Nigeria's Disappointment

Many great things have happened in Nigeria over the past decade. Nigeria has seen steady economic growth (it's now a middle-income economy), a lot of new development, steady repair and replacement of infrastructure, the gradual clean up of political corruption, and an evident (but slow) growth/return of the middle class. But there is one big problem - education.

Nigeria's educational system has gone from being great immediately after independence to one of the worst in Africa, despite it being the third largest economy in Africa and the continent's largest oil producer. Investors main concern is human capital; well-educated middle income Nigerians seem to leave for Europe or North America and those who are poor are left with below substandard educational facilities and teachers. This video from CNN International shows the importance of education for continued and stabilized economic growth and compares African economies.

With all the money pouring into Nigeria thanks to it's oil wealth, fixing it's educational infrastructure should be a breeze, especially since places like Rwanda have no natural resources and yet is rebuilding itself quickly and it's economy is growing.

Misplacing Sovereign States

"All these problems going on in Africa. First Sudan, then Egypt, now Syria." Can someone tell me what's wrong with this sentence? There are several things, but one problems stands out more than the others. We'll the discuss the most obvious later, but I will like to get into the deeper meaning first.

It's interesting how people misplace countries and yet sound as if they know what they are talking about. This made me wonder if people misplace countries because they assume certain continents have more problems than others because they do not view their media critically. Most of the time, what we read, watch, or listen to in regard to any place is only the tip of the iceberg. All because a country is going through issues does not mean that it is in Africa. And all because a country is doing well does not mean it is in North America or Europe.

Problems of all sorts exists EVERYWHERE on our planet. In some places they may be more severe than others, but it also does not mean a place does not have it's triumphs. I don't know if I sound like a broken record yet, but Africa has many problems, but many great things going on, too. Many African economies are experiencing rapid growth, growing middle classes, and construction booms. Yet, there is still political turmoil in several countries, extreme poverty, and extreme cases of corruption. Similar problems/triumphs exist and have existed in Asia, South America, North America and Europe (notice how I stated the five major continents).

I think I am past the point that I am tired of ignorant comments. Of course, one is not expected to know everything, but we should all have the brain NOT to say something we're not sure of. In addition, basic knowledge of our world is essential, considering how global our society is becoming.

Back to my question at the beginning of this post, if you guessed what's wrong, then you are one of the few people that passed their geography class. If you are still trying to figure it out, this post is just for you. Dedicate more time to understanding the world around you.

Rich Man in Rwanda Makes Things Better for Other Rwandans

I am in love with a lot of the things that have been going on in Rwanda lately. First I heard about one of their green initiatives to keep their capital Kagali clean, which brings Rwandans together, despite ethnic differences while making Kagali one of the cleanest urban cities in Africa. Then, I heard about their new strategy for foreign investment, which makes it far easier to do business (in fact, maybe even the easiest place to do business in Africa). Now there's this from CNN International.

I am seriously becoming more and more impressed with Rwanda's urgency to pull itself away from that horrible legacy from nearly a decade ago. I think if things keep going like this, Rwanda is on it's way to becoming of Africa's leading economies and maybe even one of the first in Sub-Saharan Africa to eradicate extreme poverty.

South Africa Welcomes Wal-Mart?

This is intriguing. Wal-Mart in South Africa. In fact, they are buying up a company that has stores throughout the African continent. The bid by South African company Massmart has been cleared by South African authorities and it looks like Wal-Mart is moving in, but not without a fight. With all this economic growth going on all over Africa, Wal-Mart's presence could bring other foreign retailers to the continent or prevent African discount stores from prospering, hurting the economy? Plus, there's the worry of how employees will be treated, as many know how infamous Wal-Mart is for that, and the effect Wal-Mart has had on mom-and-pop stores in small towns.

I'm looking at this conversation on BBC News' website. Some people have some interesting insight. What do you all think about this international business move?