High-level talks at a Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) meeting in Gaborone last week failed to produce an agreement on the signing of the interim economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union. A week after the trade ministers of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Angola and Mozambique - the SADC-EPA configuration - met in Botswana's capital there is still no clarity about the region's position on a trade deal with the European Union (EU).

Can a joint approach to governance assessment help to improve aid effectiveness? What can be learned from the first Joint Governance Assessment (JGA) undertaken in Rwanda during 2008? A JGA aims to bring government and development partners together to review governance performance based on commonly agreed indicators. This brief from The Policy Practice recommends that such an assessment can prove to be helpful to advancing dialogue, but is likely to be a long-term and difficult process that is only suited to particular circumstances where the process can address joint concerns of government and donors.

The European Union is not yet ready to establish normal ties with Zimbabwe or resume aid despite a "positive evolution" in politics there, according to a letter made public Thursday. "The EU shares your opinion that there are indications of a positive evolution of the political situation in Zimbabwe," the bloc said in a letter to John Kaputin, secretary general of African, Caribbean and Pacific nations.

The West African Development Bank (BOAD) has loaned Mali a bout US$14 million for the partial financing of road projects in the capital, Bamako. Official sources said the money would be used to help build a multiple interchan geat La Paix roundabout in Bamako, develop the city section of the Main Road (RN 5) and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue.

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade on Thursday granted audience to the head of Madagascar’s transitional authority, Andry Rajoelina, the Senegalese press Agency (APS) reported. “I am leaving with a feeling of relief in the sense that the situation which prevails in Madagascar has been clarified to President Wade who is leading mediation between the two parties,” said Mr Rajoelina, who ousted President Marc Ravalomanana in March.

Dibussi reviews the following blogs:

Edirisa
Rafiki Kenya
OoTheNigerian
Agendia Aloysius
Scribbles from the Den

With this year's now announced, Mildred Kiconco Barya interviews Leila Aboulela, the 2000 winner of the prize.

With this year's now announced, Mildred Kiconco Barya interviews Helon Habila, the 2001 winner of the prize.

I feel the intensity of the pressure crushing me
In this ocean of a world, I remain confused
Am I the gushing waves or the solid rocks?
However the perspective, I am crushed
Left wishing I were the sand, inconsequential
Indifferent observer in the war of futility

As the tide subsides
I wait impatiently for the wind of fortune
To carry the grains of my persona
With the unfulfilled aspirations of my father’s mother
I pray for the salty waters of perspiration
To soak in my negative-ism and negative-ity

I see a thousand different ways I could have chosen to go down
Ignorance, Poverty, Vainglory
I choose the bullet of idealism
That should the world not hear my scream, they’d feel the thud
Of aspirations ignored, of dreams deferred, of dead passion
Ideological death that will resurrect into curiosity for those to come

Let the scarlet pigmentation soak into the soils
Let it be impossible to wash it away in wishful thought
Let it seep into the essence that was humanity
Let it be the cause of delirium
Let it ring
Hollow

In the morning
Let them whisper in murmuring tremors
Of the lies written in historical epithets
Let them confess for deprivation of an identity
Of a rich heritage that would shame their lack of culture
Let them name me after my forefathers and not theirs

For I am of them that history corrupted their story

http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/435/56583_TAR's_final_journey_… tribute to the passing of a giant of Pan-Africanism, Pambazuka News devotes this edition to the life and inspirational work of Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem. Following Tajudeen's tragic death in a car accident on 25 May, Pambazuka has seen a huge response from those wishing to pay their respects and salute a true colossus of African liberation. In inspired remembrance, Pambazuka's editor in chief Firoze Manji rounds up the overwhelming wave of tributes we have received in the wake of Tajudeen's sad passing.

AJSTID is a multi-disciplinary and refereed international journal with a special focus on science, technology, and innovation in developing economies, with a special reference to Africa. It has been established on the basis of the recognized role of innovation in the development of economies and on the relative absence of research in the area, particularly in the case of Africa.

As the very grave health condition of the 73 years old Gabonese President Omar Bongo is confirmed, speculations over his succession are growing in numbers. Will it be a family affair as in Togo, or will it be a coup like in Guinea?

Reporters Without Borders expressed its concern after the closure of privately owned opposition Joy Radio and the arrest of four staff, two of them journalists, accused of breaking election rules. The director of the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), James Chimera, ruled that satirical programme, Chilungamo Chili Kuti? (Is there any justice?), broadcast at 2am after the closure of the official election campaign, had violated the law banning endorsement or ridicule of a candidate.

The controversial Governor of the Reserve Bank, Gideon Gono wrote a blistering letter to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last week, in which he accused Finance Minister Tendai Biti of victimising him and of corruption. Gono claims, in the letter which was leaked to the media this week, that Honey and Blankenberg, a law firm in which the Minister was a senior partner, externalised more than US$1 million in foreign currency in contravention of Exchange Control regulations. Gono said this happened between October 2005 and May 2006.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has declared in Abuja that about $450 million out of the over $3 billion alleged to have been stolen by the late Head of State of Nigeria, General Sani Abacha, could not be traced.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has for the first time bought food from small-scale farmers in Kenya under a new initiative aimed at boosting agriculture by connecting farmers to markets. Under ‘Purchase for Progress’ (P4P), WFP has a committed policy to buy from low-income farmers, allowing them to invest profits to boost production and increase food security, according to a news release issued by the agency.

The United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) has called for a prompt resumption of voter registration to allow for broad participation in the November presidential elections. UNOCI spokesman Hamadoun Toure told reporters in Abidjan that the Mission “stresses the importance of a strong commitment to expedite the remaining tasks for organizing free, fair and transparent elections in the country.”

Kenyan authorities Wednesday sacked the Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF), Umuro Wario, citing graft. But insiders were quick to point out that Wario was a victim of boardroom politics. Wario’s sacking was effected by the Fund’s Board on 11 May, as various arms of government continued with investigations into allegations of mismanagement.

Guinea-Bissau's Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared Pedro Nfanda to contest the 28 June presidential election. This brings to 13 the number of candidates who want to succeed President Joao Bernardo “Nino” Vieira, who was assassinated on 2 March. The candidacy of Pedro Nfanda, a lawyer, had initially been rejected by the Supr eme Court because the policy-making committee of the Environmental Protection League (LIFE), on whose ticket he was standing, had not taken action to replace the governing body of the party after its chairman had died

The Malawi Electoral Commission on Wednesday said declaration of results of the general elections had delayed because of confusion about where to send the final results, according to its chairman, Supreme Court judge, Justice Anastazia Msosa. She said returning officers from the constituency levels were sending the results directly to the Commission's tally centre instead of the constituency centres.