5 minute read
Publisher's Message
Ricky Muloweni
Publisher
― Martin Luther King Jr.
A HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS TO
President Biden and Vice President Harris on their Inauguration as President and Vice President of the United States of America. We are excited at the opportunity to work with the Biden-Harris Administration on USA-Africa development programs. Yes, it does feel diff erent and it is surely a New Day for the United States.
The Covid-19 pandemic eff ects on the African continent continues to reveal gaps in public health service capacity since its beginning in March 2020. The fi rst being a rapid exodus of Expatriates of non-Africans decedents from Africa to their countries and continents of origin. The mass exodus resulted in many of the local African programs, industries, and many expert driven projects coming to a complete halt.
The pandemic has revealed major cities dependance on food produced in rural towns and villages. Most of the food importation in the early part of the pandemic came to a grinding halt. This food supplies gap was fi lled by rural/village agriculture producers in the respective countries. As the cities came to a crushing halt the production demand on villages and rural towns increased due to more home bound stomachs and an increased appetite for organic foods. Meanwhile, the big banks did not facilitate delivery system fi nancing even when it was well known that the village agriculture suppliers could use more capital to ramp up their delivery systems. A case has been laid bare for rural towns to negotiate for a win, win deal with the fi nancial institutions in the cities who have forever denied small business loans and fi nancing for expansion to rural farmers.
Clearly it was gratifying to see Villages and small towns escape the fi rst wave of the pandemic in part because they were insulated from regular interactions and movement to and from the cities. Alas, the urgent food needs of the cities necessitated more movement from villages to the
U.S. President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Oneindia
cities inevitably resulting in small town populations getting infected with COVID-19 on the second wave. Further international travel also brought in other strains. Unfortunately, much as it was proven to be easier for the city dwellers to take quick measures to contain the pandemic, much more needed to be done in the rural villages where information and knowledge disparities negated their ability to quickly grasp prevention mechanisms. This calls for major investment in public health education programs in all rural areas of Africa.
Moving forward, African countries need to recognize that development for Africa starts from within. This type of development entails that the youth of Africa need to be brought on board to be a part of the knowledge base rather than bringing back the expatriates that left huge vacuums in refi neries and other industries, resulting in the industry sector coming to a grinding halt. Train the locals. Local governments and business community need to see this as an opportunity for inhouse human resource development work. The virus has exposed the discrimination that has existed for a long time between rich and poor, young and old, male and female. Worse, it has in fact taken advantage of pre-existing inequalities.
We believe it is time to change, transform and update pre-existing systems and infrastructures in the African society. Deliberate eff orts should start in obvious sectors such as agriculture. The local village and rural farmers fi lled the gap for all of the city food supplies as such it is time to strengthen the local food production in the rural towns and villages. Villages have proven their capacity to fi ll the gap of all imported foods that the rich city dwellers did not miss during the pandemic. It is time to fi nance rural agriculture production lines, logistics and long-term capacity building plans.
Finally, health care education is key for rural towns. Local government and religious leaders
see page 51
About the Africa Business Association
The Africa Business Association is an independent international business development organization. We off er access to the latest resources, information, and best practices in advocacy and communications for the African Diaspora and the African entrepreneurs in Africa.
We work to help you have access to news and events as starting points for constructive conversations and calls to action. We seek to cut through the froth of the political spin cycle to underlying truths and values. We want to be so focused on progress that together we can provide a credible and constructive generation of Africans that take seriously our previous generations and act upon all their wishes, our hopes and aspirations to make lasting change for all future generations.
Africa Business Association "DAWN"
PUBLISHER/PRESIDENT
Ricky Muloweni
ADVISORY BOARD
Earl 'Skip' Cooper, II, CEO, Black Business Association H.E. Sheila Siwela, Ambassador H.E. Kone L. Tanou, Ambassador
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Ricky Muloweni
LAYOUT/TYPESETTING
Lion Communications
AFRICA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION NEWS
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