What glue can hold African economic and business journalists together?

The annual FORUM is not sufficient to hold together the members.
We need to think about the glue that can hold us together.
We are a group and our current life cycle is intermittent and not contiinous. That is we were almost born anew with each new forum and then die after the forum.

That is there was the forming-storming-norming-implementation-adjournment-all over once again-cycle.

I think what we were missing could be found in answering these questions:

1. Did we and do we still have a Shared Vision?
2. Has Personal Mastery be really our life ambition in our profession?
3. Do we really believe in Team work?
4. Did we have and do we have Mental Models of what we want to build or create?
5. Do we believe in System Thinking-that the sum of the parts is larger than the parts?


I strongly believe that in order for AEEN to survive we need to have several activities done by individuals, groups, countries, regions and Africa as a whole. What are these activities? I don't know but we can start asking ourselves can only an annual forum or exchanging emails or commenting on blogs be the answer?
Look at the question below and try to answer them honestly and without letting money issues cloudy your mind at this outset:

1. Can individual or groups from each country write their own ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS NEWS BLOG?We shall, therefore, have say -Algeria-AEEN Economic and Business News Blog, Angola-AEEN Economic and Business News Blog, Burundi AEEN Economic and Business News Blog.......down to Zimbabwe-AEEN Economic and Business News Blog.
2. At least for Each Blog we should professionally, consistently and interestingly every week present:-Economic and Business News summary-Selected Commentary and Opinions on economy and business-A number of feature stories-Economic and business indicators-Some business and economic events pictures-Some business and economic cartoons-Investment opportunties available in your country.-Interpretation of some business and economic laws-podcast/video for investment promotion/advertisement?-export/import summaries-project pipelines and latest performance-chat room and interactivityand any other item of interest to your local and international audience.
3. In doing the above am sure we may not have all the African countries-but at any rate, if we are 5, 10 let us start. This nucleus will surely inspire the rest to follow suit.
4. Most likey there will be well-wishers to support us in one way or another. Or still better a partner/partners and not someone who wants just to benefit himself only.
Conversely, someone can have an umbrella website that collects all news in the countries blogs -but in a transparent and mutual beneficial arrangement. That blog owners from each country will know precisely what money they are going to make through the umbrella online news agency. A creative and forward looking online news agency will of course all sort of assistance to guarantee they don't miss even a small piece of business or economic news from the member countries.
5. IF AEEN choose to broker this business it can get a certain commission that can enable it toassist its members too as well as have seed-capital for initiating other individual joint members programmes.
6. I see also an opportunity for local employment here. Because am sure all of us will not have all the time to take care of our blogs.
So I see myself looking among my children and other relatives who likes economic and business news, writing, editing and blogging -and challenge them to be office holders in the project. In looking for the critical contribution from me- I find it is only may be editing the contents-and have ample time for this since I have to read all the items before they are published.
This I suppose will be also the case in Angola, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and everywhere. In a way we shall be broadening the ICT base by engaging our relatives or employees in the creation and maintenance of such blogs.
7. Owners of such blogs will be more than just blog owners. Thety will be researchers, consultants and brokers of various trade and invesment deals -as surely AEEN and the supporting umbrella organizations will give the necesary references each time someone ask for such services from member countries.
8. The blogs can be used also to promote intra-Africa trade, tourism, education, sports and so on.

Sammy,
Dar es salaam

Adam Smith: starting where it matters because of our colonial legacy.

Adam Smith in a long-form called his book: An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. At that time many nations were poor and few rich. And the rich wanted to get rich by exploiting the poor. This was the beginning of real capitalism-where a few eat 80 per cent of a nation or world production and the poor gets only 20 per cent although they produce 80 per cent.

If he were to come back once again or if Africa is lucky to have its own Adam Smith today the title will definitely change to: "An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Poverty of African Nations.

This should also be a good starting point for our 'rational dialog.' or as I have called my blog: 'Keep on Talking Economics.'

Of course we are not interested in poverty, but rather interested to see it gradually disappear...forever! We are interested in prosperity, happiness and being a health continent in every manner of the word.

Mzee Adam Smith gave some ideas of how we could have a prosperous, healthy and happy Africa.

At this point of time let me say there is no way I am hinting that the list provided by Mzee Adam Smith covers all and everything. No. Actually, what he has done is to give us a point of departure in our inquiry. As we proceed along we may even be able to come up with a brand of economic theories called African Original Economic Theories, dare you?

According to Adam Smith we can say 'goodbye' to poverty and economic backwardness if we can:i. Increase the quantities of resources available;ii. Discover and apply new technologies iii. Increase the division of labor and specialization iv. Improve the allocation of existing resources v. Increase the rate of use of existing resources

Dear AEEN members we can learn economics in a variety of ways. However, since we are also supposed to be teachers of our readers and listeners and viewers-I suppose the best way could [am not saying must] be the practical approach to the study of economics. Because after all, no one of us does not belong to the economy and economics......

These five suggestions from Mzee Adam Smith can actually be used as FORUM TOPICS for the next five years, especially, if each member will tackle it at his or country's level and then we have opportunity to share and exchange ideas in the future:Could we, therefore, use that approach to look, for istance, how Africa has failed to utilize or increase quantity of resources available for production, distribution and consumption?

Perhaps having a schedule like this:
2008 How can African countries Increase the quantities of resources available;
2009 Discovery of new technologies and Africa's war against poverty
2010 Division of labor and specialization and Africa's economic development
2011 Improvement of the allocation of existing resources for further growth and development in Africa
2012 Increasing the rate of use of existing resources and Africa's development.

This work can start long before the conferences and by the time the forum are held African leaders and bureacrats should have read one or two things and apply them to change their nation's fortune. At the forum, therefore, some countries will be held as examples, congratulated and motivated to achieve even still more.

Since we shall work with China, Japan, Korea, India-the East in short; as well as US and EU we are bound to have a lot of helpful advice as well as tangible support too!

Can our H's and W's in investigative and research-oriented journalism be abpplied here: How, What, Where, When, Why and Who?-in a manner capable of ensuring that as we go along we are writing the future applied economics textbooks for Africa-that will be corrected, updated and edited by all those who want to contribute to PRO-AFRICAN POOR ECONOMICS - that is non-IMF/WB DRIVEN AFRICAN ECONOMICS?

Am also interested in fusing Adam Smith, Confucius and Original African Economics.....let see this may be the next article.

I am open to any approach but perhaps we could divide the discussions into three areas so that those who have material and like to talk in each of the areas do so with leisure:

i. PRE-INDEPENDENCE AFRICAN ECONOMICS:-historical analysis of the nature and causes of Africa's poverty-[may be our kindness, generosity, slavery,colonialism and the likes]

ii. POST-INDEPENDENCE AFRICAN ECONOMICS:-Fifty years of independence and our performance in tackling poverty and backwardness of Africa.[Debts of independence, gratitude to the father of the nation(s), overpoliticizatiion, overdecentralization, copycating, living above our means, mismanagement, nepotism, favoritism, cronnism,ignorance, greed,tribalism, racism, being used by former rulers and the likes].

iii. CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN OR POST-CHINESE SUCCESS AFRICAN ECONOMICS:-Globalization, Economic Integration, Rising new super powers and Africa war against poverty.[ As the situation reigns now-why relationship with former masters did not help us, market status, cultural factors, language factors, looking East?, playing the super powers against one another, where do we stand, what is our vision and mission as a continent?]

Sammy
Dar es salaam.

Let me start this one by quoting an imaginary Dr. Germs Wasteson. Don't be angry with the doctor just keep cool and please read between the lines to get the true meaning of this ugly article:
QUOTATION:"African intelligence is lower than that of Europeans because our ancestors stole their resources, enslaved them, deculturized them and colonized them to the extent of their believing that they have to depend on us for everything they need or want to do. In other we also stole the brains of the African and hid them in our confusing advise and research. And as long as these poor people cannot produce anything of their own-[including needles, matchboxes, bulbs, books, clothes and food] and continue to be the consumers of what we produce [or throw away] they will continue to have only half our intelligence if not a quarter!"

-Dr. Germs Wasteson

I think Dr. Wasteson is really not fair to Europeans. One, their ancestors did not steal from our ancestors. Our ancestors were only very eager and generous after being dazzled by white skin and consequently tripling one another in a bid to outdo one another to give them free of charge diamonds, gold, foodstuff and what have you.

Secondly, the African was never really enslaved he only assumed his rightful position because of the creator's original decree. Please remember the African was born to be hewer of wood and drawer of water for the whites. And this is a profession which even our most esteemed leaders all over Africa are very proud and happy to fulfil. Why grumble now? And look what happened when Iddi Amin Dadah tried toturn the tables?

We all booed him!Who decultured who? That is the question! No one has deculturalized the African except himself. Why was she so naive to think our uncles [European] culture were better than theirs. For even the most idiot of people knows culture is born out of the way you live not the way you achieve, your natural environment not your articial endowment, your mother tongue not a borrowed language, and social interaction and not social confusion.

Can you copy someone culture and pretend it is really yours. And very funny sometimes we copy those who have copied others who have also copied others.Why did not the Indians decultured themselves? Chinese, Koreans, Arabs, Japanese all of these still have ample time for their ancestral rituals and norms and values-not to mention their favorite drinks and food. Again is it us who taught the Africans not to respect their elders and their dead? And how can you expect such a people to fare well in this world, not to mention in the hereafter..

Or is it that our proximity to apes and monkeys make us prone to apism of the reject and monkeying of the ugly?

From Mansa Mussa to Tshaka reigns -Africans had an opportunity to colonize Europe and even America but you danced and slept. Your were indeed very satisfied, very complacent with life. Well, whoever plays very well but never score can he really blame the weak team when they score in scottish time?Well, Japan, India and China now wants to rule Europe, America and Africa what are you going to do. Dance and sleep all over again? Or do you have other ideas? Speak please........

And if you don't produce but only eat and use what others produce what kind of a man are you going to be in this world?
Ask me not!

INTRODUCING KEEP ON TALKING ECONOMICS

Dear Friends and fellow members of AEEN,
DEVELOPMENT begins when people meet with open minds and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each cource of action open to them. Knowing very well the opportunity cost of each they chose democractically the best option opent to them. But still they keep on talking economics. Because economics is a living language. And mind you, each part of the world has its own dialect. Take care not to introduce or talk a dialect which no one understands -in this part of the world called Africa. So let us Keep On Talking Economics......
Brother Sam