Cadiz to welcome persecuted journalists.

Legend has it that Cadiz was founded as a result of the mythical 12 labours of Hercules which included separating Europe from Africa. The first settlers came here after their oracle advised them to construct a city overlooking the Atlantic between the Pillars of Hercules.

Santiago and his colleague

What we know as historical fact is that this is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe. The Phoenicians established a trading post here in 1,100 BC and called the town Gadir (meaning enclosure), a name which later transmuted to Gades under the Romans..

Journalists in this particular city have decided to offer a refuge to colleagues fleeing persecution and torture from their own homeland due to the exercise of their profession.

The Cadiz Press Association ( http://www.prensacadiz.org/) with the help of the ( http://www.ifj.org/) has decided to build a house that will host journalists seeking refuge and asylum in Spain and the (http://www.nuj.org/) will provide some technical and referral support to the project. This cooperation has been materialised on Wednesday 16 March by the signing agreement between the Cadiz Press Association ( APC) and the International Federation of Journalists. 

Fernando Santiago Munoz, the acting president of APC and Jim Boumelha for the Ifj have both signed the cooperation agreement in the presence of the general Secretary of the Nuj, Jeremy Dear and his deputy Michelle Stanistreet.

Jim and Santiago signing agreement

Pete Murray and Donnacha Delong, president and deputy were also present at the ceremony that took place in the conference room situated at the fifth floor at the Headland House in London.

Jeremy explained to the spanish colleagues how the Nuj has been involved in campagnings in order to avoid one of his member been removed from the UK and also highlighted the support that asylum seeker members are receiving from the union...

On the agreement it is said that the APC undertakes to promote the construction and complete fitting-out of the journalists`house and also to provide sufficient staff for its operation and security.

 Journalists will be admitted in that house on condition that their asylum application has been approved by Spanish authorities and that they have the status of refugee. They will receive necessary services to pursue their journalistic work and also will have to learn the language that will be a criteria to integrate the community.

There are 16 rooms that are going to be funded by media groups in Spain in a scale of 50% of the management and the other 50% will be donated and collected through the European fund for refugee and other International federation of journalists. Funds will help the maintenance and the complete function of the House.  

The Ifj will put forward names and specific cases of journalists needing or requesting protection to the Journalists`House. The Spanish initiative comes after French and German and the Ifj hopes that other European countries will follow these examples of housing persecuted journalists.

CFA 50BN fund to tackle rising youth unemployment is possible and realistic

The president issued the controversial appeal yesterday while addressing the Cameroonian youth and unveiled his long awaited speech and deal with the youth.

He acknowledged the total failure of its policy and its idea of a big society. Completely out off touch with the youth.

Paul Biya is completely out off touch with the youth. Mr Biya told the youth <..I am aware, please believe me, what are your concerns about your future. I can imagine the disappointment of those who, after long years of studies, struggle to find employment corresponding to qualifications. Discouragement of those who, without qualifications, have, at best, such as perspective, of precarious employment. Feelings of injustice to those who, deprived of any hope feel rejected by society...>.

After 28 years in power,  Paul Biya still want the youth to believe in him and to continue to trust him as he appeared to be the only one who can give them a better future. Nothing in that political speech yesterday showed that Mr Biya is ready to boost the economy and to give the youth a chance that they have been expecting for so long.

Gicam members awaiting Biya`s signal for
job creation

 Right as a politician he promised so many things and projects that are still on the way and many more that are still only on papers. To reduce the unemployment amount the youth, he ordered a recruitment of 25,000 more Young's graduates from the universities to join the public services and add to the over 125,000 public servants working for the government.

Those new recruits are just going to join Biya`s army of voters in public services and help grow the rank of voters.

In others countries where youth unemployment is rising, ideas of revolution and economy boosted are being discussed. Biya  for example could have ordered the creation of a national fund to help reduce or fight youth unemployment. At the moment there are 52 government spending`s budget and only 2 departments with less than CFA1billion.

So the national fund to boost job creation for the youth will have already CFA50 billion for this financial year with any single government department injecting CFA1billion in that special fund. Also government could after agreement encourage banks to lend money to struggling small businesses. They can create more jobs for the youth and just need government support.

CFA billions have been waisted by those former government ministers that have been arrested and put in jail and accused of embezzlment for more than CFA1000 billion. There is no way Paul Biya will say that there is no money available for that particular fund for job creation for the youth. The money is there. The money can be found in the government expenditures pocket for this financial year and before the election.

There is already a national employment fund that has been created by the government and whose activities are not well understood and even the World Bank has encouraged long time ago the government to privatise that fund in order to avoid any clash between the chief executive officer and the minister of labor who is the chairman of the national executive council. and to become more effective and also competitive as an agency with aims to create jobs and not just acting as job placement for his clients.

All are been appointed by the president and sometimes they have different point of view on how to create jobs and to encourage the youth. Biya deal with the youth is a head versus heart.

Your head tells you that Paul Biya is probably right to ask young people to put their trust in him for their future and you heart says we have heard this for so long and nothing has changed since.

The truth is Paul Biya is out of touch with the youth even still has the power to make things happen. The more longer he stays in power and more corrupted his regime became and there will be no chance and no future for the youth.