Africa is not a victim of circumstance

Elinam, our Programme Manager, directed me to this article by Adjoa Acquaah-Harrison. Enjoy!

On the one hand, charity demands justice: recognition and respect for the legitimate rights of individuals and peoples. It strives to build the earthly city according to law and justice. On the other hand, charity transcends justice and completes it in the logic of giving and forgiving. The earthly city is promoted not merely by relationships of rights and duties, but to an even greater and more fundamental extent by relationships of gratuitousness, mercy and communion.
- Pope Benedict XVI - The encyclical

On first blush, Pope Benedict's quote from his recent encyclical may seem unrelated to the subject of wealth-creation in Africa. However, the universal message of this, his third Encyclical, or letter to the bishops and the world, speaks volumes to ATTITUDE, a requirement for wealth-creation, integral to behavior that also impedes our African progress. The Pope talks about the ongoing global economic upheavals and the human attitudes that caused them, and he speaks to "all people of good will" -- on the subject of "integral human development in charity and truth" which interprets into an economy of human values.

Africa is not a victim of circumstance and we must replace complacency with confidence. All Africans of good will are needed to integrate the development of the continent and take responsibility for our collective destiny. If we cannot change our attitude at this critical time, then we might just as well stop feeling sorry for ourselves and prepare to die at our own hands. We stand on the precipice of our own salvation, no need to rehash our old sad, colonial stories or feeling sorry for ourselves.

James Shikwati, a Kenyan Economist writes that “our economies have not prepared our populations to be producers to give the treasury the muscle to have and then give". In fact, history reminds us that Western capitalists plundered Africa “so we must celebrate when we see capitalism on its knees.” And yet, it seems that in spite of the increasing number of Africans who have had the benefit of western education and excelled at some of the world's most competitive institutions, nothing changes except the people themselves.

Martin Luther King Day

For Martin Luther King Day we have a special guest post from Elinam Adadevoh, our Programme Manager. Enjoy!

In honor of the life and service of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (a civil rights activist), we have posted one of his famous speeches and perhaps one of the best speeches ever given. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Dr. King once said, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?”. In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act which encourages Americans to volunteer on that day. Each year Americans use this day to serve their communities. I encourage you all to serve your community not only today but throughout the year. When we serve others, we are contributing to making the world a better place.

To read a transcription of Dr. King's famous "I have a dream" speech, click here.

From Chile with love

The following is a guest post from Kenneth Richardson, one of our senior mentors. Thanks for your contribution Kenneth!

As the story of our brave Chilean heroes fades into our history books, I felt that as leaders, teammates and individuals we should take a look at a few of the gifts they gave us.

First off, I bet we were all impressed with how a quickly and carefully thought of solution was the response to the situation. In dealing with the problems that come our way on a daily basis, do we allow inactiveness and bureaucracy to take the better of us, or we get a good plan of action like it was done in Mina San Jose?

The gift of partnership and teamwork: This gift was demonstrated by a state-of-the-art rescue operation which included a drill rig coming from Schramm in the US, video equipment from Japan, a few South African helping hands and also fellow Chilean locals. Another big example of this gift comes from the miners themselves. Mario Sepulveda told this to a reporter:

'We found water coming off a rock shelf and used a cup, two at a time to wash each other'

We all need to complement each other’s efforts and realise that we are in teams everywhere: at home with our families, at school and at work with our colleagues, and in the country as citizens.

Determination: We know what it’s like to quit a bad habit or perhaps help someone quit a bad habit: we make up our minds on a decision and commit to it. In other survival stories, one of such determined is Steven Callahan, who survived 76 days adrift in a life raft on the Atlantic Ocean. More often than not, hope is what results from determination-the kind of hope that rose from the bowels of the earth to Camp Hope on the surface of the earth.

The gift of thanksgiving: Thank you is the one thing we learn as kids but the same thing we do not always sustain throughout our lives. One thing every single miner did was to show their appreciation and give a deeper meaning to thanksgiving. Let us allow this value to always be a part of us.

"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Lastly, many of us may not be as lucky as Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister David Cameron to receive mine rocks as gifts, but I believe these other gifts would go a long way in developing us one way or another the same way the handling of this rescue operation would go a long way to promote the management credentials of Chile as a nation.

Still many more gifts for us but I will just stop here. Yours are welcome!

Women mentors night

This is for all lady university students and graduates out there. The Eagle Women Empowerment Club is organising a Ladies Mentoring Night in collaboration with Vital Voices (one of the blogs on our Blog widget on the side) and the National Union of Students. It is planned to be a "forum for peer learning, information exchange, business development and access to resources and tools, all of which are supportive of building networks for women in Ghana.

"The Programme is designed to engage experienced Resource persons who have excelled to interact with tertiary students."

It will be held in the British Council Hall on Friday 23rd July between 5 and 8pm. Speakers will include Juliet Asante (CEO of Eagle Productions Limited) and Comfort Ocran (CEO of Legacy & Legacy), fellows of the Africa Leadership Initiative, a programme Databank Foundation is involved with. The following topics will be discussed:

· Becoming An Entrepreneur
· Choosing a Career
· Investments

For further information you can call 0244- 228288, 0244-075678 or 020-9210718.


Thanks for the information David!

Young Entrepreneurs Competition 2010

Morning all! Hope you've had a great weekend. I'd like to draw your attention to Sukuma Afrika's Young Entrepreneur's Competition. Here is some information about Sumuma Afrika from their website:

Sukuma Afrika (Zulu for “Stand Up”) is a forum to facilitate networking, dialogue, information, mentoring and access to finance for entrepreneurs with projects in Africa that impact the millennium development goals – the 8 UN goals to half poverty worldwide by 2015.

Sukuma Afrika, was established in support of the UN Stand Up Campaign in recognition of the critical role young entrepreneurs and the Diaspora will play in the fight against poverty as the generation that will be responsible for reaching the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

Sukuma Afrika works with young entrepreneurs interested in Africa’s development and achieves this through partnerships with the United Nations’ Millennium Campaign, corporate partners and investors committed to supporting the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.

The competition encourages African youth (up to 35 years of age) to come up with a for-profit business model that would contribute to achieving one of the Millennium Development Goals. The deadline for submissions is Monday the 28th, so you'll have to hurry if you want to enter. For more information, see here.

Thanks to David Agbenyega, one of our senior mentors, for the heads up.

________________________________________________

Don't forget to show your support for ONE's campaign and encourage the G8 leaders to commit to train 3.5 million health workers by 2015 in order to prevent maternal and child mortality. Click here to sign up!

Go Black Stars!!

ImagineNations Network

One of our senior mentors, David Agbenyega, has just come across the ImagineNations Network. It's an organisation that links up young entrepreneurs to a network of like-minded groups, mentors and supporters, as well as providing information, tools and resources.

As well as helping you to find a support network, ImagineNations Network (INN) can also help you to grow your business, save time, make an impact, and cultivate your skills. You can read more about how it works here.

You might be interested to know that INN is hosting a $10,000 Business Plan Competition for entrepreneurs, for which there will be prizes for those coming in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. More details here, or check out their website.

Thanks for your contribution David!

Go Black Stars!!

Plastic waste management: How you can help

The following is an article on plastic waste management written by Aba Tetteh, one of our senior mentors. Thanks for your contribution Aba!


When they first came in they were great. Thinking about convenience and affordability, we ignored the havoc it could also create: the Menace of Plastic.

Less than five years ago, the use of plastic was not the norm; now, you cannot buy anything without being given a plastic container or bag to put it in. It is important to note that despite the fact that plastics have made life easier for us in terms of being convenient and affordable, plastics do not disintegrate or decompose easily, and as a result we are battling with how to get rid of our plastic waste in an environmentally friendly way.

Here, I seek to illustrate some things we as individuals can do to manage our plastic waste. In the absence of a nationwide management of waste, we can reduce our plastic use by following simple principles of management.

As a nation, we need to learn how to sort out our refuse. Sorting makes it easier for waste management companies to pick up our waste and recycle it without having to pay extra for people to sort them out. Ghanaians are willing and able to dispose of rubbish in containers that are provided, and this is evident by the fact that when waste bins are packed with waste that have not been picked up, most people still go out of their way to cramp rubbish into the container. When we get into the habit of sorting out our waster materials, the two recycling companies we have operating in the Ghana, namely, Ghana Waste Recycling and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, will find it easier to pick up the sorted plastic waste. Getting people to adapt a habit is tedious especially if there is a lackadaisical attitude about it. It is a matter of principle, self-awareness and individual policing. In order for this change to take place, we will have to inculcate the habit of sorting our rubbish, starting in our schools and homes.

In the meantime, we can look at reducing our use of plastics by applying the 3R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. How many times do you buy stuff from the market or while walking in town? How do you normally carry such an item or items? Is it in your handbag, carrier bag etc, anything reusable? Oh, here is a thought, you probably would buy a plastic bag or be given a plastic bag by the seller; this is what we would typically do. When we get home, we throw the plastic bag away without a second thought. How about instead of throwing that bag away, we fold it up and keep it stored away. Plastic bags vary in texture and durability. You can use the less durable bags to line your rubbish containers or for wrapping certain items. With the more durable plastic bags, you can reuse them as carrier bags. Remember to keep a carefully folded plastic bag in your handbag or wallet ready for use whenever you find that you need it. This bag can be used for about four or more times before being finally discarded.