Yet another session of the World Trade Organisation's Ministerial Conference on November 30 will hear appeals to save the crumbling free-trade Doha Round from US and EU farmers' subsidies - but that boring news hides an exciting fact: Africans can free themselves.
Many African intellectuals and activists blame globalisation for the continent's numerous ills. Starting from the assertion that some multinational companies can do what they want in Africa, they conclude that globalisation must be the cause of African underdevelopment - in fact, it's the lack of globalisation. There is no doubt that a few multinational companies can sometimes exert some sort of monopoly, buy a corrupt political clique or cover up their activities. But this is cronyism, not capitalism or free trade.
In order to get public contracts they had to pay officials, feeding corruption at the top of states that do not respect the rule of law, propping up unpleasant regimes and fostering the legitimate resentment of local populations. But is this really globalisation? Globalisation, capitalism or free trade is in reality openness, competition, freedom of movement and of opportunities, all under the rule of law. This is quite the opposite of the oligarchy of a few multinational companies and their cronies.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development says Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in all Africa in 2008 equals 3.42 per cent of all FDI in the world: merely half of what goes to France alone. Yet many in power in Africa and the Western aid industry still blame globalisation for Africa's ills. They even argue that Africans are not ready anyway for globalisation, manufacturing and commerce.
In fact, Africans are more than ready, full of energy and innovative ideas. African roads often form a single big market for miles and miles. In Treichville, Abidjan, for example, a foreigner cannot walk around without being hassled by youngsters trying to do foreign exchange on the street - entrepreneurs that is. The idea that Africans do not have the spirit of commerce is mainly spread by African bureaucrats, rulers and even economics professors, along with Western aid agencies, to legitimise paternalism and its bureaucracy.
In reality, in Africa most governments and their bureaucracies are stifling, not protecting, the people and the economy. A glance at the Doing Business report of the World Bank shows the administrative cost of launching a company in sub-Saharan Africa is about 100 per cent of per capita income. A construction permit? Nearly 2,000 per cent: 20 years of income. So most entrepreneurs are forced into so-called informal markets. This lack of legal status prevents economic development, legal contracts, bank loans, letters of credit and foreign trade.
No wonder then that in Africa what is decried as globalisation seems to benefit only the ruling cliques and big business: amid such cronyism only big companies, often international ones, are able to pay the high price of doing business - giving the impression of doing what they want. Poorer people are excluded by cost. Yet many Africans would like to have a formal business and to benefit, at last, from global markets. But in many countries they are not allowed to. No wonder less than 10 per cent of African trade is within Africa. Removing these obstacles could unleash regional trade worth $1.2 billion.
Another favourite culprit for the ills of Africa is the international organisations that have promoted globalisation since the 80's, with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund seeking liberalisation and budgetary reforms. The idea was that the private sector would take over the failed job of building economies. But these reforms could not work without better governance, focusing on the ease of doing business, corruption and the rule of law. The job was half done, badly, with unintended consequences.
With more of the real globalisation that Africa needs - not just international trade but local and regional free trade - there would be more competition, more local businesses, more wealth produced and shared. But this presupposes the liberation of Africans' energy and innovation: unshackled Africans can then seize the opportunities they deserve.
Dr Martin is an economist and Editor of the Francophone free-trade project
Comments 1 to 2 of 2 Post a comment
Ethiopia : Japan & Ethiopia Sign Agreement For Water Development
QUESTIONS :
Whats In This For Japan ? Whats In This For Ethiopia ?
Will Ethiopia Be In Control Of Its Resources ?
Beware of the Global Organizations that want to control your everyday lives. In the
1970s Americas farmers made the mistake of taking welfare (subsidies, loans, etc..)
from their bankers. Now only a few farmers are left. Americans rarely grow their own
food. Africans can learn from the mistakes of others. Develop local coops between
growers, sellers and buyers. Never give up your sovereignty to anyone.
Jesus Christ said Take precautions against being deceived or trick. (paraphrased from
Matthew 24).
WHO WE ARE ON THE WORLDS STAGE.
1) Each African country is like a separate neighborhood in the world community. And each African country is responsible for running their own neighborhood.
2) Each State within those African neighborhoods (countries) are like houses in their own African neighborhood (country). And each of these States within their unique African neighborhood is responsible for their house in their African neighborhood.
3) Each city within their unique African states House is like a family living in their area of their African state House.
4) Each individual person living in their city is a cell of the Body of Adam ; with a free will and a unique purpose that only that person can fulfill. The contest isnt won by the fast or strong, but those who never quit will win. Those who take a chance to win, when they have the opportunity to win, will win !!! The contest isnt won by the fast or strong, but those who never quit will win. Those who take a chance to win, when they have the opportunity to win, will win !!!
CONCLUSION
a) Each of us are responsible for our own lives.
b) Yet each of us are cells in the Body of Adam . Each of us cells are going through a stage of existence where we will either develop into fruitful cells that reproduce . Or we will become diseased cells that will feed on and corrupt the healthy part of the Body. That is why its important for us to also be team players ; for the Bodys sake. * When we pray we say OUR FATHER . Not my Father GIVE US..not give me.
c) Governments are like organs & systems of the body. Managing the teams of the Body. God the Creator of All is the Architect and Designer of All that is . He alone knows how to run the Government. Isaiah 9:6 The GOVERNMENT shall be on HIS (Jesus Christ) shoulders , not man .
d) Man has tried and tried to play God. The most famous instance was when Nimrod and all the inhabitants of the earth tried to build a tower (The Tower of Babylon) to Heaven see Genesis 10. Africa is no stranger to being used to bring the world together as one. Remember We Are The World ?
e) Governments are under Gods direction. We who are Gods children should follow his guidance. Any governments that exist today and / or movements should be under Gods guidance.
f) People maintain your freedom and dont give them an inch , ever!!!! Dont forget Achebes book "Things Fall Apart " .
First the Pastors Came
Then The Commissioners Came
Then The Governor & The Troops Came And The People Paid These Outsiders
Taxes On Their Own Lands
Next Many People Were Forced Off Their Lands ; While Persons Like Cecil Rhodes, (AND) Businesses like DeBeers got filthy rich from robbing us of our wealth.
And all of these African Tragedies didnt even mention the Slave Trade that has weakened Africa to this day.
g) Achebes book is at work again .
The pastors of agricultural commodities are disguised as things like Private Enterprises. Many individual African countries may have Private Enterprises NOW.
WHAT ARE THEIR FUTURE PLANS ?
In Achebes book after the pastors , came the commissioners. The agricultural commodities commissioners could be the New Laws & Regulations designed to condition the people depend on others instead of their own God-given talent .
The ultimate goal of evil is to trick righteous people into being evil. This is done by either fear, lust, or pride temptations. Evil attempts to get righteous people to get rid of their conscious. Some have sold their souls. Please pray for our leaders and each other.
* Zimbabwe: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ....CONTROLS !!! THE WATER
ZIMBABWE and other countries should control their own resources. One thing I like about President Mugabe is that he is not allowing that colonialism to continue in Zimbabwe.
1) Do you Africans remember people like Cecil Rhodes ?
Rhodesia was what Zimbabwe was called.
2) How about that bloody absentee demon-directed King Leopold II ?
" King Leopold's Ghost " (1998) Adam Hochschild - this book is very informative and enlightening about a wide spectrum of historical views of what the Congo and other oppressed lands are and have gone through.
The Swine Flu Vaccination Hoax - Explained URL [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbFxV_C8Yw4 ]
[Check Out :
3) Who Brought The Slaves To America ? URL = [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuzhnKy63io ] Or [http://wideeyecinema.com/?p=911]
WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!
[ libradio.net ]
[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx]
[gcnlive.com]
Life Is A Game. Have Fun . Luke 18:17 - Isaiah 11:6
Beware The Tower Of Babel Agenda of unity from the top down
The Antichrist ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT is ever looming to
come out of the Dead Womb Of Hell !
* Answer is from ground up (aka Grass Roots) Government of self, family, neighborhoods, cities, etc..
Use the great American design (that was written & spoken, but never actually implemented. Every phase of American government was initially designed to have checks & balances on it.
WHAT WENT WRONG ?
* We never put a regular vigilant monitoring system in place.
- Us lazy so-called citizens paid politicians and bureaucrats to do what we ourselves
Should have been doing ; that is, REPRESENTING OURSELVES.
* We blindly trusted human nature which is consistently evil
* We allowed so-called public servants to make a career out of being a so-called public servants.
* We justified their oversight by concluding that all politicians lie .
DO ALL POLITICIANS LIE ?
WHAT IS THE ANSWER ?
Again the answer is self-government with constant vigilance ; especially in key areas
such as :
1) vote counting and verification (avoid the computerized voting machines .
These are stealing elections. [ See http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ ]
It is not who votes, IT IT WHO COUNTS THE VOTES
2) Dont allow anyone to make a career out of public service. If they really are a
public servant, they will make their mark and use their own drive to serve the
public.
God makes real public servants, not voters.
[Check Out :
WHO BROUGHT THE SLAVES TO AMERICA ? [ http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/42787621/Who+brought+the+slaves+to+ameri ca?tab=summary] for full length video
FRITZ SPRINGMEIER A Bold Christian Truthseeker The Top 13 Illuminati Bloodlines [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k73Q2_f4vKU ]
WAKE UP !!! STAY UP !!!
[ libradio.net ]
[http://www.infowars.com/infowars.asx]
[gcnlive.com]
Life Is A Game. Have Fun . Luke 18:17 - Isaiah 11:6