Saturday 7 June 2014

My Stay in Lusaka

I am in Lusaka for a few days courtesy of COMESA the 19 country organisation intended to increase trade among member nations and increase economic development. These regional bodies are trying to improve lives of the people in the member countries with lots of difficulty. In the region there are several bodies including SADAC, EAC and of course COMESA some counties like Tanzania belong to all of them!!Uganda belongs to EAC and COMESA.. What is striking when you visit African countries is the commonality of problems and destiny. IF you were blindfolded an taken from one city to another only to open your eyes when you arrived you may never tell which is which but definitely you will be able to tell it is an african town probably your own city in a place you haven't been to lately.

The towns are relatively not very clean, hordes of unemployed youth standing in groups in various locations doing nothing or if doing something most likely smoking hash or what ever it is. Business is characterized by large numbers of people selling all kinds of good on streets. Among the common goods is imported second hand clothes ,shoes cheap electronics from China,mobile phone airtime cards, tomatoes onions and cheap products afforded by local people. Another common feature is private security personnel. This is a sector that employs many africans. Guess what they are protecting? They protect business owned by foreigners from their fellow african bothers who may steal it if there is an opportunity to.in many African cities malls are becoming a common feature. These malls are owned by wealth people who are not businessmen or women!!!! Recondition cars are another feature. there are a few brand new vehicles which expresses well our purchasing power and have no problems with it .i too own one such. South African shoprite and Game store are also common. So is South African Airways at the airports of most african countries.

Poverty is a common feature but not obvious to we Africans as most of us don't understand what poverty means. People are quite happy none the less and go about their job , those who have , with glee. In Uganda we have this massive sector of boda boda that employs a large number of people but whose worth is limited in nature. All african cities have something like that.

We need our governments to plan for our towns better. lusaka compared to Kampala is well planned, wide roads or apace available for future construction of roads!! This is unlike Uganda where there is no plan at all for city roads. Uganda is condemned to having narrow roads because we have not planned for them and it is too late to do so. I have also been impressed by the services people render to you and don't expect to be tipped for doing their work. I got into a hotel late in the night and if it was Kenya , Uganda or Nigeria the person helping you with the luggage would hang around showing how the TV works extra extra waiting for you to tip him. I didn't have any Zambian money on me and was apologetic as the fellow delivered luggage in my room but his body language didn't say he expected anything. I have found Tanzania and Swaziland to be similar.

Thats said and done the most impressive thing about Zambia is the planned urbanisation. While still poor like Uganda, Zambia has wonderful plans on urbanisation and land utilization. The have avoided balknasation of land. Thanks to mzee Kenneth Kaunda and of course Julius Nyerere of Tanzania with his unpopular UJAMA . In Zambia you don't find small houses owned by poor people spread across the country. People settle in common areas where services like electricity , water schools and other s can be availed at a low cost. The land is them left for agricultural production. In Uganda every family bury their dead in their back yard and as development occurs the dead have wither been moved or simply graded . In Zambia the dead a buried in a common graveyard. You don't have graves littered everywhere in the country. This is smart and paves way for better utilasation of land. bravo Zambia

Sunday 1 June 2014

Cash Donations to the Poor In Africa. A Prescription for Perpetual Poverty

Early this year, when the president signed the anti-homosexuality bill, many donors withdrew their financial support from the country. This country has a problem of begging and most people expect that somebody else will give them the money. In the rural areas, those with jobs or businesses and politicians are expected to pay fees for the endless number of children people have. The youth everywhere expect money from government. The various schemes, entandikwa (startup finance), NAADS,  Bona bagagawale have resolved to giving out money to inputs to farmers and other people. They know this is a gift from government. Members of parliament are expected to pay fees for the electorate, provide transport to bury the dead in their constituencies among other things. Even the parliamentarians themselves, recently appealed to the President to give them some money because they say they did not have. And yet they are reportedly some of the best paid civil servants in the country. This begging syndrome means nobody is willing to do anything in this country because they expect free things from other people. I have read somewhere President Museveni advising Ugandans to work to be able to live well. One of Uganda’s successful but literally unknown business men Francis Xavier Kitaka said that from Childhood money was earned not just given. See New Vision of May 30, 2014. Uunfortunatly, there is a theory coming up from the donor community that Africans do not need to work, they just need to be given money. According to UNICEF see the East African of June 6, 2014. Africans are becoming happier and the reason behind this happiness is what is called the social protection floors where a growing number of candidates are supporting cash transfers to the poorest and most marginalized with no strings attached.  It is being advocated that instead of letting these poor Africans work, they will be given money and they will work. Coming from UNICEF, this policy may be taken through to the United Nations and may come up as a policy of Multilateral institutions including the World Bank. Poverty is lack of income and lack of income is lack of an economic activity. Africa is in such a situation that the little economic activity it has is of twofold; that which is agricultural for food consumption and the agricultural of mining which leads to export of raw materials. Africa is therefore unable to sell anything meaningfully on the World Market to be able to buy high quality products that determine the quality of life. The article in the East Africa says that this phenomenon of happiness arising from these cash gifts has caught attention of African leaders. Do not be surprised if they agree to confirm the policy that will come of donating cash to Africans. Poverty and Africa seem to be synonymous.