One of the bloggers lives outside the continent, the rest are African bloggers writing from Africa.
Characterised as a “gateway to the African blogosphere,” the Forum seeks to present a positive and nuanced picture of Africa in Norway and around the world.
Recent blog posts range in topic from micro finance to Kenyan politics to the oil business in Nigeria.
Click here to participate in The Africa Blog Forum and to get a snapshot of the blogging landscape in Africa.
It is ironic that the Peace Conference Simulation on Sri Lanka taking place at the University of Oslo this week comes at a moment when the conflict in Sri Lanka is at an all time high.
After many months of high intensity fighting in the North and East of the country, the Sri Lankan army announced yesterday the capture of Mullaittivu, the last town to be held by the Tamil Tigers. Many, including aid workers and diplomats, fear for the safety of thousands of civilians caught in the fighting.
I interviewed University students from Sri Lanka participating in the project asking them what they hoped to get out of the Peace Conference Simulation and if they thought that peace talks might commence any time soon in Sri Lanka. Listen to what they had to say:
Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, was in Oslo for the 50th anniversary conference of NUPI (Norwegian Institute for International Affairs) and shared his thoughts on Barack Obama's leadership style and the ways in which the new administration is likely to engage with the world.
Sharon L. Camp, President and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, was in Oslo today and shared her thoughts on the upcoming Obama presidency and its implications for sexual and reproductive health in the developing world.
Founded 40 years ago, The Guttmacher Institute aims to advocate for sexual and reproductive health in the United States and worldwide though social science research , policy analysis and public education.
Per-Ivar Nikolaisen of Bistandsaktelt interviews Justin Lin on the the World Bank's response to the current financial crisis, the role of China in the mitigation of the crisis and Lin's personal experience as the first non-European chief economist of the World Bank. The interview took place at Litteraturhuset in Oslo on January 12, 2009.
Naeem Gire, the architect of a corruption scandal which forced the resignation of a former Prime Minister, was arrested yesterday and charged with forgery, uttering false documents, and giving false information to persons employed in public service on the capacity of Richmond Development Company.
Naeem Gire was brought before a local magistrate amid tight security to answer the charges of forgery to which he pleaded not guilty.
The report presents Save the Children Norway’s Thematic Evaluation of children’s participation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Guatemala, Nepal and Uganda from 2006-2008.
13 children and youth from the four study countries participated in the launch and workshop and shared with the audience some of the tools they used to explore their experiences of armed conflict, and their understanding of peace building. Presentations included songs, a risk map, peace albums, and drawings.
Justin Lin, chief economist at the World Bank was recently in Oslo and spoke of the impact of the current financial and economic crisis on high-income countries like the US and Norway, emerging markets like China and on low-income countries.
In the clip below, Lin outlines strategies to cope with the crisis, including what he terms, "a Marshall Plan for Development."
Alex Kirby, of Panos London provides a good introduction to the issue of climate change. He looks at the causes of climate change, the likely effects, and various mitigation strategies.
According to Kirby, "a serious response to the threat of climate change will need policy choices by and between governments, on both mitigation and adaptation. Preventing climate change is impossible, because the amount of long-lasting greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere means it would continue warming for 30 years or more even if emissions stopped overnight."
About 70 percent of the resources meant for scaling up the fight against HIV/AIDS do not get to the intended population but instead end up being used on costly administrative and bureaucratic management systems, according to a report by the National AIDS Council (NAC) and the Ministry of Health.
According to the National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA) technical report, a public expenditure tracking system, significant portions of resources being deployed are not getting to the intended targets.
