We have long observed that the failure of parastatals to perform has largely been down to the failure by central government to pay parastatals the debt owed to them. A recent parliamentary report (embedded below) sheds more light on the scale of government debt. Ministry of Finance estimate that Government owes nearly K400bn to ZAMTEL, ZESCO, Water Utilities and other institutions. The largest debt is to NAPSA at K163bn. The committee observes that Government is "more inclined to repay the commercial banks at the expense of pensioners and individuals suppliers...and more inclined to service external debt rather than domestic debt".

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When I see the dynamics of the "international aid", I get thoroughly disgusted at times. Take the Sahel hunger crisis: Less than a year ago, the international humanitarian community got heavily criticized for their lack of advanced warnings, and preventive responses in the Somalia drought crisis. While the first clear signals of a major drought in the Horn of Africa came as early as August 2010, it was not until a year later, in July 2011, that the international community reacted.... Full post on www.theroadtothehorizon.org

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A guest post by MVQ

Intro: Why Nampula? Well its, the seat of northern Mozambique as well as an agriculture hub of southern Africa linking the cashew growing east with the soy and cowpea growing western areas of Mozambique. While the area is beautiful, there are few paved roads and thievery is rampant so be careful and you should have an enjoyable time. If you have the time be sure to visit the gorgeous and historical Isla de Mozambique - it is an under-visited international treasure from Portuguese colonial times!

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Growing up, John Henry Thompson was fascinated by technology. His family's farm in Jamaica had no running water or electricity. But when he immigrated to New York with his parents at the age of 12, he quickly proved his technological aptitude. He devoured books on electricity and the latest editions of "Popular Mechanic." For his seventh grade science fair, he built a rudimentary computing device. This science fair marked the beginning of what would become a lifelong passion for computer programming.

There are lots of John Henry's from India to Colombia to the Philippines who have come to the United States to learn and create new futures. Currently, more than 60 million Americans are first- or second-generation Diasporas, and many of them have close ties to countries with critical needs. ...

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In the four days after the July 20 shooting in the Colorado movie theater, dealers in the state submitted 3,647 requests for state background checks required to buy a firearm, according to the FBI. That's 41% more than during the same four days the prior week and a 38% increase over the first Friday to Monday in July. (Source) I just crack up with this quote in the same article: At a gun show in Loveland, Colorado (ed: no kidding, "A gunshow in Loveland"), two days after the shooting,... Full post on www.theroadtothehorizon.org

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I started using a Blackberry in 2012 courtesy of a loaner-phone from the company. It'sinteresting time as I was looking to replace a Nokia E-72 and was considering a Nokia E6, and then Blackberry came along - at a time when it seems most of the corporate and developer world sees the future as being either with Android or Apple phones.

It's true that both Blackberry & Nokia are on the decline in terms of sales, market share and most important in terms of coolness or the wow factor (now the domain of Samsung and Apple) but both the former companies remain strong in certain markets of the world like China (Nokia), and Africa (Blackberry in South Africa and Nigeria) with millions of core customers who have a long history of staying loyal (mainly due to BBM).

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Last week, I had the privilege of attending the 2012 Girls' World Forum in my home town of Chicago. This exciting event, hosted by the Girl Scouts of the USA, brought together member organizations of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in the last of three events that began in the United Kingdom in 2010 to celebrate the centenary of international Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting. There were over 500 girls ages 14-18 who joined from around the world to discuss global issues and commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts of the USA. This five-day program was developed by an all-girl planning committee.

I met with nearly 300 girls and young women in a series of listening sessions. These inspiring young people shared with me the "take action" plans they've created ...

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African students outside of IBM Headquarters (Photo credit: citizenIBM)

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Fabrice Musoni writes in his blogpost 'Security Reforms Needed to Protect Civilians in Congo':

'MONUSCO's mission has come under heavy criticism for failing to achieve its core mandate of protecting civilians in light of increased fighting.'

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Aaron Stein is an Istanbul-based PhD Candidate at King's College London. You can follow him on Twitter @aaronstein1. The Arab...

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