His Excellency, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan
Governor of Delta State
Copyright © 2008-2009. Delta Diaspora Direct, Ministry of Information, Asaba, Nigeria. All Rights Reserved
Delta Diaspora Direct (D3) is a Delta State Government programme aimed at linking Delta Diasporan expertise with home-based talent for the accelerated development of the state. Delta State Diasporans have long yearned to make a contribution to the government’s effort at socio-economic transformation of the State. The D3 Initiative provides a definitive platform for mobilising the technical expertise, the financial resources and the web of contacts that Delta Diasporans can bring to support the development of their state. The initial areas of focus --that is the areas where the contribution of Delta Diasporans will be immediately sought -- are the Governor’s three-point programme of peace/security, human capital development and infrastructural development as well as the Agricultural, Medical care and Environmental Protection sectors. The D3 Initiative was cited as contributing to the rejuvenation of the health sector in the THISDAY (newspaper) Award given to the Governor, on January 14, 2009 in recognition of his work in improving healthcare delivery in Delta State.
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Climate Change: Uduaghan, Fashola, Blair, 50 Global Leaders Sign Declaration
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and his Lagos State counterpart, Governor Babatunde Fashola as well as former Prime Minister of Britain are among 50 governors and leaders across the globe who signed a declaration on climate change in California, United States at the weekend.
Online reports monitored yesterday showed that the declaration includes among others, committing to work together to pursue clean transportation and mobility, support national climate change legislation, include forests in climate policy development, acknowledge the need for adaptation efforts and recognize the role of subnational governments in the discussions on the next global climate agreement being negotiated in Copenhagen later in the year.
The declaration signed at the closing ceremony of the 2nd Governors’ Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles, California, was endorsed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California who was host of the event. 14 other governors from the USA also endorsed the declaration which was also signed by governors and senior ministers from Canada, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, England, France, Indonesia, Italy, Algeria, Philippines and Mexico as well as United Nations officials.
The declaration reaffirmed and built upon the goals of last year’s Governors’ Global Climate Summit and it is an acknowledgement of the need for greater collaboration on climate change solutions and support the recognition of the role of sub-national governments in the fight against global warming. The global leaders also renewed their commitments to promote policies that reduce greenhouse gases and implement strategies to grow their green economies and the declaration helps set the stage for the upcoming negotiations in Copenhagen.
At the plenary and special sessions of the summit, Governor Uduaghan had canvassed increased global efforts on climate change and specifically called on multinational oil and gas companies operating in the Niger delta to adopt more environmentally friendly technologies in order to preserve the ecosystem of the region.
Governor Uduaghan joined other African leaders at the summit to specifically announce a new continent-wide effort, called “a New Green Deal for Africa” because the continent has the opportunity to implement low carbon development strategies from the beginning – to grow green from the start.
Governor Schwarzenegger had said “addressing the problems caused by climate change is the greatest environmental challenge of our time and at this summit we heard leaders and experts from around the globe discuss the innovative steps and strategies being championed in the fight against global warming.”
According to Amy Fraenkel, Director of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Regional Office for North America, “the Governors’ Global Climate Summit clearly demonstrated the key role local and state governments can play in addressing climate change. The summit also illustrated that action is needed at all levels - and in partnership with the private sector and civil society - if we are to move forward this defining issue of our time.”
On his part, Olav Kjorven, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and director of policy at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said the summit confirmed that there are solutions to the climate challenge and regions are definitely a part of those solutions.
The following global leaders signed the declaration: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, USA; Governor David Paterson, New York, USA; Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin, USA; Governor Jennifer Granholm, Michigan, USA; Governor Jodi Rell, Connecticut, USA; Governor John Baldacci, Maine, USA; Governor John P. de Jough Jr., U.S. Virgin Islands, USA; Governor Mark Parkinson, Kansas, USA; Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois, USA; Governor Theodore (Ted) Kulongski, Oregon, USA; Governor Tim Kaine, Virginia, USA; Governor Bill Richardson, New Mexico, USA; Governor Martin O'Malley, Maryland, USA; Governor John Lynch, New Hampshire, USA;
Minister Rick Miles Department of the Environment, New Brunswick, Canada; Premier Gary Doer, Manitoba, Canada; Premier Jean Charest, Québec, Canada; Premier Danny Williams, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Delta on Global Map Through Diaspora Direct
THISDAY (Global News Network)
Roland Ogbonaya, 8 July 2009
Lagos — In 2008, the Delta State Government convoked its first information summit and the unveiling of the True Face of Delta by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. In the lead paper at the summit presented by Dr. Eloho Otobo, director of strategic planning at the United Nations titled "Delta State-Strengthening the Bond of Performance," he urged the Uduaghan Administration to institute a frame work to be called Delta Diaspora Direct (D3) to harness the expertise, experience and services of Deltans in Diaspora towards the successful implementation of the development programmes of the state government.
The state government estimates that the population of Delta State professionals and business people in Diaspora is at over one million and the D3 initiative will provide a veritable platform for mobilising their technical expertise, financial resources and web of contacts around the world to support developmental programmes in the state, especially in the thematic areas of peace and security, human capital and infrastructural developments.
According to the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Oma Djebah, the Delta Diaspora Direct (D3) would soon be launched in a ceremony that would provide the platform the gathering of consternation of professionals, administrators and businessmen all over the world. The event, according to Djebah would also coincide with an international summit with the theme: "The Role of Delta Diasporans in Peace Building, Security and Development of Delta State," and the formal inauguration of the D3 by Uduaghan in New York, US.
He said the choice of New York as the conference venue and launching base was informed by its status as a major commercial and investment hub of the world, but the headquarters of the United Nations and the hub of global economic, political and diplomatic community as well as the citadel of creativity.
It is being proposed that a former United States envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador Walter Carrington would chair the ceremonies, while other eminent Nigerians and other global key players will be at the event to deliver papers.
Some of those expected include Dr. Asha Rose Migiro, the deputy secretary general of the UN, Mr. Chieck Diarra, under secretary for African affairs, UN, Dr. Eloho Otobo, director of strategic planning UN, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director of the World Bank and Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, under secretary, UN, New York.
Others are Prof. Michael Watts, scholar and author, Mrs. Onalaja-Soyinka, special assistant in the Presidency on migration and special affairs, Prof. Joy Ogwu, Nigeria permanent representative to the UN, Mr. Marc Beinoff, chief executive officer of Sales Force Company Inc., Prof. Onokome Okome of the African studies, University of Alberta, Canada, Senator Russ Feingold, chairman, Congress Committee on Africa as well as Congressman Donald Pane from New Jersey.
Also expected to attend the summit are Senator John Kerry, chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and former presidential candidate, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr., director general, Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Mr. Umang Gupta, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, former minister of information, Prof. Pat Utomi of the Lagos Business School, Prof. Lucky Akarnese of the University of Port Harcourt, key members of the media, organised private sector amongst others.
Delta Diaspora Direct (D3) is a Delta State Government sponsored initiative aimed at linking expertise of Delta people in Diaspora with home-based talent to accelerate the development of the state. Delta State Diasporans have long yearned to make a contribution to the government's effort at socio-transformation of the state, especially in its three-point programme of peace/security, human capital and infrastructural development. These three programmes constitute the foundation for sustained growth and development.
The population of Delta State professionals and business people in the Diaspora around the world is estimated at one million. Therefore, the D3 initiative provides a definitive platform for mobilising the technical expertise, the financial resources and the web of contacts that Delta Diasporans can bring to support the development of their state.
It is also based on the proposal that the "State government can take an innovative step of creating a framework to be called Delta Diaspora Direct (D3), wherein it can harness the expertise and experience of people of Delta State in Diaspora in service of the implementation of the programmes of the state.
Specifically, the D3 framework should aim to tap the expertise and experience of the Diaspora to contribute to realising the three components of the governor's covenant (peace/security, human capital and infrastructural development) and the three niche areas of agriculture, medical care and environmental protection-which were referred to as the AME sectors. The first task of such a framework is to undertake a Delta Diaspora capacity estimate - a detailed inventory of current Delta expertise that is available around the world.
According to the state Commissioner for Information, the three sectors were "identified as part of broader effort by the state government to begin the process of diversifying the Delta State economy away from high dependence on oil earnings. The salience of that recommendation has been underlined by the recent rapid decline in oil prices.
"In any case, whether the price of oil fell or not, the oil and gas sector does not offer many opportunities for significant job creation both because the sector is highly capital intensive and because the foreign oil companies that dominate the sector bring most of their managerial and technical staff from abroad," the Commissioner emphasised.
He said the day the paper was delivered, the price of oil stood at $120 per barrel that was 19 percent down from the all time high of $147.27 reached in July 2008. Today the price of oil is much lower. The marked volatility in oil prices combined with the renewed effort by leading industrialised nations to diversify their energy sources from fossil fuel provide yet another compelling reason for Delta State to embark on a sustained programme of diversifying its economic base.
Djebah said that paper also noted that Delta State had three main sources of capacity for its development, namely: the existing Delta capacity in the state and the rest of the country, capacity in the Diaspora and creating new capacity through training. "All these capacities need to be harnessed and made to work in complementary manner.
"It recognised that the existing Delta capacities in the country were not adequate and raising the capacity through training is an urgent and important task, but which will be realised in years not in months. In the meantime, the Diaspora Deltans is a rich pool from which the government can draw," he said. The Commissioner explained that D3 will initially focus on bringing the expertise and resources of Delta Diaspora to support the agricultural development, medical care and environmental protection as well as the governor's three-point programme.
The benefit of the D3 programme, he further explained, will provide a much needed platform for Delta professionals and business people in the Diaspora to contribute towards the state development goals; offer a framework for recognising the contribution of Delta Diasporans, provide an opportunity for professionals from abroad to work on different programmes in key sectors of the state economy, including contributing towards policy framework, projects design and implementation which will result in job creation as well as create a vehicle for Deltan Diasporans to share their skills with their professional counterparts at home.
SIX FOREIGN INVESTORS INDICATE INTEREST IN DELTA
VanguardNews Jul 22, 2009
By Emma Amaize
ASABA—DELTA State government has strategically positioned itself to benefit from the National Gas Master Plan with six of the 15 international investors, already pre-qualified by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) indicating interest to establish gas processing facilities in the state.
This fact came to light at a stakeholders’ meeting organized by the state government at Asaba, the state capital on Monday to sensitize the people on the state’s strategy for the National Gas Master Plan and how Deltans could benefit collectively from the natural resource.
Nigeria has a proven gas reserve of 185 trillion cubic feet (TCF) and a potential of about 600 trillion cubic feet and the state accounts for 49 per cent of the available gas.
The Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, who was represented by the General Manager (upstream), Dr. David Ige, confirmed that the final selection would be done in December, this year, and hopefully, by January 3, 2010, work would commence on the construction of a gas processing hubs in Delta, Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states.
Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, said with the practical reality on ground that oil has become a diminishing asset, the state decided to partner with NNPC to diversify its economy since it accounts for 40 per cent of the available gas in the country.
The details of the ownership structure are still being worked out, but, while the NNPC owns 60 per cent of the investment, the state government is working on 10 per cent (five per cent for the government and the other five per cent for the host communities through special purpose vehicles).
Uduaghan’s words, “We are going to be part of the cooking of this gas food and will also be part of the eating, Delta will negotiate for 10 percent with the host communities getting five percent that will be managed by special purpose vehicles established by them.”
While emphasizing that it was the people’s interest that informed the basis of the state government’s quick alignment and commitment to the Nigerian Gas Master plan, Governor Uduaghan posited that “it is the involvement of the people in projects like this that make it impossible for those who want to disrupt public peace and social order to fail, because they would have no base to pursue their action.”
The governor enumerated the numerous benefits that will accrue to the state from the Nigerian Gas Master plan and stressed that in striving to maximize the benefit it will derive from it, a Delta State Joint Advisory Committee on the Gas Master plan will be inaugurated.
Dr. Uduaghan who stated that the Gas Stakeholders Meeting was to sensitize the people about the Nigerian Gas Master plan and deliberate on how Delta State can position itself for maximum benefit, further assured that government was seriously considering the issue of manpower skills that will be needed by the companies.
To this end, he said the state will tap into the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun and also collaborate with the UNDP to set up skill acquisition centres as well as using the state-owned Polytechnics to train Deltans in electrical and welding skills.
Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Gas, Senator Patrick Osakwe who presided over the summit commended Governor Uduaghan for seeing the future of gas in the economy of the state and tapping into it ahead of other Niger-Delta states.
In a keynote address, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, acknowledged the contribution of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, which he said, has resulted in over 45 investors applying for pre-qualification in the over10 billion dollars worth of gas infrastructure opportunity.
Barkindo who was represented by his technical adviser, Dr. David Ige, said the meeting provided a platform for the stakeholders to understand the vision and the status of the plan, disclosed that six different consortia have expressed interest in building central processing facilities in Delta State as a result of the role played by the governor at the investors road show in Abuja, London and Singapore in May 2008.
He said with 185 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proven gas reserve and a potential of about 600 TCF, Nigeria was well positioned to be among the would top four in terms of gas.
Barkindo further said that while the gas Master plan addresses the gas infrastructure challenge in gas supply in Nigeria , it envisages the development of three gas processing hubs to be located in delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.
On his part, Senator Patrick Osakwe, who chaired the stakeholders meeting called for the liberalization of the oil sector.
Senator Osakwe who is the Deputy Chairman of the Senate committee on Gas condemned the “over involvement” of the Federal Government in the oil and gas sector and , therefore, sought the removal of the Petroleum Ministry from the Department of Petroleum Resources.
He urged Deltans to support the administration because the governor is a man of vision. The NNPC managing director also spoke of the governor’s visionary traits, saying he was impressed with his Asaba International Airport project, peace and security agenda, micro-credit scheme, agricultural empowerment and street light projects.
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D3 Launching: Uduaghan Tells Deltans in Diaspora, 'Home is Sweet'
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, has appealed to indigenes of the state living in the U.S., to come home and contribute to its growth and development.
Governor Uduaghan made the appeal at an interactive session with Delta professionals and entrepreneurs in New York. He said that the state required their services and contributions because of the ``enormous task ahead of us to meet up with new challenges in growth and development''. ``We need your expertise to tackle these challenges and I am calling on our professionals and businessmen and women here to always remember Delta and Nigeria, because home is sweet.
``But, please if you cannot come home endeavour to extend your contributions in whatever way you can toward helping us boost Delta's socio-economic development, as well as raise the living standards of our people,'' the Governor said.
He called on Deltans in Diaspora to prepare themselves to serve as mentors to either primary or secondary schools in their various communities in the state, in order to support educational development of the youth.. Uduaghan further disclosed that his administration had initiated various projects and programmes to empower the people of the State, promote private enterprise development and improve service delivery for human development.
Earlier, the chairman of the session and former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, said Nigeria was endowed with vast human resources, which should be fully utilised to enhance the country's growth. Carrington described Nigerians in Diaspora as ``enterprising and hardworking'', and had contributed ```immensely'' to the U.S.
economy, as well as to their compatriots in Nigeria.
He appealed to both the federal and state governments to also explore the resource base of Nigerians in Diaspora by engaging them for national development. He commended Uduaghan for the initiative to tap into the resources
and skills of the Deltans in Diaspora for the progress of the state and its people.
Also speaking, the commissioner for information, Oma Djebah, said that the Delta Diaspora Direct (D3) is an initiative of the state government, which is aimed at promoting ``sustained and systematic interactions between the government and its Diasporan citizens''. He said: ``The D3 initiative provides a definitive platform for mobilising the technical expertise, the financial resources and the web of contacts that Delta Diasporans can bring to support the development of their state''.
Governor Uduaghan was in the U.S., with some Delta government officials and other eminent Delta personalities on a trade and investment drive. The interactive session dwelt on investment in education, health, agriculture, science and technology, information and communication technology and commerce.
D3 Launching: Uduaghan Blames Foreign Collaborators for Criminality and Illegal Bunkering in Niger Delta
The Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, has attributed illegal bunkering and the protracted crisis in the region to collaboration between foreign countries, staffers of oil companies operating in the area and criminals.
Governor Uduaghan spoke in New York at the formal launching of the Delta Diaspora Direct, D3, an initiative of the Delta State Government geared towards involving Deltans in Diaspora in the development of the state.
Governor Uduaghan said that the crisis in Niger Delta is being sustained and financed by funds realized from foreigners who patronize illegally bunkered oil from the region. According to the Governor “the guns in the Niger Delta are not produced in Nigeria, they are produced abroad.”
He charged the International Community and other relevant bodies to investigate the destination of all bunkered crude oil from the Niger Delta region as a first step to ending oil bunkering and by extension the crisis in the region.
Governor Uduaghan also urged the National Assembly to consider the aspect of the Petroleum Bill which would provide royalties to host communities of oil companies.
According to him “if the royalties are paid and the communities are also part of the oil companies, the crisis in the area would be very minimal if not eliminated.”
The Governor however promised to leave a legacy where the different ethnic groups are united for the common goal of an accelerated and meaningful development of Delta State where ethnic distrust is reduced to the minimum.
In his speech, former U.S Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Carrington blamed the dearth of basic infrastructure in the Niger Delta on the failure of successive governments.
Ambassador Carrington particularly took a swipe on the military for distorting the concept of true federalism in Nigeria; “It would seem to me clear that the underlying source of discontent in the region is the failure of successive national governments to use a fair portion of the wealth it extracts to benefit the area which produces it.”
UDUAGHAN IN WASHINGTON, SEEKS PARTNERSHIP
WITH WORLD BANK
FROM LEFT, GOVERNOR EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE WORLD BANK, DR. NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA AND ANOTHER OFFICIAL OF THE BANK, DURING A MEETING AT THE WORLD BANK HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES
Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has said the state government is partnering with the World Bank to bring sustainable development to the state. Governor Uduaghan disclosed this at a meeting with a World Bank team led by its Managing Director, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, at the bank's headquarters in Washington DC.
The governor, who presented a ``Delta Development Framework'' to the bank's officials at a meeting, said: ``Delta State desires a vibrant working relationship with the World Bank for the benefit of Delta citizens''.
He said that the partnership would support the state government’s three-point agenda of peace and security, human capital development and infrastructure development.
He called on the bank to assist Delta state with technical support, financing of key projects, capacity building for government officials, support to open new markets for farmers and industries and support to build entrepreneurial industries.
Dr. Uduaghan noted that the partnership would also help to reduce poverty, as well as improve standard of living in Delta communities and ensure the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Governor Uduaghan also listed the areas of partnership to include agriculture, environment, human capital development, health, revenue generation, water resources, education, transport, energy and ICT.
He urged the bank to key into Delta government projects and programmes designed to boost socio-economic activities in the oil-producing communities in the state.
Earlier, Okonjo-Iweala expressed the desire of the bank to foster a working relationship with the state government, but stressed that the ethics of transparency, good governance, accountability, and peace and security was needed to actualise the partnership.
According to her, ``This ethics are key to the World Bank and we urged the government to adhere to them to do business with us, so as to uplift the conditions of our people''.
The managing director, also commended Governor Uduaghan for his initiative to facilitate ``concrete development'' for the wellbeing of Deltans and urged him not to relent on his oars.
Some of the World Bank's officials, who spoke at the meeting, said that there were opportunities to be explored by the bank to promote growth and development in the Niger Delta region.
They promised to work toward ensuring that the bank supports some development projects that have direct bearing on the welfare of the communities in Delta state.
governor Uduaghan, government officials and other eminent Delta personalities had earlier held an interactive session with some members of the U.S. business community in Washington DC.
The session dwelled on investment in education, health, agriculture, science and technology, information and communication, transportation and energy development.
Delta Diasporan Bags British Highest Award Of Service
Ambrose Ologide (Warri)
History was made when a Deltan of Urhobo extraction Mrs. Comfort Omoko was conferred with the highest British award of Member of British Empire (MBE) by the Queen of England HRM Elizabeth (II) recently.
Mrs. Omoko was given the award for her meritorious service in the Scotland Yard where she works as a metropolitan police.
In her response Mrs Omoko said "I would like to thank my senior management team over the years who never stopped encouraging me and who always tried to bring the best out of me. Many thanks also to all the staff at Charing Cross and West End Central. 'Always put in your best - it won't go unnoticed'."
Commenting on the award, Mr. Paul Akpofure, the President of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) United Kingdom and Ireland described the award as a reward for hardwork and excellence, adding that Mrs. Comfort Omoko is a pride to Nigeria and indeed Africa.
Meanwhile the Omokos have planned a celebration party for Mrs. Comfort Omoko who would also be celebrating her 62nd birthday on the 8th of August, 2009 at Mill Wall Community Lions Centre, Zampa Road, London SE 16 3LN.
Delta to Spend N21bn on Independent Power Project
Delta state government is to spend about N21 billion on its independent power plant.The state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, announced this at the weekend when the engineering firms, PSL and MCE group international, handling the project paid him a courtesy call in Asaba.
Uduaghan who described the project as strategic and central to infrastructure development in the state said he was determined tocomplete the project.
He said when completed, the independent plant will generate 350 megawatts of electricity in the state. The governor therefore told the engineering firm to accelerate workand make concrete progress so that they can, at the starting point, generate 100 mega watts of eletricity.
Explaining that power plant is not cheap, Udughan said the reforms in the banking sector may affect the pace and volume of work."I want to see work on ground. We can get100 mega watts first because this project is a key project, ” he said. Director of MCE Group, Mr. Steve Dougty, who said thepower plant will be operational from October next year, disclosed that training of engineers will start soon even as heexplained that the training will take place in the state.
He described the project as very comprehensive and gave assurance that when functional, it will ensure uninterrupted supply of power in thestate.
Doughty who also said the power plant to be installed was of high qualityand has long life span, maintained that it will create job opportunities for Deltans.
"It is a fine example of powerplant. The objective is to ensure uninterrupted power supply and it will employ many Deltans, ” he said.
THIS DAY
12-10-2009
Uduaghan awards scholarship to pupil
FOR his excellent performance at the National Science Competition, the Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan at the weekend in Asaba awarded scholarship to Master Solomon Martin of Abaido Primary School, Okwagbe.
Uduaghan said at the the flag off of the distribution of free textbooks to primary and junior secondary schools in the state that the performance of the promising boy from a primary school in the rural area showed that teachers in the rural areas were working very hard.
He said his administration was committed to improving education in the state, adding that was the real reason the state government approved new teachers' salary structure to motivate teachers in the state. He expressed the hope that teachers would contribute their quota in complementing the state government's effort.
He said: "The state government will fully take over the education of Solomon Martin till university level. The state will continue to improve education in the state, especially in the rural communities. This has shown that the teachers in the rural areas are now doing their jobs."
He explained that Martin was a good ambassador of every young child in the country and stated that his administration was committed to improving education in the rural area, especially with the new policy of posting newly employed teachers to work there in the first five years.
Guardian
Reversing the Brain Drain
Excerpts from a Keynote speech by Philip Emeagwali at the Pan African Conference on Brain Drain, Elsah, Illinois on October 24, 2003.
Ten million Africans now constitute an invisible nation that resides outside Africa. Although invisible, it is a nation as populous as Angola, Malawi, Zambia or Zimbabwe. If it were to be a nation with distinct borders, it would have an income roughly equivalent to Africa’s gross domestic product.
What few realize is that Africans who immigrate to the United States contribute 40 times more wealth to the American than to the African economy. According to the United Nations, an African professional working in the United States contributes about $150,000 per year to the U.S. economy.
Again, if you do the math, you will realize that the African professional remitting $300 per month to Africa is contributing 40 times more to the United States economy than to the African one.
On a relative scale, that means for every $300 per month a professional African sends home, that person contributes $12,000 per month to the U.S. economy.
Of course, the issue more important than facts and figures is eliminating poverty in Africa, not merely reducing it by sending money to relatives. Money alone cannot eliminate poverty in Africa, because even one million dollars is a number with no intrinsic value.
Real wealth cannot be measured by money, yet we often confuse money with wealth. Under the status quo, Africa would still remain poor even if we were to send all the money in the world there.
Ask someone who is ill what “wealth” means, and you will get a very different answer than from most other people.
If you were HIV-positive, you would gladly exchange one million dollars to become HIV-negative.
When you give your money to your doctor, that physician helps you convert your money into health – or rather, wealth.
Money cannot teach your children. Teachers can. Money cannot bring electricity to your home. Engineers can. Money cannot cure sick people. Doctors can.
Because it is only a nation’s human capital that can be converted into real wealth, that human capital is much more valuable than its financial capital.
A few years ago, Zambia had 1,600 medical doctors. Today, Zambia has only 400 medical doctors. Kenya retains only 10% of the nurses and doctors trained there. A similar story is told from South Africa to Ghana.
A recent World Bank survey shows that African universities are exporting a large percentage of their graduating manpower to the United States. In a given year, the World Bank estimates that 70,000 skilled Africans immigrate to Europe and the United States.
While these 70,000 skilled Africans are fleeing the continent in search of employment and decent wages, 100,000 skilled expatriates who are paid wages higher than the prevailing rate in Europe are hired to replace them.
In Nigeria, the petroleum industry hires about 1,000 skilled expatriates, even though we can find similar skills within the African Diaspora. Instead of developing its own manpower resources, Nigeria prefers to contract out its oil exploration despite the staggeringly high price of having to concede 40% of its profits to foreign oil companies.
In a pre-independence day editorial, the Vanguard (Nigeria) queried: “Why would the optimism of 1960 give way to the despair of 2000?”
My answer is this: Nigeria achieved political independence in 1960, but by the year 2000 had not yet achieved technological independence.
During colonial rule, Nigeria retained only 50% of the profits from oil derived from its own territory. Four decades after this colonial rule ended, the New York Times (December 22, 2002) wrote that “40 percent of the oil revenue goes to Chevron, [and] 60 percent to the [Nigerian] government.”
As a point of comparison, the United States would never permit a Nigerian oil company to retain 40% of the profits from a Texas oilfield.
Our African homelands have paid an extraordinary price for their lack of domestic technological knowledge.
Because of that lack of knowledge, since it gained independence in 1960, Nigeria has relinquished 40% of its oilfields and $200 billion to American and European stockholders.
Because of that lack of knowledge, Nigeria exports crude petroleum, only to import refined petroleum.
Because of that lack of knowledge, Africa exports raw steel, only to import cars that are essentially steel products.
Knowledge is the engine that drives economic growth, and Africa cannot eliminate poverty without first increasing and nurturing its intellectual capital.
Reversing the “brain drain” will increase Africa’s intellectual capital while also increasing its wealth in many, many different ways.
Can the “brain drain” be reversed? My answer is: yes. But in order for it to happen, we must try something different.
At this point, I want to inject a new idea into this dialogue. For my idea to work, it requires that we tap the talents and skills of the African Diaspora. It requires that we create one million high-tech jobs in Africa. It requires that we move one million high-tech jobs from the United States to Africa.
I know you are wondering: How can we move one million jobs from the United States to Africa?
It can be done. In fact, by the year 2015 the U.S. Department of Labor expects to lose an estimated 3.3 million call center jobs to developing nations.
In this area, what we as Africans need to do is develop a strategic plan – one that will persuade multinational companies that it will be more profitable to move their call centers to nations in Africa instead of India.
These high-tech jobs include those in call centers, customer service and help desks – all of which are suitable for unemployed university graduates.
The reason these jobs could now emerge in Africa is that recent technological advances such as the Internet and mobile telephones now make it practical, cheaper and otherwise advantageous to move these services to developing nations, where lower wages prevail.
If Africa succeeds in capturing one million of these high-tech jobs, they could provide more revenues than all the African oilfields. These “greener pastures” would lure back talent and, in turn, create a reverse “brain drain.”
Again, we have a rare and unique window of opportunity to convert projected American job losses into Africa’s job gain, and thus change the “brain drain” to “brain gain.”
However, aggressive action must be taken before this window of opportunity closes. India is a formidable competitor.
Therefore, we need to determine the cost savings realized by outsourcing call center jobs to Africa instead of India. That cost saving will be used as a selling point to corporations interested in outsourcing jobs.
A typical call center employee might be a housewife using a laptop computer and a cell phone to work from her home. As night settles and her children go to bed, she could place a phone call to Los Angeles, which is 10 hours behind her time zone.
An American answers her call and she says, “Good morning, this is Zakiya.” Using a standard, rehearsed script, she tries to sell an American product.
Now that USA-to-Africa telephone calls are as low as 6 cents per minute, it is economically feasible for a telephone sales person to reside in Anglophone Africa while virtually employed in the United States, and – this is important – paying income taxes only to her country in Africa.
I will give one more example of how thousands of call center jobs can be created in Africa.
It is well known that U.S. companies often give up on collecting outstanding account balances of less than $50 each. The reason is that it often costs $60 in American labor to recover that $50.
By comparison, I believe it would cost only $10 in African labor (including the 6 cents per minute phone call) to collect an outstanding balance of $50.
Just Released: Uduaghan's Development Milestones - Vol II
A publication of the Delta State Ministry of Information, Asaba (April, 2010)
His Excellency, Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan in a handshake with Super Computer Scientist and mathematician, Prof Philip Emeagwali During D3 Summit, Geneva, Switzerland.
