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?

China's Double-Edged Economic Sword

Since in the US it is still Africa Day and the UN is using the day to promote awareness of Africa and it's economic growth, I thought this video from CNN International is rather fitting.

In short, this makes me think of China's economic involvement in almost every African nations, a much bigger impact than many European countries and the US at the moment. During one of my interviews for my upcoming documentary on the Korean perceptions of Africa, Africans and African-Americans, one person stated, while watching an episode of Current TV's Vanguard titled "Chinatown, Africa," that China's involvement is making Africa better. This video questions the price. If South Africans are at risk of losing their jobs (and they live in Africa's strongest economy), doesn't that widen the gap between the rich and the poor and lead to future economic problems?

Already, many African countries are faced with this extreme gap between the wealthy and the impoverished and are working to close it. Could China's "it's strictly business" policy in Africa further expand this gap? Or is it really helping?

The Next Global Music Wave?

Nigerian music is already widely popular in Africa, but since major Nigerian artist Dare (pronounced DA-RAY) has his sights outside of the continent, maybe Nigerian music will be the next understated music wave (like Korean Pop, which is popular on every inhabited continent, but it's not something you'd here in mainstream media).

I'm not just saying this because of Dare's thirst for international fame, but because there is another popular Nigerian artist who has been recognized by a famous hip-hop icon. Check out the video.

Some critics mark this collaboration as a new beginning and a new sound for Nigerian Pop. D'Banj has been featured on BET and even the Nigerian duo P. Square have been interviewed by Wendy Williams (how you doin'?). What do you think? Is this the beginning of a new wave?

Africa's Middle Class

Several times, I have written about Africa's up and coming middle class (or in some cases returning middle class, since many who are in middle class have relocated to Europe or North America). Since many African nations have seen significant growth in their middle class sector, places to cater to this group are sprouting all over, like malls, fast food restaurants, and classier bars. Here's an example in Nairobi, from CNN International.



Now, don't get me wrong. Many of these places have been in Africa for a long time, but some have fallen to decay or completely closed due to many African nations losing their middle class to political unrest. However, some have survived and are seeing a new or returning class and more of these places that mark the existence of a middle class are popping up.

Aside from commercial venues, certain industries that define an upper middle class are booming as well. One in particular is cosmetic plastic surgery. I just read an article about plastic surgery in Kenya (currently there are five plastic surgeons in Nairobi). What is most interesting to me is not that there are plastic surgeons in Kenya, but that they schooled in UK or North America then returned seeing that there is a market for plastic surgery (usually they school there and stay there). On top of that, some are even teaching plastic surgery at the University of Nairobi.

Cosmetic plastic surgery is no only booming in Kenya, but in Nigeria (despite it's conservative culture), South Africa, and Ghana (but more so for medical tourists than Ghanaians). Maybe this may mark the end of Africa's "brain drain?" It might be too premature to say that, since it doesn't look like Africa's middle class is returning in troves currently, but with all this new and returning developing, definitely a new middle class is emerging.