Fashola lists achievements of his ministries in the last one year

As part of activities to mark his one year in office, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, addressed a press conference yesterday where he listed the gains of the three ministries under his watch. Read the text of his address below

Ladies and Gentlemen, Our memories will recall that on 11th November 2015, Mr. President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, concluded the process of constituting his cabinet by administering the oath of office on ministers. 


I was assigned to consolidate a newly merged ministry of Power Works and Housing, shortly after which I briefed members of the public and the press about our plans, in my maiden press briefing tagged "Setting The Agenda."

While some of the assumptions may have altered somewhat about the timing of the budget, a budget was eventually signed into law on Friday 6th May 2016 (6 months ago) and we have set about implementing the budget of N260.082B with releases of N70B made in June (for Quarter I) and N60B made in October (for Quarter II).

It is now exactly a year since we were sworn into office, and I believe it is an appropriate time to acquaint you with our progress of work.

Because 3 (THREE) ministries are involved, I will dwell on summaries in order to manage time, but from time to time I will highlight some details whenever they are necessary to explain a point and to reinforce our commitment to remain accountable to you, our employers.

WORKS

This ministry as we all know is responsible for civil Works especially the construction of roads, bridges, buildings and other similar civil engineering undertakings.

As I mentioned during my briefing on the agenda setting, we had inherited about 206 road projects already contracted out; with outstanding completion costs in the region of N1.5 Trillion.

Although the works ministry share of the 2016 appropriation was N260 Billion, which was a lot more than the 2015 budget of only N18 Billion that the last administration left, it is a drop in the ocean against the liabilities that were outstanding to contractors.

Our interactions with contractors showed that many of them had not been paid for an average of 2 to 3 years before we resumed, and this explained the stoppage of works, by the contractors, the layoff of workers, and consequently poor condition of many roads.

With limited resources against liabilities, with debts already owed, we had to make difficult choices of deciding which of the 206 roads under contract we should start with, and how many.

Our choices were informed by the realities of our economy and the size of our resources,

We resolved that all roads are economic roads but that some were more urgent and more impactful than others.

So our choices were determined by roads that carried the heaviest cargo, to allow farmers, businessman, industries and travelers move their goods and themselves across the country in order to drive productive activity.

Secondly, we chose roads that support our energy sufficiency and put our resources in roads leading to and from petroleum tank farms so that we can move petro, diesel and kerosene across Nigeria.

We also chose roads that led to and from our major sea and airports so that maritime business can go on, to drive the economy.

Therefore, we re-mobilized contractors back to work on roads across the 6 (SIX) Geo-Political zones, with the list provided in Annexure I to this brief which I will leave with you.

Some important roads in this category are:

- The Port Harcourt- Aba Road, where mobilization was delayed until Monday 31st October because of rains, and the difficulty of establishing a works yard.

- Sokoto – Tambuwal - Makera-Kontagara Road where work is going on, - (Sokoto-Kebbi-Niger States)

- Ilorin-Jebba Road, - (Kwara State)

- Loko-Oweto Bridge, - ( Nasarawa/Benue States)

- Shagamu- Ibadan , - (Oyo-Ogun State)

- Shagamu – Lagos, - (Lagos-Ogun State)

- Ogbomosho-Oko-Ilogbo-Osogbo , -(Oyo-Osun State)

- Funtua-Katsina , -(Katsina State)

- Wukari-Akwana , - (Taraba State)

- Abriba –Arochukwu – Ohafia , - (Abia State)

- Abuja – Lokoja – Airport , - (FCT/ Kogi State)

- Oji-Achi-Obeagu-Mmaku-Awgu-Ndeaboh-Mpu-Okpanku , -(Enugu State)

- Ajase Ipo – Offa – Erinle – Osun State Boundary , - (Kwara State)

- Ikot Ekpene Border- Aba – Owerri Dualisation , - (Akwa Ibom/Abia and Imo States)


We also paid consultants who are supervising these roads and had been denied payment for 2 to 3 years. This has helped to recover lost jobs, and put some money back in circulation, as part of a government strategy to build out of this recession.


As I said during our first briefing, our short-term objectives are to complete uncompleted road contracts, restore motorability back to as many roads as possible, improve journey times and reduce the cost of travel for commuters.


This has clearly started on the roads I have spoken about; and the results will accrue as progress on the works improve over time and the roads are completed.


In the medium to long term, we intend to cover more roads as our resources permit, and increase our maintenance capacity of road assets to ensure that we do not neglect our highways again in the manner we have done over the years to our collective detriment.

The first step to maintenance is to restore the authority of all the states controllers of works, to charge them to take responsibility for all federal roads within their states posting, and to bring up an annual budget that will be submitted to Parliament.

This will help us decentralize authority over road maintenance, vest responsibility on the people who are on ground and closer to the Roads so that they can resurface damaged roads, clear over-grown vegetation, enforce axle-load compliance, install signs and lane marking and gradually restore our highways back to contemporary quality.

2017 AND BEYOND – WORKS

Going forward in 2017, we have developed proposals for the budget to intervene in critical roads in the 6 (SIX) Geo-political zones that lead to and from major food producing states based on information supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture.

We plan to do the same for states that produce minerals from mining activity, and for states where we have strategic fuel depots.

For decades, we have paid almost no attention to bridges built across the country as though they are indestructible.

We are beginning to see erosion, stress, and in some cases failures and near collapse in Kano (Tamburawa), Lagos (Ijora), Kogi (Lokoja) Ogun (Long bridge on Lagos-Ibadan) Kaduna (Jaji) and other places.

Although we have started some work in a few places, we have only about N2 Billion to work in the 2016 budget.

We have nonetheless developed a 3 (THREE) year plan to cover 42 (Forty-Two) bridges that will require about N277 Billion authorization by Parliament over the period.

I must also point out that we received representation from parliamentarians about roads in their constituencies and from the monthly FRSC reports all of which have been factored into our next three-year plan.

How far we go, how much we get and how much we can do, now depends on how much money the country can get, and how much she gets approval to spend.

POWER

Following the privatization in 2013, the ministry is now largely a policymaker, and regulator through NERC [Nigerian electricity regulatory commission] and is now only directly responsible for expansion and maintenance of the transmission line through (TCN) and completion of projects started before the privatization which were uncompleted and about which I will share a few details.

The story in power is not different from that of works in terms of uncompleted projects in transmission.

As I said in my meeting briefly, we inherited over 100 transmission projects for which contractors were not paid for about three years.

This not only resulted in stoppage of work, laying off of workers, but left projects uncompleted.

But it also resulted in contractors abandoning over 800 containers, which contained transformers, switches, panels and other equipment needed as materials to complete transmission projects because they could not pay for them.

To compound the situation there was no provision in the budget of 2015 to pay them as only N5 Billion was budgeted for the Ministry of Power.


All this has changed. The ministry has N24 Billion for 2016 and has started paying contractors and getting the necessary approvals for them to return to work.


Examples of these are in Sokoto, Maiduguri, Okada, Alagbon, Damboa, Nasarawa, Gurara, Osogbo, Kashimbilla, Kumbotso, Ikot Ikpene to mention a few.


This puts a lie to the narrative that the transmission grid is static at 5000 MW and is not expanding because these projects add to the capacity.


Furthermore, with the budget we have started paying the shipping companies and warehouse owners who kept custody of the containers, and the report I received last week indicates that a first batch of about 400 containers will be released to contractors to go out and do their work.

In addition to transmission, we are working to complete uncompleted power generation projects to deliver on the incremental power program of our roadmap of incremental, steady and uninterrupted power.

Some of the projects that should start coming to conclusion in 2017 are the 215 MW Kaduna Power, 40 MW Kashimbilla Power (Hydro), 40 MW Gurara I Power (Hydro), 29 MW Dadin Kowa Power (Hydro), 10 MW Katsina Power (Wind) 1,125 MW (14 Solar projects) and the 240 MW Emergency Power Project for Afam (Gas).

We are working with the generation companies to increase their power generation capacity through repairs and maintenance.

Egbin has restored all its turbines even though it has suffered a gas outage as a result of vandalization.

Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro have increased the number of functional turbines, so they are producing 300 MW extra power during this year's rainy season, more than they did last year.

As at 5 November 2016, reports reaching me from the control center showed a peak generation of 4010 MW, and this is without the 3000 MW lost to gas pipe vandalization.

I am aware that efforts are in progress to repair and restore the damaged gas pipelines, and also to fast-track emergency gas supply.

Government has also recently provided a guarantee to ensure supply of gas to Calabar power plant, which has power and transmission, but no gas to operate efficiently.

On the distribution side, we continue to work with the DisCos to improve their customer service and in particular meters supply.

As you heard on a recent TV program hosted by Channels TV called 'The Crux' some of the local meter manufacturing companies attest now to improvement in orders to supply of meters.

As you will have also seen, I have been involved in meter distribution flag offs in Kano, Benin and Sokoto.

All told, while there is still work to do, and there is the big problem of liquidity to overcome, the promise ahead looks good, the plans are clear and our resolve to implement is unwavering.

2017 AND BEYOND - POWER

Going forward we intend to roll out our Rural Electrification Implementation program which Mr. President has now approved as required by the law.

Our objective is to improve access to power for rural communities.

You will have heard of our education intervention project, which is indeed a rural electrification implementation project.

We are using universities as one of the anchors because they are in rural areas and they represent a quick way to penetrate the rural areas and also expand to villages and towns in rural areas, close to the Universities.

We are starting with 37 federal universities, seven teaching hospitals, to which we plan to deploy 37 independent power plants of nine gas plants, and 28 solar plants to guarantee a cumulative 120 MW, to replace 1,105 generators that are producing a wasteful 210 MW.

We have done the audits and planning of all the schools and if we get financing authorization we can implement, to provide access to power to our people in the rural areas.

The second anchor of our Rural intervention is the use of small Hydro dams; that are in the rural areas to support agriculture and Agro processing by providing power.

The approval for the first 6 (SIX) is pending for consideration by the Federal Executive Council.

All of these sources of power, with embedded power from Paras Energy 40 MW gas in Lagos, the expected completion of Azura power in Edo, expected gas supply to Ihorbor Gas power plant, Gegeru power, Olorunsogo, Omotosho, Gbarain and others make me hopeful that we can get incremental power.

How well we do with making the incremental power steady and ultimately uninterrupted will depend on how we as a people resolve issues like vandalization, electricity theft, electricity conservation, invocation of court powers in utility regulation and of course strikes.

HOUSING

We have not yet started constructing houses. But tenders have been considered and over 500 contracts are now ready to be issued for work to start in earnest.

However, we have received land from 27 (TWENTY-SEVEN) states as at 24th October and more are still responding.

We have completed simple designs of one, two and three-bedroom bungalows for the northern states to respond to the cultural, climatic and land use peculiarities.

We have completed simple designs of one, two and three bedroom blocks of Flats for Southern states also in response to similar peculiarities.

We have identified inputs like doors, windows, tiles, paint, roofing materials that can be made locally and we have resolved to use only made in Nigeria inputs unless there is no local production capacity.

We have done some inventory of quantities of materials needed in order to provide investment information for local manufacturers to position to respond and supply in order to create employment and get factories back to work.

These include:

A) Materials

i) 22,288 - Doors
ii) 27,849 - Windows
iii) 3,502 - Water cisterns 
iv) 3,502 Wash hand basins
v) 2,830 - Kitchen Sinks
vi) 261,299 - Sq. Meters of floor tiles
vii) 178, 680 - Sq. meters of wall tiles
viii) 561,119 litres of paint
ix) 342,960 Sq. Meters of roofing material

B) Skilled Labour

413,000 Man days

C) Unskilled Labour

440,000 - Man Days

While our planning and research continues, the above is at least indicative of the kind of attention and dedication we are demanding of our staff and the response we are getting.

2017 AND BEYOND - HOUSING

Going forward in 2017, we plan to build more houses first to stimulate jobs.

Thereafter, we plan to assess the affordability and the acceptability of our designs.

Thereafter, we plan to industrialize the production of the most affordable and acceptable designs.

We will then increase supply using private sector as developers while government will then concentrate on strengthening institutions like the Federal Mortgage Bank to deliver on its core mandate of providing mortgages to working class people to own their homes.

It is my belief that if we can achieve this, the size of our housing deficit will not appear that daunting again, because it will be a system that can respond every year, instead of once in a while, to repeat housing construction, delivery and acquisition.

How much we can then deliver will be defined by the size of our resources and our ambition, and not by the absence of a workable plan.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am done. I thank you for listening.

Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing​

T.B Joshua reacts to criticisms he received from his prophesy about the US election

Popular Nigerian pastor, T.B Joshua was seriously criticized by many Nigerians last week after Donald Trump emerged the elected President of the US. T.B Joshua had in one of his services, prophesied that a woman was going to be elected as the next US president.

 In a post shared oh his church's Facebook page this evening, the pastor shared his view on the outcome of the election. According to him, the outcome was based on the votes of majority of Americans so everyone must accept it
. Read his post below

We have seen the outcome of the election in America. Having read, you will notice that it is all about the popular vote, the vote of the majority of Americans. In this case, we need the Spirit of a Prophet to recognize or to know a Prophet. Our levels are different. We are not on the same level. 

We might have great cathedrals, huge bells, and all kinds of activities that are good by human standards but human point of view is limited. 

1 Corinthians 1:25. The foolishness of God is wiser than that of men and the weakness of God is stronger than that of men. There is no shortcut to spiritual maturity unless earthly understanding gives way to spiritual enlightenment. I see many people trying to interpret prophets on the basis of their own minds and ideas. The prophecy seems to cause uproar, to many who gave it different meaning and interpretation. 

Finally, campaigns and elections in any democratic country in the world are never about one person, it is about the country we care and love. Whichever way it happens, we must accept the outcome and then look to the future (God), the Author and Finisher. 

Democracy is all about accommodation. All democrats must value the process of democracy more than the product. 

God bless the United States of America.

Donald Trump vows to deport 3 million illegal immigrants and build a wall on the Mexican border

In an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes program, President-elect Donald Trump said he will deport as many as three million undocumented immigrants and build a wall on the Mexican border after he takes office.

"What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million - we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate," Trump said in an excerpt released by CBS's 60 Minutes program.

 But we’re getting them out of our country, they’re here illegally. After the border is secure and after everything gets normalised, we’re going to make a determination on the people that they’re talking about who are terrific people, they’re terrific people but we are gonna make a determination at that. But before we make that determination, it’s very important, we are going to secure our border."

The billionaire real estate baron made security at the US-Mexico border a central plank of his insurgent presidential campaign, which resulted in last Tuesday's shock election victory against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Trump added that the barrier to be erected on the US border with Mexico may not consist entirely of brick and mortar, but that fencing could be used in some areas

."There could be some fencing," Trump says in his first primetime interview since being elected president last week. 

But for certain areas, a wall is more appropriate. I'm very good at this, it's called construction," he tells CBS.

Photo: Emir of Kano's young wife, Saadatu Lamido, is so cute

                                                           
                                                                Beautiful girl...

President Buhari commends Akwa Ibom State government for hosting Super Eagles vs Algeria Match

President Buhari commends Akwa Ibom State government for hosting Super Eagles vs Algeria Match
President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Super Eagles on their outstanding 3-1 victory over Algeria in the African qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
President Buhari joins millions of football loving fans in the country in celebrating the very-much improved national team for meeting our expectations during the entertaining and action-soaked encounter.

The President commends the team and its handlers for displaying uncommon strength, determination and high professionalism in the onward and steady progress to the 2018 tournament in Russia.
With six points in our kitty from two impressive wins, President Buhari assures the team that the Federal Government; and indeed all Nigerians will continue to support them to make the nation proud.
The President also commends the Akwa-Ibom State government for hosting the match and the fans for their good conduct and sportsmanship throughout the game.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
November 12, 2016

Buhari Congratulates Super Eagles for Defeating Algeria

By Press Release

President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates the Super Eagles on their outstanding 3-1 victory over Algeria in the African qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

President Buhari joins millions of football loving fans in the country in celebrating the very-much improved national team for meeting our expectations during the entertaining and action-soaked encounter.

The President commends the team and its handlers for displaying uncommon strength, determination and high professionalism in the onward and steady progress to the 2018 tournament in Russia.

With six points in our kitty from two impressive wins, President Buhari assures the team that the Federal Government; and indeed all Nigerians will continue to support them to make the nation proud.

The President also commends the Akwa-Ibom State government for hosting the match and the fans for their good conduct and sportsmanship throughout the game.

Victor Moses Scores Twice to Frustrate Algeria

Victor Moses scored a brace, a goal in each half, to propel the Super Eagles to victory against visiting Desert Foxes

Victor Moses scored twice while Chelsea teammate John Obi Mikel was also on target as Nigeria downed Algeria 3-1 to stay on course for the World Cup finals on Saturday.

Nigeria have a perfect six points from two games in Group B, four ahead of Cameroon who drew 1-1 at home to Zambia.

The Nigerians took the game to their opponents and were rewarded after 25 minutes when Moses was released by Mikel to fire past Algeria goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi.

The Super Eagles doubled their lead three minutes from the interval when Mikel controlled the ball at the top of the box and after a moment of hesitation, drilled it beyond the Algerian keeper.

Algeria pulled a goal back in the 67th minute, when Nabil Bentaleb smashed home an unstoppable shot from distance.

Man of the match Moses then put the game beyond the north Africans in stoppage time, when he smashed home off a low cross by substitute Ahmed Musa.

The outcome could have been a lot different had the visitors made the most of two clear-cut chances in the first half.

First, Schalke 04 star Bentaleb missed a sitter from inside the Nigeria box after 36 minutes.

And minutes later, Riyad Mahrez came close to getting on the score sheet, but his shot just missed the target with the Nigeria defence at his mercy.

When Algeria pulled a goal back, they pegged their hosts in their own half with the dangerous Yacine Brahimi tormenting the Eagles defence and Mahrez in charge of the midfield.

Nigeria goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, in for the injured Carl Ikeme, tipped away a free kick with nine minutes left on the clock.

Ooops: TB Joshua Delete Post Predicting "Win" for Hillary Clinton

 

This is really funny, our men of God wouldn't stop to amaze us. Since they stopped minding the business of the alter and decided politics is more interesting, some of them have gone from one public embarrassment to another. Popular Synagogue church of All Nations, SCOAN preacher TB Joshua who predicted a win for American Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton; has deleted his earlier post claiming he saw a woman win the US elections win a slim margin.

A  visit to his page this morning, shows the prophet which many have now called out on social media for being fake, took off the post this early morning after it was clear Donald Trump had won the US elections.

A link to his earlier post below, shows the post no longer exist on his wall

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1263560413764732&id=103470916440360


Meanwhile see earlier post here. T.B Joshua Predicts Winner of US Presidential Elections 

Now American politics aside, if the man was your pastor, would you still trust him? 

A Second Look at America's New First Lady, What kind of first lady will Melania Trump be? [photos]

 

While the world is still in shock over the historic victory of America's new president elect Donald Trump, the  2016 U.S presidential election has recorded yet another first-ever landmarks, the next first lady of United States, Melania Trump.

So Americans took to the streets last night to protest the victory of the new president, chanting protest songs "You are not our president" in total rejection of a man many Americans say he is not fit to be called their president. But the bigger joke Americans are yet to come to term with is the image of their new first lady.

According to first-lady historians,  Jean Wahl Harris, who studies the role of the first lady at the University of Scranton says she see Melania coping beautifully with her new role.

"In terms of the evolution of the first lady, I see (Trump) moving us back to the more traditional role,"  "A very traditional social hostess is something I think she will be comfortable with."

But she will be expected to be front and center, not shy and retiring like Bess Truman in the 1940s. But Trump was hardly on the campaign trail so what's to stop her from doing the unexpected as first lady?

"Starting with Kennedy, the expectations have ratcheted up, it's not just about being a good wife and mother," Harris says. "Americans expect (the first lady) to be a celebrity, to be seen, to support your husband, to have a project that's good for the nation. And we expect to see you."

She "will surely rise to the rather rigid strictures of a job whose very existence is something of an anachronism," adds Elizabeth Mehren, professor of journalism and expert on first ladies at Boston University. "Mrs. Trump has signaled that her 'cause' may be cyberbullying, a safe bet for the mother of a 10-year-old, but less safe for the wife of someone who sends mean tweets at 3 in the morning."

  Here are a Few tips that makes Melania Trump historic?

First foreign-born FLOTUS in 191 years: Born in Slovenia in Eastern Europe in 1970, Trump will be the first first lady not born in the USA since Louisa Adams, wife of President John Quincy Adams, who was born in England in 1775, when America was still an English colony, and took office in 1825.

First Wife No. 3: Past presidents have had multiple wives (Reagan, Ford, Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt among them), but no one else before President-elect Trump has been married and divorced twice before marrying a third time.

First former fashion model: Trump made her living as fashion model Melania Knauss before and after she came to the U.S., and met Trump at a fashion party. They married in 2005, and have one son, Barron.
 

First to have posed nude: She took it all off for photographers at least twice: The New York Post ran one set of images in July of Trump in her birthday suit in 1995 when she was 25. British GQ ran its own set of images, from 2000, in March, and again online on Tuesday, of Trump sprawled on a fur throw, wearing nothing but jeweled bracelets and a handcuff.

First for whom English is not her first language: Her native language is Slovenian but she also speaks four others: English, French, Serbian and German. This fluency could come in handy, as it did for President Kennedy, whose wife spoke French and Spanish.

"I see her going back to a Jackie Kennedy model of first lady," says Harris. "She's not going to want to be in the public eye. Jackie Kennedy wanted to protect her children and herself. Melania will be like that, she won't like talking in public."

Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University, also sees her in the "mold" of Jackie Kennedy. "Somebody who has keen eye on fashion, who doesn’t interfere with policy-making in a public way. She will travel and be courted around Europe as someone who is glamorous. ... There's no advantage for her to get involved in politics in a visceral way."

As a former fashion model, she can help boost the fortunes of the American fashion industry, the way Mrs. Obama did almost every time she appeared in public. Trump also will be expected to fill the "oldest job" of the first lady role, says Lisa Kathleen Graddy, curator at a first ladies exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, are seen after

"The through-line between Martha Washington and Michelle Obama is the role of administration hostess, the public face of the administration," Graddy says.

But since Trump himself was a mold-breaker, so might be Melania, says Mark Feldstein, a professor of journalism at the University of Maryland. "I think all bets are off as far as usual expectations, and that applies to the first lady as well as Trump himself."

Melania can help soften Trump's tempestuous image, Brinkley said. "She is going to be seen as the temperancefigure, keeping his temper down to earth," he said. "She'll do fine, she's not likely going to be a pioneering first lady. But being a mom is a big deal and raising her son is going to be all-consuming."

And she probably can count on Americans to help her, even those who didn't vote for Trump, says veteran Hollywood insider Howard Bragman, founder of Fifteen Minutes Public Relations.

"I think people are going to want to give her a chance," he said. "She knows exactly who her husband is and what he is, she'll be a good ear for him, a kinder, gentler one, I would hope. I think people will be more judgmental about him, and they will give her a chance."

Culled from US Today

Impact of Foreign Aid on Economic Growth in Africa

Foreign aid is a modern joystick used to play a modern game called the African economy!

Have African economies been hijacked?

It is an undeniable fact that foreign aid has extensively, intensively and forwardly steered the economies in Africa’s countries. This can be seen from the rise in the numbers of school going children, the current ease in the accessibility of health services, the current efficiency of armies and the sister security organs, the increase in infrastructure such as stadiums, roads, universities and bridges. The impact goes on and on. More still, a remarkable paradigm shift has occurred in the respective GDPs of the countries that receive aid. To get a vivid picture of the extent of this impact, it is important to ask ourselves two awakening questions. Is it the observed economic growth just the GDP type, or is it the economic growth that involves a visible change in the livelihoods of a substantial portion of the population of a country? These two questions uncover the facile nature of the commonly reported impact of foreign aid. The media is awash with enticing figures that clearly show the lack of information on the core economic issue, the livelihoods. More still these two questions show that the impact of foreign aid on economic growth in Africa is torn between the ends of a see-saw, that is, highly raised on the side of GDP growth in a shameful co-existence with severely lowered dwindling livelihoods.

These revelations have in them a hidden message we need to decipher. How can a report indicate a mega GDP rise and yet the mass livelihoods are not reflective of that growth? It is from such pang-filling information that I decipher that Africa’s economy is not Africa’s. In Uganda for example, the Exim bank of China is in pursuit of numerous investment arenas. They happen to be the ones largely funding the most expensive project on an express highway. This legacy investment has reportedly boosted Uganda’s economy by availing jobs for the people and market for some of the Ugandan construction products. The unseen bait in such an investment is the terms of the contract. They happen to trap the country’s economy in a lifetime of debt! This can, without hesitation, be likened to a “hijack of an economy”. Is Uganda’s economy still there? A record of similar hijacks has happened elsewhere and is still happening in Africa, thanks to foreign aid.

Is foreign aid a necessary evil?

Despite the fact that I’ve linked foreign aid to the hijacking of economies, it seems that its negative impact in that sense is not about to stop. Foreign aid is a modern joystick used to play a modern game called the African economy! It appears as though most African countries are so dependent on aid that without it almost half of their yearly budgetary commitments cannot be fulfilled. For example, in 1992, aid accounted for 12.4% of gross national product (GNP), over 70% of gross domestic savings and investments in Sub-Saharan Africa and over 50% of all imports.  Under the age-old saying that “you cannot bite the fingers that feed you,” leaders of these countries are unable to speak out when fake and unwanted goods flood their markets. It seems aid is not meant to ensure recipients become self-reliant since if it is the case, powerful states can no longer brag about who is giving more than the other. Does this mean that there’s no way out of this addiction? Well, thankfully, there’s a way out. The way out starts with the establishment of diligent, non-corrupt, non-bureaucratic institutions aimed at only scrutinizing the contracts that come with foreign aid so that we can avoid the pitfall of blindly trading off our economies. The institutions should employ the high value contract specialists of the continent to tackle any matter concerning incoming aid. It is a case of reversing the old adage that “a beggar is no chooser” to “a chooser is no beggar”. I believe if this reversal can be attained, foreign aid can be turned from the current path of negative impact to one of a mega positive boost to Africa’s economy. 

Watch how Dambisa Moyo, a Zambian-born international economist and author of the book "Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is Another Way for Africa," respond to her critics, explaining the long-term impact that charitable HIV/AIDS programs will have on building sustainable economies in Africa.

(Header Image Credit: The Chinafrica Project)

Five Facts You Didn’t Know About African Economies

 Today some African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda are amongst the fastest growing economies in the world.

In spite of the high rate of unemployment, rising debts and dictatorship in most African countries, it has not deterred the arrival of positive change. Today some African countries like Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda are amongst the fastest growing economies in the world while others such as South Africa, Morocco and Egypt, are being ranked amongst the developed economies in Africa. Although African countries in fact still have a long way to go, it will be fallacious to say African economies are not emerging. With this regard we will bring you 5 things you did not know about African economies.

1. Agriculture will depend on Africa in the future

The availability of about 60% of the world’s unused land is in Africa which gives it the opportunity to develop its agriculture sector and reduce unemployment. According to an article by Susan Lund principal at the McKinsey Global Institute, current trends reveal that African agriculture is on course to create 8 million wage-paying jobs between now and 2020. She goes on to say Africa could add 6 million more jobs if policymakers could encourage expansion of large-scale commercial farming on to uncultivated land. For this to be however possible, African countries need to reform land rights, build up their infrastructure and improve access to inputs such as seeds, finance and insurance to boost agriculture. Such steps have allowed Mali, which built integrated road, rail and sea links to transport refrigerated goods and to increase its mango exports to the European Union six fold in just five years.

Related: The 6 Fastest Growing Economies in Africa

2. African workers are better educated than ever before

Today 40 per cent of Africans have some secondary or tertiary education. By 2020, it will be nearly half. Trends however reveal that most Africans are not only educated in fields which would serve post independent Africa but, the era of complete independence. Today most African countries are host to car assembly plants like in South Africa and Nigeria, technology companies like Microsoft in Kenya all manned by Africans. Some African countries have been noted for training students who have come up with great initiatives in the fields of technology, science and business.

3. Africa is booming

Africa has been the second-fastest-growing region in the world over the past 10 years, with average annual growth of 5.1 per cent over the past decade, driven by greater political stability and economic reforms that have unleashed the private sector in many countries. While poverty is also on the retreat, Susan Lund reports that, since 2000, 31 million African households have joined the world's consuming class. At the point when household incomes exceed 5000 dollars measured at purchasing power parity. In her opinion Susan says the figure is projected to reach 128 million by 2020.

4. Africa is poised to have the largest labour force in the world

By 2035, Africa’s labour force will be bigger than that of any individual country in the world, which offers the continent a chance to reap from its young and growing workers to boost economic growth in various sectors especially technology which is one of the fastest growing sectors in Africa and the world. Countries like Rwanda and South Africa presently can be counted amongst the most technologically advanced in the world. This will also go a long way to increase the spending power and financial independence which in effect will lead to increase life expectancy and better standards of leaving.

5. Reforms are on-going and will attract investors

Following the release of the World Bank’s “Ease of Doing Business” report this year, more than 8 African countries were amongst the first 100 countries to do business in with a couple few hovering between 100 and 120. Most of these countries have reduced the procedures required for creating a business, facilitation the obtaining of power supply which is vital for businesses to run as well as reduction of time taken to import and export goods a clear example is Mauritius which ranked 49th in the world and first in Africa.

USA Created and Help Fund ISIS

The United States is culpable and should take responsibility for the monster ISIS is.

When Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s candidate in the United States of America’s presidential race, alleged that President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party candidate, Hillary Clinton were the founders of ISIS, he drew much consternation from the public. It seemed like another of his trademark rants but the reality is, though it might not be Obama and Clinton as individuals who are to blame, the United States is culpable and should take responsibility for the monster ISIS is. ISIS is the creation of a reckless and unapologetically selfish US foreign policy. It is a global problem born of imperialist agendas. It is a United States foreign policy project gone wrong.

The ISIS Problem

In 1999, Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi, a Sunni extremist founded The Organisation of Monotheism and Jihad which became the Al Qa’ida in Iraq (AQI) in 2004 after he pledged allegiance to Osama Bin Laden. According to the National Counterterrorism Center of the USA, “The group targeted Coalition and Iraqi forces and civilians to pressure foreigners to leave Iraq, reduce popular support for the US and Iraqi Government, and attract recruits.”
Zarqawi was killed in a 2006 airstrike and the group later became the Islamic State of Iraq, becoming the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham and then simply Islamic State in 2014. To put the effects of IS (as it is now known) into context, START conducted a study and revealed, “Between 2002 and 2015, more than 4,900 terrorist attacks were carried out by groups or organisations affiliated with the organisation now known as the Islamic State. These attacks caused more than 33,000 deaths and 41,000 injuries, and involved more than 11,000 individuals held hostage or kidnapped.” The attacks by ISIS are further said to have represented 13% of all terrorist attacks, 26% of all deaths, 28% of all injuries and 24% of all kidnap victims or hostages due to terrorism in the same period. With its social media savvy leadership, the group has managed to recruit more and more people resulting in more attacks in the most unlikely of places. No one is safe anymore.

The USA Connection

ISIS is one terrorist group which could have been history by now if the USA and her allies really intended to do away with it. In fact, it might have barely seen the light of day not for the confused policies of the US. A seven page leaked US intelligence report written in August 2012 put online by Judicial Watch proves the US knew of the harm its presence in the Middle East was making. Not only that, but the US was also aware of the potential of the then skirmishes between the Syrian Assad regime and rebels taking a “clear sectarian direction”. The United States was also aware that, “The Salafist, the Muslim Brotherhood and AQI (Al Qaeda In Iraq) are the major forces driving insurgency in Syria.” By now it is clear that AQI morphed into ISIS. However, the final revelation is even more telling.
The document says, “The West, Gulf Countries and Turkey support the opposition, while Russia, China and Iran support the regime.” The opposition has already been established to be the AQI, and the Salafist and Muslim Brotherhood so in 2012, America and her friends were in support of AQI. To further prove the culpability of America, the report states in page 5, “If the situation unravels there is a possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in Eastern Syria, and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want in order to isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered a strategic depth of the Shia expansion.”
With a judgment clouded by the lingering possibility of overthrowing Bashar al-Assad, the USA and her allies chose to side with one of the deadliest terror groups to ever operate in the world. President Vladimir Putin in answering a question regarding ISIS from a US journalist at the Valdai International Discussion Club in 2014 asked important questions (rhetorical) that called for much United States introspection. He said, “Another threat President Obama mentioned was ISIS. Well, who on earth armed them? Who armed the Syrians that were fighting with Assad? Who created the necessary political and informational climate that facilitated this situation? Who pushed for the delivery of arms to the area?”
There are no prizes for guessing the answer to President Putin’s questions. He further probed on the financing of IS arguing that most of the fighters in Syria were mercenaries funded by the US who defected for money to the IS. Where does IS get this money from? From the oil fields it has occupied in the region. The more important question is: Who is buying IS’s blood oil? Are the buyers really anonymous? Is the United States of America’s celebrated CIA unable to track who these buyers are? That is unlikely. The buyers are known and yet they are not under sanctions, the same sanctions which are a tool the United States is only too happy to use to prop up its imperialist ambitions.
US Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter gave a testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in December where he tried to hide the USA’s knowledge of IS fuel trucks moving in Syria but was called out by Senator John McCain who said, “We all knew those trucks were moving back and forth. We’ve seen them. We knew it. The decision was not made by the White House to attack them.”
The oil being a vital source of IS funding, why did the US sit on its hands and refrain from cutting this very important linkage that would destroy the allure of IS to mercenaries? It would seem the USA is deliberately sabotaging the global campaign to end IS to further its divide and conquer imperialist mind-set and to neutralise Russian power as if the Cold War is still on.
President Barack Obama might not have the time to fix the many wrongs of his country’s foreign policy but whoever comes next has some real work to do. As far as the landscape of world politics is concerned, the USA is operating disturbingly like a big legitimised terror group and that is unacceptable. President Vladimir Putin gave good advice in the Valdai International Discussion Club when he said to the USA, “You must rise above the endless desire to dominate. You must stop acting out of imperialistic ambitions. Do not poison the consciousness of millions of people like there can be no other way but imperialistic politics.”