My mantra for Africa lately, which I repeated at TED Global, is that after all has been said and said again, we need action and we need to take responsibility for our continent’s future…Shikwati says to the West “Stop the aid, please!” I say to the Africans, “Stop the whining and pointing fingers, please!.” Instead ask yourself (constantly) what have you done for Africa lately.
Oh yes, WTF story of the week is this
0.6% in royalties? Tax-free? All profits can be externalised? Why do we keep selling our resources so cheaply?
Makes me wanna roll the policy maker out on a wheelbarrow and get to working! Yeah.. wtf?! appropriate sentiment.
In addition, Africans should stop being puppets & waiting for leaders from outside the continent to make us proactive and devise ways to deal with our own problems and need to act now not waste too much time holding endless talks with no action thereafter!
I think that we have to wake up and realise that our destiny as Africans is not in the developed world’s hands. Rather it rests squarely on our hands. The minute we realise that, then we will have solved half the problems. Even Blair’s Africa whatever cant help us until we strive to do it ourselves. Another is to know and accept our responsibilities as well as obligations. As someone said, What is worse than being blind? Its to have eyes and no vision. I rest my case.
click to http://assidous.blogspot.com
James Shikwati is a raging ideologist, with neo-liberalism as his mantra not unlike earlier ideologists with the Mao bible or matrxism as their mantras. That makes all his comments rather suspect to me, I am afraid, even where he might be right now and then. The context and frame spoils it.
Osas
Africa does not have a problem.
Thats is just how they do business, and to the best of their knowledge, AND loose out. In Biz, there is always a winner and loser. Most times, the strong guy and the wise/clever guys win. Never true win-win. Africa is neither. That is why there has been 40+ years of constant losing.
See the 45+ presidents trooping to China last year? What were they going there for? To negotiate Biz deals or to be feted and offered “easy” grants? Another sure losing strategy.
There, i have said it. At least i look it square in the eye.
BTW and on that note
Have you consider ditching Kenya and making mzalendo a regional site? There is more stuff happening in paliaments in Rwanda, UG TZ etc
Kenyan politicians are just jokers, ati no pens and paper in paliament??
That’s one of many WTF stories coming out of Zambia when it comes to “investors” or as we like to call them here “infestors!”
Up until last year’s budget, anyone with $50,000 could walk into the country and say he was here to invest. Open up a bakery and he’d have 5 years of tax free operations, once the 5 years was up most of them simply changed the name and claimed that a new investor was coming in to run the business…
The champagne, lobster, etc. meals that these infestors give our leaders when signing these deals must be working very well 😕