FREE… that is what African Countries have been told!
By: Craig Eisele 24 August 2007
Free is just that FREE!!
What am I referring to?? 108,000 Kilometers of road rehabilitation… cost… about 40 billion US dollars… Cost to participating African Countries… ZERO!!
“What?” I can hear the disbelief coming through my computer already!! Yes… Zero Cost!!
As the Founder of Trans-African Development I have spent the last 2 years trying to find a proper way of giving Africa a boost to be self sufficient… And I believe with my whole heart that I have done just that.
So what is the problem?? Well. Besides skepticism and people who are myopic (closed minded) and without hearing me through on this plan and how it can be implemented, dismiss the idea as fanciful or impractical…. The problem appears to be that this project plan has not been able to get to the decision makers of most African Countries to present such a plan for development. The “gatekeepers”, as they are called in marketing and management terms, are blocking access and as a result they are keeping Africa from Development that is needed for the PEOPLE of Africa.
Today in AllAfrica.com there was an article (http://allafrica.com/stories/200709240087.html) co-authored by Donald Kaberuka (President of the African Development Bank) and Pascal Lamy (Director General of the WTO… World Trade Organization) that specifically referenced the need for the rebuilding of Sub-Saharan Trade Routes (by aid I presume) to facilitate Africa’s ability to Trade Inter-Africa as well as Outside the Continent of Africa. YET… I have already devised a program to do just that…. based upon the same World Bank report co-authored by David Wheeler.
How is it possible that these gentlemen, these men with intense interest in developing Africa, are not aware of this project??… It is simple… the “gatekeepers” have decided that this project is not realistic without even hearing the presentation or reading the literature that supports this project. Hence… Africa and Africans suffer the consequences.
Africa is suffering from Paralysis by Analysis at its highest levels. The “movers and shakers”, those that are willing to actually do the work, are dismissed instead of being used to implement ideas and strategies that benefit the Continent of Africa. While the People of Africa are natural entrepreneurs, some governing bodies seem to me obsessed with more and more studies as the people of Africa suffer. In my opinion, this is just plain wrong.
The Continent needs a through and complete coordination of needs to facilitate plans that benefit the people and the Communities of Africa… but that requires that there be an actual implementation plan of action and that it actually be implemented…. Personally I cannot wait that long…. And I suspect neither can the Population of Africa. So I implore ALL Countries in Africa to endorse this plan as “good” for them and for all of Africa and to let me implement this project with minimal delays!!!
I am ready to IMPLEMENT this project plan… to rehabilitate the roads necessary for trade and Development of the Continent of Africa… but I cannot do it without the governing bodies of Africa… and so far trying to get to the right people, let alone get their endorsement has been frustrating.
Today I decided to make my frustration known… to publicly announce that I stand ready to raise the money for this “gift” to Africa and to start the process of rebuilding the most basic of Infrastructure needs… ROADS.
I humbly ask those decision makers in Africa to hear my call. I ask that they endorse such a gift and see the enormous potential that such a project can and will bring to the Continent. The idea that we can ease human suffering, create Jobs, Increase Investment, and start a positive path for the Population of Africa ….to ease their suffering, reduce poverty and despair and to bring hope for a better future to fruition via this project!
NGO’s take note… as this will allow your “aid” to get to the people in a timely and reasonable safe and efficient manner… to the Industries of the World take heed… this project bring transportation of raw and finished goods to a more efficient level… and to the people of Africa… I will not stop trying to help you to be able to be self-sufficient! No NGO or Industry should hinder this project.. and in fact they should also endorse it and encourage its implementation and development with all due haste. The question is… do you have the foresight and courage to do so??
This article is not meant to inflame or denigrate any person or persons… it is strictly a call to action for those that can help… to those that want to make a difference…
I neglected to say that several Countries have endorsed this project… but naturally they do not want to be left sitting alone while the rest of Africa ignores this project. I respect their need and desire to be anonymous until we have a majority of African Nations endorsing this project.
Lastly I want to reiterate the word FREE…. few if any African Country can afford to do what I am offering to do in their own countries… the only real way to help Africa is to give it the necessary Infrastructure to allow it to develop in the way it wants to develop… the road rehabilitation offer is only a tool for Africa to use…. BUT even then… such a project MUST be WITHOUT cost to ALL AFRICAN Nations… to saddle them with more debt is only to exacerbate the problems that have kept Africa down so long… and any cost to any African Nation for this project would simply add to what is already a tragic story…. So again I want to do this project for FREE (NO COST TO ANY AFRICAN COUNTRY)!!
Next week in Tanzania there is a conference (yes ANOTHER conference) with the world Bank about Aid and Trade… I would hope that this project and the Trans-African Development Company’s proposal would be discussed and publicly acknowledged as something that has potential if not more for Africa and should be encouraged to proceed with tacit endorsement pending review…. I will be watching and waiting to see if the decision makers are finally aware of this… and hopefully share with me this dream of a revitalized Africa in the near future.
NOTE: This “Road Rehabilitation” project is in addition to the Trans African Development Company project to build a 4-lane major highway extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the tip of Southern Africa and the ancillary projects it hopes to install as well along that path.
