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africa now COMPILED BY OSWALD T. BROWN, WI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

DRC Fishermen Turn To Tourism As Stocks Decline

Fishermen perch precariously on wooden scaffolds stretching over turbulent rapids in northeastern Democratic Republic Congo (DRC), hauling up wicker baskets in the hope of catching tilapia or a Nile perch -– a time-honoured practice now threatened by overfishing. Basket fishing was once the lifeblood of the Wagenya community, feeding them handsomely on a section of the mighty Congo River close to Kisangani, a city in Tshopo province. But fish numbers have dwindled in recent years, and the fishermen see little help from the government.

Many people, like 16-year-old student Kalimo, get by selling handcrafted dioramas of traditional Wagenya life to the few tourists who visit the impoverished area.

“It helps me to pay for school,” said the teenager, who was selling wooden models of small stick men holding large fish, for $10.

Kalimo, whose father is a fisherman, wants to become an engineer.

On top of the problems with fish, the Wagenya — split between three main clans and five sub-clans — are bickering among themselves.

The position of traditional chief, who serves as an intermediary between the community and the government, is unfilled because of factional infighting.

Augustin Tangausi, who described himself as a “fisherman and servant of God,” said this means problems are piling up.

“Everyone does as he likes and we have no-one to defend our rights,” Tangausi said.

Tangausi pointed to what he calls the “small fishery” by the rapids, which are known as the Wagenya Falls.

Wooden poles are wedged into holes in the rocks and tied together with lianas to form scaffolds. "To receive visitors? There are no conditions really. People may want to spend some time at the falls to rest or a holiday but there are no hotels, there are no restaurants, there are not many things", Tangausi saids.

At the beginning of the year, government officials visited the region and promised investments to attract tourists.

The governor of Tshopo province also promised that all the problems would be fixed. It is a project which consists of modernizing the sites of the Wagenya falls. There will be a hotel, which will be built, and we will try to modernize the fishery." "But as for basic infrastructure, that will be our battle, so that we have roads that will allow tourists to travel freely", said Madeleine Nikomba, Governor of Tshopo province.

Much of the DRC, one of the world's poorest countries, has crumbling or non-existent infrastructure due to mismanagement, successive wars, and chronic corruption.

WI

caribbean now

New CEO Pledges To Build The BHTA

Geoffrey Roach has been selected as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA). His appointment took effect on September 1. Making the announcement on Friday, September 16, during the BHTA’s third quarterly meeting at the Mount Gay Visitor’s Centre, the association’s chairman Renée Coppin said Roach’s selection came at the end of a recruitment process in which he was among three people shortlisted. “Our review panel, comprising head of our Human Resources Committee Leroy Browne, past Chair Steve Austin, our Human Resources Consultant Gail Springer, CEO of the BTMI and board member Dr Jens Thraenhart and myself, unanimously selected Geoffrey Roach to be appointed to the position,” explained Coppin.

Welcoming Roach, who had served as interim CEO to the position, she added: “Geoffrey, we have every confidence that you will bring your wealth of experience, calm, logical approach, and balanced style of leadership to the task of taking the BHTA forward.”

Speaking publicly for the first time since his appointment as CEO, Roach said he was grateful for the support.

“I want to thank the Board of the association for the vote of confidence they have placed in me to take up this role. I know certainly that when I was chair, there were some high demands on the CEO and the secretariat and I am hopeful that I, too, can continue to build the association as persons in the past have,” he said. WI

D.C. Black-Owned Businesses are Fighting Inequality (and Winning) Thanks to this New Investor Program.

By Ben Lozano CEO SMBX

For centuries, Black-owned businesses have been denied access to funds that white-owned businesses receive. Black-owned businesses are 20% less likely to get a loan from a large bank than their white-owned counterparts, as data from the Federal Reserve’s Small Business Credit Survey consistently shows. And that divide only grew deeper through the pandemic. But in the face of these challenges, Black business owners and community investors are finding a new and revolutionary way to fight back: community financing.

Thanks to a new partnership between the DC Mayor’s Office and investment platform SMBX, DC residents are taking power back into their own hands. DC residents can now invest in local, Black-owned businesses directly, while earning up to 10% interest on their investments by purchasing their Small Business Bonds™.* So for example, if you invest $1,000 at an interest rate of 10% for a 5-year Bond, you would earn $245.50 in interest. Best of all, your money would go towards helping a real business make the purchases and hires that they need to succeed.

What sets SMBX apart is their dedication to keeping wealth in the community. Unlike banks or lenders who act as “middlemen,” charging high fees and interest rates, SMBX lets everyday people become the investors. Instead of paying money back to a nameless corporation, businesses are paying back their friends, family and community members. Investing on SMBX helps build a stronger local economy, and gives people the opportunity to support Black-owned and local businesses directly. The program goes beyond shopping local, allowing people to put their hard-earned money back into their communities and growing their investment portfolios.

If you’re a business owner in Washington, DC looking to raise money on SMBX, you’ll pay $0 in origination fees, thanks to contributions from the DC government. “This is why we partnered with SMBX to harness the support of DC residents of small businesses throughout the pandemic to benefit the District’s entrepreneurs over the long term,” said John Falcicchio, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. “It is so important for small businesses to have access to funding, specifically entrepreneurs of color, and SMBX provides a viable option to convert customers to investors.”

Black-owned businesses have already raised over $1,000,000 on SMBX, including beloved DC businesses like Trini Vybez food truck and Innovative Recordings, LLC. “There are investors around the country participating in the bond program,” said Charles Garris of Innovative Recordings, LLC. “It’s exciting that our story is compelling enough that it reached investors who wanted to support us. This is a great opportunity. By working with SMBX and our investors, this funding has already assisted in increasing our overall operations. It's also a wonderful opportunity for our continued business and workforce development.”

SMBX welcomes all small businesses, but their team puts emphasis on inclusion and equity for minority-owned, Black-owned, woman-owned and LGBTQIA+ owned businesses. They describe their mission as building the future of finance, a future where every entrepreneur and individual has the same opportunity to grow their wealth and empower their communities. “By turning the DC community into active investors in their favorite businesses, we’re creating a financial system that benefits everyone and helps keep the cycle of wealth and prosperity in the District.

To learn more about becoming an investor on SMBX, visit www.thesmbx.com/investors.

To learn more about raising money for your business on SMBX, visit www.thesmbx.com/raise.

To learn more about SMBX’s partnership with the city of Washington DC, visit go.thesmbx.com/dc.

Ben Lozano, CEO

SMBX Innovative Recordings, LLC raised funds using SMBX

(Courtesy photo HUNS)