It was a tense morning as teams looked to qualify for the finals of the Africa Rugby Sevens in Kampala.
Holders Kenya were pushed out by Uganda playing on a soaked turf in a game that ended 22-12. The Rugby Cranes remained composed and improved game after game at the home ground beating Zimbabwe 26-0 to win the title…
Hilton Mudariki, captain of Zimbabwe’s rugby 7s team was however not happy about the turnout of events.
The Rugby 15s World Cup qualifiers will be held in France even as Kampala once again exhibits the continent’s capability of hosting the international event. Rugby Africa maintains the neutrality of the hosting country and guaranteed the attraction of more fans.
Like Zimbabwe and Kenya, Uganda has tough seasons ahead in preparing for tournaments. They have barely months to get in shape to match the likes of Fiji, Great Britain, Samoa, and New Zealand.
14 teams took part in the tournament including rising stars Burundi, Senegal and Burkina Faso drawing a promising scene and more representation of the continent at the International Rugby Board circuit.
Uganda beats 13 teams to win 2022 Africa Rugby
Mohamed Salah named Men’s Footballer of the Year
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the Football Writers’ Association Men’s Footballer of the Year for 2021/22.
Salah, 29, has contributed a hugely impressive 22 goals and 13 assists in just 31 Premier League games to help propel Jurgen Klopp’s side to second in the table, just a point behind champions Man City with just five games left this season.
And in total, the Egypt international has been involved in 30 goals and 14 assists in only 44 matches in all competitions, a run of form that has so far helped Liverpool win the League Cup, as well as reach the final of the FA Cup and the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Salah, who succeeds last year’s winner, City defender Ruben Dias, is also the current top scorer in the Premier League after netting 22 times, five more than Heung-Min Son and Cristiano Ronaldo, while the forward is also the leading assist maker in the top flight having managed one more than team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The nexus between Global Security Initiative and Africa’s security needs
Melaku Mulualem K.
The Four Initiatives of President Xi Jinping
Starting from 2013 onwards President Xi Jinping took four major global initiatives. These are the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Community of Shared Future of Mankind, Global Development Initiatives (GDI) and Global Security Initiative (GSI). The fourth initiative has been taken on the Boao Forum on 21 April 2022 when the president made an opening remarks.
These four initiatives are the reflection of the foreign policy of China that underlines the promotion and cooperation of countries around the world. Similar with the foreign policy, GSI will follow “mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence, follow a policy of good-neighborliness and friendship”. The four initiatives are complementary to one another. The president puts forward these initiatives to solve global problems through cooperation and partnership. All initiatives request the participation of least developed countries, developing countries, and developed countries. Developed countries are expected to support the initiatives in alleviating the critical problems of economically weak countries.
The four initiatives are open to all governments of the world to be part and parcel in solving global economic and security challenges. All of them focus on global peace, security and developments. They are moves of China from my national interests to international interests. These show that China is stepping forward from a national vision to a global vision as well as balancing national interests with international interests.
The Boao Forum
Broadly speaking there are three types of security i.e international or global security, state security and human security. They are inseparable to one another. Global security focuses on ending global problems. In the annual Boao Forum for Asia President Xi Jinping clarified the concept and importance of the Global Security Initiative. He has underlined that security and development are intermingled to one another. The impact on one will be reflected on the other.
According to the Global Security Initiative, there are six commitments.These are:
the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and work together to maintain world peace and security;
respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs, and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries;
abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, reject the Cold War mentality, oppose unilateralism, and say no to group politics and bloc confrontation;
taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously, uphold the principle of indivisible security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the pursuit of one’s own security at the cost of others’ security;
peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises, reject double standards, and oppose the wanton use of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction;
maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains, and work together on regional disputes and global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity and biosecurity.
The Global Security Initiative is expected to solve global challenges including the Covid 19 pandemics, poverty, climate change, cyber, terrorism and security. He has also identified drivers of the security challenges namely Cold War mentality, unilateralism, hegemonism, double standards, power politics through group politics and bloc confrontation. To counter these challenges, there is a need to organize global cooperation, and partnership, and promote multilateralism. The main objective of GSI is to provide a solution to the above-listed global problems and to make this world safe and secure.
President Xi also forwarded a promise to help Asian and African countries saying “China will follow through the pledged donation of 600 million and 150 million doses of vaccines to Africa and ASEAN countries respectively, as part of our effort to close the immunization gap”. This support will help the people of Africa and Asia to control the pandemics and move forward with development.
Global Security Initiative and Africa
Most of the United Nations Peace Keeping Missions are located in Africa. This shows that Africa has grave security challenge. From the initiative of President Xi Jinping Africa will benefit the most. To maintain global security there is a need to have highly sophisticated technology in harvesting information and neutralizing grave security challenges. Most African countries do not have that technology and facilities. Thus Global Security Initiative is the most welcoming idea to be embraced by Africa.
Of Course China has sent her troops through the United Nations Peace Keeping Missions to Africa. This is one indication that China needs peaceful Africa. In addition to this recently China has appointed an envoy to the Horn of Africa to support peace and security in the region. The Global Security Initiative will make the support of China to Africa holistic and cover wider areas in the continent.
Taking initiative doesn’t mean shouldering all responsibilities. This means that other countries should also play their role to make this world safe and sound. Especially developed countries should support such initiatives so that poor countries can get out of security challenges.
Since the emergence of the Covid pandemic, the problem in Africa is increasing by leaps and bounds. Health and security are highly related to one another. African governments could not provide enough health facilities to counter the pandemic, as a result of it people are dying, the number of unemployed people has increased very fast, poverty and hunger are escalating, donor communities have minimized their support and shortage of hard currency impacted the foreign trade and the like.
African people are highly affected by Covid 19 and its related consequences. This global pandemic can be solved through global partnership. As long as China is willing to support countries in controlling the spread of the virus, Africa should promote and use the opportunities with great enthusiasm. Supporting GSI means supporting and implementing the fifty years plan of the African Union.
The Nexus between GSI and Agenda 2063
GSI is highly related to the Agenda 2063 of the African Union strategic framework. The fourth aspiration of the African Union says “A Peaceful and Secure Africa”. Both GSI and Agenda 2063 also promote partnership in solving common problems of governments. For instance number nineteen goal of the African Union states that the continent would continue as “a major partner in global affairs and peaceful co-existence”. This shows that to solve the problem of Africa there is a need to establish a partnership with other countries to execute its fifty-year plan effectively and efficiently.
The Way Forward
In order to implement GSI there is a need to promote the initiative through international media, various forum, put structures and modalities, synchronizing security policies of various governments to the same purpose, securing fund, making synergy with the security works of the United Nations as well as other continental and regional blocs and the like. China and Africa can strengthen their partnership and cooperation at various levels. The Africa Union has its own peace and security structure that works on conflict prevention management and resolution as well as combating terrorism and the like.
In a nutshell, China has introduced various global initiatives to solve problems of the world through cooperation and partnership. Supporting and implementing the initiative can make all beneficiaries. Especially African countries can use these great initiatives as an opportunity to solve both their internal and external challenges. African countries should welcome GSI with open arms. GSI helps maintaining security in the world to be conducted in a coordinated manner. It also synergizes the security strategies of various governments in the world.
Melaku Mulualem K. is a researcher in the Foreign Relations Institute. You can reach him via melakumulu@yahoo.com
Meta Abo sells its share at measly 6% par value
BGI Ethiopia’s parent company Castle Group acquires Meta Abo Brewery after the approval of the Ethiopian Trade Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (ETCCPA) to the merge.
BGI acquires Meta at a 60 birr per share value, which according to documents is a fizzled out price point from the prior evaluation of 1000 birr per share value. This comes at a time when the factory was at a tip of crisis which is indicative of the nose dive devaluation of the company that has shrunk by 94 percent.
Documents indicated the factory has about 11 billion birr in registered capital. BGI Ethiopia, part of the Castel Group and four other persons, namely, Feven Mulat, Laurent Lescuyer, Julien Flecheux and Amdémichael Getahun who are employees of the Castel Group intend to acquire from Guinness Overseas Holdings Limited (which is a company of Diageo group) in addition to other four natural persons, with a total stake of 100 percent in Meta Abo.
ETCCPA approved the merger earlier this week, which was followed by a BGI official press release on April 19, 2022.
Following the acquisition, Meta Abo joins BGI’s other five breweries i.e., St. George Brewery in Addis Ababa, Kombolcha Brewery, Hawassa Brewery, Zebidar Brewery and Maychew Northern Brewery with a combined production capacity of 5.2 million Hectoliters of beer annually which will now reach 6.4 million Hectoliters.
The company also owns and manages the Castel Winery and vineyard located in the town of Zeway. Established in 2012, the winery produces 12,000 Hectoliters of different wine varieties annually under the brand names Acacia and Rift Valley. St George, Ethiopia’s oldest beer brand, was also bought by France’s Castel Group in 1998.
The Castel Group is a beverages company founded in France in 1949 by Mr. Pierre Castel, out of a wine trading company.
The activities of the Castel Group can be classified into the wine business on the one hand, and the beer, soft drink and water business on the other. The acquiring group is active in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi and Tunisia. Quite similar to the other ventures of the firm’s portfolio investment, Meta Abo produces and sells beer and non-alcoholic refreshment beverages.
Meta Abo brewery which is based out of Sebeta, Oromia region has about 3.7 billion birr in government tax debt starting from 2017.
The factory has been sold to Castel with negotiations considering the effect of the seizure of the factory by the government.
Meta Abo was sold to Diageo in 2012 after privatization at a price tag of 225 million dollars. After acquiring the factory in 2012, Diageo made 119 million dollars in investment for the expansion of the factory, and has since pumped a total of 344 million dollars in investment throughout the years for its expansion with the aim of transforming the brewing industry in Ethiopia.
Initially, the production capacity of the brewery was 50,000hl per annum, however, with Diageo’s investment, which was detailed back in 2015 saw the company re-launching the Meta brand.
