WHY GHANA FEARS PAN-AFRICANISTS

What happens when you try to hold a pan-African convention on Kwame Nkrumah square in Ghana’s capital on Constitution Day? Simple answer, it gets cancelled by the government two hours before it’s due to start, over claims there’s been a double booking.

Most of us reckon that excuse is BS, including pan-African scholar, PLO Lumumba, who was due to speak at the event in Accra earlier this month. He gave us the lowdown on why Ghanaian authorities feared the gathering of some of Africa’s brightest minds and felt they had to stop it.

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At a time when other African nations are pushing for greater control of their minerals, Nigeria is going in the opposite direction: its government has announced that investors (who are likely going to be foreign) will be offered a 75 per cent stake in a new corporation that will oversee the transformation of the country’s mining industry - to be called the Nigeria Solid Minerals Corp.

According to Solid Minerals Minister Dele Alake, the creation of the venture is part of Abuja’s efforts to increase the contribution of the mining industry to the national economy. Despite its vast potential, mining currently only adds a meagre one per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Continued….This lacklustre performance has been attributed to the current disorganisation of the mining sector, which is dominated by artisanal miners who lack the necessary equipment and government support to mine profitably.

It’s hoped that the proposed corporation will solve some of these challenges. However, critics say that the government should have taken a lead role in the transformation of the sector - instead of leaving it to the private sector, which is mainly profit-driven.

What are your thoughts on this?

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RUTO: HAITI MISSION MUST HAPPEN!

Kenyan President William Ruto insists that deploying 1,000 troops to Haiti will happen despite the High Court ruling, which he said was 'misinterpreted.' The deployment was ruled unconstitutional on 26 January because Judge Chacha Mwita said Kenya's National Security Council, which the president leads, does not have the authority to deploy regular police outside the country. Moreover, reciprocity between Kenya and Haiti had not been demonstrated. Ruto said bilateral relations already exist.

Yet, the Haitian people did not elect Prime Minister Ariel Henry, whom the Core Group appointed shortly after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The Core Group comprises the United States, Canada, France, Brazil, Germany, Spain, the United Nations, the European Union and the Organisation of American States.

Continued….The pending deployment remains unpopular, both in Haiti and Kenya. Haitians are wary because of previous foreign interventions, marked by sexual abuse, killings and the death of more than 10,000 due to UN forces dumping sewerage in Haiti's water supply.

In Kenya, the Pan-African rhetoric behind the deployment is also under question. With multiple internal security crises, many Kenyans feel the police are best utilised at home. The US footing the $200 million bill also pokes holes in Ruto's push being an African initiative. That's not to mention that, alongside France, the US is most responsible for Haiti's dysfunction. We only need to point to the US-backed 2004 coup against Haiti's first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

What do you make of Ruto's reaction to the High Court ruling? Let us know below.

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PLO: TERRORIST OR FREEDOM FIGHTER? DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ASK

Insecurity in West Asia and the Horn of Africa is surging, as a new front in the Palestine-Israel conflict has opened in the Red Sea. Soon after the 7 October escalation in the Gaza Strip, Yemen’s Houthi rebels—officially known as Ansar Allah—began interfering with international trade in the Bab al-Mandab Strait to force Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and end bombardments.

About 30 per cent of global container traffic and more than 1 million barrels of crude oil flow each day through the Suez Canal.

Continued….This waterway can only be reached through the Bab al-Mandab Strait that connects the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea. The Houthis have continued their blockade despite a barrage of recent US and UK missile strikes on Yemen.

In an exclusive interview at African Stream’s offices in Nairobi, Pan-African scholar PLO Lumumba reflected on freedom fighters being called terrorists, and vice versa. He also warned the fighting may draw in Horn of Africa countries.

Let us know what you think of Lumumba’s take.

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NAMIBIANS DEMAND WHITES GIVE BACK LAND

Here’s a fact that needs to be repeated. Whites make up six per cent of Namibia's population and own almost sixty per cent of the country's private land. In part, it's a relic of Germany’s oppressive genocidal colonial rule during the 20th century, which saw 70-thousand innocent Namibians killed. nIndigenous Namibians are now demanding their land back, but German-Namibians can’t seem to get their head around it. Here, Tiktoker @Samanthajannsen, calls out their audacity that was highlighted in a VICE News report. She says it may be time to ‘stir the pot’ for Namibians and back their calls for justice.

Well, it seems the stirring has started. Namibia’s President recently condemned Germany for defending Israel in the on-going ICJ genocide case. And he said Berlin had failed to learn the lessons of its own genocidal past.

Continued….Have a listen to Samantha’s powerful message and give us your thoughts.

You can watch the Vice News report on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gOOXzGtd2w.

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FREE CONGO? FREE CONGOLESE WOMEN!

DR Congo faces a lot of challenges - but one that’s less often in the spotlight is gender inequality. Which, given how much the women do, is all the more shocking. As social-justice campaigner Annabelle Woghiren explains here, they are the main breadwinners in many Congolese families. And often, that breadwinning is done by working in the country’s extremely dangerous cobalt mines - where they face not only a life-threatening environment, but also abuse and the risk of physical violence. They may even have their children strapped to them as they dig the toxic ground with their bare hands for a few dollars a day. This, of course, is not to ignore the pressing nature of Congo’s other problems - such as genocidal conflict and child labour. But Congo cannot be free unless its women are liberated as well. Please spread the word and let us know your reactions in the comments.

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BURKINA FASO TAKES THE GOLD

The youngest African president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has positioned Burkina Faso, one of Africa's foremost gold-producing states, to develop technology to process gold-mine residues on-site.

The government will employ 100 people. The first 22-karat gold bars are due to be ready in 11 months, according to reports.

This comes about a-year-and-a-half after a 2022 coup ousted a Western-aligned leader. Since then, Traoré's administration has vowed to root out corruption, reclaim territory so-called rebels have controlled and nationalise commodities.

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NO TO COLONIAL RULE IN AUSTRALIA

Every 26 January marks ‘Australia Day,’ commemorating the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the first fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, now Sydney. It is a national public holiday, often celebrated with festivals and fireworks.

However, for Aboriginal Australians, it is a day of mourning. They refer to it as ‘Invasion Day’ because it kicked off European colonisation in what is now called Australia. Indigenous peoples were dispossessed of land and culture, and many other injustices were perpetrated against them in the European quest to conquer the whole island.

As in most years, protesters took to the streets on 26 January, demanding an end to settler-colonialism. This year’s protests came on the heels of a failed 14 October referendum that would have created a way for Aboriginal peoples to play a role in Parliament.

Many Aboriginal Australians refer themselves as Black, a way to assert and reclaim their identity in the face of historical injustices.