A report released this week by unicef , the united nations children 's fund , suggests several countries , including ghana , tanzania , benin and gambia , are making progress in spreading artemesinin and bed nets .
On a boat trip up the gambia he encounters a young peace corps idealist who " resembles the beginning of a novel which is destined to have an unhappy ending . "
The media legal defence initiative , launched last week by a network of lawyers and journalists , aims to help journalists in countries ranging from kazakhstan and thailand to mexico and gambia who are facing threats .
In the past year or so his african trips have taken in gambia , kenya , senegal and uganda , among other places , presumably offering generous oil deals that few can resist in return for backing .
And perennial pessimists about africa 's prospects may be surprised to know that the list of the top ten countries ranked by the average annual decline in the poverty rate includes six in africa : the gambia , mali , senegal , ethiopia , the central african republic and guinea .