BLADE

Nestlé dumps Grace

It took three days for food giant Nestlé to backtrack. When it was first revealed that the firm bought milk from Grace Mugabe´s farm they defended themselves.

After facing the possiblity of new consumer boycotts they announced that they will "discontinue" business with the estate that was forcibly taken over by the president´s henchmen, and then given to his wife. Civil society pressure still works!

Now it has also been revealed that the Swedish company Delaval has supplied dairy equipment to Grace Mugabe's Gushungu Dairy Estate, according to SW Radio news. The Swedes did not do their homework, claiming that "the Mugabe name was never mentioned". As if it would have been.

Jan Speed

Nestlè's blood milk

The news that Nestlé Zimbabwe buys milk from Gushungo Dairy Estate, a farm taken over by Grace Mugabe, wife of President Robert Mugabe, once again tarnishes the reputation of the Swiss multinational.

Again the company hides behind an altruistic facade: "By providing basic food products to Zimbabweans, the company aimed to meet the needs of the population, which was mostly vulnerable and disadvantaged, " writes the Mail & Guardian.

This is blood-milk bought from a husband and wife team who have the blood of hundreds of opposisjon activists on their hands, and who have contributed to the food shortages in the country by the forced takeovers of commercial farms and the ruining for the economy. Harsh violence is behind the Mugabes farm takeovers.

Journalist Peta Thornycroft has revealed that the white owned commercial farms that have been taken over have not been given to poor farmers, but doled out to the Zanu-PF elite. Robert and Grace Mugabe own 12 farms between them.
Jan Speed

One Zim dollar

When I took out this Zimbabwe 1 dollar coined in 1980, to ask people in Harare what it would buy me, they just laughed.

"We are all Americans now," said one man, referring to the fact that   the Zim-dollar was ditched by the country's unity government in February in favour of foreign currencies. Now the US dollar ensures that food, petrol and clothes are again available.

My coin was valued at around one US dollar at the time of being minted in the immediate post-independence euphoria. By the time it was buried earlier this year more than 100 trillion such coins would not have bought a loaf of bread.

Since 1997 the old government of President Robert Mugabe paid for what it could not afford by printing ever larger wads of money in ever higher denominations. This drove up inflation. The politically inspired invasion of commercial farms for the benefit of Mugabe's cronies, further undermined the economy.

Now Zimbabweans see that there are things to be bought.

"I do not have cash to buy these things. Here we still barter tomatoes for maize," tell a farmer.

State employees are getting restless. Doctors have already been on strike. Other groups are sure to follow. A family cannot live easily on US $ 150,- a month in the cities. It will be a difficult spring for the so-called inclusive government to negotiate.

Jan Speed

Attacked by Western NGOs

Damisa Moyo, author of ”Dead Aid – Why Aid is Not Working and How There is Another Way for Africa” was recently in Oslo. She told of Western reactions to her book and about the need for African governments to be forced to take responsibility for their own development.

Here she talks to Bistandsaktuelt’s journalist, Are Føli.

Download Moyo170409

 

 

Norwegian development policy to focus on climate, conflict and capital

 

(Photo credit: Amila de Saram Larssen)

 

Amila de Saram Larssen

 

White Paper (#13) on Norwegian development policy was presented by Minister of Development and the Environment, Erik Solheim, in Oslo today.  

The title of the paper loosely translates as, “Climate, conflict and capital: Norwegian development policy in a new environment.”

 

The document seeks to address the new challenges facing the world today such as climate change, conflict and capital. Minister Solheim underscored the fact that the White Paper was not about development aid, but rather about forces driving development in general.  The paper addresses the important role of private investment, remittances, economic crises, etc. in addition to development aid, in bringing about development.

The policy paper has been approved by the government and will be up for debate in parliament at a later date.

The document is not available in English for the moment. 

 

You can watch a webcast of the launch here.

Water rich Nepal plagued by poor power supply

Navin Singh Khadka 

Hydropower development has always been a favourite slogan of Nepalese politicians.

For years they have cited the country’s more than 6,000 gushing rivers and rivulets and sold the Nepalese people the dream of becoming rich by exporting hydroelectricity to power starved India, its neighbor to the South.

Nepal’s water resources indeed have the estimated potential of generating more than 80,000 megawatt of power.

Journalist Ahmed Rashid paints bleak picture of Pakistan’s future

Amila de Saram Larssen

Ahmed Rashid, well known Pakistani author and journalist, is in Oslo and presented his thoughts on “What next for Pakistan? Domestic and Regional Challenges” at a standing-room only talk at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) this morning.

Rashid listed some of the most pressing challenges facing Pakistan including its history of poor civil and military relations, an economic meltdown, the growing threat of extremism and worsening relations with India.

Aid to fight corruption in developing countries not effective

In the mid-nineties, donors started to place more emphasis on anti-corruption efforts in aid. Norad’s Evaluation Department, in cooperation with five other evaluation offices, commissioned a literature review that looks at how effective this effort has been. 

 

The review indicates limited success in  aid funded anti-corruption efforts.  Major findings include:

• There are few evident successes, and the results of specific anti-corruption efforts have been limited.

• Fight against corruption requires political support, good laws and a functioning court system - all of which are often lacking in poor countries.

Interview with Justin Lin, World Bank Chief Economist

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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.

Accused architect of corruption lands in Tanzanian court

 

(Photo Credit: Kizito Makoye)

Kizito Makoye, Dar es Salaam 

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.