IMF & COMMONWEALTH ON AFRICA

The global financial crisis has worsened significantly for sub-Saharan Africa. Demand for African exports and commodity export prices have fallen, and remittance flows may be weakening. Tighter global credit and investor risk aversion have led to a reversal of portfolio inflows, less favorable conditions for trade finance, and could lower foreign direct investment. As a result, growth has started to slow markedly and fiscal and balance of payments pressures are mounting. Risks remain high and the prospects for recovery remain uncertain. Financial systems in the region have so far been resilient to the global crisis, but the economic slowdown is likely to increase credit risk and nonperforming loans and weaken financial institutions’ balance sheets. Sub-Saharan African countries should seek to contain the adverse impact of the crisis on economic growth and poverty, while preserving important hard-won gains of recent years, including macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability.

YouTube's Un-Harmonic Convergence

By now, most people are familiar with YouTube; but it's something else again when the videos suddenly come to life.
That's what happened when the 96 members of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra -- culled from about 3,000 videos posted to the Web site -- came to New York this week from Cuba, Latvia, Romania, China and 27 other countries, for three intense days of rehearsal and, Wednesday night, an ambitious playlist of a concert at Carnegie Hall. Paul Ndiho has more

Tanzania house of Talent

Tanzania House of Talent in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's Capital is a platform for talented young people, many of them orphans and vulnerable children. These artists are trying to use their talents to improve their futures. Paul Ndiho has more.

Anti-Piracy training

There is a school in Massachusetts that is teching sailors to how to deal with pirates. Paul Ndiho has the more

Zambia opens first Cell Phone Assembling plant

A new mobile phone manufacturing and assembling plant is expected to create more than 200 jobs in Zambia's capital Lusaka. The 10 million U.S. dollar facillity will create employment in a country that has suffered huge job losses in the mining sector as a result of the global economic meltdown. Paul Ndiho has been follwing this story and has more

Nigeria Telecom Operators

The telecom industry is one of the fastest growing employers in Nigeria. The sector provides services to individuals using the Global System for Mobile communication, or GSM. But key players in the wireless industry say it will required some consolidation. Paul Ndiho has more

Uganda Christian University Law Students

Law students from eight universities in Africa participated last week in a moot court competition here in Washington where they argued fictional cases about international law. They appeared before a mock court that simulated the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. One of the African teams came from Mukono, Uganda. Paul Ndiho has more