Page 12 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 13
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Community

          keep enjoying mobile phone technology, it
          must have unhindered access to tantalum
          from Congo. For your information, Congo
          is among the world’s poorest countries.

          Niger Republic and Namibia are among
          the world’s top producers of  uranium.
          They are also among the world’s poorest.
          Niger alone supplies France with the ura-
          nium required to power up their nuclear
          programme and power stations – gener-  African Union Headquaters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
          ating almost 80% of  France’s electricity
          via an estimated 59 nuclear plants. One
          out of  every three light bulbs that are lit   is also among the world’s top exporter of    elders meet was built by another
          in France is thanks to the uranium from   raw cashew nuts. In 2018, Ivory Coast   set of strangers? I speak of the AU
          Niger republic. However, in Niger, nearly   was ranked 165 out of  189 countries on   headquarters which was built by the
          90% of  the population has no access to   the United Nations Human Development   Chinese.
          electricity. For France to keep growing, it   Index. The Ivory Coast continues to be
          must have unhindered access to uranium   the world’s largest producer of  cocoa, with   Afrika is where she is today because
          from Niger republic.               an estimated 2.12 million metric tons for   the “elders” were too weak morally
                                             2020’s harvest.                    and in discernment to cast out the

          Over 70% of  the world’s cocoa is grown                               thieves who snuck in as strangers.
          in Africa, which is exported. The world’s   When will we throw out the   They were too busy allowing the
          chocolate business is valued at over 120   strangers and thieves in our   killing of a man like Thomas Sanka-
          billion dollars annually and is expected to   midst?                  ra, who stood for something useful,
          grow up to 170 billion dollars by 2024.   I was at the AU headquarters in Ad-  because his life raises a question
          Yes, it is the cocoa from Africa that pow-  dis Ababa with my wife in late 2018.   about possibilities in Afrika that
          ers the worlds profitable chocolate business.   We were allowed to walk around the   they cannot dare to answer.
          For the world to keep enjoying chocolate   new facility, take photos and even
          and make money from it, it must have   ask questions. I got very upset when   It is against common sense for Af-
          unhindered access to Africa’s cocoa. For   we were told that the brand new   rika to have all the resources listed
          every 100 dollars that Africa makes from   facility that we were walking around   in this article and more and then
          the sales of  cocoa, she generates at least   and admiring, was funded and built   the Afrikan people be considered
          50,000 dollars, not for her people, but for   by the Chinese.         the poorest in the world. How does
          the rest of  the world.                                               that even work? And then we have
                                             To me, that was like a huge slap on   the very shameless leaders or elders
          Ghana and Ivory Coast account for   the face of Afrika all over again.   of the Afrikan people who love
          almost 70% of  global cocoa bean exports.   Someone may ask, “What’s the big   to travel to those magical places
          In 2019 alone Ghana exported around   deal about China building the AU   outside of Afrika, which were built
          900,000 tons! Cocoa farmers in Ghana   headquarters?” Well the big deal is   by the very resources stolen from
          receive 480 cedis (86 euro) per bag, which   that, the AU headquarters is not just   Afrika, while the very Afrika the
          amounts to an annual income of  500   a building. In Afrikan culture, the   resources came out from is nothing
          euros for one hectare. Ghana earns some 2   place where elders meet and decide   but an eyesore. It is a shame that
          billion dollars annually from exportation   the destiny of their people is not a   after sixty years of self-rule and
          of  cocoa, while the chocolate industry,   mere place, it is the place of power   in 2021, our people still run to the
          which depends on Ghana’s cocoa beans,   and authority. It is a spiritual strong-  land of their oppressors for health
          earns over 120 billion dollars annually.   hold that represents the people, a   care.
          The average life expectancy for farmers in   place where elders are not afraid to
          Ghana is said to be 53 years.      speak the truth for the benefit of   When are we going to root out the
          Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa   their communities and not the place   strangers and thieves in our midst.
          producer, a former colony until ‘Indepen-  of lies and falsehood that the AU   It’s hard to do, I guess, especially
          dence’ in 1960, has wrestled with civil   headquarters has become.    now that the strangers and thieves
          unrest and increasing poverty rates for   But the question is this, how can   are the very ones we vote into pow-
          years. In 2015, poverty in the Ivory Coast   the thieves and strangers that have   er and whose corrupt families we
          was as high as 46.3 percent. Ivory coast   raped our lands be stopped, when   have given political immunity.
                                             the very “town hall” where the

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