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Michael Jackson
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

The Michael Jackson,
Literally the whole world is mourning The King of Pop, I can put my money to it, and everyone living today will find a song to enjoy in MJ’s collection.

MJ was a man of many “coats” apart from the leather gold plated fatigue he had others, He was, may be the worlds greatest musician, a business man and a philanthropist, He was a very colorful man and probably his childhood-star life drove him to constantly seek global attention, to the point of making some unpopular decisions.
Just like you and me MJ was a man with his fears, challenges and desired many things most of them you and me desire too, He wanted to be a good father and husband (Yet to debate if he wasn’t), He reached out to the less fortunate and even inspired most present day musicians. MJ’ early life is a mixture of great times of a parents who saw his potential and drove him to reach it but also tough times where he experienced emotional and physical abuse from his Father.

From his collection, MJ sang it out loud, his lyrics and clips telling it all, an array of great imagination. Sensational thinking, idealism, possibilities, theatrical, lyrical and what else? He was in deed great or more than that!

Michael might not have made the best of Dads, Brother Business man or Philanthropist, probably we can debate that. He might not have made the best of mentors! Michael did it his way! It’s evident that he made the best of musicians, why we know this its the millions of copies his music sold, the singles that beat number one, the music playing on my laptop now, such music playing in thousands of homesteads across the world as afar as Japan, that’s how we know he made the greatest musician. I bet if they were to write on his tombstone, they will miss words, probably if they asked me to do so, I would have a simple phrase. “Here lies the greatest of musicians”.


June 27, 2009 | 6:12 PM Comments  1 comments

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Globolisation and Developing Economies
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Globolisation and Economic Development
While I was an Undergraduate at the University Of Nairobi -School Of Economics, I developed great interest in the subject of Development and how the same is impacted by international affairs. Today I still have the same interest only that I’m specifically interested in developing economies and how they are tapping into the opportunities presented by Globolisation. I ‘m interested in the use of Globolisation as a strategic tool to reverse unfavourable Balance of Trade. Because of the expansiveness of this research interest I would like to explore more on how developing economies can tap more into the opportunities presented by Globolisation to promote local development.
I’m also interested in knowledge accumulation and dispensation; I would like to spend a better part of my life sharing my findings with experts and student of this subject, adding up to the existing knowledge for the ultimate realization of optimal development results from this Globalization. Globolisation as a current phenomenon is presenting different challenges/opportunities in different areas of the Global economy. Although Globolisation presents itself in different outfits it puts on every developing country similar challenges and should be handled with equal seriousness across the regions.

The greatest danger in Globolisation is to widen the gap between the rich economies and their poor counterparts. The sad news is that; this is already happening in Sub-Saharan Africa. Such an emergency calls for a proper action to reverse it. Unless the Less developed world position themselves more strategically to harness the thousands of opportunities provided by the foreign policies of different economic regions/countries, see how they can become more competitive and close on the gap then these countries will be left behind. I would like to research more on how we can enhance our competitiveness and negate the challenges presented by globalization especially on international trade. All that with an intention to reverse the economic inequality that seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. If Asia and Europe are benefiting from Globolisation and especially from World Trade then why not Sub-Saharan Africa, why should Globolisation cost Sub-Saharan Africa over 2Billion dollars every year, how can we best reduce that net cost and maximize on the earning, I am interested in using this Globolisaation that is coming with great promises to turn around African economies. How can weaker states and minors in Global issues be positioned to play at an advantage. How can they ensure that the effect of international trade and Globolisation as a whole is playing out to the benefit of all players?
Since the world has become so much intertwined and Globolisation has become the gravity that is holding this same world together, I would like to design and develop a framework that helps countries in the developing world to minimize on the negatives of Globalisation while maximizing on the gains. I am keener on how to use the community at the grassroots to reverse these looses and brings the transformation. Globolisation for the less developed world especially for the sub-Saharan countries has meant growing poorer by 2 billion US dollars every year. Such a trend is scaring in did considering that the GDP of all these countries together is estimated at 350billion USD. In short sub-Saharan countries are loosing almost half the GDP of any average economy per year as result of Globolisation. Off course Globolisation comes with many benefits both monetary and non-monetary, but what net gain does it leave to the local person? Off course the more localized a person’s life is the less exposed it is to the benefits of globolisation and unfortunately that’s how most lives in sub-Saharan Africa are. This is to say that although Globolisation has taken over the world every year it is taking away over 2 billion USD from Sub-Sahara and leaving it poorer. It is of minimal benefit to the locals and only a few rich people are enjoying its benefits. However you can’t stop Globolisation from happening, only you can reverse the looses
Globolisation in its very nature demands that if we are to most enjoy its benefits then as a region a we must develop an elaborate transport and communication system. That is not the case across sub-Saharan, and so the biggest challenge is that majority (66% of the population is the region) of this people are locked out from these benefits. In short the few benefits accruing to such economies are gulped by the urbanites and so the USD 2 billion deficits is felt more by the very locals at the grassroots why? Because it is this money that is supposed to do something towards making their villages accessible. By designing and developing a framework that helps the sub-Saharan countries explore the very basic local projects we can help cancel this dip and turn it to positive trend. After the “baby” steps into a positive trend then we can be able to explore the more complex steps into solidifying and maximizing these gains.
A model way of reversing the trends would be to look at the major components of Globolisation i.e. Culture labour capital, goods and services and from these we can easily determine which is our weakest link and as we lay middle to long term solution, we can also easily go ahead and mitigate that with something short term especially from unexploited areas. Offcourse from this arrangement we have goods and services as our weakest link and especially where industrial goods are concerned. However we could look at: What could be our quick wins?
We (African Economies) should look at opportunities presented by the following components;
 -Culture and Tourism: This is an industry that can bring in the short to mid-term a positive effect in a countries Balance of Trade. Explore and recommend sustainable activities requiring minimal capital outlays that economies can engage in to bring in this short to maximize on the gains of Globolisation as depicted by this component.. A country like Malaysia is a good example of such.
 Labour: How can we use this to make and change lives of the locals and regain on the looses by Globolisation. i.e. exporting labour, managing brain drain etc. there has to be unity in purpose if these looses are to be reversed.
 Capital: how we can attract more well vetted foreign direct investment and how we can ensure that opportunities and benefits arising from the same will have a positive net effect on local development.
-Case study of Kenya’s Economy with its response to Globolisation for the past few decades, the opportunities presented to it and how the same can be harnessed in the both short, mid and long term.
We can choose to rise and learn how to swim with the sharks or we can whine until we drown in this sea of Globolisation.
-“For the love of Economics-Straton Mwashighadi”

May 16, 2009 | 4:20 PM Comments  0 comments

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Kenya's Speaker of National Assembly and his ruling on House Business Comitte Chairship
Related to country: Kenya

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

The events sorrounding the House Business comittee in the Kenyan Parliament have been of great interest. The speaker of the National Assemble Hon. Kenneth Marende has come out as a very able leader with perfect and impartial judgement regardless of his ODM roots. On the other hand Kenyans seems to have really celebrated Hon. Marende's ruling from different opinion polls it is evident that the Mwananchi is convinced, convinced that: that was the best possible decision for this stalement. German, US and UK Envoys to Kenya have gone ahead to praise Marendes decision,The comittee of Eminent persons led by Hon. Kofi Annan, Former Pres of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa and the rest. I so totally agree with all these. What do you think?

April 29, 2009 | 1:48 PM Comments  0 comments

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Development Financing, Education and Economic Development
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic


If we could first know where we are and wither are tending, we could better judge what to do and how to do it. –Abraham Lincoln. When I was a young boy living with my family in the village I would once in a month accompany my sister to the district national library (a rare privilege for a village boy), apart from the amazing stories and pictures that the books had, they revealed to me the world, its contents and what it required of me, they made me curious. Probably this is what ensured that unlike most of my village peers I rose to acquire university education and most likely further studies. The core of my interest lies is how Financing for Economic development and Education/Information dispensation impacts each other.
I am curious to understand better how Economic development is accelerated by Development Financing aimed at the Education Sector. How Economic Development Policies have used Education as a strategic tool in accelerating Economic Development. I have great interest in this subject because some economies have shown a unique trait where the growth rate for the Economy has been faster than that of literacy levels. In some of the countries this has necessitated importation of skilled labour and thus negatively impacting their balance of trade. In the study of developing economies, low literacy levels are cited as a major trait of these Economies. Professor Michael .P. Todaro in his book Economics for a Developing World provides an exposition of this issue. In the 17th chapter of this book he discusses ‘The Economics of Education’ where different factors affecting Education especially in the developing world are brought to light. Although in all this factors the underlying issues are purely economic backwardness they all find their root cause from Economic instability. I believe Education/Literacy levels have a key role to play in the underdevelopment such economies
I’m a keen reader of “The Developments” a quarterly publication by the Department for International Development UK. This magazine covers stories where Financing for development has succeeded in making the desired difference. According to the issue no 38/2007 of this publication in Africa, Children whose mothers receive five years of education are 40% more likely to live beyond the age of five. The hypothesis I have been tempted to put forward is first; that apart from provision to the very basic needs Education/increasing literacy levels has the highest positive effect in economic Development and secondly that different economies will experience different positive effects by increasing literacy levels of its different age groups. The conclusion I gather is therefore, if the later is true then apart from meeting the very basic needs of the poor we will achieve the greatest rise in their quality of life by educating them. Can we say we could put more Development Financing into education as the most reactive catalyst to Economic development? I do not know I need to understand the full picture!
I have been involved in Community service as a Voluntary Teacher and one of the things I discovered as I interacted with the students in a rural setup is that what they really lacked in their lives is not lack of choices but lack of knowledge on the available choices. How does Finance and Economic Development chip in making them know the available choices? South Korea and Singapore some of the greatest success stories in Economic Development were on top of the list of developing countries as far as Literacy levels were concerned in the 1960s-87, and a close look at their economic growth patterns suggest the unique role that education and Information dispensation plays in development. The question that we ask therefore is what is the proportional net effect of the Literacy levels in this success stories? What did they narrow on first? Which part of their population did this literacy levels benefit most? Etc. Different countries have different demographic patterns and although most developing countries have similar traits there are bound to be different optimal combinations for these countries to achieve most preferred effect on economic development

Economic development as influenced by increasing the levels of literacy and information dispensation is of great interest for me, In a family of nine, my father a Pre-colonial teacher ensured that we all received secondary education, the average family income has changed from around five dollars a day to over 500 dollars. Although this change is not wholly attributed to education levels the same has formed the whole basis of this change. India, a country on the highway to economic development has sustained its growth by being one of the biggest exporter of services, it has taken its youthful population imparted it with skills and information and sent out there to bring in foreign exchange. With this educated youthful population India innovative minds are taking over the worlds markets, industries like Information technology and pharmaceutical are on the runway. Could this be largely a creation of optimal mix in increased literacy levels?
The western countries especially the USA and UK have invested so much on information research and educational infrastructure; they have gone ahead and put so much Aid to the developing world in promotion of the same. They have invested in grants and scholarships to help increase the levels of education in developing countries and to the individuals that such measures have reached, there has been a considerable growth/improvement both at individual and community levels. The question I am tempted to ask is how much of this literacy levels do we need to combine with few essential factors while holding others constant in achieving a desired optimal Economic growth over a specified period?
We would further know the opportunity cost towards such efforts. Most of the times the efforts by these donors are well coordinated and are effected through already existing structures that are geared towards one goal. The challenge however is do we know how of each factor should be combined to give us the most optimal outcome at the lowest effort/cost and in the shortest time possible? Probably with such information we could obtain optimal results from the efforts by developing countries and their development partners in increasing literacy levels for the sole purpose of accelerating economic development.
The question we ask ourselves therefore is, are we ready to use Education as a strategic tool in acceleration of Economic Development? Yes almost all countries have been doing that for decades and yet in some the effect has not been as desirable as in others. The other question is, how much dose of this anecdote do we administer to a particular economy with specific demographic, social and cultural trends? If education and increase in literacy levels has improved my family’s income then I believe it can do something to many other families. What I am not sure of is how much of this positive change it will bring before its marginal output starts decreasing. They say Economics is about choice, about how people choose, most choices influence our lives and of those around us, the accuracy of our choices strongly relies on the information at our disposal, and this in turn is highly dependent on our literacy levels. They say if you want to change a man change his thinking, Can we change all men’s thinking to favor faster sustainable economic growth? Let’s remember “The body is the servant of the mind-. James Allen, As a man thinketh

March 29, 2009 | 3:07 PM Comments  1 comments

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Global Financial Crisis, IMF and Africa: How badly will it be hit???
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Today as I sat at the comfort of my bedseater liesting to world news on my transistor radio..I was shocked to hear that the IMF chief-Dominique Strauss Kahn warning that the Global Financial Crisis's knock off effect was soon going to hit Sub-Sahara Africa going in a big way, He goes on to say that this "thing" is going to considerably reverse a lot of gains made in the past decade as far as fighting poverty is concerned. That this "thing was going to pull several millions of subsaharan residents in poverty again! twaa!(my native suprise note)...somebody help me is this guy telling the truth?.His Director in charge of Africa warns also that 16 out of the 21 most vunerable countries to the crisis are in Sub Saharan Africa..Few months I posted something asking how safe was Africa from this 'thing' and now?..God forbid that it should be true!!..please comfort me.....

March 10, 2009 | 3:18 PM Comments  2 comments

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