After Africa I

After finishing another month of teaching at the African University of Science and Technology in Abuja, Nigeria a few comments and my "lessons learned":

Somebody once told me that one should not engage in long-term efforts "if you are not prepared to do this for the rest of your life." Having had numerous discussions with my colleagues and friends at AUST the same holds for this exciting and important pan-african project. Yes, Knowledge is Freedom but progress will need to be measured in decades. A door has been opened and we need to get many more students through these gates.

My sincere and big thanks to ALL THE STUDENTS:

Asuo Ivy Mawusi (ladies first!), Ampaw Edward, Anye Vitalis Chinoh,

Arthur Emmanuel Kwesi, Atiku Ibrahim, Danyuo Yiporo,

Donkor Michael Ofosu, John David Obayemi ,

Kolawole Shola Kolade, Vodah Emmanuel and Azeko Tahiro Salifu.

These students absorbed 3 hours of Materials Chemistry in the morning followed by 3 hours of Thermodynamics in the afternoon given by Professor Douglas Buttrey (University of Delaware, the other "oyebo" in the picture ). I was very pleased that Mrs Asuo Ivy Mawusi established herself as "best of the class". We are used to seeing African women carry enormous loads on their heads but I am looking forward to them heading efforts to modernize and change Africa. The work ethic and sheer desire to learn that this group of students displayed is remarkable and makes teaching them a pleasure.

The Best Nigerian Road Shots

Driving on Nigeria's roads means to always be prepared for the unexpected: we saw horrible accidents involving trucks carrying gasoline, goats and whole families being transported on little motor cycles, cars loaded to the brink and in Kano we suddenly had a herd of cattle come at us, surround us and move on...

The pollution created by two-stroke engines is massive. Kano in the North has the worst air pollution I've seen in a long time, probably rivaled only by Moscow at the moment.

Traffic rules are truly Darwinian: when approaching an intersection one needs to intimidate the other cars by honking and not showing any indication of slowing down. There will come a critical traffic density where the implementation of 'real' traffic rules will become unavoidable. Until then the 'single actor' perspective will prevail.

Public and Relgious Health Policies

AIDS is taking a brutal toll on the young and sexually active population in Sub-Saharan Africa. Countries like Nigeria have to adopt public policies today to continue and reduce infections and be able to build on its biggest asset: the population under 25. Africa is the "youngest continent": 35% of the population are under 25.The human, medical, and economic costs of AIDS infections can become too much to bear for an emerging society. Decades of development can be erased by AID/HIV since its treatment will impose huge medical costs and decimate the future workforce. Nigeria has kept its AIDS infection rate for adults between 15 and 49% at 3.1%. This is low compared to other African countries such as Swaziland (26.1%), Botswana (23.9%), Lesotho (23.2%), South Africa (18.2%) and Zimbabwe (15.3%).

It is smart policy to use every opportunity (even highway signs!) to warn of the dangers of AIDS/HIV. And while one can find much to criticize about the divisiveness of religion in Africa it is a community-based organization that has the potential to do much good. The sign on AIDS prevention above was found prominently displayed at the Abuja National Mosque.

Nigerian Roadblocks

Roadblocks are found everywhere in Nigeria.. To travel by car in Nigeria means passing thousands of roadblocks set up by army and police.

Roadblocks are set up by closing a lane using a big stone or tree and then standing as menacing as possible showing your AK47, the weapon of choice in Nigeria. Since we drive cars marked “African Institutes of Science” and have guards with us we are most of the time allowed to pass. However, most Nigerians have to pay a bribe, locally referred to as dash to get through.

I found the left cartoon in Sunday’s Daily in Abuja, indicating that this is common practice. It points to a corrupt society which since independence always has ranked amongst the most corrupt countries in the world. Chinua Achebe, a very well known Nigerian writer writes in “The Trouble with Nigeria”:

“There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or air, or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example, which is the hallmark of true leadership.”

Nigerian history bears witness to this all-present and monstrous corruption: Abacha, who ruled as a military dictator between 1993 and 1998 and was known for the sunglasses he constantly wore embezzled near $1billion dollar of public funds. In 1970, due to the oil boom Nigeria was the 33rd richest country in the world. Under Abacha’s dictatorship it dropped to be the 13th poorest by 1997. After Abacha died a deal was brokered to end all criminal proceedings against Abacha’s oldest son in return for 80% of the stolen assets. About $770 million have since been recovered.

Another roadblock is the inadequate and intermittent power supply: only 10% of all rural population and 40% of all Nigerians have access to electricity. Neglecting the energy infrastructure Nigeria’s National Electric Power Authrity (NEPA) produces less than half of the possible capacity and power cuts are part of daily life. All computers and facilities at the African University need uninterruptable power supplies (UPS). Nigerians cynically say NEPA stands for “Never Expect Power Always”. In 2006 NEPA actually changed its name to “Power Holding Company of Nigeria” PHCN, which Nigerians say stands for “Problem Has Changed Name”.

Access to water is another problem. only 60% of all Nigerians have access to safe drinking water, in rural areas only 30%. Handcarts with water containers and bottles are ubiquitous. This leads to another problem: non-degradable PET bottles are dropped everywhere. If nearly 150 million Nigerians drop two bottles a day an environmental legacy is being created that will take decades to deal with. Public urination and defecation results in further health hazards and huge breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rats and cockroaches can be seen near garbage piles everywhere.

All this must be seen in light of the tremendous oil wealth. 95% of Nigeria’s export earnings come from oil exports, 85% of all government revenue is due to oil. Nigeria has proven oil reserves close to 40 million barrels. But this has not translated into a sustainable and health economy. Nigeria needs to build more oil refineries and stop exporting crude oil and instead sell more refined and value-added products. The oil contains very little sulfur impurities and is therefore very desirable on the world market. But again crime and corruption rule: Over 100,000 barrels a day are stolen shipped illegally out of the country. Pipelines in the Niger Delta, where almost all of the oil is found are taped and then left to leak creating an environmental disaster that makes the Gulf of Mexico look like a minor incident. This is happening since decades. Due to the mad rush for the ‘black gold’ Nigeria has completely neglected the long term economic growth of its manufacturing and agricultural sectors. You drive around and notice: it is green and very fertile – Nigeria could be the bread basket of sub-Saharan Africa. Instead it finds itself in a political, economical and environmental mess of epic proportions. What must grow in Nigeria with the utmost urgency and be recognized as its most important resource ahead of oil is an educated class of young Nigerians who will tackle these problems using technology and best practices in governance. This means creating a new culture. Plenty of raw material for this transformation is available : about 45% of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 14. The process must start now….