Sadly not. I only really know the country through reading socialist/communist history and finding out about Sankara time as leader. I've watched a few documentaries and read Sankara works. I've also got Burkina Faso - A History of Power, Protest and Revolution by Ernest Harsch but I've yet to get into it.
The Africa Thread
- Thread starter freeurmind
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
Out of control” fire broken out in Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/18/africa/table-mountain-south-africa-fire-intl-afr/index.html
Also
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/18/africa/table-mountain-south-africa-fire-intl-afr/index.html
Also
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
A volatile region about to get worse.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Just a reminder that there are levels to corruption. Can you imagine a Sunak embezzling this amount of money?
The government would collapse.
The government would collapse.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
I don't know much about the issue other than what's in the news, but today I talked to a colleague who spent the last 5 months in Mozambique and he tells me the situation in the north is 100 times worse than what people see on the news.
That whole story is crazy. Went into the comments and found out how it ended. They called the police and drove him to the nearest police station. The police dragged him off the car and he then tried to get the couple arrested.
Nigeria is a mad house. Here's a government official hanging off a bonnet cause he insists on collecting a bribe.
Last edited:
You need a strongarm dictators that can unified you as a country. And probably start from there. We've had ours in 65 in soeharto. Dictators but everyone stand in line. At least There's safety even if it's due to fear.
There's no easy fix. Broke my heart to see atrocities that happened there. There's always hope but there are no quick fix. Even the best fix would be painful.
Stay safe.
That's been tried. Unsuccessfully.
That whole story is crazy. Went into the comments and found out how it ended. They called the police and drove him to the nearest police station. The police dragged him off the car and he then tried to get the couple arrested.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Imagine risking your life to fight terrorists who are armed to the teeth by the same government sending you into a warzone, while you barely have a functioning rifle.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Guys, is there anyone here who understands Akan language?
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Far too late.
Very true. Murdered one of the few men who could have ushered Africa into a posive direction. All we are left with is leaders who dance to the tune of the east and the west.
Sure do
Excellent!
Fortunately @villain has kind of sorted it. I assumed this lovely song was sung in Akan but it's in Ga. Honestly I just wanted a translation of the lyrics
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
feck me. The mine flooded and they’re at over 500 meters deep. That is an absolutely hellish thought.
Update -
Burkina Faso rescuers find no survivors in flooded mine chamber
Burkina Faso rescuers find no survivors in flooded mine chamber
Simple answer is no there is not really a Pan- African identity. Very much a complicated and diverse continent- even at a sub-regional level there is so much diversity. My country for example has 11 official languages amongst 60 odd million people.
I want to educate my fellow caftards on what is perhaps the greatest theft of a country's resources in modern history.
Nigeria, my country, an oil rich nation is on the verge of economic collapse amidst record oil prices. Nigeria is a testament to how corruption can literally kill a ountry.
About half the country oil outpu is stolen...I repeat stolen by government aganecies, politicians. The economic situation is so bad the governemnt is currently servicing loans through debt. The country is on its knees. I wish the worst on the country's leaders they deserve it. I don't want to bore you with details but just wanted to get it off my chest.
Nigeria, my country, an oil rich nation is on the verge of economic collapse amidst record oil prices. Nigeria is a testament to how corruption can literally kill a ountry.
About half the country oil outpu is stolen...I repeat stolen by government aganecies, politicians. The economic situation is so bad the governemnt is currently servicing loans through debt. The country is on its knees. I wish the worst on the country's leaders they deserve it. I don't want to bore you with details but just wanted to get it off my chest.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Africa has everything, its criminal that it is full of hardship when it has so much
@Adisa
So I hate to agree with The Economist. But they have their finger on the pulse of the problem.
Forget the oil/money theft, forget corruption. That has always happened.
The administration's insistence on artificially propping up the Naira, along with fuel subsidy, has fecked the country over. There's the official dollar rate that can only be obtained at the Central Bank, and then there is the black market rate. You have insiders buying dollars at the CBN rate and then selling it on the street (classic arbitrage). Meanwhile importers who need dollars are forced to obtain it on the street, driving inflation on everything and slowing down the economy.
Meanwhile, the government is insistent on maintaining the idiotic fuel subsidy. Regardless of market prices they mandate that all stations sell fuel at a certain rate. When that rate is unprofitable to petrol stations, they close up and wait until the economics work, and meanwhile, fuel scarcity becomes a thing (unless you're connected of course). Couple that with rolling blackouts (should be called rolling power, the default is no light), inability to power generators, and is it no wonder the economy is on the verge of collapse?
Fix those two problems and after some short term pain, money starts flowing in again. Then you can invest in security and parastatals to go after the bunkering and corruption. Won't happen till after the elections at the earliest (fingers crossed for Obi: won't happen methinks).
So I hate to agree with The Economist. But they have their finger on the pulse of the problem.
Forget the oil/money theft, forget corruption. That has always happened.
The administration's insistence on artificially propping up the Naira, along with fuel subsidy, has fecked the country over. There's the official dollar rate that can only be obtained at the Central Bank, and then there is the black market rate. You have insiders buying dollars at the CBN rate and then selling it on the street (classic arbitrage). Meanwhile importers who need dollars are forced to obtain it on the street, driving inflation on everything and slowing down the economy.
Meanwhile, the government is insistent on maintaining the idiotic fuel subsidy. Regardless of market prices they mandate that all stations sell fuel at a certain rate. When that rate is unprofitable to petrol stations, they close up and wait until the economics work, and meanwhile, fuel scarcity becomes a thing (unless you're connected of course). Couple that with rolling blackouts (should be called rolling power, the default is no light), inability to power generators, and is it no wonder the economy is on the verge of collapse?
Fix those two problems and after some short term pain, money starts flowing in again. Then you can invest in security and parastatals to go after the bunkering and corruption. Won't happen till after the elections at the earliest (fingers crossed for Obi: won't happen methinks).
It has always happened but it has never been this bad.
I agree that a multitude of policies has contributed to the problem. Oil isn't even the worst or most accute. The exchange rate regime has fecked the country. There is a 60% variance between the official and parallel market. How can a country function? A net importer to boot. The naira has to be devalued.
My post was trying to get people to fathom how a country can allow half...half of its oil output to be stolen.
Airlines sell tickets to Nigerians at the CBN rate, so when I am in the country and flying out, I get naira at the black market rate, pay my fare using the CBN rate, and pocket the savings. It's insane but there you go.
I have people in Port Harcourt, smack dab in the delta. The people who steal oil are in cohort with the authorities, who look the other way in exchange for their settlement, as well as shady ships from offshore who are willing to buy oil without dealing with the flaming trashcan that is NNPC. Strong economic incentives to steal oil, and little initiative from the governments at the federal/state level to stop it. If you think the governor of the state isn't getting his cut I have a beach property in Maiduguri to sell you.
I'm mostly baffled at how the administration at the federal level is ok with the current state of things, or how the populace is easily accepting of this. Something has to give soon. Elections are right around the corner... Perfect tinder box there.
Half the international airlines are threatening to pull out. I don't know where the CBN governor got his degree. People keep saying there are no dollars in the country. That's a nonsense. Nigeria doesn't have a scarcity of dollars. It's just that no one is stupid enough to had it over to the CBN at that price, so the CBN don't have enough to give the airlines.
I even read a report that exporters who are forced to sell at the NAFEX window also get the difference, off market, with trades agreed long before they get to the window. To make the shambles worse, they also get the incentive for selling at the NAFEX window (an added N65 for every $1) courtesy of the CBN. The country is a joke.
The oil theft is another joke. A 300m litre capacity tanker was siezed by Equatorial Guinea in early August with stolen oil from Nigeria. The Nigerian navy's excuse for allowing the tanker escape was that "it was too fast". I am at a loss.
Not true. Successive governments have proposed removing it and its always been stifly resisted.
In any case the current government has taken steps to remove it once and for all by early next year.
They can remove it today if they want. The barefaced thruth is that successive governments have lacked the political will to do it. There is nothing stopping Buhari from removing it but he knows his party are fecked at the polls if he does.
Secondly, the subsidy is part of racket members of successive goverment run.
Supsidy, removed just before an election...you're having a laugh.
Eh? I'm speaking about the current government, not previous ones.
Early next year... After elections? Proof?
Well that's the point. The removal is due to take effect after the elections. And that's the whole point - the political will is there but as long as the masses keep resisting it, egged on by those with entrenched interests, the government of the day will be forced to keep it on. This government has solved the issue for now, by passing the buck. So let's see if the next one can stand the heat.
https://gazettengr.com/buhari-approves-fuel-subsidy-removal-takes-effect-june-2023/
https://www.thecable.ng/zainab-ahmed-fg-to-stop-paying-petrol-subsidy-june-2023
https://punchng.com/weve-quietly-removed-electricity-subsidy-fuel-subsidy-to-follow-fg/
Bit a of an economic and property boom going on there in some west African nations that seems to be going unmentioned. Think Ghana, Ivory Coast etc.
Funny thing. It was an Uber driver telling me about it. Then the next day, I saw tictok video about that. Saw some great looking malls, very modern financial centres, and beautiful properties.
Funny thing. It was an Uber driver telling me about it. Then the next day, I saw tictok video about that. Saw some great looking malls, very modern financial centres, and beautiful properties.
You may find this interesting then:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...tal-west-africa-will-shape-the-coming-century
Thanks for the link. Interesting read. Poses questions about both the pros & cons and likely hurdles. Only thing, I’m not too versed in African politics, although the thing about the rebels/conflict was something the Uber driver mentioned, do you think the article has too much of a negative/pessimistic slant ? Or is that the reality?