AfricaFocus Bulletin 
March 23, 2016 (160323) 
(Reposted from sources cited below)

Editor's Note

"During his first year as President," according to a new report from 
Namibia's Institute for Public Policy Research," Geingob has been 
saying all the right things – from declaring an all-out war on 
poverty and declaring his assets as a means of promoting 
transparency and accountability, to providing tangible action [on 
other issues]." The actual record is mixed, however, and the 
president himself has stressed that "it is time to turn words into 
reality."

For a version of this Bulletin in html format, more suitable for
printing, go to http://www.africafocus.org/docs16/nam1603.php, and
click on "format for print or mobile."

To share this on Facebook, click on
https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http://www.africafocus.org/docs16/nam1603.php

With a Gini index of income inequality of 59.7, Namibia ranks among
the most unequal in the world (http://tinyurl.com/mn8how), only
slightly below South Africa's rating of 62.5 (for comparison, China
is 46.9, Mozambique 45.6, the United States 45, and the Netherlands,
Sweden, and Denmark all approximately 25). Now in its second
quarter-century after gaining independence from South Africa,
Namibia still faces the legacy of the apartheid system embedded in
its social and economic structure. Yet the mood is still one of
cautious optimism, as President Hage Geingob begins his second year
in office, and Namibia is rated by Afrobarometer as the most
tolerant among 33 countries surveyed (
http://www.africafocus.org/docs16/tol1603.php).

This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains excerpts from a review of
Geingob's first year, by Nangula Shejavali of Namibia's Institute
for Public Policy Research. The IPPR report contains commentary and
ratings from 10 Namibian commentators, as well as an overview by the
author.

For background articles with an analytical and critical perspective
on the dominance of Namibia's ruling party, written before the
election of President Geingob, see Henning Melber, "Post-liberation
Democratic Authoritarianism: The Case of Namibia" (
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02589346.2015.1005790) and "From Nujoma to
Geingob: 25 years of presidential democracy,"
http://tinyurl.com/h3vel3k

++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++

One Year Of Geingob: An Analysis of the Namibian President's Hits 
and Misses during His First Year in Office

Special Briefing Report No. 11 , March 2016

By Nangula Shejavali

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)

http://www.ippr.org.na

"After 25 years they (Namibian citizens) want food, clothing and 
shelter. They want jobs, better housing and good nutrition. They 
want a leader who will bring prosperity to the nation and they want 
that leader to act quickly." President Hage Geingob, 21 March 
2015

Introduction

On 21 March 2015, President Hage Geingob was inaugurated as the 
third President of the Republic of Namibia. Having received an 
overwhelming 87 per cent of the vote in the Presidential election 
on 28 November 2015, the popular Geingob assumed the role of Head 
of State with an enormous level of public confidence and great deal 
of public expectation.

Taking place on Namibia's 25th Independence Anniversary, Geingob's 
inauguration was a euphoric occasion, and the excitement in the air 
was palpable. Perhaps it was the promise of a fresher approach to 
governance. Or it may have been the fact that the new President 
hailed from a minority ethnic group, signalling a new era of 
tolerance and a profound sense of national unity. Geingob's 
inauguration speech set an impressive and inspiring tone that 
stressed inclusivity, promised that, "No Namibian should feel left 
behind!", and cemented this euphoria.

The new President committed to addressing a number of priorities for 
his administration, clearly stating that addressing "the 
socioeconomic gaps that exist in our society" would be the main 
focus of his administration. In this vein, he declared an "all-out 
war on poverty and concomitant inequality" and promised to work 
towards "catapulting the economy into a new period of faster 
growth, improved job creation and improved service delivery". 
Beyond the socioeconomic priority stated (and presented in more 
detail below), the President also promised to strengthen the 
governance architecture to ensure that government is able to 
effectively respond to these priorities; and called on the Namibian 
people to "stand together in building this new Namibian House."

It is against this background that this briefing paper provides a 
critical assessment of President Geingob's first year in office, 
drawing insights from a slew of documents, speeches, press releases 
and media reports issued since the President's inauguration. The 
paper also incorporates insights and scorecards from a handful of 
political, social and economic commentators. In his State of the 
Nation Address on April 21, which coincided with the opening of the 
6th Parliament in 2015, Geingob made a recommitment to the many 
promises made in his inaugural address, this time adding more 
specifics to his plans.

...

The President's Promises

During Geingob's first few weeks in office, he delivered some key 
speeches that set the tone for what his priorities would be during 
his presidency. Chief amongst these speeches – in terms of 
highlighting his administration's priorities early on – were his 
inauguration speech |21.03.2015| and his State of the Nation 
Address (SoNA) |15.04.2015|. These two speeches form the basis for 
this analysis.

In his inauguration speech, in addition to emphasising continuity 
(President Nujoma had represented peace, President Pohamba 
represented stability, and Geingob would represent prosperity), 
Geingob clearly outlined his priorities.

"The main priority for the next administration will be addressing 
the socio-economic gaps that exist in our society. Therefore, our 
first priority will be to declare all-out war on poverty and 
concomitant inequality. Our focal point will be to address 
inequality, poverty and hunger and that will involve looking at a 
range of policies and inter- ventionist strategies to tackle this 
issue."

In this regard, he noted a revised Government structure for his 
first term, that would better align existing Ministries to 
Government's objectives, enhance efficiencies, and make government 
more responsive in meeting these goals, i.e.: "poverty eradication 
and reduction of inequalities and disparities; sustainable economic 
growth and economic diversification; job creation; and improved 
service delivery."

In his State of the Nation Address on April 21, which coincided with 
the opening of the 6th Parliament in 2015, Geingob made a 
recommitment to the many promises made in his inaugural address, 
this time adding more specifics to his plans.

Eradicating poverty again featured prominently as a national 
priority, and the President used the opportunity to announce 
various initiatives in this regard, including an increase in the 
old age pension, and the introduction of a food bank. He also 
highlighted the need to tackle poverty using a multifaceted 
approach. "We will, therefore, tackle poverty from all fronts, 
through safety nets, access to quality education, and by creating 
jobs and growing the economy," he said, highlighting the renaming 
of the Labour Ministry to the Ministry of Labour, Industrial 
Relations and Job Creation.

With regards to overcoming inequalities, he noted that the 
finalisation of the economic empowerment policy framework was long 
overdue and that consultation would resume on this policy 
framework. In this vein, in his comments on the economy, he also 
noted efforts to "raise the bar regarding transformation of 
ownership structures" including the restriction of ownership over 
natural resources, the finalisation of policies such as the 
Procurement Bill and the Retail Charter, the implementation of the 
Industrial Policy and the Growth at Home Strategy; and the support 
for local business.

Access to land and affordable housing has been a major theme on the 
national agenda, with the Affirmative Repositioning movement 
further placing the issue particularly of urban housing – front 
and centre of much of the policy discourse. In this regard, the 
President reaffirmed his "personal commitment to addressing land 
reform and provision of affordable housing to all Namibians", and 
highlighted various (possible) measures to accelerate the delivery 
of serviced land and housing.

In the SoNA, Geingob also announced the introduction of free 
secondary school education, encouraged the private sector to do 
more with regards to skills development and training, and noted the 
importance of quality and affordable health services.

He touched on the issue of combating corruption, encouraging the 
nation to report instances of corruption in its many forms to the 
Anti Corruption Commission. He also highlighted the need for public 
officials to avoid conflicts of interest, and encouraged them to 
disclose their assets. In this vein, in a much welcome move, he 
announced that he would disclose his assets through an independent 
assessment by PWC.

...

In both his Inaugural Speech and the State of the Nation address, 
Geingob highlighted and drove home a metaphor to illustrate his 
presidency's emphasis on inclusivity – the analogy of The Namibian 
House. In the SoNA, he stated, "We are intent on building and 
maintaining a high quality house in which all its residents have a 
sense of shared identity. We are determined to build a house that 
will be a place of peace and refuge for all its children and a 
house in which no Namibian will be left out."
 
...

Overall Assessment

On the whole, President Geingob's performance in his first year of 
office has been a mixed bag made up of some great rhetoric, 
wonderful intentions, interesting policy pronouncements, and some 
sound action and consultation on certain policies. There have also 
been actions that have seemingly contradicted the positive rhetoric 
and some inaction on certain issues, raising question marks about 
how much progress can be achieved.

During his first year as President, Geingob has been saying all the 
right things – from declaring an all-out war on poverty and 
declaring his assets as a means of promoting transparency and 
accountability, to providing tangible action with respect to 
national reconciliation, initiating consultation and early action 
on the urban land/housing crisis and reviving the policy review on 
economic transformation. That said, however, the President's first 
year in office has been focused on laying the grounds for the 
action and change he wishes to implement.

In a way, the President has admitted as much, stating during the 
opening of the third session of the current parliament that 2015 
was a year of talk, and 2016 would have to be a year of action. In 
the regard, he stated: "The year 2015 can be described as a call to 
arms. It was the year in which as President, I endeavoured to rally 
the nation behind a shared Vision through themes such as, War on 
Poverty, War against corruption, No Namibian Must feel left out and 
Harambee. I am certain that by embracing these themes and applying 
them to our policy making decisions, one day we will be able to 
eradicate poverty. In 2016, it is time to turn words into reality, 
it is time to implement and therefore I refer to this year as the 
Year of Implementation." That said, although the groundwork was 
being laid in his first year in office – seen with the stating and 
restating of the Poverty Eradication, Harambee, and Namibian House 
mantras, there is still plenty to assess of the President's 
performance based on the promises made when he came to office.

The Hits

Geingob entered office on a titanic wave of support and with huge 
public expectation, and before taking the helm (i.e. during his 
time as President-elect), made some announcements that helped to 
set a strong tone for his presidency. In terms of service delivery, 
these included instructing those on the Swapo party list who would 
be serving in Parliament to submit their CVs to ensure that they 
were placed in offices where their expertise would best serve the 
nation. This was certainly a welcome move, which he noted in his 
100 days self-assessment by stating: "As you are aware, Cabinet 
Ministers were selected and allocated to various ministries based 
on their qualifications and level of expertise, after thorough 
analysis of their Curriculum Vitae, which I had requested. These 
appointments have rejuvenated the people as well as the ministries 
themselves." The President underlined the seriousness of this 
approach by naming and shaming those who had not submitted their 
resumes by the deadline.

As President-Elect, Geingob also announced the creation of the 
Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare to fast-track 
efforts to address poverty, wealth inequality and food insecurity. 
In his words: "The establishment of the Ministry of Poverty 
Eradication and Social Welfare is meant to ensure the co- 
ordination, implementation and evaluation of government programmes 
aimed at poverty eradication. This Ministry comes as a realisation 
that poverty eradication programmes are cross-cutting, and are 
developed and implemented by various government ministries but 
requires focus and co-ordination."

The poverty eradication mantra has been present in most of the 
President's speeches, and in his March 2016 meeting with former 
Presidents Sam Nujoma and Hifikepunye Pohamba, he made sure to 
explain that the Harambee Prosperity Plan "will complement our 
National Development Plans and Vision 2030. 6 It therefore, 
recognises and builds on your successes and achievements. It is 
designed to have high impact and take us closer to the attainment 
of Vision 2030." The President has announced plans to reveal the 
Harambee Prosperity Plan during his 2016 State of the Nation 
Address in mid-April 2016.

Encouragingly, there has also been positive action to follow on the 
promises made in his unifying inaugural speech. For example, he 
took action on increasing the old age pension grant from the measly 
N$600 previously granted to the elderly to N$1,000 in 2015 and 
N$1,100 for the current budget year (with another increase expected 
in 2017), in an effort to help reduce poverty; and has announced 
the creation of food banks to reduce food insecurity in the 
country, which has now been budgeted for in the 2016-2017 budget. 
Analysts have cautioned that the food banks should not become a 
bureaucratic burden and efforts should be made to ensure the 
intended recipients of food aid are the ones who receive the 
support. In this regard, the exact modalities of the plan are still 
unknown, although the Cuban government will provide support and 
advice based on their own experiences. He has also announced the 
introduction of a Basic Income Grant, although the details are 
still far from clear.

Related to poverty reduction efforts and the extension of 
opportunities for all, the President has also done well in seeing 
through reforms set out by his predecessor for free secondary 
education. His major challenge with regards to education, however, 
is ensuring that learners receive high quality education to enhance 
their life chances, and to fully exploit their potential. A clear 
strategy to enhance educational outcomes remains unclear.

With regards to governance, President Geingob has also made various 
efforts to ensure that his administration is delivering on the 
promises made to the people. He requested all Ministers to submit 
their Declarations of Intent to "outline their promises to the 
public". He held an induction seminar for Cabinet members early on 
in his Presidency "to take Cabinet through key important concepts, 
thinking and approaches that will mark the tenure of my Presidency. 
These include: good governance and ethics, poverty eradication, 
reduction of income disparities, accelerated economic growth, job 
creation and rapid industrialization." And he ensured that 
Performance Agreements (in line with the Declarations) were set in 
place to monitor the performance of his Ministers.

President Geingob has worked hard to ensure he remains a true 
ambassador of his Namibian House analogy, in which "no Namibian 
should feel left out", and, as promised, the focus of his efforts 
have remained on mending socio-economic gaps in Na- mibian society 
(particularly on poverty reduction). His public engagement through 
town hall meetings was evidence of this. According to his reports 
on these meetings, "During the period under consideration, we 
covered close to 14 thousand kilometers on road and by plane, sat 
into a collective 93 hours of town hall meet- ings, listening 
attentively to participants and meticulously documenting questions, 
observations and suggestions. We received in excess of 2400 
questions and ideas from Namibians from all walks of life. We are 
committed to respond to all questions in a formalized manner." At 
this stage, we can only assume that the formalized manner in which 
these questions will be responded to is in the embodiment of the 
Harambee Plan.

The President's consultative approach could also be seen in his 
meeting with members of the Affirmative Repositioning movement on 
the issue of urban housing, engaging the public on social media 
platforms (particularly on his Facebook page), and ensuring that 
public input is sought on critical Bills such as the New Equitable 
Economic Empowerment Framework, which deals with the economic 
transformation he spoke of in his 2015 SoNA. He has noted that, "We 
will continue engaging and consulting with stakeholders like 
farmers, the media, trade unions, youth, women and the private 
sector. These consultations will go hand in hand with a drive 
towards implementation and transformation of workable suggestions 
into actions." The 24 July 2015 consultations with the AR movement 
resulted in a plan to clear tens of thousands of plots countrywide 
for forthcoming housing projects aimed at low earners.

The President received praise – along with First Lady, Monica 
Geingos – for setting a personal example in declaring his assets. 
In his speech on that day, he stated that, "It is clear that in 
administering a nation, one has to be transparent and accountable. 
It is for this reason that I have decided to declare my assets in 
public, for your scrutiny." During that press conference, it was 
declared that, "Geingob's assets are worth over N$50 million while 
the First Lady's assets range from N$45 to N$60 million in equity."

...

The Misses

Despite the above-noted 'hits', the President has also missed some 
key opportunities to really shine, and to respond to the pressing 
needs of our time.

While pushing the poverty eradication agenda, he has been seen to 
spend excessively on a big government (with some Ministries having 
more than one Deputy Minister), as well as highly paid advisors, 
some of whom reportedly earn more than Ministers. While the 
Constitution does provide for the President to have advisors, the 
pay packages awarded to these advisors and to the extra Deputy 
Ministers have raised concern amongst analysts, and has added an 
extra burden on the state's coffers at the same time as Namibia's 
debt rises to worrying levels. While the amounts themselves may not 
be huge in terms of the budget as a whole, an expanded executive is 
symbolic and potentially sends the wrong message about priorities.

...

The size of the Executive, and the seeming excesses afforded to the 
President's advisors – dubbed the A team – have perhaps been the 
cause of the heaviest criticism the President has faced thus far. 
And while he means well in surrounding himself with the people he 
believes can best effect the change he wishes to create, many have 
continued to question the 'value add' of some of the advisors and 
what change they will actually effect. Indeed, given the expense of 
this team, and the clear need for transformation voiced by the 
President himself in his inaugural speech, one would hope for more 
concrete action. The President has announced that he will unveil 
the details of the Harambee Prosperity Plan during his second State 
of the Nation address, and there is hope that the socio-economic 
transformation that will come about as a result of the plan will 
bring about the prosperity the President has promised, and in so 
doing assure the nation of the advisors' value.

In response to the criticisms levelled with regard to the expense of 
the A-team (specifically responding to the criticism raised at The 
Namibian's #100DaysOfGeingob event), the President defended his 
selections, stating that: "There was commentary that the Namibian 
House is too expensive. I would like to say that any good house is 
expensive. Furthermore, one only worries about the expenses if the 
resources are being wasted without any delivery. It is therefore 
fair to give the Team Hage a chance and if it fails to deliver then 
you can pass a verdict. I have high expectations on the performance 
of these individuals, and will therefore be the first person to 
take them to task in case of non-performance."

...

The President has shown his defensive nature on several fronts, 
often claiming the media bends the truth, tells outright lies, or 
fails to understand his vision.

...

On fighting corruption, although the President set a positive 
personal example in declaring his assets, he has not insisted that 
members of Cabinet and other MPs be publicly accountable, and a new 
National Assembly asset register has yet to be published a year 
after MPs were sworn in. In this regard, although he has – in word 
– encouraged the disclosure of assets, he has missed important 
opportunities to show broader transparency and accountability by 
enforcing this practice at a broader level. Further, while his 
rhetoric on the fight against corruption has been strong, real 
action has been lacking, and there is some public skepticism about 
certain tenders that the President has been reported to have 
defended – e.g. the controversial airport tender and the Xaris 
deal, amongst others.

...

Unemployment (particularly youth unemployment) remains effectively 
unattended to, despite mentions of the problem in various speeches. 
Although the President has engaged the private sector on various 
platforms, this has not produced results in terms of job creation. 
Unlike the plans announced for welfare projects to ensure poverty 
reduction, when it comes to job creation and enterprise 
development, equally if not more important in reducing poverty and 
inequality, the Geingob administration has done little.

*****************************************************

AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication
providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a
particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus
Bulletin is edited by William Minter.

AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please
write to this address to subscribe or unsubscribe to the bulletin,
or to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about
reposted material, please contact directly the original source
mentioned. For a full archive and other resources, see
http://www.africafocus.org

******************************************************

Please support this effort:

http://community.sumofus.org/petitions/close-all-u-s-military-bases-overseas

https://www.facebook.com/redlondon17/videos/1989793131246068/?fref=nf

02/17/2016 01:31 pm ET | Updated Feb 18, 2016

By: Sheryl Huggins Salomon

Fifty years after the founding of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, the agenda and style of the legendary Black revolutionary organization remains relevant in today’s public discourse. An end to “police brutality and the murder of Black people,” central to the Black Lives Matter movement, was laid out in the Black Panthers’ 10-Point Platform five decades ago. Both acclaim and condemnation erupted when their iconic black berets made an appearance recently in Beyonce’s half-time show performance during the Super Bowl.

It’s telling that America is still grappling with many of the same racial inequities and injustices that it did 50 years ago – and that Black pride remains a controversial topic. Not so to renowned scholar, activist and feminist icon and close associate of the Black Panthers Angela Y. Davis.

“If one looks at the 10-point program of the Black Panther Party, one sees that the very same issues that were raised in the aftermath of slavery are at the center of a program that was formulated in 1966,” said Davis, now a professor emeritus at University of California, Santa Cruz. “In 2008 when Barack Obama was elected, those issues had not been sufficiently addressed, certainly not yet solved, so therefore the election of one person to political office was not going to automatically reverse a history of a racist inspired economic oppression, which isn’t to say that it wasn’t important that we elected Barack Obama, but those struggles continue.”

While in Spain last week advocating for the release of imprisoned Basque separatist politician Arnaldo Otegi, Davis took a few moments with EBONY.com to discuss contemporary issues like Black Lives Matter, the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and details from her latest book, Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement (Haymarket Books, 2016), edited by human rights activist Frank Barat.

“I’ve been involved in the Palestine Solidarity movement for a very long time,” explained Davis. “When the Ferguson uprising happened a year and a half ago activists on the ground in occupied Palestine were the first to tweet support and advice to protesters in Ferguson. Out of that has come a very interesting, a very rich development of connections across the ocean. A delegation from Palestine visited Ferguson. Black Lives Matter and Ferguson activists, [as well as members of] Dream Defenders, Black Youth Project 100 made a trip to Palestine over about a year ago to express their solidarity.”

More highlights of what Davis said are in the Q&A below.

EBONY.COM: What’s the message of your new book?

Angela Davis: I am particularly interested in [having] activists associated with the Black freedom movement to realize that our struggles never would have achieved this universality that they have achieved without solidarity that has come from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and Australia. Our struggles are global, therefore, it is important for us to incorporate this global vision into our on the ground battles against police crimes and the prison industrial complex. Since I was very young I have been involved in organizations– the Communist Party, the Black Panther Party– that have had this global perspective.

EBONY.COM: As you note in your book, events in Ferguson after the police shooting of Michael Brown exposed the militarization of police forces. Where is this push toward militarization headed and how can it be stopped?

Davis: If one looks at the history of policing, especially over the last 15 years in the aftermath of 9/11, one can see the emphasis on the shifting of resources from the military to the police. This actually has a much longer history if one looks at the way in which the Vietnam War resulted in an impact on local police. The S.W.A.T. squads emerged as a result of using techniques and technology that were used by the Green Berets in the Vietnam War. The Los Angeles Police Department was the first to use such tactics against the Black Panther Party. We have also seen the emergence of privatized policing corporations. In the book, I refer to G4S (Group 4 Security), which is a private security corporation that has spread policing and prisons all over the world. It’s important not only to look at the ways in which these moments of inflicting terror have been taken up by police departments, but it’s also essential to look at the economic dimension by such processes. G4S, of course, is the third largest corporation in the world, and it is the largest employer on the continent of Africa. It is connected, historically, with the privatization of prisons in the U.S. and in other places.

I would like to point out that corporations such as G4S have already recognized what feminists call intersectionality. G4S spans from private policing to the transportation of immigrants to private prisons to the deportation of people from Mexico in the U.S. to the Mexican border, the deportation of Africans from Europe to countries in Africa. I think [G4S has] also taken up the question of sexual abuse of women and so they have these agencies that address women at risk and women who have suffered from sexual assault.

I mention this because there’s a lesson to us that the feminist notion of intersectionality is one that should be incorporated into our work as well. I like to talk about the intersectionality of struggles, and how important it is to link the struggle against gender violence with the struggle against state violence, police crimes, and crimes against women’s bodies.

EBONY.COM: You talk about how the foundations that have already been laid can enable today’s mass movements to be effective. However, many of today’s millennial-led activist groups actually reject traditional organization structures, so how can those foundations enable them to create effective change?

Davis: Young people are searching for forums through which they can express an urgent need for radical change. They are questioning the assumption that leadership has to be individual or that leadership has to be male. They are working with new collective models of leadership.

One has seen the rise of many women in leadership. Of course, there are the three women who created Black Lives Matter– Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi and Alicia Garza– who have raised many interesting questions about what it means to build leadership. In Black Youth Project 100 there is Charlene Carruthers who is a powerful spokesperson but she always makes it clear that she is a spokesperson for a collective. In the Dream Defenders, they are challenging hetero-patriarchal forms. They are questioning the impact of sexism and homophobia and all of these ideologies on their generation.

To people of my generation, their processes often seem unfamiliar, but of course, the Civil Rights Movement developed differently from movements before that. The movements of the 1930s that were led largely by Black communists (the history of which has been erased precisely because of anti-Communism) challenged the leadership that had come before it, so this is a process that happens. It’s very exciting to witness what may come of this current moment.

EBONY.COM: What do you think of Campaign Zero activist Deray McKesson running for mayor of Baltimore?

Davis: [The aforementioned groups] have had an impact on the way the national elections are conducted and evoked criticisms about how the candidates have not addressed questions of racism and the way in which the police continue to brutalize people and communities of color. Activism has to happen in all arenas including the electoral arena. It is not productive to assume that everything points in the direction of electoral politics. But certainly, it is important to have individuals who have progressive experiences or experience within radical movements to be elected.

EBONY.COM: Is there a particular candidate you’re supporting in this presidential election?

Davis: My approach has always been to emphasize independent, more radical politics, but I do think that it is important that Bernie Sanders has been raising issues that otherwise never would have been taken up within the context of the campaign between the two major parties.

It’s absolutely essential to raise the issues of decommodification of education and [the need for] free education. And of course, he is calling for tuition-free education at our public universities, which incidentally have a history of no tuition. [They] are now as privatized as the private universities. The history for the call for public education in relation to the Black freedom struggle holds important lessons. Former slaves called for free public education in the South, thus creating the context for poor, White students to get an education.

Of course, there is the healthcare question. I absolutely agree that we need free, single-payer healthcare. Then there are larger questions about the prison industrial complex that have not been sufficiently raised. We not only need to bring about an end to mass incarceration, we need to question the racism that is embedded in the whole history of punishment in this country.

Sheryl Huggins Salomon is a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based writer, editor and digital media consultant. Follow her on Twitter @sherylhugg

Read more at EBONY.com.

AfricaFocus Bulletin
March 9, 2016 (160309)
(Reposted from sources cited below)

Editor’s Note

The choices for the future of the planet’s climate are ever more
stark in 2016. While the “incumbency” fossil-fuel system (as analyst
Jeremy Leggett terms it) remains powerful, the trends favoring a
more rapid transition to renewable energy are building much more
rapidly than almost anyone expected. Coal is clearly on the way out,
with the possible exception of South Africa, which continues to
invest in this outdated and deadly technology. And downward cost
trends in solar, wind, battery storage, and other renewable
technologies continue to accelerate both in developed and in
developing countries.

For a version of this Bulletin in html format, more suitable for
printing, go to http://www.africafocus.org/docs16/clim1603.php, and
click on “format for print or mobile.”

To share this on Facebook, click on
https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=
http://www.africafocus.org/docs16/clim1603.php

According to GTM Research, the U.S. solar market is set to grow a
staggering 119 percent this year, while new reports also forecast
rapid growth globally and in Africa for “pico-solar” solutions
reaching those without access to electricity, with major positive
impact on income, health, and the environment. Meanwhile, however,
most countries are also still pursuing an “all-of-the-above” energy
strategy which has not yet abandoned new investment in the most
damaging alternatives such as coal mining and fracking.

[See http://www.africafocus.org/docs15/sa1503.php on South Africa.
And on the United States, in the midst of unresolved policy debates
over energy policy, note the Washington Post editorial passionately
depending fracking against the critique by candidate Bernie Sanders
http://tinyurl.com/zst4oeo).

This AfricaFocus contains (1) excerpts from a report from the
Overseas Development Institute on the rapid advance of off-grid
solar markets in sub-Saharan Africa, (2) a press release from
GroundWork South Africa on the failure of environmental assessment
of a new proposed new coal plant, and (3) an overview by Jeremy
Leggett of global trends moving towards renewable energy and the
looming (if uncertain in timing) death spiral for the economic
viability not only of coal but also of oil and gas.

For an up-to-date global overview of off-grid solar market trends,
see the report by Lighting Global and Bloomberg New Energy Finance,
published March 3, 2016 http://www.lightingglobal.org – direct URL:
http://tinyurl.com/ja35yng

For the latest GreenTechMedia Research on the U.S. solar market,
released on March 9, see http://tinyurl.com/hhhmstb

For previous AfricaFocus Bulletin’s on climate change and the
environment, visit http://www.africafocus.org/intro-env.php

++++++++++++++++++++++end editor’s note+++++++++++++++++

Accelerating access to electricity in Africa with off-grid solar

Andrew Scott, Johanna Diecker, Kat Harrison, Charlie Miller, Ryan
Hogarth and Susie Wheeldon

January 2016

Overseas Development Institute http://www.odi.org – direct URL
http://tinyurl.com/h2oay8f

The reports from this study include an executive summary, excerpted
below, as well as case studies from 13 different African countries
(Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra
Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.)

Introduction

Today, more than one person in five lives without access to
electricity; 48% are in Africa. Around 80% of those without access
to modern energy live in rural areas. Given the high cost and slow
pace of grid expansion to rural areas, decentralised options are
often the cheapest and fastest way to extend energy access (IEA,
2014). Solar PV systems are the cheapest source of electricity for
over one-third of Africa’s population – a figure that is rapidly
increasing with falling solar prices.

There is now a wide variety of technical options that can provide
off-grid solar electricity to individual households. These solutions
to the challenge of energy access range from pico-solar lanterns
(with a capacity of under 3 watts) to large solar home systems
(above 2kW capacity), which power several lights and electrical
appliances. New models of financing and distribution, as well as the
development of pico-solar lanterns, have been instrumental in
enabling low-income households to gain access to solar energy (Szabó
et al. 2013). This report considers the full range of solar devices,
using terms such as ‘solar households solutions’ or ‘solar off-grid
options’, except where it specifically refers to solar lanterns or
larger solar home systems (SHS).

This report was prepared for the Department for International
Development in support of preparations for the Energy Africa access
campaign, which aims to accelerate access to electricity in sub-
Saharan Africa through solar household solutions. It presents
evidence of the impact of solar household systems, reviews the
market in the region and 13 selected countries (listed in Table 1
below), and identifies the key policy measures to enable accelerated
access to electricity through solar household solutions.

The impact of solar household solutions

Impact on household finances

Poor households tend to spend a higher fraction of their income on
energy, often for vastly inferior levels of energy services. Rural
families across Africa spend ~10% of household income for 4 hours of
light at night using kerosene, torches or candles. Families with a
solar light save over $60 a year, spending just 2% of their
household income on lighting (SolarAid, 2012-15). Lighting Africa
(2010) reported that replacing kerosene lamps with solar lights
could offer returns on investment of 15-45 times the cost of the
light. The Africa Progress Panel (2015) reported that halving the
cost of inefficient lighting sources would save $50 billion for
people living below $2.50 per day. It estimated that these monetary
saving would be sufficient to reduce poverty by 16-26 million
people.

Moreover, households with access to a solar product that charges a
mobile phone can save money on charging fees. Off-grid households in
Africa spend on average $0.66 a week charging mobile phones, and
travel 28 minutes one- way to the nearest charging station
(SolarAid, 2012-15).

Impact on quality of lighting

Beyond financial savings, solar users benefit from extra lighting
hours and better quality and more reliable lighting. A SolarAid
(2012-15) survey found after purchasing a pico-solar light,
households increased the amount of time that they light their home
from 3.8 to 5 hours per night.

Impact on income generation

Improved quality and quantity of lighting can create opportunities
for income-generating activities by increasing the time available
for productive work. A number of studies found the availability of
solar lighting after sunset increased the likelihood that
enterprises will generate additional income by extending their
working hours. Solar products that enable energy services beyond
lighting create further income generating opportunities. Mobile
phone charging businesses are particularly common. Solar- powered
pumps also offer an increasingly attractive option for small-scale
irrigation systems, but often with capital costs that are too high
for low-income households.

Impact on health

By replacing kerosene lanterns, solar systems can help reduce
household air pollution. The fine particulates emitted by kerosene-
using devices exceed WHO guidelines. They impair lung function and
increase infectious illness (including tuberculosis), asthma, and
cancer risks. Poor lighting from kerosene lanterns is also
associated with compromised visual health (UNICEF, 2015).
Epidemiological evidence on the morbidity and mortality associated
with kerosene lighting is currently inconclusive.

Solar household systems can also keep families and communities safer
by replacing the use of flame-based lighting, thereby reducing
burns, accidents and fires. Poisoning often occurs as kerosene is
commonly sold in soda bottles and it can be mistaken for soda.
UNICEF (2015) reported that the primary cause of child poisoning in
developing countries is accidental kerosene ingestion, and burns are
identified as one of the leading causes of child injury. One third
of SolarAid (2014-15) customers interviewed in Uganda had
experienced fires, burns and/or poisoning from kerosene.

Beyond improving health through safe household lighting, larger
solar PV systems can improve the functioning of rural health
facilities by enabling better lighting, ICT for administration,
information, and aftercare services; laboratory equipment and
refrigeration for the storage of vaccines, blood and other medical
supplies. Over 30% of all health facilities in sub-Saharan African,
serving approximately 255 million people, lack access to electricity
(Practical Action, 2013).

Impact on education

There is clear evidence that better access to lighting provides
children with opportunities to increase the quality and time of
their study/homework. SolarAid (2012-15) found that school children
in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia rated limited lighting as
their main barrier to learning and do homework. After obtaining a
solar light, children increased their study time on average from 1.7
to 3.2 hours each night. Other studies found similar improvements,
but to differing degrees. Larger solar PV systems can also provide
rural schools with electricity. Practical Action (2013) estimated
that 65% of primary schools in sub-Saharan Africa, representing 90
million pupils, lack electricity.

Impact on the environment

Worldwide, kerosene lamps emit an estimated 270,000 tonnes of black
carbon per year, causing a climate warming equivalent of close to
240 million tonnes of CO 2 , a magnitude similar to the annual
emissions of Vietnam (Lam et al., 2012; WRI, 2015). Alstone et al.
(2015) estimated doing that, when black carbon is accounted, the
climate forcing from households using kerosene lighting is nearly 10
times as high as that of the typical grid-connected households in
Kenya. Harrison & Lam (2015) found that switching from kerosene to
solar can reduce annual household emissions by as much as 555kg CO 2
e.

An outcome of the growth in sales of solar household systems will be
the associated increase in electronic waste. Recycling and
electronic waste facilities are uncommon in Africa and there is a
low level of awareness of the risks, of battery disposal for
example. Some organisations have started recycling trials.

Impact on quality of life

SHSs can have significant positive impacts on quality of life. In
Bangladesh, 82% of SHS users agreed that their system had increased
their social status, stating that neighbours and relatives from
other villages visited their houses more often to enjoy the clean
lighting. Their SHS increased the amount of time that they engaged
in social activities (Urmee & Harries, 2011). In Africa, 85% of
pico- solar users said their solar light affected the activities
they were able to do at night (SolarAid, 2012-15).

Impact on communications and access to information

Solar household systems that offer more than just lighting can
significantly improve communications and access to information. In
Uganda, 80% of phone owners charged their phones using solar
systems, suggesting that access to SHS enables telecommunication in
non-electrified areas (Harsdorff et al., 2009). Access to reliable
and affordable charging for mobile phones can also facilitate access
to financial services such as mobile money; allowing rural and/or
unbanked populations to be served. In Bangladesh, 95% of SHS users
reported improved access to information through mobile phone, TV or
radio. Many agreed that by watching TV or listening to the radio
they had greater access to information and were more informed about
general news, health-related issues, weather and natural disasters
(Urmee & Harries, 2011).

Impact on livelihoods: through solar supply chain The development of
the solar market creates jobs and income-generation opportunities
throughout the supply chain. In Bangladesh, the Africa Progress
Panel (2015) found 114,000 jobs in solar panel assembly were created
in the last 10 years. Up to 15,000 new jobs have been created in
sub-Saharan Africa through the distribution of off-grid lighting
(UNEP, 2014).

The market for solar household solutions

The market for quality-certified solar products has grown rapidly
over the past five years, reaching almost 3.5 million units in 2014.
This market grew by 165% between 2011 and 2012, and by 204% between
2012 and 2013. The rate of increase fell to 27% between 2013 and
2014, and it may have declined in the first half of 2015.

Good market information about non-certified products is unavailable,
but Lighting Africa estimated that they had a 57% share of the total
market in 2012 (Lighting Africa, 2012). If non-certified products
are taken into account, the growth in the overall market may be
continuing.

Three countries – Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia – accounted for 78%
of the sales in 2014, reaching a market penetration of 15-20% of
off-grid households. These countries have a comparatively supportive
policy environment for solar household solutions. For the region as
a whole, market penetration is estimated to be around 3%.

The development of pay-as-you-go business models, which aim for high
customer density, and the growth trend of existing companies,
suggest that markets are likely to expand outward from their
existing location.

…

The main current trend is the emergence of the pay- as-you-go (PAYG)
model, under which ownership of the solar product is transferred to
the consumer after a limited payment period. The PAYG market is very
dynamic, with new approaches appearing quickly, companies changing
their approach, and others disappearing from the market. A recent
survey found that 60% of PAYG companies use mobile payments to
collect revenue (Lighting Global, 2015).

…

A simple model was therefore developed for the study, to understand
what it would take to achieve universal access to electricity under
three scenarios: Business as Usual, Sustainable Energy for All, and
Power for All. These scenarios assume universal access is achieved
by 2080, 2030 and 2025, respectively. The model under these
scenarios was applied to market in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole and
to the market in 13 selected countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya,
Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

**************************************************

GroundWork And SDCEA Appeal Colenso Environmental Authorisation

groundWork (Friends of the South Africa)
South Durban Community Environmental Alliance

Media Advisory

March 3, 2016

http://www.groundwork.org.za – direct URL:
http://tinyurl.com/jsh7qrh

Durban & Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, 3 March 2016 – groundWork
and the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA),
represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights,   on 1 March
2016 launched an appeal to the Minister of Environmental Affairs
against the environmental authorisation granted to Colenso Power
(Pty) Ltd for its proposed coal-fired power station near the town of
Colenso.

The entire Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process was
conducted within just a few months, in keeping with the severely-
restricted timeframes in the latest EIA Regulations. groundWork and
SDCEA argue that these timeframes fail to provide an adequate
opportunity to assess the significant negative impacts the power
station is set to have on people and their ability to live in a
clean, healthy environment, or for interested and affected parties
to participate meaningfully in the EIA process.

“The DEA has not applied its mind to this environmental
authorisation, but instead pushed through the authorisation without
adequately considering critical impacts that the power station will
have on water, air quality, human health and climate change”, said
Bobby Peek, Director of groundWork, which is based in
Pietermaritzburg.

The appeal states that the Chief Director (as the relevant
Department of Environmental Affairs’ (DEA) decision-maker) failed,
in granting the authorisation, to give adequate consideration to,
for example: The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA)
Principles, the NEMA s24O factors, the need for and desirability of
the station and whether the application for the authorisation
included an assessment of all the impacts, including cumulative
impacts, of the proposed coal-fired power station. This is so
because the environmental impact report (EIR) for the power station:

* neglects to provide information which is crucial for purposes of
adequately assessing the proposed station’s impacts – for example,
the report does not state where and how the power station will
obtain two-thirds of the coal it will need to operate;

* contains incorrect information (for example, estimations of the
power station’s greenhouse gas emissions and total water
requirements which are significantly below the true extent of these
emissions and the actual quantities of water required); and

* fails to assess adequately the impacts that the power station will
have on, for example, climate change, air quality, water, and human
health.

The appeal also emphasises the impact of the current drought in
KwaZulu Natal. The failure to give this any consideration in
assessing the water impacts that the power station will have –
particularly on the Thukela river, and the communities and other
users that already depend on it is another ground on which the
authorisation should be set aside.

The Chief Director cannot be said to have met the NEMA requirements
or considered the impacts of the proposed power station, in
circumstances where the EIR is incorrect and lacks fundamental
information and assessments. In addition, the conditions and
mitigation measures proposed in the authorisation are vague. They
lack the necessary detail and rigour to limit harm to the
environment and human health once the power station starts
operating.

By granting this appeal, the DEA is setting the standard for one of
the first Coal Baseload Independent Power Producers to use 198m3 of
water per day – a conservative amount given by the EIR – in a
country where one million people already do not have access to the
minimum quota of 25 litres of potable water per day. Colenso Power
is looking to the Tugela River Catchment to source its water,
despite the country being in the midst of a severe drought.

If the declaration of the Highveld Air Priority Area has shown us
anything, it is that coal-fired power stations have a severely
detrimental effect on the health and well-being of people living in
their vicinity. Yet, and despite groundWork calling upon it to do
so, Colenso Power neglected to conduct a health study as part of
their EIA.

According to Desmond D’sa, Coordinator of the SDCEA, “The model of
development which has rested on the myth of mining as a source of
wealth for all, is slowly crumbling in the public sphere. Mine
workers across the country are disgruntled with indecent conditions
and low wages for risky work. Those that live next to mines and
power stations, but are without employment, are realising that such
‘development’ has largely been made up of empty promises.”

Contacts

Bobby Peek
groundWork, Director
Tel (w): +27 (0) 33 342 5662
Tel (m): +27 (0) 82 464 1383
Email: bobby@groundwork.org.za

Desmond D’sa
Coordinator, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance
Tel (w): +27 (0) 31 461 1991
Tel (m): +27 (0) 83 982 6939
Email: desmond@sdceango.co.za

***********************************************************

State of The Transition, February: “Most fossil fuel companies face
a future in which they might not have the capital to expand even if
they still want to.”

Jeremy Leggett, March 1, 2016

http://www.jeremyleggett.net – direct URL:
http://tinyurl.com/zuykvoh

[Excerpts. For full article see link above.]

The top ten stories from the drama of the Paris Climate Summit in
December and its aftermath through to end February are, I think, as
follows, as things stand. Key policymakers are now serious about
climate risk. Civil society has awoken in critical mass. Regulators
are beginning to regulate climate risk. Disruption is moving faster
than most people think. Utilities are racing to escape a death
spiral. The shale boom is going bust. The oil and gas industry faces
the prospect of a death spiral too. Divestment from the energy
incumbency threatens to snowball. Investor engagement with the
incumbency, in concert with unfavourable economics, will soon
threaten most capital expenditure on fossil-fuel expansion. The
legal system is fast becoming a driver for the global energy
transition.

…

3. Regulators are beginning to regulate climate risk

Mark Carney and Michael Bloomberg were key players in Paris. Carney,
the Governor of the Bank of England and the Chairman of the
Financial Stability Board, is the man most responsible for the
stability of the global capital markets. He intends to ensure
investors are provided with the right information so that they can
respond to the risks of climate change, and the threat of stranded
assets, by switching capital from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Bloomberg agreed in Paris to Chair an elite committee of business
leaders, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures,
that will make that happen. Behind closed doors, their deliberations
are already underway. Investors are waiting, sensitised to the need
for major change in the way the capital markets approach climate
change. This will be a vital drama to follow this year and next.
Expect significant diversion of capital away from fossil fuels as a
consequence.

4. Disruption is moving faster than most people think

Meanwhile, exciting news continues to flow for both renewables and
storage. Renewables accounted for almost two-thirds of new US
generating capacity in 2015, we learned in February: 3,500 times
more than coal. Almost 8 gigawatts of new wind was installed, and
more than 2 gigawatts of solar. Storage is heading for a
breakthrough year globally in 2016, industry analyses suggest.
Batteries lead the way, with an average price reduction of 35% in
2015.

…

6. The shale boom is going bust

We entered February with the low oil price accelerating the
mothballing of active oil and gas drilling rigs in the US shale
regions. The rig count is now down 70% from the peak in October
2014. Four of America’s shale gas regions had become void of all
drilling. We left the month with junk-rated debt accumulated by oil
companies in excess of $250bn, and debt issuance to the oil industry
grinding to a halt. One estimate, by Morningstar, suggests that
globally oil has to reach $65 a barrel to cover the average cost of
supply. Brent crude in February averaged little above $30 and on two
days averaged below $30. The IEA warned in February that the global
glut is such that the oil price would stay low for some time.

…

7. The oil and gas industry faces the prospect of a death spiral too

Bankruptcy is not just a concern for shale drillers. The low oil
price has meant that some $400bn of expected investment has been
cancelled or delayed, to date. Morgan Stanley calculates that out of
more than 230 projects ready to go this year, only nine are now
realistic. And if you are not drilling for new oil and gas, and
depleting existing reserves, how do you grow and generate cash in
the future? Especially if, as we have seen, explosive growth of cars
that need no oil is assaulting your market.

…

8. Divestment from the energy incumbency threatens to snowball

Institutions with well over $3 trillion of funds under management
are now divested or pledged to do so, and the movement is growing.
If anyone felt inclined to suggest that this isn’t a significant
threat to the oil industry, it became more difficult for them to do
so on February 25th, when Ali Al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of
Petroleum & Mineral Resources, exhorted his industry to combat
divestment. “We must not ignore the misguided campaign to ‘keep it
in the ground’ and hope it will go away”, he said.

…

9. Investor engagement with the incumbency, in concert with
unfavouable economics, will soon threaten most capital expenditure
on fossil-fuel expansion

[Even] Investors who don’t divest give no free pass to oil and gas
companies. The lesson of coal is there for all to see, and many
investors have been badly burned by it. Share prices have collapsed
spectacularly. Banks including Goldman Sachs have concluded that the
coal industry is in structural decline. The bankruptcies to date
include America’s second biggest miner, Arch Coal. Pressure is
inevitably extending to the oil and gas industry. Executives  are
seeing previously unchallenged assertions and business models
interrogated as never before. Given everything summarised above, how
can this be expected to do anything but worsen in 2016?

*****************************************************

AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication
providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with a
particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus
Bulletin is edited by William Minter.

AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org. Please
write to this address to subscribe or unsubscribe to the bulletin,
or to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about
reposted material, please contact directly the original source
mentioned. For a full archive and other resources, see
http://www.africafocus.org