I had a hi-five moment at work today. I managed to get a 75 years old grandmother to sign documents online. She did it feeling very comfortable with the system. It was one of the apply online, sign all disclosures and print out your certificate situations. Each time I get a client to do all of these online, the time and energy on administrative process is cut by as much as 60%. This by itself is no reason for a hi-five in mid-afternoon, but the granny is. At the end of the exercise I felt like I had Continue reading →
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6
Jan 09
A Boost For Ghana’s Success Story
Bad news about Africa travels fast and very pervasive. I am dissatisfied with the level of airplay that the successful conclusion of a legitmate democratic election in Ghana is getting. I just read the FT article; Election boosts Ghana’s success story.
A lot of people remember the excesses of the 20 years before 1992,” said David “Kojo” Awuah-Darko, chief executive of IC Securities Holdings, an Africa-focused investment bank, in Accra, the capital. “There’s absolutely no way, with all the investment that people have put into this country, that we want to go back.” Continue reading →
30
Dec 08
The Corruption Switch
Three weeks ago Nigeria’s President Umaru Yaradua declared that corruption was and is Nigeria’s biggest stumbling block preventing her from achieving her potential.
VOA - ”Corruption is Nigeria is a major national problem,” he said. “Corruption is endemic in this country, and there is absolutely no way this nation can achieve its potential until and unless this evil, this challenge, is confronted frontally by all Nigerians. We need to declare a national war on corruption that involves everybody in this country.” Continue reading →
12
Dec 08
Why I Blog About Africa
Here is my response to Why I blog about Africa meme by Théophile Kouamouo made popular by the Global Voices blog. There is no grand reason behind me blogging about Africa. I do not blog for hungry kids or to broker peace between warring factions. My blog does not influence which African child will receive an OLPC and one that will not. Blogging about Africa is therapy for me. I have an immense interest in the development on the continent, which most likely was awakened by the trips with my father as he criss-crossed the continent in search of the next deal. This deals were supposed to get rid of poverty in the chosen region. He worked for a development bank. I guess the heated debates about poverty eradication and governance in my family’s living room stuck and have since become impossible to shake off. I have written about the event that ‘pushed‘ me into blogging. Continue reading →
3
Dec 08
Governance In Nigeria
This entry was quoted in global voices where Chikezie left a comment that once again fingered the ‘common man’ for the failings of democracy in Nigeria. I will devote a paragraph or two to this comment, because 1. this response is the default response from many Nigerians and 2. It is a variant of the other (it is the leaders fault) default response from the remainder of the population who passed on response 1. Continue reading →
30
Nov 08
Jos: Why Can’t We All Get Along
Channelling R. King, why can’t we all get along in Nigeria. With over 300 deaths resulting from religious violence in some quarters in Jos. A curfew is now under way and a shoot-at-sight directive is now in place. The violence started as random acts from some disgruntled individuals who were not satisfied with the conduct of local elections, but it quickly evolved into a religious and an all out riot and burning of houses of worship. Like every conflict in Nigeria, all parties involved can not seem to agree on the nature of the conflict. Some believe it is just a bunch of mean spirited thugs being used by a few godfathers to achieve political goals. Others claim it is an all out religious /ethnic violence. I will stick to what a wise old man told me ten years ago, he said, “when it comes to sectarian violence in Nigeria, in the end, all violence in Nigeria is driven by Economics”. Continue reading →
27
Nov 08
Niger Delta Is N.I.M.B.Y, But?
The actions of a few young men in a far flung corner of the world has the potential of large scale disruptions of the economic activities in other parts of the world. On one side of the continuum there is the outright acts of terrorism like that which is unfolding in Mumbai, India. On the other side, though less disruptive but yet noteworthy are a few loosely organized young men holding the international shipping system to ransom, a la Somalian pirates. Dissatisfied youths in developing countries are pushing back against the status quo, and the falling price of technology which is used as a tool to hold the systems to ransom is helping their causes. Continue reading →
26
Nov 08
Is Brain Drain Killing Africans?
Conventional Wisdom: Well trained African health workers flee the continent in search of better remuneration in countries with more developed health care systems. This brain drain is ‘bad’ and amounts to a drain on coffers of the government of the source country which translates into poor health care services in the source country. Brain drain kills people. Health care professionals must be coerced into remaining in their home countries. Continue reading →
22
Nov 08
The World Needs Africa to Work
Should failing African governments be left to collapse? Letting failing systems to collapse is a somewhat romantic ideas because it is assumed that a collapse will forces the agents( in this case citizens of African state) into restructuring and eventually an efficient entity will emerge at the other side of the shake ups. The resulting picture will be that of a self sustaining and efficient self governing state which will be poised to take on the challenges of the new millennium. (See this Cato Insitute Video)The hostage situation off the coast of Somalia this past week provides us with evidence that allowing African states to fail will be a huge mistake. Mostly, because of the externalities associated with such an event. Continue reading →
17
Nov 08
It Is Cold Out There For A Niger Delta Militant
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, a break away group in Nigeria, have disturbed the production of Oil (Nigerian Governments chief source of income) in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria for a few years now. They have done so by attacking oil drilling infrastructure and disrupting the work flow of multi-national oil companies operating in Nigeria. Thereby drawing local (Nigeria government needs money) and International (Increase in the price/barrel of oil) attention. This group has financed itself by engaging in Oil bunkering and kidnapping. The region has general witnessed an increase in illicit activities. On the flip side the Nigerian government has made some half hearted attempts at appeasing this break-out group, they pleaded, threatened and on a few occasion declared outright wars on the militants. This delicate dance has gone on for some time now, culminating in a general ceasefire agreement between the militants and the Nigerian government. Some background. Continue reading →
3
Nov 08
Nigeria: Who is Afraid of Enterprise 2.0
The returns on innovation and collaboration in production and business processes could be enormous, especially LDC’s. Early adopters are starting to reap dividends of web based application and online storage. Enterprise 2.0 is in, and isn’t going anywhere soon. The ability to collaborate across firms, within firms and with freelancers is proving to be the area in which collaboration and the decentralisation of information can be used to spur extraordinary growth for frontier firms. However the decentralisation of information also comes with the decentralisation of decision making. Naturally, anyone who enjoys the status quo has an incentive to resist the new order because it directly challenges the power and therefore the relevance of the current decision makers. Continue reading →
2
Nov 08
Notes On The Arrest Of Nigerian Bloggers
National database of trouble makers: I find it impressive that the Nigerian secret service keep and maintain a database of online trouble makers in a country where simple initiatives to improve good governance have been vehemently resisted. This is a triumph of proper deployment of information technology. If this database is utilized in checking the country’s enemies, I guess the Nigerian state is safer than I once thought her to be. Continue reading →
2
Nov 08
Arrested Bloggers: The Street Is Speaking
Jonathan Elendu a Nigerian blogger at ElenduReports was picked up by the Nigerian secret service at the Lagos airport upon arrival from the United States. He was subsequently released after an eventful week in custody. A second blogger Emeka Asiwe of huhuonline was subsequently picked up upon his arrival in Lagos from the United States. Below is a compendium of comment that other bloggers have made as this events have unfolded. Continue reading →
