COMMENT - Unlike what the reader seems to believe, Zimbabwe doesn't need to ask anyone's permission to hold elections. He already has 'AU support', in that they wills send election observers - whose thumbs up will be drowned out in gory headlines about alleged violence, which will serve the purpose of the United States and the UK stating how they won't recognize the outcome, when Morgan Tsvangirai doesn't win. They want the diamonds, and nothing else will do - certainly not the will of the Zimbabwean people.
Mugabe seeks AU poll backing
29/01/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe is expected to use the African Union summit under way in Ethiopia to secure the backing of continental leaders in his push for new elections in the country this year. Mugabe is already in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa for the key summit which started on Friday.
Zimbabwe is not on the agenda of the meeting and South African officials confirmed that President Jacob Zuma – the regional SADC grouping’s point-man on the country – would not present a report on the situation in the country. Still, Mugabe is expected to press AU leaders to endorse his push for new elections in the country.
The Zanu PF leader wants to end his partnership with long-term rival and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, insisting the arrangement -- facilitated by SADC after inconclusive election in 2008 -- was no longer workable.
In a statement issued ahead of the summit, party spokesman, Rugabe Gumbo said the AU should “demand the holding of elections in Zimbabwe this year as well as the unconditional removal of economic sanctions by Western countries.”
Zanu PF would have been buoyed by indications that some regional leaders would back fresh polls, with Zambia’s Michael Sata publicly stating he would not block the move.
"You people, the Western countries, you taught us that democracy is elections. Now somebody wants elections and you say no," Sata said in a recent interview with the UK-based Telegraph newspaper.
However, Tsvangirai insists a new constitution and a raft of other political reforms must be completed first before new elections can be held.
"We have a deadline; March 2013 is the end of this parliament so we have to go to an election. We have to go to an election between now and March 2013,” Tsvangirai said last week.
He added that conditions must be put in place first to ensure the election outcome is not disputed.
"You can't have an election under conditions in which there is no credibility. We can't talk of elections when we have not even adopted the constitution, we have not even gone to the referendum," he said.
"We have to make sure that things are implemented for the conditions for elections to be free and fair."
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS (ZIMBABWE), AGRICULTURAL MARKETING AUTHORITY, JACOB ZUMA, ROBERT MUGABE
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Economist hails continental banks’ creation
By Nyasa Times
March 30, 2010
Press Corporation has no room for northerners – Chikaonda
Economists in Malawi have welcomed
a proposal by the African Union (AU) to set up financial institutions to mobilise resources for national development initiatives. The proposal was made on Monday at the on-going AU meeting of finance and economic planning ministers.
AU is in the process of creating three African financial institutions, namely the African Investments Bank, the African Central Bank and the African Monetary Fund.
The development also comes at a time, when most African countries, rely on funds from Western financial institutions, like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to implement their development programmes. Documents about the establishment of the institutions have already been adopted by the AU heads of states.
Commenting on the proposal, Collen Kalua, who is a social economist from University of Malawi at the Chancellor College in Zomba, said authorities had to utilise the opportunity, in order to develop the economic stability of the country. Kalua told Capital Radio that idea was a welcome development, saying it would promote inter-dependency among African countries.
“The benefit is there will be efficient disbursement of loans,” said Kalua.
“It will be easy for government to borrow from that institution and that will be within African and then that loan will trickle down to local businesses in time depending on the conditions that will put now by the government for the loans,” he said.
He urged government and indigenous entrepreneurs to utilize the opportunity when it comes into effect to boost their exports through access to loans from the institutions.
Meanwhile, the AU conference of finance and economy ministers winds up in Lilongwe with revelations that Africa lost over $1.8 trillion in illicit financial outflows from 1970 through 2008.
Titled “Illicit Financial Flows from Africa: Hidden Resource for Development”, the new study focussed more on illicit financial outflows from just one source: trade mispricing. It .however. did not take a look into outflows from mispricing of services and smuggling.
According to the study, the “massive flow of illicit money out of Africa is facilitated by a global shadow financial system comprising tax havens, secrecy jurisdictions, disguised corporations, anonymous trust accounts, fake foundations, trade mispricing, and money laundering techniques.”
It stated that “the impact of this structure and the funds it shifts out of Africa is staggering. It drains hard currency reserves, heightens inflation, reduces tax collection, cancels investment, and undermines free trade.
“It has its greatest impact on those at the bottom of income scales in their countries, removing resources that could otherwise be used for poverty alleviation and economic growth,” he said.
Labels: AGRICULTURAL MARKETING AUTHORITY, BANKING
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COMMENT - Finally someone is turning back the errros of neoliberalism and IMF ESAPs, and it's reliance on selfcorrecting 'free markets'.
Government reintroduces Agric Marketing Authority
Agriculture Reporter
Government has reintroduced the Agricultural Marketing Authority to regulate, supervise, develop and administer the marketing of farming produce in Zimbabwe. The move, it is hoped, will assist new farmers enhance production and marketing of their pro- duce.
Announcing the AMA board yesterday, Agriculture Minister Joseph Made said the authority was crucial within the context of changes to the agri-industry in the past decade.
"We want AMA to play the role of a strategic arm that will enhance production and marketing of agricultural products and advance the long term plans of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development.
"This includes, increase in production and productivity within the agricultural sector," Minister Made said.
The authority is expected to open new and retain current markets and ensure setting of standards.
"We also expect AMA to promote fair pricing," he said.
AMA will work closely with existing marketing institutions and the Agriculture Ministry to enhance orderly promotion of agricultural products.
CBZ managing director Dr John Mangudya will chair the board whose members include former Acting Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Mr Charles Chikaura, Mr Stansalays Goredema, Mr Zvinechimwe Ruvinga Churu, Mr Basil Nyabadza and Tobacco Industry Marketing Board chairman Mr Njodzi Machirori.
Others are Zimbabwe Farmers Union second vice president Mr Berean Mukwende, former Cottco chief executive Mr Happymore Mapara, Mr Tawanda Chitapi of TH Chitapi and Associates, and Mrs Nancy Zitsanza from Agriculture Ministry.
Dr Mangudya pledged to improve agricultural production for food security and for supply of raw materials to manufacturers.
Farmers and farmer organisations have been calling for the reintroduction of the regulatory board following the introduction of the multi-currency system. They felt they were being shortchanged due to the absence of a supervisory instrument.
AMA was established in 1967 and abolished in 1993 after Government adopted the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme.
Labels: AGRICULTURAL MARKETING AUTHORITY, AGRICULTURE, JOSEPH MADE, MARKETING, SAP
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