Livestock market access & trade issue in the Horn of Africa

Market Access and Trade Issues Affecting the Drylands in the Horn of Africa
Author/Corporate author: Aklilu, Y., Little, P.D., Mahmoud, H., and McPeak, J. / FAO / CGIAR

This technical brief (40pp) “Market access and trade issues affecting the drylands in the Horn of Africa” was prepared by Yacob Aklilu, Peter Little, Hussein Mahmoud and John McPeak for the Technical Consortium for Building Resilience to Drought in the Horn of Africa, hosted by the CGIAR Consortium in partnership with the FAO Investment Centre.

 It addresses the rationale and priorities for investment in trade in livestock and other agricultural commodities, e.g. market development and access, cross-border trade, and sanitary and food-safety standards. It notes that livestock markets function reasonably well in the Horn. Trade in livestock and livestock products in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan equals about USD 1 billion in foreign exchange in many years, and probably 5–6 times that amount in local currencies.

Live animal and meat exports, especially from Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan, have increased rapidly as has domestic trade centred on key urban markets such as Addis Ababa, Khartoum, Mombasa and Nairobi. The brief describes actions that can be taken to ensure that producers in the lowlands of the Horn benefit from the growing trade opportunities.

It brings best-practice examples of markets and market agents who successfully adapt to new opportunities and changes. Key challenges are reconciling marketing objectives with the production goals of pastoral producers, who hold more female than male animals in their herds given their production objectives; increasing competition for the natural resources by other alternative uses; dealing with livestock diseases and related quarantines; and overcoming a lack of value-adding techniques. Land tenure, production and marketing issues are interrelated priority areas that support trade from the lowlands, and policies need to be integrated that work in all three domains. Policies are proposed for improving regional mobility of livestock, pastoral production and cross-border livestock marketing.

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KHILAAF XOOGAN OO KA DHEX QARXAY Xarakada Al Islaax SOOMAALIYA

Xarakada Al Islaax Beenisay ku sheegay inaysan wax Urur kale ah aysan la Midoobin

Dr. Ali Bashe Omar Gud. Al Islaax Somalia.

War-Saxafadeed ay Xarakada Al-Islaax ee Soomaaliya ay soo saartay ayay ku sheegtay inaysan jirin wax Urur ah oo ay la Midoobeen, iyagoo war arrintan ku saabsan oo maalmo ka hor kasoo baxay Muqdisho ku tilmaamay mid been abuur ah.

Guddoomiyaha Ururka Al-Islaax Dr Cali Baashi Cumar Rooraaye oo warkan ku saxiixnaa ayaa ku eedeeyay in wararkaas uu ka dambeeyo Sheekh Sheekh Maxamed Axmed Garyare oo ka mid ah Aasasayaashii Xarakadan, balse aan hadda wax xil ah aan ka hayn, Haddaba War-Saxaafadeedkaas halkaan ka Akhriso

Sheekh Maxamed Axmed Garyare oo kamid ah aasaa sayaashii Ururka Al Islaax ayaa difaacay Midow ay la galeen Ururka Damjadiid

Sheekh Maxamed Garyare oo ka mid ah aas-aasayaashii Al-Islaax

Kadib markii shalay uu soo saaray warsaxaafadeed Dr. Cali Baashi Cumar Rooraaye oo ah Guddoomiyaha Ururka Al Islaax kaasi oo ku beeninayay in Ururka Al Islaax uu la midoobay Damjadiid ayaa isla maantana waxaa dhankiisa warsaxaafadeed soo saaray Sheekh Maxamed Garyare oo ka mid ah aas-aasayaashii Al-Islaax ku cadeeyay in aanu shaki ku jirin Midowga Al-Islaax Iyo Damjadiid.

Sheekh Garyare ayaa sheegay in qoraalka kasoo baxay Sheekh Cali Baashi Rooraaye uu yahay mid aanan waxba ka jirin Ururkana uu u dhan yahay Midowga labadda urur ee Al Islaax iyo Damjadiid.

Sheekh Garyare oo wax laga weydiyay eedeeyn uu Dr Cali Baashi uu u soo jeediyay ee ah in uu burburinayo Ururka Al Islaax ayaa wuxuu sheegay inuusan wadin burburka Ururka Al Islaax isaga oo ku sifeeyay in marka horeba dhismaha Ururkaan uu isaga ka dambeeyay.

Dhawaan ayaa xaflad weeyn oo ka dhacday Magaalada Muqdisho uu Sheikh Garyare oo ah aas-aasayaashii Ururka Al Islaax wuxuu ka sheegay inay la midoobeen Ururka Damjadiid,iyadoo hada ay soo baxeyso khilaafaad soo kala dhexgalay Ururka Al Islaax dhaxdiissa

Maamulka Galmudug Jawaabay Adag ka Bixiay Eedayn ay Puntland u soo Jeedisay

Axmed Maxamed Cumar Gudoomiye Ku xigeenka Gobolka Mudug/GalMudug

Gaalkacyo - Maamulka Galmudug ayaa maantay ka hadlay eed shalay kasoo yeertay maamulka Puntland, war saxaafadeed kaas oo ku aadanaa xiisada amni daro ee maalmahan ka jirtay magaaladda Gaalkacyo.

Maamulka Galmudug ayaa waxay sheegeen war saxaafadeedkii shalay kasoo baxay maamul goboleedka Puntland inuu ahaa mid ka baxsan xaqiiqda ka jirta amniga magaaladda Gaakacyo.

Gudoomiye Ku xigeenka Gobolka Mudug ee dhanka ay ka taliso Galmudug Axmed Maxamed Cumar oo la hadlay saxaafadd ayaa sheegay in warka ka soo yeeray maamulka Puntland uu ahaa mid iska indha tiraya xaqiiqda amni ee kajirta magaaladda Gaalkacyo, waxuu sheegay amaanka magaaladda Gaalkacyo inay Puntland ka hurinayso colaad, isaga oo sheegay in dhowaan ay Garoonka diyaaradaha ee magaalada Gaalkacyo ay ku dileen Nin Ganacsade ahaa oo magaaladda aad looga yaqaanay balse waxuu sheegay nasiib daro maamulka Puntland in ninkaas ay  ku sheegeen inuu ahaa Burcad badeed warkaas oo ah buu yir mid xaqiiqda ka fog, isla mar ahaan taasna keeni kara colaado hor leh.

Gudoomiye xigeenka maamulka Galmudug ayaa sheegay in xaaladda colaaadeed ee hadda kajirta Gaalkacyo ay sabab u tahay maamulka Puntland, waxuu sheegay inay rabaan inay iska hor keenan dadka walaalaha ah ee Mudug wada degan, waxuu masuulkani hadalka ku daray in ay la socdaan khalkhalka siyaasadeed ee haatan soo food saaray maamulka ka taliya Puntland, isaga oo sheegay meeshii ay ka xalin lahaayeen khalkhkaasi siyaasadeed inay Puntland dadka Mudug wada degan ay rabaan inay iska hor keenaan.

Axmed Maxamed Cali ayaa sidoo kale mar la waydiiyey inay madaafiic ku rideen diyaarad rakaab siday taas oo ku soo degaysay Garoonka diyaaradaha ee Gaalkacyo,  ayaa tibaaxay in warkaasi aanu sal iyo raad toona lahayn Puntland ay rabto inay beesha caalamka u sheegto in Galmudug in ay khalkhal amni daro ay ka wado magaaladda Gaalkacyo.

Dhanka kale, waxuu difaacay dad loo haysto afduub oo uu sheegay in dhanka Galmudug lagu haysto, wuxuu xusay in dadkaas loo haysto dad horay loogu afduubtay dhanka Puntland, waxuuna xusay in dadka ehelkooda la afduubtay ay xaq u leeyihiin inay ku falcelin karaan in ay wax afduubantaan.

Ugu damayntii waxuu sheegay in Galmudug ayaa kula talinayso maamulka Puntland inay joojiyaan colaada ay ka dhex holcinayaan dadka walaalaha ah ee wada degan Mudug.

Hadlkaan Galmudug ayaa ku soo aadaya xili shalay war saxaafadeed ka soo baxay Maamulka Puntland lagu sheegay in Galmudug ay khalkhal amni daro ka abuurtay magaaladda Gaalkacyo, Puntland ayaa shalay eedaas waxay ku sheegtay war saxaafadeed ay ka soo saartay magaaladda Garowe.

Estonia Names First Ambassador to African Union

Courtesy of the Ministry of Foregin Affairs

On Monday, Paul Teesalu presented his credentials to the Commission of the African Union at its headquarters in Addis Abada, Ethopia.

Teesalu, who resides in Cairo, discussed the situation in Mali and the Horn of Africa with the union's chairwoman, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, as well as the prospects for cooperation between the African Union and the EU, according to a statement from the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The African Union is an organization made up of 54 African countries that was created in 2001 as the legal successor of the Organization of African Unity and the African Economic Community.

Somaliland: Dahabshiil Partners with One of the World's Leading Security Software Corporations

Dahabshiil, the largest African money transfer company, has agreed a deal with one of the world's leading providers of software security services. The agreement will see the American-based organisation provide a suite of services, including encryption, monitoring and security of all company devices, systems and data.

Precise details of the deal will not be released due to strict confidentiality agreements, but Dahabshiil is reported to be delighted with the technology provider, which was chosen after a highly competitive six-way tender that took a number of months to complete.

Dahabshiil CEO, Abdirashid Duale, said: "Dahabshiil places great importance on physical and virtual security which is why we have invested in the best software, device and data protection technology to ensure all of our customers and staff are fully protected."

The introduction of this new system will provide Dahabshiil with advanced defence and security tools to mitigate and manage any virtual intrusions. This development is the latest in Dahabshiil's continuous efforts to improve its business operations following allegations last year that its systems were breached by an activist group.

Duale said: "Dahabshiil would like to assure its customers, partners and staff that it places the highest importance on its security and compliance procedures. We have extensive cyber security, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing policies and training programmes in place, which are approved by the relevant regulators, including the FSA in the UK. In the US our partner organisations are also regulated by state and federal authorities."

When asked about recent rumours being spread by small Somali site, Sunatimes, run by Dahir Alasow - who is currently defending proceedings for perpetrating a series of defamatory attacks - the Dahabshiil CEO responded: "Dahabshiil denies any connection with illegal or extremist organisations and takes Sunatimes' allegations extremely seriously. These allegations, which have included publishing fake company information and customer details, are part of one individual's long-running attempts to blackmail Dahabshiil and tarnish the leading international reputation we have established over the last 40 years. As such Dahabshiil continues to cooperate with the relevant authorities and to pursue legal proceedings."

A court date against Mr Alasow of Sunatimes was recently confirmed by a Dutch court for 27 May.

A spokesperson at Dahabshiil's legal representatives, Bird & Bird, concluded: 'Dahabshiil is keen to resolve this issue. We strongly believe Mr Alasow has conducted himself both irresponsibly and illegitimately. Following the initial trial in December, the judge observed Mr Alasow had 'deliberately denied responsibility for a large number of publications, contrary to the truth'. As such, Dahabshiil's senior management team are highly confident that the Dutch Court will rule in its favour after the hearing in late May."

Djibouti Expects AngloGold to Begin Gold Drilling in September

AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (ANG), the world’s third-biggest gold producer, and its partner Stratex International Plc (STI) are expected to begin drilling for the metal in Djibouti in September, an Energy Ministry official said.

The companies, which obtained 10 exploration licenses in the Horn of Africa country, identified two blocks that may hold “high concentrations” of gold, Abdourahman Omar Haga, director of natural resources in the ministry, said in an interview at a mining conference in Dar es Salaamon April 18. They will continue to explore the remaining eight blocks, he said.

The first stage of drilling is expected to take less than four months, Haga said. Thani Ashanti Alliance Co., a joint venture between AngloGold and Dubai-based Thani Investments, will spearhead development if sufficient reserves are proven, he said.

Djibouti, which hosts about 2,500 U.S. military personnel at the Camp Lemonnier military base, has a $1.1 billion economy with fewer than 1 million people. The economy relies on services related to the country’s strategic location on the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

The joint venture is planning to drill by the fourth quarter “subject to monies being available, the arrangement of appropriate logistical support and approvals,” AngloGold said in an e-mailed response to questions yesterday.

The gold price has fallen 15 percent in 2013 after rising sixfold in a 12-year rally through last year. The metal fell 14 percent in a two-day drop through April 15, the worst slide since 1983.

‘Successful Business’

“We have a port, a good investment code and tax exemptions” he said. “It’s easy to have successful businesses here. We just hope that the price of gold doesn’t continue to drop.”

Thani and Stratex are exploring an area of land between Lake Assal and Lake Abbe in the southwestern part of the country, where gold deposits are embedded in volcanic rock. Lake Assal lies 155 meters (509 feet) below sea level and is Africa’s lowest point on land.

Djibouti’s mining industry, which includes production of minerals including gypsum, diatomite and ignimbrite, accounts for less than 1 percent of total economic output, according to theAfrican Development Bank.

Salt Investment SA, owned by Washington-based Emerging Capital Partners, plans to begin exporting salt from Lake Assal, which has a 60 square kilometer (23 square mile) salt crust and 100 million metric tons of the mineral, making it the world’s largest undeveloped salt reserve.

JB Djibouti Mining Ltd., a unit of JB Group of India, obtained a gold exploitation license in 2011. The company has yet to begin building a mine.

“We have a very high gold anomaly,” Haga said. “If the results give us only one mine, it’s nice for us because we are a small country.”

Djibouti is also in the process of renewing its mining code, which hasn’t been updated since 1994.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sara Jerving in Nairobi at sjerving@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson atpmrichardson@bloomberg.net

NRC signs historic agreement with the African Union

The agreement was concluded between Chairperson of the African Union Commission Dr. Dlamini Zuma and Mrs. Brekke at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday 19th of April.

“We are very pleased to enter into this strategic partnership with the AU. This enables us to increase our activities in conflict-affected areas in Africa and to distribute humanitarian aid even more effectively”, says Brekke.

NRC is the first Norwegian organisation, and one of the few international aid agencies, to have this type of strategic partnership with the AU. Under the agreement, the AU will help the NRC to get access to refugees and internally displaced persons in the AU member states. In addition, NRC and AU agree to work together to strengthen the rights of the displaced in AU member states, including supporting the implementation of the Kampala Convention for the protection of internally displaced. NRC’s Internally Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) will play a key role in this.

“For NRC, the AU is an equally important organisation as the EU. AU member states cover a vast continent where there are currently about four million refugees and ten million internally displaced persons. With support from the AU, we can reach even more of these people. In addition, we appreciate being able to cooperate with the AU on supporting implementation of the Kampala Convention, a ground-breaking new legal framework which binds governments to protect and assist internally displaced persons, ” says Brekke.

AU Commissioner for Political Affairs Dr. Aisha Abdullahi underlined the strategic importance of partnering with NRC: “The scourge of forced displacements in Africa requires a consolidated effort. Therefore, the signing of an MOU with the Norwegian Refugee Council today, goes a long way in solidifying our joint efforts towards alleviating the suffering of victims of conflicts and disasters in Africa”, she said in a press release.

NRC has already similar strategic relationships with other actors such as UNHCR, but it is the first time the organisation enters into an agreement with a regional body like the AU. However, the cooperation with the AU and African governments is nothing new. Through the years, the NRC’s emergency roster has assisted the AU with specialists in several areas, and NRC is currently working in twelve African countries.

“Our emergency roster’s effective cooperation with the AU, as well as our increased activity in several locations in Africa, particularly the Horn of Africa, has probably played an important role for the AU's desire to raise our cooperation to a strategic level. I think this partnership will be important and gratifying for both the AU and the Norwegian Refugee Council,”says Brekke.

Norway’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Odd-Inge Kvalheim, welcomes the new agreement: “Norway has large ambitions in the field of humanitarianism. To reach these ambitions we need professional Norwegian organisations that are able to make a difference. We are therefore glad that we have been able to support NRC in their work with establishing close relations to the AU”.

Female Eritrean pilot goes to Saudi Arabia to recover jet stolen by defectors - and defects herself

 

A military pilot sent by Eritrea to Saudi Arabia to reclaim a jet stolen by two fellow officers when they flew to seek asylum has herself defected.

The pilot, who holds the rank of captain, told authorities she did not wish to return to the country, a single-party state which has up to 10,000 political prisoners.

The jet has been in Saudi Arabia since October, when it was diverted to the kingdom by its two officers who wanted to seek asylum, the newspaper Arab News said.

"She came to the kingdom two weeks ago to retrieve the military plane," Ali Za'le, a spokesman for Jizan governorate, was quoted saying.

"When she reached Jizan, she expressed her wish to stay here ... her request is still being considered by the authorities," he added.

Diplomats at Eritrea's embassy in Riyadh were not immediately available to comment on the report.

Arab News said the pilot's father lived in Saudi Arabia.

Mass defections are common in Eritrea, considered one of the world's most reclusive states where dissent is dealt with harshly. Thousands of Eritreans flee the country each year, escaping unlimited conscription and poverty in the Red Sea state, aid agencies say.

Last year, 14 Eritrean footballers from the national soccer squad sought asylum in Uganda a year after 13 members of a club disappeared while participating in a regional tournament.

The UN refugee agency says more than 250,000 Eritrean refugees and nearly 15,000 asylum seekers live across the Horn of Africa.

Eritrea has a population of about 5.5 million. Earlier this year, dissident soldiers with tanks briefly took over the Information Ministry in Asmara, demanding all political prisoners be freed.

Calm soon returned to the capital but Eritrean opposition activists in neighbouring Ethiopia cite growing dissent within the army over economic hardships.

Reuters

DNO inks Somaliland production sharing contract

Norwegian oil and gas group DNO International has entered into a production sharing contract covering block SL18 onshore Somaliland.

Somaliland president Ahmed M. Mohamoud Silanyo and DNO executive chairman, Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani attended the signing ceremony in Washington, DC.

Mossavar-Rahmani said: "This 12,000 square kilometre block adds substantial exploration acreage to DNO International's portfolio and in an area that is both prospective and undrilled."

He said Somaliland fell within the company's geographic and geological comfort zones adding: "We have been active across the Gulf of Aden in Yemen since the late 1990s."

The company has initiated studies on Block SL18 ahead of an extensive seismic program planned for 2014.

Tripoli: French embassy in Libya hit by car bomb

A car bomb has exploded outside the French embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli, wounding two French guards and several residents.

The BBC's Rana Jawad reports from Tripoli

The blast in Tripoli destroyed the embassy's ground-floor reception area and perimeter wall, as well as damaging neighbouring homes and shops.

French President Francois Hollande called on Libya to act swiftly over this "unacceptable" attack.

It is the first major attack on a foreign embassy in the Libyan capital.

Tuesday's explosion happened shortly after 07:00 (05:00 GMT) in a smart residential area of Tripoli.
One of the embassy's guards was severely injured while the other suffered lighter injuries. Several residents were also slightly hurt.

One young girl suffered a spinal cord injury and was being transferred to neighbouring Tunisia for treatment, her father told the BBC.

The blast took place in a small side street and left a scene of devastation, the BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli reports.

As well as extensive damage to the embassy building and perimeter wall, two nearby homes were badly damaged and others affected, while the windows of a shop were blown out and two parked cars were burnt out.

Many neighbours who gathered in the street to survey the damage were shaken and upset by what had happened, our correspondent says.

They told her that there was a lack of proper policing for such a potentially high-profile target.

"It was a big mistake to site the French embassy in our neighbourhood," a local resident said.
President Hollande said the attack had targeted "all countries in the international community engaged in the fight against terrorism".

"France expects the Libyan authorities to shed the fullest light on this unacceptable act, so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice," he said.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius - who is on his way to Libya - said French officials would work closely with the Libyan authorities to find out who was responsible for what he called an "odious act".
Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz condemned the bombing as a "terrorist act", but did not speculate on who might be behind it.