Africa

01/07/2008 -- A delegation of American lawmakers is visiting cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast and Ghana this week to monitor child labor abuses. Senator Bernie Sanders said before departing for Africa that he hoped "to see to what degree indentured children are being used to manufacture products which come into this country as chocolate."    » read more »

08 January 2008 -- Some supporters of former Liberian President Charles Taylor have been reacting to the resumption Monday of his trial in The Hague. Chief Cyril Allen is chairman emeritus of Taylor’s former National Patriotic Party of Liberia. He says the Taylor trial would be the first time in the history of the International Criminal Court that an indicted person would be exonerated.

Chief Allen told VOA the defense would prove that there is no evidence linking Mr. Taylor to war crimes in Sierra Leone.    » read more »

20 December 2007 -- UNICEF recommends that women breast feed during the first few months of their baby’s life to improve the child’s chances of survival. Health specialists say that’s because of the important ingredients available in the milk, especially in the portion called colostrum. That message and others were emphasized at a forum held at the headquarters of the Development Communications Network in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital recently to mark annual breastfeeding week.    » read more »

21 December 2007 -- In South Africa, the attorney for Jacob Zuma, the newly elected president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has described as improper news that his client would soon be charged for corruption. This comes after the national prosecutor announced in a radio interview that there is enough evidence for him to make the decision on when to take action against Zuma. Michael Hulley questioned the timing of the announcement, saying state resources are being used against his client.    » read more »

New Report Sees Huge Demand for Investment over Next Decade

December 18, 2007 -- WASHINGTON -- A new report from IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, says spending on health in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to double over the next 10 years. Investments of $25 billion to $30 billion will be needed to meet the demand, with the private sector playing a key role.    » read more »

19 December 2007 -- Africa is slowly bridging the gap that divides it from the digital world. Government officials and technology companies are trying to implement programs such as telemedicine and electronic education within the next five years. But problems with infrastructure make it difficult for individuals to get connected.

Although Internet connections in Senegal are some of the most extensive and affordable in Africa, residents are still struggling to connect.    » read more »

20 December 2007 -- The U.S. Congress has approved legislation that would allow U.S. states, localities and private investors to withdraw their investments in Sudan. The bill targets four economic sectors – oil, power production, mining and military equipment – that analysts say are important sources of revenue for the Sudan government. It is now awaiting President Bush’s signature.    » read more »

17 December 2007 -- Officials in Benin say tests have confirmed the presence of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus on two poultry farms.

Agriculture Minister Roger Dovonou says tests from a laboratory in Italy confirmed the virus has struck one farm in the city of Cotonou and another in the town of Adjarra, outside the capital Porto Novo.

Benin reported its first suspected cases of bird flu on December 7th. Workers slaughtered several hundred chickens at the two farms as a precautionary measure, and also disinfected the sites.    » read more »

Legislation Now Goes to the President's Desk to Be Signed Into Law

December 14, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton announced today that the Senate has approved a measure she introduced to address the Bush Administration’s response to the crisis in Darfur.    » read more »

16 December 2007 -- With the approach of Christmas and Muslims marking Sallah, poultry consumption in Nigeria is expected to reach an all-time high this month. As Gilbert da Costa reports for VOA from Abuja, recent reports indicating the virus remains entrenched in Nigeria and an outbreak in neighboring Benin have prompted fresh concerns about bird flu infecting humans in Nigeria.

Health officials in northern Nigeria are disinfecting poultry markets in a bid to stem cases of bird flu before Christmas and the Muslim festival of Sallah, this month.    » read more »

15 December 2007 -- More than a year after 500 tons of toxic waste from Europe were dumped illegally around the Ivory Coast's economic hub, Abidjan, roughly a fourth of the area poisoned by the spill has not yet been cleaned up. Many residents of the commercial capital remain ill and uncompensated for their ailments. Lisa Bryant has more on what experts say is the worst toxic waste spill in years.    » read more »

December 12, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two bills introduced by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to provide federal support for state and local divestment efforts in Sudan unanimously passed the Senate as part of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007. The bills called for economic restrictions against the Sudanese regime supporting genocide in Darfur.    » read more »

06 December 2007 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross has launched a record appeal for nearly $1 billion for lifesaving activities in some 80 countries next year. Iraq will constitute the ICRC's largest humanitarian operation, with the Horn of Africa running a close second. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from ICRC headquarters in Geneva.

The International Committee of the Red Cross plans to increase its humanitarian budget for Iraq to nearly $95 million next year. That is a 20 percent increase over the previous year.    » read more »

Africa Leads Strong Decline in Global Measles Deaths

WASHINGTON, Thursday, November 29, 2007 — Measles deaths in Africa fell by 91 percent between 2000 and 2006, from an estimated 396,000 to 36,000, reaching the United Nations 2010 goal to cut measles deaths by 90 percent four years early. The spectacular gains achieved in Africa helped generate a strong decline in global measles deaths, which fell 68 percent worldwide – from an estimated 757,000 to 242,000 during this period.    » read more »

27 November 2007 -- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria reports nearly every family with children in Africa soon could have a bed net to protect against malaria. The Geneva-based Global Fund says it has delivered 46 million insecticide-treated bed nets to families in malaria zones, a 155 percent increase over last year's result of 18 million.

The Global Fund says insecticide-treated bed nets are one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent malaria transmission.    » read more »