FIRM MANAGEMENT | IT CONSULTING
Rightly managing Africa is an idea that many will deem impossible. For us, it is a matter of taking our core values and strategies to the different African countries, in order that they may be implemented into their public policies, into the different NGOs and their affiliates that share our vision and are already working to change our general mindset, so we can begin the journey to real growth. It is also a matter of cleaning up bilateral trade deals by promoting ethics and accountability in trade, hence rid us of our current situation.
Tag : Strategies
Handicaps
Out of the different issues that plague Africa, we will highlight four, that are intertwined with one another, and that we deem most destructive. These issues, with disastrous and unsuspected ramifications, are to blame for Africa’s inability to develop herself.
As a foreword to you, our readers, it is of importance that we state that our goal is not raise controversy, or throw empty criticism. Our goal is to eradicate these issues, or at least reduce them considerably. Therefore, a thorough analysis is necessary in order to form a proper diagnosis. Only then can different strategies be applied.
The aforementioned issues are: the wait-and-see attitude, corruption, the lack of accountability for the elites, and wars.
Tags Analysis : Resignation of elites | Corruption | Wars
The wait-and-see attitude
This is one of the most negative, and common attitude we see in African societies today, down to the individual level. It is the foundation to all other issues that keep our Africa down. Sadly, we don’t seem to be aware of this downfall, even though we suffer its consequences daily.
Judge for yourself: when discussing different topics, any topics, there are 9 chances out of 10 that the government is to blame for all things deplorable. By "government", we mean the elected officials who are supposed to govern. Individuals themselves, the citizens, see themselves as victims. Even though their responsibility as citizens is obvious, in their mind, it is always the fault of the government in which they place their hope of development. However, they do not demand accountability from their elected officials. They just wait, to see what is to happen.
Consider the following two concrete scenarios that are quite common in African capitals, however almost no one pays attention:
Example 1:
Along an avenue, in broad daylight, lamp post are still lit while, further down the road, a trickle a potable water spreads (how do we know? Please contact us). All those who pass by notice it, but no one is bothered. In the least, everyone continues to go about their business because, to them, it is a matter for the government or municipality to resolve. Therefore, no one thinks to call the appropriate offices, unless it goes on for days. Some may say that they do not know the number to call or that their phone credit is too precious to them to remind the government of what it is already “supposed” to do.
Unfortunately for them, they are unaware that, by having such an attitude, they are creating macroeconomic and social ripples that will come back to haunt them. They do not stop to think that the lamp posts, being lit in broad daylight, might be the result of a system failure. But how could they know this if they do not invest themselves in the management of public affairs? Especially since, in these cases, each lamp post can easily consume up to 500 watts! This will cause a peak consumption and a shortage of electric power, which then will force the national electricity company to cut supply to entire neighborhoods, including public and private companies.
The same applies to the potable water leaking from a broken pipe. It erodes the street it flows onto, gets splashed onto pedestrians, ruins the landscape, slows down traffic, and even causes traffic jams during rush hour. Not to mention the entire neighborhoods what will have their water supply denied to them due to the leak.
All these factors hinder growth due to their recurrences, and lead to tax increases. The citizens will then accuse their elected officials of “failing” on their campaign promises.
Example 2:
People do not relate how their public consumption of electricity can affect them on a personal level. They do not connect the macro to the micro as far as they are concerned. Henceforth, no one takes heed to report, or turn off public amenities that are unnecessarily consuming electricity even though they are not in use. Again, all this is because of the mindset that, the government, not the people, is responsible. To illustrate that, Mr. X. leaves his office air conditioner on all night, just to have the pleasure of entering an already cold, and comfortable office in the morning. Meanwhile, Mrs Y. leaves her air conditioner on all day, while the doors, and windows stay opened, wasting precious energy.
However, Mr. X. and Mrs. Y. will complain of the annoying power outages that happen at their respective home, which they blame for destroying their appliances, ruining their groceries, hence causing them to throw them away. At this point, they will place the blame beyond the national electricity company, on the government, for failing on its duties. The latter will then increase price on basic commodities in order to bail out the public treasury. Therefore, Mr. X. and Mrs. Y. can now no longer afford to give allowance money to their children daily as they used to. All this because they “forgot” a simple management rule: Profit/loss = revenue-expenses. The data depicting use of public amenities is to not be ignored.
In both examples, the most frightening reality is that:
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There are thousands, if not millions of us that are doing this daily, yet we complain constantly. We blame the “monstrous” government for its incompetence and its failed promises;
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The very few people who are conscientious of this, and act accordingly, as well as educate their peers on the matter, are mocked and called “black westerners” by those who are complaisant and not eager to change. Truth is that we need to reclaim that which we all share: our humanity! Which is all that separates us from animals.
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Without realizing it, we are living this paradox of always blaming the government while constantly disregarding personal responsibility.
Why is the wait-and-see attitude so dangerous? As we have indicated earlier, it is the source of all the plagues that undermine the continent: the resignation of the elites, corruption and wars. Each with its ramifications of disastrous induced effects with consequences, often unpredictable, and difficult to measure. Yes, the State is to be blame for everything, except that, in our understanding, the State here represents also the individuals that make up the nation and not those who govern us which we will rather call the state. Because those who govern a nation are from that nation and can only carry the values of that nation: our wait-and-see attitude led to their resignation when responsibilities were entrusted to them. They are not from Jupiter and certainly not from Mars. They are just our reflection ...
We would take the champions of growth in the world that their rulers -if they were rented to us- would fail miserably. Clearly, a cactus will never produce mangoes. And mangoes grafted to the cactus - if that was ever to happen - will never turn the cactus into a mango tree.
Your contributions and comments on this topic are welcomed.
Tags Analysis : Resignation of elites | Wait-and-See | Wars
Corruption
Corruption is a global phenomenon that hurts Africa the worst due to its lack of development, and weak inspections. The 2017 Transparency International report shows that African countries rank very low in the list of most corrupt countries in the world. That is of no surprise to us. See for yourself:
Click on the maps to zoom in / out
The majority of Africans live with the plague of corruption on a daily basis, as some of its visible aspects are overt. However, the hidden aspects of corruption are much worse, and destructive to us. Fighting corruption is a must, based on these findings below on its disastrous consequences, by different organizations.
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According to the African Bank for Development, corruption costs Africa 148 billion dollars each year, and illicit exports leaving Africa are estimated at 60 billion dollars. This is equivalent to 1.5 times the direct foreign investments in Africa, or 120% of public aid for development, received by Africa.
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The Global Financial Integrity estimates the cost of corruption in Africa to be at 946 billion dollars.
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The World Bank estimates that corruption has reduced the ability for African governments to make basic public amenities available to their
citizens, hence leading to less prosperity, less respect of human rights, and less jobs. It also estimates that countries that take measures to fight corruption, and to respect the rule of law, could increase their national revenue by 400% per year.
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According to the United Nations Office against Drugs and Crime (UNODC), everyone pays a price due to corruption, as it causes a reduction in investments. It is alarmed by the growing number of clues signaling the spreading of corruption throughout the judicial system of countries in many parts of the world, which then leads to a breeding ground for organized crime, and for terrorism to thrive.
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The United Nations (UN), in its 2017 Joint International Campaign, shines the light on corruption as being one the main obstacles to achieving the goal of sustainable development. It contributes to instability, poverty, and is one the of the main driver to the fall of already weakened countries.
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Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates the bribes taken each year in the world to be at 1500 to 2000 billion dollars, which is close to 2% of the global GDP. This estimate rises to 2600 billion dollars, or more than 5% of the global GDP, when it comes to embezzlements of public funds.
These findings, which are just a needle in the haystack, illustrate the extent of this problem, and confirm the absolute need for us to solve it for ourselves first; then our future generations will inherit this legacy.
What are your views on seen and unseen corruption? Have you experienced it? If so, how? What did you do to concretely put an end to it? How do you understand individual and collective involvement? Share your ideas with us on how to collectively change our mindset, and defeat corruption.
Tags Analysis : Corruption | Wait-and-See | Wars
The resignation of elites
As we have already mentioned, the resignation of the elites is a well-known direct consequence of the wait-and-see attitude. We are faced with the situation of ‘the snake biting its tail’ - a vicious circle, so to speak. To correct it, we must necessarily get out of the wait because "good" elected officials have little room for maneuver with a wait-and-see people. Here are some of the consequences of their resignation:
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The power for social climbing: this kind of elected officials fought to obtain the reins of power not for the duties that imply the responsibility of this power, but for the consideration that this gives them in the social scale of the society. As a result, they do not care about the smooth running of what is entrusted to them for society or the country. The writer Alain Mabanckou summarizes it quite best when he says: "When an African governs, he always governs with his ethnic group, which governs itself with its family, which itself governs with the clan". They thus favor the multiplication of fictitious positions through fallacious recruitments. This leads in overcrowding and pronounced absenteeism, which is detrimental to the continent and generates a lot of incompetence and loss of time to the detriment of the populations, in addition to being the taxpayer’ responsibility. These profiles -many of them in the public services, the administration and the hospital environments of our countries - pull any system down, in a nebula where it is difficult to navigate. A little like pigs, they only feel good in rubbish and do not hesitate to use the mystical weapon to achieve their goals or defend what they believe to be their legitimate interests. This is the sad, but real truth of Africa.
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Nepotism and selfishness: they confuse budgets and wages in addition to squandering resources if they find their interests there. It does not matter if their actions endanger the integrity of the institution entrusted to them or jeopardize the future of subsequent generations. They hardly can delegate, they are often arrogant and have very little trust in others. They are dominant factors in seizures and haemorrhages and have actively participated in the establishment of slavery in Africa.
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The refusal of development: this is another consequence of their resignation. Sixty years after independence, no African country has taken the real step towards development. What is paradoxical is that, before independence, a majority of them had a GDP higher than the Asian countries which are today champions of the growth, enough to exceed some countries of the European Union with a visible reality. We continue to call ourselves "Developing Countries", which seems to please us and suffice us. Economic statistics and constantly manipulated growth figures do not strictly reflect the reality of life of the population, most of whom live below the poverty line. To all this, we can add political procrastination, justice manipulated at will where the law of the jungle applies, where the law of the strongest prevails. Fortunately, Rwanda and Ghana prove that it is possible to get out of this infernal spiral in much less time than one imagines with concrete acts. They are to be encouraged.
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Exodus of the educated and Illegal immigration: In view of the detrimental environment the elites favor, the majority of educated Africans prefer to leave for places that will recognize, and nurture their skills. The poor and uneducated ones, those who do not have as many options, are so desperate for change and a better life that they are willing to risk their lives in order to go to Europe, through dangerous means, chasing after the failed dream of finding better conditions for themselves.
To list a few, here are a few other symptoms of this sick elitism:
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Blame on slavery and colonization for our current lack of development;
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Blame on international entities, or on opposing political parties when trouble arises;
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Use of the continent’s resources to pass laws that only benefit and enrich them, while sinking us into debt;
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Illiteracy and the lack of real programs for the promotion of local languages, which could be a great benefit in our journey to development.
Feel free to join us to further discuss this topic.
Tags Analysis : Corruption | Wait-and-See | Resignation of elites
Wars
They are generally a result of extreme frustration, after all other options have failed. We say “generally” because some wars are intentionally designed and caused by different proxy groups that stand to benefit, financially and otherwise, from chaos in our streets.
Wars, in their different forms - war, terrorism or guerrilla warfare - are truly economic in nature, because of the lust for more of Africa's lands and natural resources. However, we are always told that wars are due to political and ideological differences. Think about it: Wars are extremely expensive, and must benefit those who finance them.
It remains, for example, no secret that the intervention of France in Mali from January 2013 to July 2014 was more to preserve the potential acquired uranium resources present in large quantities in this country and currently being exploited for its nuclear industry in Niger of which resources are diminishing rather than anything else.
However, just to be clear, it is important to state that some wars are justified, even though most are avoidable. Some justifiable reasons are to defend ourselves from an invasion or oppression, or to fight for our rights, once all other peaceful options have failed.
Now let’s get back to Africa and the wars she is suffering from. At this point, it is safe to say that Africa is a ticking bomb, pun intended. As we mentioned earlier, wars are expensive, they cause disastrous consequences in all areas of life, as well as physical and emotional wounds that are difficult to heal; not to mention the cost of weapons.
All these observations lead us to ask the million dollar question: who really benefits from the wars in Africa? Since no country on the continent has arms industries, who provides them, why and for what prices? They are certainly not free. We can even think in these contexts that their prices tag increase exponentially because the wars in Africa is often complicated and lengthen very quickly when the ethnicities or the beliefs mingle there, which is often the case.
We often think that we do not measure the true stakes and the real reasons that lead us to fight each other in Africa: we may ask ourselves the question when, and only when, those who benefit from it will really believe that we can no longer pay for weapons, and therefore will refuse to supply us. We will have paid for our resources to the point of impoverishing our soils if we have not conceded them for several decades, enough to extract their potentials. In addition, we will be indebted for generations with incredible interest rates that will plunge us further into the depths of the abyss. They will not have any more interest to blow on embers. Perhaps then, in front of our protagonist, we will wonder why we are really fighting ... Then we will make peace! At what cost? Isn’t time for us to start from the beginning?
Time for change: strategies and solutions
Tag : Our handicaps
With everything that has been said, it is important to state that not all is doom and gloom in Africa. We are blessed with great solidarity and hospitality, as well as other great qualities, which are deeply rooted in our societies. However, our purpose here is to shed light on what we need to change in our African communities.
However, in any case, they are not sufficient establish a counterweight these destructive scourges. Because for us, it is clearly that the objective is to cast a wide net in order to foster new consciousness so that each African reincorporates our shared universal values which are those of our humanity. They are the cornerstone of the evolutionary difference between the nations of the world.
Managing Africa in this way will help us remain positive by raising us to higher values and thus diminishing these scourges. And the more we raise our sights with ambition, the faster these plagues will disappear. Same as a medicine acts on a disease to cure the patient who has the will to heal. We will thus pass from a therapy, a reeducation of cultural and behavioral changes and will be able to lead our projects towards a sustainable growth, profitable to all with an unequivocal perception. This will have positive consequences, among other things, more equitable exchanges between African nations on the one hand and, on the other hand, between Africa and other continents. Of course, this process is generational: now is the time to apply the strategies that slow down cancer.
Tags Strategies : Corruption | Wars | Resignation of elites
Defeating the wait-and-see attitude
As reviewed and analyzed, the examples of wait-and-see in African nations ... we could cite thousands! And besides, we invite everyone around the forum to exchange and raise awareness about these behaviors we live and see in our cities, municipalities, neighborhoods to induce the trigger and cause change. Then, beyond the forum, to change, to act and then talk about it in the sense of awareness and especially to be responsive and pragmatic in every situation that arises in our environment. Because the first lever to solve a problem, once acknowledge, is to talk about it. It is not down to chance that African nations are where they are in their development indices and developed countries are right about where they are! This presentation sums up quite well this state of affairs.
In the two real life examples on the wait-and-see attitude provided before, here are a few easy steps any one of us could, and should take:
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On our phones, save the different numbers needed in case of emergency, such as police, firefighters, emergency evacuation services, main hospitals, water and electricity companies … Encourage others to do the same;
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Being aware of our surroundings, and paying attention to what seems to be out of order, reminding ourselves that negligence will affects us all. This will induce a more conscientious behavior in us;
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We can then encourage the government to establish toll-free numbers managed by a power station in all its departments and services that can be joined by the average citizen to report an emergency which is in the area that fall under its responsibility. This station will, for example, be controlled by another on the relevance of management and monitoring in connection with the average citizen.
All said and done, it is urgent that we leave the wait-and-see attitude: it kills us every day a little more and widens the gap that separates us from the developed nations! We definitely have to move from nations composed of individuals to nations composed of peoples who act and look in the same direction. Because it is on this scale that a country, a healthy economy moves: you give 1 € to someone, he sulks; he shows no interest. You give him a million euros, and hop, he jumps for joy! Yet this million is only the concatenation of the shunted ...
We shall achieve this once we understand that:
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Our actions, just as our inactions, always have consequences that are linked to the image of a falling of dominoes;
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We realize that it is delusional to think that developed nations - who have achieved this status through generations and generations of hard work, sacrifice, and respect of human rights - are now going to come rescue us from the pit that we dug for ourselves, and are still digging;
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The jujube tree and monkey bread - at often high level of personal risks - will stop wanting to grow where the fir tree grows: in other words, when the African youth will stop feeling motivated, productive and intelligent only when landing in Europe, America or Asia. Such awareness is necessary.
Tags Strategies : Wait-and-See | Wars | Resignation of elites
Defeating corruption
Some will say that they have to be forced for one reason or another, which they try to justify every time. No, corruption can’t be justified because it takes two to tango! One hand alone cannot applaud: the corruption will continue as long as the bribe-giver finds a bribe-taker who plays his game. There are not a thousand ways to overcome corruption:
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We need to educate ourselves so to detect corruption in all its forms, and to protect ourselves from it. To stay up to date, you can get a free newsletter from the NGO Transparency International by subscribing on their website. ;
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It is necessary to raise awareness around oneself with, in focus, people who can’t access information resources and the most exposed potential victims;
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In any case, we need to denounce this practice, for the corrupter and the corrupted are two peas in a pod. We need to anticipate a big resistance on this initiative to shine light on corruption, because the culprits are not eager to give up the way of life that they are used to. Basically, we should expect this to be a hard and long fight, but one we will win if we remain steadfast.
Tags Strategies : Wait-and-See | Wars | Corruption
Overcoming the resignation of the elites
We expect this problem to fade once we overcome our wait-and-see attitude.
The government legislation has, at its disposal, many ways to flush out the kind of elites we are plagued with. For example, there are institutional audits, skills reviews, inspections to find and get rid of fictional work and redundant services. The latter two drain the majority of national budgets, not to mention the waste of time suffered due to incompetence. Elected officials need to feel the pressure to deliver on their campaign promises, and do their jobs, lest they be replaced on the next election cycle.
In the case of our real life examples given before, can you imagine what would happen if the local government offices and/or the electricity company were to receive 30 to 50 calls a day to report issues, instead of 2 or 3 calls? Do you suppose they would be quicker to resolve issues?
Of course, all this must be accompanied by an independent justice: it is up to the government to return its gallons.
Tags Strategies : Wait-and-See | Resignation of elites | Corruption
Overcoming illegitimate wars
In our analysis, what we say is this:
(...) "Perhaps then, facing our protagonist, we will wonder why we are really fighting ... and will make peace. At what cost? Isn’t time for us to start from the beginning?"
The beginning: dialogue and conciliation. We are convinced of it. Even if all wars cannot be prevented, a majority should have been avoided. A Wolof proverb in Senegal says this: "réro amoul, niak waaxtaan mo am". Which literally means: "there is no misunderstanding, only lack of dialogue (implied) which is at the root of this or that problem". Preserving stability is essential to solving problems.
There are things we must not do or stop doing because they can lead to war in our countries, whether civil or against another nation. In the chaos, women, children and old people always pay a heavy toll.
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Playing around with the institutions of a country that can lead to instability. At this stage, we are making a responsible appeal to the media outlets who are always looking for the most attractive scoops and the best international audience: bringing and dealing with numbers is a good thing; preserving peace is much better. These organs must not lead the population to rebellion against the State even if it leads an unlawful policy or actions with strength on its side: we do not correct evil act by generating an even greater one. See what is happening in Venezuela, Iraq, Syria and Libya among others;
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Having recourse to weapons at the slightest opportunity, especially when the origin that leads to conflict concerns an area of wealth. But the truth is, we will never be the beneficiaries of a war that we, ourselves, will unleash as we have analyzed;
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We should not dwell on our ethnic differences, and we must not support the caste systems, which give some of us the illusion of superiority over our fellow countrymen. What they do is divide us;
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We should not support coups d’etats.
What we should do, however, is learn from our mistakes: study all the wars and conflicts of Africa from the 20th century to the present day with specialists to determine the ins and outs. From there, apply even more strategies that take their feet against them in order to prevent recurrence: neither them nor their equivalents. Developed countries seem to have understood and are practicing it.
We can not finish this part without specifying that these few strategies aim to contribute to the end of wars can not be applied to rebellions without real goals. These require specific strategies and are supported to end them. We invite you to read the excellent article by Jeffrey Gettleman, head of the East Africa Desk at the New York Times to better understand them.
In conclusion
The ball is now in our court. We can and must overcome these plagues. To do this, we must relentlessly apply the right realistic and objective strategies until they integrate our cultures. This is what will allow us to go from a behavioral reeducation to a culture of behaviors as indicated earlier. Let's make the effort in this direction. In front of the challenge, never start by saying:
We will not be able to meet these challenges
We can not meet these challenges
Let's hold each other together, hand in hand to adopt this much better attitude:
We want to meet these challenges
How can we meet them?
We will try to raise
them
We can meet these challenges
We will meet these challenges
We have successfully met them
And especially, especially, in the practice of the resolutions do not underestimate the "small" things, because of them, very often, are born the big ones.