Patrick Wilmot's essay Nigeria In 2036 says more about the "Rotten Military History of Nigeria To 2006" than a prognosis of the future path to glory for the country. Even so, it remains a call to arms. In my humble opinion [IHMO]. there are three levels of re-orientation that need doing.
One, attaining country-wide literacy in writing, reading and speech in any popular African language as well as English. Literate people are able to communicate independently of the mechanisms of biased interpreters. Private citizens should organise themselves to provide the necessary education. I propose a mechanism for community-sponsored education. It attempts to be proactive in that it enables those who want to be educated to afford an education, by contributing useful services to the community.
Two, reducing IGNORANCE by widening the scope and access to information useful for building infrastructure and industry. It is telling that hardly any newsprint or broadcast medium in Nigeria deals with matters of knowledge-driven entrepreneurship or sciences. I know of very few crafts guilds or hobby associations or think tanks (whether private or corporate) or economic lobbyists. Please make it possible in 2007 for YOU to host a website that informs "ordinary" citizens of the statements and conduct of the "ogas", "aristos", "elites", "chiefs". De-mystify politics, economics, foreign cultures, and religion and observe how creative energies burst forth to create economically-sustainable industry and culture.
I will say here emphatically that for knowledge industries to thrive in Nigeria / Africa / Caribbean, effort must be made to destroy intellectual infantilism preyed on by organised religion. Man, all over the world, does improve or impose upon nature.
Three, striving to DE-COLONISE our minds. There is only one human race. What has been achieved elsewhere can be bettered by Africans. IMHO, colomentalism is the most crippling disease affecting people of African origin across the world. It appears to be fostered by the very education, religion and information that pervades African societies. Colo-mentalism manifests in many forms: why is it Africans have not had the courage to re-define their borders, institutions, or dress. What is happening with the heads of our women? Nigeria's military, chiefs and professional politicians feed on the colomental sense of inferiority-complex and enhanced-incapacity of the "masses". There is a core need for re-building education, religion, information and economy structures around African traditions and history. The military infestation is a result of people giving up their individual rights (certainly in Yoruba and Igbo traditions that I am most familiar with) to make and bear arms: this is a basic right to self-defense, even against bad government. No government should be tolerated that acts against the interests of its own people. De-colonise your mind.
By current trends, Nigeria should be re-constructed well before 2036. Dat one na tory for another day.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
FTfm: Nigeria could be next emerging gem. For who?
FINACIAL TIMES of UK,
Nigeria could be next Emerging Gem.
Now that the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] has shot-gun married Nigeria's 25 banks with foreign asset managers, FT drums that "the outlook for the country, and Africa as a whole, looks bright"
What does all this mean?:
- CBN has handed over control of internal money management to foreign interests. CBN continues the economic hitman assignment partnered by the Nigerian Ministry of Finance. Rather than improve bank relevance to local wealth creation, and increase the outreach and efficacy of financial services into the real economy, this dynamic duo forcibly concentrated bank power with conditionalities similar those that ensure other privatised national assets such as NITEL, NEPA, (and soon NNPC) do not fall into local ownership and control.
- MoF/CBN has already handed over control over Nigeria's foreign reserves, as well as over usd25 billion CASH MONEY as USD35 billion dubious debt buyback, to these same foreign banks. That is over 70 cents to the dollar, in severely distressed debt investment! How many foreign-sourced private equity investments has resulted? Can you say "odo"?
- Outlook looks bright for who? Local communities or foreign shareholders?? None of the foreign asset managers mentioned has a history of building community wealth. Have they been catalysts to "development" in USA/Europe's own urban and minority communities? As for Nigeria's banks, their most widely known and effective role in Nigeria is as agents of Western Union.
- Nigeria has the highest concentration of private investors/entrepreneurs in Africa. Taking over enterprise investment in Nigeria will mean taking down wealth creation in local communities across 'Africa as a whole'. Luckily, entrepreneurs in Africa are savvy about the "foreign investor good, local government/businesses bad" mantra of various do-gooders in Nigeria/Africa. They know that once money gets into the banks, CBN/FGN commandeers it to undermine domestic productivity. The longer they keep their money out of the banks, the more they are able to build and defend their homes and schools and other infrastructure.
- "Africa's markets have been growing at a phenomenal rate" as the article says. THIS GROWTH IS DESPITE the incompetence and conflicted interests of the CBN and Africa's other central banks. It is this growth that foreign well-wishers want to manage. Draw analogies from the minerals sector. For all the decades of 'capability-building' of 'foreign asset managers' like Shell, Exxon, Anglo-American and co in Africa's mineral resources sectors, how many African managers have they 'incubated' into maturity. Rather, the tendency is for increased entrenchment of these asset strippers.
- Nigeria/Africa can ONLY emerge if it builds domestic wealth from capabilities in production, refining, distribution, and financing/investment. No foreign investor/manager/donor can be expected to seek this outcome.
Nigeria could be next Emerging Gem.
Now that the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] has shot-gun married Nigeria's 25 banks with foreign asset managers, FT drums that "the outlook for the country, and Africa as a whole, looks bright"
What does all this mean?:
- CBN has handed over control of internal money management to foreign interests. CBN continues the economic hitman assignment partnered by the Nigerian Ministry of Finance. Rather than improve bank relevance to local wealth creation, and increase the outreach and efficacy of financial services into the real economy, this dynamic duo forcibly concentrated bank power with conditionalities similar those that ensure other privatised national assets such as NITEL, NEPA, (and soon NNPC) do not fall into local ownership and control.
- MoF/CBN has already handed over control over Nigeria's foreign reserves, as well as over usd25 billion CASH MONEY as USD35 billion dubious debt buyback, to these same foreign banks. That is over 70 cents to the dollar, in severely distressed debt investment! How many foreign-sourced private equity investments has resulted? Can you say "odo"?
- Outlook looks bright for who? Local communities or foreign shareholders?? None of the foreign asset managers mentioned has a history of building community wealth. Have they been catalysts to "development" in USA/Europe's own urban and minority communities? As for Nigeria's banks, their most widely known and effective role in Nigeria is as agents of Western Union.
- Nigeria has the highest concentration of private investors/entrepreneurs in Africa. Taking over enterprise investment in Nigeria will mean taking down wealth creation in local communities across 'Africa as a whole'. Luckily, entrepreneurs in Africa are savvy about the "foreign investor good, local government/businesses bad" mantra of various do-gooders in Nigeria/Africa. They know that once money gets into the banks, CBN/FGN commandeers it to undermine domestic productivity. The longer they keep their money out of the banks, the more they are able to build and defend their homes and schools and other infrastructure.
- "Africa's markets have been growing at a phenomenal rate" as the article says. THIS GROWTH IS DESPITE the incompetence and conflicted interests of the CBN and Africa's other central banks. It is this growth that foreign well-wishers want to manage. Draw analogies from the minerals sector. For all the decades of 'capability-building' of 'foreign asset managers' like Shell, Exxon, Anglo-American and co in Africa's mineral resources sectors, how many African managers have they 'incubated' into maturity. Rather, the tendency is for increased entrenchment of these asset strippers.
- Nigeria/Africa can ONLY emerge if it builds domestic wealth from capabilities in production, refining, distribution, and financing/investment. No foreign investor/manager/donor can be expected to seek this outcome.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
WTO Announces Formalised Slavery Model For Africa
THE FOLLOWING WAS A SPOOF BY The Yes Men who reportedly impersonated a WTO respresentative and delivered the article, at the said event. It is included here for educational purposes.
November 13, 2006
WTO Announces Formalized Slavery Model for Africa
This sold out event was sponsored by Daimler Crysler (makers of Mercedes Benz), Coca Cola Company, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Co, Merrill Lynch (three international banks / advisers on Nigeria's US$25 billion debt re-purchase), World Bank / IFC, Macquarie Bank (Australia's infrastructure bank), Microsoftamong others.
= = =
Philadelphia - At a Wharton Business School conference on business in Africa, World Trade Organization representative Hanniford Schmidt announced the creation of a WTO initiative for "full private stewardry of labor" for the parts of Africa that have been hardest hit by the 500 years of Africa's free trade with the West.
The initiative will require Western companies doing business in some parts of Africa to own their workers outright. Schmidt recounted how private stewardship has been successfully applied to transport, power, water, traditional knowledge, and even the human genome. The WTO's "full private stewardry" program will extend these successes to (re)privatize humans themselves.
"Full, untrammelled stewardry is the best available solution to African poverty, and the inevitable result of free-market theory," Schmidt told more than 150 attendees. Schmidt acknowledged that the stewardry program was similar in many ways to slavery, but explained that just as "compassionate conservatism" has polished the rough edges on labor relations in industrialized countries, full stewardry, or "compassionate slavery," could be a similar boon to developing ones.
The audience included Prof. Charles Soludo (Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria), Dr. Laurie Ann Agama (Director for African Affairs at the Office of the US Trade Representative), and other notables. Agama prefaced her remarks by thanking Scmidt for his macroscopic perspective, saying that the USTR view adds details to the WTO's general approach. Nigerian Central Bank Governor Soludo also acknowledged the WTO proposal, though he did not seem to appreciate it as much as did Agama.
A system in which corporations own workers is the only free-market solution to African poverty, Schmidt said. "Today, in African factories, the only concern a company has for the worker is for his or her productive hours, and within his or her productive years," he said. "As soon as AIDS or pregnancy hits—out the door. Get sick, get fired. If you extend the employer's obligation to a 24/7, lifelong concern, you have an entirely different situation: get sick, get care. With each life valuable from start to finish, the AIDS scourge will be quickly contained via accords with drug manufacturers as a profitable investment in human stewardees. And educating a child for later might make more sense than working it to the bone right now."
To prove that human stewardry can work, Schmidt cited a proposal by a free-market think tank to save whales by selling them. "Those who don't like whaling can purchase rights to specific whales or groups of whales in order to stop those particular whales from getting whaled as much," he explained. Similarly, the market in Third-World humans will "empower" caring First Worlders to help them, Schmidt said.
One conference attendee asked what incentive employers had to remain as stewards once their employees are too old to work or reproduce. Schmidt responded that a large new biotech market would answer that worry. He then reminded the audience that this was the only possible solution under free-market theory.
There were no other questions from the audience that took issue with Schmidt's proposal.
During his talk, Schmidt outlined the three phases of Africa's 500-year history of free trade with the West: slavery, colonialism, and post-colonial markets. Each time, he noted, the trade has brought tremendous wealth to the West but catastrophe to Africa, with poverty steadily deepening and ever more millions of dead. "So far there's a pattern: Good for business, bad for people. Good for business, bad for people. Good for business, bad for people. That's why we're so happy to announce this fourth phase for business between Africa and the West: good for business—GOOD for people."
The conference took place on Saturday, November 11. The panel on which Schmidt spoke was entitled "Trade in Africa: Enhancing Relationships to Improve Net Worth." Some of the other panels in the conference were entitled "Re-Branding Africa" and "Growing Africa's Appetite." Throughout the comments by Schmidt and his three co-panelists, which lasted 75 minutes, Schmidt's stewardee, Thomas Bongani-Nkemdilim, remained standing at respectful attention off to the side.
"This is what free trade's all about," said Schmidt. "It's about the freedom to buy and sell anything—even people<."
November 13, 2006
WTO Announces Formalized Slavery Model for Africa
This sold out event was sponsored by Daimler Crysler (makers of Mercedes Benz), Coca Cola Company, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Co, Merrill Lynch (three international banks / advisers on Nigeria's US$25 billion debt re-purchase), World Bank / IFC, Macquarie Bank (Australia's infrastructure bank), Microsoftamong others.
= = =
Philadelphia - At a Wharton Business School conference on business in Africa, World Trade Organization representative Hanniford Schmidt announced the creation of a WTO initiative for "full private stewardry of labor" for the parts of Africa that have been hardest hit by the 500 years of Africa's free trade with the West.
The initiative will require Western companies doing business in some parts of Africa to own their workers outright. Schmidt recounted how private stewardship has been successfully applied to transport, power, water, traditional knowledge, and even the human genome. The WTO's "full private stewardry" program will extend these successes to (re)privatize humans themselves.
"Full, untrammelled stewardry is the best available solution to African poverty, and the inevitable result of free-market theory," Schmidt told more than 150 attendees. Schmidt acknowledged that the stewardry program was similar in many ways to slavery, but explained that just as "compassionate conservatism" has polished the rough edges on labor relations in industrialized countries, full stewardry, or "compassionate slavery," could be a similar boon to developing ones.
The audience included Prof. Charles Soludo (Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria), Dr. Laurie Ann Agama (Director for African Affairs at the Office of the US Trade Representative), and other notables. Agama prefaced her remarks by thanking Scmidt for his macroscopic perspective, saying that the USTR view adds details to the WTO's general approach. Nigerian Central Bank Governor Soludo also acknowledged the WTO proposal, though he did not seem to appreciate it as much as did Agama.
A system in which corporations own workers is the only free-market solution to African poverty, Schmidt said. "Today, in African factories, the only concern a company has for the worker is for his or her productive hours, and within his or her productive years," he said. "As soon as AIDS or pregnancy hits—out the door. Get sick, get fired. If you extend the employer's obligation to a 24/7, lifelong concern, you have an entirely different situation: get sick, get care. With each life valuable from start to finish, the AIDS scourge will be quickly contained via accords with drug manufacturers as a profitable investment in human stewardees. And educating a child for later might make more sense than working it to the bone right now."
To prove that human stewardry can work, Schmidt cited a proposal by a free-market think tank to save whales by selling them. "Those who don't like whaling can purchase rights to specific whales or groups of whales in order to stop those particular whales from getting whaled as much," he explained. Similarly, the market in Third-World humans will "empower" caring First Worlders to help them, Schmidt said.
One conference attendee asked what incentive employers had to remain as stewards once their employees are too old to work or reproduce. Schmidt responded that a large new biotech market would answer that worry. He then reminded the audience that this was the only possible solution under free-market theory.
There were no other questions from the audience that took issue with Schmidt's proposal.
During his talk, Schmidt outlined the three phases of Africa's 500-year history of free trade with the West: slavery, colonialism, and post-colonial markets. Each time, he noted, the trade has brought tremendous wealth to the West but catastrophe to Africa, with poverty steadily deepening and ever more millions of dead. "So far there's a pattern: Good for business, bad for people. Good for business, bad for people. Good for business, bad for people. That's why we're so happy to announce this fourth phase for business between Africa and the West: good for business—GOOD for people."
The conference took place on Saturday, November 11. The panel on which Schmidt spoke was entitled "Trade in Africa: Enhancing Relationships to Improve Net Worth." Some of the other panels in the conference were entitled "Re-Branding Africa" and "Growing Africa's Appetite." Throughout the comments by Schmidt and his three co-panelists, which lasted 75 minutes, Schmidt's stewardee, Thomas Bongani-Nkemdilim, remained standing at respectful attention off to the side.
"This is what free trade's all about," said Schmidt. "It's about the freedom to buy and sell anything—even people<."
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Technology Transfer
Ivan Illich's `Tools for a Convivial Society':
An individual relates himself in action to his society through the use of tools that he actively masters, or by which he is passively acted upon. To the degree that he masters his tools, he can invest the world with his meaning; to the degree that he is mastered by his tools, the shape of the tool determines his own self-image. Convivial tools are those which give each person who uses them the greatest opportunity to enrich the environment with the fruits of his or her vision.
---
The landscape is littered with tools we have not mastered. Rather, we are mastered by the tools we use. In over 100 years that transnational corporations have been engaged in "technology transfer" in our oilfields, what is the extent to which we have competency in the energy business? Does reliance on this Foreign Direct investment not activate against local participation? Why then do we persist in transferring control of our foreign reserves, trans-ports, telecommunications, international travel, mineral deposits and other strategic assets into foreign management or control?
An individual relates himself in action to his society through the use of tools that he actively masters, or by which he is passively acted upon. To the degree that he masters his tools, he can invest the world with his meaning; to the degree that he is mastered by his tools, the shape of the tool determines his own self-image. Convivial tools are those which give each person who uses them the greatest opportunity to enrich the environment with the fruits of his or her vision.
---
The landscape is littered with tools we have not mastered. Rather, we are mastered by the tools we use. In over 100 years that transnational corporations have been engaged in "technology transfer" in our oilfields, what is the extent to which we have competency in the energy business? Does reliance on this Foreign Direct investment not activate against local participation? Why then do we persist in transferring control of our foreign reserves, trans-ports, telecommunications, international travel, mineral deposits and other strategic assets into foreign management or control?
Friday, November 24, 2006
An Open Letter to the Nigerian Minister of Education - 2
SECTION 2: PRO-ACTIVE EDUCATION
A solution lies in enabling local ownership and management of schools. in a manner that facilitates the ever-changing population of teachers, and students at a school to INVEST in ever-improving the productivity of the school and its local community. My recommendations here are to government officials or parents who feel responsible and accountable for the qualitative education of the children.
1) Identify school districts within the local government areas. Each school withn a district should then be SOLELY financed by its own District Private Education [DPE] fund. Any government payments, school fees, grants, endowments, facility usage fees, or other income goes into the school DPE. Any school repair charges, capital expenditure, or other disbursements come out of the school DPE. Government or private school entrepreneurs shouls appraise the value of land and buildings on which the school is situated, and transfer these assets into the DPE in return for a non-controlling share of capital investment. A school should be wholly or principally owned by its DPE.
2) Parents in each district elect an District Education Officer and two assistant DEOs for 1 term only of 3 years. The 3 education officers must live and work within the district. They have 1 equal vote in all district education affairs. Their role is to communicate education curricula or government actions to parents, DPE managers, and school administrators, and to inform parents of sub-optimal curricula or under-performing district schools.
3) The district [local community] ANNUALLY appoints one parent, whose children are in the school, to administer [RECORD and REPORT] disbursements of only one DPE. This way, the school is managed in the interest of parents. The manager can only ever serve a maximum of two 1 year terms.
4) The school operations are managed by the teachers. They prepare an annual budget for operating and capital disbursements. The budget is submitted to the DPE manager and the district.
5) The school charges fees at a level that COVERS its expected annual budget. Any increases in fees is strictly INDEXED to the expected increases in average annual income in the district. Note the index is not to national inflation. In reality, indexing to local incomes will result in charging fees that local residents can afford. Also, a good performing school will cause increases in local house prices, and attract parents who can afford higher fees. A virtous cycle is established. The DPE can benefit by owning land near the school, contracting parents to build homes or leisure facilities, and earn rental income beyond the charging of fees.
6 ) The district issues 'Education Credits' to STUDENTS whose parents are interested in any school within the district. This recognises that it is students who consume education and are the best judges of its 'experienced' quality. These credits give the student discounts on school fees for products or services that their parents provide for the school or for special skills (sport, arts, music, computing...) that the student can deploy on behalf of the school. The credit will, of course, be exercised by parents of young students. Adult students, ophans or other students with special needs are able to retain their independence of funding education. Education Credits are cummulative: students can add more credits to their existing balance. The credits are also non-transferrable outside the nuclear family: parents cannot transfer or sell their credits to other parents.
7) Should there be a 'local catchment area' for schools?
Over time, the locality of a good school may become populated by opportunistic residents.
Opportunistic, here, refers to residents who do not send their children to the good school but are nonetheless attracted by superior facilties that high house prices make possible, due to proximity to the good school. These residents may crowd out interested parents if the school were to recruit students using an overly-local 'catchment area' criteria. In practice, the catchement area should be the district. Any student within the district can attend any school using Education Credits issued by the district. They can attend any school wherever they can afford the full school fees.
8) Parents who can afford to pay school fees, will pay. Parents who are interested in providing goods and services in order to qualify for Education Credits will register with the district. The district presents an annual schedule of Education Credits for different goods and services. then estimates a value, contracts for the provisioning, and monitors performance at the school of interest. Once the school management reports adequate performance, the district issues Education Credits to the estimated value. This arrangement means that parents interested in a good school but unable to afford the fees will perform contracts with the district for Education Credits BEFORE or WHILE their children attend ANY school in the district.
9) Students with special talents cannot be expected to perform contracts for the district before attending any of its schools. They and their parents still need a means of qualifying for Education Credits. On the other hand, having talented and inspired students is a large component of what makes a 'good' school. So each district has a strong incentive to attract and retain talented students to its schools. A solution is for the district to assign some Education Credits to each school for GRANT, on sole discretionary grounds, to qualified-as-talented students. To qualify, students need to DEMONSTRATE a talent of interest to DPE schools. There is a clear incentive for districts and parents to organise talent competitions e.g spors events, liberal arts fairs, after-school computer classes, math quizzes, and similar events. These events enable students to build a portfolio of demonstrable special ability with which to apply to DPE schools for DPE grants. These events contribute to a higher standard of living in the district and create locally sustainable business opportunities for parents.
10) One must acknowledge that, irrespective of the will of individual government officials, local interests may conflict across the the nation to prevent the above recommendations being implemented, with some adaptations, as official education policy. Indeed, such a "Pro-Active Education" system may seem deeply repugnant to cultures that commiserate in collective mediocrity. Dear Minister, it does cause despair that Nigeria's education or enterprise systems appear to celebrate cultural retardation. Still, some parents and school entrepreneurs may be interested in the opportunities indicated by pro-active education. You can start your district with one school, and add more schools with time. You will need help with maintaining records of your DPE people, schools, credits and grants.
Yours sincerely,
A concerned citizen
A solution lies in enabling local ownership and management of schools. in a manner that facilitates the ever-changing population of teachers, and students at a school to INVEST in ever-improving the productivity of the school and its local community. My recommendations here are to government officials or parents who feel responsible and accountable for the qualitative education of the children.
1) Identify school districts within the local government areas. Each school withn a district should then be SOLELY financed by its own District Private Education [DPE] fund. Any government payments, school fees, grants, endowments, facility usage fees, or other income goes into the school DPE. Any school repair charges, capital expenditure, or other disbursements come out of the school DPE. Government or private school entrepreneurs shouls appraise the value of land and buildings on which the school is situated, and transfer these assets into the DPE in return for a non-controlling share of capital investment. A school should be wholly or principally owned by its DPE.
2) Parents in each district elect an District Education Officer and two assistant DEOs for 1 term only of 3 years. The 3 education officers must live and work within the district. They have 1 equal vote in all district education affairs. Their role is to communicate education curricula or government actions to parents, DPE managers, and school administrators, and to inform parents of sub-optimal curricula or under-performing district schools.
3) The district [local community] ANNUALLY appoints one parent, whose children are in the school, to administer [RECORD and REPORT] disbursements of only one DPE. This way, the school is managed in the interest of parents. The manager can only ever serve a maximum of two 1 year terms.
4) The school operations are managed by the teachers. They prepare an annual budget for operating and capital disbursements. The budget is submitted to the DPE manager and the district.
5) The school charges fees at a level that COVERS its expected annual budget. Any increases in fees is strictly INDEXED to the expected increases in average annual income in the district. Note the index is not to national inflation. In reality, indexing to local incomes will result in charging fees that local residents can afford. Also, a good performing school will cause increases in local house prices, and attract parents who can afford higher fees. A virtous cycle is established. The DPE can benefit by owning land near the school, contracting parents to build homes or leisure facilities, and earn rental income beyond the charging of fees.
6 ) The district issues 'Education Credits' to STUDENTS whose parents are interested in any school within the district. This recognises that it is students who consume education and are the best judges of its 'experienced' quality. These credits give the student discounts on school fees for products or services that their parents provide for the school or for special skills (sport, arts, music, computing...) that the student can deploy on behalf of the school. The credit will, of course, be exercised by parents of young students. Adult students, ophans or other students with special needs are able to retain their independence of funding education. Education Credits are cummulative: students can add more credits to their existing balance. The credits are also non-transferrable outside the nuclear family: parents cannot transfer or sell their credits to other parents.
7) Should there be a 'local catchment area' for schools?
Over time, the locality of a good school may become populated by opportunistic residents.
Opportunistic, here, refers to residents who do not send their children to the good school but are nonetheless attracted by superior facilties that high house prices make possible, due to proximity to the good school. These residents may crowd out interested parents if the school were to recruit students using an overly-local 'catchment area' criteria. In practice, the catchement area should be the district. Any student within the district can attend any school using Education Credits issued by the district. They can attend any school wherever they can afford the full school fees.
8) Parents who can afford to pay school fees, will pay. Parents who are interested in providing goods and services in order to qualify for Education Credits will register with the district. The district presents an annual schedule of Education Credits for different goods and services. then estimates a value, contracts for the provisioning, and monitors performance at the school of interest. Once the school management reports adequate performance, the district issues Education Credits to the estimated value. This arrangement means that parents interested in a good school but unable to afford the fees will perform contracts with the district for Education Credits BEFORE or WHILE their children attend ANY school in the district.
9) Students with special talents cannot be expected to perform contracts for the district before attending any of its schools. They and their parents still need a means of qualifying for Education Credits. On the other hand, having talented and inspired students is a large component of what makes a 'good' school. So each district has a strong incentive to attract and retain talented students to its schools. A solution is for the district to assign some Education Credits to each school for GRANT, on sole discretionary grounds, to qualified-as-talented students. To qualify, students need to DEMONSTRATE a talent of interest to DPE schools. There is a clear incentive for districts and parents to organise talent competitions e.g spors events, liberal arts fairs, after-school computer classes, math quizzes, and similar events. These events enable students to build a portfolio of demonstrable special ability with which to apply to DPE schools for DPE grants. These events contribute to a higher standard of living in the district and create locally sustainable business opportunities for parents.
10) One must acknowledge that, irrespective of the will of individual government officials, local interests may conflict across the the nation to prevent the above recommendations being implemented, with some adaptations, as official education policy. Indeed, such a "Pro-Active Education" system may seem deeply repugnant to cultures that commiserate in collective mediocrity. Dear Minister, it does cause despair that Nigeria's education or enterprise systems appear to celebrate cultural retardation. Still, some parents and school entrepreneurs may be interested in the opportunities indicated by pro-active education. You can start your district with one school, and add more schools with time. You will need help with maintaining records of your DPE people, schools, credits and grants.
Yours sincerely,
A concerned citizen
An Open Letter to the Nigerian Minister of Education - part 1
Dear Minister,
Welcome to your new post. Your reputation in restructuring and rebranding the ministry of solid minerals development precedes you in good light, as does your previous work as "Madam Due Diligence". One can only hope that your appointment to the embattled Ministry of Education indicates goodwill, at last, by a series of federal governments of Nigeria.
This letter is in two sections. The first section briefly outlines an environment in which education is responds to tne needs of society. The second section addresses how such pro-active education can be implemented and funded, with government participation. This is not an exhaustive evaluation of the complexities involving education in Nigeria. It is only an outline of how private interests can be aligned with government policy to produce a higher standard of education.
SECTION 1: WHO WANTS AN EDUCATION?
Education is an ongoing process throughout one's life. It occurs both within formal and informal contexts, as such, formal learning in 'schools' interacts with informal learning that occurs within the broader home, religion, media and work environments. Nigeria has a useful formal institutional framework in its curriculum. But, even if the physical institutions themselves are inadequate, their occupants are uninspired and, often, unimaginative in defining what they want from their education and how to achieve it whether or not external assistance is available.
Let us agree that the business of providing education is a BUSINESS. The role of government in the education business, as in any other business of strategic importance to the nation, is to safeguard a condusive environment for local providers and consumers of education to mutually gain; At minimum, the duty of governiment involves setting and enforcing quality standards, co-funding [not solely funding] research, and securing markets for local businesses (the schools) and products (the educated).
For most consumers of education, the purpose of education is in achieving skills of potential use in making saleable products and services, That they recognise this purpose and are willing to pay for it is evidenced in the growth of private education businesses across the world, including Nigeria. Let us enable the providers of education to also benefit from their business. But who are the providers of education?
For a child in school, the providers are its peers, parents, teachers and local community. Hence the importance of 'parents-teachers associations' and 'old boys / old girls / alumni associations' in fostering academic standards, funding, governance and other quality initiatives in schools. They INVEST in the schools, or will do so if they feel they have the means to invest and to obtain adequate returns on their investment. This investment is not only monetary. Most schools cannot generate sufficient continous funding to pay for their need for books, teachers, physical or information infrastructure. In the community, there is an abundance of under-employed or unemployed parents and youth with skills in carpentary, electrical maintenance, computer installation, sports management... Surely, a workable solution exists?
Welcome to your new post. Your reputation in restructuring and rebranding the ministry of solid minerals development precedes you in good light, as does your previous work as "Madam Due Diligence". One can only hope that your appointment to the embattled Ministry of Education indicates goodwill, at last, by a series of federal governments of Nigeria.
This letter is in two sections. The first section briefly outlines an environment in which education is responds to tne needs of society. The second section addresses how such pro-active education can be implemented and funded, with government participation. This is not an exhaustive evaluation of the complexities involving education in Nigeria. It is only an outline of how private interests can be aligned with government policy to produce a higher standard of education.
SECTION 1: WHO WANTS AN EDUCATION?
Education is an ongoing process throughout one's life. It occurs both within formal and informal contexts, as such, formal learning in 'schools' interacts with informal learning that occurs within the broader home, religion, media and work environments. Nigeria has a useful formal institutional framework in its curriculum. But, even if the physical institutions themselves are inadequate, their occupants are uninspired and, often, unimaginative in defining what they want from their education and how to achieve it whether or not external assistance is available.
Let us agree that the business of providing education is a BUSINESS. The role of government in the education business, as in any other business of strategic importance to the nation, is to safeguard a condusive environment for local providers and consumers of education to mutually gain; At minimum, the duty of governiment involves setting and enforcing quality standards, co-funding [not solely funding] research, and securing markets for local businesses (the schools) and products (the educated).
For most consumers of education, the purpose of education is in achieving skills of potential use in making saleable products and services, That they recognise this purpose and are willing to pay for it is evidenced in the growth of private education businesses across the world, including Nigeria. Let us enable the providers of education to also benefit from their business. But who are the providers of education?
For a child in school, the providers are its peers, parents, teachers and local community. Hence the importance of 'parents-teachers associations' and 'old boys / old girls / alumni associations' in fostering academic standards, funding, governance and other quality initiatives in schools. They INVEST in the schools, or will do so if they feel they have the means to invest and to obtain adequate returns on their investment. This investment is not only monetary. Most schools cannot generate sufficient continous funding to pay for their need for books, teachers, physical or information infrastructure. In the community, there is an abundance of under-employed or unemployed parents and youth with skills in carpentary, electrical maintenance, computer installation, sports management... Surely, a workable solution exists?
Monday, November 13, 2006
Securing Africa
David McCormack nshe ishe ni Center for Security Policy, nibiti o ti dari Eto African Security. Iwe re lori idimu ashode Africa fi ijamba han ti ole ba awon ilowosi t'ipinle USA ni ile Africa. Ijamba na gbera lati eshu 'Islamofascism' ati iwa ipinle China. Iwe na soro nipa bi Somalia, Nigeria and South Africa she le baraje nibuburu. Iwe na ko soro nipa Sudan, ni ibi ti ijoba omo-Arab ti n'pa awon eniyan omo-Africa, ti won le won kuro ni ile, ti won ba awon omobirin ati omode won je pelu f'agbara do ati imu'leru. Afigba ti USA ba ran Yoruba lowo lati gba ogbon-ibon ati le Sharia kuro ni Nigeria, ilu na le di ile Taliban bi Somalia she ri ni isiyin. Ethopia nikan o le di Somalia ati Eritrea mu ninu ija lati le Taliban kuro ni awon ilu 'Islamofacism' yen.
http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/index.jsp?section=papers&code=06-F_27
http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/index.jsp?section=papers&code=06-F_27
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Watching out for young black males in USA
It is not just in USA and not just boys. Africans in the EU are also reporting racialist attitudes or attacks on their children, especially in inner cities where most (over 75% in London, UK) of recent African immigrants live.
Some things to watch for:
+ Parents especially mothers need to be critically aware of the image they are portraying to children through HAIR, food, language and clothing. If your child thinks your African clothes are "funny" or your food "smells", how do you react? If your child only knows your hair in its cooked/straightened/permed/wigged state, are you surprised that the child thinks its own natural hair is unattractive? If your child never speaks your African language in the home, do you expect that child to know or respect your culture when you so obviously do not? Try playing your child some of your ancestral music or art and explain what is being said.
+ Your child reports that nobody wants to play with them at school (especially in the suburban and private schools) or that they are abused by their colleagues or ignored by the teachers. If your child is experiencing severe stress at school, you should consider after-schooling, home schooling, or best of all, setting up a private school in collaboration with other parents. The Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) system of African Americans has been responsible for instilling strong self-esteem into that community and for strengthening the growth and prosperity of its middle class in the USA. JOIN THEM. African Americans and African Caribbeans are Africans by heritage, even if they do not always want to look to African continent because of the current mess of things. Go to their events and invite them to yours... Share food and music and dance.
+ Most importantly, remember that the world of work is changing. The purpose of a good education is no longer primarily about getting into the corporate world (if that was ever its intention). Prepare your children for a life of owning and managing a business, by doing so yourself or investing in such business. Africans abroad emay suffer most acute sense of hopelessness in the current recession because they feel most disconnected from being able to influence their environments. Recent immigrants also tend to perience above-average levels of underemployment and unemployment.
+ Bear in mind that migrants have always been the most efficient developers of trade and investment between the old and new countries. Be the bridge to economic opportunities in world markets while simultaneously being the "foreign direct investor" in Africa. To succeed, you will need to keep in touch with those stlll in the old country and to build networks with those who entered the new country before you. Africa currently imports/exports a lot of things with USA/EU, and incresingly with Asia. Africans abroad should build businesses that try to capture the majority of this international trade by becoming the counter-party of your relatives or friends doing business in Africa.
+ Defend your life, business and property: it is your birthright. It is also easier to "circle the wagons" if you live close to your family and friends or other people of African origin. Whenever a house comes up for sale in your neighbourhood, collaborate to ensure one of yours gets to buy it even if you have to invest a little private capital of your own. Get yourself or your children to join the school governors, the police and the municipal/local government so as to learn how things are organised and can have a say in happenings in your community.
+ Remember the American School, British School, Turkish School, French School, German School, etc that dot the length and breadth of foreign settlements across Africa? Those people are proud of their cultures and are trying to "watch out" for themselves. Only you can watch out for your community and values. Build or form your own African schools and businesses.
+ While you are at iy, please learn to glorify your own culture. Stop brainwashing yourself with religions and chemicals that undermine your self-esteem.
Some things to watch for:
+ Parents especially mothers need to be critically aware of the image they are portraying to children through HAIR, food, language and clothing. If your child thinks your African clothes are "funny" or your food "smells", how do you react? If your child only knows your hair in its cooked/straightened/permed/wigged state, are you surprised that the child thinks its own natural hair is unattractive? If your child never speaks your African language in the home, do you expect that child to know or respect your culture when you so obviously do not? Try playing your child some of your ancestral music or art and explain what is being said.
+ Your child reports that nobody wants to play with them at school (especially in the suburban and private schools) or that they are abused by their colleagues or ignored by the teachers. If your child is experiencing severe stress at school, you should consider after-schooling, home schooling, or best of all, setting up a private school in collaboration with other parents. The Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) system of African Americans has been responsible for instilling strong self-esteem into that community and for strengthening the growth and prosperity of its middle class in the USA. JOIN THEM. African Americans and African Caribbeans are Africans by heritage, even if they do not always want to look to African continent because of the current mess of things. Go to their events and invite them to yours... Share food and music and dance.
+ Most importantly, remember that the world of work is changing. The purpose of a good education is no longer primarily about getting into the corporate world (if that was ever its intention). Prepare your children for a life of owning and managing a business, by doing so yourself or investing in such business. Africans abroad emay suffer most acute sense of hopelessness in the current recession because they feel most disconnected from being able to influence their environments. Recent immigrants also tend to perience above-average levels of underemployment and unemployment.
+ Bear in mind that migrants have always been the most efficient developers of trade and investment between the old and new countries. Be the bridge to economic opportunities in world markets while simultaneously being the "foreign direct investor" in Africa. To succeed, you will need to keep in touch with those stlll in the old country and to build networks with those who entered the new country before you. Africa currently imports/exports a lot of things with USA/EU, and incresingly with Asia. Africans abroad should build businesses that try to capture the majority of this international trade by becoming the counter-party of your relatives or friends doing business in Africa.
+ Defend your life, business and property: it is your birthright. It is also easier to "circle the wagons" if you live close to your family and friends or other people of African origin. Whenever a house comes up for sale in your neighbourhood, collaborate to ensure one of yours gets to buy it even if you have to invest a little private capital of your own. Get yourself or your children to join the school governors, the police and the municipal/local government so as to learn how things are organised and can have a say in happenings in your community.
+ Remember the American School, British School, Turkish School, French School, German School, etc that dot the length and breadth of foreign settlements across Africa? Those people are proud of their cultures and are trying to "watch out" for themselves. Only you can watch out for your community and values. Build or form your own African schools and businesses.
+ While you are at iy, please learn to glorify your own culture. Stop brainwashing yourself with religions and chemicals that undermine your self-esteem.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
On Africa's Trade Dilemma 4: Investment
A fourth dilemma involves the real hustle of modern times: the scam of foreign direct investment (FDI). This scam says Africa does not have enough managerial and financial capital to manage its mineral resources and financial assets, so foreigner should be allowed in to provide both. In turn, the investors demand free trade, weak controls and proxy ownership. The hustle is that no meaningful investment actually comes into local economies even as assets are stripped and resources are exported to foreign markets.
Promoting FDI now seems to be the raison d'etre of many, if not all, post-colonial nation-states in Africa. Enabling FDI is the main text of "free trade" as documented in the many multilaral and bilateral trade agreements from NEPAD to AGOA and EU-EPA. Protecting and enforcing FDI is almost definately the principal activity of the "world" bodies (WTO, World Bank, IMF, UN), the national central banks, and the governments of erstwhile sovereign states. There is clearly a need for caution in use of FDI to fuel enterprise in African communities.
So where will the investment come from? Three sources are prepayment based on capitalisation of future cashflows, trade credit, and local value-added. With FDI. the investors put in a small amount of equity as prepayment, add layers of trade credit structured as tied loans, and then send in their own nationals to be the expartriate value added in the recipient country. Countries are made up of communities of people. An intelligent people make effort to define long term interests, country policies, and economic activities that ensure wealth grows and stays within their communities. If foreign markets or agents are sought, the community should look first to the African Diaspora. In turn, the diaspora should maintain its relevance and vigilance.
Promoting FDI now seems to be the raison d'etre of many, if not all, post-colonial nation-states in Africa. Enabling FDI is the main text of "free trade" as documented in the many multilaral and bilateral trade agreements from NEPAD to AGOA and EU-EPA. Protecting and enforcing FDI is almost definately the principal activity of the "world" bodies (WTO, World Bank, IMF, UN), the national central banks, and the governments of erstwhile sovereign states. There is clearly a need for caution in use of FDI to fuel enterprise in African communities.
So where will the investment come from? Three sources are prepayment based on capitalisation of future cashflows, trade credit, and local value-added. With FDI. the investors put in a small amount of equity as prepayment, add layers of trade credit structured as tied loans, and then send in their own nationals to be the expartriate value added in the recipient country. Countries are made up of communities of people. An intelligent people make effort to define long term interests, country policies, and economic activities that ensure wealth grows and stays within their communities. If foreign markets or agents are sought, the community should look first to the African Diaspora. In turn, the diaspora should maintain its relevance and vigilance.
On Africa's Trade Dilemma 3: Vigilance
The third dilemma arises when raw commodities and trained youth are exported from Africa. In turn, the continent imports world pollution, finished goods, foreign consumer cultures, and closed technologies. Good trade consists of keeping the former in and the latter out. There needs especial vigilance in 'world' trade negotiations such as AGOA, EU-EPA and in bilateral negotiations with India, China, Brasil and other foreign countries. There needs vigilance as well to ensure foreign ownership or control does not adversly influence ports of entry or core assets such as farms,schools, mines or oilfields or communications and transport resources. Always think: if we are in a war situation: will our food be secure? will our telephones work? Can we still obtain essential supplies or markets?
This dilemma highlights the weakness of Africa's communities, governments and nation-states in business and security matters. Trade is a zero sum game, meaning that particular trade benefits can accrue only in one place at a time. When the gains of trade are sufficiently unequal, its beneficiaries act to secure their advantage both by stregthening themselves with monopoly of ultra-violence and by weakening others by conflict, pollution and distraction. The military weakness of African communities, in our fragmented nation-states and in the diaspora, is another intolerable state of affairs. Obviously, no African anywhare is safe unless a strong African nation can protect the santicity of all Africans everywhere.
The rise of vigilantes and citizen militia is not exclusive to African nation-states. However the structural failure of many governments in these states to provide for essential services and products has resulted in "do-it-yourself" security and vigilante groups. Ominiously, private militia prefer to gather around areas of mineral resources and to drive away the peoples who live there. Particularly unacceptable is the subverting of state sovereignity by foreign businesses who engineer foreign mercenaries or proxy wars in "conflict" areas. This practice does not happen without the complicity of the home countries of such businesses. Its effect is to elevate trade trade into bloody warfare. As such, many resource-rich nation-states in Africa need to actively grow strong self-sufficiency in business and security so as to withstand the continuous warfare from their trading partners.
This dilemma highlights the weakness of Africa's communities, governments and nation-states in business and security matters. Trade is a zero sum game, meaning that particular trade benefits can accrue only in one place at a time. When the gains of trade are sufficiently unequal, its beneficiaries act to secure their advantage both by stregthening themselves with monopoly of ultra-violence and by weakening others by conflict, pollution and distraction. The military weakness of African communities, in our fragmented nation-states and in the diaspora, is another intolerable state of affairs. Obviously, no African anywhare is safe unless a strong African nation can protect the santicity of all Africans everywhere.
The rise of vigilantes and citizen militia is not exclusive to African nation-states. However the structural failure of many governments in these states to provide for essential services and products has resulted in "do-it-yourself" security and vigilante groups. Ominiously, private militia prefer to gather around areas of mineral resources and to drive away the peoples who live there. Particularly unacceptable is the subverting of state sovereignity by foreign businesses who engineer foreign mercenaries or proxy wars in "conflict" areas. This practice does not happen without the complicity of the home countries of such businesses. Its effect is to elevate trade trade into bloody warfare. As such, many resource-rich nation-states in Africa need to actively grow strong self-sufficiency in business and security so as to withstand the continuous warfare from their trading partners.
On Africa's Trade Dilemma 2: Mis-management
The second dilemma arises because our misuse of human and material resources results in export of value-added to competitor markets. Despite the rapid innovation in manufacturing technologies and efficiencies, the essential processes and scientific principles have remained largely unchanged. Oil refining and salt production are still processes of extraction under pressure and fractional distillation involving the separation of fluids at different boiling points. Metal working is a process of joining or reforming metals at different melting points. A bridge is the same essential structure as a bed or a bench, but subject to wind or water movements. A bullet proof vest is an ultra-fine mesh of baskets. Electric motors, grain mills, paper-making, vehicle engines, railways, ships, aeroplanes and water pumps are the same technologies as decades ago. Why then do we still ask others to "transfer" technologies that can be found in most textbooks? Is it because technical knowledge can be found in textbooks that the textbooks are missing from many classrooms? Entrepreneurs should start private schools at all levels and should translate technical writings into the many African languages. Knowledge of your own language is sufficient to comfortable living.
The key dilemma seems to be lack of esteem in organisation of complex production or logistics. Self-esteem builds on achievement, itself a function of setting goals and trying until sucess in attaining. Failures are inevitable as are imperfections. A recommendation is to form activity groups that will undertake to dismantle and reassemble any technology you come across. In schools, attention should focus on learning-by-doing, critical reasoning and problem solving. No promotion until material competence is demonstrated. Foreign languages and texts should be introduced only in the early teens. African communities should endeavour to examine the education curriculum and media content to ensure that they promote creative productivity and intellectual stimulation as well as management of resources.
The key dilemma seems to be lack of esteem in organisation of complex production or logistics. Self-esteem builds on achievement, itself a function of setting goals and trying until sucess in attaining. Failures are inevitable as are imperfections. A recommendation is to form activity groups that will undertake to dismantle and reassemble any technology you come across. In schools, attention should focus on learning-by-doing, critical reasoning and problem solving. No promotion until material competence is demonstrated. Foreign languages and texts should be introduced only in the early teens. African communities should endeavour to examine the education curriculum and media content to ensure that they promote creative productivity and intellectual stimulation as well as management of resources.
On Africa's Trade Dilemma 1: Core values
James Shikwati = Director, Inter Region Economic Network writes
"African policy makers ought to recognize the fact that all trade deals with both the emerging and developed economies are done purely for purposes of promoting existing business interests. Africa nations cannot have effective trade talks when they exclude the business community in their strategies. One cannot rely on ill equipped civil servants with nothing to lose, politicians with votes to look for, and Non Governmental Organizations that are agents of Western countries to draw a strategic plan on trade talks. The African business community must wake up and take an active role in suggesting approaches that their civil servants ought to carry whenever they go out to negotiate trade issues.
An illustration of the poverty in long term strategic thinking can be demonstrated by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)."
IJEBU DRUMS comment:
Increasingly, competitive trade advantage presents dilemmas for African trade in terms of attracting and retaining the educated and talented, value added in regional markets, trans-regional externalisation of exploitation and conflict, and financial imperialism.
Africa's first trade dilemma arises from the mis-orientation of our education and enterprise activities towards markets outside our communities. No body human or politic can prosper while its efforts are devoted so overwhelmingly to alienating itself from its its own while promoting the dominance of its competitors. African communities are hastening into unproductive survivalism at home and abroad.
Education serves to indoctrinate and inform our core values, same as religion and the media. We should actively define our core values and the strategies for attaining them in the short, medium and long term. What do we want? Who are we competing with? What do they want and what are they prepared to do to attain their values? How do we control the education and enterprise systems so to attain our core values? This sort of thinking will force our communities into education curricula and media content very distinct to what is currently taught in our schools and broadcast into our homes.
"African policy makers ought to recognize the fact that all trade deals with both the emerging and developed economies are done purely for purposes of promoting existing business interests. Africa nations cannot have effective trade talks when they exclude the business community in their strategies. One cannot rely on ill equipped civil servants with nothing to lose, politicians with votes to look for, and Non Governmental Organizations that are agents of Western countries to draw a strategic plan on trade talks. The African business community must wake up and take an active role in suggesting approaches that their civil servants ought to carry whenever they go out to negotiate trade issues.
An illustration of the poverty in long term strategic thinking can be demonstrated by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)."
IJEBU DRUMS comment:
Increasingly, competitive trade advantage presents dilemmas for African trade in terms of attracting and retaining the educated and talented, value added in regional markets, trans-regional externalisation of exploitation and conflict, and financial imperialism.
Africa's first trade dilemma arises from the mis-orientation of our education and enterprise activities towards markets outside our communities. No body human or politic can prosper while its efforts are devoted so overwhelmingly to alienating itself from its its own while promoting the dominance of its competitors. African communities are hastening into unproductive survivalism at home and abroad.
Education serves to indoctrinate and inform our core values, same as religion and the media. We should actively define our core values and the strategies for attaining them in the short, medium and long term. What do we want? Who are we competing with? What do they want and what are they prepared to do to attain their values? How do we control the education and enterprise systems so to attain our core values? This sort of thinking will force our communities into education curricula and media content very distinct to what is currently taught in our schools and broadcast into our homes.
Youth entepreneurship
Nardos Bekele-Thomas writes
"We need to be more critical in our thinking on the interventions we make on youth entrepreneurship if we are to effectively and sustainably improve the livelihoods of millions of people. While the term entrepreneurship is coined strongly in business terminology and dynamics, it is critical to realize that in most developing countries, the stronger concern is meeting some basic needs like access to water, energy and health. It thus becomes critical for youth entrepreneurship to mould itself in forms of social entrepreneurship. If young people decide to drill a borehole to provide water for a community at affordable prices for example, this goes a long way in improving their standard of living and the livelihood for this community. It would be much cheaper than a water company making this provision and at the same time it improves the livelihood for the youth who have drilled the borehole. Most critical is the importance of water to the basic needs in this community which represents a response to the market. Another example could be the preparation of solar panels for areas that do not have electricity.
Through social entrepreneurship, young people can provide alternatives to help reach the MGDs. They can start small businesses aimed at providing access to key services to the people at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ such as water, energy and ICT. Having business support such initiatives is invaluable. Business must do more than merely exploiting markets. It must play a role in cultivating these markets to ensure sustainability. This is the ‘Win-Win’ situation that in my view developing countries require. Partnerships which respond to the real needs on the ground can only be possible through the innovation of youth and genuine corporate responsibility."
Youth should be vigilant to ensure that equity and employment in businesses that set up in their communities. They should be vigilant that neither government officials nor local chieftains appropriate the benefits of local enterprises by rent-seeking while claiming to act on behalf of the people.
"We need to be more critical in our thinking on the interventions we make on youth entrepreneurship if we are to effectively and sustainably improve the livelihoods of millions of people. While the term entrepreneurship is coined strongly in business terminology and dynamics, it is critical to realize that in most developing countries, the stronger concern is meeting some basic needs like access to water, energy and health. It thus becomes critical for youth entrepreneurship to mould itself in forms of social entrepreneurship. If young people decide to drill a borehole to provide water for a community at affordable prices for example, this goes a long way in improving their standard of living and the livelihood for this community. It would be much cheaper than a water company making this provision and at the same time it improves the livelihood for the youth who have drilled the borehole. Most critical is the importance of water to the basic needs in this community which represents a response to the market. Another example could be the preparation of solar panels for areas that do not have electricity.
Through social entrepreneurship, young people can provide alternatives to help reach the MGDs. They can start small businesses aimed at providing access to key services to the people at the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ such as water, energy and ICT. Having business support such initiatives is invaluable. Business must do more than merely exploiting markets. It must play a role in cultivating these markets to ensure sustainability. This is the ‘Win-Win’ situation that in my view developing countries require. Partnerships which respond to the real needs on the ground can only be possible through the innovation of youth and genuine corporate responsibility."
Youth should be vigilant to ensure that equity and employment in businesses that set up in their communities. They should be vigilant that neither government officials nor local chieftains appropriate the benefits of local enterprises by rent-seeking while claiming to act on behalf of the people.
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