Africa Nr. 1, tramonta il sogno della radio panafricana?

Una delle vittime mediatiche della guerra civile in Libia potrebbe essere Africa Numero 1, emittente radio panafricana di origine gabonese controllata da qualche anno da un fondo di investimento libico che si può ascoltare sia in FM a Parigi e in diverse città africane; sia attraverso il bouquet satellitare Africa Sat di Atlantic Bird (Eutelsat); sia sulle onde corte dalle antenne della stazione gabonese di Moyabi. Questo impianto tra origine dalla visione del presidente gabonese Omar Bongo Ondimba, scomparso nel 2009 dopo essere durato in carica 42 anni. Concepita l'idea di una emittente radiofonica capace di coprire l'intero continente africano, Ondimba inaugura il centro nel 1979 e dal 1981 Moyabi diventa anche una delle principali stazioni ripetitrici dei segnali delle emittenti internazionali. Persino le trasmissioni in italiano di Radio Japan - chiuse nel 2007 - arrivavano da lì.

La festa finisce quando le emittenti all'inizio del 21esimo secolo decidono di abbandonare gradualmente le onde corte. I flussi delle rimesse giapponesi, francesi, svizzere vengono meno ma per Africa Numero 1 nel 2008, proprio con l'addio dell'ultimo broadcaster straniero, arriva il giubbotto di salvataggio rappresentato dai soldi di Gheddafi. Il fondo Libyan Africa Portfolio (in realtà ci sono diverse denominazioni, incluso il Libyan Arab Africa Investment Portfolio che si occupa di telecomunicazioni). L'emittente sarebbe controllata al 52% dal LAP, al 35% dal governo gabonese e per il restante 13% da imprenditori privati del Gabon. Con le ostilità arrivano i blocchi sui conti correnti bancari e le difficoltà. Secondo l'agenzia PANA, che cita il quotidiano gabonese L'Union (fondato da Ondimba, sempre lui), la situazione è ormai diventata insostenibile:

Gabon-based Pan African radio loses signal

Libreville, Gabon - The Pan African Radio, Africa No. 1, has lost its signal and is no longer being received in Gabon and elsewhere in Africa since Wednesday, PANA learnt from the radio's management in Libreville. According to the daily 'L'Union', the satellite operator Eutelsat might have stopped its services to the station over an estimated 200 million CFA francs in arrears of payment. The station has been experiencing serious financial problems since 2001, especially after Radio France Internationale (RFI) and Japanese Radio NHK stop shortwave broadcasting. The arrival of Libyan partners had restored hope among the workers, who are now threatened by the ongoing political crisis in Libya.

The crisis, marked by the freezing of Libyan assets and the Western military intervention in the north African country, has impacted negatively on the station, which has a total debt of 1.2 billion CFA francs, according to the Management. A representative of the Libyan partners in Gabon, Abubaker Ali, the salaries of the station's journalists were paid only till the end of March 2011. Ali said that the crisis in Libya prevented Libyan-African Investment Portfolio (LAP) from having access to the required funds.

Libyan Jamahiriya Broadcasting became the majority shareholder in Africa No. 1 with 52 per cent of the capital, the Gabonese government owns 35 per cent and the Gabonese private sector 13 per cent. The station started broadcasting in 1981.

La bolletta per i transponder affittati sul satellite Eutelsat equivarrebbe a circa 300 mila euro, ma il debito complessivo dell'emittente è di sei volte tanto e l'operatore satellitare avrebbe chiuso il rubinetto. Il fatto è che al momento non è facile capire che cosa stia succedendo. Lo stream di Africa 1 da Parigi è ancora normalmente ascoltabile sul Web. Ma anche l'impianto di Moyabi è apparentemente ancora "on air" su 9580 kHz, lo segnalano in questi giorni al mattino presto ascoltatori europei e americani. E' possibile che il link del satellite sia stato sospeso e che la stazione parigina prosegue il suo lavoro normalmente mentre da Libreville stanno mandando in onda vecchie registrazioni. Allo stato attuale è difficile che il fondo libico possa riprendere in mano la conduzione economica della stazione radio. Dovremo quindi aspettare lo sviluppo della situazione. Se Gheddafi non dovesse più riprendere il controllo della cassaforte libica in Africa, resta da vedere che ne sarà di Africa 1 e di tanti altri progetti. Difficile pensare che un governo diverso possa onorare tutti gli stessi impegni. Questo articolo apparso su Afronline spiega molto bene quali siano questi interessi. Gheddafi in persona lo scorso anno si sarebbe impegnato a investire quasi 100 miliardi di dollari per liberare l'Africa dall'influenza occidentale.

Libya’s investment highway in Africa: Will it leave potholes?

April 20

As the calls for democracy, regime change and revolutions are sweeping across North and West Africa. Individuals, interested parties and organisations have started wondering about the new political and economic face of these regions. One thing for sure is that it will take sometime for countries at the spotlight to recover or for them to see blossoms of any sort.

In Libya, for example where no town has been left untouched the situation looks not only bad but it gives people a reason to doubt if the country will recover soon from the damages it has acquired in the past months.

Perhaps this march to democracy in the Middle East and North Africa and in this case Libya will not only affect that country but also the entire continent of Africa. The rebuilding Libya’s is likely to impact on investment projects doted across Africa. What will happen if Muammar Gaddafi goes? Will the investments go on? These are some of the questions being asked.

According to data obtained from the African Development Bank, Libya now has about $370 million in its account. Apart from that it is one of the bank’s leading regional shareholders with 4 percent voting power.

It is one of the biggest contributors to the budget of the African Union, the 53-country body which is supposed to function along the lines of the European Union. Libya is one of the five countries along side Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa who cover 75 percent of the union’s budget.

The Business Council for Africa West & Southern (BCA W&S) a UK based non-profit organisation and think tank says that Libya provides 15 percent of AU funding and also covers the dues of a number of smaller African states, which were badly hit by the 2008 financial crisis.

The organisations further states that this commitment is around $40 million annually although it says that paying dues for other cash-strapped African countries is not necessarily unique to Libya.

And according to a senior African Union official Libya’s contribution to AU funds which not all countries do, buys its influence. Notwithstanding its investment and financial support is not only one sided as one would say. It has touched even communities and close to 30 countries. Hence it is a head to tile and vice-versa.

In July 2007, its telecom arm, LAP Green took a 61 percent stake in the African Development Bank-backed Regional African Satellite Communications Organisation Members (Rascom) project, which provides point- to multi-point telecommunications services across the continent.

Last year Gaddafi said he would invest $97 billion in the continent to free it from Western influence on condition that African states rid themselves of corruption and nepotism. This money is about the amount Libya holds in foreign currency reserves, according to official data. The countries that benefit, and many independent observers, say Libya is bringing real benefits for Africa.

The country also holds billions of dollars in assets across the continent through subsidiaries of its $70 billion sovereign wealth fund. The money is invested through the $5 billion Libya Arab Africa Investment Co (Laaico), through Libya Oil Holdings, Libya African Investment Portfolio and Libyan Foreign Investment Company (Lafico).

Another of the fund’s projects is LAP Green Networks, a mobile phone operator which has commercial operations in Zambia, Niger, Ivory coast, Uganda and Rwanda with operations in Chad, Sierra Leone, Togo and southern Sudan underway.

The golden question is. What might happen in case Gandalf leaves? Richard Mbewe, a Zambian professor of International Economics based in Poland says the out come is twofold. The first thing he points out is that since Gaddafi was behind all these investment decisions. In light of a new nationalist government taking over, these investments could be cancelled off and the money taken back to Libya?

Mbewe says that the second element is a risk of a power vacuum upon Gaddafi’s departure. Islamic fundamentalists might fill this he says might want to keep intact these investments (especially in telecommunications) in order to foster their further development of Islam in these countries where LAP Green is operating, especially in Africa south of the Sahara.

Libya, which also has important investments in other parts of the world, including Europe, which has made EU leaders uncomfortable in the wake of the violence. Might leave a very big pothole in Africa’s investment high way.

By Joe M. L. Kaluba – Afronline