GAMBIA RISKED FACING EU’s AID CUT

The Gambia is feared loosing millions of Euros in financial aid from its main donor - the European Union (EU), amid its President outright rejection of the governance reforms that the EU has seen as an iron fist.
The block – comprising 27 member states - has demanded The Gambia government to reform it political governance and structure in order to improve the country’s governance and human rights situations.

The Eu has presented a 17-point demand to The Gambia government; but Jammeh has persistently rejected the proposal, viewing it as a foreign woven-mechanism, meddling in his rule of the West African state. The EU has also scheduled a meeting - EU Article 8 Intensified Political - with the government slated for January this year, during which the demands are to be discussed.

In a cabinet meeting on recently, President Jammeh denounced and rubbished all the demands by the EU saying that there is no need to meet with the EU because “none of their demands is subject for discussion”.

The EU says it demands are prompted by the significant deterioration in the human rights situation in The Gambia in recent months, notably the execution of nine death row inmates, the forced closure of independent radio stations and newspapers, the trial against persons on the basis of their sexual orientation and the arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists and human rights defenders.

Among the reforms that they are demanding from the government are: the upholding of moratorium on the death penalty with immediate effect, revision of laws on freedom of expression and media regulations within 24 months, provision of information regarding the recent executions, including location of burial to the families.

President Jammeh’s strong refusal of these reforms could render some ramifications on the government and the people of The Gambia.
Cutting aid to a country that has been high dependant on foreign aid, could pinched seriously on the government’s coffer, because it cannot fend for its 1.8 million people – two third of which live on the breadline.

AFP JOURNALIST THREATEN TO GO ON HUNGER STRIKE IF...

A Gambian journalist who is also a stringer for Agence France-Presse has threaten to go on hunger strike if detained by the government of the Gambia.

The arrest and detention of Abdoulie John is reported by the Jollofnews.com, another online news site that he served as am editor. If confirmed this is another setback for Gambian journalists who work under hostile environment. Abdoulie John also onetime editor with the Daily Observer, a pro-government newspaper was arrested and detained on 9th December 2012.

Daily News has reportedly contacted the Secretary General of the Gambia Press Union; Mr. Gibairu Janneh to confirmed the arrest and detention of John, but he could not confirm at the time of going to press. Janneh however promise to find out and will come back to the Daily News.

Here is a version of the Jollofnews.

The head of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) ordered the detention of Mr Abdoulie John, JollofNews Gambia Editor who was attending a ceremony in Tambakunda village, near the Senegalese province of Casamance, ON Sunday the 9th December 2012.
Upon their arrival in Tambakunda, the photographer, Sulayman Gassama, demanded to know who invited John to the occasion. This is contained a news release from Jollofnews. John replied that he should go and ask the organisers.
Gasama’s insistence forced John to tell him to "Go to hell!"
Later, the NIA director approached John and said: "Mr John, you stay here. You will not go with us!"

He then ordered some military personnel to arrest the journalist, put him in a military pick-up and took him to Sibanor Police Station in Foni, and then put him in a different vehicle which was moving behind a convoy towards Banjul.
John is threatening to go on hunger strike if they detain him.
“I will start a hunger strike total one,” he said.

The world should know that this was how Chief Manneh got disappeared, after been reported on by a fellow journalist.
JollofNews holds the Jammeh government entirely responsible for Abdoulie John’s life. Also, Sulayman Gasama and the NIA boss will be held equally responsible.
As we go to press Abdoulie John is on his way to NIA headquarters in Banjul.

EU AND THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: A VIEW FROM AN INSIDER

Madam Agnès Guillaud, Chargée d’Affaires shed light on the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the European Union.

Here is a verbatim of her statement:

For many the news from Oslo that the European Union had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 came as a surprise. Some believed it odd that this recognition was awarded at a time when social tensions and xenophobia are on the rise and when the EU is mired in crisis: an economic crisis, but also a crisis of confidence. The uncertainty we are living through means real hardship for many of our citizens. Along with their jobs, their pensions and their savings, they have also lost confidence in the European project. Extremists abuse our current economic woes to pander populist messages while for others it is proof that Europe is increasingly irrelevant on the world stage. But we cannot let our commitment to peace be undermined by populism or self-derision.

Madam Agnès Guillaud



I see the award is a timely reminder of what our Union stands for and the fundamental principle it was built around - transforming a war torn continent into a union of democracies. For those that rebuilt Europe from the rubble of war, it is still a miracle that the wounds of conflict could be overcome to give former enemies a common future. Since then, the EU has offered membership to country after country, bolstering their democracies and including them in the world's largest internal market. Today the EU continues to exude its drawing power and serves as a stabilising force beyond its borders.

For all these achievements we should not be complacent. With their prestigious recognition the Nobel committee also sent a clear message to the EU: we must protect a Union built on six decades spent in the pursuit of peace from disintegration and resurgent nationalisms.

At a time when some like to portray the EU as a "has been", the Nobel peace prize is a recognition that resonates with all generations. The many congratulations we received from leaders and individual citizens around the globe are also a reminder that - despite the recent gloom surrounding the EU- the commitment to peace never goes out of fashion.

Rather than rest on our laurels, we should take the award as a boost to step up our engagement for lasting peace and prosperity. We need to make Europe's mission for peace a forward-looking one. I am happy and proud to be part of opening a new chapter in the EU's external relations through a unique creation- the European External Action Service. The Nobel Peace Prize puts new wind in our sails to reach out and help those who do not enjoy the same freedoms as we do and whose lives might be threatened by war, deprivation or hunger.

From Afghanistan to Somalia the EU will continue to champion human rights around the globe. To do so, it deploys all of its capacities, its expertise in crisis prevention and resolution, the diplomatic skills of its staff on the ground, and development aid to assist those in need. In the wake of the Arab spring, we have refashioned our approach to promote democracy and prosperity together with our closest neighbours. We are also lending our strongest diplomatic efforts in leading negotiations with Iran and, as part of the Quartet, to secure peace in the Middle East.

African holds a special place in our external relations. We are working tirelessly to help our partners achieve the Millennium Development Goals, as we recognise that human rights, democracy and peace – our founding values – cannot prosper amidst suffering and poverty. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that people around the globe can count on the EU to give them a helping hand.

I hope that the ability to support others in their struggle for democracy and freedom will also be a source of inspiration to those who have lost faith in our project. That it will encourage them to continue to work together so that many more generations in Europe and beyond can enjoy what we cherish every day: peace, democracy and the guarantee of fundamental freedoms.

THE ODYSSEY OF IMAM BABA LEIGH: SEASONED POLITICAN SALLAH PUTS PEN TO PAPER

Amidst rumours of tortures and even the death of Imam Baba Leigh who was picked and detained by the state since December 3rd, no one has come out to clear the air of such rumurs. Not even the arresting officers the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). It is against this background that Halifa Sallah a sociologist and politician wrote to the President of the Gambia. He urges the President to intervene with immediacy.

HALIFA SALLAH WRITES:

The rumours that are spreading regarding the personal security and well being of Baba Leigh is raising the political temperature in the country as anxiety and disbelief emerge from even unexpected quarters. The very supporters of your party are outraged by rumours of torture and murder.

The family of Imam Baba Leigh is powerless to dispel the rumours since they do not have any privileged information regarding his whereabouts. Despite my strong conviction that no one dares to murder Baba Leigh, I often have doubts why he is not released or at least allowed visits which is a right enjoyed by people remanded in custody to give effect to the principle of presumption of innocence. Imam Baba Leigh is not even enjoying the right of a prisoner remanded in custody pending his or her hearing, that is, the right to be visited by family members, receive food and clothes from them and acquire the counsel of a legal practitioner. Baba Leigh is held incommunicado and many rumours are spreading that, to say the least, are unsettling to the state of mind of his loved ones.

Mr President, your government has tried to distance itself from the murder of Deyda Hydara and the disappearance of Chief Manneh by conceding to external investigation. What image does it hope to give itself by ignoring all the national and international appeals for the release of Imam Baba Leigh?

It is becoming monotonous to repeat ad infinitum that you have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution without fear or favour, affection or ill will. This oath should censor your behaviour.

Imam Baba Leigh left with his car and was led to his place of detention. You may investigate where the car is parked and find out how it got there. This case cannot be a case of disappearance. It is easy to investigate and get to the truth of Imam Baba Leigh’s arrest and detention. Since the NIA is directly under the office of the President, you should find out from them where Imam Baba Leigh’s transport is parked and those who parked it there should explain to you where he is and why he has been detained for 25 days in gross violation of Section 19 of the Constitution which gives him the inviolable and inalienable right to see a legal counsel within three hours of detention and be released or taken before a court within 72 hours of detention. This is the dictate of the Constitution. Section 19 (2) reads:

“Any person who is arrested or detained shall be informed as soon as is reasonably practicable and in any case within three hours, in a language that he or she can understands, of the reasons for his or her arrest or detention and of his or her right to consult a legal practitioner.”

Furthermore, section 19(3) reads:

“Any person who is arrested or detained-

(a) for the purpose of bringing him or her before a court in execution of the order of a court, or

(b) upon reasonable suspicion of his or her having committed, or being about to commit, a criminal offence under the Laws of The Gambia, and who is not released, shall be brought without undue delay before a court and, in any event, within seventy-two hours.”

Section 17 of the constitution obliges you and your agents to uphold Section 19, among other fundamental rights and freedoms. It reads:

“The fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in this Chapter shall be respected and upheld by all organs of the Executive and its agencies, the Legislature and, where applicable to them, by all natural and legal persons in The Gambia, and shall be enforceable by the Courts in accordance with this Constitution.”

Mr President, It is incontrovertible that a democratic state should be a protector and not an oppressor of the citizenry. Every disregard of the dictates of the Constitution amounts to impunity. Impunity has no place in a constitutional order. It runs counter to the principles of the rule of law. It is true that the family could have gone and should go to the High Court for redress of unlawful detention beyond 72 hours without trial. The fact that they fear lengthening Imam Baba’s detention if they take court action is instructive of the type of logic that impunity breeds.

To conclude, let me take this opportunity to reiterate that a government that cannot be criticised, scrutinised and restrained by its own citizens would end up ruling by coercion and oppression. Such a government would have lost its merit to be a government of a civilized and democratic people.

I therefore hope that you will intervene with immediacy to facilitate the release of Imam Baba Leigh and make a New Year Resolution to ensure that the government and its agents will adhere to the dictates of the Constitution and the standards of best practice in democratic governance.

While anticipating a favourable response

I remain

Yours in the service of the nation

Halifa Sallah

Executions of Prisoners: Fear Hangs Over Diplomatic Rupture With Senegal

It was about an hour-and-quarter before we entered a new chapter of our lives – September 2012, which will never rebound until the characters in this magnum opus part with the World. Here, in the heart of the Senegalese capital, Dakar, yet still the debate is going on the radio, TVs and even on the internet about the current state of affairs unfolding in The Gambia.

The providence of the volatile peace between The Gambia and sister Senegal is hanging in the balance of probability, as Senegal is pulling up shocks to ensure the discontinuity of the latest fist that Jammeh punches on their faces, following the news of the executions of nine prisoners including two Senegalese nationals, Tabara Samba, who was on death row for killing her husband, and Djibril Ba respectively, who was also found guilty of murder. The duo was among the nine prisoners that have been reportedly executed by firing squad, carried out by the Jammeh regime on Sunday, 26 August.

PRESIDENT YAHYA JAMMEH, THE SWORNED-IN PURVEYOR OF THE GAMBIAN CONSTITUTION


The Senegalese President, Macky Sall, who was on an official visit to South Africa, cut short his visit after being phoned about the news of inundations that claimed five lives in Dakar. Upon arrival at the Leopold Sedad Senghor International Airport, he met his prime minister, Abdoul Mbaye, who unveiled the news of the executions of the two Senegalese in neighboring Gambia.

To his dismay of the action of a country he first visited when he came to power last April, Macky Sall was sort of words, but was able to say something like: “I have demanded the prime minister (Abdoul Mbaye) to summon the Gambian Ambassador and to notify him of Senegal’s position on the executions.

This was reasonably a diplomatic boomerang President Sall directed to the Gambian Head of Mission in Dakar, who must have been sitting on a hot iron, having known that Senegal will react to the executions of its citizens and that the job of diplomacy had now become more complicated, thanks to the action of a man, believed to be a protégée of the constitution.

The Senegalese president did not say ‘if the Gambian Mission fails to show up’, instead he says “If he is not there on time”. This is an ‘ordre obligatoire’ (compulsory order), interpreted as a diplomatic molest, employed by frustrated leaders before the emergence of the interdisciplinary field of study called ‘International relations/studies’ in 1648.

In the diplomatic front, Senegal has already taken its first step to averting a replica of a political wrangling that had handicapped the two countries’ economies and held their citizens to ransom, hence the summoning of the Gambian Mission.

This ambassadorial move by Senegal was neither a strategic choice to sow chaos nor a Rambo-style step aims at violating the Vienna convention of 1963 on Consular matters, but a line of diplomatic attack.

Senegal Seeks Sanctions Against Jammeh

Macky Sall denounces the executions and garners support from the international community and NGOs to slap Jammeh with sanctions, whilst at the same time calling on Jammeh to save the life of the third Senegalese, Saliou Niang, who is on death row at Mile Two, the Senegalese Press reported.

PRESIDENT MACKY SALL



What sanctions? What sanctions should be meted on a head of state who many people believe implemented the law of the land? Any action to weaken Jammeh economically will be identical to staggering the Senegambia region from side to side.

However, whilst some Senegalese go east, others still take to the west. One of those that goes to the west, was Fodel Barro, Coordinator of ‘Y en a Marre,’ said the action was just a “tip of the iceberg.”

But Mariatou Ciise, a second-year university student, who had always been inspired by Jammeh, goes east and says: “the executions were constitutionally right and justifiable.”

Unlike some Senegalese, she is in support of what had happened, citing Iran, the US, Saudi Arabia and other countries as example.

“These so-called human rights activists are illogical. What about America, the biggest human rights violators? They are killing prisoners sentenced to death by law. Who questions them?” she asked.

Abdoulie Hadiya, a religious scholar, told Enquette, Senegal’s whistle-blowing newspaper that even in Islam, the law of execution was valid. However, he added that it remained unclear whether it was the Shari’a that motivated Jammeh to carry out the act. “We are not certain that it was the Quran that inspired him (Jammeh) to act this way,” he said.

Senegalese that thought of Jammeh as an ‘angel of mercy’ and a paragon of Afro-centrism that has come to save the continent from neo-colonialism, held their heads in sway.

Notwithstanding, Jammeh has been regarded by some Senegalese, especially university students as an obedient purveyor of anti-imperialism, whose propaganda of Jammehism has helped forestalled crimes and restored peace in Gambian societies.

Makers of Peace vs Makers of Noise

The president of the International Society for Human Rights in The Gambia, Sheikh L.T.Louis, has applied the principles of valid interference and correct reasoning to bring peace, than saber-rattling.
In a constructive meeting with Senegalese Civil Society Organisations on Friday, 31st August,2012, Mr Lewis made it crystal clear to them that neither ‘beating drums’ nor ‘dancing to the tune’ was a political solution to the current status-quo.

“Actually, it was only dialogue that could solve the problem. Otherwise, the present situation risked continuing,” he was quoted by Le Pop, a Senegalese Newspaper, as saying.

However, Mr Lewis, against all odds, refused to diabolise President Jammeh before the Senegalese press and NGOs.

Instead he says: “Jammeh has sworn that he was the guardian of the constitution. I know Yahya Jammeh. I talk to him often. He was someone humane, contrary to what some people think. I know he has regretted what had happened. He does it, because it was the law.”

The Cassamance Conundrum

According to Lewis, President Jammeh once told him that Senegal and The Gambia have the same commonalities, but polarized by imperialism.

During Macky Sall’s visit to The Gambia, Lewis continued, Jammeh told him that what Sall does, if Wade has done it initially, then peace would have been in Cassamance.

With this paragraph, many political analysts would come out with the question ‘Who is who in the Cassamance war?’

Diede Ba, Reuters Dakar Correspondent and Office Manager, says the Cassamance conundrum remains his country’s weakest point.

The seasoned journalist posited: “We were a weak nation when it comes to the Cassamance war.

Jammeh has a bigger task before him. He has to work his fingers to the bone to convince Senegambians that what he did was in no way related to anarchism, but a constitutional requirement.
I do not want to sound like an alarmist, but Macky Sall has a question to answer: ‘Why the ongoing military exercise somewhere between Sokone and Karang’ ?

Amat JENG is a Gambian journalist, blogger and social media activist. He is the editor and publisher of the blog: Roving Eye

GAMBIA-SENEGAL TIMBER UNDERHAND DEAL FEEDS CHINA

While some youths in the sister countries of Senegal and The Gambia, as well as dealers in the illegal felling and selling of timbers in these countries, are making a living from the crumbs of the proceeds of the deal, big brother China, the rapidly growing investor and donor partner to Africa, is getting the lion’s share of the deal.

For centuries people in rural Gambia and Cassamance have lived a semi-buoyant life with their dense and rich forests, not really realizing the potential these forests have in store for them.

Whilst a new generation of wealth-starved youth has emerged and erratic rains that rendered poor harvests have left no light at the end of the tunnel for them and their families to grow what they eat, the youth segments of these regions have, for the past two years, been looking to the forest for survival.

About five years ago, at this time of the year, the proletariats and those living in the bottom of the heaps started hoarding, saving for the rainy days, and managing their seasonal earnings amidst soaring food prices in both local and regional markets.

Africa's forests have been robbed off their resources to fed China's burgeoning market


This time around, the scene of life is a whole lot of a new ballgame: villagers at the Gambia-Cassamance border are living a glamorous life, driving luxurious motorbikes (Fedemco Riders), and many of them have jumped from the life of hand to mouth and have rather developed an extravagant lifestyle tantamount to that of Khlestakov in Nicolai Gogol’s 1836 satirical play – The government Inspector.

As it clearly appeared, many people situated at the border ends of Gambia-Cassamance are enjoying the cake at the disposal of their grandparents had they exploited the resources in its decades ago.

Middle-class and poor households have found solace in the business: they would purchase enough bags of rice and condiments to cover the next two to three months, when the food crisis will be at its peak.

The whole story goes and comes: the illegal business starts in Cassamance and ends in The Gambia. In Cassamance, energetic youth fell timbers illegally - illegally because Senegal has banned it - to make ‘fast-money’, as they call it.
“You can see every timber I [illegally] fell to the ground, I am expecting to earn a minimum of D500,” Malick Camara, a youth in his mid-twenties, told this paper.

In the illegal logging business, there is a division of labour. Those that fell the trees are not responsible for smuggling the logs into The Gambia; those that smuggle them do not load them in trucks; and those who load them do not own them, neither do they go and sell them.

Thus, to smuggle them into The Gambia, men use donkey and horse carts to ply 15-20km to have the logs into the country, where trucks are on the wait with other groups of young men to off-load from the carts and load in the trucks that are bound for the city. The centre for activities has now shifted from some parts of CRR South to URR, around the Jimara district.

The logging now also include trees of the Mahogany species


Therefore, this tripartite choreography of the movement of the business is a clear indication that the real people fuelling this illegal business are pulling the strings behind doors: they do not want to be seen doing the real job, yet they cannot also let loose the gains in the business – a kick in the teeth for some people.
“They [the Senegalese authority] do appear surreptitiously and threaten to arrest us, but when we put our hands in our pockets, they let us go with a caution: ‘Don’t come back again’,” Musa Jallow, 23, told MarketPlace.

Musa’s job is to smuggle the timbers to The Gambia, but like many others, he is better off and now he buys five to ten logs of timber on the spot and smuggles them for himself into The Gambia and sells them at high cost.

“Sometimes when I am to smuggle for somebody with my donkey-cart, it takes me maximum two trips a day; and each trip costs a minimum of D700,” he added.
Jallow, like Camara, came from Saradou, a village in Cassamance, 5km from The Gambia, and settled in Sare-moussa in Cassamance purposely to smuggle logs to The Gambia.
We make money very quickly, but you can see when the Senegalese forest officials come, we have to run into the bush and hide, otherwise, we will rot in jails in Kolda – this shows you that we are in an illegal business,” Jallow explained.
Both Senegal and The Gambia have banned the illegal trading of timbers, yet the business has not ceased, and not without the knowledge of both governments’ responsible authorities.

A recent China-Africa meeting include among others, economic coopration


A journey through the length and breadth of the country, using trans-Gambia highway will be an eye-opener to many that the timber business is gaining momentum: lines of timbers lying along the road, waiting to be transported to the city for China.
Whilst the face of poverty is gradually fading for three-thirds of these communities that have benefitted from the trade, important questions are: how long will this continue to impact on the people, and what negative impact does this have on the socio-economic lives of the few that have not benefitted.

Abdoulie Barry, a timber-made tycoon, tried to say something: “I know we have touched the lives of few people, by putting it in limbo: the rain shows no sign of giving farmers good harvest and this is partly blamed on our activities, that we have rendered the bush empty.
“If there would be a prolonged dry spell, the food crisis situation is feared coming again.

However, despite many farmers are tightening their belts and keeping fingers through bones in order to avert a replica of the previous season, a good number of them, especially those that have not benefitted from the logging, are having their hands on their heads, waiting to see the endgame.

Fears mounted in Cassamance that the Gambia government has said it will close its border to illegal timbers at the end of this month.

STANDARD CHARTERED BANK AT RISK OF LOSING BANKING LICENCE

Authors: Amat JENG and Lamin JAHATEH, both reporters with MarketPlace Business Newspaper of The Gambia


The parent company of Standard Chartered Bank Gambia has been asked to tell why its banking licence should not be revoked after it was alleged to have involved in a "scheme" with the Iranian government and hid from law-enforcement officials 60,000 secret transactions in order to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in fees, the MarketPlace has gathered.

In a rare move, New York's top bank regulator threatened to strip the banking licence of Standard Chartered Plc, saying it was a "rogue institution" that hid US$250 billion in transactions tied to Iran, in violation of US law that sanctioned Iranian Government.

The loss of a New York banking licence would be a devastating blow to Standard Chartered, effectively cutting off direct access to the US bank market.
The New York State Department of Financial Services said that in a 30-page report released on 6 August this year, Standard Chartered, by scheming with the Iranian government, exposed the US banking system to terrorists, drug traffickers and corrupt states.

SCB UK


Some analysts opined that it’s unlikely that Standard Chartered would be stripped of its licence. “It’s difficult to think that the bank could lose its licence, but you can’t rule it out,” one of the analysts is quoted to have said.
The New York bank regulator is also demanding that the international bank pay for an independent monitor “to ensure compliance with rules governing the international transfer of funds.”

Since a US-led sanction on Iranian banks took effect, many banks in the West are not allowed to deal with banks representing the interest of the Islamic Republic of Iran – a move aimed at handicapping the Iranian economy, in order to halt its nuclear programme, which the US and Israel perceive as a potential threat.

SHARES TUMBLES

The London share prices of Standard Chartered tumbled as much as 20 per cent after the New York State financial regulator’s accusation.
According to analysts, Standard Chartered’s shares dived on fears that the bank could lose its licence for US dollars, which could wipe 30-40 per cent off the group’s earnings.

The Guardian, a London-based newspaper, has reported that falling price of Standard Chartered’s share puts the top management of the bank under intense pressure.
Even though the highly regarded London-based bank has denied the accusations made by the New York’s state financial services regulator, investors were frightened following a spate of banking scandals which have unseated management at rival banks of Standard Chartered’s in the UK.

Standard Chartered had issued a statement refuting the allegations saying it does not believe the statements of the New York State Department of Financial Services presents a full and accurate picture of the facts.
In the statement, the bank said it has “overwhelmingly” complied with US sanctions and the regulations relating to U-turn payments.

The statement said: “As we have disclosed to the authorities, well over 99.9 per cent of the transactions relating to Iran complied with the U-turn regulations [which enables non-US countries to trade with Iran using dollars]. The total value of transactions which did not follow the U-turn was under $14m.”
At the center were the alleged "U-Turn" transactions, money moved for Iranian clients among banks in Britain and Middle East and cleared through Standard Chartered's New York branch, but which neither started nor ended in Iran.

Such transactions were permissible until November 2008, when the Treasury Department prohibited them on concerns that they were being used to evade sanctions, and that Iran was using banks to fund nuclear and missile development programmes.

SCB GROUP CEO


Standard Chartered, a financier in emerging markets, is the sixth foreign bank since 2008 to be implicated in dealings with sanctioned countries such as Iran in investigations led by federal and New York law-enforcement officials.

Four banks -- Barclays Plc, Lloyds Banking Group, Credit Suisse Group and ING Bank NV -- have agreed to fines and settlements totaling $1.8 billion. HSBC Holdings Plc currently is under investigation by U.S. law enforcement, according to bank regulatory filings.

Standard Chartered UK, last week posted record first-half net profit of $2.81bn, up 12 per cent from the previous corresponding period.
In a statement accompanying the results, chief executive Peter Sands lauded the bank's "culture and values" as a source of strength over its competitors.
"We are selective and turn things down that we don't understand, or don't like the look of," said Sands.

BORDER IMPASSE: GAMBIA, SENEGAL SIGN MOU OVER CONTROVERSIAL FERRY CROSSING-POINT

After a long diplomatic saga between the two West African countries over border crossing rendered both economies half-way handicapped, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has poured cold water into the matter, leading to a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Jammeh’s and Sall’s goverments.

The two governments, which have opted to restore normalcy, on Friday signed an MoU for the construction of the trans-Gambia bridge and the rehabilitation of a cross-border road section to link Keur Ayib-Senoba-Farrafenni-Bounkiling.

The Gambia’s Foreign minister Mambury Njie and his Senegalese counterpart Alioune Badara Cisse sealed the deal on behalf of their respective governments.

The Senegalese Foreign Affairs minister disclosed that the cost involved to implement this project stands in the region of CFA50 billion.

President Yahya Jammeh



The funds are coming from the coffer of the African Development Bank, with a construction period of five years.

He said the laying of the foundation stone of this work is scheduled to take place later in this month.

Mr Badara Cisse describes the project as probably the largest project in the history of the new Senegalese government under President Macky Sall, who came to office four months ago.

"Our worship of diplomacy is the one that allowed us to reap these benefits," reported Minister Badara Cisse.

The first country to have been visited by Macky Sall, a few days after his inaugural ceremony, was The Gambia.

It was seen by many political and economic analysts as a step in the right direction, for Mr Sall’s cabinet.

Issues that were discussed in that Banjul meeting included the restoration of peace in Cassamance in southern Senegal, after analysts figured out that Jammeh is crucial in the process of maintaining peace in the embattled Cassamance - one of Africa’s longest civil wars.

President Macky Sall



“In the meeting between the two heads of state, important decisions were made for a perfect cohesion in relationships,” our sources said.

“Fraternal exchanges, firm pledges were made among them in today's event which is the signing of a memorandum of the bridge,” said Minister Cisse.

For him, the signing is a symbolical diplomatic triumph, given the nature of the much-talked about Senegambia dream and the symbiotic existence between the two sisterly countries.

"Also, history will record that this historic moment happens under the regime of Presidents Sall and Jammeh.

The free movement of persons and their property, between The Gambia and Senegal will benefit both countries".

“Also, history will record that this historic moment happens under the regime of Presidents Sall and Jammeh,” he concluded.

The construction of the bridge will begin before the end of 2012, The Gambia’s foreign minister Mambury Njie said, adding that the project is coming into reality after long negotiations, a development that will further strengthen the old ties between the two countries.

“The free movement of persons and their property, between The Gambia and Senegal will benefit both countries,” he said.

He saluted the two leaders for the laud initiative and assured of The Gambia’s commitment and readiness to adhere to the agreement.

POTENTIAL THREAT OF SEA LEVEL RISE TO SWEEP COUNTRY’S CAPITAL

MINISTER MBOGE

It is projected that a rise in sea level of one meter will result in inundation of an area of about 92 kilometer-square in the coastal zone, including the capital city of Banjul, said Francis Leity Mboge, the Minister for Works, Constructions and Infrastructures.

The minister made this remarks yesterday at Kairaba hotel, during an inception workshop on project preparatory grant on ‘Enhancing resilience for vulnerable coastal areas and communities to climate change in The Gambia’, organized by the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) in close partnership with the department of Water Resources.

PARTICIPANTS AT THE TWO-DAY MEETING



The project is mean to help mitigate the country’s vulnerability to climate change by improving coastal defenses and enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities.
For the minister not only settlements will be eroded, also 60% of mangrove forest, 33% of swamp areas and 20% of rice fields will be lost.
As a result, this will lead to a decrease in rice production and impede the objectives of one of the country’s blueprint that targets 70, 000 metric tons of rice on yearly basis.

THE CITY OF BANJUL



“Climate change scenarios for the country indicate that the climate variability currently being experienced is likely to increase and intensify. Droughts, floods and storms are likely to increase, in both frequency and intensity. Precipitation level and patterns are likely to change. In coastal areas, sea level rise and rising sea temperatures will lead to saltwater intrusion, floods and coastal erosion.

“This constitutes a significant threat to the country because important economic activities such as tourism and fisheries are located in the coastal zones. This destruction of human infrastructure and destabilization of rich eco-systems from higher sea levels could be very significant, and result in serious damage and affect the livelihoods of those engaged in these activities,” he said.

OUSMAN JARJU, DIRECTOR OF WATER RESOURCES AND UNFCCC FOCAL POINT



Ousman Jarju, director of water resources and the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) focal point, said in 2010, UNDP helped the
Gambia developed the said project with an amount of 8.9 million US Dollar.

Whilst he said the project will be executed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) in partnership with the department of agriculture and fisheries, and UNDP as the Global Environment Fund (GEF) implementing agency, he also stated the three components of the project: policy and institutional development for climate risk management in coastal zone; physical investments in coastal protection against climate change; and strengthening livelihoods of coastal communities at risk from climate change.

Izumi Morota-Alakija, UNDP deputy resident representative



“It is also gratifying to note that this project is the largest NAPA project to be funded under the LDCF [Least Development Country Fund] so far and all eyes are on the Gambia. I am confident that with determination, strong resolve to meeting our Vision 2020 and PAGE objectives, we will prepare the project document and implement it successfully.”

“Studies both in Gambia and abroad have shown that climate change will have significant consequences on coastal regions, especially low-lying coasts with their mangrove ecosystems like we have in Gambia,” said, Izumi Morota-Alakija, UNDP deputy resident representative.

Mr Sarr



Modou B Sarr, NEA, also added a tone on the effect of climate change on the country: “climate change affecting this vital area will certainly endanger our survival as a nation.”

Cell phone penetration: Africa still lags behind

Journalists gathered last week in the South African city of Johannesburg for an ‘Economic and Financial Reporting course’ were taken to task to dig into issues of economic viability, such as the ones that have caused the development of the continent to stagnate.

Guest speaker Professor Patrick Bond, director of the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, gave a brilliant expose on the theme: “Is Africa prospering or being looted?”
For him, Africa continues to lag behind other regions both in terms of the percentage of people with access to the “full range of communications services and the amounts and manner in which they can be used – primarily as a result of the high cost of services”.

“Large numbers of citizens across the continent still lack access to or cannot afford the kind of communications services that enable effective social and economic participation in a modern economy and society,” he said.

Prof Bond, interviewed by journalists

Despite a steady progress in mobile market growth, Professor Bond observes that there are still some bottlenecks that need careful consideration, especially when making policies that would impact the sector.

He pointed out some of the actual performances of the industry that unveil telling weaknesses. Although the mobile market has experienced significant growth, outcomes have been sub-optimal in many respects, he notes, saying these include the role of multinational capital in sucking out profits and dividends; the lack of genuine competition (collusion is notorious even in the large economies as South Africa); relatively high prices for cell-phone handsets and services; and limited technological linkages to internet service.
Last year, a report (“Towards Evidence-based ICT Policy and Regulation”) by Johannesburg researchers Enrico Calandro, Alison Gillwald, Mpho Moyo and Christopher Stork unveiled a host of ICT deficiencies, arguing that “cell-phones penetration figures tend to mask the fact that millions of Africans still do not own their own means of communication”.

Professor Bond argues on neo-colonialism


Through this academic work, Professor Bond observed that the reasons the continent is lagging behind on this sector could primarily be blamed on the results of high cost of services: the cost of wholesale telecommunications services as an input for other economic activities remains high, escalating the cost of business in most countries; the contribution of ICT to gross domestic product, with some exceptions, is considerably less than global averages;
and national objectives of achieving universal and affordable access to the full range of communications services have been undermined either by poor policies.
“As a general trend across the continent, while the voice divide is decreasing, the Internet divide is increasing and broadband is almost absent on the continent and the fixed-line sector continues to show no signs of recovery as most countries experienced negative growth between 2006 and 2008,” he said.
“Africa is suffering from neo-colonialism, and that means the basic trend of exporting raw materials, and cash crops, minerals, petroleum, has gotten worse.”

For Professor Bond, the neo-colonialism syndrome has left many Africans staggering in destitute and poverty, saying “[neo-colonialism] has really left Africa poorer per person in much of the continent, than even at independence.”

The scholar academically argued that World Bank’s Chief Economist for Africa Region Shanta Devarajan’s abstract that the continent’s “GDP per capita is not lower today than it was ten to fifteen years ago”, is misleading.

“The idea that there’s steady growth in Africa is very misleading, and it really represents the abuse of economic concepts by politicians, by economists, who factor out society and the environment,” he added.