Ugandan farmers accuse company of land-grabbing
The Bugala Farmers Association of Uganda has called on the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to sever its ties with Bidco Africa, a Kenya-based edible oil producer accused of land-grabbing, human rights violations and environmental disasters in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Over 100 farmers lost their land to Bidco when, in partnership with the local […]
Dadaab refugees caught in the middle
Nine years after completing high school in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp, Mohamed Abdullahi finally got a scholarship to study in Nairobi. But a security-related squeeze by the Kenyan authorities on refugee movements means his long-held dream of a university education is under threat. Dadaab, in northeastern Kenya, is what’s known as a closed camp. The […]
Liberians in Nigeria want diaspora vote in 2017
The Nigeria-based Liberian Association of Abuja (LAA) has called for a voting mechanism that will enable Liberians in the diaspora vote in the 2017 elections. The association, through its president Garrison Thomas, also called on the Liberian government to issue ECOWAS biometric passports to Liberians in Nigeria. The LAA made its calls during a meeting Tuesday with Liberian President Ellen […]
Women the big earners in Danish public sector
The battle of the sexes is still very much alive in Denmark, as portrayed by men earning more than women in the private sector. In the public sector, however, the tables have turned. A new report from the union HK Stat has revealed that its female members working in the public sector earn more than […]
Green Climate Fund feels the heat
It’s just three months since world leaders reached an agreement in Paris to commit billions of dollars towards curbing and adapting to climate change. But the UN body responsible for ensuring the money is spent effectively is facing some critical questions. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has so far focused on building a framework to […]
Fossil-free Sweden: Working together is key to success
On 8 February 2016, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy held a workshop for the over 150 different enterprises, municipalities, regions and organisations that have joined the Fossil Free Sweden initiative. Politicians and officials from various ministries at the Government Offices also took part in the workshop. It offered opportunities to put into more […]
Burundi’s political crisis cripples its economy
The crisis that erupted in Burundi in April 2015 following Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a controversial third term as president has claimed more than 400 lives and caused more than 230,000 people to flee the country, according to the UN. But it isn’t just citizens who have suffered – the economy is in a […]
Foreign Minister: Liberia can secure itself after UN leaves
Liberia’s new Foreign Minister Marjon V. Kamara says she is confident that Liberia can provide security and maintain peace after the inevitable departure of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). “I believe sincerely that we can and, indeed, we must,” she said during programs marking the West African nation’s Armed Forces Day Thursday. She, however, […]
Finland has lost its way on several issues
Finns have been drawn into a struggle to re-define their national identity while the country is preparing to commemorate the centennial of its independence in 2017, gauges Markku Kangaspuro, the director of research at the Aleksanteri Institute. He estimates that the nation has previously defined itself based on its unwavering faith in education […]
Liberia: Was Harry Greaves murdered?
As the United Nation mission draws down in Liberia, the safety and security of individual citizens should be a cause of grave concern to law enforcement authorities. Over the last eight years, several eminent individuals in Liberia have either been murdered, or died under unusual circumstances. Given the sparse occurrences of these tragic incidences, most […]