“We must start from the simple premise that Africa’s future is up to Africans” – Barack Obama, speaking in Ghana during his recent visit.

The Messiah President of the United States has just recently completed his trip to Africa. It was an alright visit, as these things go. There was some hullabaloo from the Kenyans about their most illustrious son (well…sort of) not returning home on his first official trip to The Dark Continent. However, I don’t think anyone really expected him to do that. The political situation in Kenya is just not up to scratch. Dodgy democracy, general instability…that sort of thing just won’t do. He is the President of America. “Snubbing” Kenya for Ghana is a standard American move; reward those who do the things we like…or who we can work with…or who we can gain from…ahem.

Hats off to Ghana. They have come a long way…and I say that as someone who grew up in West Africa as well. At some point in my teen years (when I could finally be bothered to consider matters more important than pocket money…or a lack of feminine companionship), it looked to me that we (meaning Nigeria) and Ghana were on similar paths. We both had leaders who had come into power via coups. Corruption was also an issue. However, on closer examination, it became apparent that the similarities ended there. Jerry Rawlings (the man who assumed power after the coup) seemed to stand for something somewhat genuine. He might have come into power by force, but he did his work, achieving stability for Ghana in a region known precisely for the opposite of that. Consequently, they made progress. When he left the army, he won two terms as a civilian president. Stable democracy has existed since then. There has been some progress made in Nigeria since then, but I think it’s safe to say that Ghana is on a different level. In fact, I thought it was particularly funny that some people expressed anger that Obama would not visit Nigeria first. How dare he ignore the “Giant of Africa”?! Ha ha (“LOL” might be more appropriate here, but I hate mobile text-speak). I think we have to do more as a country to earn such privileges.

I mentioned “Gain” earlier on. Yes, there are gains to be made here for the US of A. Oil. Ghana is about to join the elite group of oil producers. Now, I am not a cynic. I don’t think that a step like this visit is ALL about profit; but there is something substantial at stake here, and the US definitely wants its cut…before the Chinese get their foot in. Fair enough. It’s got to be someone. Might as well be America.

Obama also mentioned the need for care in managing this new resource; a point that one would hope those from the Gold Coast do not need reminding about. Case in point, Nigeria…again. Oil drove the the Nigerian Authority completely mad (the military and corruption didn’t help). Other resources were basically ignored. There are estimates that say Ghana will begin to make $1 Billion Dollars per year from Oil, starting next year. Proper management of the funds will be key (I’m not going to keep moaning about Nigeria, but it just makes my blood boil. Grr!!!). The Ghanian people will have to work hard to ensure that they keep their wits about them and avoid the mistakes those who have gone before them made.

In investment spheres, we talk about “diversifying your portfolio”. You could just simplify that by saying one shouldn’t put all of ones eggs in one basket. No doubt this new cash cow will become the primary focus. That’s fine. Any new project with the potential for such large returns must be given the attention it deserves, but not to the complete exclusion of all else. They managed what they had quite well. Now they have more, and they deserve to. They have earned it. They handled (and are still handling) their issues by facing them.

That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. The message, articulated at the start of this post, is that we are responsible for our own destiny. Responsibility is a necessary step to take in order to make real progress…in just about any situation in life. The same is true for Africa and its “issues”. We have to own the problem first, then we can go about fixing it.

So far, Ghana has done well during the standard season. Now they are going to the Playoffs. Here’s hoping they keep up the good work.

This is an article I wrote on my other blog in July when the events described occurred. I think it’s still relevant so I have moved it here. Enjoy:

I read this article online: cnn.com. It talks about the acceptance of the amnesty offer the Nigerian Government has extended to “militants” in the Niger Delta.

This hits close to home for me, because I hail from the Delta. I never lived there, but both my parents are from around Warri, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the region. I have family there. Plus the crisis has huge implications for the wealth and stability of Nigeria. Things are at at interesting point right now.

The problems in the Niger Delta are not new. There have been ethnic tensions since the 19th Century. There was quite a bit of violence in the late 90′s between the ethnic groups in the area. While I was used to violence, suppression, fear, injustice and corruption at this time (Military Regime in power…comes with the territory), it was usually the “Security Forces” or Secret Police against the people. This was different, however. This was a fight between regular citizens.

Why? Wealth and power; to get it, or to hold on to it. It’s the same thing that happens everywhere else where a group of people are mistreated or deprived of what is rightfully theirs. It is acutely unpleasant to watch others enjoying what you believe should be yours. This experience can only get worse if you are suffering; if you can’t feed your children. There is bound to be an escalation.

That is the story of the Niger Delta Militants. If you view the communities around…the places where the oil is gotten from, most don’t even have basic amenities, like electricity or running water. How can that be when there is so much money being made? Exploitation, Mismanagement, Greed. You can blame the Energy Companies for only so much. At some point we have to take responsibility. Most of that responsibility must be shouldered by the leaders. Most haven’t just lined their pockets, they have stuffed them. I think Nigerians have accepted that leaders will take something for themselves, but one would hope that they would also do some of the work they are supposed to as well. They don’t,usually. So, the money hardly trickles down to the people at the bottom. The people under them watch this, then attempt to get in the same position, so they can do the same while they have the chance. That’s the general situation.

When we have a build up in violence as we have had lately, it is addressed by the Government with full force, finally. However, fixing the UNDERLYING issue never seems to be a major concern. No plan seems to be in place, even though this problem has been there for ages. It’s the same mistake that we all make in our lives, often attacking the symptoms while leaving the real cause in place. There can be no lasting solution until we address that cause.

So now we are here. An important militant leader is being held; Amnesty is offered; money is offered. The Government says they will put in the effort to address this issue, once and for all. Once again, people start to hope that something concrete will happen this time. Perhaps, a proper structure will be put in place to ensure that these areas finally get the development they deserve.

We’ll see…

If you have any trouble imagining the scale of the problems that climate change is causing (and will further cause) in Africa, then you can check out this article on CuriousInsight.com. I wrote that to highlight the challenges that need to be faced to deal with this behemoth in the face of all the rhetoric we are all hearing about global warming and what could/would/should be done about it.

As I wrote there, the biggest issue is one of responsibility and fairness. This has once again reared its ugly head at the ongoing Climate Change Convention in Copenhagen, Denmark. There is acknowledgement from the EU and others that more must be done to aid Africa…for instance keeping up with promised funds that were promised but have so far failed to materialize. The French Government even issued a statement to the Nigerian Government saying as much. However, they want developing countries to do more.

I suppose the it boils down to the definition of “developing country”, and the concessions that are to be made for such. Take Kenya….that is a developing country. Nigeria…it too is a developing country. The contributions – or perceived contribution – of these to global warming is nothing compared to EU nations and America. Okay, fine. Then take China…or India. Both of these are also developing countries. However China and India have big economies which are still growing fast (recession be damned). Their emissions, though maybe not yet up to those from America, are catching up fast. South Africa is also heading in that direction a little bit, I suppose.

So, the EU wants more from them. The EU wants China and India to pony up some more money to contribute to the international fund to deal with Climate change. The EU also wants them to commit to tougher targets in terms of cutting emissions.

China says…”You boys are primarily responsible for this climate change malarkey…you should do more to fix it. We are just coming up, and our targets are pretty damn good considering where we are in our development“. The point is that the developed nations got to be developed by being irresponsible, so why should they be putting pressure on developing nations? Why put his unfair handicap on them?

African nations generally agree. The folks from Kenya highlighted the unfulfilled promises of the Developed countries. The Nigerian delegate to the negotiations used terms like “injustice” and “wicked” in his statement. Africa just wants this thing addressed, you know?

The EU are very understanding…but are being quite firm on commitments from more “advanced” developing countries. I can’t say I blame them. “Greening” up economies is no joke. It’s expensive…not to mention a gamble in some respects. There will be losses in growth etc., certainly at the start of any programs implemented. It would seem like China and India would then have an unfair advantage if they are given free rein to keep plugging away with only modest changes. Don’t forget that there is competition out there. I’m afraid that the EU and the US are not just going to sit back and take the hit while China becomes the next super-power because the game is now rigged in their favor, whatever wrongs may have been done in the past.

So, there has to be a happy medium somewhere. China will have to give a little bit more or the others won’t. Then everybody loses.

As for the African nations…all we can do is keep pushing them to do what is necessary before it is too late.

Welcome to AfroAngle.com.

Here’s a little bit about my background and what this is all about. I work as an IT Consultant based in the New York Metro Area. I got my degree in Computer Science from the University of London after a Secondary (and a couple of years of University) Education in Nigeria. I have lived in the States since early 2007.

My professional interests cover a wider area than computers. I am a Forex Trader and Internet Marketer by night. I am very interested in technology in general…from super-fast trading systems that are used in Investment Banks to advanced cropping techniques and Gene-research that could allow plants to be more resilient. All of these appeal to me, and I spend considerable time investigating to see how they affect the world we live in.

As an African living abroad, I have watched from afar as things have unfolded at home. Now, I will be dedicating most of that effort to examining the impact of all the technology changes on Africa, its people and its prospects.

It is a quest of exploration through which I hope to inform, delight and contribute.

Feel free to chip in at any time to help…