Back to the blog world after two weeks of travel, lots of adventures, but that comes later.
Today I am in Minneapolis, attending the Push Conference, “The Geography of Change”. The producer of Push, the lovely Cecily Sommers has put together two days of dynamite speakers. I got tot Minneapolis, i.e. MSP Saturday night, and woke up yesterday to “the day”, i.e. the most beautiful day of the summer. The kind of day that the good people of Minnesota, of which I was once one, live the rest of the year for. It was such a spectacular day, that one is caused to forget how brutal the weather can be the rest of the year. Minnesota is the one place on the world where I think they cheer global warming.
First up this morning is Iqbal Z. Quadir , the founder of GrameenPhone, LTD. cellular phone service for Bangladesh. Interesting presentation, key punch line:
“Connectivity is productivity”, if you can’t connect, hard to be productive.
Adam Smith: Specialization leads to productivity
Specialization needs dependability
Dependability needs connectivity. Connectivity leads to productivity.
Interesting slide on lack of infrastructure, and a note that 94% of borrowers from Grameen Bank were women. Women manage money better. Use money better.
Wrote to bank and suggested that the cell phone could be a “cow”, i.e. the cow being the center piece of Bangladesh economy.
Next up..is Marc Sommers, brother of Cecily…
People in Africa who understand the market are really bad people! Market for small arms in Africa is huge. Kleptocracy, if you don’t have a system, you can steal what you need.
Charles Taylor, in Liberia, when he took a town, he would call the BBC, and tell them that he had taken the town. Child soldiers, if you want money, steal it and pay your self. Columbian drug cartel active in Africa.
From Threat to Opportunity.
No place that has a greater proportion of young people than Africa. What’s a youth? Three definitions from the crowd. African stereotypes help sell newspapers. African is really a dump, per one writer.
Somers just used a Tupac rap song to illustrate a serious of slides on Africa. Talks also about how they used Rambo film as a training film. Nice…! Net result is that it makes kids very brave.
Opportunity Part II
Peace is breaking out all over Africa.
Africa is authoritarian…on the other hand voting is happening.
No wars have started in African cities. Wars rather started and were fought in rural areas! War affected youth much more self destructive than destructive.
Base commander, age 14. Lead attacker age 16, head of SBU, small boys unit at age 9.
Rate of urbanization is increasing. In 15 years more than half of all Africans will be in Cities. Word farm doesn’t work with youth. No money in the rural areas. Can reinvent yourself in cities. Dar Es Salaam…center place for rap music. Continent becoming more peaceful, democratic and urbanized.
Can’t develop peace building without youth
So much to work with! Embody opportunity in Africa!
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