African Update

AWDF Projects News 2012  [24/12/12]

2012 has been another busy year for AWDF and our partner organisations.

As always the core of AWDF's work this year has been grant making, capacity building, advocacy, movement building, and continuously investing in the learning and development of the women's rights organisations we work with throughout the continent. In 2012, we have given out over $2.1 million in grants to 187 organisations in 32 countries. Our grants team have led visits to over 100 of our grantee partners in 8 countries: Benin, Cameroun, Congo Brazzaville, Kenya, Liberia, South Africa, Togo and Zambia. Monitoring and evaluation visits are essential to the work that we do at AWDF, and provide us with opportunities to assess the impact of the work our grantees do, provide on the spot technical assistance to those that need support, and identify key areas of learning and future support activities. The site visits that underlie our monitoring and evaluation also give us opportunities to learn directly from women in different situations about the issues that most directly affect them, as well as their ideas for overcoming challenges and improving their lives and those of their families, communities and nations.More

Africa: Toure Wins His Second African Player of the Year Award  [24/12/12]

Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure made it two titles in a row by winning the 2012 African Player of the Year at a glamorous Glo-CAF Awards Gala in Accra on Thursday at the Banquet Hall, State House in Accra. The votes from the Head Coaches or Technical Directors of the National Associations affiliated to CAF determined the winner.

Toure was crowned the best African player at a colourful ceremony attended by the crème de la crème of African football officials, current and former players and administrators. Ghana's Minister of Youth and Sports, Clement Kofi Humado and Minister of Communication, Haruna Iddrisu graced the event as did CAF President Issa Hayatou and members of the CAF Executive Committee.

Top international musicians who performed included Salif Keita, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Nigerian afrobeat musician Lagbaja and Ghanaian songstress, Irene Logan.

The back to back titles put the 29-year-old into the company of Senegal's El- Hadji Diouf and Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o who achieved similar feats. The Manchester City player beat his compatriot Didier Drogba who finished second with Cameroon's Alex Song coming third...

.... You can read the full story by following this link http://allafrica.com/stories/201212210132.html

This is the fourth time the award was being staged in Ghana after 2006, 2009 and 2011.

Below is the full list of award winners:

Africa Player of the Year - Yaya Toure

Africa Based Player of the Year - Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt)

Fair Play award - Gabon National team supporters

Coach of the Year - Herve Renard

National team of the Year - Zambia

Women's National Team of the Year - Equatorial Guinea

Club of the Year - Al Ahly (Egypt)

Referee of the Year - Haimoudi Djamel (Algeria)

Most Promising Talent of the Year - Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

Women's Footballer of the Year - Genoveva Anoman (Equatorial Guinea)

Legend Award - Mahmoud El-Gohary (Egypt)

Legend Award - Rigobert Song (Cameroon)

Platinum Award - John Mahama (President of Ghana)

Africa's Best XI:

Goalkeeper: Lutunu Dule ( Congo)

Defenders: Ahmed El- Basha (Sudan), Walid Hicheri (Tunisia), Stoppila Sunzu (Zambia), Ahmed Fathi (Egypt)

Midfielders: Mohamed Aboutreika (Egypt), Yaya Toure (Cote d'Ivoire), Alex Song (Cameroon), Younes Belhanda (Morocco)

Forwards: Didier Drogba,(Cote d'Ivoire), Christopher Katongo (Zambia)

Coach: Herve Renard (France)More

Christopher Katongo is voted BBC African Footballer 2012  [19/12/12]

17 December 2012. BBC World Service has announced the winner of the 2012 BBC African Footballer of the Year award. Christopher Katongo, who led Zambia to Nation’s Cup success earlier this year, has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year.More

Boost For African Business As MBA Graduates Return As Entrepreneurs  [17/12/12]

African Diasporan MBA students from leading Western business schools have affirmed their conviction in Africa’s potential for fostering small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs).More

Ghana: living the promise of democracy  [16/12/12]

It is official! John Dramani Mahama is President elect of the Republic of Ghana. It follows free, fair and peaceful elections in the West African country on 7th December 2012. This is the commendation of the international observer community. It is also the verdict of the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers. Obviously, Ghana and Ghanaians are living the promise of their democracy.More

Africa’s beacon of democracy votes  [15/12/12]

The date is 7th December 2012 and it is Ghana’s date with history and destiny. For a 6th consecutive time the people are on the threshold of honing democracy in a country where democratically elected governments hardly survived their first term in yesteryears. It is quintessential and a consummate feat in Africa.More

The collapse of the ‘Peoples Party’ vote in the Ghanaian elections.  [15/12/12]

Do they really represent the people? – by Ade SawyerrMore

New African review December 2012 issue  [14/12/12]

One Hundred Most Influential Africans and the Tenacity of HopeMore

New African review November 2012 issue  [13/12/12]

The November issue of New African featured exclusive interviews with among others Kofi Annan, Mo Ibrahim, Moise Katumbi, Ozwald Boateng and Dr.Frannie Léautier, which make the cover story. The main theme running through all of the interviews is the desire to put in place the “Africa we want” as expressed by these notable African personalities, who are drawn from diverse sectors.More

Top secret British colonial files missing, some potentially destroyed  [05/12/12]

Some 170 boxes of top secret files on Britain’s former colonial administrations have gone missing, while those relating to Singapore may have been destroyed in the 1990s, the government said Friday.More