Page 50 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 14

Economy

while they have advanced trains and create or innovate, facilitated a pay- money to spend. Doing so because
not only that, are now working on ment for something that was needed their lenders told them to, despite
one insanely fast high-speed train. urgently. That is apartheid, and it is them having the intel to back an
It is economic apartheid. It is the taking place on a global scale against alternate choice of action.
thing that says to Afrika, ‘Go ahead the continent of Afrika and others
and live in the shanty towns while like it. And the problem demands In Kenya, the economy of the coun-
we build an ultramodern city for more than a VPN as a solution… in try enjoyed an upward swing during
ourselves.’ or ‘Yes, we can help you fact, you will find that certain sites President Mwai Kibaki’s tenure. At
get to where we are but we don’t have found ways to detect you when this point in the nation’s history, Ki-
want to. We prefer to write reports you are using one. baki streamlined revenue collection,
that talks about ‘too many are left made available tools like computers
behind’ so that we can justify the As I shared my thoughts with my at affordable rates by eliminating
loans we convince you to take, that husband, I told him that all of these duty, reduced external borrowing
leave you enmired in debt for gen- things are like a lady who is wearing and started to convince people that
erations.’ or ‘We prefer to tell you a long flowing dress and having her self-sufficiency was actually possi-
only what we want you to know to hem stepped on by someone with ble, that the matatu industry could
keep you running on the treadmill a big boot as she is trying to move be regulated, that the environment
that furthers our own agendas.’ Or forward. She can’t go anywhere could be clean and free from pollu-
the multinational that ‘finally’ hires without either tearing her dress, tion. Small businesses felt the pos-
an Afrikan from the country they risking her entire garment being itive effects of the policies that his
are based in as CEO or MD, only to destroyed or ripped off, or engaging regime was enacting and even speak
use them to push insanely unfriendly in some form of confrontation with about it to this day, nostalgically. To
policies or products onto the mar- the bully. All of which would be hear them you wouldn’t know that
ket, while calling it an achievement. needless if the world was really a fair it was barely 10 years ago that these
place and played by the rules that it policies were in place. Which should
If you have ever gone online and says everyone else should play by. tell you what life is like currently for
clicked on a link to watch a video these small businesses, which are the
and received the message, “This vid- If it seems too insidious for you engines of real growth for any econ-
eo is not available in your region.” to consider that the level of hin- omy. Sadly, they barely receive what
Or if you have ever wanted to drance by the west and the east they truly need in order to thrive; an
receive money via a payment service against Afrika actually goes to these environment that is conducive for
and received the message, “This ser- extremes, then ask yourself why experimentation, exploration and
vice is not available in your region.” we have millions of graduates at growth. Kenya, after Kibaki, has
Of if you have ever wanted to use a undergrad, master’s and PhD level had to endure increasing external
social media platform and received and nothing seems to be moving debt and corruption leading to theft
the message, “Access is not allowed for Afrika, if, indeed, everyone in of billions of shillings on a regular
in your region.” Or if you have the world is playing by the same basis and the inability or refusal
wanted to purchase an item and rules. Ask yourself why it seems that by those in charge to deal with the
been told, “We do not ship to your those who should be very logical ones perpetrating these crimes (this
country” Whether it was for fun and men and women, who are meant to is not to say that previous regimes
entertainment, or something critical be representing you in public office had clean hands). Greater taxation
that you needed, the fact that you and working in government offices and costs of necessities like fuel
were blocked from accessing any of for your benefit and the facilitation and electricity, which are necessary
these things means that you have of your sustained growth, seem to for manufacturing, have been the
been prevented from participating in always make decisions that work citizens’ reward. So, how will the
an activity or a process that hun- against your welfare. Taxing you country develop? How will Afrika
dreds of millions of people in the more at a time when they have grow and thrive if the tools to do so
west, or east can participate in with- restricted the very economic activity are kept one inch from our grasp?
out a second thought. An activity or and human interaction that would
a process that would have allowed spark innovation and production. A world where ladders become
you to improve your understanding Increasing prices of basic goods and slippery snakes
about a matter, increase your per- fuel at a time when it is obvious that I use Kenya as an example to
formance, empower your ability to people do not really have enough illustrate to you what is going on in

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