“As a poet, an artist, I share myself, I tell my truth, I reconcile my demons: as artists we are mirrors of society , we generate the questions that need to be asked, if I am ready to ask the question, society is asking it too.” Betty Muragori is a vibrant articulate performance poet, writer, consultant and coach, and part of the new middle classes, that contentious beast in Africa. She continues: “I think we have to acknowledge that here in Kenya the new leaders didn’t really overturn the colonial model. They stepped into the trappings of privilege, and carried on. We live in comfortable suburbs. Yet we have terrible slums on our doorstep. It’s about comfort and exclusion, did we really dismantle it? it’s like you’ve been smelling the cooking, you’ve been standing at the kitchen door, and now that door is open. You can come in, and you think, this is what I desire, so I straighten my hair, I change myself, I call myself ‘wrong’ so I can now step into this world I’ve spent my life looking at.”

Any discussion around class, aspirations, improvement and consumption here in East Africa generates a huge vibrant discussion. Disentangling whether or not increased incomes and appetites equals a treacherous slide towards adopting Western (or Colonial) attitudes is inevitable. As Dr Rosemary Okoth remarks “Defining the middle class is intensely problematic, arguably our upper class are our political leaders who have money, and power, to which the middle classes aspire. This is a fluid term, when they are out of power they’ll be back in the matatu (minibus, public transport) and borrowing money again. Is that who we aspire to be?” The lack of role models for the new middle class and the lack of parameters for the discussion is evident: is it about leadership, obligations, or tribe? Says Okoth “What is so interesting about Tanzania is that it is irrelevant where Nyerere came from. That is an amazing achievement, that the term ‘tribe’ is inconsequential in creating a true nation”.

Young Tanzanians however, are far removed from the socialism and ubuntu of ‘Baba Wa Taifa’ (Father of the Nation) President Julius Nyerere. They are immersed in Blackberry phones, Bling, Barbie Girl on the Radio, SMS connectivity. Twenty years ago, this sort of Tanzanian didn’t exist. Julius Nyerere actively discouraged middle class consumption, business or entrepreneurism: in the socialist model, we were all equal.

Is this rapid thrust towards acquisition healthy? What is being sidelined in the process? Certainly academics, teachers and artists, those who are responsible for creating the next generation of the middle class, do not have salaries commensurate with their achievements. In this new climate businessmen are rewarded, not poets. Geoffrey Macharia, a Kenyan IT specialist says “I grew up with Ngugi wa Thiong’o, with Chinua Achebe, this forms my identity, my roots. All this investment creates a class of people who have disposable income, but still, the arts must remain free, and not objective driven, or determined by the availability of resources. Cultural identity comes from the ‘software’ the arts of society.”

Out on the streets, surveying any major capital- Mombasa, Kampala, Arusha, Nairobi or Dar Es Salaam the profligacy of malls, luxury serviced apartments, office blocks and hotels springing up is striking and alarming- who is building this stuff? Who is it for? There appears to be a projected fantasy lifestyle that we will be living in an endless American-type consumption fetish loop. What lies beneath the exuberant boasts that “we’ve never had it so good here in East Africa” is a slow and stealthy obliteration of public space, of cultural and other discussion of what society is, and what we’re doing. In the furious rush to build and pillage, the importance, and funding of the arts seems to have got trampled.

Faisal Kiwewa, Director of the thriving Ugandan Arts organization Bayimba Cultural Foundation notes, “Whereas we receive considerable support from mainly foreign public sector funders, we are challenged in convincing the private sector to get on board. They perceive arts festivals do not directly serve rampant consumerism, nor do they offer direct private benefits. The private sector fails to see – or attach value to – the relevance and economic spin-off of investing in a large arts and /cultural festivals. Even though this very same private sector is to a large extend relying and /depending on goods produced by this very sector”. In effect African culture is largely validated – and funded- by non-Africans.

He goes on, “Our governments are pushed by the same consumerism and only seem to want to invest in the hardware, buildings, roads etc. and not in the software of society, in – arts / culture, in education. There is huge building activity on going in Kampala, often at the expense of the software, the non-commercial side of society, and with hardly any public space left”. Right now, there is a huge public debate in Uganda regarding the demolition of the only National Museum for a commercial 60, yes sixty, floor building called the East African Trade Centre.

There is certainly a huge need for more dialogue between those who work in the arts, and those who work in business. The sponsorship of the arts by large corporates that is so prevalent in South Africa is new here in East Africa. Kenya’s Safaricom (part of the global Vodacom group, which overall does have a progressive approach to the arts) does support regular excellent classical concerts and other cultural projects. But for larger arts events, like the Sauti Za Busara Festival in Zanzibar, funding questions are ongoing. The festival is a cultural counterpoint to the flashy hotels springing up. Director Yusuf Mahmoud says: “Sauti Za Busara festival brings a significant boost for the local economy. All the hotels around Stone Town are fully booked around festival time, it’s difficult to get local flights and ferry tickets; taxi drivers are busy, shops are full and local traders are all smiling. The number of visitors to Zanzibar in February has increased by more than 400% since the festival started. People of different races, religions, political parties and beliefs mingle with each other. Yet at the same time we really struggle to persuade corporate Tanzania their involvement in sponsoring is crucial to ensure the festival is even able to continue”.

Arthur Ashton, a Tanzanian who is in import and export (he brings in large volumes of white goods) says “We in East Africa are expanding at an incredible rate on all fronts. Land ownership, mining trading, transport with the pan-African highway, ships and containers coming into the large ports ( a new one is being built to service East Africa, in Tanga right now), mining, you name it, there isn’t a single sector that isn’t expanding, and with it the emerging middle class and their voracious appetite for consumer ‘stuff’ is growing, plasma TV screens, all this building.” Democracy appears to equal the ability to purchase, to own. Equality is now a new Mercedes Benz.

Koshi Sampi and his brother Ravi, from Nairobi and in their early thirties, still see great opportunities in Tanzania. “Arusha is only three hours away on the Pan East African Highway, but it’s behind Nairobi in some ways, in terms of manufacturing and investment, and the drop in commodities like tea, coffee and mineral resources on the world market has affected us. But all the same, compared to Kenya, there’s so much potential for developing manufacturing here. Textiles, tyres, pharmaceuticals. All the things we’ve got already in Nairobi”. They are sceptical about the new middle class: “They’re ostentatious, building big marble houses and showing off their wealth, the new middle class, but they’re hoarding, and they’re not generous; we need to get to a point where the wealth is spread out a bit- into restaurants, jazz clubs, theatre, culture, like London and Nairobi, we’re still a long way off that.”

For the larger businessmen, their concerns are economic, not artistic. Says Koshi, “Actually whilst the fact that international firms and banks are moving into East African like never before, we need to stem the flood of cheap imports, by imposing higher import duties, like India has, otherwise we’ll get swamped with cheap tat, and lose sight of quality.” But the cheap tat has a market: for the first time a whole range of ‘stuff’ (the market is brimming with cheap kitchen goods, radios, unbelievable numbers of hardware shops, and cheap imported clothes) is available to the poorer sections of the country.

Tanzania, like Uganda and Kenya supports over 70% of its working population in the informal sector. Unemployment figures are notoriously unreliable here, but it stands, conservatively at 50% in all these countries . The description informal economy means a number of things, people selling combs, cheap padlocks, Chinese radios, carrying everything on their backs… or the women in the market, all selling the vegetables they bought at the auction that morning.

Amena Hamani, 34, is one of these women: she works up to 60 hours a week selling second hand clothes. Like the ‘mamatilies’ (women who prepare and cook food by the side of the road and sell it for a tiny profit)- it is the only work that fits in round the demands of childcare and motherhood. She earns up to $80 (£55) a month, on a good month and arts are the last thing on her mind. Of her budget, 15,000 TZ shillings (about six pounds) a week is is spent on basics- maize, spinach and beans . Tea, sugar, rice and meat are luxuries that she buys once a week. And take the budget soaring up another 12,000 TZ shillings. (four pounds fifty). At eighty pence a kilo, sugar is now beyond her means. As is milk, at fifty pence a litre. She supports five people- three of her own kids, two of her brothers. Her rent is 20,000TZ a month (eight pounds) for two basic mud rooms (about 3 metres by 1.5metres each) and no electricity or running water. She has to buy water at fifty pence for ten litres, and the prices rise when there’s no electricity for the water pumps to fill the wells.

“Life is very very hard, it’s impossible if we need to buy medicine, clothes, shoes or pay school fees. Most of us in our neighbourhood run up bills and debts at the local shop; if we earn it goes to pay this off, and there’s nothing left. We live in debt.”

Arthur Ashton is philosophical: “ The problem is greed: this new middle class are greedy, and all this consumption puts a massive strain on resources, all of them- environments, land, electricity- we haven’t got a reliable electricity supply , yet our presidents- in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, own Lear jets that cost 50 million dollars apiece- if the leaders are corrupt and greedy, what kind of examples are they setting?”

Okoth is equally sanguine: “if a country is in crisis the government silences the artists, or disrespects them. They judge them for not having a big car, or much money, and then call them idiots, but actually they’re scared of them, artists are the soul of a country, the ones who make change.”

Publicly the president and his rival have rejected what President Atta Mills called the politics of insult. Mud-slinging has been a feature of Ghanaian politics and often seems to overshadow real debate about issues. One aspect of this style of politics is the very prominent antagonism between the two ex-presidents still influential nationally and in their own parties – Jerry Rawlings in the NDC and John Kufuor in the NPP. They have been fiercely critical of one another and Rawlings has been outspoken in his attacks on the NPP; though at times the former military ruler seems equally critical of Atta Mills and the NDC leadership – not least in the wake of the overwhelming defeat suffered by Rawlings’s wife, Nana Konadu Ageyman, in the party vote for the presidential candidacy. Atta Mills was the overwhelming victor with Nana Konadu getting barely three per cent of the votes. There were rumours he might even leave the NDC and join the NPP, of which he has been so critical. These rumours have so far come to nought. But is the NDC united as it heads towards the polls?

The seeds of discontent had been sown long before the war began in ‘91 as a result of the violence that was introduced into politics in the country by the All Peoples Congress (APC), which was in power from ‘68 until it was ousted in ‘92 by a military coup.

There were two defining moments that shaped the conflict in Sierra Leone. In ‘77, when students at the University of Sierra Leone demonstrated against President Siaka Stevens, who was addressing a graduation ceremony at the campus, APC backed thugs raided the university and attacked students. Days of rioting led to a wave of students fleeing to Libya, where Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was providing sanctuary for would-be African revolutionaries.

Then in ‘82 a violent election campaign in the Pujehun District in the country’s Eastern Province sowed further seeds of deep discontent. A vicious battle was fought between supporters of the APC candidate, Francis Minah, who was then Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP).

Now, the Pujehun District was, and still is, a stronghold of the SLPP. Minah, who hailed from the region, was despised because he had joined the APC, for which the SLPP had, and continues to have, a pathological hatred. Hundreds were killed and relatives of the victims again headed to Libya to form the nucleus of the RUF.

As African Union leaders and heads of states in Africa and the Caribbean, respond to the challenges of poverty, political instability, and poor economic growth; Pan-Africanism for the new generation opens up a new chapter of dialogue amongst young researchers, policy makers and social movements in addressing the future of their countries. Beyond idealism, practical projects need to be initiated. Amongst these includes joint publication of African/Caribbean Academic Journal and New Generation Pan-Africanism, online journal and newsletter respectively. These shall become high-level platform that shares strategies and solutions that promotes growth, development, sustainable livelihood, leadership, and building social cohesion for partners in UK, Africa, and Caribbean.

STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS

United Kingdom is currently reviewing its policies on admissions (in particular, Tier 4 policy) as well as unprecedented rise in international fees. Obviously, African/Caribbean students are likely to feel more pressure given the socio-economic state in which our countries stand. Strengthening relationships amongst our organisations in order to discuss the future of our students in United Kingdom is of utmost importance. Furthermore, a partnership is important in assisting qualified graduates identify opportunities in their home countries upon completion. However, this is not an easy path with current political uncertainties in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, to mention a few; and poverty in Haiti, Sudan, and Somalia amongst others.

BEYOND THE ORDINARY

Top on the agenda, the conference shall address the following issues through round-tables, break-away sessions and cinema-seated presentations by renowned experts on Pan-Africanism and policy makers:-

 The development of a new generation of leaders

While university qualifications are important in preparing future leaders, there is a need to prepare future leaders for Africa/Caribbean in a more applied and technical setting to address the current leadership bankruptcy in many African/Caribbean countries. Practical leadership training programmes and international trade/ business opportunities with foreign partners located in UK shall be championed.

 Reviewing current research undertaken in developing countries

The conference promotes the resurgence of African/Caribbean researchers that will conduct research from the perspective of their people, based on their felt needs and priorities, not those imposed from external agencies. To this end, a partnership of researchers shall be forged with internationally renowned research institutions to share experiences and resources. Most of these research projects shall be published in the proposed African/Caribbean Academic Journal, and findings shall be presented at the conferences.

Beyond School: UK or Abroad

Although UK resolves its own migration problems, which we do support, the interests of displaced graduates are not given attention. Returning home is undoubtedly top in our agenda, but the conference seeks to identify immediate interventions to prepare future leaders, based on a homogeneous level field. A case in point is North African countries and those suffering from tribal wars like Somalia.

HIGHLY COMPETITIVE

Because of limited seats allocated for university students, advocacy organisations and policy experts, accreditation shall be provided to delegates whose impact shall be felt on their return to their constituencies. However, individual students, professors and non-academic individuals are invited, albeit with limited space. Accreditation shall be awarded on first come, first serve basis, and geographic spread of delegates. The sooner the prospective candidates send email requesting an application form for accreditation the better the chance they stand to be accredited.

By Moshe Molefe

Reader, DPhil, Social Policy, University of Oxford

Member of Conference Committee

Email: africa.society@studentclubs.ox.ac.uk; moshemolefe@gtc.ox.ac.uk

Tel: +44 7918 902869 (cell); +44 1865 284574 (OH)

‘Uganda’s economic stability makes it a good base for doing business. As a fast-growing economy, committed to trade and industrial diversification, it’s very attractive to companies looking to expand into new markets,’ comments Mark Dixon, Global CEO, Regus plc. ‘The new Regus centre in Kampala offers companies the chance to explore the many possibilities here with zero up-front capital and minimal risk – an ideal springboard for entering this exciting market.’

The country’s economy grew by an estimated 5.8% in ‘10, and real GDP growth of 6.1% is predicted in ‘11. Rich in natural resources, the country is still predominantly agricultural, but other opportunities are plentiful: oil reserves have been discovered, and the manufacturing, tourism, mining, ICT and construction sectors are all growing strongly.

The country’s strong trading links with Europe, the Middle East and Asia also make it attractive for companies looking to expand their geographic footprint. Economic partners include the UAE, UK, Switzerland, Germany, India and China as well as neighbouring countries like Kenya and Sudan.

On the country’s economic environment, Professor Maggie Kigozi, Executive Director of the Uganda Investment Authority has this to say about Regus: ‘The Authority is very pleased that Regus is expanding its network to Uganda. The country is at the heart of investment in East Africa, with great investment potential in all sectors The prospects of the Ugandan economy going forward look positive; with continued macroeconomic stability, oil prospects, stable political leadership; Uganda will continue to grow in a bid to reduce poverty as we launch the next drive to becoming a middle-income country.’

Dixon adds, ‘with the developed economies of Western Europe and the US producing negative or minimal growth in recent years, businesses need to find growth from new sources – whether that is in Africa, Asia or other regions. As companies look at these new markets, we’re seeing accelerating demand for our flexible workspaces. In response to this, we’ve expanded our network rapidly in recent months – not just into Uganda, but also Tanzania, and Ghana to name just a few. As the world of work becomes ever more integrated and mobile, and companies more agile, we expect demand for our services to continue to grow in ‘11 and beyond, and we will expand our network accordingly.’

Regus is the world’s largest provider of workplace solutions, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges and the world’s largest network of video communication studios. Customers such as Google, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nokia join hundreds of thousands of growing small and medium businesses that benefit from outsourcing their office and workplace needs to Regus, allowing them to focus on their core activities.

Over 800,000 customers a day benefit from Regus facilities spread across a global footprint of 1,100 locations in 500 cities and 87 countries, which allow individuals and companies to work wherever, however and whenever they want to. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in ‘89, is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Many have fled their southern African countries impoverished. These are people who are defeated and broken, their journey often fraught with terror of persecution and fear of the unknown. They arrive in South Africa travel-weary and burdened, easily identifiable as alien, preyed-upon by ruthless street criminals and con-artists. Nowhere to turn, nowhere to go.

79 Pritchard Street is neither a hostel nor hospice but it has become a sanctuary for thousands of downtrodden asylum-seekers, and is run by Paul Verryn, a man whose humanity fits him closer than the robes that indicate his status as Bishop. He is the superintendent minister of the Central Methodist Church (CMC).

The challenge inherent in this year is not necessarily tough trading conditions but the realization and action required of an industry whose customers now have different needs than they did less than 3 years ago.

Future success will depend on a paradigm shift away from the product we offer to broadly defined market segments and towards a product demanded by the individual.

While it may feel at times that commentators across the spectrum of commerce have been wringing their hands over the credit crunch for what feels like an eternity the truth is that the effects of this financial folly are still with us. Rather than simply trying to trade through the remnants of the hangover it is imperative that hospitality understands that for us to be successful at our business we must become expert at our guests’ business.

When we understand how they do business post crisis we will understand what it is they need from their hospitality provider. Companies will continue to scrutinise their travel spend and try to find creative ways of reducing these costs such as planning same-day business trips and utilising Skype.

It is often fashionable to lament the political and economic woes prevalent in parts of Africa and too often the entire continent is judged by this yardstick. The dearth of quality hospitality providers bears witness to that.

The truth is that viable and expanding regional business hubs are developing, the so called African Lions, who are increasingly being seen as emerging markets in line with BRIC countries.

Nigeria is a prime example. It is the continent’s largest country by population and second largest by GDP. Are there issues and obstacles to doing business there? We know the answer to that but all emerging markets struggle with accountability, transparency and corruption. None of these similar issues have prevented investment into economies like Russia and China.

It should be noted that what makes Nigeria attractive and indeed the attractiveness of other markets on the continent is not limited to possessing precious natural resources such as oil, minerals or tourist attracting landscape. An analysis of GDP across the region shows much of the recent growth coming from sectors such as telecommunications, transport, distribution, agriculture and manufacturing.

The Protea Hospitality Group is seeing a definite upswing in local business travel and conferencing for the year ahead, aligned with greater personalization and offers that add value beyond the price point.

The online environment will play a greater role in corporate travel and tourism as consumers have the ability to thoroughly research and book packages online. It’s why Protea Hotels is so pleased to have recently signed the first Africa-based hospitality company global partnership agreement with Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company which has some 60 million website hits per month. Consumers will necessarily continue to be value-driven. Brand loyalty will be driven largely by creating unique experiences for GUESTS across our brand offering and by providing strategic 1:1 CRM programmes that understand, communicate and reward each CUSTOMER on a 1:1 basis; which is the nature of the new Prokard Loyalty Programme which launched in November of 2010.

Traditional travel agents will though continue to play an important role in assisting those customers who need the benefit of a travel professional to help sort through the plethora of offerings. We aim to cater for both of these markets.

In terms of company focus, the Protea Hospitality Group will look to continue expanding its network of hotels. As a group we have always been proudly African and this outlook will not change.

We are expanding the footprints of both African Pride Hotels and Protea Hotels to markets across Africa such as Botswana, Kenya, Angola and Zambia to name a few. I think it important to point out that we are not merely hoping to harvest tourist revenue but see enormous growth potential from the corporate and business travel market.

We believe our long standing commitment to Africa and our experience here, running at more than 25 years, perfectly positions us to grow the hospitality sector in these African Lions to world beating standards. And as the economies of ever more African countries develop in size and sophistication, Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels will be there to welcome guests with the unique service culture that has come to define us, a culture bred of Africa.

The exhibition hosted by Thomas Reuters in Canary Wharf displayed images capturing the spirit of Tanzania as seen through the eyes of CPA volunteers. The photographs on display were compiled from hundreds taken over the last five years taken by aspiring amateurs and professionals alike. All of whom have share a common passion for helping others and for Tanzania. In the end 26 photos from 8 different photographers, all of whom had volunteered with CPA in education projects, were chosen for the auction.

Their photos generally focused on the people of Tanzania, with Maasai communities and Choba villagers photographed against the backdrop of Tanzania’s breathtaking scenery. An embrace of traditional culture as well as youth were common themes throughout these photos. Many saw traditional Maasai clothing and tribal dances or simply cheerful children, excited by the presence of a camera, in their schools and villages.

It contrasted well with the six images on wildlife that were also featured at the exhibit and auction by award winning photographer Alwyn R Coates. They formed part of a special preview collection from his upcoming first solo exhibition and were taken during his time in neighbouring Kenya. Alywn was there to capture images of the animals there struggle with the country’s worst ever draught and hopes his haunting images will raise awareness of the problem as part of his work with the Born Free Foundation. He may be more widely known for photographing celebrities, but it is clear that this is something much closer to his heart. Prints of one of his images of a lion were on sale along with a limited edition selection of images signed by Virginia McKenna. The actress come founder of the Born Free Foundation is most famous for her role in the film of the same name alongside her late husband Bill Travers.

50% of profits from the sale of Alwyn Coates’s prints and everything made from the auction will support the vital work of Community Projects Africa. In total the event raised £4000 for the charity on the night. The money is to be spent on various projects run by CPA such as the vocational training centre in Arusha which runs tailoring courses and English language programmes as well as providing backup medical care to people affected by or caring for someone with HIV/AIDS.

Yet Burundi has now reached a critical point where it has the opportunity to transform itself into a regenerated country, one focused on sustaining peace and democracy. The Anglican Church of Burundi and Christian Aid have teamed up to create an alliance dedicated to the task of developing the country. In mid-February the Archbishop of Burundi, Reverend Bernard Ntahoturi, visited Britain. Alongside attending the Anglican Communion in Dublin, this visit allowed for the Archbishop to connect with Christian Aid’s headquarters in London and assess the progress of their partnership. New Africa Analysis met up with him in London to discuss the Church’s alliance with Christian Aid and the general progress of Burundi’s development.

Although the civil war in Burundi has come to an end, the country is by no means healed from the scars attained from this period of hostility. The Archbishop stresses the point that although many believe that the country has recovered from the issues from its past, ‘Burundi is still in a fresh, post-conflict situation. The country is still very vulnerable, so it needs support in peace building, peace consolidation, but also with economic growth.’ One of the goals of his visit is to shine a light on these key issues in order for Burundi to gain international support. During his visit, the Archbishop will speak to members of the British Parliament in order to ‘share our issues and challenges with the government and raise awareness so that Burundi is not forgotten.’

Although this decade has been one of impressive growth for LDCs, to see this growth as satisfactory and ease into a state of complacency would be extremely dangerous. The international community and LDC governments still possess the mammoth task of increasing and sustaining growth. Collier states that LDCs have ‘diverge[d] from the rest of mankind’. This divergence is momentous, leaving a vast gap between LDCs and OECD countries. This study proposes numerous strategies that aim to encourage a much more rapid growth of LDCs which will in turn close the gap between themselves and developed nations.

One of the key issues Collier tackles is how LDCs can encourage and efficiently utilise foreign finance, moving away from the current dominant trend of declining aid from other countries. One of the ways in which this can be achieved according to Collier is by reassessing and redistributing the finance currently provided by donors. At the moment a significant proportion of aid is being given to middle-income countries that are experiencing a steady rate of growth. Collier argues that although these middle-income countries do experience poverty in some areas, they are perfectly able to assist this situation with home finance, leaving more aid for LDCs. Throughout his study, Collier seems to champion the idea of prioritising the needs of LDCs and shaping policies to perfectly fit their needs only. Although it is true that developing nations need to grow at super-speed in order to catch up with developed countries, to completely prioritise their needs over underprivileged and struggling people living in developed countries is questionable.

A reliance on foreign aid is of course only a supplement to the focal ideal of self-sufficient LDCs. And here comes in Collier’s vision of an ever-increasingly urbanised developing world. Collier seems to see places such as rural Africa as an out-of-date, romanticised notion that is stifling its move towards a ‘more practical urban-economic agenda’. He would rather Africa starts a process of urbanisation and break their way into global markets.  This shift towards global manufacturing will provide LDCs with a dependable option as African agriculture will start to be under threat due to climate change.

The issue of climate change is also something Collier touches on in the study. He notes that this issue has up till now been dominated by the north and China, whose focus is to reduce global emissions – something that is irrelevant to Africa. The future change in climate will see parts of Africa become inhabitable for crops and thus trigger a decline in agriculture. Therefore the need for adaptation in LDCs rather than mitigation is stressed. Collier notes that research into Genetic Modification needs to be carried out so that this technology can be utilised to produce crop variations in areas that will be experiencing a change in climate. However, in ‘96 Europe banned numerous LDCs (most notably those in Africa) from implementing Genetic Modification technology. From this it is clear to see that the needs of LDCs are not being accounted for, and in order for these countries to grow, current policies need to be transformed. Therefore the global focus of ‘thinking green’ needs to be adapted for LDCs as it is clear that for Africa to pick up the echo of a European agenda will be impractical and damaging.

The most exciting issue raised in Collier’s study is the one of natural resources in LDCs. LDCs are the last frontier of untapped natural resources, and these resources are a potential gold mine for places like Africa. Collier estimates the worth of these resources reaching up into the trillions, overshadowing all other sources of income. These resources need to be taken advantage of and this can only be done if more research is carried out into what lies underneath these lands. The study also suggests numerous ways in which the excavation of natural resources in LDCs can be regulated to avoid exploitation. For example Collier states that LDCs should use global institutions to their advantage. An example will be, requesting that the World Trade Organisation oversees contracts in order to allow for fair and beneficial outcomes for developing countries.

Overall, Catching Up: What LDCs can do, and how others can help is an intriguing study that puts forth many viable strategies that will, if put in place, help the Least Developing Countries sustain a level of growth that will see them at least start to catch up with the rest of the world’s economies. Although Collier’s reasoning to shape and bend all the rules to suit LDCs advantage seems quite imbalanced at times, it is true that the only way in which LDCs can start to minimise the extraordinary gap between themselves and developed countries is to take drastic steps. And that is exactly what Collier does here. In the words of its author, this is the little book with big ideas.

Paul Collier’s Catching Up: What LDCs can do, and how others can help was launched on Tuesday 8th February by Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Ransford Smith at Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London.