That seems to be the question of the day. The answer? That it has a myriad of problems and naming one of its problems at the chief culprit for the lack of development across the continent doesn't really solve much. Is it disease? The environment? Education? Poor governance? Corruption? Geography? Post-colonial conflict? Why the insistence on naming one problem as THE problem? Isn't it everything? I recently read Bjorn Lomborg's book How to Spend $50 Billion to Make the World a Better Place and this same sort of categorizing occurred in that book, and I just tend to feel that is doesn't really go anywhere. One year AIDS is the top problem, then millions are pumped into prevention without looking at treatment, or the next year Malaria is the big problem and the focus shifts, and so on and so on, but it ends up feeling like not much is getting done at all. I'd think some continuity and steady concentration on all the problems at the same time would be more beneficial in the long run, though likely slower in the short term.

In other news from Africa:

*Demystify environmental issues, says South African Deputy President. More on the current environmental summit taking place in South Africa.

*A regional government in Nigeria looks to regulate community policing groups.

*Is Nigeria really on the path to greatness?

*Seeds of an idea grow as Irish businessmen take Africa to heart.

*Museveni's consolidation of power a risk, says U.S. report.

*Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report Summarizes Editorials, Opinion Pieces Related to AIDS Conference.