Tens of thousands of women, many underage, in Ethiopia are being driven to a life of prostitution. The country’s deeply conservative culture makes it difficult to find help. But a new community radio project is trying to change that and help those struggling in the sex industry. http://bc05.ajmn.me/665003303001/201512/3101/665003303001_4664979036001_20151217-ethiopia-nostraps.mp4 Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford reports from Addis Ababa.
Author: Kunle Atiba
After two months of dipping and diving in the shallows of South Sudan’s swamps, surviving on water lily roots and fish, James Gul is hungry and desperate. He hasn’t eaten in two days and doesn’t know when he will get his next meal. The small patches of land that dot the world’s biggest wetlands have shielded his family from violent attacks on his village but the islands cannot protect them from another threat: hunger. “I don’t know what I will do. Before the war, there was no food issue. We would harvest the crops when they were ready.” In September,…
The Chief Executive of Capital Jazz Exposition, Mr Ado Ibrahim, on Sunday said that Jazz concert could be used to boost the nation’s economy and unite the country. He made the observation at the end of a two-day Jazz concert in Abuja. According to him, the Abuja expo is aimed at creating awareness about Jazz music as many people do not appreciate the music. He said that the music could unite the people around the world, be they young or old. “The goal we are pushing at is to make the event an annual concert at every second week of December,…
The rebel leader in the Central African Republic (CAR) has declared an autonomous state in his northeastern stronghold after rejecting upcoming elections aimed at ending years of conflict. A spokesman and chief lieutenant for Nourredine Adam, the leader of a splinter faction of the Muslim Seleka rebel group, said the Republic of Logone was proclaimed in the northeast on Monday. “What we want first of all is autonomy. Then we’ll look at how to move towards independence,” Maouloud Moussa told Reuters from the group’s headquarters in the town of Kaga-Bandoro. “Muslims are marginalised … The north has been abandoned by…
In preparation for the 2016 Championship of African Nations (CHAN) scheduled to hold in Rwanda from Jan.16 to February 7, twenty two home-based players of the Super Eagles on Tuesday began training. The training began in the morning at the Abuja National Stadium, with an endurance race that lasted for about 40 minutes. The evening training session saw the team kicking the ball around under the supervision of Assistant Coaches Salisu Yusuf and Jean Losciuto. Toyin Ibitoye, Super Eagles Media Officer told newsmen that four players were yet to join the team. “The two players that were part of the Under-23 team…
The Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu, on Tuesday called on the state governments to create ministry of science and technology in their respective states. Onu made the call in Abuja while speaking with newsmen at the end of a two-day Interactive Forum with Commissioners of Science and Technology in the states, including the FCT. Onu, who described the meeting as successful, said the creation of such a ministry would advance innovations and the worth of the country. He said the impacts could only be felt “if each state of the federation promotes Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). “We need…
Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday in Abuja said desertification in several states in the north was very dangerous hence the need to attack it with a lot of fervor. He made the statement while receiving a delegation of the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), led by its Director-General, Mr Goni Ahmed. While commending the agency’s documentary presentation at the meeting, Prof. Osinbajo said “if we allow desertification, poverty would worsen, and we would have ourselves to blame”. “So we have to take the matter very seriously.” Speaking with State House Press Corps after the meeting, Ahmed said…
Rights advocates have called on South Sudan’s government and rebel leaders to punish commanders accused of recruiting thousands of child soldiers to fight in the country’s two-year civil war. In a report released on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch named more than 15 military commanders from both the government’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the rebel force – the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) – who have allegedly forced children to join their ranks. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates 15,000 to 16,000 children may have been used by armed forces and groups in the conflict. New York-based…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has so far disbursed N64.7 billion of the N213 billion earmarked for power sector intervention. The fund was set aside in February to tackle the poor power supply in the country. Mr Boma Benebo, Deputy Head, Infrastructure Development Finance Office, CBN, disclosed this after inspecting 62,021 prepaid meters procured by Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) in Kano on Tuesday. He said the facility was expected to be utilised to improve power generation and supply across the country. “The facility is expected to be utilised for approved activities like turn around maintenance, to achieve capacity recovery by power…
Nigerian Senate has urged the Federal Government to establish a process for the punishment of contractors who abandon projects even after collecting mobilisation funds. They suggested that a project performance and monitoring taskforce be set up as part of the process. This followed a motion by Senator Suleiman Nazif (APC-Bauchi North) at plenary on Tuesday, on the negative impact of abandoned projects on the development of the country. Senator Nazif said that there were no fewer than 11,886 abandoned projects across the country that would cost an estimated N7.78 trillion to complete. He said that public infrastructure accounted for most of the…