Latest News
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Nigerian Elections 2015: AFJN Urges Peace, Transparency and Accountability
The Africa Faith & Justice Network (AFJN) strongly urges the Nigerian government to create an atmosphere free of fear, coercion and violence before, during, and after the upcoming presidential election on Saturday, March 28, 2015 and the subsequent state and local elections. We applaud that President Jonathan and General Buhari have publicly taken such a…
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Happy Independence Day Namibia- March 21
Unknown to many is that the first and the most devastating 20th century genocide happened in Namibia. The Republic of Namibia declared its independence from South Africa on March 21, 1990. South Africa had colonized Namibia since 1915 after defeating German forces in World War I. Germany colonized Namiba, which they called “South West Africa”…
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Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe and Sewing Hope
Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, native of Uganda and Sacred Heart Sister, was conferred an honorary doctor of humane letters recently by Duquesne University as part of its 2015 Founders Week: Faces of Courage celebration. Sister Rosemary is the director of the St. Monica’s Girls Tailoring Centre in Gulu, Uganda. Honored by Time Magazine as one of…
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Thomas Reese: Is dialogue with Islam possible?
Granted the Islamic State group and the multiple conflicts occurring in the Middle East, is dialogue with Islam possible? This was the question asked by Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, nuncio emeritus to Egypt and former president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. As a member of the Society of Missionaries of Africa and an Arabic and Islamic scholar, Fitzgerald is especially qualified to discuss this topic, as he did in a March 6 lecture at The Catholic University of America sponsored by the Institute of Policy Research and Catholic Studies and the Africa Faith and Justice Network.
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NCR Covers AFJN’s Event on Dialogue with Islam
Granted the Islamic State group and the multiple conflicts occurring in the Middle East, is dialogue with Islam possible?
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Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald on “Grounds for better understanding and dialogue with Islam” Photo Gallery
Born in England into a Catholic family of Irish descent, Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald was educated by the Missionaries of Africa in Scotland, England and Ireland. He did his novitiate in the Netherlands and his theological studies along with Arabic and Islamic studies in Tunisia. He was ordained priest in London 1961 as a member…
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Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald on the “Grounds for dialogue with Islam today”
On Friday, March 6, 2015 at a lecture sponsored by Africa Faith & Justice Network (AFJN) and the Institute for Policy Research at Catholic University, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald spoke on the Grounds for dialogue with Islam today. Archbishop Fitzgerald has been at the center of efforts to foster dialogue with Muslims. He served as Apostolic Nuncio…
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The 58th Independence Celebration of Ghana
Ghana declared independence from the United Kingdom on March 6th, 1957. This was the result of the efforts of “The Big Six” leaders of Ghana, who in 1947 formed the United Gold Coast Convention which called for self-governance. In 1949, the Convention People’s Party was formed by Kwame Nkrumah, who was also a member of…
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Namibia’s President Recognized for his outstanding work
Namibia’s President Hifikepunye Pohamba received the 2014 Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership in a ceremony held in Nairobi, Kenya on March 2, 2015. This prize rewards the outstanding achievements of African leaders. President Hifikepunye clinched “US$5 million over ten years” and “US$200 000 per year for life thereafter.” So far it is “the largest…
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Ethiopia Selected Among Top Ten Best Tourist Destinations for 2015
One of the leading publishers of travel guidebooks, Rough Guides, recently held an online vote allowing its readers to select their top international destination choices for 2015. According to the results, Ethiopia ranks number seven on the People’s Choice list that also includes the UK, Iceland, Japan, Chile, Turkey and the US. “From the dramatic…
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ADF-NALU is Africa Great Lakes’ version of Boko Haram
Why should we deal with the rise of the Allied Democratic Forces and National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU) now? ADF-NALU another extremist Islamic group was originally opposed to the Ugandan government. After it was defeated by the Ugandan army it ran into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Ruwenzori mountains where it…
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Don’t Repeal or Weaken an Effective Law: Dodd-Frank 1502
On Friday, February 6th, AFJN’s Policy Analyst Jacques Bahati joined Sasha Lezhnev of the Enough Project and Carly Oboth from Global Witness on Capitol Hill to brief staffers from the Senate and House on the implementation of Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, also known as the conflict mineral law. This intimate briefing…
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Kenya Wind Farm Project
By Rita Murphy Kenya has stepped up its efforts to transform 40,000 acres of land into a huge wind farm, in a bid to meet growing demand for electricity. The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, which is being developed in the country’s North-East, aims to produce 20% of the country’s current installed electricity generating capacity…
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On Boko Haram and the shame on the Government
Why has the Nigerian army been unable to contain or eradicate Islamist rebel group Boko Haram, which consistently burns villages and churches, killing and kidnapping Muslims and non-Muslims alike? One indicator of the worsening security crisis is that community vigilantes known as “Joint Task Forces” have taken matters into their own hands to protect themselves….
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Advocacy for a Stronger European Union Conflict Mineral Law
On January 28, two days before meeting her US counterpart Secretary of State John Kerry, Margot Wallstrom, Foreign Minister of Sweden, met with a delegation from the Enough Project and the Africa Faith & Justice Network to discuss responsible mineral trade as it relates to sourcing from conflict zones. The goal was to ask the…
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Global Response to African Issues; Nigeria and the Crisis of Boko Haram
Three days before the Paris attack which targeted the satirical news magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015, Boko Haram, an Islamist group massacred people in Baga, a town in northeastern Nigeria. The exact number of people killed is not known yet, but the Nigerian government’s estimate is 150 while other reports estimate the number…
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Ugandan Doctor Leads Ebola-fighting Team in Liberia
Edited by Rita Murphy, story distributed by AllAfrica.com A Liberian newspaper, Daily Observer, has singled out Dr. Anne Deborah Atai-Omoruto, an Ugandan doctor, as one of 2014’s persons of the year. This is in recognition of her efforts in battling Ebola in the country. Since July 2014, Dr. Atai has been in Liberia where she…
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Citizens’ Power: Lessons from October 2014 Events in Burkina Faso
The citizens of Burkina Faso have clearly demonstrated to their fellow Africans that “when spider webs unite they can tie up a lion”. Their actions cast light on the urgings of African bishops’ 2013 pastoral letter on “Governance, the Common Good and Democratic Transitions in Africa”. It points to the big gap between the people…
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Promoting Best Practices for Extractive Industries
“The Extractive Industries Working Group is a Washington, D.C. based coalition of faith, human rights, and environmental organizations concerned about the negative impact of extractive industries on Creation which includes both the human and natural world.” AFJN has worked with the Extractive Industries Working Group for several years. The group addresses concerns globally and coordinates…
