Nigeria has a national virtual library (here: http://www.nigerianvirtuallibrary.com/) built and maintained by the National University Commission (NUC). Great idea, right? But wait until you try to use… and you get this:
Several questions ran through my mind when I saw the message:
1. Why would users have to register with their “school librarian” and not online?
2. Why would anyone have to get ‘off-line’ to register for an online portal?
3. Is the NUC assuming only those affiliated with Nigerian colleges and universities would be interested in the portal, or is it their plan to limit access to those people only? If the latter is the case, why?
4. Isn’t this a clear example of how government-managed initiatives quickly become redundant in Nigeria?
See transcripts of the show on MSNBC
Who is [tag]Craig Chirinda[/tag]?
Craig promotes trade and investment into the southern Africa region, so far he’s tucked in some US$4 billion in leads, financing deals, and joint ventures. He is from Zimbabwe and just in his early twenties!
Benin has some words with him on his blog via this post: http://beninmwangi.com/2007/05/05/on-craig-chirinda-what-would-you-do-with-4-billion-usd/.
Here is an excerpt of the interview:
Benin: Based upon your experiences are there any obstacles that a potential investor into Africa should be aware of before moving forward? If so, how have you handled these hurdles?
Craig: Things in Africa move a slower pace than they are used to, so they should be patient. They should make sure that they have lobbying machinery (in the form of chiefs, politicians, local business people and religious leaders), that they deploy to accelerate the pace of a transaction. If they don’t have the lobbying machinery, the transaction just won’t happen!
“Nowhere in the world can a sitting government be getting ready for election and we have the kind of crisis in the power sector. They (PDP) are taking for granted that they will win every position they contest. So, the present situation shows how much contempt these fellows have for the Nigerian people…I can’t imagine in a normal democracy where people are expecting that their votes will count, that a government so close to the election will allow that. What it means is that these people have total disregard for the Nigerian people. They expect that they will rig the elections, so the Nigerian people don’t matter”- Prof Pat Utomi.
This is the opener to Is’haq Modibbo Kawu’s article on AllAfrica – Nigeria: Not Sabotage But Incompetence – President Obasanjo (http://allafrica.com/stories/200704050287.html)
“Some of the major misconceptions about microfinance — small loans of under $100 that enable Third World residents to become entrepreneurs — can be summed up by what happened roughly a decade ago, when the pioneering Grameen Bank decided to help female villagers in Bangladesh enter the mobile phone business.”
Excerpt from Knowledge at Wharton: ‘Microfinance 2.0′: New Tools, New Goals and New Ways to Lift People out of Poverty
“The first thing that captivates you about Ene is her shy infectious smile that instantly coaxes one from you in return. A stellar student at the Amadu Bello University in Zaria [Nigeria]“, her website states. “Ene gained entry by passing her Exams with distinction from her bed in the Hospital…”
Ene is ill, she has a hole in her heart, and she needs urgent help sourcing feeds for surgery.
Visit her Website, please. No donation is too little. Help someone today!
http://www.helpene.org/cure.htm
