I can think of four times in the fifty year or so history of post-colonial Africa in which the continent had one voice, and the same couple of countries – Ghana and South Africa – were the instigators. First with Ghana being the first country to gain independence in Africa in the late fifties. Then the united struggle against apartheid in South Africa garnered by the inspiring grace of Mandela. Then when the same country won the bid to host the first world cup on the nation, and finally when Ghana proved the only African football team worth anything.

If it is possible, why then do we find it so difficult to unite? I believe it is arrogance bred from subjugation. Every African nation wanting to prove they emerged strongest, most unscathed, most refined… from the colonialism era grasps at what makes their fellow Africans unworthy… Kenyans are too timid, Nigerians are too aggressive, Ethiopians are too proud, Egyptians are too angry, South Africans think they are better than everyone. We love it! Everyone else has an issue. The times we have been united are when we single out one country to support. So, we are not really united just rallying behind achievement of another for a brief period of time.

Noble as that is, it is inherently limiting. The African world cup we were so excited about was restrictive to Africans due to the high cost of transportation and the fact that tickets could only be purchased by credit cards… CREDIT CARDS! I could not buy a ticket at the airport in Nigeria a few years ago with a card when fifteen-year-old boys in the west were charging cigarettes to it. Please realize that Nigeria is in the top five banking powerhouses on the continent. Now does it not make the ‘African world cup’ idea slightly laughable when Africans could not purchase tickets to attend it? We are acting on models made for one country and trying to throw it over the entire continent – erroneous and bound to fail.

I am proud of the fact that we proved ‘Africa’ could host such a competition glitch *fingers crossed* free. But in a week, maybe a month after the curtains fall, Africa united would be an abandoned phrase. South Africa might make some important development deals but it would not filter to the rest of us. Because they have let us share their moment of glory, but we have done little else to extend the benefits of such an event to the rest of the continent. We did not advertise the rest of the continent as a healthy business environment or a wonderful tourist destination. We frankly ‘kaitaed’ the opportunity to properly brand ourselves when many countries on the continent are about to celebrate their golden jubilees.

Save for Ghana, we could not even put forward serious teams to contend! Another of the bloggers on this site has also been addressing the issues of a United Africa, and I focus on this topic because we must ingrain this mindset in our way of thinking and development planning.

Often we get young entrepreneurs with charitable hearts eager to help Africa. Unfortunately, they often forget the basics. Such as a school without quality teachers is simply a building; a classroom without adequate textbooks is merely a room full of children.
These charities erecting buildings make it easy to forget the essential problem – unequal access to quality instruction. I commend their noble ideals but their misunderstanding of the actual problems detracts from creating substantial solutions.
Here are a few ideas to tackle these shortfalls.
1. Online syllabi – this is not a novel idea, in fact there is already an industry waiting in the shadows, hoping it becomes a viable market so they can jump in. While they wait for this major breakthrough, which will be soon giving the advances made in electronic reading devices, they should forge ahead with charity organizations. They should find a way to create curriculum that provides standard equitable education while remaining region sensitive and ensuring local content is adequately taught. I know more about Western history than my African past because the books available were tailored to that.
2. Laptops – the hundred laptops per child is commendable, but their marketing has not been. The way airlines provide the option to erase your carbon footprint at the end of each transaction is the way these guys should collaborate with major computer retailers. This way if you buy a laptop, you can simply add $100 to your transaction and one is sent to a little kid in the developing world. Equally as important, I feel the creation of notebooks is timely in ensuring compact computing units at a cheaper cost. I believe all major makers of computers should look into tailoring this technology adequately because even children in the developed world from poorer neighborhoods also face technological disadvantages.
3. T.I.A – similar to the Teach For America scheme, this Teach In Africa, will bring expatriate graduates home on teaching assignments. Not only does this bring an influx of quality personnel with novel ideas and dynamic methods, it also brings fresh ideas to local problems. Although I feel this should initially be restricted to émigrés and their home countries for the simple sake of building interest and empowerment, it can later be broadened to all those qualified and interested.
If we have all these in place, we have hit at the root of educational pitfalls. The cost of schooling will be greatly reduced as a child can be sponsored with a laptop and download textbooks at no cost. In addition, there will be improved Internet access that creates an avenue of necessary exposure in a rapidly globalizing world.

Young African Professionals networking evenings are held every month in Washington DC area and the event attracts over 50-100 professionals interested in Africa. The theme for the April 30th event was “Home Sweet Home: How to successfully relocate to Africa”. The evening was meant to address the many concerns of young Africans in Diaspora.

To lead the invigorating discussion, three panelists were invited from different fields- Mrs. Edith Haizel, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Ghana, and former member of Parliament; Mr Julius Kliza, University Lecturer, Makerere University, Uganda; and Alban Bagbin, Minister for　Water Resources, Works and Housing, Ghana.

Speaking from a University Lecturer’s perspective, Kliza said there were many factors pulling and pushing young professionals from home. He however encouraged youths to remember that there was no place like home. “Your countries and families need you and your ideas” he said.

The panelists admitted that things back home in African were not as rosy as they would have loved it to be. Among others they noted that roads are not good. No good electricity and ATM machines are not reliable. All these challenges are enough to discourage anyone from relocating.

A packed Suitcase photo by Sandra Beijer

To avoid frustration, the speakers suggested “relocation strategies”. “Before relocating, identify someone to entrust your wealth or ideas”, Africans in diaspora were advised. This person will be very helpful in helping you integrate into the society eventually.

Take out sometime to test the waters. If you can, carry out some local projects in order to be able to understand how the system works. The panelist noted that you must not relocate because of people’s pressure. “Make sure you are ready”. Meanwhile, relocating can also be a simple decision to invest in the country. “Look for innovative fields, do not join the bandwagon” said the Ugandan.

Bagbin, Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing Ghana, reaffirmed the urgent need for young talents to return home and invest in their countries. However he said even after relocating, it is important to keep in touch with Diaspora. “Africa is said to be the future of the world, not because of natural resources but because of knowledge- brain gain”.

Bagbin noted that you could make a difference wherever you are. “If you think of Africa’s development, then you can make a difference” he said. And urged everyone to embrace the 3 C’s of leadership- Character, Care and Competence.

Source: The Nation newspaper.

Robert Litan, director of research at Kauffman Foundation – a firm that specializes in promoting innovation in America said, “Between 1980 and 2005, virtually all net new jobs created in the U.S. were created by firms that were 5 years old or less”. “That is about 40 million jobs. That means the established firms created no new net jobs during that period.”

Due to globalization, every existing job or position has either been taken or outsourced. In these times, the necessity of start-ups cannot be overstated. In Africa, it means we need the private sector to step up. We need the creative talents that have fled the continent to return with their acquired expertise.

This does not excuse the government of its responsibilities. In a developing society, they are the premier source for generating employment. However, the reliance on them for innovation is misplaced. We saw with the GSM that all the market needs is an enabling environment; expediency and profits handle the rest. In Nigeria, the government simply granted licenses, in a couple of years, business transactions were made more efficient, and thousands of jobs were created.

Due to the continental lack of infrastructure, there is a huge avenue for government induced job creation, both in building the amenities and in maintaining them. But soon enough that number will stagnate. I am more interested in what happens next.

For every four blacks on the African continent, one is a Nigerian. This means (like it or not), the proportion of able bodied, adequately educated, aptly funded individuals possible of sustaining job-creating start-ups will favor that country. I say this because of the shenanigans pulled in Ghana last year. Due to the electricity shortages in Nigeria, Nigerian business flocked there in droves and helped spur the economy. International organizations soon followed, and suddenly Nigerian licenses were being revoked.

The difficulty faced by non-Kenyan Africans in starting and sustaining a business in Kenya is ridiculous, yet Indians own the majority of industries – land, manufacturing, and retail. I would have no problem with this but the profits are sent to India and the hired labors are imported from India – none of this is good news for our continent.

The point of these illustrations is to state that African countries need to be more business friendly towards fellow Africans. It is imperative. Mo Ibrahim, the wealthy Sudanese businessman has been often quoted as saying individually African countries cannot be competitive on their own.

War between two nations usually stems because of money, because people care about their money. We need Africans to have financial stakes in the continent so they would care about what is happening in it.

Finally, I am not a protectionist by any means, and I think Ethiopia is taking it a bit far (you can’t buy Kelloggs in the supermarket), but I really think the rest of the continent like them need to start contemplating import embargoes. We should take the China route; our markets are young and should be protected. Inter-African trade should be developed and protected. The borders should be opened for people, goods, and businesses. Little known fact, Canada is the only country that can service all their current needs without imports. Perhaps it is why they never war.

Pan-Africanism has been whispered and then shouted the world over as a solution to Africa’s ills and a refuge for blacks the world over. However, I am hesitant to join this bandwagon especially when Ghaddafi, who just called for Nigeria to be split into two, is its current champion.

There is no doubt we need a more united market, more open borders and inter-regional trade but perhaps we must be a bit more cautious in how we try to attain this. The crisis with the Euro shows the difficulty of creating a regional monetary market and currency. Too many countries have different principles and agendas to make it easily fluent.
Without a doubt, we do need united representation on the global stage. Prime Minister Meles of Ethiopia has gone some way in providing a unified front for African demands, particularly when it comes to the issue of climate change. However, it was rather disgraceful to watch the African envoy sitting in Copenhagen, hats in hand, asking for money. No concrete plans as to their intentions, no reform strategies, nothing. Frankly, they looked rather silly and very greedy.

We need to present the continent as a place of serious ambitions, and for that we need well thought-through plans and programs. So here is a policy for them. The approaching World Cup in South Africa has brought to light the difficulty of inter-Africa travel. We have always known this, but it seems the international community was rather shocked at the costs of flights. People will barely be able to make it to the bottom of the continent much less take the opportunity to explore our beautiful lands. I honestly believe a train system that runs through the continent is necessary.

All countries can chip in and it will definitely provide a useful outlet for spending climate aid. Pros and cons? Here goes.

Cons:
Being overrun by refugees (economic, social, etc) is probably the biggest fear in this situation, but it happens anyways. I feel any Nigerian who had landed in Nairobi before the recently changed ridiculous rules and saw Europeans and other whites being fast tracked while they went through all sorts of loopholes will agree with me that something must be done. There are other issues – corruption, who will run it, etc, but the Pros outweigh the Cons.

Here are some positives:

1. Since the continent is blessed with abundant sunlight, we should go for a solar assisted, energy efficient train. This promotes clean technologies research on the continent, is good for the environment, and will be cost effective in the end.

2. An open market:  It’s shameful how we continually import from non-African countries when we need markets for our own goods. I know that there are many reasons underlying this trend but publicly a lot of blame is attributed to cost of transportation.

3. Tourism among Africans. It is about time Africans started spending our excess cash on our continent. Does anyone have a clue how breathtaking Namibia is? I do not either but I have heard from a foreigner and I will appreciate if it was easier for me to confirm.

There is of course the reason that started this line of musing – cheap transportation. It should not cost 400 dollars to go from Nairobi to Addis Ababa when their countries touch!

So, this is not the alternative to pan-Africanism but I feel it is a more practical approach to stitch the continent together – something we are in dire need of.

I’VE heard it said that we Nigerians are the happiest people on earth. We’re also accused of being passive about issues that would stir up revolutions in other countries. For instance, it’s been just over a week since ethno-religious violence left hundreds dead around Jos, a city in central Nigeria, but the slaughtering of our fellow citizens has already largely faded from our headlines and conversations. The general response to announcements by the police that they have apprehended some of the butchers is, “Oh, really?” Few people I know even care to hear what the brutes have to say for themselves.

Amnesia Nigeriana, someone called it: that tendency of Nigerians to blank out national trauma. As it happens, more than anything else, it is the reports that persist on the BBC and CNN that remind us that hundreds of innocent Nigerians, women and children, were slaughtered in their sleep that Sunday night. When I look up at the huge TV screen in the newsroom where I work, there’s usually a foreign reporter with a look of high seriousness, scenes of Jos in the background.

Every time Nigeria experiences an episode of violence, we seem to go quiet while the rest of the world becomes fixated. Perhaps it’s understandable that we begin to resent these foreign journalists and the constant focus on our disasters.

“These people just never carry any positive news about Nigeria,” a colleague says.

“All they ever see is the bad and the ugly.”

“It’s just malice. They have a particular image of Africa that they want to keep portraying to the world.”

My friend Ruona has a theory for why we don’t react more strongly: Nigerians have to stare the carnage in the face all the time — we become jaded about the violence because we’re used to it — while the Western news media see it with fresh eyes.

But even if we decided to make more of a big deal out of our calamities, Jos, terrible as what happened there was, would have to patiently wait its turn. While ethno-religious violence takes place in Jos, people in Ebonyi State, who speak the same language and share the same religion, are massacring one another over natural resources. Disgruntled militants in the Niger Delta are threatening to cripple the economy by vandalizing more petroleum pipelines. Politicians are assassinated regularly in the western states; the elderly fathers and mothers of prosperous children are kidnapped and held for ransom in the east. And we know it’s just a matter of time before riots between Muslims and Christians break out again up north.

Even everyday hazards turn deadly. We have electricity for only a few hours per week, and countless families have been blasted into oblivion or lulled to a permanent sleep when their generators have exploded or discharged fatal fumes. Our country is one of the largest producers of crude oil in the world, yet an excruciating fuel scarcity persists, with fuel queues that people joke stretch all the way to Calcutta.

And with whom do we register our grievances? Despite reports that President Umaru Yar’Adua, who hasn’t been seen in public since he left for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia last November, is brain dead, his devoted wife and a loyal cabal of his tribesmen are quite happy to rule us in his place.

We mourn for those who died in Jos, and for the survivors. We are all dismayed at the series of disasters that have befallen them. But we are careful not to overdose on agony. Even the psychologists agree that amnesia can be a defense mechanism, useful for the preservation of sanity.

Columbia University’s SIPA Pan-African Network, African Business Club and African Law Students Association

Invite

The 7th Annual African Economic Forum

March 26th and 27th, 2010

Columbia University in the City of New York

Sessions:

African Hospitality: The Power Within| Infrastructure Development in Africa

African Fashion Going Global |China-Africa Trade and Investment

Aid vs. Investment| Brand Africa: Defining a Continent

Greasing the Wheel: Law, Corruption and the Economy

Niger Delta Investment Summit

Fashion Show | Movie Screening

Details: http://www.aef2010.com

Register: http://africaeconomicforum.com/aef2010/register

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnRPunzOZds

Meet Eyram Tawia of Leti Games: http://www.letigames.com as he discusses what it’s like being a game designer in Ghana.

Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/v/eYRUJuacrMs

On Saturday Feb. 6, 52 people braved the winter to attend Solving Africa’s 2010 Kickoff event. Our vision is to have three or four events like this every year that follow this format:

1. Three Africans present their ideas for projects they’ve been thinking of launching in their communities in Africa. These ideas usually fall into education, health care, or the general pool of entrepreneurship.

2. Attendees choose a project to work on for the evening. They brainstorm, create project deliverables, and build a steering committee to get the idea up and running.

3. After the evening, participants meet offline and continue working on these projects, giving ongoing feedback to the larger group and asking for whatever help is necessary.

In this fashion, between 9 and 12 new small scale projects will be launched each year by people from the communities they want to serve.

By Tomi Lamikanra

Call it culture shock but I was in a daze here for the first few days of getting into the American classroom! It was not the blackboards or the nice seats, afterall we have those where I was coming from in some schools:), and who has not seen a blackboard before? Even children in Kewu classes have blackboards! It was the attitudes of students to the teachers and the teachers to the students that made me stare so much. Continue Reading