President Adama Barrows ready for second term Pages 26-27 – Afforestation-A call to action Pages 32 & 33 - President Weah promises to address issues confronting persons with disabilities in Liberia

President Adama Barrow ready for second term in office

January 19th 2022 is set as inauguration of the newly elected President of the Gambia, His Excellency Adama Barrow. It would mark the start of his second and final term in office if nothing changes with the country’s constitution. Despite the challenges in court to the peaceful and successful re-election of President Adama Barrow, preparations are in top gear for his swearing in ceremony of His Excellency as stipulated in the Gambian constitution. With the elections over, it is time to settle down to the affairs of running the country as the President clearly stated during his press statement when he addressed the international press? The government is paving the way for a healthy financial environment despite Covid depleting GDP and keeping tourists at bay. The IMF projects GDP growth of 4.9% two years ago compared to a contraction of -0.2% last year. President Barrow’s infrastructure drive could also signal an investment and construction boom. He inaugurated one major and two smaller bridges over the River Gambia in his first term, which has been a boon for trade with Senegal. “President Barrow will continue his heavy infrastructure development and add to the 600 kilometres of road networks he’s built,” says Hassoum Ceesay, a historian and political commentator. “So that means in the construction sector there will continue to be a lot of improvement in investment and jobs.” In October last year, President Barrow promised an additional $81m towards road and bridge development in the Upper River Region, a project supported by the Chinese government. The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy recently built a large office building in Serekunda, and officials are optimistic that the Gambia can strike oil and gas reserves off its coastline and inland. The renewable energy sector has been boosted by September’s inauguration of Gambia’s $3.7m Renewable Energy Potentials project, which will electrify rural areas and train 210 Gambians. Before his swearing in, the Voice news magazine gathered that the alliance partners has been asked to subject names of candidates to be considered for appointment in the new government in accordance with his electoral promises for their support. It is yet to be seen how the appointments would be made and the screening and approval of the National Assembly. This process may take a bit longer that expected but the President assures that it would not slow down his pace of work and developments for the people. Wishing all Gambians a peaceful new administration and progress in the next five years.

Bims in the lobby: Three-part web series by VPRO Dorst

Bims in the Lobby is a three-part online documentary series created by George Adegite and Karim Khamis. As a lobby boy, George enters into a conversation with the residents of the most infamous Bijlmer flat. The makers investigate the prejudices that the residents of the flat in the Bijlmer (Bims in slang) have to deal with. In this way they try to break through the stigmas that the neighborhood carries with it. George Adegite and Karim Khamis grew up in the Bijlmer and therefore see the neighborhood in a different light than most people. The clichés about poverty and crime might suggest otherwise, but the Bijlmer is rich. Rich in culture, diversity and history. Precisely for that reason, George created a chic lobby in the supposedly most infamous flat in the neighborhood. To showcase the wealth, to give the apartment dwellers a warm welcome and to invite them to talk about those clichés. In the first episode, George finds out how Bijlmer residents actually experience the neighborhood themselves. What kind of place is the Bijlmer and what is it like to live there? Are they proud of it or do they prefer not to say that they come from the Bijlmer? How do others view them? VPRO Dorst Pitch production Bims in the lobby was developed within the VPRO Dorst Pitch. De Pitch is the VPRO’s school where young talent is challenged to develop a program idea. With the help of master classes, experienced coaches and by simply making, the talents are prepared to become a program maker in two months. No experience with filming, editing or directing is required. Ideas, enthusiasm and love for the story do. And this is what Goerge Adegite and his friend, Karim Khamis has done to earn this slot to produce the nice well researched program for the viewing public. Although right now it is in Dutch but there are plans to expand it into other languages particularly in English or give it a translation sub-titles. Source: VPRO/BM

GeORGe aDeGITe

He is a creative centipede from Amsterdam southeast. Give him a pencil and cool creations arise. Where other kids used to watch television, George had more eyes for his own cartoon. Even then George wanted to decide for himself what was on the screen and let his own drawings come to life. All his ideas still arise from his sketches, one time it is trousers for his own clothing brand aGeorge, the other time a creative design for the agency Cablai that he runs together with Karim. George wants to freestyle, just like his nasi goreng is different every time. The common thread in his life is that he is completely guided by his creativity. At the VPRO Dorst Pitch, he wants to sketch the portraits of his neighbors in the Bijlmer. His ultimate goal is to break through prejudice, something he knows from personal experience that can only be achieved if you really get to know someone. For this we have to meet the inhabitants of the Bijlmer, through the eyes of George and Karim. According to George Adegite, the 3 episodes are available for viewing on the VPRO website or VPRO YouTube channel. For now it is only available online but in future it may be screen for the television directly.

Karim Khamis

He is a poetic storyteller whose greatest pride is his roots. But if you ask him what his origin is, he will answer with “I am from Smibsaland.” Karim does not simply present you with all the information, but he invites people to decipher the code language that he learned to speak in the Bijlmer. He thinks it is important that you see this reflected in his work, this should really be a mix of his identity. As with everything, he thinks very carefully about the choices he makes. This also resonates with how most people know Karim, as a conscious boycotter who prefers to buy only Dutch brands in supermarkets and clothing stores. Because where everyone goes left, Karim prefers to stay away. So it probably won’t surprise you that he doesn’t have a cell phone either. Because a screen does not make him happy, so to speak, Karim prefers to look for stories offline. In the VPRO Dorst Pitch, he therefore wants to tell the unique stories of the Bijlmer from the elevator together with George: De Bims in the elevator.

Bims in de Lobby in collaboration with VPRO

George and Karim want to tell special stories about the Bijlmer from the elevator. They want to remove the prejudices about their neighbours from this cramped place. It is an amazing concept to change the narratives over the Amsterdam Southeast in particular, the Bijlmer. When you mention that name to those who lives in the Netherlands, it seems you speak over a ghetto, or crime filled community but this is far from the truth. Two young men who have lived their childhood and young adult lives are telling the story in a different perspective. How did the Bijlmer actually get that blemish on its name? Why the negative image of the Bijlmer continues to plague the residents 55 years ago the first pole was driven in the Bijlmermeer. The Bijlmer started as a modern dream, but became a maligned place and that’s how it still is years later seen. “Dorst makers” George and Karim, Bijlmer residents themselves, want to adjust that image with their short series movie titled “Bims in the Lobby”, in which they focus on the residents of the Geldershoofd flat as their setting plot for the movie. Because although the Bijlmer nowadays no longer has

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as many problems as it did then, and residents are more involved than ever, it is still complicated to get rid of the blemish of the past. Where does that persistent negative image come from, and is there still hope for the future? We dive into history with the help of urban planner and child of the Bijlmer, Wouter Pocornie and Journalist Daan Dekker, who wrote a book about the Bijlmer and made a radio documentary about the Gliphoeve flat. With flashy leaflets, they received the new potential residents of the Bijlmermeer district. The high middle class would come to live in “the city of the future”, in a place as green as the Vondelpark. The flats would be modern and spacious, and you would hear sounds of birds’ song and even nightingales, instead of humming traffic; this was an ultimate answer to the dilapidated, busy and cramped city centre of Amsterdam. But when the first residents received the keys in 1968, there was hardly anything to do with it brands. It was a construction site, a mud puddle with hardly any shops and facilities, where the greenery still had to grow and direct road or metro connections to the city centre were still absent. “Some adventurers liked that, but others were there less to talk about it. You paid much more rent than in the city centre, so some of the optimistic pioneers left fairly quickly,’ says Dekker. Even earlier, in planning, there was already a bad after taste, says Pocornie. “There was division among policy makers. Some thought it was too socialist and progressive, too great a risk to take. They didn’t want the project to get off the ground.” Vacancy arose because some of the residents fled in the early 1970s. In addition to the people who believed in the ‘modernist dream’, a lot of people who had nowhere else to go from the city centre you could only rent through housing associations if you were married and there were not enough owneroccupied homes. In de Bijlmer they were less strict. It became a place where singles, separated people, squatters’ and hippies settled down. ‘Surinamese educated migrants and students too could more easily find a home there than in the inner city, where they were dealing with discrimination from housing corporations,” says Pocornie. The Bijlmer became a home for ‘the outcast of society’. Meanwhile, Suriname declared its independence in 1975. That brought, also in the years before that, comes with a lot of uncertainty. Surinamese faced a choice: to stay in Suriname or with their Dutch passport to move to the Netherlands for economic security? Many opted for the latter. In the city center there were no homes for Surinamese, so they ended up in the Bijlmer, which already has a small community of those educated migrants from Suriname who lived there. But that became a problem for the municipality. A dispersion policy was initiated by the government. There was a quota for the number of Surinamese in the flat, and the rent was increased, it became more expensive for Surinamese only. ‘A number of Surinamese activists did not accept this and said: this is discrimination. Then they started squatting at the Gliphoeve flat,’ says Dekker. Do you want to know more about how the Surinamese residents of Gliphoeve went to war against discriminatory policies? Then listen to the radio documentary Gliphoeve – a forgotten battle of Daan Dekker and Maartje Duin.

GLIPHOVeaS a SyMBOL OF DeGRaDaTION

Gliphoeve, now called Geldershoofd, has been a major factor in the black identity of the Bijlmer, and the center of negative image formation. “Gliphoeve was the Surinamese flat, there lived almost only Surinamese from a lower social class, who come here from flow income houses or from the interior of Suriname,” explains Dekker. And suddenly they have to live in a flat in the Netherlands on the eleventh floor and to get used to this new life style in The Netherlands brought a lot of chaos to them. Pocornie says that the Bijlmer since the 1970s, with the arrival of black people was already being associated with degradation and negativity. Magazines headlines read: “The Bijlmer will become a ghetto”, or “De Bijlmer: the Harlem

of the Netherlands”, accompanied by a photo of playing children in a playground.’ The Bijlmerbajes was also opened at Overamstel during that period although it was not in the Bijlmer. It got that name because the high-rise flat, which didn’t look like a prison might seem so, was reminiscent of the highrise buildings of the Bijlmer. But the negative associations of the two of course were quickly made by the people. Just like in Harlem, a lot of heroine was traded in the centre of Amsterdam at the time and used. That came to an end in the early eighties: anyone who used or dealt was knocked off the street by the M.E. and pinned. The metro line had already been built, so remaining dealers and addicts moved to the Bijlmer. And there it was tolerated, because at least there it was out of sight of the city centre,’ says Dekker. The Bijlmer was the ideal place to deal, because of the anonymous architectural style of the flats, the large public space, the many green spaces, the inner streets, parking garages and storage rooms. ‘A lot people came from different backgrounds, they didn’t have such a good network here, no education, so they couldn’t find work either. The temptation to also deal and earn money was very great then.’ And that’s where things went wrong. Gliphoeve became the deal spot in Europe. “Crime exploded because people made money needed from their drugs. Where Gliphoeve was still cosy and friendly in the beginning, a warm communal place for Surinamese who had yet to get used to The Netherlands, it became a grim place because of the drugs.” According to Pocornie, Gliphoeve became the symbol of degradation and crime in the Bijlmer. “A lot also happened, but by no means in all flats.”

THe GReaT DeMOLITION

In 1992, disaster struck when a plane flew into the Groeneveen and Klein-Kruitberg flats, it split the buildings into half. The biggest air disaster the Netherlands has ever known. There were officially 43 people dead, but the real number is much higher: people also lived in the flats, many people who stayed illegally in the Netherlands. The disaster was called the Bijlmer disaster. After that disaster, the entire Bijlmer was completely overhauled, because of the reputation of degradation, crime and disaster. Pocornie also suspects that ‘the flats by the low incomes of the people were not profitable.” Almost half of the original high-

rise buildings were demolished and Gliphoeve was renovated into Geldershoofd. ‘A former resident of the E-neighbourhood, who was being demolished, said that it was the intention that they could come back to low-rise buildings, but not enough homes had been built when it was their turn,” says Pocornie. ‘It became clear that residents were not involved in the decisions made for the Bijlmer. It also proved that there is little visibility given on poverty and illegality.” In the meantime, the Bureau Bijlmer program was also broadcast in the 1990s, a reality series about the police in the

From left is the chairperson of Amsterdam Southeast Council, Tanja Jadnanansing (PvdA) thanking George Adegite for the positive message of the Biljmer projected on the movie

Bijlmer, in which -of course mainly crime in the neighbourhood was shown. ‘I myself wished that there was less from a sensation lens but more from a care lens looked at the neighbourhood. I always compare it to the problem of homelessness: it is easier to say that homeless people have themselves to blame than that we recognize how problematic housing policy is,” Pocornie says. But the Bijlmer was rebuilt. The high-rise was replaced by low-rise and more owner-occupied homes were added, which made people more involved in the neighbourhood. The quality of life and safety improved considerably. ‘You could say that the Bijlmer had a difficult childhood. And at some point the people who are there became grown up adults.

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The Bijlmer has now become a trendsetter in some areas, in the field of fashion and music. Appreciation for the type of architecture has increased. Residents are proud of the Bijlmer,’ according to Dekker. Yet the negative image remains for the residents of the Bijlmer almost on daily basis mainly through the reproduction of the old negative stories, stereotypes and cultural features that are still associated with crime and decay. A large part of the residents do not recognize themselves in how the neighbourhood is being depicted. This kind of spatial stigmatization is what Dorst makers George Adegite and Karim Khamis are uncovering with their short series, and presenting a different view of the Biljlmer. ‘Bims in the Lobby’ is an ode to Geldershoofd and its inhabitants. FUTURE What does the future hold for the Bijlmer? ‘It is still a neighbourhood with social challenges. Drug trafficking is a problem. There is poverty. Apparently there isn’t enough perspective in the society,’ says Dekker. And the Bijlmer does not escape the rising house prices. Gentrification makes people wonder: Can I still live here? The community in this neighbourhood is very important. There are many cultures; people say to each other - hello, they help each other much more than the rest of Amsterdam. Precisely in such places, where people needed each other because they could not always count on the government, it is sad that communities could be torn apart. But there goes the municipality is now working hard on it,” he says.

Gliphoeve or Geldershoofd, where the short series- ‘Bims in the Lobby’ takes place, a major renovation would take place which would mean that the residents would have to move to another place in Southeast, or come back and pay a higher rent. Mayor Halsema earlier this year announced the master plan what the Bijlmer will be called ‘the Brooklyn of Amsterdam’. They would create a new city centre but affordable. There will be 40,000 homes and a lot is being refurbished. ‘De Bijlmer is such a special place because of its contrasts: it is based on optimistic, vistas, but turned out to be something completely different. The flats have a monotonous architectural style, and at the same time people from all over the world live in it. In addition, the Bijlmer is a metropolitan vibe – due to the grand architecture, the metro line that cuts through the neighbourhood, walking and the diversity of people you really feel that you are in a different part of Amsterdam, and that is important for a city,’ says Dekker. Dekker hopes that ‘the Southeast vibe, the open arms feeling’ will not be lost. That also applies for Pocornie. According to him, this is mainly in the hands of policy makers. “I hope they understand: I am part of a unique story, which goes beyond a story about small Suriname or a ghetto neighbourhood or a modernist residential area. This could be the start of a journey that shapes the future in the right way, in which you also understand the history and neighbourhood identity.” 55 years later, the Bijlmer’s dream begins again.

By Nicholas Jimmy (Jimmie Nicks)

“What an old man can see while seated, a young man cannot see even when standing on tree tops” From my community where I grew up, there was a common believe that old people especially with grey hair were full of wisdom and anything they said was taken serious. And while this believe was nothing based on science or academic research, I tent to resonate that the thinking can easily be drawn from the fact that people who have lived long enough have most likely experienced a lot and in the process maybe gathered some knowledge that may not be attained by the youth/young over night. However its not all old people who are knowledgeable, we can agree that having lived over decades one can easily compare notes and experiences and draw some knowledge from those lessons learned from Africa continent. The continent has experience speedy changes compared to the rest of the world. I say so because the idea that other continents were civilized way long before Africa is given

“Nicholas Jimmy (Jimmie Nicks) is a graduate with B. A degree in Integrated Community Development, since his college days, he has continued to champion community programs on capacity building and eventually founding United Global Volunteers International, with twelve years of experience as an expert in Community Development, he is also the Founder of Kollywood Horizons - media Business, he also organizes World Volunteer Day (WVD) every 5th of December in Kenya, creating awareness on the need to grow volunteer culture and helps community institutions to get free experts & volunteers to assist solve community problems while experts get opportunity to re-learn and get exposure through various programs across targeting Grassroot capacity building. Jimmy has been awarded by Kenyan government (2010) receiving Good Samaritan honorary award presided by the then speaker of national assembly, Hon. Kenneth Marende. He has also been awarded by Daystar University as the youngest servant leader impacting communities”

Imported skin care products may damage your skin, Ajibola-Bodude tells Nigerians

Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude, the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Ethnic Wellness, a company that is into the production of black soap, body wash, body oil, body scrub, black oil, tiger nut milk powder, natural spices and dates powder, in this interview with IKECHI NZEAKO, speaks on the advantages of using natural skin care products and other industry issues.

Excerpts:

Nzeako: How did you get into the business?

Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: I got into the business a few years ago after I had worked with a skin care company for many years and I developed an interest in skin care products. After I left the company, I decided to go into the production of skin care products; I went to learn how to make the products and promote them. Nzeako: Why did you go into the production of natural skin care products? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: I am dark skinned and I do not condone bleaching and many women are into it, and I wanted to let people know that the black skin is beautiful, and that was the reason I went into the production of natural skin care products. When did you start the business? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: I started three years ago. It has been good and encouraging and I believe that it could be better. Government should support entrepreneurs in many ways. They can give us grants and low interest loans. If entrepreneurs have good funding, the sky is their limit. Nigerians are resourceful. Most of the raw materials that we use are sourced locally; I do Shea butter, turmeric, moringa and others and these are local natural products and they have many medicinal properties and uses that many people do not know. I make black soap and I put these things in my black soap. When you use them, your skin will glow; my products do not contain artificial materials and chemicals and they make you beautiful. Many people abroad like and use our products; many people here want to get fairer and they buy and use bleaching chemicals and these chemicals are dangerous to their skin and well-being. What do you say to people, who use chemicals to beach their skin? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: It is a dangerous thing to do, and they should stop; the adverse effect may not be seen now, it will show in the future. It is a bad thing to do; as you use them and coupled with our weather and the sun, they are destroying the top layer of the skin. The chemicals go beyond the skin and enter the body and destroy it. Health wise, it is a bad practice. What qualities does one need to have to succeed in this line of business? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: One, make sure that your products are good; if your products are of high quality, it may take time but you will succeed in the end. If the first person buys and it is good, he will tell another person and the demand for

the product will grow. So, make sure that the quality of your product is good. We need funding to succeed; with funding you can properly package your products; I buy foreign containers to package my products and I sell my products abroad.

Packaging is very important; plantain chips and “igbekere” is the same thing; the only difference between them is the way they are packaged. Bottled water and sachet water is the same thing, the difference being packaging. If you have adequate funding, you can package your products well, it will be an advertisement for people to see. Have you been able to access funding for the business? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: No, I have relied solely on family and friends to fund the business. There are many funding opportunities around, have you tried to access one? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: I have tried many, but I have not succeeded with any; I have attended many programmes and pitched at different events without success. How would you describe the skin care industry in Nigeria? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: The skin care industry in the country is growing because Nigerian women love to look good; after our skin, the next thing is clothing. Even if you are not wearing good clothes, you want your skin to look good. No matter what you wear, if your skin is not good, you will not have confidence. If you have good skin, it improves your confidence. Is good to have good skin and every woman wants to have good skin no matter what level they are. Nzeako: How do you compare Nigerian made in skin care products to imported ones? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: Most imported skin care products are not good for the skin of Nigerians and most of them damage our skin. We use natural products to do our products; although they may not be fast but they are natural and safe. When you want to lighten your skin, there are many local products you can use. What do you say to young people who do not want to acquire a skill as you have done? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: It is a pity that some people have refused to learn a skill; it is a sad situation; everybody should learn a skill. I went to school, trained and worked as a journalist and now I am an entrepreneur and I became one after I acquired a skill. The jobs are not there and the few available are for young people. Who would want to employ a person like me? If one has a job now, a time will come when they will be asked to go; so it is very important for one to acquire a skill. Nzeako: What is your assessment of the Nigerian business environment? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: It is tough because there is a lot of competition; if you go to the Internet and search for, say skin care, you will see more than 1000 and one products; you have the good ones and you have the bad ones. The bad ones are spoiling the business for the good ones. You have to do a lot of convincing for people to buy your products. Sometimes I give products out free to people to make them experience the quality of my products. Sometimes I tell them that they could return the products if they did not have the advertised quality. We give out free samples to convince people to buy. Nzeako: What should the government do to make the environment better for entrepreneurs? Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: They should help us with funding as I said before; the interest banks charge is too high for entrepreneurs and the conditions are too difficult. Government should facilitate the training of young entrepreneurs by mobilizing experienced people to train them. It can also help by formulating and implementing friendly policies and programmes; for instance, I have been trying to get NAFDAC approval for my products for a long time without success. They should make it easy for people to get the approvals. Government can build hubs with installed facilities and entrepreneurs can come in and produce at a small fee. Nzeako: Thank you for the interview Ebiere Ajibola-Bodude: You are welcome

For contact details, please you can reach her via Email : skincarebodyglow@gmail.com Tel: +234(0) 9032258613. www.ethnicwellness.com.ng

Ikechi Nzeako conducted the interview. First published in Independent Newspaper Limited, Nigeria. Mr. Nzeako is a journalist with Independent Newspapers Limited. He is a graduate of the University of Ibadan and he is interested in politics, history, economy and sports. He writes on small business, entrepreneurship, training, employment, start-ups, and general business.

President Weah promises to address issues confronting persons with disabilities in Liberia

President George Weah at the country’s first National Disabilities Summit told scores of individuals with disabilities that issues confronting them are part of the challenges his pro-poor agenda is seeking to address. The National Commission on Disabilities (NCD) in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP), the Ministry of Finance on December 3, 2021, began Liberia’s first National Disabilities Summit that lasted for two-day. At the event, an executive of the NCD Samuel Dean clearly outlined nine thematic areas he says the NCD wants the government to address. Dean highlighted the issues about employment, education, agriculture and food security, access to justice and representative seats at the Legislature as some of the thematic areas the NCD wants government to prioritize when implementing its Pro-poor Agenda. are embodiment of the challenges my pro-poor agenda seeks to resolved.”

According to the Liberian Leader, whether you have disabilities or not, every human being is challenged in a different way.President Weah, giving a special statement, praised the NCD Leadership for organizing the first national summit. The conference, the President said, presents a special opportunity for his government to highlight the plights of persons with disabilities.

“Nothing should be allowed to stop one from reaching his or her God giving potential,” he furthers.

“Disability is not inability. It’s my belief that people with disability have the ability to contribute positively to the growth of our society,” President Weah stated. Weah continued: “I am here today to give you my full support. My administration will continue to strive to improve the condition in Liberia, under which people living with disability must live.” This, he said, his government will facilitate the works of the different organizations working with persons with disability including the National Commission on Disabilities.

“This country has witnessed a significant increase of the number of people living with disability since the end of the civil war with many languishing at the lower of the economic ladder,” the Liberian said. President Weah continues: “We cannot allow your suffering to continue. We must, consciously, provide the social services you need in the same manner that will support your able body counterpart; no one should be left behind.”

He added: “Let me once and again thank you for inviting me to the inaugural conference of persons with disabilities. This is an important gathering for me since it involves people who “There must be equal access to healthcare services, education and employment opportunity for people with disabilities. While this is lacking, we will begin to take the necessary corrective steps to restore their basic and fundamental

rights,” he said. Development Partners Assure NCD of Full Supports At the event, few Embassies including international development organizations that were presence praised the NCD for bringing people with disability from every part of the country to highlight the plight of their community. Speaking, the US Ambassador to Liberia Michael McCarthy said when he was a youth; he worked for five years on a YMCA project. The project, he said, was to work with people with disabilities for three hours every Saturday morning. “There is no such thing as disabled person; there are people with disabilities,” he said. According to Ambassador McCarthy, the first American President to visit Liberia Franklin Roosevelt was disabled. Roosevelt was left permanently paralyzed from the waist down. He was diagnosed with poliomyelitis. “When President Roosevelt got down at the airport and walked to the microphone, nobody ever introduced him by saying here is the disabled President of the United States,” he said.

Ambassador added: “I just want to say that the United States remains steadfast in our commitment to advance the human rights of persons with disabilities at home and around the world. We surely believe with our friend here in the government of Liberia that it is essential to engage persons with disabilities in the democracy process to combat discrimination, to counter prejudice and to protect the rights of the disabled and ensure their inclusion in all part of life on an equal basic with other people.” Also speaking, European Union Head to Liberia Laurent Delahousse said his institution is willing to partner with the government to support persons with disabilities. According to Delahousse, the event should not be called a disability summit. Rather, it should be called, super abilities summit. “You develop what is missing. If your eyes are not working, ears not working, your legs are not working, you compensate by developing super senses and that is extraordinarily to see how you manage, how you mitigate, and how you integrate,” the EU strong man said. “You deserve the support, you need support. Your presence here today from all over Liberia is so important. It is a sense of belonging. We the development partners of Liberia want to bring you our friendship and our support through our programs and in corporation with your government,” Ambassador Delahousse stated.

Hon. Steven Ochieng Nyandiare appointed Special Senior Advisor to H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisai Al-Qassimi

Hon. Steven Ochieng Nyandiare from Kenya has recently been appointed by the office of His Highness, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Faisai Al-Qassimi, a member of the ruling family of the United Arab Emirates. He is coming on board as a Senior Advisor to His Highness. Hon. Nyandiare comes with a load of experiences ranging as Property Business Development Director, Investment Consultant, Strategic liaison personnel on international trades with Africa and around the world, Government relations consultant and building international trades between Africa global partners. He is also a political adviser to many African countries and political leaders. Congratulations to Hon. Steven Ochieng Nyandiare on his latest appointment.

Just get on with it: the adventure of entrepreneurship

An office job in the civil service is no longer the only career option for young people in Chad. A rapidly growing group of young people are opting to start their own business. Running a small business is not only a way to earn money, it also builds confidence and helps young people to break free of le système. ‘Don’t wait, just get on with it!’

Clement Madjita

Sandrine Ousmane (34) often works long days, going to homes and businesses from early in the morning to late in the evening to sell freshly-squeezed fruit juices. ‘I have a range of flavours – mango, lychee, ginger – depending on the season,’ she says. She runs her company, Le Mbakeur, single-handedly. This makes her unusual in Chad, where young women are not very likely to start their own business after graduation. So Sandrine’s relatives did not all receive the news that she planned to become an entrepreneur with unreserved enthusiasm. ‘They thought I was wasting my time,’ she tells me on a Zoom call from the capital Ndjamena.

Clément Madjita, aged 29, is on the same Zoom call. He too chose to take the entrepreneurial route. As director of Mar’One he runs an events venue and restaurant which people can hire for weddings, religious celebrations and student parties. His family was also mystified at first. ‘My parents didn’t understand,’ he says. ‘They expected me to get a normal job after I graduated; an office job, in other words.’ In Chad, young people and their parents regard an administrative job, preferably in a government office, as the best way of earning a stable living.

The tendency to play it safe is quite understandable, of course. Chadians have faced a toxic mix of problems for some time now. Half the population lives below the poverty line, and the country is highly dependent on foreign aid. The oil reserves discovered there in the 1970s should have been a source of national income, but the revenues have largely gone into the pockets of Western companies like ExxonMobil and Shell. Chad scores high on international corruption indices, and comes bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index.

The population is growing rapidly. In the early 1990s Chad had six million inhabitants; now, the figure stands at over 16 million, and 60% of them are under the age of 25. Finding a job is one of the biggest challenges facing young people in Chad. According to figures from the International Labour Organization, youth unemployment in the country’s urban areas was already running at 30% before the pandemic. ‘The current mindset among young people,’ Madjita explains, ‘is that you have to find a job in the public sector. But there’s often not enough work there.’

This attitude is now changing. Young Chadians are starting to broaden their horizons, and see startups and running their own business as a way of escaping poverty. Ousmane and Madjita regard themselves as pioneers, but

This requires creativity, of course, although potential entrepreneurs don’t necessarily have to come up with groundbreaking ideas in order to be successful. ‘My plan,’ says Ousmane, ‘was actually quite a logical one. It’s very hot here all year round, so I thought there would be a market for refreshing fruit juices.’ When they started out as entrepreneurs, it was basically all up to them. Now they get support from Job Booster, an initiative launched by Dutch international development organisation Woord en Daad. The programme aims to bring young people into contact with employers, or to help them run their own business. ‘I heard about Job Booster on radio FM Liberté, a local radio station in Ndjamena,’ says Madjita. He and Ousmane are learning how to keep their books, and how to devise a good business strategy. ‘We also each have our own business coach.’

You need to be willing to take risks, says Madjita. His enterprising nature became clear quite early on when, as a child, he would sell bottles of fuel door-to-door in his neighbourhood. After his studies, Madjita went to work for the company that he later bought. It was a bold move. ‘At that point the company was about to close down.’ Though his friends and family were initially sceptical, he is now admired as a success. ‘The people around me are all really proud.’ he says. Hal Souakar Ambera (34) is one of the coordinators of the Job Booster programme in Chad. ‘It really got going in 2019 – but it was followed just a few months later by the first lockdown,’ he tells me on Zoom. ‘Almost the entire country closed down, which made it extra difficult for young people to find work.’

There is growing interest in entrepreneurship, but the sector is still in its infancy. In 2019 the then organiser of Global Entrepreneurship Week in Chad told Reuters news agency that the country still had some catching up to do, particularly compared to the rest of the continent. ‘Chad is really lagging behind.’

The subject did not really attract much attention until about four years earlier, he explained, when ‘startup hubs’ were already quite common in other African countries. Madjita and Ousmane say that one of the biggest obstacles is the inadequate education system. ‘Everything’s focused on getting as many qualifications as possible,’ Ousmane complains. After completing their education many young Chadians discover that the qualification they worked so hard to obtain is fairly useless on the job market. Madjita is particularly critical of the education system in Chad: ‘What we learn has absolutely nothing to do with the reality here.’ Ousmane nods and adds: ‘There’s absolutely no focus on entrepreneurship at school. They don’t teach you how to do business deals, how to behave professionally, how to successfully market products.’

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures introduced in response had a huge impact. The parliamentary committee on economics and planning did not waste any time: the pandemic had ‘exposed the bankruptcy of the Chadian economy’. Chad had to ask the IMF for a 560 million dollar loan. The government has now also come to the conclusion that it can be beneficial to promote independent entrepreneurship There is a growing interest in entrepreneurship among young Chadians among young people, says Ambera. Last year it established a fund around 30 billion CFA francs (or €45 million) that can be disbursed as loans to young entrepreneurs. The proposal was unanimously adopted by parliament. ‘The then president began talking increasingly about the importance of entrepreneurship,’ says Ambera. It’s now a hot topic at all government ministries. He is however concerned about whether the money really will reach young people. ‘In practice you often see that plans like this are poorly implemented. There’s a lot of corruption here.’ The lack of good governance is partly down to clientelism and tensions between different ethnic groups and regions, he explains. ‘Equity is an alien concept here.’ In April President Idriss Déby was shot dead just after his

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re-election. He had been leading his army against rebel groups in the northwest of the country. His son, General Mahamat Déby, seized power and is currently the de facto leader. ‘The day the president was murdered,’ says Ambera, ‘we couldn’t go to the office, so we worked at home. There were soldiers in all the streets.’ Idriss Déby had been president for 30 years, and was known for favouring his fellow party and clan members in the national administration. ‘That caused a lot of bad feeling among the rest of the population.’

In the Middle Ages Chad was a hub of trans-Saharan trade. Like other countries in the region, it lies at a cultural crossroads, with the largely Muslim north influenced by Arabic culture, while Christianity is the main religion among the black Africans in the south. Chad may once have been a trading hub, but ‘now foreign investors are put off by the violence,’ says Ambera.

Chad gained independence from France in 1960, having long been the poor relation in the French colonial empire in Africa. Since then the country has been plagued by military conflicts, including the ‘Toyota War’ with Libya, so named because of the Toyota trucks driven by Chadian soldiers. The Libyan-trained rebel group Front pour l’Alternance et la Concorde au Tchad (Fact), whom President Déby was fighting when he was killed, is currently the government’s main challenger. ‘We haven’t stopped fighting each other since independence,’ Ambera sighs.

The tensions between population groups are also eroding confidence in the state. People have little faith in the government. This is one reason why social inclusion is a key focus of the Job Booster programme. ‘We have officially adopted a target that one in ten of the young people we help must come from the most Sandrine Ousmane vulnerable communities,’ he says. ‘Gender balance is another key concern, so 40% of participants are women.’

In Chad it is not only different population groups that are in conflict with each other, there is also a big generation gap – sometimes even generational conflict. In 2019 a young taxi driver was shot dead by a leading member of the governing party. On social media, young people from poor neighbourhoods agreed that the murder highlighted just how little their leaders cared about them. To prevent large-scale protests, the killer was quickly arrested. But mistrust of the government is deep-rooted, Ambera tells me. ‘The old generation of leaders refuse to hand over power. They want to keep control of everything themselves – preferably for the rest of their lives.’

Young people in Chad call the political system and the public sector le système: a closed world where nepotism is the norm, and where you can only get a job if you have links to the right party. But resistance to this system is growing, Ambera notes. He himself has a background in youth activism. ‘I see youth organisations cropping up everywhere,’ he says. ‘Young people are organising symposiums and meetings where they talk about how their rights are being violated, and help each other set up projects.’

In 2018 the youth-led Iyina movement (the name means ‘we’ve had enough’) tried to unleash a popular uprising. The same year, 38-yearold Succès Masra resigned from his job as a leading economist at the African Development Bank and set up a political movement called Les Transformateurs. Masra is all over social media. President Déby managed to exclude his young challenger from the elections this year by raising the minimum age for the presidency to 40. But the pressure is on, Ambera says. ‘Before his death Idriss Déby appointed two ministers under the age of 30.’

Ambera believes that the growing interest in entrepreneurship among young Chadians is about more than simply finding work. It is also a way for young people to claim a place in society. ‘If you can’t rely on the government,’ he says, ‘you have to make sure you are self-reliant.’ The two young entrepreneurs Madjita and Ousmane both talk with enthusiasm about the confidence they have gained from running their businesses. ‘The most important lesson that entrepreneurship has taught me,’ says Ousmane, ‘is don’t wait, just get on with it!’

Given the demographic trends, it remains to be seen whether startups will prove a sustainable solution to the unemployment crisis. But the interest among young people also reveals something else: they are no longer willing to remain

on the sidelines, but want to be actively involved in solving the country’s problems. ‘This adventure has taught me that I myself can help make Chad more prosperous,’ says Madjita proudly.

Job Booster

‘When one person gets a job, it benefits an average of four other people,’ says the Job Booster page of the Woord en Daad website. At the moment, the programme is supporting over 20,000 young people in several countries – and so around 80,000 of their relatives are also benefitting.

The first Job Booster project in Chad started in 2018. Since then, the programme has expanded rapidly, and now consists of three networks of young people whose members are all independent entrepreneurs from a range of sectors. One is a young farmer who is pioneering aubergine cultivation in desert regions. Another is a biology student trying his luck in the telecoms sector in Ndjamena. Coordinator Ambera says many young people have shown an interest in IT lately. ‘But that’s still a challenge in a country where the vast majority of people have no internet connection.’ He believes young people’s interest in entrepreneurship springs partly from their disappointment at what they see in the public sector. ‘There, success is all about knowing the right people.’ This is less of a problem in the private sector, and in the major international organisations active in Chad, like the EU and USAID, the American aid organisation. ‘Having connections is not the most important thing there. They operate on the basis of professional standards.’ The Job Booster programme transforms ambitious young people into true entrepreneurs. Participants are taught all kinds of topics, from tax law to bookkeeping. A digital marketing course has also been offered since the pandemic began. After learning how to put together a good business strategy, by the end of 2020 40 entrepreneurs had seen their turnover increase by more than 10%.

To young entrepreneur MadHal Souakar Ambera jita, Job Booster is a kind of anchor. His life now is very different from the office job his family envisaged for him. Every day is hectic. ‘I start at eight in the morning,’ he says, ‘cleaning the venue with the staff. Then I have meetings and go to classes. In the afternoon I usually go into town to meet new business partners.’ Job Booster helps him channel his energies in the daily turmoil. ‘And if I run into a problem, I can ask my coach for help.’ The life of an entrepreneur can be lonely, so there are now flexible workspaces at the Job Booster office where the entrepreneurs can come and work. Eventually, the idea is to expand this into a complete business centre. Coordinator Ambera is now working on the next big project. ‘We are working with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency to set up an Agri Job Booster project in the south. The goal is to set up more than 3,000 small agricultural enterprises by 2025.’ Madjita and Ousmane have found a community of like-minded people at Job Booster. ‘I love to see people with ambition getting a real opportunity here,’ says Ousmane. In the future, she would like to see the young entrepreneurs get help using social media. ‘So that we can raise our profile even more.’ Madjita nods in agreement: ‘Because a high profile is everything for an entrepreneur.’ By Elian Yayhe

Nigerian Christians under persecution HeLPUS PLeaSe.......

It is a well known fact that Nigerian Christians are under severe persecution particularly in the Northern part of the country. They continued to be attacked, properties destroyed, thousands of people dead, many more displaced, farm lands destroyed, children left homeless, orphans and desolate in a nation of plenty of resources. A government unable to protect his people. We have received a request from an organization helping these persecuted Christians to get some type or relief. They are calling on us on the Diaspora to support and help through our kind donations. The organization is coordinating assistances, see the flyers published below for details of how you can support their efforts. We approve the flyers so you can send support directly or contact them for clarification or more information. God bless you all. TV Management

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Happy 84th birthday Dad!

A father’s tears and fears are not easily seen. His love in unexpressed but his care and protection remains as a pillar of strength throughout the lives of his children. Uncle Sammy Rex Iruh, we live out your legacy of hard work, courage, care and love. You remain my true human hero. I pray God to continue to bless you with good health and sound mind. Your old age is blessed. You being around keep us going and we thank God for each day we have with you. God bless you for us in Jesus Christ name. Amen Love from all your children, children-in-laws, husbands, wives, grandchildren. Amen Signed on behalf of the Samuel Iruh Clan Pastor Elvis Ndubuisi Iruh For the whole family