At 4 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, I was startled when the lights came on; the lights never came on after 2 p.m. on the weekends. The adrenaline really kicked in when I was invited to observe an emergency cesarean section - a first for me. When the infant emerged I felt my heart racing from excitement and awe!
But no matter how many times the technician suctioned out the nose and mouth, the infant did not utter a sound. After twenty five minutes the technician and nurse both gave up. The surgeon later explained that the baby had suffocated in utero. If only they had had enough power to use the ultrasound machine for each pregnancy, he would have detected the problem earlier and been able to plan the C-section. Without early detection, the C-section became an emergency, moreover, the surgery had to wait for the generator to be powered on. The loss of precious minutes meant the loss of a precious life. At that time, in that place, all I could do was cry.
And later, when the maternity ward was too hushed, I cried again. A full-term infant was born weighing only 3.5 pounds. In the U.S., the solution would have been obvious and effective: incubation. But without reliable electricity, the hospital did not even contemplate owning an incubator. This seemingly simple solution was not available to this newborn girl, and she perished needlessly.
Reliable electricity is at the forefront of every staff members' thoughts. With it, they can conduct tests with electrically powered medical equipment, use vaccines and antibiotics requiring refrigeration, and plan surgeries to meet patient's needs. Without it, they will continue to give their patients the best care available, but in a country with an average life expectancy of only 54 years of age, it's a hard fight to win.
In the U.S., 2007.
Reliable electricity is not even an afterthought for me; it's part of the fabric of my life. I'm working on a laptop, cramming for my physics exam, waiting for the train. Tonight I'll enjoy bright lighting at my former elementary school's fair, where I'll be displaying everyday articles from the Gambia. After a comfortable night's sleep, tomorrow will be dedicated to creating a presentation for business leaders on a computer and printer. There are nearly a dozen meetings with potential donors next week, each in a pleasantly lit room. In between meetings, I'll be studying for the medical school entrance exams, telephoning friends, listening to music.
To say that my experience in the Gambia was life-changing is not overstating the case. I feel luckier than ever: healthcare is my passion, and I am able to study medicine in one of the world's most electrically and medically advanced countries. I smile knowingly at light bulbs, and the thought of studying after sunset actually makes me happy. The medical equipment available to us is staggering, the tests amazing, the procedures mind-boggling. It's a lot to learn, and it all takes reliable electric power.
Power Up Gambia
Search for 'West Africa' - Posterous
Really interesting article in today's WSJ about the emerging middle class in Africa & the growth their penchant for consumption habits. For most Africans, this is not new information, but it is good to see that folks in the West are starting to catch on to a movement that has been evolving for more than a decade. -!YG
By PETER WONACOTT
There's a new gold rush under way for the African consumer, a campaign that spans the continent and aims to reach an emerging middle class. These are the people who have begun to embrace cellphone messages, restaurant meals and trips down supermarket aisles.
In Kenya, a battle between units of Britain's Vodafone Group PLC, and India's Bharti Airtel Ltd. has driven down the consumer's cost of a text message to a penny. Yum Brands Inc. of the U.S. recently said it wants to double its KFC outlets in the next few years to 1,200.
And Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to pay nearly $2.5 billion to buy 51% of South Africa's Massmart Holdings Ltd., with plans to use the discount retailer as a foothold for continental expansion. Andy Bond, Wal-Mart's regional executive vice-president, describes the potential as a "10- to 20-year play."
Some analysts believe a billion-person continental market already has arrived. Consultancy McKinsey & Co. says the number of middle-income consumers—those who can spend for more than just the necessities—in Africa has exceeded the figure for India. The firm predicts consumer spending will reach $1.4 trillion in 2020, from about $860 billion in 2008.
While Africa's resource wealth continues to lure the bulk of foreign investment, the rise of that new consumer class is beginning to shift the balance. From 2000 to 2009, foreign direct investment to Africa increased sixfold to $58.56 billion, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. And that includes a sharp drop during the global financial crisis, from $72.18 billion in 2008.
A growing percentage of foreign direct investment has been going to sectors such as manufacturing and services, with the value of mergers and acquisitions in the manufacturing sector hitting a record $16 billion in 2008.
While overall investment in Africa slowed in 2009 amid the global economic downturn, investment in the services sector picked up, boosted by Vodafone's $2.4 billion increase in its stake in South Africa's largest mobile-phone operator by subscribers.
High commodity prices have helped sustain robust expansion in Africa's resource-rich economies. And with that, better infrastructure, improved governance and the creation of jobs through private investment have helped drive the growth of the middle class.
The International Monetary Fund estimates that gross domestic product in the 47 countries of sub-Saharan Africa rose 5% last year and forecasts 5.5% growth for this year.
But there's still a long way to go before Africa becomes the next Asia. Zimbabwe's economy contracted by half from 2000 to 2008, a period of sustained political turmoil for a country that once was the breadbasket of southern Africa. And cocoa producer Ivory Coast is embroiled in the continent's latest election dispute, with two candidates claiming to be president.
Poverty remains rampant. And Africa ranks at the bottom of the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business survey, which takes into account such things as taxes, enforcing contracts and protecting investors.
Many African governments are under pressure to create jobs, even if it requires giving foreign companies a greater role in domestic economies.
That's a major hurdle for African governments still grappling with a colonial past. From the 16th to the early 20th centuries, Africa was the source of an estimated 11 million slaves in Europe and the Americas.
Trevor Manuel, the head of South Africa's planning commission, says the sometimes-arbitrary boundaries set by former European colonial powers have disrupted efforts to knit together economies even in places, like West Africa, where people share a common language. "Rationally, we should be one market," says the former finance minister.
A study last year on West African transportation by the U.S. Agency for International Development found that Togo had 5.7 checkpoints per 100 kilometers, at which a total of $25.62 in bribes were demanded resulting in more than two hours of delays. In neighboring Benin, the checkpoint waits weren't as long but truck drivers had to pay about $95.03 in bribes per 100 kilometers.
As a result, some veteran Africa watchers are skeptical about how quickly a bet on the continent's consumer will pay off.
"Where is the money tree? Where is this consumer fruit?" asks Duncan Clarke, chairman of Global Pacific & Partners, an investment advisory firm specializing in oil and gas.
In the near term, Mr. Clarke and others believe Africa's most promising opportunities won't be found in its new shopping malls but beneath its soil and sea beds, where big oil and global miners have long toiled.
Many consumer giants are more sanguine. Drinks company Diageo PLC sells Guinness stout, Smirnoff vodka, Baileys liqueur and Johnnie Walker whiskey in more than 40 countries across Africa. Chocolate maker Nestlé SA, which built its first plant in Africa in 1927, has more than two dozen factories on the continent.
Growth is changing the complexion of countries where these companies operate. In Ethiopia, which still receives about a billion dollars a year in U.S. aid, there's an expanding niche of young urban professionals. The country's economy has been growing at a double-digit clip powered by services, agriculture and infrastructure building for the past half-decade.
The growth has drawn back the Ethiopian diaspora, who had fled the famine-prone country. They are returning now with expertise and capital.
"I do believe we are on the cusp of a major transformation," says Eleni Gabre-Madhin, a former World Bank official who now heads Ethiopia's first commodities exchange.
—Robb M. Stewart
contributed to this article.
allAfrica.com: Gambia: Quantumnet's Samsung Showroom Opens
The QuantumNet new Samsung brand shop was officially opened Friday at a ceremony held at the Qcell Building along Kairaba Avenue.
BBC Sport - Football - Notts County sign Ivan Sproule and Njogu Demba-Nyren
Notts County sign Ivan Sproule and Njogu Demba-Nyren
Ivan Sproule joined Bristol City in 2007Notts County have signed Bristol City midfielder Ivan Sproule on a month's loan and forward Njogu Demba-Nyren on a deal until the end of the season.
Northern Ireland international Sproule, 30, was part of the City side that made the 2008 Championship play-off final.
This season he has had limited opportunities and has already had a spell on loan at Yeovil.
Much-travelled Gambia international Demba-Nyren, 31, has played in Sweden, Greece, Bulgaria, Norway and Denmark.
His most recent club was Danish side Odense Boldklub.
Gambia bids to host 2013 World Draught Championship Discloses IDF chief as he meets President Jammeh - Daily Observer
If everything goes as planned, The Gambia will host the 2013 World Draught Championship in Banjul that will attract at least 40 best draught players the world over.
China in Africa: The Real Story: The Human Side of China's "Economic Invasion" of Africa
The Human Side of China's "Economic Invasion" of Africa
If you overlook the title, "China's Economic Invasion of Africa," you'll enjoy a well-done and interesting story by Xan Rice in The Guardian's Sunday, February 6, 2011 issue. It contains great interviews of individual Chinese entrepreneurs and corporate managers who have come to do business or seek their fortunes in African countries.
Engineer Liu Hui & Kenyan workers: Sven Torfinn/Panos Pictures
Gambian philanthropist donates to Tanka-Tanka
Pa Dodou M.E. Jallow, a Gambian based in Holland yesterday donated some medical gadgets to the Tanka-Tanka Psychiatric hospital in Brusubi.
The equipment included a digital blood pressure machine and two stethoscopes for the inmates.
Speaking at the presentation, Mr. Jallow said he deemed it necessary to support the Gambian psychiatric hospital as this is his home country.
Jallow, who is also a staff of GGZ Central Institute (Psychiatric Section) in Holland, added: “My institution gives us the possibility of supporting mentally imbalance people, so being a Gambian national I found it to be something of priority.”
He disclosed that the gadgets worth roughly about three hundred euro (€300), noting that more donations for the hospital are in the pipeline.
Jallow finally called on other Gambian based abroad to support sectors in The Gambia.
International Women’s Day 2011
The Gambia joined the rest of the world yesterday March 8th 2011, to observe International Women’s Day.In a national address to mark the day, Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, the Vice president and Minister of Women’s Affairs recounted on the success registered by the Gambia government in women’s affairs.
Gambia: 16 Marina Students Off to U.S.
The students are all members of Model United Nation Club (MUNC) of Marina and are expected to join over 3000 other students mainly from US and other countries at the United Nation's Headquarters in New York. During the conference, students are expected to discuss wide range of issues that are of global importance; such as WHO and World Bank.
Speaking to this paper shortly before their departure, Ben Richards, coordinator of the club, said that the conference would serve as an avenue for students to step into the shoes of UN ambassadors that represent different countries around the world. According to him, during the conference, students would be put in various committees of UN body in which they would have the opportunity to comment on issues of global importance.