Loomnie

This is a synopsis:

Elder’s Corner is musical journey through pivotal moments in the colorful history of Nigeria as told through the lives and careers of the nations foremost music legends. It is a story about the eroding effects of colonialism, bitter ethnic clashes, politics, oil, power, money and their combined effects on a nation that recently celebrated its 50th year of self rule.

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The Executive Summary:

African countries south of the Sahara are poised to enjoy a surge in growth in their banking systems during this decade. The three main drivers of this development will be generally very high rates of economic growth, financial deepening to fulfil huge unmet needs for basic financial services and new technologies to provide them—particularly over mobile phones.

In this report we trace out two scenarios for the growth of the sector. In the conservative scenario, driven exclusively by economic expansion, we project that the industry in 16 key African economies will boost its financial assets by 178% to US$980bn by 2020. In the more likely scenario, driven by both economic growth and financial deepening, we foresee assets expanding by 248% to US$1.37trn at the end of the decade (see chart).
The boom will vary markedly across the continent, however. Banking is likely to enjoy its most rapid expansion in Angola, increasing assets at least fivefold by 2020, as that country experiences a surge in petroleum production and builds up an industry long hampered by civil war and economic malaise. Banks in a number of other economies—including Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda—will expand assets at least threefold over the same period.
Slower-growing markets will include South Africa, which is the financial powerhouse of the continent but will expand its own banking sector only modestly by 2020. Botswana and Namibia, two other economies with well-developed banking systems, are also slated to expand banking assets at rates below the regional average.

In most regards the region is trailing the rest of the world in developing the banking systems that are vital for stronger economic development and growth. However, in some key aspects Sub-Saharan Africa is leading other regions in ways that will allow it to rapidly catch up, or even leapfrog forward, in the next decade and beyond. The continent’s industry is a leader in mobile banking and other innovative approaches to reaching new customers. Most of its markets are also unusually open among emerging markets to foreign banks and microfinance firms. More than anything else, it offers huge unmet financial needs in a world largely marked by excessive debt and leverage.

You can register here to download a summary of the full report.

From a new Accenture report titled At the tipping point: Financial services in Africa comes of age:

The Accenture research study… highlights new growth triggers for financial services, pointing to rapid market development in some countries. While the paths to growth vary, these triggers often include innovation through (very) low-cost offerings and distribution, dramatically opening up access to financial services; investment in physical infrastructure and financial infrastructure development through more sophisticated regulations, and institution building; strong economic growth and inward investment in the economy, including by financial institutions following their clients into new countries; and growth in consumer markets driven by demographic change, including the rise of the urban middle class, and the growth in microfinance-supported businesses in rural areas.

In Accenture’s view, banks and insurers will not achieve sustained success in Africa’s fast-developing markets simply by replicating traditional business models from developed countries. New strategies are needed — including adapting retail banking models to local cultural needs, and finding new ways to serve low-income customers profitably. Contributing to nationbuilding and the development of local communities is a further prerequisite in many countries. And attempts to roll out standardised models must take into account differences in local business and regulatory environments.

The report [pdf].

Sometime last week I attended a podium discussion at the Berlin Humboldt University. The topic was Africa as the laboratory of globalisation. The idea was to discuss different ways in which Africa serves as a laboratory for ideas that then travel to other parts of the world.

Some of those on the podium are STS people who study medical practices in Africa, so the topic of clinical trials in Africa was discussed. For example, it is sometimes much more difficult to get permission to test new drugs in Europe and North Africa than in many African countries. Plus, in many cases, many people would never have access to the treatment if they did not partake in the tests. Of course, there are discussions on what happens to the test subjects when the test phase is ended. From what I gathered in the discussion, it seems that some steps are being taken, in some cases, to make sure that some of them continue having access to the medication. In this case, it is pretty obvious that the test results form part of the decision to introduce drugs in European and North American markets.

Even the idea of no-consent testing is being introduced in some European countries. This is a case in which your Dr does not have to seek your consent before sending samples off to test for HIV. This was first introduced in certain African countries, and if I understood the speaker correctly, it is currently being practiced in France.

With regards to constitution making, someone from South Africa was part of the committee that ‘made’ the new Kenyan constitution, because the SA constitution is thought to be one of the most progressive in the world. Plus the process of constitution drafting in many African countries is influencing the way people think about the nature of constitution around the world etc., etc.

There was also a discussion of cultural forms that have travelled out of the continent. Nollywood is an example; kente is another one.

I am sure you can think of some economic issues.

After the discussion, my friend asked me a question that totally stumped me: if Africa is a laboratory of globalisation, then some people are the lab scientists. Apart from the obvious medical examples, most of those scientists are social scientists. How come, of all the social science disciplines, one never gets to hear about psychologists working in or doing research in Africa?

I was stumped because I couldn’t think of anyone I know who is a psychologist doing research in Africa; and I haven’t heard of the participation of psychologists qua psychologist in development programmes, not even in post-conflict situations. I am ready to accept that it is possible that I am the one who is totally ignorant, which is why I am throwing this out at readers who are much more experienced in development practice than I am, and who have experiences in parts of Africa where I have never worked.

So, to recapitulate, the bleg is: why do my friend and I never get to hear of psychologists doing research in Africa? Any thoughts are most welcome.

The Economist talks to China Europe Business School’s Africa Programme Director, Kwaku Atuahene-Gima, about the reason the Chinese business school decided to establish a branch in Ghana:

CEIBS has been instrumental in developing the business talent that has helped China develop,…. The Europeans and Americans were the colonisers of Africa, but there was not much development, or improvement in standards of living. China has over the past 30 years transformed a very poor economy into a very vibrant one….We decided to bring our model to Africa to help Africa develop.

He also talks about his plans to design a  programme for traditional chiefs and their administrative staff.

Read about the school here. The audio file is here.

… is the title of a recently published book by Kate Meagher of LSE’s Department of International Development, my friend and fellow student of African trade networks and informal economy.

Nicolas van de Walle writes in Foreign Policy about the book:

Within development circles, conventional wisdom has it that successful manufacturing sectors often develop in low-income countries thanks to identity-based social networks made up of producers working together. These networks are said to generate the social capital that can be used to overcome many of the shortcomings of underdevelopment. Meagher’s careful study of two such networks in southwestern Nigeria — of small, undercapitalized garment and shoe manufacturers — suggests that the advantages for producers within the networks are being undermined by an increasingly dysfunctional state. Meagher shows that these networks, whose roots go back to the colonial era, bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and export their goods to states throughout West Africa. But in recent years, they have proved vulnerable to Asian imports and have largely failed to develop economies of scale, invest in new machinery, or generate new lines of production; these networks, it turns out, stifle innovation and consolidation, even as they protect their members. Informed by theory as well as sustained fieldwork, Meagher’s study is a useful antidote to the purveyors of magic-bullet solutions for African development. It should be read by anyone interested in Africa’s industrialization.

Amazon page.

If we need anything now, it is more nuanced views of African political economy. That is what the book provides, in a very methodical way.

1. FT has a special report on Nigeria at 50. It is worth your time.

2. The BBC also has a special reports page on Nigeria at 50

3. Still with the BBC, some Nigerians are interviewed on how they will be celebrating the 50th independence anniversary

4. Have you seen the official Nigeria at 50 website? See what Akin has to say about it here

5. The series of articles to celebrate the anniversary on NigeriansTalk runs till tomorrow

Image via Wikipedia

Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary is on October 1, 2010. To celebrate it, we are running a series titled Nigeria@50 at the groupblog NigeriansTalk. The first in the series, titled One Nigeria: Nigerian Unity 50 years Post-independence, was written by Kola of KTravula. The second is titled Nigeria at 50: Academic Medicine, and was written by Seye of Square One. There will be at least an article a day till October 1.

Follow and join the discussion at NigeriansTalk.org.

I just got this in the mail.

Four interrelated crises are mutually reinforcing each other: climate change, the energy crisis, the food crisis and the financial and economic crisis. But of these, the consequence of the global financial meltdown presents significant challenges for African countries, reversing the gains in economic performance and management made since the beginning of the new millennium. Although the crisis, progeny of the US mortgage industry came up gradually since Summer 2007, it went through a new phase of acceleration and development in early Fall 2008. This crisis has since spread beyond the US and the developed countries to Africa, a continent pervasive with weak institutions of governance and uncoordinated policy responses to the crisis.

The call for concept papers for an edited Book Project hopes to address the implication of globalisation of the financial crisis to Africa. It also seeks to identify divergent policy responses from African countries, regional organisations and international institutions in ensuring that the crisis does not develop into a humanitarian crisis. Although African countries have reactive identities regarding impact and policy responses to the crisis, the continent is far from being monolithic.

Sub- Themes

Proposals are welcomed from the following sub-themes:

i. The globalisation of economic and financial crisis in Africa
ii. The synergy between climate change, food crisis, energy crisis and the financial and economic crisis
iii. The role of institutions in stemming the tide of the financial and economic crisis in Africa
iv. Financial and economic crisis and peace and security challenges in Africa v. Income re-distribution and pro-poor policies during financial and economic crisis
vi. Diasporas, remittances, brain drain or brain gain during the financial and economic crisis
vii. Images, media presentation and representation of the economic and financial crisis viii. Gender and the economic and financial crisis
ix. The role of Asian drivers in mitigating the financial and economic crisis in Africa
x. Impact and responses from rentier states, enclave economies, mono-crop economies and diversified economies
xi. Financial and economic crisis and African borders
xii. Country case studies on the global and economic financial meltdown

Proposals should include the contributor’s name, affiliation, and contact details (including email address) as well as book sub-theme, abstract and paper title (maximum 500 words). Proposals should be sent to: taconceptpapers2@gmail.com

Deadlines and timetable
28th September 2010 – Deadline for submitting the book proposal
31st October 2010 – Notification about acceptance/decline of the proposal
31st November 2010 – Deadline for submitting the papers
15th January 2010 – Deadline for submitting revised papers
4th March 2011 – Publishing of selected papers in an edited volume

For further information, email:

Terhemba Ambe-Uva
Lecturer/Coordinator, Department of International Studies, National Open University of Nigeria PMB 80067 Victoria Island, Lagos.
mneuter@gmail.com

Off to Basel tomorrow for an African Borderlands Research Network conference. As part of a panel on a comparative study of cross-border trade networks in Africa, I will be presenting a paper titled “Benin-Nigeria secondhand clothing cross-border trade in historical perspective”. The abstract:

Today, Benin Republic is the main supplier of secondhand clothing to Nigeria, a country in which the importation of secondhand clothing is banned. Igbo traders, who form a transnational trade network that spans the eastern part of the West African coast and that extends to Europe and North America, dominate the import and retail trade in the commodity in Benin Republic. This is a network that could be described – depending on the side from which one chooses to look at it – either as an agent of development or as a predator on the state’s resources. The exercise here is to move beyond those arguments and to show the current configurations of the trade network as it has responded to a changing global political and economic landscape, and as it has been modified by the changes in the political economy of the West African countries that it spans.

For more on the conference [pdf].