<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>African Interest Online &#187; Announcements</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.africaninterest.com/category/announcementspress-releases/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.africaninterest.com</link>
	<description>....news about Africa by Africans.......</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:47:18 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3</generator>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
			<item>
		<title>National Night Out</title>
		<link>http://www.africaninterest.com/us/national-night-out/</link>
		<comments>http://www.africaninterest.com/us/national-night-out/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:47:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Seyi Oduyela</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[US]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.africaninterest.com/?p=1049</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The National Night Out campaign involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from 9,500 communities from all 50 states, US territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1050" title="nno_2010[1]" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/nno_20101.gif" alt="nno_2010[1]" width="263" height="131" />National Night Out</strong> </p>
<p>On Tuesday, August 3, thousands of District of Columbia(DC) residents are expected to join with their neighbors, police officers and other community leaders in celebrating National Night Out. From community cookouts to open houses – block parties, candlelight vigils and athletic events – DC is gearing up for the 27th annual celebration of “America’s Night Out Against Crime.”  The citywide kickoff will begin at 6 pm at the Trinidad Recreation Center. Public safety characters McGruff the Crime Dog® and the National Knight® will be available to meet attendees and have their photos taken. In addition to the numerous activities taking place at the kickoff event, communities across DC – in all seven police districts – have scheduled NNO events during the late afternoon and evening hours.</p>
<p>The National Night Out campaign involves citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from 9,500 communities from all 50 states, US territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.</p>
<p><a href="http://nno.org/">National Night Out (NNO)</a> is an annual event, sponsored by the <a href="http://www.nationaltownwatch.org/natw/" target="_blank">National Association of Town Watch</a>, that takes place on the first Tuesday in August. Each year, the Metropolitan Police Department actively participates in National Night Out by rallying community members throughout the District of Columbia to join with neighbors and police officers in their PSAs to be a part of this annual event.</p>
<p>National Night Out is designed to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;</li>
<li>Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs;</li>
<li>Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and</li>
<li>Send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you want to get involved in future NNO activites in your community, please contact your <a href="http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,543336,mpdcNav_GID,1523,mpdcNav,%7C.asp">local police district</a>, or call Yvonne Smith at (202) 727-8809.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.africaninterest.com/us/national-night-out/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Study of Blind Education in Three States of Nigeria-Dr David Akanji</title>
		<link>http://www.africaninterest.com/africa/a-study-of-blind-education-in-three-states-of-nigeria-dr-david-akanji/</link>
		<comments>http://www.africaninterest.com/africa/a-study-of-blind-education-in-three-states-of-nigeria-dr-david-akanji/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:45:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Seyi Oduyela</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Academics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seyi's Expose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.africaninterest.com/?p=1020</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Despite policies to provide equal education opportunites for African children, the dreams of most disabled students are not realised, especially for blind children. Dr. Akanji, in this book investigated the problems facing the management of the education of blind students in Nigeria public schools. The book Review will come soon.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1032" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 418px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1032" title="Dr. David Akanji" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Dr.-David-Akanji1-408x615.jpg" alt="Dr. David Akanji on his graduation day at Gallaudet University, Washington DC " width="408" height="615" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Dr. David Akanji on his graduation day at Gallaudet University, Washington DC </p></div>
<p><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1028" title="Dr. Akanji's Book" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Dr.-Akanjis-Book2-615x447.jpg" alt="Dr. Akanji's Book" width="615" height="447" /></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.africaninterest.com/africa/a-study-of-blind-education-in-three-states-of-nigeria-dr-david-akanji/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>SUBMARINE CABLE- MAIN ONE CABLE THE TRAIL BLASER.</title>
		<link>http://www.africaninterest.com/business/submarine-cable-main-one-cable-the-trail-blaser/</link>
		<comments>http://www.africaninterest.com/business/submarine-cable-main-one-cable-the-trail-blaser/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:51:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tayo Adelaja</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business & Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.africaninterest.com/?p=979</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The concept of wiring two continents together is far older than most people might know. Telegraphers on both sides of the ocean took up a Shakespearean line from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," where Puck says, "I'll put a girdle `round the earth in forty minutes."

The story really began in 1795 when a Spaniard named Salva suggested the idea of underwater telegraphic communication. But nothing significant happened until 1850 when a single wire cable manufactured by the Gutta Percha Company was laid between England and France. International telecommunications had started.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>PRESS RELEASE</em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>SUBMARINE CABLE- MAIN ONE CABLE THE TRAIL BLASER.</em></strong></p>
<p>The concept of wiring two continents together is far older than most people might know. Telegraphers on both sides of the ocean took up a Shakespearean line from &#8220;A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream,&#8221; where Puck says, &#8220;I&#8217;ll put a girdle `round the earth in forty minutes.&#8221;</p>
<p>The story really began in 1795 when a Spaniard named Salva suggested the idea of underwater telegraphic communication. But nothing significant happened until 1850 when a single wire cable manufactured by the Gutta Percha Company was laid between England and France. International telecommunications had started.</p>
<p>The truth is that in 1858, nobody knew what Ohm&#8217;s Law really was (in fact, Georg Ohm had been ridiculed by many of his peers for suggesting his &#8220;law&#8221;); nobody knew what would happen to an electrical pulse in a piece of wire thousands of miles long, and nobody had an inkling of knowledge about any differences in potential between two points on the surface of the earth thousands of miles apart&#8230;all of which added up to the transmission of signals so feeble and slow that this cable was doomed to commercial, if not physical failure.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the first cable did not last very long &#8211; on the night after it was connected a French fisherman caught the cable and cut a length out of it. A heavier armoured cable with four conductors was successfully laid the following year. For the first time two countries separated by sea were able to communicate by means of the electric telegraph.</p>
<p>   A boom in the laying of submarine cables followed. Many cables were placed in service across the Irish Sea, the North Sea, the Mediterranean and even the Black Sea.</p>
<p>    The greatest challenge at that period was the laying of the first Trans-Atlantic cable. It is hard now to realise just what an enormous task this was. The 2,500 miles (4025km) of cable took a total of 20,500 miles (33,000km) of copper wire for the conductor, and the outer sheathing took 367,000 miles (590,500km) of iron wire. The total length of wire used was enough to go round the world thirteen times.</p>
<p>   The cable was loaded into two specially converted warships, one British and one American. The laying of the cable from the USS <em>Niagara</em>, steaming west from Ireland lasted only a few days. After 300 miles (482km) the cable snapped.</p>
<p>   A second attempt with laying commencing in mid-Atlantic suffered the same fate. But on the third attempt, despite some very rough weather, luck &#8211; and the cable &#8211; held, and in August, 1858 the Old World and the New were joined telegraphically if only for a short time. The cable failed on September 1, and it was not until July, 1866, that the first really successful Atlantic cable was laid by the S.S. <em>Great Eastern</em>.</p>
<p>   Cables multiplied. News which had previously taken up to six months to reach distant parts of the world could now be relayed in a matter of hours; in 1902 the &#8220;All Red&#8221; route was completed.</p>
<p>   This consisted of a series of cable links across the Pacific Ocean, connecting New Zealand and Australia with Vancouver and through the Trans-Canada and Atlantic lines to Europe.</p>
<p>In both WWI and WWII, an accepted act of war was to cut the enemy&#8217;s submarine telegraph cables, splice onto them, and run them ashore to your own cable station &#8212; and *keep* the captured cable after the war. Germany lost its cables to the U.S. in both World Wars that way, while the Allies cut Japanese cables throughout the Pacific, and only put them back together after the wars.</p>
<p> In 1956 the first submarine cable incorporating repeaters came into operation across the Atlantic. With a capacity of 36 two-way voice channels, each capable of subdivision into a number of telegraph channels, TAT-1 as it was called, demonstrated the great potential of this new form of telecommunications and triggered an explosion in public demand for international telecommunications facilities.</p>
<p>By December 1961, the first link, CANTAT-1 providing 80 two-way voice circuits had been opened between Britain and Canada, and by July 1 962 Australia and New Zealand were in communication through the first stage of the second link, COMPAC. In December of the same year the second stage from Auckland to Fiji was opened. The laying of the final stages, Fiji to Hawaii and Hawaii to Canada soon followed and the completed COMPAC cable was opened on December 3, 1963.</p>
<p>   Although these new telecommunications systems were created to satisfy a demand, they in turn created heavier demands and a vast network of cables has been laid beneath the seas of the world.</p>
<p>   In 1975 the 480 circuit TASMAN Cable was completed to Australia. ANZCAN Cable, which replaced COMPAC Cable, was the last of the Pacific Ocean analogue cables to be installed to Australia. A-I-S Cable which lands at Perth, WA is of the same design as ANZCAN Cable and was the last of Telstra&#8217;s analogue cables to be installed. All cables installed since A-I-S have been of fiber optic design.</p>
<p>The entrance of Main One Cable Company comes at an opportune time to unlock the constrained West African telecommunications market and catalyze the economic potential of the region. The Main One Project is a massive and very ambitious cross-continental sub-marine fiber network that will digitally connect Africa with the rest of the world. The Main One project, whose total cost amounts to about USD 240 million, involves the laying of 7,000 kilometers of submarine fiber optic cable between Seixal (a suburb of Lisbon) in Portugal, Accra in Ghana, and Lagos in Nigeria. The system includes subsequent branching units to the Canary Islands, Morocco, Senegal, and Cote d&#8217;Ivoire. The 1.92 Tbps of available bandwidth will be leased wholesale to telecom operators and internet service providers on an open access basis, thereby encouraging competitive pricing and a large customer base.</p>
<p>The celebration of the final splice of the Main One submarine cable, a project financed in part by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through its private sector window, was held on Wednesday, 19 May 2010 at the Tema Port in Ghana.</p>
<p>The project has from inception been singularly distinguished by a strict conformity with expressly stated project timelines. All major historic milestones have conformed to earlier projections.</p>
<p>In 2008, the Main One project carried out all necessary desk-top research and applied for the requisite survey and operational permits. Among other activities, it also applied for and successfully obtained the first ever submarine cable landing licenses to be issued in Nigeria and Ghana, respectively.</p>
<p>Main One obtained the necessary marine survey permits in January 2009 and commenced marine route survey operations afterwards. In May, it began cable manufacturing alongside the manufacture of Repeater Assemblies.</p>
<p>By June, Main One had concluded its marine survey operations. It also commenced the construction of its cable landing stations in Accra, Ghana and Lagos, respectively based on designs earlier sourced in March and finalized in May. In Seixal, Portugal where the cable terminates, it is landing in an existing cable station with VSNL.</p>
<p>Still in June, the post survey route was reviewed and the final cable route, engineered. Very importantly, Main One Cable Company secured commitments for all of the $240million (two hundred and forty US Dollars), required to fully fund the first phase of the project.</p>
<p>This landing marks the successful completion of phase one of this project.</p>
<p>There is growing evidence that ICTs play a critical role in social development, particularly in sectors such as health, education, and agriculture and for addressing the Millennium Development Goals. The Main One project is expected to create hundreds of thousands of new Internet users who will be able to engage in e-learning, e-commerce, and online social networking. Better access to information enhances the people&#8217;s health, skills, employability, and their overall quality of life.</p>
<p>Main One is an important step towards lower cost of international telecommunications and significant expansion of internet access via submarine cable, which will lead to greater efficiency and more competitive business. Through the Main One project, Ghana and Nigeria will increase bandwidth availability, affordability, and reliability, which will reduce the cost of doing business, lead to job creation and create favorable conditions for higher real economic growth. The project will lead to the creation of new service-oriented businesses in the ICT sector, such as call centers, and innovative-instant messaging businesses such as mobile-based money transfers.</p>
<p>The cable, which goes live in June 2010, is bringing the much-expected international capacity into a region whose explosive growth in tele-density in recent years has been blighted by sub-optimal global connectivity.</p>
<p>In addition to the submarine operations, Main One is building two landing stations in Accra and Lagos which will be complete next month. Equipment installation and end-to-end testing of the cable system will then follow, prior to service launch in June.</p>
<p>Main One will provide open access to 1.92 Terabits per second of capacity to the West African region at prices less than 50 percent of current wholesale capacity prices.</p>
<p>The international capacity that Main One is bringing into the West African sub-region will consolidate the explosive growth of telecommunications in the sub-region in recent years. In addition to providing a major boost to Internet access, Main One will help to considerably minimize the difficulties of switching traffic between African countries and eliminate the inconveniences and added costs of first routing traffic to Europe.</p>
<p>The Main One Cable Company is wholly owned by African investors &#8211; African Finance Corporation, Nigeria; Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund, South Africa; FBN Capital, Nigeria; Skye Bank, Nigeria and Main Street Technologies, Nigeria, which is the project sponsor.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.africaninterest.com/business/submarine-cable-main-one-cable-the-trail-blaser/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>PHASE 1 MARINE INSTALLATION COMPLETED ON MAIN ONE CABLE SYSTEM</title>
		<link>http://www.africaninterest.com/africa/phase-1-marine-installation-completed-on-main-one-cable-system/</link>
		<comments>http://www.africaninterest.com/africa/phase-1-marine-installation-completed-on-main-one-cable-system/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:32:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tayo Adelaja</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.africaninterest.com/?p=951</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Main One Cable Company and its system supplier, Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications (SubCom), Announced that following the on schedule completion of the main lay program by the C.S. Tyco Resolute, the final cable splice made earlier this week, the marine installation program for Phase 1 of the Main One Cable System has been completed on schedule. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong></p>
<div id="attachment_952" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-952" title="Main One 1" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Main-One-1-150x150.jpg" alt=". From left: Ignacia Ugalde (President Tyco Electronics, Bernard Logan( Business Development Executive Of Main One Cable Company, Solomon ( a Director in Main One.) and Fola Adeola ( Chairman Main ONE)" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">. From left: Ignacia Ugalde (President Tyco Electronics, Bernard Logan( Business Development Executive Of Main One Cable Company, Solomon ( a Director in Main One.) and Fola Adeola ( Chairman Main ONE)</p></div>
<p>PRESS RELEASE</p>
<p></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>PHASE 1 MARINE INSTALLATION COMPLETED ON MAIN ONE CABLE SYSTEM</strong></p>
<p><strong>Cable System Spans 6,800 km; Provides Higher Capacity and Increased Connectivity Between the West Coast of Africa, Portugal and Beyond</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Main One Cable Company and its system supplier, Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications (SubCom), Announced that following the on schedule completion of the main lay program by the <em>C.S. Tyco Resolute, the</em> final cable splice made earlier this week, the marine installation program for Phase 1 of the Main One Cable System has been completed on schedule. Installation of terminal equipment is complete in Seixal, Portugal and underway at the system’s landing sites in Lagos, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana. The system is expected to be ready for service in June 2010.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Phase 1 of the Main One Cable System spans 6,800 kilometers and will provide much needed capacity between the West Coast of Africa and Portugal. The dual fiber pair, 1.92 Terabit per second, Dense Wave Division Multiplex project will first connect Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana and Seixal, Portugal with onward connectivity to Europe, Asia and the Americas. Phase 2 of the project is expected to extend to South Africa.</p>
<p>The Main One Cable System will provide open access to regional telecom operators and Internet Service Providers at rates lower than existing international bandwidth prices in the region. The system will provide broadband capacity to expand Internet access in the sub-Saharan region, as well as ease the difficulties of switching traffic between African countries without the need to go through Europe.</p>
<div id="attachment_953" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-953" title="Main One Ghana 2" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Main-One-Ghana-2-150x150.jpg" alt="FROM LEFT FOLA ADEOLA AND FUNKE OPEKE ( MD MAIN ONE)" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">FROM LEFT FOLA ADEOLA AND FUNKE OPEKE ( MD MAIN ONE)</p></div>
<p> </p>
<p>“We are thrilled to say that the challenge of completing the marine work for the Main One Cable System is behind us and that we will soon be able to concentrate on the critical mission of providing high-capacity bandwidth to regions of the globe where it is long overdue,” said Funke Opeke, CEO of Main One Cable Company. “Together with SubCom, we have met our goals on schedule and we eagerly look towards delivering capacity to our customers and executing plans for expansion of the network.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Since the launch of our alliance in 2008, SubCom has looked forward to completing the Phase 1 marine installation. Completion of the marine program brings us very close to making the Main One Cable System a reality,” said David Coughlan, president of SubCom. “We consider the work we have done on Main One to be a</p>
<p>significant accomplishment and are proud to be associated with this project.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Contact: </strong>Main One Cable Company</p>
<p>Jumoke Akande</p>
<p>+234 1 280 1340</p>
<p>Bernard Logan</p>
<p>+44 1245 256 376</p>
<p>info@mainonecable.com</p>
<p>Courtney McDaniel</p>
<p>TE SubCom</p>
<p>+1 973 656 8000</p>
<p>info@subcom.com</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>About Main One</strong></p>
<p>Main One Cable Company Limited (‘Main One’) is the first submarine cable company offering open access, wholesale broadband capacity in West Africa. Main One is wholly African-owned with a vision to expand the much needed capacity on the African continent and reduce costs of broadband communications across the Continent. This vision is being realized in a 1.92 Tbps and 7000km submarine cable system scheduled</p>
<p>for service in June 2010 with initial landing stations in Nigeria, Ghana and Portugal – connecting West Africa to the rest of the world via Portugal and the United Kingdom. Main One has leveraged experienced and proven world-class professionals in ensuring we get it right first time round and do so on time. We have built a state-of-the-art Network Operations Centre matching the best international standards and comparable to</p>
<p>its glob al counterparts. We also have a strong management and technical team in place to ensure system reliability and constant availability backed by Service Level Agreements. Our systems are monitored 24 x 7 x 365 &#8211; every hour, every day, all year round to guarantee our customers minimum down time in service delivery.</p>
<p>For more information visit www.mainonecable.com.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>About TE SubCom</strong></p>
<p>Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications (SubCom) is an industry pioneer in undersea</p>
<p>communications technology and marine services and a leading global supplier for</p>
<p>today’s undersea communications requirements. Drawing on its heritage of technical</p>
<p>innovation and industry recognized performance, the company delivers the most reliable,</p>
<p>high quality solutions to organizations with undersea communications needs vital to their</p>
<p>core mission. In more than five decades of operation, SubCom has designed,</p>
<p>manufactured, and installed more than 100 undersea fiber optic systems around the</p>
<p>world. SubCom’s global presence, backed by industry leading research and</p>
<p>development laboratories, manufacturing facilities, installation and maintenance ships,</p>
<p>depots, and management team work together to implement integrated solutions and</p>
<p>network upgrades, with unsurpassed reliability, that support the needs of</p>
<p>telecommunications, internet providers, offshore and science customers worldwide.</p>
<p>For more information visit www.SubCom.com.</p>
<p>###</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.africaninterest.com/africa/phase-1-marine-installation-completed-on-main-one-cable-system/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>CPJ to Honor Five International Journalists</title>
		<link>http://www.africaninterest.com/front-page/cpj-to-honor-five-international-journalists/</link>
		<comments>http://www.africaninterest.com/front-page/cpj-to-honor-five-international-journalists/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:05:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Seyi Oduyela</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.africaninterest.com/?p=468</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor courageous journalists from Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, and Azerbaijan with its 2009 International Press Freedom Awards at a ceremony in November.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>CPJ to Honor Five International Journalists</strong></p>
<p>The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor courageous journalists from Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, and Azerbaijan with its <a title="http://www.cpj.org/awards/" href="http://www.cpj.org/awards/">2009 International Press Freedom Awards</a> at a ceremony in November.</p>
<p><strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/mustafa-haji-abdinur-corespondent-agence-france-pr.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/mustafa-haji-abdinur-corespondent-agence-france-pr.php">Mustafa Haji Abdinur</a> </strong>of Somalia, <strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/naziha-rejiba-editor-kalima.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/naziha-rejiba-editor-kalima.php">Naziha Réjiba</a></strong> of Tunisia, <strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/eynulla-fatullayev-editor-realny-azerbaijan.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/eynulla-fatullayev-editor-realny-azerbaijan.php">Eynulla Fatullayev</a></strong> of Azerbaijan, and <strong><a title="http://www.cpj.org/awards/" href="http://www.cpj.org/awards/">J.S. Tissainayagam</a> </strong>of Sri Lanka and have faced imprisonment, threats of violence, and censorship to stand up for press freedom in their countries.</p>
<p>According to Paul Steiger, CPJ Board Chairman, “These are reporters who risk their personal freedom and often their lives to ensure that independent voices resonate within their nations and across the globe,” “Their fearlessness to report the news in the face of great obstacles is an inspiration to us all, ” he added.</p>
<p>“These journalists are being honored not only because they embody what CPJ stands for, but because they have fought against injustice to uphold the values of press freedom,” CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon<strong> </strong>said. “Imprisonment, harassment, and threat of death cannot deter these extraordinary journalists from continuing their work.”</p>
<p><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/anthony-lewis-journalist-united-states.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/anthony-lewis-journalist-united-states.php">Anthony Lewis</a>, noted author, journalist, and scholar, will receive CPJ’s Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for lifetime achievement in recognition of his continued efforts to ensure a free press around the world.</p>
<p>The awards will be presented at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on Tuesday, November 24. <strong>Robert Thomson</strong>, editor-in-chief of Dow Jones and managing editor of <em>The</em> <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, is chairman of the black-tie dinner. <strong>Christiane Amanpour</strong>, CPJ board member and CNN’s Chief International Correspondent, will be the host.</p>
<p>Here are the recipients of <strong>CPJ’s 2009 International Press Freedom Awards:</strong></p>
<div><strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/mustafa-haji-abdinur-corespondent-agence-france-pr.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/mustafa-haji-abdinur-corespondent-agence-france-pr.php"><div id="attachment_469" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-469" title="abdinur1[1]" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/abdinur112-150x150.jpg" alt="Mustafa Haji Abdinur" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Mustafa Haji Abdinur</p></div>Mustafa Haji Abdinur</a></strong></div>
<div><strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/mustafa-haji-abdinur-corespondent-agence-france-pr.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/mustafa-haji-abdinur-corespondent-agence-france-pr.php">Haji has seen six of his colleagues die this year on the streets of Mogadishu—caught in the crossfire of battling insurgents, or gunned down for their work. He is one of a very small number of courageous journalists still working in Mogadishu despite ongoing violence and a shattered economy. As a correspondent for Agence France-Presse in Mogadishu and editor-in-chief of independent radio station Radio Simba, Haji faces danger and threats on a daily basis to report from Mogadishu’s once-bustling Bakara Market, which has become a stronghold of insurgents in the war-torn city. In 2007, with the help of a small businessman, Haji started Radio Simba in Mogadishu, which now reaches more than 2 million listeners across southern and central Somalia. His work for AFP and several other Western media outlets has made him a target of both Islamic insurgents and government authorities. He was beaten by insurgents for assisting two Japanese journalists from the Kyoto News Agency and arrested by government security forces for airing an interview with an Islamic militant leader of the Al-Shabaab insurgency. Despite receiving death threats and seeing his colleagues from Radio Shabelle and HornAfrik killed, Mustafa has insisted on staying in Mogadishu to report the unfolding Somali crisis, even while having to move his family three hours north for their safety., Somalia:</a></strong></div>
<p><strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/mustafa-haji-abdinur-corespondent-agence-france-pr.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/mustafa-haji-abdinur-corespondent-agence-france-pr.php"> </p>
<p></a></strong></p>
<div><strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/naziha-rejiba-editor-kalima.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/naziha-rejiba-editor-kalima.php"><div id="attachment_470" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-470" title="Naziha1[1]" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Naziha111-150x150.jpg" alt="Naziha Rejiba" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Naziha Rejiba</p></div>Naziha Réjiba</a></strong></div>
<div><strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/naziha-rejiba-editor-kalima.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/naziha-rejiba-editor-kalima.php">As editor of the independent online news journal <em>Kalima</em>, which is blocked in Tunisia, Réjiba is one of Tunisia’s most critical journalists. In a country where the media is heavily restricted and the government actively harasses the few independent journalists who attempt to write critically of the government, Réjiba, also known as Um Ziad, has been the target of intimidation and harassment since November 1987, when President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali came to power in a coup. Rejiba&#8217;s home is under constant surveillance, her phones lines are monitored, and she has been summoned for questioning repeatedly. Réjiba co-founded <em>Kalima</em> in 2000 with prominent journalist Sihem Ben Sedrine, herself a frequent target of the government. A year later, the pair founded the press freedom group Observatoire de la Liberté de la Presse, de L&#8217;Edition et de la Création (OLPEC). Both <em>Kalima</em>, which went online after being denied the right to publish in print, and OLPEC, are banned in Tunisia. In 2007, after ignoring numerous anonymous threats to ruin her reputation and that of her family if she continued her critical journalism, Rejiba was subject to a vile smear campaign featuring fabricated pornographic pictures of her husband, lawyer and former Member of Parliament Mokhtar Jellali. In October 2008, <em>Kalima</em> was hacked into and shut down. When Réjiba wrote an article accusing the government of being behind the hacking of <em>Kalima</em>, she was summoned to appear before a public prosecutor. Although she has not been charged, lawyers said that under the press law she could still face up to three years in prison for publishing “false news.”, Tunisia:</a></strong></div>
<p><strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/naziha-rejiba-editor-kalima.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/naziha-rejiba-editor-kalima.php"> </p>
<p></a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/eynulla-fatullayev-editor-realny-azerbaijan.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/eynulla-fatullayev-editor-realny-azerbaijan.php">Eynulla Fatullayev</a>, Azerbaijan:</strong> When Fatullayev’s friend and colleague Elmar Huseynov was murdered, the journalist set out to find his killer—and ended up facing more than eight years in prison. In 2005, Fatullayev was working as an investigative reporter for the opposition magazine <em>Monitor</em> when his colleague and Editor-in-Chief Elmar Huseynov was assassinated. In 2007, he published an article in <em>Realny Azerbaijan,</em> a newspaper he founded after Huseynov’s assassination. The article, “Lead and Roses,” accused Azerbaijani authorities of obstructing the investigation into the killing and alleged that Huseynov’s murder was ordered by high-ranking officials in Baku and carried out by a criminal group, including five Georgian citizens who had arrived in Baku two months prior to the assassination. Four days later, Fatullayev began receiving death threats. In the months following, he was convicted on charges of libeling and insulting Azerbaijanis in an Internet posting that was attributed to him but which he denied making, and his newspaper’s offices were raided and shut down. Then in July 2007, Fatullayev was hit with a series of politicized charges including “terrorism” for an analysis of Azerbaijan’s policies toward Iran. He was convicted in October and slammed with an eight-year sentence. In June 2008, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan upheld Fatullayev&#8217;s convictions. CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova reported on Fatullayev’s case in CPJ’s special report, “<a title="http://www.cpj.org/reports/2008/09/azerbaijan-elmar.php" href="http://www.cpj.org/reports/2008/09/azerbaijan-elmar.php">Finding Elmar’s Killers</a>.”</p>
<p><strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/js-tissainayagam-journalist-sunday-times.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/js-tissainayagam-journalist-sunday-times.php">J.S. Tissainayagam</a>, Sri Lanka</strong>: On March 7, 2008, Tissainayagam, editor of news web site <em>OutreachSL</em> and a columnist for the English-language Sri Lankan <em>Sunday Times</em>, went to the offices of the Terrorism Investigation Division to ask about a colleague who had been arrested the day before. He never made it back home. Tissainayagam, also known as Tissa, was one of the dozens of ethnic Tamil journalists who were swept up during the 26-year-long conflict between the Sinhalese-dominated government and Tamil separatists, which ended this year. Terrorism Investigation Division officials arrested Tissainayagam and held him without charge for six months. Then in August 2008, he was charged with inciting “communal disharmony,” an offense under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, in two articles written nearly three years earlier in a defunct magazine called <em>North Eastern Monthly</em>. In September 2009, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Local journalists say Tissainayagam wrote political columns about Tamil issues that were frequently critical of the government but not considered partisan to the separatist group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted Tissainayagam&#8217;s case during his World Press Freedom Day address in May.</p>
<div><strong><div id="attachment_473" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-473" title="anthonyLewis[1]" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/anthonyLewis11-150x150.jpg" alt="Anthony Lewis" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Anthony Lewis</p></div>Burton Benjamin Memorial Award</strong></div>
<p><strong>: Anthony Lewis, United States.</p>
<p></strong></p>
<p>CPJ will honor <strong><a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/anthony-lewis-journalist-united-states.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2009/anthony-lewis-journalist-united-states.php">Anthony Lewis</a> </strong>with the Burton Benjamin Memorial Award given for a lifetime of distinguished achievement in the cause of press freedom. Twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize, Lewis is a former columnist for <em>The New York Times.</em> He is widely recognized as one of the United States’ foremost thinkers on freedom of speech and First Amendment rights. Lewis has been a tireless scholar of journalism, having taught and lectured at Columbia’s School of Journalism as well as at Harvard University. His book <em><a title="http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus/book_detail.jsp?isbn=0465039170" href="http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus/book_detail.jsp?isbn=0465039170">Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment</a></em> was published in 2008.</p>
<p>“For more than 50 years, Tony Lewis has been a frontline observer and eloquent chronicler of the issues surrounding press freedom,” CPJ’s Steiger said. “Two generations of readers owe to him much of their understanding of the crucial role that the First Amendment—and journalism—serve in democracy.”</p>
<p>The Burton Benjamin Memorial Award is named in honor of the late CBS News senior producer and former CPJ chairman who died in 1988.</p>
<p>CPJ will also finally present an award to 2001 winner <a title="http://cpj.org/awards/2001/jiang.php" href="http://cpj.org/awards/2001/jiang.php">Jiang Weiping</a> from China, who was in jail and could not receive his award at the time.</p>
<p>The International Press Freedom Awards, now in their 19th year, are the centerpiece in CPJ’s annual fund-raising effort, providing more than a third of the budget for our press freedom advocacy efforts around the world.</p>
<p>To attend the awards dinner, please call CPJ&#8217;s Development Office at 212-465-1004 x 113</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.africaninterest.com/front-page/cpj-to-honor-five-international-journalists/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nigerian Engineer to Build Iraqi Railway</title>
		<link>http://www.africaninterest.com/africa/nigerian-engineer-to-build-iraqi-railway/</link>
		<comments>http://www.africaninterest.com/africa/nigerian-engineer-to-build-iraqi-railway/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:12:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.africaninterest.com/?p=395</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On August 31, 2009. TransGlobim consortium led by a Nigerian born engineer Dr. Jude Igwemezie, who obtained his Ph.D., in Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada scored big in Iraq by securing an MoU to build the first monorail people mover system in Iraq.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong><strong>Nigerian Engineer to Build Iraqi Railway</strong></p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-419" title="New Picture (35)" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/New-Picture-356.bmp" alt="Standing: Left to right: Dr. Jude O. Igwemezie, P.Eng, Chairman, TransGlobim International Inc., exchanging the signed MoU with His Excellency, Adnan A. K. Zurfee, Governor of Najaf, Iraq as Dr. Fadhal Al-Fadhal, Chairman of the Najaf Investment commission observes." /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>On August 31, 2009. TransGlobim consortium led by a Nigerian born engineer Dr. Jude Igwemezie, who obtained his Ph.D., in Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada scored big in Iraq by securing an MoU to build the first monorail people mover system in Iraq. The monorail will be built in the Muslim holy city of Najaf in Iraq (see attached pictures) and would link the three holy and historic Mosques of Imam Ali, Kufa and Sahle. The MoU was signed by his Excellency, Adnan A. K. Zurfee, Governor of Najaf, Iraq and Dr. Jude Igwemezie, P.Eng, Chairman, TransGlobim International Ltd. Estimated to cost over US$500 million, this project is scheduled to be completed in 3 years. The project will be carried out in two phases; Phase-I will involve the design, construction and operation of the system. Phase-II will expand the system by adding more train sets and stations and, extending the line to the new Najaf airport. It took two months to negotiate and execute this MoU showing an urgent and genuine desire on the part of the Iraq government to rebuild their war torn country. This monorail project would also create over a thousand jobs for the people of Iraq.</p>
<p>Dr. Jude Igwemezie, P.Eng., an indigene of Nigeria and world renowned railway engineering expert resident in Brampton, Ontario, created the TransGlobim International Inc. (Globim) as a Canadian Infrastructure and Management consortium to survey, design, finance, construct, and operate heavy rail and transit people mover systems. We have both technical and managerial partners in North America and Europe. The constituency of our consortium says Dr. Igwemezie, will be controlled by the type of project and the jurisdiction where the project is being implemented. Of course, we push local content and sustainability through technology transfer to enable the end users and actual owners of the systems we build exercise real ownership and maintenance of the finished product. Dr. Igwemezie is also the founder of Applied Rail Research Technologies (ARRT Inc.), a Canada based railway engineering consultancy and research firm; and NorFast Inc, an excellent, Canada based worldwide rail industry supplier of track products. Our products are selling in as far away as Australia. We own the patents on all of our products. This professional achievement by a consortium led by a Nigerian in Diaspora displays one of the capabilities of Nigerians in Diaspora and their contributions to the world development.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-413" title="New Picture (33)" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/New-Picture-333.bmp" alt="MoU negotiations with members of the Najaf investment Commission and Iraq Railways (sited" />While the project is being carried out in Iraq, it is expected to create several hundred jobs here in Canada and another several hundred jobs in Iraq says Sadik Najarali, founding partner at NVS Chartered Accountants Professional Corporation of Markham, Ontario and who also serves as the Director of Finance for the TransGlobim consortium. We have financing available for this project and are excited about the global opportunities it presents.</p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-410" title="New Picture (34)" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/New-Picture-341.bmp" alt="Sitting: Left to right: Dr. Jude O. Igwemezie, P.Eng, Chairman, TransGlobim International Inc.," />TransGlobim International Inc. has several other projects that it is currently negotiating in Iraq.</p>
<p>These will be disclosed as they mature. Canada has a great role to play in the rebuilding of Iraq.<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-404" title="New Picture (31)" src="http://www.africaninterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/New-Picture-312.bmp" alt="New Picture (31)" /></p>
<p>Where there is war and destructions of people’s assets, opportunities abound for renewal and rebuilding. Globim’s pledge is to collaborate with the Iraq people to rebuild their transportation and other infrastructure.</p>
<p>TransGlobim over the past 18 months engaged in negotiations to construct and operate several new railway lines in Nigeria. We believe that first, the Nigerian government must genuinely desire to progress its transportation system to 21st century standards. If our efforts bear fruit in my home country, we will create over 6,000+ permanent jobs during the construction and operation of the lines and another 60,000+ jobs will be indirectly affected annually in Nigeria says Dr. Igwemezie,. The Nigerian government will benefit from tax revenue and reduced social pressure to provide employment for its people. The railway lines that were looking to construct would take the pressure off the roads which are currently over utilized with significant human toll, lost goods and lost time. The constant repair of these roads also places a tremendous tax on the Nigerian Federal budget.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All questions should be directed to:</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.africaninterest.com/africa/nigerian-engineer-to-build-iraqi-railway/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Washington DC Council Member Michael Brown Convenes Historic Summit for contractors of Color</title>
		<link>http://www.africaninterest.com/front-page/washington-dc-council-member-michael-brown-convenes-historic-summit-for-contractors-of-color/</link>
		<comments>http://www.africaninterest.com/front-page/washington-dc-council-member-michael-brown-convenes-historic-summit-for-contractors-of-color/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:40:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Seyi Oduyela</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Page]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.africaninterest.com/?p=305</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Council of the District of Columbia
MEDIA ADVISORY
 
CONTACT: 
Linda Wharton Boyd (202) 724.8105              
lwhartonboyd@dccouncil.us                                           
Washington DC Council Member Michael Brown Convenes Historic Summit for contractors of Color
“ Summit to Empower Contractors to Meet Challenges and to Benefit from Opportunities in the Construction Industry”
WHO/WHAT:
At Large Councilmember Michael A. Brown in conjunction with The Hispanic Contractors Association of DC, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p align="center"><strong>Council of the District of Columbia</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>MEDIA ADVISORY</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>CONTACT: </strong></p>
<p>Linda Wharton Boyd (202) 724.8105              </p>
<p><a href="mailto:lwhartonboyd@dccouncil.us">lwhartonboyd@dccouncil.us</a><strong>                                           </strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>Washington DC Council Member Michael Brown Convenes Historic Summit for contractors of Color</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong><em>“ Summit to Empower Contractors to Meet Challenges and to Benefit from Opportunities in the Construction Industry”</em></strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>WHO/WHAT:</strong></p>
<p>At Large <strong><em>Councilmember Michael A. Brown</em></strong> in conjunction with <strong><em>The Hispanic Contractors Association of DC, The National Association of Minority Contractors, DC Chapter</em></strong> and the <strong><em>Carlos Rosario International</em> <em>Public Charter School </em></strong>will convene a historic gathering of minority contractors at the first <strong><em>Black and </em></strong><strong><em>Brown </em></strong><strong><em>Summit</em></strong><strong> </strong>on Saturday, October 3, 2009.</p>
<p> The Summit will provide empowerment tools and information to minority contractors on how to increase business opportunities and to strengthen their competitive edge.</p>
<p> Summit attendees will hear from <strong><em>Vincent C. Gray</em></strong>, DC Council Chairman, <strong><em>Kwame Brown</em></strong> At-Large Councilmember, <strong><em>Jim Graham,</em></strong> Councilmember (Ward 1), <strong><em>Alberto Gomez</em></strong>, Chairman of The Hispanic Contractors Association and <strong><em>Rosalind Stephenwoof,</em></strong> President of the National Association of Minority Contractors, DC Chapter.</p>
<p> The Summit topics, which will include the contracting process, insurance bonding, hiring and training requirements and understanding diversity, will be presented by industry specialists, <strong><em>Lee Smith ,</em></strong> Director of the Department of Small and Local Business Development and <strong><em>Wes Stith</em></strong>, Clark Construction Company. Issue experts are <strong><em>John Hughes</em></strong>, Construction Bonds Incorporated, <strong><em>Lewis Brown,</em></strong> DC Department of Employment Services, Office of Apprenticeship, <strong><em>Robin Coates,</em></strong> DC Department of Employment Services, Office of First Source and a representative from the DC Department of Real Estate Services. Session facilitators are <strong><em>Councilmember Mary Cheh</em></strong> (Ward 3) and <strong><em>Councilmember Marion Barry </em></strong>(Ward 8).</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <strong>WHEN: </strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>Saturday, October 3, 2009</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>Where:</strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, 1100 Harvard Street, NW &#8211; Washington, DC</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>Time: </strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>9:00 am – 1:30</strong></p>
<p><strong>BACKGROUND: </strong>The first ever <strong><em>“Black and </em></strong><strong><em>Brown</em></strong><strong><em> Summit ”</em></strong> will bring African American and Hispanic contractors together to discuss mutual concerns, to establish working relationships and to increase contracting opportunities in the District of Columbia . </p>
<p>The Summit is the ‘brain child’ of At-Large Councilmember Michael A. Brown. His objectives are to improve relations between minority business contractors, to increase the number of city contracts awarded to local minority owned businesses, and to provide contractors with the opportunity to interact with policy makers and to share contractors’ concerns regarding obstacles to success.</p>
<p> “African American and Hispanic contractors have so much in common,” says, Councilmember Brown says.  “They fight the same battles everyday to gain equal access to local contracts and therefore it’s only natural that they work together to break down barriers to their shared goals.”</p>
<p>#   #  #</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.africaninterest.com/front-page/washington-dc-council-member-michael-brown-convenes-historic-summit-for-contractors-of-color/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
