Oh Mama Africa !

[Muadib]

http://www.economist.com/node/17853324

Oh for the days when wi used to send people fi help dem..

Meanwhile wi still ah use term like 'Comrade'..



No worries doh. we have Bob and Usain !..

[Don1]

[url]


No worries doh. we have Bob and Usain !..

.....and Desert Mouse!!!

[World Fan]

reporting high expectations

Meanwhile Slim is saddling up to leave town

http://rjrnewsonline.com/business/mu...ent-hub-hylton


Much interest in Jamaica’s logistics and transshipment hub – Hylton

9:03 am, Wed December 19, 2012

Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Anthony Hylton

Anthony Hylton, Jamaica's Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, is reporting high expectations for the development of Jamaica’s global logistics and transshipment hub among stakeholders in the business and trading community worldwide.

Speaking on Tuesday at the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC's) Breakfast Forum in Kingston Mr. Hylton said this was the feedback from investors in Europe, Asia and Panama following discussions in recent weeks.

Development of the hub, which is estimated to cost US$8-US$10 billion, is being spearheaded by the government in an effort to position Jamaica to take advantage of the anticipated increase in maritime activities, expected to result from the expansion of the Panama Canal by 2015.

Central to the development are the dredging of the Kingston Harbour and the expansion of the Port of Kingston.

Plans are also on the drawing board for the development of the Caymanas Economic Zone, a transshipment commodity port at Cow Bay in St. Thomas; restoration of abandoned Vernamfield airbase in Clarendon as an air-cargo and passenger facility; as well as the establishment of a dry dock facility at Jackson Bay, also in Clarendon.

_________________________________________


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...n-home-economy
Ghana expatriates return home to seize opportunities from booming economy

Banker Julian Opuni and his fashion designer wife, Rebekah, are among a growing number of Ghanaians returning to their homeland to work and build a better life


Afua Hirsch
Afua Hirsch in Accra
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 19 December 2012 11.29 EST

Julian and Rebekah Opuni
Julian and Rebekah Opuni with their one-year-old son, MJ. The family moved back to Ghana from the UK this year. Photograph: Nana Kofi Acquah

At a 19-storey glass skyscraper in downtown Accra, Ghana, the daily exodus of office workers is beginning in earnest. Men and women in suits spill out into the equatorial sunset and congested city streets from the headquarters of Fidelity Bank – one of a couple of dozen banks profiting from the west African country's economic boom.

In a modest, tidy corner office on the second floor, Julian Opuni, 40, is working late. Since returning to Ghana from the UK this year after almost 20 years working for Lloyds TSB, he has immersed himself in helping Fidelity to capitalise on the growth in small- and medium-sized businesses.

"It is a good time for the banking sector in Ghana," said Opuni. "The banks have benefitted from what's happening in the broader economy – the oil find, increased earnings and the high price of gold. Ghana has lots of opportunities, and there are so many markets that haven't been tapped into yet. The banking sector in Ghana is very receptive at the moment to new ideas."

Opuni is one of many Ghanaians attracted by Ghana's steady economic growth – which reached 14.4% last year, driven primarily by the boom in oil, construction, technology and agriculture – to leave a successful career in the UK and return to his homeland.

Raised in Ghana until the age of 18, Opuni travelled to the UK and embarked on a senior management training programme with Lloyds TSB. Like many of the estimated 800,000 Ghanaians abroad he had a vague hope of returning one day. But it was after getting married four years ago that he was provided with the impetus to do so.

Now a fashion designer whose clothes sell under a label with her name, Rebekah Opuni grew up in Ghana but moved reluctantly to the UK after meeting Julian.

"I stayed in the UK because of Julian but I didn't like living there," said the 28-year-old. "I studied fashion at the University of Hertfordshire, but it was cold, I didn't make a lot of friends, I didn't have that much in common with people there. I was very keen to come back to Ghana."

The couple have a one-year-old son, Micah Junior – or MJ – and say they enjoy having a stronger support network in Ghana, allowing Rebekah to combine childcare with running her own business.

Her niche of European-style white wedding dresses with sweetheart necklines and African-inspired silhouettes is filling a gap in the market in Ghana, as a growing number of people with cash to spend are willing to splash out on her gowns, which sell for upwards of £700.

"This is the perfect time to start a business like mine in Ghana," she said. "The whole fashion industry is starting to get going, but no one else is doing something like this.

"A few years ago an imported dress would have had way more prestige, but now people love wearing African fabric, and they appreciate designers who can put good quality on it. And there is extra cash in the system – more people have money to spend now."

The Opunis enjoy a degree of luxury in Ghana. They are building themselves a family home and enjoy weekend retreats at some of the country's high-end lakeside or seaside resorts, and eating at top hotels such as the Mövenpick Ambassador during the week.

They are part of a growing community of affluent Ghanaians and business travellers who have helped the hotel and restaurant sector expand by 11% in recent years. Ghana is now one of 23 African countries that have reached middle-income status – a dramatic change in fortunes from the economic and political turbulence that followed independence from Britain in 1957.

But the couple say they recognise that they are, nevertheless, members of an affluent minority.

"I do feel part of a bubble," said Opuni. "When I think how much it costs to pay our driver or our nanny, I know that we can go to lunch or dinner and spend the same in one night as they earn together for the month. That does make me feel bad.

"But the reality is as someone who has returned, I have a genuine interest in making Ghana better, and I have a global picture in mind.

"This is still an emerging part of the world, and a lot of the recovery will come from people who tap into these emerging markets."

But it was not just the opportunities in Ghana that pulled the Opunis back. Julian said he experienced racism in the UK, which cast doubts on his prospects in the country compared with in the booming economy of his homeland.

"There was definitely a glass ceiling at Lloyds," he said.

Opuni said he was happy about the way his career was progressing in the UK, but he still felt limited. "I knew I could never become CEO of Lloyds TSB. But when I started at Fidelity, one of the first things my director said to me was, 'The thing about Ghana is, you could become CEO one day. Or you could start your own bank. Or you could become minister of finance.'"

[Gamma]

who dat?

[Rudi]

http://www.economist.com/node/17853324

Oh for the days when wi used to send people fi help dem..

Meanwhile wi still ah use term like 'Comrade'..



No worries doh. we have Bob and Usain !..

Surpised a man of your kowledge didn't know this. This article was from 2011. Africa will once again have the fastest growing economies in 2012. I am not sure if they have sent out a call for Silicon valley economist yet. Keep hope alive.

[Muadib]

is not me mi telling.. is di Forum mi ah heducate.. it is has special relevance at this juncture based on the latest World Bank predictions for Jamaica...

Mi nuh muss know bout mi homeland ??

[Islandman]

Oh for 14.4% growth...I guess we can dream

[Muadib]

"There is certain to be disaster when the Slave becomes the Master..."

[Willi]

Europe ah di biggest idiot. Form fool and mek chinese tek ova.

Long time me a preach to all and sundry here...AFRIKKKKKKA ,and Sth America to a lesser extent, is the hope of mankind!

All who a look to moon and Mars a jokah.

Africa is the 2nd largest continent and the richest by far.

[Islandman]

True but let us not get too excited just yet. The growth is fragile and Africa has a way to break the hearts of those who have high hopes for it.

Case in point: South Africa under Zuma is regressing.

Africa needs at least three or four strong, sustainable economies to give the continent enough velocity to escape its stagnantion. Two of those almost have to be Nigeria and South Africa otherwise you will need more than four.

A long, hard road ahead but at least there is a glimmer of light for now.

[Rudi]

Tell that to your frien the wanna-be master above.

[Willi]

It could be done comprehensively if the EU formulated a trans continental plan with win win goals in mind.

Now look hummutch EU country have 20% unemployment when the highway making equipment and tunnelers and all kind of manufacturing a rust away.

Pride cometh before a fall. Eeejat dem.

[Muadib]

How yuh leave out Brazil ???

Brazil nah ramp innah Africa...

[Willi]

Spain and Greece woulda kill fi some a dem construction projects now...Africa can pay in Gold and other hard currencies (commodities)....ah nuh papah bizniz this.

[World Fan]

Gracious Mama África - Dezarie

Gracious Mama África - Dezarie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbNvsQJeJ6w