BBC Monitoring quotes from the African press 24 May.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and other material published in the 24 May editions of the African press. As indicated some material from 22 and 23 May is also included. Unless otherwise stated, the newspapers are published in English.

Uganda

Uganda's Daily Monitor [independent]: "Selecting 69 individuals for any posting from over 400 real candidates and a boundless spectrum of potential others is a daunting project for even the most accomplished recruiting agencies. President Yoweri Museveni's appointment of his cabinet, and other ministers, is compounded because the qualifications of the candidates and the job profiles are unclear... Our view is that the amount of work involved in appointing 69 ministers is too much... That is why the president needs a ministerial appointment board... This body should help the president shortlist nominees, and hold preliminary consultation interviews with them." (Editorial - "President needs help appointing ministers")

Kenya's EastAfrican [independent weekly, published on Mondays]: "Uganda's Finance Ministry has revealed that external support to the budget will come down from 48 per cent to 42 per cent in financial year 2006/07. This is expected to fall further to 21 per cent in the budget of 2008/09. These projections represent the lowest levels of donor dependence by Uganda in a quarter of a century. Although the decision is largely underpinned by recent withdrawals of aid by donors, they nevertheless represent a positive development... because donor dependency is in itself undesirable for any country seeking to pursue independent …