Albert PADACKE former Prime Minister of Chad, in light of the current war in the Middle East, presents  his point of view, which is very interesting beyond the immediate myths, on the position Africa should take, titled  “  Beyond Prejudices, See the Interests! ” -Christian BOUQUET , who heads the African electoral mapping workshop LAMencartes , gives us access to archives that will be of interest to Ivorians: first, because they are  previously unpublished (freely accessible), and second, because they highlight little-known facts: the distribution of foreign nationals, andthe strong presence of Evangelicals in Baoulé country.

–  We need to “depoliticize”  his situation, because opinions are not criminal acts and should not lead to someone being imprisoned, especially someone like him… that’s not where he belongs! Moussa MARA is, above all, a calm, thoughtful, responsible man. He is not aggressive and is a great servant of the state and its people. Showing clemency toward this great man, granting a pardon, would greatly ease the situation.  Continuing in this manner does not reflect well on the Malian government… 

– We are publishing below, and will publish in each upcoming newsletter, a summary of Moussa MARA’s ideas,   which stem from his experience and are always inspired first and foremost by the country’s best interests, and which you can reflect on and share, if you agree with their underlying principles. Dear friends,

We begin this newsletter with the implementation of the  GIAF’s decision to launch a campaign in support of Prime Minister Moussa MARA,  following the recent upholding on appeal of his two-year prison sentence (one year to be served without parole) for: “undermining the credibility of the State and opposing legitimate authority”…  (This does not, however, make us forget Clément DEMBELE and also Mohamed BAZOUM, on whose behalf the European Union finally seems to be taking action!)

A – ADVOCACY AND ACTION IN SUPPORT OF MOUSSA MARA:

–  We need to “depoliticize” his situation because opinions are not criminal acts and should not lead to someone being in prison, especially someone like him…that’s not where he belongs!

 Moussa MARA is, above all, a calm, thoughtful, and responsible man. He is not aggressive, and he is a great servant of the state and its people.  Showing clemency toward this great man, granting a pardon, would greatly ease the situation. Continuing in this manner does not reflect well on the Malian government… 

– We are publishing below, and will publish in each upcoming newsletter, a summary of Moussa MARA’s ideas,   which stem from his experience and are always inspired first and foremost by the country’s best interests, and which you can reflect on and share, if you agree with their underlying principles. 

We’ll start with: “How to Put an End to Power Outages”  .  Cliqez ici pur voir plusLearn more

B. DISSEMINATION OF THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE COTONOU CONFERENCE 

–The Cotonou Recommendations were supplemented with: a note of thanks and  information about the group, a detailed table of contents (active in the digital version, taking you to the selected section with a single click, in a text that is inevitably dense, just as the conference was) and the list of participants  and their positions. For the print version— which some prefer for reading—we opted, for cost reasons, for a black-and-white text without colored borders.

Click here to see the new version of :   «  Sixth International Conference: Summary and Recommendations »   

–

Regarding Dissemination: In response to the key question, “  What do we do with our work? ”,& the obvious answer is that we need to share it as widely as possible, each within our own networks! (and don’t forget to recommend the revamped website)

– 

What are the targets?:  The necessary identification of a “network of decision-makers” has yet to be carried out, through our group’s liaisons   (examples: Ministers of the Armed Forces, such as General Talla NIANG, or Ministers of Foreign Affairs, such as the former  Prime Minister Lamine LOUM or Prof. Jean-François AKANDJI-KOMBÉ in academic circles etc.) when referring to the GIAF as a think tank that seeks to contribute its expertise and network.  

–Egalement chacun peut diffuser dans son réseau personnel, ne serait ce que pour informer, débattre et surtout resserrer les liens personnels et les convergences d’idées entre différents pays. Le principe du noyau central GIAF reste toujours basé sur la cooptation individuelle mais chacun peut construire autour de lui un réseau de « sympathisants »  intéressés par les problématiques africaines,  auquel il peut diffuser régulièrement nos travaux. et éventuellement proposer à terme la cooptation de certains d’entre eux,.

C-LIFE OF TH GROUP 

–Elizabeth CÔTÉ, a Canadian who has been a member of GIAF since its inception, is developing a major project for a solar power plant with four former USAID colleagues who are currently unemployed… They founded a nonprofit NGO SUNROOTS whose goal is to democratize access to solar solutions in both rural and urban areas. According to her, there is so much to be done in the field of solar power (solar irrigation systems, ice-making machines, electrification of schools, etc.) that, in fact, this market is growing exponentially… 

Their solar solutions aim to improve quality of life and also to develop value chains.  Above all, they are committed to  “ supporting communities…  so that it lasts! ” . The training component is very important. ( Training a young person in solar maintenancetakes four years of training.)

Elizabeth previously worked for eight years in Mali and 14 years in Guinea, with a team of 25 people on citizenship issues, and they  visited 17,000 villages which partly helped to revitalize the country…  She is close to many current members of the government (CNT), notably Prime Minister Bah OURY and the Minister of Defense, many of whom were part of her team. She also worked on the African Social Forum and, in that capacity, brought together the GIAF, Cheickh TIDIANE DIEYE —the current Senegalese Minister of Water Resources—and the late General Lamine CISSÉ…  

His view is that in Guinea, there is currently a good government and if governance continues in “ the current spirit of humility and discipline ” , Simandou, which is the world’s largest iron ore deposit, will revolutionize the entire region, just like the Lobito Corridor! 

– General Talla NIANG, a prominent member of our Senegalese chapter has been appointed “  Coordinator of ATEPA’s Strategic Projects,”  the group led by architect Pierre GOUDIABY;  he  will be working on some  very large projects, including : 

 – the coordination of the “New Steel and Aluminum Route”  a development hub involving three countries: Senegal (natural gas), Guinea (bauxite), and Sierra Leone (the world’s largest iron ore reserve), which calls for the construction of an aluminum refinery and a steel mill, as well as the development of all industries related to aluminum and steel.

–  the implementation in Gabon of the project for the new capital, Libreville 2 , (since Libreville is very congested) by a consortium of about fifteen companies. The project also calls for the construction of an airport and a military camp.

– Prof. Adjaratou AIDARA NDIAYE, Director of Partners West Africa  and driving force behind the Senegalese branch of GIAF, participated in the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the world’s leading intergovernmental body of the C. S. W.70 (UN Women) on the status of women within the frameworkof the global counterterrorism strategy, which brought together many participants from around the world. 

Elle était chargée de la présentation sur la situation des femmes dans le cadre de l’extrémisme violent, ce qu’elles vivent et le rôle qu’elle pourraient jouer, avec des recommandations. A partir d’une note bien articulée, basée sur toutes les réflexions qu’elle a menée dans le cadre des OSC (Organisations de la Société civile) de l’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Sahel, Adjaratou a fait un exposé et développé un plaidoyer particulièrement remarqué: 

Les femmes soShe was tasked with presenting on the situation of women in the context of violent extremism, including their experiences and the role they could play, along with recommendations. Drawing on a well-structured paper based on all the reflections she had conducted within  the context of civil society organizations (CSOs) in West Africa and the Sahel, Adjaratou delivered a presentation and developed a particularly noteworthy advocacy case: nt 

Today, they are truly “on the front lines”:  at the borders—especially given the current pressure on coastal countries (Togo, Benin, etc.)—and they are the ones who manage the entire informal economy as well as logistics. They are people-centered.

– Paul DERREUMAUX, in his latest (valuable) “A View from Africa”   compares two countries that share the same ambition and similar geographic locations but different trajectories: Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.  Seen through the eyes of the experienced banker that he is, these comparisons are always instructive for refining economic policy perspectives. With broadly comparable results, however, a certain advantage seems to emerge in favor of the monetary stability provided by the strong currency of the West African Monetary Union (UMEOA)…

To access it, please click on the link Regard d’Afrique

This is an important point, but it is nonetheless open to debate because the primary objective remains the “structural transformation of the economy ”  and job creation  through import substitution. However, to achieve this, the roadmap drawn up by the “  ETATS GÉNÉRAUX DE L’ÉCO ”  organized by our friend Kako NUBUKPO in 2021—which envisioned the establishment ofnot a single currency, but a “common” currency(with a “& “corridor” in which the current currencies of different countries could float around the anchor currency—the eco—just as it worked well in Europe with the ECU before the euro….) seems essential to us…

 See the rationale at:  Les États Généraux de L’Eco

-Christian BOUQUET , who heads LAMencartes, the African electoral mapping workshop  , shares with us archives that will be of interest to Ivorians: first, because they are previously unpublished (and freely accessible), and second, because they highlight little-known facts: the distribution of foreigners, thestrong presence of Evangelicals in Baoulé country.

These maps are based on the General Population and Housing Census (RGPH) conducted in 2021 in Côte d’Ivoire. Due to their restricted distribution, the results have not been widely analyzed, likely because of their sensitive nature in a political context that was still tense at the time.

The figures presented pertain to ethnic and religious composition, the proportion of foreign-born residents, and household size. Of particular note is the very significant increase in the number of Evangelicals between 1998 and 2021.

https://www.lesafriquesdanslemonde.fr/archives-cote-divoire-rgph-2021/

– Albert PADACKE former Prime Minister of Chad, in light of the current war in the Middle East, presents  his point of view, which is very interesting beyond the immediate myths, on the position Africa should take, titled  “  Beyond Prejudices, See the Interests! ” 

https://www.facebook.com/share/1a8TLS3Dny/?mibextid=wwXIfr

 

D – GIAF BRANCH SCHEDULE

We ask everyone to reflect on this and, if possible, for certain country chapters to meet  to discuss the identification of decision-makers, institutions, and organizations—including youth groups—to whom the Cotonou recommendations should be addressed, either directly or through intermediaries to be identified to ensure they reach their intended recipients.

As for the Paris Chapter , a friendly lunch is being offered to members and partners who live in Paris or are visiting Paris  next Friday, March 20, at 12:30 p.m. at Père Tranquille (which has fortunately reopened!) at 16 rue Pierre Lescot, 75001

Please let us know in advance to reserve your seats