AFRICA'S POVERTY, HISTORY AND POTENTIAL
AllAfrica.com News
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Site Summary |
NEW -DEVELOPMENT PAGE Africa page | Business page PC Donation Project | Transparency in Africa Environment and Poverty |
The Rise Of IT in the Modern
World The Importance of Logistics in Africa Infrastructure in Africa The African Mentality: behaviour and usefulness | |||||||||
| NEWS AND ISSUES | ||||||||||
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August 2010 Nigeria Stock Exchange fires executives -mismanagement blamed, eroding confidence for foreign investors |
Wall Street Journal Financial Times (blog) SEE CORRUPTION SECTION, AFRICA PAGE, TRANSPARENCY SECTION, DEVELOPMENT PAGE ON THIS SITE |
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| CHANGING FOR THE BETTER | ||||||||||
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June 2010 THE AFRICAN CHALLENGERS Boston Consulting Group points out the 'African Lions', showing vitality and potential equalling the BRIC nations (PDF download on site) |
June 2010 AFRICA ON THE MOVE McKinsey report (PDF download on site) talks about the new $1.6 trillion African economy -global links, FDI, the growing power of the African consumer |
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 5th August 2010Kenya -Historic Constitution Vote paves the way for- Bill Of Rights; Land Reform; Curbing President's Powers Vote passes by 67% -key issues, land rights and stability American site Slate deems story good enough for its front page Kenya's Resurgence -section on this page |
10th August 2010 Rwanda Election Victory
COUNTRY SUMMARY ON THIS PAGE SEE FULL COUNTRY OVERVIEW AND COVERAGE ON NEW DEVELOPMENT PAGE |
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NAOMI CAMPBELL TESTIFIES -THE DIAMOND TRAIL CONTINUES
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CHINA LEADS THE WAY AGAIN SEE CHINA OVERVIEW ON THIS PAGE,
FDI
SECTION ON AFRICA PAGE 31st July 2010 China (January 2010) supplants US as world's no.1 car market, wants to export to US (see MSN report left), making Americans restless 30th July 2010 'China world's second biggest economy' -Yi Gang, People's Bank of China deputy governor 29th July 2010 Chinese Workers Want More -this is a GOOD THING (Economist) |
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| Concepts and Consequences | ||||||||||
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ALIENATION VS. POTENTIAL ALIENATION UGANDA 17th August 2010 MP accuses soldiers of torture in ongoing cattle dispute (BBC) TANZANIA 17th August 2010 Kenyan accused of trafficking Tanzanian albino (BBC) SEE AFRICAN MENTALITY SECTION -traditions alienate, divide and prevent progress Chinese overbearing, can dominate/destroy local markets, employ their own rather than Africans -but still needed (2007) SEE CHINA SECTION ON AFRICA PAGE African workers feel alienated by Chinese -Consultancy.com... ...Africans seen as less educated, disciplined in China (Suite101.com) SEE CHINA-AFRICA BLOG -'THE REAL STORY' |
POTENTIAL AGRICULTURE 11th August 2010 "Kenya wants to draw lessons from China which has limited arable land yet is able to feed her 1.3 billion inhabitants" Kenyan vice-president on the need to modernise agriculture through skills and added value with Chinese partners See Kenyan Resurgence below, Agriculture section on Africa page China in Africa -Africa page Also see DRC-China mining contract, 2008 -"a vast Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of our country's basic infrastructure" AFRICA -THE LAST ECONOMIC FRONTIER (Zimbabwe Independent) See Africa page for links and analysis |
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| THE SOCIAL NETWORKING PHENOMENON | ||||||||||
Facebook changes with the times to act as 'the new Internet' -linking with the world is the way to empower everyone and level the playing field Africans are empowered via Facebook, more likely to use IT as a result See African page for the impact of IT in Africa Twitter makes its mark in business in Thailand
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21st July 2010 Facebook connects the world -500 million users (ZDNet), (Guardian, UK); giving divorce lawyers much work (USA Today); attracting politicians (Slate, below)  Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft become natural monopolies despite competition -systemisation at work, leading to mass production of their services and related products and empowerment for their customers and users. |
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Linking To The World (right) Bilateral treaties explode business links and investment opportunities through the decades See FDI section on Africa page for analysis and more examples including 'The China Phenomenon' Investment becomes embraced as the only true means to growth http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/ publications/papers/view/-/id/888/ |
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 Attitude Matters-dedication, persistence and vision create the products of the future June 2010 BBC report (see right) on how leading entrepreneurs build and change the world See African vs. American Behaviour commentary below SEE AFRICAN MENTALITY SECTION ON AFRICA PAGE SEE BUSINESS PAGE FOR ANALYSIS AND EXAMPLES OF HOW PROGRESS IS CREATED BY ATTITUDE AND COLLABORATION, NOT JUST RESOURCES |
Logistics Matters -efficiency, speed and transport systems hasten global growth See how Logistics and Infrastructure are mission-critical priorities in Africa (Africa page)  |
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Transparency Matters July/August 2010 John Githongo (Kenya) writes for 'Foreign Affairs' -'Fear And Loathing In Nairobi' (with links)
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Lack of transparency in Brazilian business hurts natives, discourages foreign
investors SEE BUSINESS PAGE FOR THE RISE OF THE BRIC COUNTRIES -BRAZIL, RUSSIA, INDIA, CHINA
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Linking through Technology Technology And Its Consequences on Africa page July 2010 'Technology Accelerates Change' -E-learning Consortium visits Rwanda, introduces One Laptop Per Child Programme |
23 July 2010 $35 COMPUTER (INDIA) -SEE CNN VIDEO and SITE SEE AFRICA PAGE for more coverage of OLPC |
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THE PAIN OF DEVELOPMENT 1 BP OIL SPILL See BBC, Newsweek (slide show)
22 July 2010 THE PAIN OF DEVELOPMENT 4 (see other related headlines below) African resources are a blessing but become a curse, fuelling war, divisions over profits (BBC) SEE BUSINESS PAGE FOR EXAMPLES OF COUNTRIES' GROWTH WITH/WITHOUT RESOURCES July 2010 ECONOMIC INTEGRATION FOR AFRICA -plans mooted to combine SADC/COMESA/EAC into 'African Economic Community" (Standard, Kenya) (see 30 June story below)
20 July 2010 China is world's no. 1 energy user (BBC) SEE THE CHINA PHENOMENON ON FDI SECTION, AFRICA PAGE FOR HOW CHINA IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE GLOBALLY AND CHANGING DOMESTICALLY 9 July 2010 Google 'sticks to principles', recognising mutual attraction with China -latter wants influence with, but doesn't want interference from, the rest of the world (BBC) |
THE PAIN OF DEVELOPMENT 2 26th May 2010 FOXCONN SUICIDE Employee mistreatment alleged at vast manufacturing subcontractor for Apple, HP, Sony in Shenzhen, China THE PAIN OF DEVELOPMENT 3 The new Chinese underclass -educated, ambitious, underused http://www.newsweek.com/2010/06/19/ smart-young-and-broke.html SEE SPECIAL SECTION ON THE CHINESE PHENOMENON IN AFRICA 3 July 2010 Obama launches solar initiative -$2bn for new plants, inspiring innovation and creating jobs also India Times story SEE ENVIRONMENT SECTION 2 July 2010 Kenya addresses corruption -MP pay rises (AllAfrica.com) 'M-Pesa' mobile payments scheme, first in world and invented in Kenya, could be exported to US (AllAfrica.com) SEE KENYA RESURGENCE SECTION BELOW June 2010 Africa's Importance Grows -French summit
Eko Atlantic project home page http://www.ekoatlantic.com/index.htm
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| Development Concepts | ||||||||||
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ATTITUDE Malaysia, Finland, Korea, India, China -all have grown through reacting to their native resources and potential in the right way -resources, people and attitude. SEE COUNTRIES FOCUS ON BUSINESS PAGE |
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EFFICIENCY Mubai, India's Dabbawalas -huge efficiency and work ethic in a low-paid trade, a tribute to organisational abilities German stereotypes -hard work, maybe arrogance, high standards |
See Africa and Business pages for the importance of concepts -transparency, logistics, education -in business |
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THE POWER OF THE NETWORK AND THE CLOUD Technology monopolies come to the fore, empowering the world but also imposing standards on its users It's all about the network -'join the cloud' (right) Google Wave takes a bow -slayed by Facebook, Twitter SEE 'THE SOCIAL NETWORKING PHENOMENON' BELOW 8 billion total minutes daily spent on Facebook IM on its way out, supplanted by Twitter? Encarta fails -Wikipedia takes over as the encyclopedia of choice Microsoft Money loses fight with online banking Smartphones (graph right) IPhone 4 director leaves -state of the art mobile in design row Even Apple's IMac secondary to its IPhone in terms of sales, focus Microsoft Kin social networking phone lasts only 2 months IPhone 4 has it, but mobile video calling less of a phenomenon than first thought Laptops (graph and links right) Off the shelf software sales pale next to new hardware -sign of a shift from creative to mobile computing Applications -Users Want Easy, Preferably Free Homogeneity And The Rise Of Copycat Programmes -Office rules but open source is coming up fast (article with commentary) Computer video games now eclipse Hollywood films Users become more sophisticated but less creative -attention spans lower and impulsive behaviour increases. -more scope for a 'mob mentality', and random thoughts spread through 'the cloud'. See Africa page for how technology addresses poverty -health, logistics, linking markets, transparency and crisis management. |
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THE RISE OF A COMMON LANGUAGE FOR COMMON PROGRESS English as a common language links people, places and products to expose both strife and potential, in news, politics and trade In the US Spanish speaking has grown but as a second language and by recent immigrants (2000 article) English is the de facto language for computing... ...and business English As A Global Language -transparency and communication in the New World Order system of trade, politics and money (PDF) Eurovision Song Contest entrants mainly sung in English -recognition of communication and meaning via language |
6th July 2010 American insecurity about Indian migration/progress in 'home' areas (Slate commentary) Why Are Indians So Good At Spelling? -it's the attitude and status (Slate) Swahili version of Microsoft Office failed -little support, lack of communication of modern concepts (2008) |
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May 2010 Africa 50 years after independence -see and read inside (electronic magazine)  Also see North-South latest issue in Africa page headlines |
April 2010 Africa sells itself to the rest of the world at the Shanghai Expo, China  'Green Cities promoting Harmonious Development' -opening remarks by Chinese Premier He Yafei, ambassador to the UN See Environment section |
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January 2010 HAITI EARTHQUAKE TRAGEDY UPDATE, 6th August 2010 Contentious Haitian Presidential Campaign Focusses on Competence, Earthquake Relief (BBC) UPDATE, 8th July 2010 Funds to help victims still unused -ABC News report Lack of skills, organisation, standards exacerbated the destruction -Haitian government document summary, March 2010 (PDF) (introduction p.5)  |
Transparency of information is key (May 2010) The legacy of despair, corruption, and disorganisation in Haiti -3 months later (April 2010) Sri Lanka is recovering from its devastating 2004 tsunami and even prospering due to government determination to stabilise its economy and attract foreign investment Crisis updates managed by Ushahidi in real time -mobile users helping each other http://haiti.ushahidi.com/ (see also link on Africa page for how Ushahidi addresses African crises including corruption) Infrastructure works to maintain supply chains, inherently enable growth, and empower individuals in time of emergencies. See Africa page section on infrastructure -also logistics Wikipedia -History of Haiti |
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| The African Mentality -humans vs. the world, worth = progress | ||||||||||
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1 AMERICA AND AFRICA -history, destiny and behaviour Compare with countries list on Business page The US is the richest and most powerful nation on earth, but also the result of the ruthless exploitation of opportunities and resources -Americans are boundlessly confident due to the history of uninhibited enterprise and sense of achievement via the conquest of land and the 'need' to progress.
Progress economically and sociologically is derivative, from the suffering and labour which settled and built the land, along with a sense of common purpose, and pride in achievement. In the West -work is a priority and the root of long-term planning, ie delayed gratification -a characteristic exclusive to developed economies. -morality is key, via contracting and learning -to obey and work towards a common end is 'good'. The latter is the root of the instinct that gives incentives to invent and make goods that are sold around the world. See Business page for countries comparisons on growth, including Asian Business section for data on the link between education and productive wealth. |
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AFRICAN BEHAVIOUR AND POVERTY SEE AFRICAN MENTALITY SECTION ON AFRICA PAGE In Africa -Africans REACT to others' circumstances instead of being self-creating; -refinement and progress occur only through strife and/or the need to emulate a Western lifestyle. Alienation is internal and external with ethnic battles and tensions; systemisation has never been a priority. UNDERSTANDING THE AFRICAN MENTALITY IS CRITICAL TO AN ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE REGION. Traditional African Characteristics-
Low expectations, the 'blame game', ignorance and a lack of vision all combine to not only entrench poverty but also reduce the chances of escaping it. Ironically, Africans do not suffer enough to OVER-compensate so as to eg create logistical, financial and mass manufacturing systems to maximise efficiency and address future needs. Indulgence and instant (rather than delayed) gratification, lack of progress, and an appreciation of traditional ways rather than achievement are seen as the key to a better quality of life. |
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| WHY THIS SITE WAS ESTABLISHED | ||||||||||
| Development matters -empowering citizens and linking to the world | ||||||||||
 South Korea economic history is a story of single-minded focus on work ethic, technology and competition -educational achievement is seen as a need and a right SEE KOREA SECTION ON BUSINESS PAGE also Asia Business data section |
 Korean industrial conglomerate Daewoo grew through government intervention and cooperation, and ruthless determination to enter foreign markets |
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Finland is an expert at diversifying, from wood processing-  Finland economy overview Finland (see summary on Business page), unusually, did not depend on Foreign Direct Investment (see section on Africa page), but on exploitation of its own formidable natural resources, coupled with a determination to adapt and develop for export markets. |
ADAPTATION TO ECONOMIC CONDITIONS DEFINES A COUNTRY'S VISION AND STRENGTH. See Business page for country comparisons |
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Some of Earth's most vibrant economies are lands built through adherence to basic concepts. All have earned growth through-
SEE DEVELOPMENT SECTION, Business page for analysis |
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South Africa is the main African nation to have exploited these concepts both in real terms and relative to other countries. (see GDP growth details (PDF)) South African, and ultimately African, growth has depended on its awareness of its own resources and global linking to expose its potential via education and technology use -the only factors that can bring stability and progress. SEE AFRICA PAGE for analysis ...South Africa recognised even with black leaders after the apartheid era that FDI was essential, and labour laws had to be made more flexible ...but is still hampered by a need to integrate a huge range of ethnic groups, beliefs and separate agendas. Even in this complex society, the benefits of infrastructural strength prove themselves (Cape Town economy overview) |
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 THEN
AND NOW 1GLOBAL GDP FOR SELECTED COUNTRIES, 1960 GDP per capita is steady in South Africa due to the brutally efficient methods of the then apartheid regime (around $US 5000). Education plays little part in black productivity at this time. |
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1 I have been concerned with the state of Africa and its economic plight ever since the devastating Ethiopian famine of 1984/5, and the birth of the charity movement Band Aid/Live Aid/Sport Aid. Over the last several years it has seemed that one key cause of this ongoing malaise is the manner of Africa's assertion of its own history by subsisting, as opposed to the creation of systems and economies which will foster more independence and status.
This mechanism is commonly referred to as 'Westernisation' -but geography plays no part in finding the right answer to the issues of poverty, starvation and conflict. The 'right answer' works because of Western struggles to find them, and Africans for a large part of their history have played no role in this struggle -whether or not they have had contacts with the outside world. Africa's future lies in using foreign funds, skills and relationships to themselves exploit the suffering of the West in finding these answers -for the purpose of Africa's own destiny with their own formidable natural resources, thereby bypassing centuries of investigation and exploration to satisfy this vision. |
2 THE AFRICAN MALAISE
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THE LEGACY OF WAR Civil wars in Africa in the post-colonial era have epitomised native greed, the lack of vision for chosen peoples and ethnicities, and the destruction of any kind of added value to resources. Once leaders, even in war, start to realise the futility of conflict, startling changes can be made -in time |
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Reacting to poverty and strife involves having a vision of a stable future. It takes a huge struggle and determination to address entrenched hostilities, technical considerations involving logistics and planning, and a desire to inspire peoples with the same values that have built the West, and learning why overwhelmingly progress is due to a shared vision. |
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RWANDA THEN The 1994 Rwanda genocide was caused by infighting and an attitude of total annihilation of opposing forces and peoples -instead of addressing the reasons for poverty on both sides
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NOW
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 GHANA, present dayFormer leader Jerry Rawlings helped to stabilise his country in the post-colonial period (2009 development meeting) |
 ANGOLA, present dayGovernment and UNITA rebels sign the historic agreement, 2002, ending decades of hostilities and bloodshed and enabling its startling rise in oil wealth |
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KENYA'S RESURGENCE |
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| Kenya issues |
Review/data (PDF) |
Kenya economic overviews
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THEN
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Africa is the last area of the world to be developed...
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DEVELOPMENT AND AFRICAN CHALLENGES NOW |
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The Future -Africa's Place in the World |
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