Despite great strides in advancement, Africa is facing problems – especially around the fair distribution of natural resources – that need to be dealt with swiftly.

By BHEKINKOSI MOYO

Africa exudes a certain optimism about its future these days. ‘Africa is rising’ is today’s cliche, coined by the same Economist magazine that once declared Africa ‘dark’. But this goes beyond that magazine’s take on matters – you have to be here to experience the excitement. Leading economists on the continent and beyond are throwing around all sorts of positive projections – some as far as 2060. A number of factors, they say, will lead to Africa becoming a lot wealthier by 2050.

TrustAfrica:  The Fund to Advance International Criminal Justice in Africa

Southern African Foreign Policy Initiative, January 31, 2013 (http://www.safpi.org/news/article/2013/trustafrica-fund-advance-international-criminal-justice-africa)

New Fund Will Engage Civil Society in the Battle to Stop Illicit Financial Flows from Africa

DAKAR, January 31, 2013 – According to a report by the organization Global Financial Integrity, if Africa were able to stop the financial flows pouring from the continent, it would have more than enough to wipe out its external debt of about $250 billion (as of 2008). Illicit financial flows in Africa, which include drug smuggling, tax evasion, over-invoicing and underpricing is a problem that stems from collusion between governments and multinational corporations and is made worse by a lack of expertise on how to negotiate a mutually
beneficial arrangement and by a lack of accountability.

TrustAfrica Seeks to Improve Advocacy and Strengthen Capacity to Advance International Criminal Justice in Africa

The African continent has confronted a series of violent conflicts, resulting in massive loss of life, egregious human rights violations, and various atrocity crimes. Although the sources of conflict are varied, from civil wars, to social unrest, and electoral contests, the results are the same. Local populations pay the price for elite politics, and once the hostilities have ended, bereaved communities rarely have an opportunity to seek redress and accountability. Moreover, unpunished atrocity crimes breed a culture of impunity where historic grievances give rise to recurring cycles of violence.