Friday, July 18, 2008
What do we need?
South Africans abroad are involved in working for employers as well as running their own businesses. Ideas, expertise, funding, access to markets, outsourcing of manufacture, technology are amongst some of the things that we could use. People don't really need hand outs as they are not sustainable.
We need to feed people while we teach them how to fish. One of the key things is the development of the small business which will entail equipping people with skills as artisans, etc. and also to teach them business skills to enable them to successfully run their own operations with viability.
Interesting ideas abound and sometimes the most silly sounding things have resulted in business opportunities. However, I want this to result in both small scale and large scale ventures.
We need to feed people while we teach them how to fish. One of the key things is the development of the small business which will entail equipping people with skills as artisans, etc. and also to teach them business skills to enable them to successfully run their own operations with viability.
Interesting ideas abound and sometimes the most silly sounding things have resulted in business opportunities. However, I want this to result in both small scale and large scale ventures.
The Brain Drain - Can the effects be minimised
After having lived overseas for a number of years and coming back to SA, there are very few places that offer the quality of life that the middle and upper classes enjoy here. South Africans are a great bunch of people that have typically learned how to do with what they have and the "boer maak 'n plan" mindset rules. Despite the fact that we live in a great country, many folks have opted to leave and have relocated an some settled in diverse places around the globe.
Despite the wonderful aspects of this country we do have some challenges and one of the things that we must accomplish is to equip the vast majority of this country that are living with unacceptably low income levels, to become economically viable. The current situation allows for criminals to exploit the poorer people to execute crime of their behalf for some compensation. Hungry people are somtimes frced to do what they would not ordinarily do. Crime and joblessness have to be tackled at the same time and if people are provided with work opportunities and the reasons for committing crime disappear, then we must also take a hard line on crime and suitably punish offenders.
1994 dawned a miraculous transition of power in this country and we need to cherish that. There are very few occasions in history where political power has transitioned between two polarised groups without civil war. The reasons for this can be debated for a while and my intention is not to do this, but rather to indicate that we have a wonderful opportunity.
The point that I would like to get to is that there are many tens of thousands of South Africans that I would hope would feel an obligation to make sure that this country can continue with the miraculous change that we have experienced. I remember a few years ago sitting and complaining about why things were the way that they were and why people were not effecting adequate change. The reality is that their attitude was probably the same as mine and only when we take individual responsibility for change. We may not be able to change the economic landscape of this country, but we can possibly make a difference in one or a few people's lives.
I would love to be able to use this simple forum to initiate discussion and action to see how it would be possible to mobilize South Africans abroad to action to contribute what they can to generate business and employment opportunities for the benefit of all members of this country. Recent stats that I saw was that Africa hold 40% of the world's resources, but only contributes 2% of the worlds' goods. Highly disproportionate. The opportunity to look at turning some of these raw materials into finshed product must hold some opportunity.
Not too sure who will get this but I would hope that it make spark some thought as to what can be done to realise some significant initiatives.
Despite the wonderful aspects of this country we do have some challenges and one of the things that we must accomplish is to equip the vast majority of this country that are living with unacceptably low income levels, to become economically viable. The current situation allows for criminals to exploit the poorer people to execute crime of their behalf for some compensation. Hungry people are somtimes frced to do what they would not ordinarily do. Crime and joblessness have to be tackled at the same time and if people are provided with work opportunities and the reasons for committing crime disappear, then we must also take a hard line on crime and suitably punish offenders.
1994 dawned a miraculous transition of power in this country and we need to cherish that. There are very few occasions in history where political power has transitioned between two polarised groups without civil war. The reasons for this can be debated for a while and my intention is not to do this, but rather to indicate that we have a wonderful opportunity.
The point that I would like to get to is that there are many tens of thousands of South Africans that I would hope would feel an obligation to make sure that this country can continue with the miraculous change that we have experienced. I remember a few years ago sitting and complaining about why things were the way that they were and why people were not effecting adequate change. The reality is that their attitude was probably the same as mine and only when we take individual responsibility for change. We may not be able to change the economic landscape of this country, but we can possibly make a difference in one or a few people's lives.
I would love to be able to use this simple forum to initiate discussion and action to see how it would be possible to mobilize South Africans abroad to action to contribute what they can to generate business and employment opportunities for the benefit of all members of this country. Recent stats that I saw was that Africa hold 40% of the world's resources, but only contributes 2% of the worlds' goods. Highly disproportionate. The opportunity to look at turning some of these raw materials into finshed product must hold some opportunity.
Not too sure who will get this but I would hope that it make spark some thought as to what can be done to realise some significant initiatives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
