here - West Africa Civil Society Insitute (WACSI)

West Africa Civil Society Situation Report

14 February 2014

West Africa Civil Society Situation Report Regional: West Africa West African civil society assesses Economic Partnership Agreements in Dakar AfriScoop.com, 10 February The West Africa Civil Society Platform held a meeting in Dakar from 12-13 February to assess the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU, ECOWAS and the West African Economic and Monetary Union. At the end of the meeting, civil society actors would submit their recommendations to President Macky Sall, said Dr Cheikh Tidiane Diéye, representative of Senegalese civil society at the meeting. According to him, the EPAs are unlikely to benefit Senegal and Nigeria whereas Côte d‟Ivoire could benefit greatly from it. http://www.afriscoop.net/journal/spip.php?article8217 Ghana Government-CSO forum held to tackle rising internet costs IT News Africa, 11 February On 11 February in Accra, the world‟s broadest technology sector coalition, the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), hosted an interactive forum focused on lowering the cost of Internet access in Ghana. The meeting united diverse players such as policy makers, technology pioneers, CSOs, campaigners and researchers. Attendees shared insights and fashioned a new, long-term national plan designed to empower Ghana to slash broadband costs via policy change and technological innovation. The forum was organised in conjunction with the Government of Ghana, with whom A4AI recently signed a memorandum of understanding. By uniting a diverse range of technology innovators to share insights and debate solutions openly, it is hoped that steps can be identified to tackle a number of challenges, which include limited telecommunications infrastructure, high costs of telecommunications equipment and low citizen awareness about benefits of the internet and how to use it. http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2014/02/gathering-in-ghana-to-tackle-rising-internet-costs/

CSO speaks out against government plans to privatise the National Food and Buffer Stock Company Ghana Web, 7 February Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) has spoken out against the privatisation of the National Food and Buffer Stock Company saying it could work against the interest of farmers by creating a new 1


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class of profiteering middlemen. FSG said it feared the government would hand over the food supply-chain to multinational agribusiness corporations who could control Ghana‟s farmers and agriculture by creating artificial shortages to increase food prices. “This is a lose-lose proposition for farmers and for Ghanaians. Farmers lose money and Ghanaians pay more for food”, the statement indicated. On the other hand, “It is a win-win proposition for gamblers and exploiters, the very people who have driven up food prices worldwide, making obscene fortunes, while millions starve in the midst of plenty.” http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=300000

CSO says Ghana needs enforceable laws for forest conservation Spy Ghana, 6 February Ghana needs to formulate laws that are enforceable at the community level to succeed in forest conservation programmes, says Obed Owusu Addae of Civil Response. Ghana has promulgated laws to prohibit and control certain activities in forest reserves, especially chainsaw lumbering. However there have been challenges in implementing these laws due to the high demand for lumber in communities living in forest areas. Civil Response has been involved in negotiations between Ghana and the European Union on the Voluntary Partnership Agreement to ensure that communities‟ perspectives are brought to bear in the agreement. http://www.spyghana.com/cso-says-ghana-needs-enforceable-laws-forest-conservation/

Guinea Money embezzlement in Guinean civil society guineeconakry.info, 9 February The National Council of Civil Society Organisations in Guinea is trying to polish its image after allegations of embezzlement of funds donated by the European Union for the monitoring and observation of the recent legislative elections in the country. A congress was held in Kindia, Western Guinea to elect the new president for the Council, Dansa Kourouma. However, this election has far from solved the problem as some member CSOs denounced irregularities in the electoral process and questioned the legitimacy of the congress. http://www.guineeconakry.info/index.php?id=118&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14060&cHash =b146d4cf6346f2851f6407a2a00953a1

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Liberia Civil society, government and others participate in National Issues Forum New Liberian, 10 February Civil society activists and others convened this week at the Monrovia City Hall to discuss policies and to strategise on pressing national and local issues during the first annual National Issues Forum (NIF). The Forum was a two-day event running from 12-13 February with sessions organised by nine CSOs. Participants in the NIF included civil society activists, academics, legislators, civil servants, executive branch officials, the media, and representatives of political parties and local and county governments. It is seen as an opportunity for different stakeholders to gather evidence and expert opinion and deliberate about policy options. It equally allows CSOs to share their advocacy campaigns with different branches of government. http://newliberian.com/?p=2399/

Alexander Soros urges President Johnson-Sirleaf not to crack down on civil society FrontPageAfrica, 9 February Philanthropist Alexander Soros has urged Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to do away with archaic sedition laws hurting post-war development in Liberia. In a FrontPage interview alongside watchdog group Global Witness, Soros addressed President Johnson-Sirleaf saying “Madam President, I understand that you are in a very difficult situation but (…) there is no need for sedition. Keep the vibrant civil society you have, please don't crack down (…) keep your pulse close to the people and listen to your critics." Liberia has in recent months used the sedition laws to go after critics of the administration seen as troublemakers. Last October, prior to a planned protest against Sirleaf as part of the "Ellen Step Down" campaign, police arrested Mulbah Morlu, vice chairman of the opposition party Congress for Democratic Change and 10 others, charging them with criminal conspiracy and sedition. They were released after several hours in detention. Sirleaf, delivering her ninth annual message, said the national legislature laws must be consistent with national interests. "Antiquated laws that retard the promotion of our fledgling democracy should be abolished. This government was one of the first two African states that signed the Table Mountain Declaration which calls for decriminalising freedom of expression. Therefore, we will submit, for your consideration, bills to repeal all repressive laws." http://allafrica.com/stories/201402100662.html

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Constitution Review Committee to meet with Liberian youth The New Dawn, 6 February Liberian youth and the Constitution Review Committee (CRC) are gearing up for discussions in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, as part of the CRC's efforts to ensure maximum participation of every sector of the society in the review process of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia. The CRC strategy calls for a bottom-up approach to establish national ownership of the process and the loyalty of all Liberians to the amended constitution. They hope that the inclusiveness of the process will build confidence and ensure that the amendments are endorsed when the time comes for a national referendum. The CRC has already sollicited the views of Liberian women, civil society activists, traditional leaders, political parties and community members, and has visited intellectual centres, churches and mosques. http://allafrica.com/stories/201402060717.html

Mauritania Mauritanian students reject Egypt's 'coup-promoting' cultural delegation World Bulletin, 9 February The Student Initiative for Resisting Zionist Infiltration, a prominent Mauritanian student group, have accused the government of „promoting Egypt's military coup and whitewashing its ugly image‟ by welcoming an Egyptian cultural delegation into the country. The delegation arrived Nouakchott on 8 February to attend a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Egyptian Cultural Centre in Mauritania. The group called on the country's intellectuals and artists to boycott the celebration. http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/128513/mauritania-students-slam-egypts-couppromoting-delegation

Nigeria Community leaders visit Ecological Fund Office to raise awareness about oil-spill pollution Daily Trust, 12 February In early February, a delegation representing the 350 communities affected by the crude oil spillage from the Shell/SNEPCO Bonga Fields of 21 December 2011 paid a visit to the Ecological Fund Office. Its aim was to draw public attention to the failure of Shell company to compensate the affected communities. There has been outcry by residents of the Niger Delta, as well as CSOs, about the government's inability to implement the extensive United Nations Environment Programme‟s (UNEP) report on the Ogoniland region. In August 2011, UNEP presented the Nigerian government with an environmental assessment describing contaminated land, water, sediment, vegetation and air quality, poor public health and bad industry practices. It also 4


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provided recommendations and priorities for action which have been ignored by authorities. According to the leaders of the delegation, the spill has now spread across 100 square miles and has destroyed the primary means of livelihood of residents of the affected communities. They also said that several deaths have occurred due to the inhaling of harmful chemical dispersant used by Shell. http://allafrica.com/stories/201402121045.html

CSOs caution lawmakers against anti-strike bill This Day, 11 February Organised labour and CSOs have warned the Lagos State House of Assembly not to pass a bill that aims to prohibit labour unions from embarking on strikes and criminalise participation in labour strikes. The Campaign for Democratic Workers Rights (CDWR) said it is both tragic and laughable that the legislators could even contemplate such a bill when their mandate is to safeguard the democratic rights of citizens and workers, which include the right to protest and strike. CDWR warned that labour and civil society groups will mobilise workers to resist the anti-strike bill. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/labour-civil-society-caution-lawmakers-against-antistrike-bill/171082/

CSOs request breakdown of National Assembly allocation in 2014 budget Premium Times, 11 February The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), a coalition of over 150 anti-corruption organisations, alongside Enough is Enough Nigeria, has requested information on the breakdown of the 150 billion Naira allocation made for the National Assembly in the 2014 national budget. The groups said they made the request as part of their mandate to ensure transparency, accountability and total commitment in the fight to eradicate corruption in Nigeria. They expect the National Assembly to release the information within seven days in accordance with the 2011 Freedom of Information Act. http://allafrica.com/stories/201402110058.html

CSOs demand reduction in number of government-sponsored delegates to National Conference Premium Times, 6 February Seven CSOs have demanded a pruning of the number of delegates to be sponsored by the federal and state governments to the proposed National Conference. They also demanded an increase in 5


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the slots allocated to civil societies. Government bodies are to nominate about 181 out of the 492 delegates whereas CSOs are to nominate only 24 delegates. "We have historically called for a Sovereign National Conference as a framework for determining a just and people-driven Nigerian state and to address the fundamental political, economic and other socio-cultural challenges facing our peoples and country” said the CSOs at a press conference on 5 February in Abuja. They stressed that this process should include the heavy involvement of civil society, with two thirds of the delegate spots reserved for non-state actors. http://allafrica.com/stories/201402060814.html

CSOs criticise Independent National Electoral Commission over voter registration Channels TV, 6 February CSOs have challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the country has a credible voters register. The organisations criticised the seasonal manner in which INEC carries out what should be a continuous voter registration exercise. CSOs announced this at a forum organised by the Transition Monitoring Group in Abuja to look at the status of the voter registration exercise and how Nigeria should prepare for another general election in 2015. http://www.channelstv.com/home/2014/02/06/civil-society-organisations-criticize-inec-voterregistration/

Senegal Corruption among civil society in Senegal Setal.net, 11 February Birahim Seck, board member of the Civil Forum affirmed that corruption is eating into Senegalese civil society. During a workshop that he was facilitating, he claimed that some members of the Civil Forum are leading a standard of life that raises questions about the source of their wealth. He therefore called for a cleansing of civil society in the country and called on CSOs to focus more on addressing the needs of people. http://www.setal.net/La-societe-civile-est-gangrenee-par-la-corruption-dixit-BirahimSeck_a23918.html

African civil society to advocate for climate justice Sud Quotident, 11 Febraury A meeting on the Post-Warsaw Strategy was organised in Dakar from 10-13 February by the PanAfrican Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA). The meeting brought together members of 6


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African civil society to discuss ways for African governments to integrate climate changes issues into their national development programmes. Africa is a low producer of greenhouse gases, however, it suffers greatly from the effects of climate change. For this reason, “CSOs need to engage with governments in the implementation of initiatives aimed at providing the underprivileged population with a sustainable environment and advocating effectively for an international climate justice” said Mamadou Lamine Ndiaye, legal and economic officer at Oxfam. It is hoped this meeting will serve as a platform to map out common actions and come up with strategies to combine political intervention and popular mobilisation to share the experience of Senegal, which is one of the first countries to benefit from climate change adaptation funds. http://www.sudonline.sn/la-societe-civile-pose-le-debat-a-dakar_a_17469.html

Sierra Leone CSO raises awareness about breast cancer among City Council staff Awareness Times, 10 February As the world commemorated World Cancer Day on 4 February, Sierra Leonean CSO, the Thinking Pink Breast Cancer Foundation, delivered a one-day lecture on breast cancer to the staff of the Freetown City Council. CEO of Thinking Pink Foundation, Mrs Cremelda Pratt, said cancer is a complex disease that affects humans all over the world and which needs to be controlled as a matter of urgency. She said that emphasis must be laid on breast cancer which affects more women than men and that the general public needs to know how it can be detected at an early stage and subsequently cured. http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200524718.shtml

Togo Civil society monitors parliament Togosite.com, 6 February A network of CSOs Concertation nationale de la société civile (CNSC) initiated a monitoring exercise of the activities of the newly elected parliament from October 2013 to January 2014. The study assessed Parliament‟s efforts to relate with citizens, to study and adopt bills and to control government actions. The results of this monitoring exercise were disclosed on 4 February at a press conference held at Brother Home. According to Paul Amegakpo, executive director of CNSC, parliamentarians have been engaging in humanitarian actions such as the establishment of social facilities, to appeal to the electorate rather than explaining to the population issues like the adoption of the 2014 financial bill and the budgeting for the year 2014. 7


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The CNSC noted that the monitors had faced difficulties in accessing the parliament to perform their duties. For instance they were denied access to plenary session of the parliament. However, the CNSC promised to continue its monitoring exercise and provide reports quarterly. http://www.togosite.com/?q=node/5927

Continental: Africa African think tanks brainstorm their future Voice of America, 11 February African and global think tanks met in Pretoria, South Africa from 3-5 February to discuss how they can provide governments with options for development based on sound local research. The summit was co-organised by the University of Pennsylvania‟s Think Tanks and Civil Society Program, the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) from Zimbabwe, the African Leadership Centre in Kenya and the South Africa based Institute for Security Studies. Professor Emmanuel Nnadozie, executive director of ACBF, said in order to maintain credibility think tanks must ensure that funding from donor or other outside sources do not impinge on their independence. He said other major challenges include improving links between research centres, government and civil society and making research findings readily available to the public and government. The main outcome of the meeting was the establishment of a Pan African Network of Think Tanks that will share knowledge, databases and research ideas, promote African values and build the capacities of its members. http://www.voanews.com/content/african-think-tanks-brainstorm-their-future/1849197.html

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