Africa news links

Editorials/Op-Eds
Now that the Doha Round of trade talks has been re-started, rich nations should improve their concessions to poorer countries, says the editorial board of the New York Times.

Start the international aid and poverty discussion on the local level, says two authors from Seattle.

From the editor of Carib News: Africans don’t have much faith in globalization because Africa lacks the technical know-how, its ruling elite suffer from an inferiority complex and bungled Western aid packages and privatization plans have the continent at the mercy of multinational corporations. More often than not these companies “pay off” the local governments and are directly responsible for the local ruling elites getting rich, greedy and arrogant,” he writes.

News
Donors lack political courage to rid their countries of subsidies, say a number of African diplomats. "Most African countries are ready to accelerate economic and social reforms, however, they lack resources and means," Benin's representative Jean-Marie Ehouzou told a U.N. General Assembly meeting Wednesday.

West African nations are not ready to sign a trade liberalization agreement with the European Union, according to a trade official with ECOWAS. Under a self-imposed deadline, the two parties have until the end of the year to do so. African farmers and growing industries are not ready to compete with cheap goods from Europe, says ECOWAS.

Four men have been arrested in relation to the murder of Reggae star Lucky Dube, says The Times from South Africa.

Other
Peace and stability go hand in hand, says new UN chief.

Robert Zoellick is not Paul Wolfowitz, says LA Times.