Foreign_aid.jpgThe World Bank Chief Economist, Apurva Shangi’s report featured in Business Daily(November 11, 2015), threw Kenya’s measurements of the County Governments’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) into a spin when his mapping found Kiambu County to have more concentration of wealth than Nairobi. The World Bank team simply utilized an old known usage of maps. Maps can suffocate or liberate humanity. A conscious and judicious deployment of maps can facilitate Africa out of the foreign aid paradigm.

In his book “A History of the World in Twelve Maps;” Jerry Brotton argues that maps are a proposed viewpoint of the World emerging from particular cultures’ prevailing assumptions and preoccupations. The history of the world is dotted with maps that span the time Christians believed that the World was flat and that one would fall-off its tip; a time when maps didn’t have North and South America and Australia to modern day Google maps that depict a fragile earth.  Prevailing economic maps reinforce the aid paradigm depicting one part of the World as having capital and resources to aid others.

A quick review of African maps point to the dodgy geopolitical conundrums that record how the Triangular Trade Platform led to 12 million captured into slavery; 2 million perished in both WW1 and WW2 that had nothing to do with Africa; the Cold War put continental transformation to a screeching halt and lastly the modern day West and East rivalry is unfolding a new map.  When globalized slavery hit the continent; Africans fled from roads and markets. When modern globalization hit the continent; Africans ran away from the profit tag and embraced NGOs. What is next, total surrender or push back?

The World Bank survey that torpedoed the general assumption that Nairobi County is a lead contributor to Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and fronted Kiambu, Nyeri, Kajiado, Nakuru and Kwale as top contributors must alert all to possibilities for Africa. By simply evaluating what motivates other countries to come to Africa, one might redraw the economic map. Apurva’s team deployed satellite imagery to capture economic activity on assumption of the existing correlation between night lights, consumption and investment activities. Obviously, this methodology would have judged huge parts of Africa as empty of economic activity five decades ago.

A “satellite imagery” that captures external powers’ interest in Africa’s natural resources; cheap labor; land; water; energy; markets and geopolitical positioning might alter the wealth of Africa. One can push the imagination further and capture the imagery of fear- the fear of immigrants from Africa. If Africa were as poor as the aid paradigm propagates, why would foreigners scramble to own it?  The continent is owned by a capital ownership system that drives a recurrent and irrepressible social demand for expropriation.

Africa should redraw its wealth and poverty map to connect its human capital to physical capital. The global system as currently constituted sustains disconnect between Africans and physical capital.  African countries must evolve a four pronged strategy to revise this order. At global level, African governments must lobby for the recalibration of key institutions, namely the United Nations; The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (in terms of shareholding, voting rights and accountability) and agenda setting at the World Trade Organization. At continental level, countries should focus on lifting man-made barriers to prosperity and wellbeing, push for stability guided by law (not benevolent dictators) and create efficient intra Africa value chains. At national level, proactive programs should be instituted to train immature bourgeoisie and middle class on how the world works-their immaturity breeds instability.

National governments should push for incentives, opportunities and options for its citizens to enable the culture of entrepreneurship and formation of domestic corporations to flourish. At individual level, strict training regimes on productivity, employability and enterprise development skills should be promoted. Individuals on the continent must go beyond Google maps and craft their own approach on how Africans participate in global affairs. 

By James Shikwati

The author james@irenkenya.com is the Founder Director of Inter Region Economic Network


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SOURCE:
The African Executive -
The Power of Maps and How Africa Can Outgrow Aid

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  • And I agree with yours!  We can transform the situation, and the more energy and effort we put in, the more the universe (i.e. divine intervention) will match that energy.  But we need to make the effort, and, as I said, we need to have the skills.  I believe these skills are divinely inspired to help us to dig ourselves out of this hole. 

    Of course there are "deep psychological and spiritual underpinnings" of this situation.  And we can transform it. 

  • Caricom

    I wholeheartedly agree with your comments. Mine was aimed at elevating our awareness of the deep psychological and spiritual underpinnings of our dilemma. We are all caught in a self-perpetuating cycle that man cannot break.

    Divine intervention, as unfashionable as it sounds, is the only solution. This, of course, does not suggest that we merely fold our hands and "let God do it". Awareness of our contributions to this mess could cause some to re-think. We can then consciously choose to either be part of the solution or part of the problem IMHO. Peace, my friend.

  • We can change the course of history.  It does not have to be about aggression, war and violence.  It doesn't have to be about "us and them" and grabbing resources.  We can transform the situation when we have the skills. 

    My point about the maps is that they were created, in the first instance, to serve the colonialist agenda.  They have since been used as a tool, to influence us and shape our world view. 

  • Caricom

    The solution to the problems of Africa and other countries with desirable resources is not new maps or re-thinking priorities. Negotiation is never going to cause the Gentiles to relinquish control over resources they now consider "national security" resources. This is code which means "these resources are critical to our national defense and we will fight to the death to maintain control over them". Thus, Africa and all other countries currently being exploited for their natural and human resources can never change this system without being willing able to defeat the exploiters in warfare.

    This helps us understand the constant wars conducted by the West. The 20th century was said to be the bloodiest century in all of human history. It is likely the 21st century will surpass the carnage of the last century. When the West is the biggest arms dealer in the world, global peace is bad for business. War must be a constant in order to use up the weapons that are being manufactured 24/7/365 by the West. It's just business folks, but what do black folk know about business? Zero.

    In summary: We have the white West which has a massive god complex vs. the blacks who have a massive inferiority complex creating a tragic mix that demands divine intervention IMHO.

  • Excellent analysis.  It is well known that the popular mercator projection depicts Africa as much smaller than it actually is, relative to the other continents.  And many of the borders between African countries, depicted on current maps, did not exist before European colonisation. 

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