WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

For some reason, I didn't hear much about the recent World Economic Forum that just ended in Davos, Switzerland. I was probably too busy to notice, though something tells me that is not the case.

Anyway, I think there just wasn't the same sort of excitement this year as there had been in years past. Nevertheless, I have spent some time scouring the Internet and talking to people about their thoughts on the issues discussed at the Forum. I'd like to share a quote, taken from the all-knowing Bono. I don't know much about this man - he's a musician that has used his fame to highlight the predicaments of the underprivileged. That's a fair description, right? Well, take a read -

"Twenty million children have gone to school [last year] as a result of resources freed up from debt cancellation. Corruption is Africa’s number one
problem, above HIV Aids, Malaria and TB. Just ask your African friends. But there is also corruption north of the equator. If [Africans] sell us orange
juice instead of oranges, we slap a tariff on; if they sell chocolate instead of cocoa, we slap a tariff on. This is corruption. At the [next] G8 summit in Germany we will know whether we made progress. If we failed, it is corruption of the worst order."

I must say that I liked his quantification of what is obviously a problem - the irony of 'fair trade' - corruption on both sides of the hemisphere. It is clear that the common denominator to Nigeria's problems is corruption, but I found it comforting for a non-African to admit that the problem goes both ways. It is tiring to constantly hear of your shortcomings from someone who is probably just as bad, if not worse than yourself. Oh well, just thought I'd share that with you all. Don't forget that the Nigeria Discussion Series will be hosted right here on February 9th. So, please stop by and be prepared to leave comments. That is a message to those of you know me and send me your comments via email and voice mail instead. Have a great day!