the push to dislodge former President Laurent Gbagbo reached its climax, it was difficult to escape the stench of death.

In the Carrefour neighborhood of Duékoué, I peered down a deep well at the abandoned headquarters of one of the warring militias. No bodies were visible but the smell was unmistakable. No one knows how many bodies lie inside. The grisly work of recovering and identifying the dead lies ahead.

President-elect bans Ivory Coast cocoa exports

Traders are bracing for a jump in the price of cocoa on Monday, after the internationally recognised president-elect of Ivory Coast imposed a one month export ban in an attempt to oust Laurent Gbagbo, who the international community said lost elections though he remains president.

CÔTE D’IVOIRE: UN Will Robustly Fulfil Mandate To Protect Civilians

Source: UN Report

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire will “robustly” fulfil its mandate, breaking through roadblocks if needed, to protect civilians and the “legitimate Government” after the outgoing president’s refusal to step down in the face of his rival’s internationally recognised electoral victory, a top UN official warned today.

Corruption not the Cause of High Costs of Trucking

By West Africa Trade Hub, www.watradehub.com

For policy makers in West Africa, the key conclusion of this report is that the cost to deliver a container from Tema to Ouagadougou is about five times the cost to deliver the same container from Newark to Chicago, a route of roughly equal distance. This is despite the fact that trucker salaries in the USA are roughly 25 times higher. And the trip takes as much as four times longer.

In 2005, “everybody” knew that the high cost of transport and logistics in West Africa was due to official corruption at roadway checkpoints. The authors of this report have researched that question and, according to their findings, it seems “everybody” was wrong.

Africa needs more seed companies to push out improved maize varieties

From Godwin Atser, www.CGIAR.org

African governments have been urged to encourage the emergence of more seed companies that will multiply, market, and disseminate improved maize varieties to farmers to boost food production.

So far, in the West African region, only Nigeria has a relatively vibrant seed industry with about 12 emerging private sector-driven seed companies. Ghana and Mali have three each, while the Republic of Benin has none.

Researchers say this development needs to change for Africa to taste the much awaited Green Revolution.