Burundi Tea earnings up 36 % in Q1 2009

" BUJUMBURA (Reuters) - Burundi's tea export earnings rose 36 percent in the first three months of 2009 compared to the same period in the previous year, helped by higher output, the tea board said on Thursday.

The state-run tea board (OTB) said earnings were $3 million up from the $2.2 million in the same period in 2008. "

Full article from Reuters here .....

Seeking a peace dividend in Liberia

" On the Atlantic coast, domestic tourism is already blooming at an oceanfront tent lodge at Robertsport, a sleepy town on the edge of Sierra Leone, where 10-foot swells lure surfing enthusiasts.
At Nana's Lodge, visitors can stay in large tents with double beds, a mini-fridge and an attached deck for $100 a night.

(Image source: surfingliberia.com)

Alfred Lomax, a Liberian surfer featured in the 2008 documentary "Sliding Liberia," has a dream to run a surfing business at Robertsport. He found a body board during the war while scavenging Monrovia's port for rice and he taught himself to surf.
On his Web site, http://www.surfingliberia.com/, he offers to show surfers the waves in Monrovia and Robertsport.
His dream is big, but business is slow right now.
"Like most everything in Liberia, this site is currently under construction," he wrote on his Web site"

Christina Holder at THE WASHINGTON TIMES writes....

Marc Ona Essangui wins "Green Nobel"

"One of Africa’s most respected campaigners has won the 2009 Goldman environmental prize – known informally as the “Green Nobel”.

Marc Ona Essangui became a household name in Gabon in 2006 when he exposed a secret 2.7 billion euro deal with a Chinese company to build a mine and dam in the Ivindo national park.

(Image source: Euronews.net)

Full article from Euronews here....

David Smith's African Adventure begins in Johannesburg

" I emerged back at Johannesburg Park station remembering more about my encounter with these passengers than the president. I hope I remember that first South African hand reached out to me, not to deliver a blow, but to help me aboard. "

The Guardian's David Smith writes .........

'Africa Needs Good Governance', Mo Ibrahim speaks

" He's a billionaire from a humble background who mixes with celebrities and presidents, but his main cause is far from glamorous. Keeping a relatively low profile, he's at the forefront of two revolutions in Africa: first he transformed the continent's mobile phone service, now he's on a mission to promote democracy and reshape Africa's landscape once again "

Watch the full 'AfricanVoices' Show on CNN

Cash for key African trade routes

" More than $1bn (£675bn) has been pledged by international donors for the upgrade of transport links across East and Southern Africa.

The North-South Corridor initiative aims to get goods to market faster and cheaper with improved infrastructure and more efficient border crossings. "

Full article at The BBC website here

Discovering Seeafricadifferently.com

As I made my way home last evening after meeting friends for a drink at the cosy White Hart pub in Convent Garden, Central London, I chanced upon a large, colourful advert reading "See Africa Differently".

To be sure the pints of Stella Artois Lager were not playing games with my mind, I created a reminder on my phone to have a look at this website today. Seeafricadifferently.com, a noble effort by Comic Relief, is a winner. It combines important facts and figures, with humorous videos highlighting the various misconceptions people have about Africa.

With the G-20 summit recognising the importance of trade with emerging economies, and increased recognition of the progress being made in Africa through efforts such as SeeAfricaDifferently.com, it is clear that process of re-thinking Africa has begun. And Fairviews.org is proud to a part of this process.

Click here to visit SeeAfricaDifferently.com