Africa’s Rapid Industrialization Begins in Namibia by Groot Group

The first time of doing something, anything anywhere, is always the hardest; but once you do it a few times, either successfully well or not, it gets easier with time, every time.

As Chief Economist, and now CEO of Groot Group, as well as Project Director for most of our industrial projects, I’ve learned a lot by dealing with certain things, either socially or politically, in Namibia in terms of developing Groot, Otavi Steel, and Sitentu Power Plant; but with our recently unveiled Tses Glass Manufacturing Plant, this is now happening fastest and easiest than any other.

Our achieved success from doing the Sitentu Power Plant and then the Otavi Steel Mill has made it easier for doing all of our other projects; and in addition, many of the world’s largest and leading companies from around the world have lined up and continue to line for our projects.

It’s now easier for us to plan and execute any industrial project and within less than 48 hours, we have a complete team in place, ready to take on the project; companies from the USA, South Africa, Europe and Asia, such as a team from South Africa’s largest, The Dickson Group and Germany’s largest Horn Glass Industries, will arrive in Namibia in coming days. A team from the US and another team from Cognex in France will also arrive in Namibia in early August for Tses Glass. More companies based in Germany, Northern Ireland, Russia, Italy, Israel, India, etc., are scheduling to come to Namibia for our Tses Glass Manufacturing Plant.

This fast approach for the development of Tses Glass is making it ready for the construction to begin next year in May, nearly at the same time as Otavi Steel, which starts in April next year.

We understand that Europe is currently in dire financial crisis, so as the US economy is also in the stagnant mode, and the US and European companies are shifting their profit yearning to the market where they deem lucrative, and Namibia, because of our Group’s initiatives, is at the forefront for them. In return, Namibia as a country and the Namibian people will enormously and exponentially benefit from these industrial projects’ development.

Just by combining the Otavi Steel Mill and Tses Glass Plant’s indirect employment creation opportunities in Namibia, about 260,000 permanent indirect jobs, just from these two projects, will be created in Namibia alone. But how did we get this number? Otavi Steel’s direct employment is about 23,500 and for Tses Glass is about 27,900. By adding those numbers together and multiply them by a factor of 5 (based on the fact that each 1 direct employment created generates about 5 indirect job opportunities), then you get 257,000 indirect job opportunities created just from two industrial projects in Namibia. And that will help reduce Namibia’s current unemployment rate of about 54% to about 21% within just the first few years of commissioning these two industrial projects.

For Namibia to realize Vision 2030 on time, and this is a fact that a “big rock” must be thrust into the Namibian economy by no later than 2018. And this “big rock” must be so huge that it will create long-lasting ripple effects to exponentially boost Namibia’s aggregate economy in full fast growth speed, but without jolting an inflationary pressure. And these two industrial projects; Tses Glass and Otavi Steel, as complemented by Sitentu Power Plant are part of this “big rock”.

On a macroeconomic impact level, just nearly as it’s expected in Otavi, so as it will happen in Tses. Currently, Tses is a small village with a small sparsely population of about 2500. However, as Tses Glass will require more than 27,900 direct workers, more and more Namibians are expected to flock to Tses in search of better paying jobs. As a results, Tses will need no less than 20,000 new homes. Taking at least 4 persons per each household, that will boost the Tses population to more than 80,000 within 4 years. And for this reason, Tses needs to develop at least 5 new suburbs with each suburb to be composed of at least 5,000 new homes. As these new suburbs are developed, there will be a need for clinics, retail stores, gas services (right now there’s only one small gas service which operates at certain hours of each day), barber shops, hospitals, colleges, schools, etc., in order to serve the expected fast rising residents of Tses.

Currently, Namibia’s population is mostly centralized; mostly in a few major cities and towns such as Windhoek, Walvisbay, Oshakati, and Swakopmund. The municipalities of these towns can barely keep up with the providing of basic services such as water, electricity and sewage to their residents. More and more shanty towns in these cities and towns around Namibia are mushrooming up exponentially as more Namibians are moving from the rural to urban centers in search of work.

And, as these towns, Otavi, Tses, etc., boost the demand for employment opportunities caused by our industrial projects, then some people in other areas as stated above are poised to migrate to these areas of Tses and Otavi in search of work. Hence the fastest and efficient cause of a population decentralization in Namibia in a relative short period of time.

Well, this is obvious that, as more Namibians get better and find better paying jobs, more will no longer be housed in shack houses with cold and heat temperature. Certainly, the cold and heat weather are some of the major contributing factors to many of today’s chronicle diseases that affect most of the Namibian people. But, as more and more people have better paying jobs, they will have access to better housing with good water, electricity and sewage; hence the reduction in unnecessary sickness, which currently impose high-rise in healthcare costs to the government. Then Namibia is poised to experience a lower death rate, but more healthy births; hence a fast but healthy growing population.

For Swaziland, we are currently to develop a 1200 MW Coal Power Plant in Swaziland, and for Zimbabwe, we have an industrial project idea that, if developed, could turn around the Zimbabwean economy and make it a first world country (developed economy) within just 8 years. Hence the Zimbabwean government needs to contact us quickly for the implementation of this awesome project that will exponentially boost its economy and help create long-lasting socioeconomic benefits for the Zimbabwean people.

Zimbabwe, please contact me now at my email at simon@grootgroup.com. Let’s get to work and make the Zimbabwean economy more beautiful.

Feel free to download and view our Groot Group Corporate Brochure with detailed approach to our Industrial Ecosystem Model.

Are There Any Smart People Left in Africa?

More and more US entrepreneurs are launching companies for mining in space. Apart from the much recently publicized, Planetary Resources Inc., which aims to mine an Asteroid circling near the Sun, Moon Express Inc., is another one of many US companies that seek to mine certain rare minerals on the Moon and it expects to land on the moon by 2013.

Here is the case; some of the serial entrepreneurs in developed countries have almost exploited and exhausted most, if not all, the ideas to turn them into profitable companies, and now are starting to focus on space mining and exploration.

But what are the entrepreneurs in Africa doing? Sleeping, drinking themselves to death, or just loathing around?

Africa countries have some of the most educated people, just like in other developed countries. But some of the factors that may brain drain Africa is that most of these foreign educated Africans never return to their home countries in Africa, they end up staying where they have studied and work for the companies in those countries.

But a few who return to their home countries in Africa, they walk around; bragging and boasting around because of their papers (degrees) and academic achievements, then they get jobs in governments and simply become useless. Because in their job posts, they are not expected to meet any certain quotas or milestones, and mostly after work every day, they go out to drink themselves out. Then the next day they go to work, with a much hangover, and that makes them even more less productive. But at the end of each month, they receive their generous paychecks whether they have done any work or not.

All in all, they rarely do anything impactful to come up with real innovations that could help transform their economies and raise up their communities’ standard of living.

If I am wrong, please tell me even just 5 innovations that were developed in Africa.

Nearly everything that we use today in our homes and at work, from automobiles, planes, electricity, etc., were invented in countries outside Africa; mostly in the US.

My question is this; are there any smart people living in Africa? Are there any entrepreneurs in Africa?

There’s a silly and perhaps racial saying; all the smart people who were born in Africa have left Africa, and only the dumb ones are still living in Africa. Is this true?

So what is really the issue that hinters a rapid economic development and growth in Africa?

Is it perhaps because more Africans become politicians or politicians wannabee instead of engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs (not shebeen owners) who develop real innovations that solve some of today’s intricate problems?

My New Book Filled With New Economic Models, Theories, Formulas, and Touching on Entrepreneurship, Personal Development, Innovation, Leadership and Capital Raising

I’m often asked why am I not writing an Academic Book for colleges/universities.

My answer is; yes, I’m writing an academic book focusing on Economics related issues, but it will not be ready may be for another 2 or 3 years. And yes, I have already been offered a US$1.5 million publishing deal (I announced this on my blog in October last year) by a New York City publisher based on “My Job Multiplier Effect Model“.

In this book, it will be filled with my self-created economic models, and more theories, equations, and formulas. This is based on what I have learned so far by being part of an incredible team that’s doing our Groot Rapid Industrial Ecosystem Development in Namibia, and perhaps I will also touch on introducing a “New School of Thought” based on The 2008 Great Recession (which I dub “Capitalism Transformation”), plus my vast research during my time stay and working in Namibia since August 2010, plus my vast travel around the world, meeting with potential investors, negotiating mega deals and contracts with potential partners, dealing with the hardcore politics of Namibia, meeting and discussing with high ranking government officials, and by developing one of the world’s largest power plants (Sitentu Power Plant), developing Africa’s largest steel mill (Otavi Steel Mill), developing a new township (Groot) from scratch, and more, as well as being often times ridiculed by some news media, and my experience dealing with often times inexperienced news reporters.

The book will touch on self-improvement, personal development, mentorship, innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership, and raising capital/investment based on my experience dealing with investment power houses, banks, and venture firms around the world to raise US$1.6 billion for our power plant, and US$210 million for our Otavi Steel Nanomil.

I believe this Book will be an awesome reading.

ANC Making a Big Mistake by Expelling Julius Malema

This is a very sensitive issue and I believe the ANC is making a huge mistake if it expels Julius Malema from the ANC Party.

It’s a known fact by nearly everyone that the Youths in Africa are the most vulnerable in terms of employment, skills development, and access to socio-economic programs; and each ruling party anywhere in Africa should embrace at all costs to making sure that the Youths are well cared for. Because if you look at the age median of the political spectrum today in Africa; the majority of the voters are the youths, and I am referring to those who were born after 1990. They don’t know anything first-hand about apartheid or colonization, except what they read in history books and hear mythical stories as told by their parents and friends in the streets.

The youths today don’t care about what happened during the apartheid era or colonization; they only care about their cellphones, laptops, cars, tablet devices, connecting to the Web; in short, they only care about money; and I mean “hard cash” and nothing else. Hence any ruling party that doesn’t cater to providing the youths in their country with the much needed resources to put hard cash in their pockets, then that ruling party is doomed and is risking losing the next or next-to-next general election.

As for the ANC, it needs to realize that Julius Malema, regardless of his hard rhetoric and militant tenor, he’s more influential and more powerful than the ANC itself (consider the Hip-Hop group, Public Enermy, in the 80’s and early 90’s, do you know what happened during that time to the US cities of Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, etc. with their militant song; “Fight the Power”?), meaning that if he gets expelled from the ANC, that he’s more than able and capable of creating his own political party and be able to raise enough funds to easily win the next South African Presidential election.

Now, before you say “no” he can’t do that, then look at South African youths; the majority of them are blacks and are unemployed or underemployed and if Malema can put together a powerful and experienced Advisory Committee to court and guide him, so that he can tone down his militant rhetoric and embrace a more softer but still hard-toned down tenor that directly addresses the issues that the South African Youths are facing daily, then this will coin him and guarantee him to win the next South African Presidential Election.

Now, instead for the ANC to expel him, it should consider offering him and putting him in a “Strategic Position” within the ANC Party that will cater to pulling and attracting the angry South African Youths to the ANC Party, and then try to address their issues collectively. However, if they expel him from the ANC Party, because he has criticized President Jacob Zuma, then they are risking losing the next Presidential Election, because the Youths will likely follow him to whatever party he goes.

And in general, African Presidents need to get used to being ridiculed and criticized; this is democracy. Constituencies must have the rights to air their views on the President’s job performances. Criticism and being ridiculed don’t mean disrespectful, it simply implying an unsatisfactorily sentiments due to the President’s job precipitation.

The world has changed; everything in it has changed; politics and business as usual have changed; it’s not the same old principled theories any more. And every leader anywhere should embrace this change; which is the new age of interacted, and a more connected global economy. Political economy no longer has roots; it’s meaningless. Economic transformation is the next wave for Africa’s industrialization as fueled by the passion for Africans to live like other humans elsewhere in the world.

Socialism, Communism, Fascism, etc are dead, even the Soviet Union (USSR) doesn’t exist any more, capitalism has seen its transformation change and chanllenge since The 2008 Great Recession. Now it’s the market-driven-economy which rules and controls this wind of a new change; a world of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, iPhone, and more. These platforms have completely revolutionized how things work and are done today; both in politics, business, entertainment, science, and everything else.

The global information in which we live now is on everyone’s fingertips. We are now more connected, more smarter, more informed, more vocal, and more open. The print news media are no longer relevant. Their relevancy only for confirmation of the reported news.

This new global change needs and must be understood and accepted by African leaders who still practice and focus on the old politics, the politics of old dogs fighting for old bones.

This new change needs to ring clear and loud within every ruling party especially in Africa; that the Youths at all costs “must come first”. Because any country that overlooks or underestimates its youths is directly or indirectly doomed to have political fallout and economic demise. And the ANC must consider reinstating Malema right away and find a common goal to best work and reason with him, if they want to win the next Presidential Election.

If ANC expels Julius Malema today, expect a huge political backlash against the ANC Party.

(I wrote this unbiased opinion as an Analyst, not a politician. I hate politics. And, no I am not a supporter of Julius Malema, I think he’s a joke, but I respect him as a human being).

Stagflation? Bank of Namibia, Do Something, Please!

In February 2012, I wrote a short status update on my Facebook profile, that the Taxi Fare in Namibia would go up by may be as little as 5% within a few weeks. But today, Die Republikein Newspaper states that at end of April, it will go up by N$1, from N$8 to N$9, which is an increase of about 11%. That’s nearly a double increase from what I thought it would be.

Now, here is the issue in Namibia; inflation (price) has been rising fast over the years, while the unemployment rate is also rising at the same time; hence stagflation.

This should have been in reverse; that if the consumer price is rising then there should be lots of employment creation opportunities or better salaries and wages. But the price of consumer goods (taxi fare, bread, flour, cooking oil, etc) is rising while everything else remains neutral or even going downward spiral.

Okay, we assume that this is all due to the rising price in the global energy consumption, but should we still blame China and India for their massive consumption of electricity or is it due to the cut down in oil import from Iran due to the US sanctions and trade embargoes on Iran?.

So what’s the Bank of Namibia doing to help curb down all of these, so far nothing. Could BoN step up to perhaps cut down on the interest rates to help boost consumer and banking lending? Oh, sorry I forgot; most Namibians are unemployed, hence they may not be able to apply and get qualified for bank loans, also Namibia’s Monetary Policy is tied directly to the South African Central Bank, so unless the SA Central Bank acts on its interest rates, we may not see too much happening at BoN.

What can BoN do to help boost economic growth? How’s monetary and fiscal policy playing on at BoN?

How to Build a $10 Billion Company in 3 Years?

How do you build a $10 billion industrial, non-tech, company in just 3 years in today’s fiercely competitive global market economy?

The formula is simple; do something completely out of the box; something that has never been done before or just take an existing one and improve it to perfection, but do not be afraid of being ridiculed.

Stay focused, determined, hungry and foolish; foolish that you listen to no one who tells you that your idea will never work; remain resilient and passionate about your idea. Listen to their advice and criticism to help you improve your foolishness, but don’t get discouraged; just stay focused and dead thirsty to realize your dream.

Pray nonstop; ask God for wisdom, knowledge and understanding on how to make your dream the best product in your industry; be faithful and hopeful through obedience.

No one else will do it better than yourself, and if you need assistance, get the best expert to do it for you, but work hand-in-hand with him. You have the vision of how you want it to be, so make it to be better than anything else in the market, and think about its short and long term impacts and effects while you develop it.

Take the risk and accept every shameful and ridiculous thing thrown at you without you losing your cool. Keep doing your thing while they’re mocking you, but in the end, you’d be the one laughing on your way to the bank.

Then later, they’re the first one in line with proposals looking for cash donations from you for their vague and silly nonprofit programs, because that’s their only way to scavenge for cash to fund their personal livelihood.

Never forget those who have helped you realize your dream; do good for them as much as they did for you; but remember those who were laughing and mocking at you but never pity to give them anything. Be vengeful!

Yup, Groot Group‘s valuation is at US$10+ billion, and this is just from the two projects; the steel mill and the power plant.

A privately held startup company, Groot Group has 58 more projects to develop to create sustainable employment opportunities of more than 500,000 direct and indirect new jobs in Namibia.

Groot Group is an entrepreneurial driven company, based on the concept that entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership are the ingredient driving factors for improving, developing and rapidly growing an economy of any country in the world.

At Groot Group, we strongly believe that the government provides security, resources, tools, and procedures for entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses, but it’s not the responsibility of the government to venture into entrepreneurship.

Innovations (businesses) by entrepreneurs provide the financial support in forms of taxes, levies, and tariffs imposed on sales, imports and exports by the government for the government to meet its operational and social economic programs.

Also employment creation depends on entrepreneurs who develop innovations and establishing businesses that employ qualified and available candidates within the economy.

However, if the government does the opposite; tries to venture out into establishing businesses that directly or indirectly compete with private businesses, then what will happen is a non-optimal functioning, stagnant economy. And we see this a lot in African countries.

History tells us that there has never been a government-owned business anywhere that has been profitable and at the same time; offering the most efficient and best products or customer care in the world. Only the US Postal System has for years worked, but now, it’s in big ruin. The government should and must support viable business efforts by entrepreneurs but it should stay out of entrepreneurs’ way.

Now, get up and go out there and start your own $100 billion business; Mark, Bill, Steve, etc., did it for their Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook, etc. No matter how silly your business idea might sound; if there’s someone who wants your service or product, then there’s a market for it; so just go do it.

Namibia, Together We Can Do It; Rapid Industrial Development

We now have Danieli and SMS Siemag powering Otavi Steel, and GE, Mitsubishi, Marubeni, and Siemens to power Sitentu Power Plant.

Working with Namibian entrepreneurs and government agencies, we are bringing some of the world’s largest and best companies, technology, and investment to Namibia to develop Namibia’s economy. Yes, entrepreneurship and innovations are the engine growth for every economy in the world.

I’ve been trying to tell you that our Groot Group has the unique ability and capacity to make this happen; bringing and developing some of the largest projects in Namibia by some of the world’s largest companies and financial institutions, but some laughed at me saying it’s impossible, because they looked at my physical approach and denigrated me simply because may be I didn’t come to you walking on a cloud or simply because I turned out to be black (on the phone I may sound like a white man may be, but what if I was white?). Today, those “some” you are regretting for not working with us.

In Grootfontein, after they didn’t sign the MoU for us to do GTC there, we offered the Grootfontein Town Council for us to buy the land that we were signing the MoU for, we asked them how much they want for it, and the Grootfontein Town Council wrote to us, by snail mail, stating that they will not sell us the land. The CEO and their lawyer informed me on the phone that we go develop it elsewhere, and so we moved on and to a private land, for our GTC development. This could have brought a massive economic development to a dilapidated town of Grootfontein.

We have always been constantly linear on what we say that we can do and what we will do, it may not happen at the time we say will happen due to the scope outside our own control at times. However, now we have two different projects in Otavi (Otavi Steel) and Walvisbay (Sitentu Power Plant) with a combined development budget of more than N$37 billion (N$26 billion for Otavi Steel) and N$11 billion for Sitentu Power Plant).

These are some of the largest projects ever developed anywhere, and they are under way now, right here in Namibia. They are not impossible to develop them, because they have been developed elsewhere before.

These two projects have massive economic tentacles touching nearly every industry, every sector in Namibia, to offer economic development and good sustainable employment opportunities for the Namibian people.

We, as a country, Namibia, all of us, we can make this happen faster if we are working together regardless of our political, tribal, ethnic, and religious differences, we can make this happen for the greater good of Namibia; and our future generation.

It’s not about who or what, the focus should be about what each one of us are doing to help develop Namibia. Our Independence was not as a result from just one individual member but by the heroic efforts of all of us, the Namibians, united as SWAPO members and led by our Hero, Founding Father Nujoma, and we all together have overcome to defeat the mighty South African Apartheid government.

If we are united still, just as we were united then, then no one in Namibia will be going to bed hungry, no one will be with nothing; we can all live the Namibian dream, not just by the 3% Namibians, but all of us, everyone.

This can only happen once we start to believe in ourselves, in our capacity as humans, in our institutions, in our government, in our own people.

I am blessed to have lived my life around the world, but with the little that I have gained in terms of knowledge and experience, academic skills, business acumen, and my connection to the world’s largest companies, I am dedicated to sharing it with you for the greater good of Namibia. We as individuals at Groot Group and partners cannot do this alone, but with you, together, it is all possible.

And, instead of looking and focusing on my claimed past shortcomings, look at my present, because I too don’t look or judge at how you have lived your life, I look at what you can deliver. With me, it doesn’t matter if you only have Grade 5, if you can do something better, then I will work with you. It’s not about your  class, status, education, family background, color of skin, religious or whatever, it’s about what quality you can deliver as an individual.

We can do this together, or we can sit back and just watch life passes us by; always in great need, always in want, always in pain, always in distress, always begging for the world’s aid, just because we refuse to think outside the box and do things that other world’s economies are doing for their own well being.

Cry, My Beloved Country, Namibia! Where Will Namibia Be in 20 Years?

It’s like everyone is laying asleep under a giant tree and a roaring hungry lion is coming near to devour everyone but no one seems to see the danger.

I have nearly perfectly analytically predicted the death or capture of Osama bin Laden, which I blogged on my personal blog. I have also perfectly predicted the resignation of Former President Musharraf of Pakistan, of which I also blogged on my personal blog.

I also analytically analyzed the War in Afghanistan, of which both CNN and CBS Evening News followed and covered for one-long week based on my analytic blog. I also predicted the firing or resignation of Coach Tressel, Ohio State University’s once-famous Football coach, and very recently, I have analytically predicted the death of Steve Jobs. All these I have posted on my personal blog.

I use analytic and regression formulas (based on Econometric Models) combining advance calculus methods and predictive forecast tools to come up with the end results, a probability of what might become or happen with the issue in question.

And as I analyze and zoom up to 20 years from now; the way the current situation in Namibia, with more and more young people turning to alcohol, more than 50% of kids not graduating from high school, the current graduating students from Namibia’s tertiary institutions are not really graduating, having attained quality education which is in par with the world’s standard (students don’t wanna learn, follow the recent scandal at Unam with students trading grades for sex), all those factors and more; my predictive forecast end results for Namibia don’t look good. I don’t know were Namibia as a country will be in 20 years or less from now. And that makes me very sad.

Because, overall, our current awesome leaders as they get old and some go rest with our God, there might not be anyone to really take over the leadership. To whom can they pass the Torch?

When we were coming up as young people as well as our elders in Namibia under apartheid, our only aim and objective were; Freedom from the Apartheid South Africa. That’s all we cared about and we worked hard and sacrificed to attain that Freedom.

But now, those who call themselves “Born-Free”, those who were born after 1990, I can’t understand where their minds are focused. What are their ultimate goal? Because as I see it now in Namibia, most of them are all hip-hop wannabees, it’s all about alcohol, sex and party. What’s happening with them? What’s happening with Namibia’s youths today?

The only thing I pray for is for God to please help us realize our current development of the Groot ecosystem, so we can help transform Namibia’s economy into a world class developed country with more jobs creation, better paying jobs for the families to have good income so they can perhaps have more time with their children at home. As it all starts at home.

And this has to happen fast. But, developing a country’s economy is not all about setting up buildings and infrastructure, it’s also developing and training the minds of the people of the country so their mental attitude and moral aptitude, spiritual academics can be ready to transform them to what’s being developed. This is partly known as; Neuroeconomics.

Why Are Some White Namibians Angry at the Development of Groot?

Gosh, I can’t wait to be back in Namibia. I’m so tired!

Here is the strange thing though; the development of Groot is causing to make some enemies for me within Namibia, while earning high praises outside Africa. Why?

Some black Namibians just have no clue what is or how things are done, and until they see something standing there already, then they are happy but they still have to find some other things to complain. They don’t become the process, instead they stand on the side line with a bottle of Windhoek Lager on one hand while pointing out the wrong things with the other hand, instead of putting down the bottle and get in the process to help make things right; which eventually will help their communities and the country at large.

On the side of the white Namibians, it’s obvious that the large portion of the Namibian economy is still controlled by the whites since the Apartheid era. White Namibians still own most of the larger businesses in Namibia, hence they control most of the Namibian economy. While the blacks are crying foul over the BEE, because they want to be handed things on the silver platter without ever working hard for them.

How can you ever learn how to successfully make it in life, in your life; 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, most of the time you are drunk? You get up in the morning, get to work, spend the whole day barely holding on at work, and your boss dare not saying anything to you about your low productivity.

And then after work, you walk to the nearest and famous Kambashu (informal liquor place) to drink your head off; and get home late, and when the kids cry of hunger since you drink up the money, then you wanna beat up your wife. Yes, that’s part of the story for some of the Namibians. No time for self-development so you can improve yourself so that one day you can start and grow your own business.

All in all, who ever controls the majority of the cash flow in the country, controls the economy. Thus the White Namibians control the economy.

But, most of the white Namibians are not really happy about the development of Groot, because of the way it’s. Groot will make them change the way they normally do their business, it will change the way they do things; meaning that they will have to pay more salaries and offer better fringe benefits for their workers than what they normally do now (the law of supply and demand), and if they don’t do so, then the black workers will be able to go elsewhere where they will get better paying jobs.

Furthermore, Groot will bring in more foreign companies, and that’s the competition that the majority of the White Namibians are afraid of; as this will be taking away their beef; digging into their cash cow. So, for them to survive, they will have to beef up their production output, improve services, and product offerings in order to par up with the competition, if not, then they will be out of business.

Basically the entire Groot development will change the entire face of the Namibian economy, which in general is good for the country; consumers, businesses and the government, because it will bring efficiency and responsibility within the Namibian marketplace.

And those that will be really short affected will be the white Namibian business owners because then they will have to change how they do things in Namibia, and that’s more like disrupting their comfort zone of money making pit; which they have been enjoying for many years.

Overall, competition is good for the economy; for an improved customer service, products, prices, and overall; a better developed and more lean country.

What’s Wrong With Africa? That Makes Me Sick?

I have written a hard-hitting analytic research article on Kenya, a country with a GDP of more than US$66 billion, a population of more than 41 million, with per capita GDP of just about US$1,600, unemployment rate at more than 40%, and the percentage of the population living below the poverty line is above 50%?

So, what’s wrong with that picture? After all, this song is nearly like all other African governments? What’s wrong is that the Service sector in Kenya makes up more than 65% of the GDP and industrial sector only about 25%, with Agriculture makes up the difference. And as little as the Agriculture’s composite is the lowest, more than 75% of the workforce (that’s out of about 1.6 million Kenyans) are employed in Agricultural projects.

So, what’s wrong with that? Again, this is a familiar song for most of African economies.

No, I am afraid to publish this article. I don’t think Kenya would like me, if they read this article.

Also, perhaps the whole African continent may be angry if this article is published.

In summary, I am just angry at how Africa manages its rare resources. The African continent is the wealthiest on planet earth, and yet the majority of Africans live like animals due to poverty. But why so?

Because Africa has stuck on the stone-aged ideology of colonialism and imperialism, and they forgot to learn how to move from a theory of a static economic under-development to a rapid and dynamic economic industrialization.

Africans have inherited political freedom from their oppressors some as many as over 50 years ago now, and which by the way, they have had no clue on how to make themselves to become economic independent.

They inherited political power but not economic power, as those who used to control their political power have never actually relinquished their hands from the African economy. And Africans instead of becoming innovative to develop the tools that could empower their market economies, they focus more on short-term goals on how to live today; what to eat for dinner today and what to eat for tomorrow instead on spending long nights in their garages and huts inventing new products which could help them develop their economy for the long-term.

Yesterday, I read on Facebook on someone who posted a comment on Desmond Tutu’s picture with a comment that said: “they don’t make them like that anymore”. Of course not, we are not in the 60’s anymore.

Today, young Africans are more focused on alcohol, sex, drugs and violence instead on the virtues of humanity. While in the 60’s, most Africans were more focused on how to rid colonialism and free themselves from the chains of the Oppressors.

For today, young Africans are not focusing on anything else other than where the party is tonight, and whoever buys the most booze becomes the most popular in town. So, where will Africa be let’s say in 50 years from now?

And for that, if nothing changes, even 500 years from now, Africa will still be a continent riddled with poverty, diseases, and violence. And yes, the new form of colonialism is Africans themselves. It’s no longer white people but Africans themselves. Why? Because in most African countries, in order to get a government-tender or to become successful in business, one must know someone who knows who’s related to someone in high ranking government position.

(Man, then why am struggling? I’m related to many top government officials within the Namibian government, including President Pohamba. I have never even met him in person, even when he’s my cousin, I never even went to visit him. Oh, that’s because I want to earn everything I can acquire and have. I don’t want anything handed to me on a silver platter. I have to work hard for everything I want in my life. And basically, I don’t want people to talk for as much as they talk and say, it’s because I’m related to the President, and I don’t want them to say crazy things. Whatever I have, I earn and will earn it through my own hard-work and dealings.)

I remember being in a Taxi about 6 months ago in Windhoek, driven by a young guy from Okalongo (Northern Namibia) and he was telling me, that in Namibia, if you want to become rich, you must become a politician. So, he left his rural home and came to Windhoek so he could work his way up, to become a politician, so that he can be rich one day.

But how can that work; well, you just have to be well-connected to some members of the political party. Then you become may be first an organizer, then a councilor (municipal or town), I don’t know, then later, you continue to serve until you are appointed perhaps to become a mayor of a town, then a governor, and perhaps the next you know it, you become an MP (Member of Parliament) and that’s when the money starts rolling in. Or am I wrong? How does it work then? I honestly don’t know. What I know is that for the market (political market) to work best, politicians who hold public offices, should be elected by the majority of votes, not politically appointed.

So then that means, once you are a politician in Africa, then you can get rich, right? In America, if you want to become rich (not wealthy) fast, if not selling illegal drugs, then become an artist (singer or rapper) or an athlete (basketball or football player), that’s why most black families in America spend more time and resources helping their kids to achieve their goals.

In western economies, most of the time, you can never be a successful politician unless if you had worked your way up first, mostly in difference disciplines such as in business or similar fields. That you have to prove yourself first, have to be successful in your field first, before you can venture out into running for a public office as a politician.

But in Africa, it’s the other way around. And who the heck that lied to the politicians, anywhere in the world, that they can become successful entrepreneurs any way? Where on earth have you ever seen or heard of a-once successful politician who went into business after politics, started everything from scratch and become extremely successful? Even Bill Clinton can’t do it, let alone Obama won’t be able to do it.

No, I cannot publish this article, it will make Africans hate me.

And, why do African governments like to copy each other any way?

Once one government comes up with one document, then most other governments would have similar documents;

Now nearly every African government has “Vision 20-something” papers. Kenya has Vision 2030, Namibia also has one, so as more other African governments.

And basically, the guy who’s hired as the consultant to write up these documents, all he does is change the name of the country in the document and share it with other governments.

And most of these consultants are foreigners, mostly those who have failed in their own countries, and then they go to Africa and act like they are big. And in return, they charge exorbitant amounts of money as consultants to African governments.

African governments are the largest employers in Africa, but yet, most of the documents; policies, technical manuals, etc., are written and most of the work in Africa are done by foreign consultants. Why? What happened to the African government employees? Why can’t they do the work and write the documents themselves?

And if you are a foreign consultant and dreaming of making a lot of money in Africa as a consultant, and if you are not white, then sorry, you won’t make it big in Africa. But if you are white, money will start rolling to you the moment you show up. African politicians like and favors to work with white consultants (behind closed doors).

I have seen some lousy work, that was done by some foreign consultants hired by some African governments, and were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, but the work was awful. Now the problem is further continuum. How? Because once the foreign consultant wrote the document, and once he delivers it to the office that hired him, then he gets paid and leaves.

Then the government will have to figure out how to implement; let alone interpret, that document to put into action to yield any intended results.

Africa, wake up!

In business, if you present your business plan to investors for funding, then you must know and able to defend whatever your business plan claims. If you can’t defend the claims made in your business plan, then how will you know what to do to implement its course of action?

That means, if you wrote your own business plan, then you should know and understand all the claims made in your document, and you should be able to defend it at anytime, because you wrote it; you have the vision of how you plan, operate, manage and make it work. So, if you hire a consultant to write your business plan, then how will you know, understand and be able to defend the claims made in your business plan?

That’s why in African government offices, there are so many documents and papers full of dust in file cabinets, that were written by paid foreign consultants, who simply write them up and hand them in, but Africans have no clue how to implement the claims made in those documents.

When and how can we make Africa eventually realize its potential? A continent with a wealth value at more than US$65 trillion, and Africa is still a poor continent?

If you want to contact me, feel free to email me at simon@grootgroup.com or visit our web site at www.grootgroup.com to learn how we can help your stagnant economy to rapidly develop and grow faster.