The Challenge of Development and Poverty Reduction in Africa

Sir John Crawford Memorial Lecture delivered by African Development Bank President Omar Kabbaj during CGIAR International Centers Week, October 1997. Omar Kabbaj reviewed the context of African development, the issues of poverty and ways to reduce it, and recent experience with economic growth. He then addressed the challenge of rural transformation and means of improving the conditions of the rural population

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Table ronde : Vers de nouveaux horizons

Sylvianne Guillaumont JeanneneyNotre dernière session est consacrée aux nouveaux horizons de l’Europe en matière d’aide au développement. Deux évènements importants sont survenus au cours de l’année 2011 : le G20 développement et, comme cela a déjà été évoqué, le « Haut forum sur l’efficacité de l’aide » qui s’est tenu à Busan. Par rapport à ces évènements, il est intéressant de voir comment devrait se situer la politique européenne de développement ou de coopération. Dans la déclaration fina..

Final Round Table

Sylviane Guillaumont JeanneneyOur final session is devoted to Europe’s new horizons concerning development aid. There were two key events in 2011: the G20 Development Working Group and, as already mentioned, the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which took place in Busan. In the light of these events, it is interesting to see how European development or cooperation policy should be positioned. The final Declaration of the High Level Forum contained two conclusions which I consider import..

Infective endocarditis in chronic hemodialysis patients: Experience from Morocco

Since the 1960s, regular hemodialysis (HD) was recognized as a risk factor for the development of infective endocarditis (IE), particularly at vascular access sites. The present report describes our experience at the Etat Major General Agadir, Morocco, of taking care of IE in patients on regular dialysis. A retrospective analysis was made of five cases of IE in patients receiving re-gular HD having arteriovenous fistula as vascular access. They were sent from four private centers and admitted in our formation between January 2004 and March 2009. Infective endocarditis was detected after 34.5 months following initiation of dialysis. The causative organisms included Sta-phylococcus and Enterococcus in two cases each and negative blood culture in one case. A recent history of infection (<3 months) of the vascular access was found in three cases. Peripheric embolic phenomena were noted in two cases. A pre-existing heart disease was common and contributed to heart failure. Mortality was frequent due to valvular perforations and congestive heart failure, making the medical treatment alone unsatisfactory. Two patients survived and three of our patients received a prosthetic valve replacement, with a median survival after surgery of 10.3 months/person. The clinical diagnosis of infective endocarditis in regularly dialyzed patients remains difficult, with the presence of vascular calcification as a common risk factor. The vascular catheter infections are the cardinal gateway of pathogenic organisms, which are mainly Staphlococcus. The prognosis is bad and the mortality is significant, whereas medical and surgical treatments are often established in these patients who have many factors of comorbidity

France, Europe and Development Aid. From the Treaties of Rome to the Present Day

This book is based on the proceedings of a major conference on France, Europe and development aid, from the Treaties of Rome to the present day, organised by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Institute of Public Management and Economic Development (IGPDE). It presents, in the form of a dialogue between academics and major players in this field (Philippe de Fontaine Vive, Dieter Frisch, Omar Kabbaj, Bernard Petit, Dov Zerah and Tertius Zongo), an overview of development cooperation from the point of view of three key players: the AFD together with the French government, the European Commission and the recipient countries. France’s aid has, since 1945, clearly been driven by humanitarian, moral and political considerations as well as by the defence of French economic interests. It is one of the instruments of French influence in international relations. What is the role of French development assistance now that a “new” player, the European Commission, has been involved in this field since 1958? What sort of development policy do the Member States of the European Union and the Commission envisage? What role is there for France in the European dimension of assistance? Is there still room for official assistance within a liberalised economic area, in which private enterprise is paramount? The answers provided to these questions show that European societies do not view international relations simply in terms of economic confrontation or cold indifference. The conference on 8 December 2011 celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), successor to the Caisse centrale de la France libre, which was created by General de Gaulle in London on 2 December 1941.Le colloque sur La France, l’Europe et l’aide au développement, des traités de Rome à nos jours, tenu à l’initiative de l’AFD et de l’IGPDE, présente sous la forme d’un dialogue entre des universitaires et des grands acteurs de terrain (Philippe de Fontaine Vive, Dieter Frisch, Omar Kabbaj, Bernard Petit, Dov Zerah, Tertius Zongo) un état des lieux de la coopération pour le développement de trois acteurs clefs : l’AFD et les gouvernements français, la Commission européenne, les États bénéficiaires de l’aide. L’aide publique française au développement tient, depuis 1945, à des raisons humanistes et morales, politiques évidemment et de défense des intérêts économiques français. Elle entre dans le dispositif de l’influence française dans les relations internationales. Quel sens donner désormais à l’aide française au développement alors qu’un nouvel acteur, la Commission européenne, intervient dans ce champ depuis 1958 ? Quelle politique les États membres de l’Union européenne et la Commission proposent-ils pour le développement ? Comment la France investit-elle la dimension européenne de l’aide ? L’aide a-t-elle encore un sens dans un espace économique libéralisé où l’initiative privée est prééminente ? Les réponses données manifestent que les sociétés européennes conçoivent les relations internationales autrement qu’en s’appuyant sur les rapports de force économiques ou de froide indifférence. Le colloque du 8 décembre 2011 a célébré les 70 ans de l’Agence Française de Développement, héritière de la Caisse centrale de la France libre créée à Londres par le général de Gaulle, le 2 décembre 1941.El coloquio “Francia, Europa y la ayuda al desarrollo: de los tratados de Roma a nuestros días” celebrado por iniciativa de la AFD (Agencia Francesa de Desarrollo) y el IGPDE (Instituto francés de Gestión Pública y Desarrollo Económico) adopta la forma de un diálogo entre universitarios y grandes actores de terreno (Philippe de Fontaine Vive, Dieter Frisch, Omar Kabbaj, Bernard Petit, Dov Zerah, Tertius Zongo) para levantar acta del estado de la cooperación para el desarrollo de tres actores clave: la AFD y el gobierno francés, la Comisión Europea y los Estados beneficiarios de la ayuda. La ayuda pública francesa al desarrollo se justifica desde 1945 por razones humanistas y morales y, obviamente, por razones políticas y de defensa de los intereses económicos franceses, siendo uno de los componentes del dispositivo de influencia francesa en las relaciones internacionales. ¿Qué sentido dar hoy a la ayuda francesa al desarrollo teniendo en cuenta que un nuevo actor, la Comisión Europea, interviene en dicho campo desde 1958? ¿Qué política para el desarrollo proponen la Comisión y los Estados miembros de la Unión Europea? ¿Cuál es el papel de Francia en la dimensión europea de la ayuda? ¿Sigue teniendo sentido la ayuda en un espacio económico liberalizado en el que la iniciativa privada es preeminente? Las respuestas aportadas ponen de manifiesto que las sociedades europeas no conciben las relaciones internacionales sirviéndose de las relaciones de fuerza económica o de fría indiferencia

La France, l’Europe et l’aide au développement. Des traités de Rome à nos jours

Le colloque sur La France, l’Europe et l’aide au développement, des traités de Rome à nos jours, tenu à l’initiative de l’AFD et de l’IGPDE, présente sous la forme d’un dialogue entre des universitaires et des grands acteurs de terrain (Philippe de Fontaine Vive, Dieter Frisch, Omar Kabbaj, Bernard Petit, Dov Zerah, Tertius Zongo) un état des lieux de la coopération pour le développement de trois acteurs clefs : l’AFD et les gouvernements français, la Commission européenne, les États bénéficiaires de l’aide. L’aide publique française au développement tient, depuis 1945, à des raisons humanistes et morales, politiques évidemment et de défense des intérêts économiques français. Elle entre dans le dispositif de l’influence française dans les relations internationales. Quel sens donner désormais à l’aide française au développement alors qu’un nouvel acteur, la Commission européenne, intervient dans ce champ depuis 1958 ? Quelle politique les États membres de l’Union européenne et la Commission proposent-ils pour le développement ? Comment la France investit-elle la dimension européenne de l’aide ? L’aide a-t-elle encore un sens dans un espace économique libéralisé où l’initiative privée est prééminente ? Les réponses données manifestent que les sociétés européennes conçoivent les relations internationales autrement qu’en s’appuyant sur les rapports de force économiques ou de froide indifférence. Le colloque du 8 décembre 2011 a célébré les 70 ans de l’Agence Française de Développement, héritière de la Caisse centrale de la France libre créée à Londres par le général de Gaulle, le 2 décembre 1941.The symposium on France, Europe and development aid, from the Treaties of Rome to the present, organised by the AFD [French Development Agency] and the IGPDE [Institute of Public Management and Economic Development], presents in the form of a dialogue between academics and the major players in this field (Philippe de Fontaine Vive, Dieter Frisch, Omar Kabbaj, Bernard Petit, Dov Zerah and Tertius Zongo) an overview of development cooperation from the point of view of three key players: the AFD and the French government, the European Commission and the recipient countries. Since 1945, French government development assistance has been given for humanitarian and moral reasons and, obviously, for political reasons and also to defend French economic interests. It is one of the mechanisms of French influence in international relations. What is the role of French development assistance now that a new player, the European Commission, has been involved in this field since 1958? What sort of development policy do the Member States of the European Union and the Commission envisage? What role is there for France in the European dimension of assistance? Is there still a place for official assistance within a liberalised economic area, in which private enterprise is paramount? The answers provided to these questions show that European societies view international relations other than as simply based on economic confrontation or cold indifference.El coloquio “Francia, Europa y la ayuda al desarrollo: de los tratados de Roma a nuestros días” celebrado por iniciativa de la AFD (Agencia Francesa de Desarrollo) y el IGPDE (Instituto francés de Gestión Pública y Desarrollo Económico) adopta la forma de un diálogo entre universitarios y grandes actores de terreno (Philippe de Fontaine Vive, Dieter Frisch, Omar Kabbaj, Bernard Petit, Dov Zerah, Tertius Zongo) para levantar acta del estado de la cooperación para el desarrollo de tres actores clave: la AFD y el gobierno francés, la Comisión Europea y los Estados beneficiarios de la ayuda. La ayuda pública francesa al desarrollo se justifica desde 1945 por razones humanistas y morales y, obviamente, por razones políticas y de defensa de los intereses económicos franceses, siendo uno de los componentes del dispositivo de influencia francesa en las relaciones internacionales. ¿Qué sentido dar hoy a la ayuda francesa al desarrollo teniendo en cuenta que un nuevo actor, la Comisión Europea, interviene en dicho campo desde 1958? ¿Qué política para el desarrollo proponen la Comisión y los Estados miembros de la Unión Europea? ¿Cuál es el papel de Francia en la dimensión europea de la ayuda? ¿Sigue teniendo sentido la ayuda en un espacio económico liberalizado en el que la iniciativa privada es preeminente? Las respuestas aportadas ponen de manifiesto que las sociedades europeas no conciben las relaciones internacionales sirviéndose de las relaciones de fuerza económica o de fría indiferencia