General

The first Training of trainers commenced on 26 November and will run until 30 November 2007. The CFPs will be groomed to be able to fulfil their roles as in-country focal points. The training will create awareness and ability for the CFPs to use a variety of digital, traditional and edge-of-the-net media tools, media access and media skills.

There was an article in the newspaper recently headlined, "Smoking Could Make You Friends." I noticed it because I'd been thinking the very same thing, just a few days earlier. The article was about US presidential candidate, Barack Obama

Today (Day Two) of this HIVOS Citizen Journalism in Africa workshop saw us review how the media works (i.e. what's newsworthy, who are the news gatekeepers, etc) and what specific techniques can be used to "make" news.

Last week I wondered how much money one person needs -- when you have 10 or 20 or 25 million US dollars, why would you need more? How many meals can you eat, or beds can you sleep in, however luxurious? Well, this week I found the answer to that question. It came in the form of an article about the world's most expensive cup of coffee.

As I breeze through check in formalities at Accra international airport on my non-stop evening flight to Johannesburg, I cannot help but flashback twenty-seven years ago to when I first started traveling to my second home through marriage from the country of my birth, Zimbabwe. How the tables have turned in less than one lifetime!

Late last week the Guardian newspaper in Britain exposed a secret report prepared by an expert for the World Bank, which estimated that biofuels have forced up food prices by 75%. This report, if accurate, is shocking, as up to now the US administration has claimed that biofuels have contributed less than 3% to food price inflation, while development experts in South Africa have pegged the figure at 30%.

The topic of tuberculosis (TB) is capturing worldwide attention, including from the media. Most stories focus on informing the public about resistant forms of TB, providing accounts of patients’ flights from hospital, and exploring the very important susceptibility of people living with HIV.

On Monday I attended a seminar on information for social change -- looking at the role of new technologies in the publishing arena. The presentations and discussions were exciting and sobering at the same time. There are some exciting possibilities arising from new developments  in the use of the Internet -- and of cell phones. But it is clear that there are still many barriers in the way in Africa, including high communications costs, slow bandwidth, and lack of widespread access to technology.

It's a long weekend in South Africa, and the annual Cape Town book fair is on again. I attended two very interesting sessions, one on Saturday and one today (Monday). Today's session was a full day, looking at information for social change, and the possibilities and constraints of new technology. I'll write more about that in a couple of days. What I want to write about now is Saturday's session -- a panel discussion on social grants, and whether they are causing dependency.

One of the problems facing a number of African cities is traffic congestion. As economies develop and grow, the amount of traffic just keeps on increasing. There is also an ongoing trend of urbanisation, where people migrate to the cities from the countryside, thus adding to the problem. And our cities, laid out and planned decades ago, just aren't coping.

If we are serious about economic development in Africa, we need to do as much as we can to boost intra-African trade. Look at the trade data for almost any African country, and I bet you'll find that their major trading partner is either in north America, or Europe. Trade with other African countries usually comes way down the list. But if we want to see our economies really take off, we need to start trading with one another. And in order for that to happen, there are two things we really need to get right: communications and transport.