TVE Press Release - Earth Report Doomsday Vault

 
Earth Report – Doomsday Vault

 
 
 
22 February 2008: The ultimate global safety net to safeguard the world’s seeds opens next week on the Arctic island of Spitzbergen. ‘The Doomsday Vault’ – officially the Svalbard Global Seed Vault – is stored in an underground bunker built deep inside a frozen arctic mountain by the Global Crop Diversity Trust with support from the Norwegian Government.
 
Store for a vast and irreplaceable collection of seeds from thousands of crop varieties, the Doomsday Vault’s role is to safeguard seeds from future global catastrophes - nuclear war, asteroid strikes, or the growing impact of climate change. The seed collection is an insurance policy, enabling scientists and farmers to start up food production again in any country, in the event of regional or global disasters. This week’s Earth Report follows the construction of the Vault, and talks to the scientists involved.
 
Earth Report – Doomsday Vault will be broadcast on BBC WORLD:
 
Friday 22 February - 20.30, with repeat broadcasts on Monday 25 February 10.30, Tuesday 26 February 15.30 and Wednesday 27 February 02.30 and 08.30 (All times quoted as GMT)
 
For more information on programme schedules in local time zones visit www.bbcworld.com
 
Svalbard is small group of islands lying 1,000 kilometres from the North Pole. Icy and pristine, they occupy a remote corner of Norwegian territory, with temperatures during the long Arctic winter dropping to minus 16C. This freezing climate, and Svalbard’s isolation, are the reason the Norwegians have selected the islands as the most secure location for the Seed bank.
 
The vault itself is essentially a 120 metre tunnel bored into the mountainside - big enough to hold over four million seed samples. Refrigeration guarantees a temperature of around minus 18C in the vault. But even if the cooling systems should fail, the ambient temperature in the vault’s mountain tunnel means the seed collections will be preserved for months, or even years. Norway has footed the US$9 million bill for the Doomsday Vault construction, which will then be run by the Global Crop Diversity Trust.
 
Now the building is complete, genebanks from all over the world are starting to send duplicate seed collections to be stored in the Arctic vault. Countries sending these will retain ownership of all the samples - but under an international treaty, have agreed to share them internationally.
 
“This is the world cheapest insurance policy. There are art museums and they’re going to spend a lot more money this year on protecting those art collections than we’re going to spend on protecting the biological foundation of agriculture.”
Carey Fowler, Global Crop Diversity Trust
 
“We’ve got good reasons to send our seeds to Svalbard. Of course we’ve got nice facilities here but this facility is very close to the River Rhine.  We don’t know what will happen in the future, what the chances are for the River Rhine to flood this area –we might have problems with fire, whatever... This place is a relatively safe place, but other places in the world have much more risks.”
Dr Bert Visser, Centre for Genetic Resources, Wageningen University
 
 

*  *  *

Doomsday Vault was produced with the support of the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust
 
TVE and its Partners distribute Earth Report programmes for broadcast and educational and campaigning use in countries across Africa, Asia & the Pacific, and Latin America & the Caribbean – to schools, colleges, universities, NGOs, environmental agencies and other ‘multiplier’ organisations.

 

For further information on the programme, production team and issues raised look up www.tve.org/earthreport

TVE APN Newsletter 2008, Issue no. 2

All dark and gloomy, I’m afraid

What seemed to have been a Zimbabwean only, self-imposed, syndrome has now spread through the southern region. Power shortages have become a problem in the south and this will certainly raise energy concerns higher up on the Africa agenda. But has Africa taken into account how climate change – in relation to the energy crisis – will exacerbate the current concerns?

The reason these countries are taking it so hard, even if a good number of other countries in Africa have not had adequate power for decades, is simply because they were not prepared. My two year old already knows what a power cut is and participates in the shutdown procedure when the lights go out - i.e. unplug TV, microwave, fridge and other appliances; light the candles and prepare for a cold dinner. He also knows that when the lights come back, they usually trip out again almost immediately, so you wait for the third count.

If any good must come out of this darkness, then I certainly hope that his generation will develop the ability to see in the dark and, since all you he has sitting in the dark is his mind, then may he increase his computing ability so that by the time he leaves university to get a job he will walk into an office with no computer - and never need one.
- Enock Chinyenze, TVE Regional Coordinator for Africa



Dark days for southern Africa

February 16 2008. By Peter Fabricius and IFS Reporters

The South African government is often urged to cut off power to Zimbabwe to force President Robert Mugabe to behave himself. But, strangely, it turns out that power actually flows the other way. Last month, South Africa imported 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity from its disempowered neighbour. It exported nothing in return, and has not done so for about a year. This anomaly explains little about the odd behaviour of electricity - but a lot more about the parlous state of the regional power network.

The power utilities of SA, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, Malawi and Tanzania are all members of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), a network launched in 1995 to enable its members to buy and sell surplus electricity to their neighbours. At that time, SA had a large surplus and could supply all the needs of the smaller countries. However, like SA, the SAPP exhausted its reserves last year, and is now in deficit of about 1 000MW.

Eskom has contracts to supply Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, but because of the deficit in SA, it now supplies only Botswana (350MW), Lesotho (24MW) and Swaziland (180MW.) Eskom is importing 180MW from the Democratic Republic of Congo and 1,200MW from Mozambique's Cahora Bassa hydroelectric generator - and, intermittently - as with that 100MW last month - small amounts from Zimbabwe and Zambia. This usually happens at about 3am when the demand in these countries is lowest.

So, among the state power utilities of the SAPP, powerhouse SA is actually a net importer of about 750MW. But if you add in Eskom's contractual supplies to specific industrial users, like Mozambique's Mozal aluminium smelter, which takes a whopping 950MW, SA becomes a slight net exporter. But many South Africans are unhappy that the country is exporting electricity at all, while some foreign investors are contemplating suing the SA government for damages to reclaim their losses caused by the power failures.

They plan to argue that SA has violated bilateral investment treaties that demand favourable conditions for investment, including adequate power. Some mining companies are considering seeking compensation in an international court, arguing that they are being discriminated against because Eskom is exporting to the region, while they are being forced to cut production. But Eskom has responded that it must honour existing export contracts and that it exports only around 5 percent of its capacity - about 1 400MW to
1 600 MW.

"Some of the region's utilities are dependent on Eskom for up to 80 percent of their energy needs," Eskom says. "If exports are stopped, these countries would experience substantial energy shortages, which would have a crippling impact on their economies and put additional pressure on SA's socio-economic position. "Zero exports would only have a small impact on reducing domestic load-shedding needs."

Eskom also pointed out that it supplied power only to countries with firm contracts - Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho. To others, like Namibia, it was exporting on a day-ahead basis when excess power was available. Eskom also points out that it is striving to increase its imports from the region. It already gets 1 200MW from Cahora Bassa, 110MW from the DRC's Inga hydroelectric plan and an occasional 100MW from Zambia's Kariba. Eskom is helping to refurbish and extend these and other plants and is negotiating with the DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique.

Most notably, it has an interest in the plans to build Inga 3 and 4 hydroelectric stations on the Congo River, which would supply about 32 000MW to the SAPP grid. Some analysts argue that this clean power has the potential to make the building of further coal and nuclear-powered generators in SA unnecessary, but Eskom seems reluctant to risk further power failure disaster down the road by not building its own capacity. As in SA, mining - now Zimbabwe's biggest earner of foreign currency - is being hit hard.

Botswana lost 25 percent of its power last week to load shedding, partly because Eskom had reduced its contractual quota from 425MW to 350MW last year, while Namibia is scrambling to find alternatives and is bracing itself for a crash soon. Namibia has said it plans to build its own nuclear power station.

This article was originally published on page 4 of The Star on
February 16, 2008


Zimbabwe Jan inflation hits 100,586.2 pct yr/yr

HARARE, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's annual inflation surged to a record 100,580.2 percent in January, up from 66,212.3 percent the previous month, official data showed on Wednesday. The Central Statistical Office said inflation on a monthly basis rose to 120.8 percent in the period, down from 240.1 percent in December but still high enough for a country grappling with a severe economic crisis. Critics say President Robert Mugabe's policies, including the seizure of white-owned farms to resettle blacks, has worsened the crisis. The veteran leader denies the charges. (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe)

Internet Operators Lament Lack of Access in Gambia

Internet Café operators and users have been complaining recently that they cannot access Internet services. They complained that it sometimes takes them two to three hours before they can access the Internet. Internet operators stated that they are having difficulties with their customers due to difficulties in accessing their email accounts.

Most customers who this reporter spoke to said that they cannot understand the slow process of browsing the Internet. They said they buy time which would be exhausted without accessing their emails. Some customers stated that they would buy two to three hours without accessing their mails which is a loss to them.

The Internet café operators within the Kanifing Municipality pinpointed the same problems they have been having since last week. They said it is very difficult for their clients to understand the delay in accessing the internet. They said they have to explain to their customers that the problem emanates from the main service providers. They said customers often ask them to refund them their monies as they cannot access the Internet. They indicated that they are encountering financial losses due to a drop in the number of customers; that they do refund some customers who insist on getting their monies back because of inaccessibility to the internet.

However, Foroyaa investigated the problem and found out that the Internet cable linking Gamtel and Sonatel, in Senegal has been faulty. According to our sources, The Gambia internet traffic passes through Senegal; that their main supply is the Senegalese telco Sonatel.

Yaya Manneh, of the Gamtel Internet Service unit, confirmed their problems pointing out that it was a cable problem emanating from their underground fibre connection with Senegal, which has been cut. But he was quick to add that they are tirelessly working on the problem. He indicated that, at first, they thought the fibre problem emanated from the Senegalese side but it was later discovered that it was from The Gambian side. He also confirmed that Gambia is not yet connected to World Wide Web due to lack of "Marine Cable," which Senegal have for easy access to the World Wide Web. He noted that their main back bone is Senegal. During his interview with the Foryaa newspaper, Manneh received another call saying the problem had been resolved.

(Source: Foroyaa Newspaper)


School Computers Rot in Store in Namibia

The bulk of a N$9 million consignment of computer equipment bought by the Ministry of Education early last year for distribution to 40 schools has not yet reached its intended destinations. The computers have been kept in storage at the Ministry's recently established National Education Technology Service and Support Centre (Netts) in Windhoek.

The reason for the delay appears to be a lack of proper infrastructure at most of the schools identified. Many of the schools, according to Ministry officials, do not have the necessary power points. There is also concern about a lack of security at some of the schools.

Sources in the Ministry are worried that the warranty on the computers could lapse before they are installed. But the Deputy Director at the Ministry, Johan van Wyk, yesterday said that the warranty would only take effect once the computers were installed. "We knew that the computers would be with us for a while, because some of the schools were just not ready yet," he said.

Van Wyk said about a third of the computers had been deployed since the arrival of the last consignment in July last year. This equipment, he said, was sent mostly to Windhoek schools and various colleges of education and vocational training centres across the country. Van Wyk said the Ministry was waiting on its regional directors to confirm that the identified schools were ready for the installation.

"I would rather have them rot here right now than send them to a school where I have no guarantee that they will be safe", added Jens Viëter, Director of the Netts centre.

Both officials rejected claims that the Ministry had been dragging its feet on the matter. "The last batch of the computers only reached us in July, and shortly after that was the start of the exams," Van Wyk said, adding that the Ministry had received a directive from Minister Nangolo Mbumba last year that no other activities were to be undertaken at schools during examinations. He said schools in the Erongo and Karas regions had recently confirmed that they were ready for the computers, and the installation should be done next week.

(Source: The Namibian)

Media news

Mobile Phones to Be Used in Aids Fight in Uganda

An innovative programme that uses cell phone text messages as an interactive tool in improving HIV/Aids sensitisation and education has been introduced in Uganda. The programme is a joint effort of Text to Change (TTC), the Aids Information Centre (AIC) and Celtel Uganda. Text to Change is a non profit organisation which is devoted to improving HIV/Aids education in sub-Saharan Africa. A joint press statement issued by TTC and AIC on Saturday said the pilot programme would officially be launched by the three partners in Mbarara on Valentines Day (February, 14).

According to the statement, the TTC came up with the idea after it realised that by utilising cell phones, HIV/Aids knowledge could reach more people especially the youth who are ignorant of the disease. "The first thing that came to my mind when I learnt about telephones was: if so many people are accessing mobile telephones in Sub Saharan Africa, why not use them for health education?" Text to Change's founder and Marketing Manager Bas Hoefman said.

(source: The Monitor)

Ghana: Metro TV Makes Impact
From a humble beginning, Metro TV has rose to become a force to reckon with in the media landscape in the country and beyond. Established some few years ago, it has made giant strides especially in the sports fraternity, having won the best TV Sports Station Award in succession.

Their exceptional coverage in sports has endeared them to both sports lovers and the non fanatics alike.  What is more, their high sense of news have brought the world closer to its viewers more than before with the telecast of live programs internally and externally.  Emerging as the best TV Station as far as covering the just-ended Africa Cup of Nations is concerned attests to their high high sense of duty and professionalism.

During the biennial soccer fiesta, their behind the scenes activities, live Black Stars updates and their quest to telecast all UEFA Champions League and 24hrs premier league games every Sunday and Monday, the composition of the Black Stars' cheer song by Talal Fattal and Love Ashitey places them far above their competitors.

A few months ago, it embarked on a successful soccer reality show dubbed "MTN Metro TV Soccer Academy" which churned out more soccer potentials. Among the soccer prospects it unveiled is Gideon Baah, whose exceptional speed and ball control saw him reigning supreme in the maiden soccer reality show.  Tomorrow, Metro TV will telecast live the UEFA Champions League game between Liverpool and Inter Milan as well as the Arsenal-AC Milan game on Wednesday all at 8pm.
(Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra), 18 February 2008)


Environment news

Reuters: World switches on to Earth Hour switch-off

Tue Feb 19, By Rob Taylor

CANBERRA (Reuters) - As many as 30 million people are tipped to switch off lights and televisions around the world to help fight climate change with 24 cities joining Earth Hour on March 29, environment group WWF said on Wednesday. Following last year's Earth Hour in Australia, where 2.2 million Sydneysiders powered-down for an hour, cities including Atlanta, San Francisco, Bangkok, Ottawa, Dublin, Vancouver, Montreal and Phoenix have also signed on, WWF said. They joined Copenhagen and Aarhus, Manila, Fiji's capital Suva, Chicago, Tel Aviv, Christchurch, Toronto, Odense and Aalborg, as well as major Australian cities including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and the national capital Canberra.

"If we see the same participation levels around the globe that we did in Sydney, then we can anticipate more than 30 million people involved," said Andy Ridley, Earth Hour's executive director. Earth Hour asks residents in participating cities to switch off lights and non-essential electrical items for one hour at 8 p.m. to raise awareness of carbon emissions that scientists blame for causing global warming. During last year's Sydney event, restaurants used candles and lights were turned off in homes and major landmarks, including the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

This year, Ridley said, other iconic buildings to be plunged into darkness would include San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Chicago's Sears Tower and Soldier Field Stadium football ground, as well as the 553-metre CN Tower in Toronto. "Climate change is a truly global issue and people around the world are demanding action," he said. During last year's Earth Hour in Sydney, essential lights were kept on for safety reasons, including street lights. Power provider Energy Australia said the event cut electricity consumption by 10.2 percent.

(Editing by David Fogarty)


South Africa: Paying the Price for Mining

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: One legacy of South Africa's extensive mineral deposits is the infrastructure and wealth of the country. But another more troubling legacy is emerging as an increasingly urgent problem: environmental contamination from over 100 years of mining that could severely pollute the country's water, affecting the food chain and citizens' health. The magnitude of the potential problem has government agencies scrambling to coordinate a response to a relatively new issue for the regulatory bodies. "The truth of the matter is that as a nation we don't know how to deal with this problem because it has never happened to us before," said Dr Anthony Turton, a leading water researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). "This was always suppressed before because people didn't matter in the pre-1994 South Africa. All we've done so far is see the tip of the iceberg. We certainly don't have any coherent government strategies yet." http://allafrica.com/stories/200802150815.html


Namibia: Dune Belt to Be Protected

New Era (Windhoek): The dune belt between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay will be declared a protected area to safeguard the area from further deterioration. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism said on Tuesday it would submit a notice to the Cabinet to proclaim the area between the Walvis Bay, including Kuiseb Delta and Swakopmund up to the Swakop River mouth, a protected area on its own or to be incorporated into the existing Namibia Naukluft Park. The National West Coast Recreation Area will also become a national park in a move to protect the coastal areas from further damage. These measures, which will be finalized by June this year and be implemented fully before end of year holiday season, follow the ministry's failed attempts to get cooperation from drivers of off-road vehicles who continue to drive in prohibited areas. In a statement the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Permanent Secretary, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, said urgent action had to be taken against uncontrolled off-road driving in the dune belt between the two towns and the National West Coast Recreational Area to reduce further damage to the country's ecologically sensitive coastal areas. http://allafrica.com/stories/200802150353.html


Namibia: Community Forests a Boon

New Era (Windhoek): Community forests last year generated more than N$300 000 for rural communities living in the north-east of Namibia. Since 2005, communities in the project areas in Kavango, Caprivi and Otjozondjupa regions have derived an income by marketing forestry products such as timber and firewood, poles, wild fruits, devil's claw, thatching grass, tourism, honey from bee-keeping, wildlife, weaved baskets and crafts. About 16 registered forests earned the N$310 000 collectively. The advent of the forests has led to improved forest resource management and livelihoods of local people based on the empowerment of local communities with forest use rights. Based on the Forest Act of 2001, the project assists local communities to establish their own community forests, and to manage and utilize them in a sustainable manner. There are currently 20 000 beneficiaries in registered community forests in the three regions who manage the gazetted community forests. http://allafrica.com/stories/200802150530.html


Africa: Rwanda, Uganda, DRC Sign $92m Eco-Bid

East African Business Week (Kampala): Rwanda, Uganda and the DR Congo have launched a massive joint conservation programme in the Central Albertine rift. Embedded in a 10-year action plan, with a 30- year vision, the joint transboundary conservation programme aims at protecting the environment in the Central Albertine rift and wild lives in it. The three countries have devotedly agreed to protect the world's endangered species in the Central Albertine rift which is a major contributor to their tourism package. The joint transboundary conservation campaign that was recently launched in Kigali and attended by bosses of three wild life conservation authorities from Rwanda, Uganda and DRC , seeks about $92million in ten years to kick off. The plan started in 2006 and ends in 2016. http://allafrica.com/stories/200802190071.html


Nigeria: Gas Flaring - FG's Statement Embarrassing - ERA

Vanguard (Lagos): Alleged conflicting statements from the Federal Government on gas flare-out deadlines since January 1, 2008, when it ought to have taken effect constitute a clear indication that it does not have the muscle to clip the wings of oil multinationals that have deliberately frustrated any attempt at halting flaring in the Niger Delta, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has said. The environmental justice group in a statement in Lagos said government has refused to come out with a clear position on the December 31, 2008 deadline, adding that conflicting pronouncements from Ministers of State in the Energy Ministry on one hand, and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on the other, have become an embarrassment to the entire nation. http://allafrica.com/stories/200802190350.html


Uganda: Hima Cement to Extract Limestone From Queen Elizabeth National Park

New Vision (Kampala): The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has permitted Hima Cement to mine limestone in Queen Elizabeth National Park, a UNESCO designated reserve. UWA's decision followed wide consultations with various stakeholders, according to a press statement signed by Lillian Nsubuga, the public relations manager. "UWA supports the initiatives being taken by Hima Cement to boost the production of cement in Uganda. The board of trustees has authorised the executive director to sign a permit for Hima to mine limestone in the park," she said. She urged Hima to prevent soil run-offs from getting into rivers and deposit waste generated outside the park. Another mitigation measure Hima must implement is the restoration of the environment by ensuring that the top soil washed away is stored and managed so that it retains its biological and physical properties. http://allafrica.com/stories/200802190435.html


Angola: Large Amount of Fish Floats At Luanda Bay

Angola Press Agency (Luanda): At least one ton of dead fish is since Monday night floating at Luanda Island Bay, Angop learned. A team involving officers of the fiscal police, Fisheries Ministry and Port Authority inspectors is working to collect the fish for incineration. Speaking to Angop, the provincial director for Fisheries and Environment, Júlio Sebastião de Carvalho, said tests carried out by the Fishery Investigation Institute showed that the death of the fish is not associated with any kind of contamination. He said it is believed that fishermen may have caught the fish and lacking facilities to preserve it decided to return the haul to the sea, adding another team is investigating to find those responsible. Julião de Carvalho also assured there is not need of a Luanda Bay ban as the water is not contaminated. http://allafrica.com/stories/200802191412.html

TVE APN Newsletter 2008, Issue no. 1

Been a long time coming…

I’m happy to now resume the TVE APN weekly newsletter that I started circulating mid last year and then took a break before our annual meeting in Kampala. This newsletter is a digest of general news related to the fields and regions we are working in. I do not have a software managed mailing list, so I literally run an old fashioned system where I plug in wires, turn knobs and crank wheels to get it going. In this case then, if you would not like to continue receiving the newsletters then you have to come over to Nairobi in person and tell me why not… or you could send me an email and I will pull a few wires to get you off this list.

The main objective here though is to feed you back information about what you are all doing so I would also appreciate you sending a homing pigeon once in a while with current updates or press information you would like me to publish. This Newsletter is also published on the APN Blog - http://tveafrica.blogspot.com/  If you have missed any newsletters, be sure to visit the archives.

This first issue is a quick update on what has been happening around the African media scene and, of course, the usual environment push. I look forward to a year of close communications - Enock Chinyenze, TVE Regional Coordinator for Africa

Media News

Namibia: Hundreds Audition for Local TV Drama Series
Some 500 first-time, established and would-be Namibian actors have auditioned for Namibia's first fully fledged 26-part television drama series soon to be shot on location in the capital.  The series to be known as 'Things that Bind Us' is to be produced before the end of June by Optimedia of Abius Akwaake, who was also involved as a producer in the making of the feature film, Namibia: The Liberation Struggle.

"The response has just been overwhelming after my company had advertised extensively in the local print and electronic media during last year. This gives me hope for the future of the film industry in our country," said Akwaake, the producer of the series to be screened on NBC-tv by June this year.

The series was part of the NBC's commissioning television film system in 2007 and was given to Optimedia.  "We are well on our way in completing the episodic scripts of which the first ten have already been submitted for final approval to the NBC commissioning editor. We are confident that the scripts will be accepted, after which time shooting on the serious will commence in and around the capital," he said.

According to Akwaake, the final character selection process has not gone very smoothly.  "White character roles are still wide open due to the fact that so few white Namibian actors showed any interest and responded to our public call. This can be ascribed to the fact that white Namibians do not watch NBC and the fact that the series is produced and will be screened by the national broadcaster”.
(New Era (Windhoek), 1 February 2008)

Uganda: Museveni Criticised Over CNN Deal
The Democratic Party (DP) has criticised President Yoweri Museveni for allegedly playing a key role in the $1million (Shs. 1.7billion) six-month deal with CNN to market Uganda as a top tourist destination in Africa.

Party President John Ssebaana Kizito said on Tuesday that Museveni's alleged involvement in the deal discredited the Office of the President. "Giving contracts to relatives and friends is President Museveni's tradition especially when there is a juicy deal which is wrong," Ssebaana said.

Ssebaana's remarks follow a revelation by Ministry of Trade Permanent Secretary, Dr. Sam Nahamya that President Museveni pushed him to flout procurement laws to seal the deal.
Source: The Monitor (Kampala)

South Africa: Icasa may shut new free broadcaster
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) warned on Friday that it could block Free2View's satellite signal, or take other action, if the UK-based free-to-air broadcaster continued operating without a licence.  Free2View launched its satellite broadcasting services last week, which will provide consumers with access to a variety of channels; such as live news programmes and documentaries for free. Consumers will only make a once-off payment of R1,400 (US$194) for a decoder and a satellite dish.  Icasa, which regulates the broadcasting and telecoms sectors, has not issued Free2View with a licence or permission to operate. Any entity that planned to provide a broadcasting service in South Africa requires a licence and any attempt to provide such service without one constituted a criminal offence, Icasa said. If Free2View continued operating, Icasa could approach the court for an interdict to stop its operations.

Kenya: Pay-TV Firms Plan More Content At Reduced Rates
Local Pay-Television viewers will enjoy more content at reduced prices as competition for subscribers among two players hots up.  The protagonists- MultiChoice Kenya and GTV- have unveiled their game plan for 2008 that will see them improve packages and offer lower prices, a move that sets the stage for a bruising battle for control of the local Pay-TV market that has remained sluggish over the past decade.

Now, both players are dangling the pricing card as a way to stir up the Pay-TV market, which for long has been considered a luxury in most homes.  This, besides expanding their number of channels, notably with more local content, is emerging as the best bet to crack the lucrative although difficult Pay-TV market.

The latest entrant, GTV, is promising to cut its rates to below those charged by market leader MultiChoice Kenya as it races to maintain a foothold in the local market.  GTV maintains that the penetration of services in the Pay-TV arena has been held back by high installation fees and monthly charges.

Earlier, GTV was talking of a price drop of up to Sh700 (US$10.35) per month, over a period they did not specify.  MultiChoice Kenya, on the other hand, is working on another round of price cuts as it seeks to grow and defend its market turf from GTV and Oxygen Digital Television.

The Pay-TV scene has witnessed a number of price cuts in the past six months since GTV entered the local market, prompting a shift in the market structure where MultiChoice had maintained a monopoly.

MultiChoice was the first to lower prices to Sh1,750 (US$25.88) for a bundle of 33 channels before the entry of GTV that arrived with two bundles of 15 and 13 channels selling for Sh2,750 (US$40.67) and Sh1,750 (US$25.88) respectively.  The GTV entry forced MultiChoice to unveil another lower cost bundle of 27 channels for Sh1,350 (US$19.96).  Another round of price adjustments is aimed at stirring up the sluggish demand for Pay-TV products.

In Kenya, despite booming growth in telecommunications such as the online and mobile phone sectors, few Kenyans subscribe to TV services that charge a monthly fee.  Of three million households in the country with TVs, fewer than 30,000-or one per cent - subscribe.

This compares poorly with the two per cent penetration levels in Africa, 93 per cent penetration in the United States and Europe whose penetration levels range between 15 and 36 per cent.  MultiChoice is working on a strategy that will see it increase channels with more local content.  GTV is also promising new channels and "better content" in 2008 and beyond.
(Business Daily (Nairobi), 28 January 2008)

South Africa: Cape Town backs 'film city' with R30m
The City of Cape Town is making R30-million available to restart the development of the Dreamworld Film City project, which is still hoping to turn the eastern suburbs of Cape Town into a southern-hemisphere Hollywood.

Simon Grindrod of the Independent Democrats, mayoral committee member for economic development and tourism, said on Wednesday, after the spending was approved by the city council that his department has spearheaded efforts to make available the city's R30-million contribution -- in terms of the provision of bulk infrastructure for the Dreamworld film studio.

"This project represents the single biggest opportunity to secure billions of rands' more income for the city in terms of film production and associated industries," he said. "The Cape Town film industry is estimated to be worth R20-billion."

South African film producer Anant Singh was chosen to build the country's first major Hollywood-style film studio in Cape Town four years ago. It was to be built on the Vergenoegd Farm in Faure off the N2 just outside Somerset West.

That decision came four years after the construction of a mega film studio in the city was first proposed by the Western Cape provincial government.

South Africa: State Plan for Digital TV to Go to Cabinet
The communications department says it will give the cabinet its long-awaited proposals on the move from analogue to digital terrestrial TV by the end of March.  The strategy will include government recommendations on subsidising the set-top boxes required to receive digital signals and on whether the boxes would be made in SA or imported.

"In order to continue viewing TV using the current analogue TV sets, the public will be required to use set-top boxes, which convert the transmitted digital signal to analogue," Deputy Communications Minister Roy Padayachie said last week at the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation conference in Sandton.  "Otherwise it will be necessary to acquire digital-enabled TV sets.”

"Efforts should be made to explore developing capacities to manufacture set-top boxes locally to meet the local demand rather than importing them from abroad," Padayachie said.

Last year the cabinet approved the strategy to switch on the digital signal from this November. There would then be a "dual illumination" period until the analogue signal was switched off in November 2011. This would be four years ahead of international recommendations.

Sentech, the state-funded telecoms group responsible for rolling out the project, has said the cost of supplying SA's 7- million TV viewers now without set-top boxes could be R2,8bn-R4,2bn -- depending on the cost of the boxes.  SA has 8,2-million TV watching households, 1,2-million of them on MultiChoice's DStv digital offering.

Three newly licensed pay-TV operators -- ODM, Telkom Media and MultiChoice, which was operating until now without a licence -- are awaiting a decision on the interoperability of the boxes. This enables multiple digital broadcasters to be received on any set-top box, regardless of who distributed it.

It is understood that some of the new operators were keen for the boxes to be opened up as this would let them use MultiChoice's existing network.  MultiChoice, however, was not as keen as it believed this would make upgrading the boxes' software difficult.  It was up to the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) regulator to decide whether the boxes could be interoperable.

Icasa chairman Paris Mashile indicated that interoperability would make sense.  Introducing "a common box with different encryptions is the most logical thing to do", he said.  "It is key, from an Icasa point of view, that these boxes are inter-operable."
(Business Day (Johannesburg), 31 January 2008)


Google Starts Recruitment Plan to Up Clout in Africa
Internet search company Google Kenya's Nairobi office is searching for five senior executives for its African operations, laying the foundation for a looming market share battle on the continent.

The Nairobi office serves as the company's African headquarters. The five senior managers are expected to complement nine other senior level appointments who are already working in the continent.

Advertisements posted on Google's website indicate that the company is looking for people with local expertise in marketing, logistics as well as technical support. Google is also searching for office leads in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria and Senegal.

Some of the positions were advertised and filled early last year, but the company says the current recruitment should help strengthen the company's operations. The move comes amid increasing finding that emerging markets such as Africa are poised to become the next frontier of growth for global Internet companies.

Less than five per cent of the African population is currently hooked on the Internet.

Locally, Google appears to be pursuing a low key strategy, with its most notable achievements so far being a partnership with tertiary educational institutions to support students. It has also entered into an agreement with mobile phone service provider Safaricom to offer e-mail and data services to Safaricom's subscribers.

The service is expected to offer the first formal Internet experience for millions of rural Kenyans. This partnership has also offered Safaricom a platform to launch a local version of Google Maps to add to its growing portfolio of Internet based services.

Google Kenya will be looking for Associate Product Marketing, Geographic Consultant, Office Associate, Strategic Partner Development (SPD), Local Markets, and Technical Support Associate.
(Source: Business Daily)


Nigeria: Much scepticism about OPLC project
One Lap Top Per Child Project has been putting a brave face on the pull-out of Intel from its project. However, the tide of scepticism is growing about the project as it seems to have failed to gain traction in terms of sales to developing countries that must be the acid test of its success. The analysis below a journalist from Nigeria’s This Day summarises many of the reasons – both rational and irrational – that the project will find hard to overcome.

With the expectations built around the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project initiated by Nicholas Negroponte and the recent hiccups/challenges it faces following the pull out of Intel, Efem Nkanga of This Day assesses the viability of the project for Nigeria and other developing countries

If you embark on a tour of public schools in Nigeria, your senses will be assaulted by the level of decay and rot in the schools. Many places of learning in the country today have become obsolete centres with no chairs and tables for the children to sit, the buildings are dilapidated and it is not uncommon to see children in some parts of the country taking lessons under trees and in some other places they take their own chairs to school.

All these in a major oil producing country in the world, a giant of Africa ,with over 140,000,000 million people and still counting, a country that cannot be described as poor, a country blessed with enviable natural resources, a country referred to by some as the headquarters of the Almighty, filled with highly religious people, yet engulfed by decay, corruption and lawlessness.

This is why when Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the "One laptop per child" visited Nigeria to solicit for the participation and partnership of the Nigerian government in the project sometime last year, many stakeholders wondered where the initiative that would have cost the Nigerian government over US$200 million would lead to. The project would have made laptops available to about one million Nigerian children. But since that visit was broadcast with Negroponte shaking the hands of President Obasanjo in a seemingly conclusive way with assurances on both sides for money and laptops to change hands, nothing has come out of the deal. Now the recent announcement by Intel's rival body that had joined the OLPC project after initially criticising Negroponte has in recent times not only raised doubts about the initiative but called to question the viability of the project for Nigeria.

Stakeholders see the action of Intel, which has its own rival laptop for children called the classmate PC as a pointer showing that the OLPC project might after all be a dream that cannot fly. Intel joined the OLPC board which began production of the laptops in China less than six months ago in a collaborative effort that will make millions of the laptop available in some developing countries. The questions begging for answers at the moment is why did Intel really pull out? While some are of the view that Intel pulled out after getting information about the inner workings of the project team, others are of the view that Intel might have stumbled on a managerial and technical error within the OLPC project management team that showed that the project was going no where soon or a clash of interest that will negatively affect Intel's own initiative could not be resolved. Though Intel's boss came out a few days ago to clarify that Intel pulled out because the OLPC team wanted it to stop the promotion of its own Classmate PCs, many are still nonplussed and not sure of what really went wrong.

What effects will the pull out have for Nigeria, given the fact that the country had shown interest in the project in 2006? Stakeholders in the information technology sector have diverse opinions as to the viability of the project for Nigeria. In the first place, because of the rot in the education system in the country in recent years, a lot of people are of the opinion that there are other critical areas begging for attention in the sector that the US$200 million could solve. The laptop in question, a green and white coloured XO machine designed specifically for children has a hand crank that the children can pull when it runs down. It's a rugged laptop said to have been built with the harsh conditions in developing countries in mind. The laptops initially expected to cost only $100 though now costs $188 due to increased production cost and would no doubt translate to double costs that would be borne by the beneficiaries.

Nigeria's interest in the initiative raised questions in some quarters given the fact that in most public schools, amenities are totally lacking and most students don't even have chairs to sit on. They don't have books, and other basic ingredients that make learning conducive and attractive, so how can a laptop make a difference when the main substances required to make the right pudding is not there.

Dr Igwe Aja-Nwachuku, Nigeria's Minister of Education is one of the many Nigerians who are skeptical of the project. He once remarked that the education ministry was more interested in laying a solid foundation for quality, efficient, accessible, and affordable education and wondered "What is the sense of introducing One Laptop per Child when children don't have seats to sit down and learn; when they don't have uniforms to go to school in, where they don't have facilities?"
Many Nigerians would have been more receptive and tolerant of the one laptop per child initiative if the project promoters were offering these laptops free to Nigerian children. Then and only then will people really believe that they are really out to better the lot of the children, but a situation where you seemingly give with one hand and take back with the other is not acceptable to a people already struggling with several challenges that impede their development.

Some also see the laptops as toys that would not stand the test of time. Children are notorious for using their toys for a short while and discarding them and what happens when it gets broken or malfunctions, where do they take it for repairs and who pays for the repairs?

Going forward, the reality is that such an initiative for now is not the solution to the educational quagmire that the nation is presently battling. Other things that are more pressing in the sector should be tackled first before such funds is wasted on a wide goose chase leading nowhere and ultimately benefiting no one, certainly not the Nigerian child.
(Source: This Day)

Environment News

Business Daily (Nairobi): Company executives are increasingly viewing environmental concerns as an integral part of their strategy making efforts, a new global survey indicates. The renewed interest comes against the backdrop of a recent tilt in climate change debate in favour of activists, who have for nearly two decades been warning about the negative impact of human activity on the global climate. The McKinsey Quarterly survey found that the majority of executives now view environmental concerns as important for their companies seeing both opportunity and risk. In Kenya, a number of companies have integrated environmental concerns in their daily activities pointing to ties between the national and global economy. Companies that have gone big on environmental conservation include Kenya Airways and Kenya Airports Authority - which are most exposed to the impact of any initiatives to curb global warming. To shield themselves from exposure to the ongoing drive to curb aviation industry's contribution to greenhouse gases that are being blamed for global warming, KQ and KAA have started tree planting projects that they hope will help absorb some of the harmful emissions from the planes. http://allafrica.com/stories/200802111073.html


Tanzania: Dar Gets Mercury Contamination Warning
The East African (Nairobi): The unregulated use of mercury by small-scale miners in Tanzania is a standing danger to both life and the environment. According to Prof Okey Ibeanu, special rapporteur for the UN on toxic waste, while the government has the mechanisms in place to deal with issues of chemical management, the high incidence of unregulated small-scale mining around the country is a cause for worry. Prof Ibeanu says he has witnessed first hand small-scale miners using mercury in the mineral extraction process without proper safety equipment. In some cases, the miners do not have adequate information about the effects of mercury on their health nor about the dangers of improper disposal of tailings and effect on their lives and the environment. http://allafrica.com/stories/200802111560.html

 

TVE Press Release - Earth Report Forgotten Fruit

Earth Report - Forgotten Fruit

 
 
 
14 February 2008: Seventy-five per cent of the food crop varieties we once grew have disappeared in the last 100 years. Today we rely on just three – wheat, rice and maize – for over two thirds of our calories.
 
The trend toward standardised food crops has been accelerated by the global push to modernise agriculture, and by the ‘Green Revolution’ of the 1960s and ‘70s which led to higher yielding crop varieties that helped end famine in India and feed an expanding world population. But now some scientists are concerned we may have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. They worry that the drive to improve a few crops may have led to the neglect of many other, traditional crops potentially vital to future global food security. Earth Report goes to India and Italy to find out how, with more investment, crops of the past may be the foods of the future.
 
Earth Report – Forgotten Fruit will be broadcast on BBC WORLD:
 
Friday 15 February - 20.30, with repeat broadcasts on Monday 18 February 10.30, Tuesday 19 February 15.30 and Wednesday 20 February 02.30 and 08.30 (All times quoted as GMT)
 
For more information on programme schedules in local time zones visit www.bbcworld.com
 
In the Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu, Southern India, agronomists are working with local farmers to reintroduce millet. In recent decades millet has fallen out of favour as farmers have moved to cash crops like cassava instead, and used the profits to buy rice. Millet is highly nutritious and very hardy. The downside is that processing the grain for eating takes time and effort. Because of this, millet is one of the so-called ‘orphan crops’ – crops which have no commercial value and so don’t attract investment from scientific improvers.  But with some real investment and development, millet could be a valuable contributor to world food security - especially with the threat of climate change leading to increasing drought and flood.
 
In Italy, Isabella Dalla Ragione runs the Associazone Archeologia Arborea. She seeks out forgotten fruit varieties that are no longer cultivated and grows them in her orchard. So far she has amassed 400 different fruit varieties that might otherwise have become extinct. She is working with the University of Perugia to determine how these rare fruits could become commercially-viable crops once more.
 
Meanwhile Indian researchers from the University of Bangalore are busy breeding millet varieties to make them more disease-resistant and higher yielding  - and building machines that make processing less arduous. The net result of all this investment is that local shops are now selling millet for the first time, and - if the market takes off - fields of millet could once again be a common sight in the Kolli Hills.
 
 
“I think the environments are going to be more unpredictable so we need crops that are going to be safe, therefore we need to think about food security rather than food production.”
Sayed Azam-Ali, Professor of Tropical Agronomy, University of Nottingham, UK
 
“It's not just a nostalgic view because some of these [traditional] varieties are very good, very good to sell, good smell and good flavour and so why lose, why throw away? So they are our past and they can also be our future.”
Isabella Dalla Ragione, Associazone Archeologia Arborea
 
“These grains are going to be important. The rich people are becoming more health-conscious. There are more diabetics in India than in any other country. Therefore, your crops have a great future, don't abandon them.” Professor M S Swaminathan, Chairman, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation
 

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Forgotten Fruit was produced with the support of Bioversity, Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Species and IFAD.
 
TVE and its Partners distribute Earth Report programmes for broadcast and educational and campaigning use in countries across Africa, Asia & the Pacific, and Latin America & the Caribbean – to schools, colleges, universities, NGOs, environmental agencies and other ‘multiplier’ organisations.

 

Contacts and information:
For further information on the programme, production team and issues raised look up www.tve.org/earthreport
For further information about Earth Report – contact Nick Rance, Earth Report: tel. +44 20 7901 8837; email: nick.rance@tve.org.uk
For tape or DVD orders – contact Dina Junkermann, TVE distribution manager: tel. +44 20 7901 8834; email: dina.junkermann@tve.org.uk