Melvin P. Foote
27 July 2010
OPINION
Washington, DC — This week Uganda is hosting the AU Heads of State Summit, with a focus on “Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa.” At a time when most health news showcases the efforts of major western donors like the Gates Foundation, the AU Summit shows African leaders’ commitment to developing priorities and programs that strengthen both national and regional health systems. Continue reading
On a recent trip to Nairobi, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet with both Equity Bank and M-PESA at Safaricom. M-PESA and Equity Bank are prime examples of companies involved in a new trend in innovation. A recent Economist report on innovation in emerging markets explains that “many of the most important innovations…are aimed at the middle or the bottom of the income pyramid.” Continue reading
April 26, 2010
Washington, DC
On April 26, 2010, The Whitaker Group and the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Prosperity convened a diverse group of global development stakeholders to discuss new strategies and initiatives to maximize capital flows to Africa at a lunch event sponsored by The Western Union Company. African Finance Ministers, Ambassadors, US business and policy leaders, multilateral development bank officials and heads of emerging market funds gathered together to share best practices and innovative initiatives. Continue reading
“Leaders Forum: AGOA and the Way Forward on U.S.-Africa Economic Policy”
April 26th, 2010
The Willard InterContinental Hotel, Washington DC
Remarks by Rosa Whitaker
Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen, Honored Guests. I would like to begin by welcoming you all and by thanking my co-hosts for their support of this event: The AGOA Action Committee, the Africa Coalition for Trade, the African-American Unity Caucus, the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa, the Constituency for Africa, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, Manchester Trade, and the Corporate Council on Africa. Continue reading
“Innovative Mechanisms for Maximizing Capital Flows to Africa”
April 26th, 2010
The Willard InterContinental Hotel, Washington, DC
Opening Remarks by Rosa Whitaker
Good afternoon, Excellencies, honored guests, ladies and gentlemen. We are delighted that you could all join us today. We have with us a host of senior US and African government officials, including Ministers of Finance, Ambassadors, and senior State Department advisors. We also have several senior World Bank officials, and of course we are so pleased to welcome President Donald Kaberuka today. Continue reading
Published at allAfrica.com – Trade Talk with Rosa Whitaker
by Rosa Whitaker
Bill Gates’ commitment at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to give $10 billion over the next decade to develop and distribute vaccines to children in the world’s poorest countries has stimulated an interesting discussion on what would be the best use for such a large charitable gift. It’s an important discussion too, as more very wealthy entrepreneurs use their charitable giving to change the whole paradigm of aid to the “bottom billion.” Continue reading
In This Issue:
Lesotho Stands Strong at Copenhagen Conference
Cellphone Technology Doubles E-Mail Access
Basotho Farmers to Grow Sorghum for Beer
Lesotho to Expand Safe Water Supply
Rural Homes To Gain Access to Solar Power
by Tom Haslett
One of the most important questions facing multinational corporations today is whether they can make a profit with products and services marketed to the poor in developing countries. Many companies are actively exploring this approach with a variety of goods meant to reach consumers with limited expendable income: this is called a “bottom of the pyramid” strategy. As firms search for new opportunities, Africa represents a particularly large and attractive market to tap. Equally importantly, new innovations that earn a profit for their creators can also serve the continent’s people as a powerful tool for development. Continue reading
President Kagame calls for strong health leadershipby Daniel Morris
A stable Somali business environment continues to be an elusive proposition. Last week the president of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government gave a talk in Washington, DC, notable for the large number of prominent members of the Somali diaspora community in the audience. With his government still struggling due to an Islamist-backed insurgency, the president was understandably vague on many specifics concerning his political and economic policies. Continue reading
On a recent trip to Malawi, my colleague Aubrey and I drove from the capital city of Lilongwe to Blantyre and back… roughly five hours each way. The trip was longer than we expected, partly because we also made several stops so that Patrick, our driver, could distribute money to his relatives who lived in rural areas. Continue reading
by Adanma Osakwe
Technology has become a major driving force for change and opportunity throughout the world. It has transformed many lives, and the unprecedented access to technology that today’s youth in Africa have allows them to compete with their peers in the global digital economy.
Young people gain a major advantage in terms of education, economic, and social opportunities when they have access to computers. Strategic use of technology can boost wealth creation and alleviate unemployment– providing marginalized individuals in rural communities with technological tools for training can help them to realize their economic potential. Continue reading
The demand for electrical power in the developing world is growing at nearly three times the rate of demand in the developed world. And as countries in the global South, especially in Africa, add newly-affordable common household items such as refrigerators and air-conditioning units, the existing power grids, most of which were set up in the late 1970s, are becoming overwhelmed – already most operate at rates far higher than their capacity can support. Just last week, Kenya began rationing its electricity due to the low water supply for hydroelectricity plants from an ongoing drought. Continue reading
In this issue:
Coffee is Uganda's top export, earning $348 million in 2008.
Uganda’s economy is expected to be among Africa’s strongest in 2009 with a growth rate of around 6% thanks largely to strong regional trade and continued demand for its agricultural exports, according to the African Economic Outlook 2009, published in May by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Continue reading
by Rosa Whitaker
Congressman Jack Kemp will be remembered for many things, but for me, Jack Kemp will always personify a particular vision of an Africa enjoying the prosperity that only integration can deliver, a full and active partner in the global community.
I was privileged to work with Congressman Kemp to make that vision a reality-first in the late 1990s, when he was one of the main advocates working with me in a bipartisan effort to pass the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and more recently as co-chair with me of the AGOA Action Committee advocating for enhancements to the legislation. Continue reading
The African Diaspora is a continual source of interest to the development community. It represents a highly accessible and much needed employment pool. Africans are the most highly educated and highest-earning immigrant group in the US. But often initiatives designed to attract them fail, for any number of reasons. One problem is a pervasive belief that remittances (which amounted to nearly $40 billion for Africa in 2008) are more valuable than labor. Continue reading
The other night I attended the launch of the Liberian Professional Network, the latest in a series of new organizations with the potential to revolutionize the way African expatriates can help develop their home countries. LPN brings together professionals in the Liberian diaspora to network, socialize, and support social causes and investment ventures back in Liberia. Diasporas have historically given significant financial support to their home countries – Liberia received $300 million in remittances in 2007 – but what sets groups like LPN apart is that they can coordinate all those resources to get a greater return. Continue reading
As new social phenomena, like Twitter, combine one technogical platform (SMS – short message service) with another (the internet), the feasibility of communicating has increased. This has particular relevance for Africa, which has the world’s most dense cell phone usage. (With three out of every four people using cellular numbers as their primary number, cellular numbers in Africa are the closest thing to national ID numbers in most countries). And, as the highly anticipated fiber optic cable in East Africa comes online, Africa will be well-equipped to advance these multimodal technologies. Continue reading
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