Venus Hottentot, Josephine Baker, now Beyonce

Posted April 19th, 2011 by Wandia Njoya

in

• Global Affairs

It is only in France that people will come up with a ludicrous idea of co-opting a clueless black American diva in their reduction of Africa to blackness. It is in France in the 19th century that Venus Hottentot was displayed like an animal and her genitals preserved in a museum. It is France in the 20th century that convinced Josephine Baker that she was affirming human solidarity across racist boundaries by wearing bananas, coconut bras and sisal skirts. But the feminized blackness in the museum and film archives was about to run out, so now it has gotten a boost in the 21st century through Beyonce in blackface. And the editors of L'Officiel, which commissioned the photo-shoot, would have us believe that the pictures are a celebration of African beauty.

They could have saved alot of trouble if they went for a genuine dark-skined African woman. There is Alec Wek, Ajuma Nasenyana and whole lot of African beauties who would have worn those clothes better than Beyonce.

Beyonce has always degraded black femininity by commercializing it - but this time she has hit an all-time low. But although I feel thoroughly insulted by this attempt to sanitize racist sexism, I'm really not surprised; we've seen this before coming from la ville des lumieres (City of Lights) and the "home" of human rights.

However, the most offensive thing of all is the fact that Beyonce was not painted all over her body in blackface (that's why they call it black "face"). In some pictures, she holds up her arms closer to her face, as if to remind us that she is not really black but acting black. She is only black for a moment when she choses, and it will soon be over when the makeup is washed off. She should have stuck to bleaching her face, since that was more personal and did not involve as much those of us who are proudly wear the skin that the good Lord put us in.

And once again, the French "cultural" experts have insulted Africa again, while clothing their insults in benevolent rhetoric about African beauty and recognition of our humanity thanks to the French revolution. Behind this rhetoric has always been the idea that normal Europeans find Africans ugly and semi-human, but praise God, there are extra-ordinary Europeans who have done us the favor of recognizing our humanity when they are under no obligation to do so.

The argument that life has changed (Oprah is rich, Obama is president) and so blackface does not mean the same as less than a century ago is equally as racist. It suggests that Africans have either no historical memory or have no right to it. Wasn't it Hegel who said that history does not include us? The fact that life has improved for black people following the struggles of our ancestors (not the benevolence of Europe) does not mean that we do not remember from how far we have come. We remember our history of pain, oppression and humiliation, and to dismiss it so nonchalantly is to dehumanize our ancestors and by extension us. If there are historical events in Europe about which humor is not entertained, why are those rules relaxed when it comes to us Africans?

I bet at the bars where these so-called artists are sipping wine and nibbling at cheese, they will dismiss the pain they have caused us by expressing some self-righteous horror that their blackface is linked to American racism. France has always used the United States to define itself as anti-racist, and whatever racism there is is confined to invidual flaws. In Fanon's Black skin, white masks, there is an anecdote in which a French colonial officer in Algeria quipped that Africans should see Sartre's play inspired by the Scottsborough Nine so that they could appreciate how good they were having it under French colonialism. When I lived in France, a Senegalese man incredulously praised France as less racist than the United States because they don't lynch black men for sleeping with white women. I was sadly amused at his surprise when I reminded him that we were talking in 2003. During the infamous 2005 urban riots in Paris among immigrant communities, Dominique de Villepin vehemently argued that comparisons should not be drawn with the inner cities in the United States. So now, unlike the United States where blackface symbolizes racism and oppression, some French magazine would have us believe that blackface can be a compliment because of the good heart of the photographer and the magazine editor.

The obsession with sexual relations as a space that transcends racism makes the fact that the blackface caricature was a woman, not to mention the voluptuous Beyonce, all the more problematic. It confirms what African feminists like Obioma Nnaemeka have remarked about the curious obsession of the West with African women's sexuality.

But once again, Africa is expected to praise the gods because France does racism differently. After all, since racism against us is inevitable, why not have it expressed with some panache?

• Wandia Njoya's blog

The Uprisings: Islam and the Arab revolutions

Source: The Economist.

THE sight of corrupt old Arab tyrants being toppled at the behest of a new generation of young idealists, inspired by democracy, united by Facebook and excited by the notion of opening up to a wider world, has thrilled observers everywhere. Those revolutions are still in full swing, albeit at different points in the cycle. In Tunisia and Egypt they are going the right way, with a hopeful new mood prevailing and free elections in the offing. In Libya, Syria and Yemen dictators are clinging on to power, with varying degrees of success. And in the Gulf monarchs are struggling to fend off demands for democracy with oil-funded largesse topped by modest and grudging political concessions.

So far these revolts have appeared to be largely secular in character. Westerners have been quietly relieved by that. Not that they are all against religion. Many—Americans in particular—are devout. But by and large, they prefer their own variety to anybody else’s, and since September 11th 2001, they have been especially nervous about Islam.

Now, however, there are signs that Islam is a growing force in the Arab revolutions (see article). That makes secular-minded and liberal people, both Arabs and Westerners, queasy. They fear that the Arab awakening might be hijacked by the sort of Islamists who reject a pluralist version of democracy, oppress women and fly the flag of jihad against Christians and Jews. They worry that the murderous militancy that has killed 30,000 over the past four years in Pakistan (see article) may emerge in the Arab world too.

Islam on the rise

In Libya the transitional national council, slowly gaining recognition as a government-in-waiting, is a medley of secular liberals and Islamists. There are Libyan jihadist veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan among the rebels, though not in big numbers. An American general detects “flickers of al-Qaeda” among the colonel’s foes being helped by the West, raising uncomfortable memories of America’s alliance against the Russians with Afghanistan’s mujahideen, before they turned into al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which has branches all over the region, is the best-run opposition movement in Libya and Egypt; and last week’s constitutional referendum in Egypt went the way the Brothers wanted it to. Its members have long suffered at the hands both of Western-backed regimes, such as Hosni Mubarak’s in Egypt, and of anti-Western secular ones, such as Bashar Assad’s, now under extreme pressure in Syria. In Tunisia, too, the Islamists, previously banned, look well-placed. On the whole, these Brothers have gone out of their way to reassure the West that they nowadays disavow violence in pursuit of their aims, believe in multiparty democracy, endorse women’s rights and would refrain from imposing sharia law wholesale, were they to form a government in any of the countries where they are re-emerging as legal parties.

All the same, the Brothers make many people nervous. At one extreme of the wide ideological spectrum that they cover they are not so far from the jihadists, many of whom started off in the Brothers’ ranks. The leading Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas, an offshoot of the Brotherhood, has been delighted by Mr Mubarak’s fall. It has in the past carried out suicide-bombings in the heart of Israel and refuses to recognise the Jewish state. Some liberals say that more extreme Islamist groups are riding on the more moderate Brothers’ coat-tails. In the flush of prisoner releases, hundreds if not thousands of Egyptian jihadists are once again at large.

Don’t despair
Use the interactive "Graphics Carousel" to browse our coverage of unrest in the Middle East

Islam is bound to play a larger role in government in the Arab world than elsewhere. Most Muslims do not believe in the separation of religion and state, as America and France do, and have not lost their enthusiasm for religion, as many “Christian Democrats” in Europe have. Muslim democracies such as Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia all have big Islamic parties.

But Islamic does not mean Islamist. Al-Qaeda in the past few years has lost ground in Arab hearts and minds. The jihadists are a small minority, widely hated by their milder co-religionists, not least for giving Islam a bad name across the world. Ideological battles between moderates and extremists within Islam are just as fierce as the animosity pitting Muslim, Christian and Jewish fundamentalists against each other. Younger Arabs, largely responsible for the upheavals, are better connected and attuned to the rest of the modern world than their conservative predecessors were.

Moreover, some Muslim countries are on the road to democracy, or already there. Some are doing well. Among Arab countries, Lebanon, with its profusion of religions and sects, has long had a democracy of a kind, albeit hobbled by sectarian quotas and an armed militia, Hizbullah. Iraq has at least elected a genuine multiparty parliament.

Outside the Arab world, in Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia, Islam and democracy are cohabiting fairly comfortably. Many devout Muslims among the Arab protesters, including members of the Brotherhood, cite Turkey as a model. Its mildly Islamist government is showing worrying signs of authoritarianism these days, but it serves its people far better than the generals did. Iran, which once held so much sway, is not talked of as a model: theocracy does not appeal to the youngsters on the Arab street.

Still, Muslim countries may well make choices with which the West is not comfortable. But those inclined to worry should remember that no alternative would serve their interests, let alone the Arabs’, in the long run. The old autocrats deprived their people of freedom and opportunity; and the stability they promised, it is now clear, could not endure. Algeria’s civil war in the 1990s remains a horrible warning against depriving Islamists of power they have rightfully won.

Islam will never find an accommodation with the modern democratic world until Muslims can take responsibility for their own lives. Millions more have a chance of doing just that. It is a reason more for celebration than for worry.

Insurers profits sink as catastrophes rise

By Suzanne Kapner in New York

Published: July 8 2010 05:38 | Last updated: July 8 2010 05:38

Earthquakes in Haiti and Chile contributed to record losses for insurers against natural catastrophes of $22bn in the first half of the year, well above the past decade’s average, Munich Re said on Wednesday.

Insured losses exceeded the amount in 2008, when the last previous record was set. Overall economic losses in the first six months of 2010 from the disasters, which also included an earthquake in China, the volcanic eruption in Iceland and the winter storm Xynthia that swept across western Europe, totalled $70bn, more than the losses for the whole of 2009.

The single most expensive event in the first half was the Chilean earthquake, which cost insurers an estimated $8bn and created an overall economic loss of $30bn, according to Munich Re.

The Haitian earthquake was the deadliest, killing 223,000 people, but because much of the area was not insured, the cost of $150m was modest compared with the destruction.

Analysts said the costly first-half tally was unusual, given that the second half of the year, marked by the hurricane season in the southern US, tends to have the highest losses. They said, however, that the losses were not bad enough to allow insurers to start to increase premiums.

“On a combined basis, including casualty and property insurance, prices will continue to drift down,” said James Shuck, an analyst with Jefferies & Co in London. He said that return on equity for big reinsurers had drifted to the high teens from a peak of 20 per cent last seen in 2008. “The question is, how far do returns have to fall before insurers can start to raise rates?” he said.

The combined effect of higher losses and weak pricing power can already be seen in earnings. In May, Swiss Re said operating income for its property and casualty division had fallen 69 per cent in the first quarter to $259m, compared with $846m the previous year, mainly as a result of a “high level of natural catastrophes”.

Swiss Re estimated its claims from the Chilean earthquake at $500m and said it would have to pay another $100m in relation to Xynthia.

Insurers have largely escaped one of the largest natural catastrophes of the year, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster. Only about $1bn of the rig leased to BP is insured. However, legislation seeking to eliminate liability caps “could significantly increase the cost of reserving against future claims,” Mr Shuck said.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Brit Insurance rejects Apollo approach - Jul-03

US congressional panel attacks AIG rescue - Jun-10

Metals prices to hit insurer of churches - Jun-06

Bulk of Irish health insurance for sale - May-31

Pensions and tax reform to hit life industry - May-14

Pru and AIG in talks on restructuring AIA sale - May-11

McKinsey & Company Quarterly on Africa.

McKinsey Quarterly has a new package on Africa.

After decades of stagnation, Africa's economies experienced a marked acceleration in growth during the past ten years. The magnitude of the continent's development story is startling in its specifics and the potential opportunity it presents. This new package explores what factors underpinned Africa's growth and the continent's prospects.

Coverage will include the following perspectives: "Africa's growth story," "Doing business in Africa," and "Improving lives in Africa." http://bit.ly/8XZWd3

We will be posting links to some of the articles on the McKinsey Quarterly Facebook community http://bit.ly/95VjWJ.

To read all of the content, including articles by McKinsey consultants and outside experts, as well as interviews with prominent Africans, visit McKinsey Quarterly http://bit.ly/8XZWd3 throughout the month of June.

-- McKinsey Quarterly

Happy New Year and all that!

Its been ages, for a whole host of reasons including firming other areas but mostly because of a lost password; now it all went like this, the blog was hacked with a floating banner that carried an Anti- Israeli message, it was a simple hack that I corrected by removing the naughty script from my template, I figured to be safe I ought to change the passwords every week... until I couldn't remember which one was the correct one.... anyways great to be back!

OF FOREX ISSUES, CAPITAL FLIGHT CONTROL and THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY.

Illicit financial flows, also known as Illegal capital flight from an economy are manifested in different forms and are most likely to be conducted in currencies that are easily exchangeable internationally (US Dollar, UK pound, ROC currency), trying to exchange or sale a couple million Malawi currency notes in for arguments sake London would be a near impossible sale. The Argentine economic crisis of 2001 and Venezuelan crisis of 1980 were arguably to a large extent attributed to massive capital flight. Understandably this is an area of concern for the Malawi authorities, while the reasons for legal or illegal capital flight may vary; their cumulative effect negates the foreign exchange rate of the affected economy/country. Malawi continues to grapple with foreign currency challenges as witnessed via the print media of innovative but blatant foreign currency infringements such as the attempted smuggling of temporary under-garments fashioned out of US Dollar bills.

The author accords due recognition to the many subtle and legal ways of externalising funds, local commentators have cited the importation of items such as toothpicks, chickens etceteras as an unnecessary drain on the country's foreign currency reserves, an area that the author is qualified to comment on however is that of insurance premiums. Insurance companies are tasked with keeping a contractual promise; to repair, replace or reinstate property damaged, lost or destroyed within the definitions of 'damage' as per the agreed insurance contract otherwise commonly termed 'policy' document. Insurance companies usually only keep this contractual promise if due consideration (Premium) is provided or paid by the party requiring insurance (The Insured). It is this premium payment that the author argues must be tied in to Malawi's foreign currency reserves.

Insurers ordinarily take up huge risks such as a state of the art plant costing mega Malawi Kwacha and decide prudently to share that risk with another insurer (re-insurer) to 'hedge' or minimise its loss outlay should a total loss event occur, this practice is called re-insurance and necessitates that the insurer that decides to 'hedge' its losses share its premium as paid by the insured with the elected and accepting re-insurer epitomising the 'sharing of risks' concept. It is common to have bank 'x' insured in Malawi but shared percentage with reinsurers in Zimbabwe, South Africa, the UK, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, USA etceteras. Re-insurance is a rather delicate, technical and usually complicated matter that cannot be discussed in this brief article alone, suffice to say that reinsurance is practiced on truly global scale, it is an utmost necessity and respective insurers in every country need international reinsurers.

The author must argue that there may be times when local capacity can and must be totally satisfied before employing the scarce foreign reserves to purchase re-insurance internationally. The questions the author poses are; when does insurance premium externalisation become detrimental to the Malawi economy? Who is responsible for deciding when to externalise insurance premiums from the Malawi economy? Who should be responsible? Should it be the insurer, a collective body of insurers as approved or the insurance regulatory authority (Reserve Bank of Malawi) responsible for approving externalisation of premium to curb excesses, if any? Is the regulatory authority at present regulating this insurance premium exportation in line with the other 'citizens' and sectors of the economy that seek approval prior to externalising funds?

Rather than provide answers to the questions posed, the author would suggest an alternative scenario, wherein each insurer must be obligated to ensure that all licensed local Malawi insurers are approached to participate or share in the excess risk so offered and their written acceptance or declinature provided before the concerned insurer externalises the insurance premium, in this set-up the insurance regulatory authority (Reserve Bank of Malawi) would then provide consent to enable the insurer externalise the risk. Only then would the insurance industry exemplify responsible foreign currency utilisation. The author was privileged to be part of such a practice at work in the Tanzania insurance market. It worked well although it meant more administrative work for the insurers; it also meant that there was enough 'pie' to go around all licensed insurers. Perfect? Definitely not, but protective of our foreign currency reserves all the same.

UK IMMIGRATION MATTERS- 17 July, 2009.

Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill could become Law next week
By Charles Kelly
17 July 2009

The UK Government's plan lengthen the period immigrants must live in the U.K. before applying for citizenship may become law next week after backing down on stricter passport checks between Britain and Ireland yesterday.

The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill cleared its final stage in the House of Commons this week with the support of both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition parties. The Government had earlier climbed down plans to impose identity checks on journeys between the U.K. and Ireland.

The House of Lords could grant final approval to the legislation on July 21, allowing the measures to go on the statutes, and receive the Royal Assent, as the Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Act 2009, before Parliament enters its summer recess, a spokesman for the Home Office said this week.
The rules are part of the biggest curbs on migration in six decades and will make it harder for working migrants to settle in the UK. See: Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill will make it harder to settle in the UK

The new citizenship rules will take effect no earlier than July 2011. Migrants who hold permanent residency at that time, or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), will be able to apply under the old rules for the next two years. Full story and comment.

President Obama needs a refresher course on Africa

By Gerald Caplan
2009-07-16, Issue 442

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/57760

* Gerald Caplan is the author of The Betrayal of Africa.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.

The American president made his first official trip to Africa last week when he visited Ghana for two days. In an interview Obama, with no false humility, stated that 'I'm probably as knowledgeable about African history as anybody who's occupied my office.' I'd say two things. First, the bar in that particular competition was not exactly set very high. Second, as the rest of the interview demonstrated, he's not nearly as knowledgeable as he thinks he is. Much of what he believes about Africa, and how it can get out of the many messes it's in, are simply wrong.

In his interview with allafrica.com, the president focused on internal African causes for the continent's woes, highlighting especially the need for good governance and ending widespread corruption. So, for example, he argues that 'you're not going to get investment without good governance.' That's simply wrong. For decades most foreign investment in Africa has gone to South Africa first, even under apartheid, and then to such oil-rich nations as Angola and Nigeria. In all cases, good governance played no role in investment decisions. Making an assured profit, regardless of the governance system, was the only criterion.

Similarly, Obama insisted that business won't invest where 'government officials are asking for 10, 15, 25 per cent off the top'. That too is wrong. Nigeria, Angola and South Africa show that, as do Kenya, Cameroon and the DR Congo, just to name obvious exceptions to his statement. In all cases, foreign businessmen have shown themselves only too eager to play the bribery card. If they didn't, those African government officials couldn't get away with demanding a cut off the top, which also means that high-level corruption in Africa couldn't – and doesn't – happen without Western complicity.

Obama says there is 'a direct correlation between governance and prosperity'. That's why he chose democratic Ghana for his first official state visit, rather than his father's country, Kenya. Heaven knows that the ruling parties in Kenya are brazenly corrupt and show little interest in anything other than enriching themselves and their supporters. Ghana, on the other hand, after years of bad governments following the CIA-instigated coup that overthrew the first president, Kwame Nkrumah, can now be said to be fairly stable and politically democratic. Obama knows lots of things. As he observed, when his father left Kenya in the early 1960s to study in the USA, the GDP (gross domestic product) of Kenya was higher than that of South Korea; today, South Korea is one of the world's great success stories, while Kenya languishes.

The UN's Human Development Index backs this up. In 2008, of 179 countries, Korea was ranked 25th, placing it among the rich developed nations of the world, while Kenya was 144th. But the president should look at these ratings more closely. Despite good governance, Ghana was ranked 142nd, virtually tied with Kenya among the bottom 20 per cent of the world's nations. Something else must be going on here that accounts for this situation, because Obama's analysis can't.

Here's the heart of his diagnosis, as his interview made explicit: While the international community 'has not always been as strategic as it should have been [regarding Africa] … ultimately I'm a big believer that Africans are responsible for Africa … for many years we've made excuses about corruption or poor governance, that this was somehow the consequence of neocolonialism, or the West has been oppressive, or racist. I'm not a believer in excuses.'

Well, this is partially true. Africans have for decades been betrayed by a veritable pageant of monstrous leaders. But another truth is that the United States actively supported the very worst of these African tyrants, and if the US didn't, France did; that's called neocolonialism. This included, by the way, the apartheid government of South Africa, which, with the quiet backing of Britain and the US, only stopped destabilising much of the continent 15 years ago. The West also supplied many of the arms that were used in the terrible internal conflicts that have roiled Africa for so long. Even today, the US, Britain and France continue to remain close allies with many African leaders whose democratic credentials leave much to be desired.

The little-grasped reality is that year after year far more of Africa's wealth and resources pour out of the continent to the rich world than the West provides through all possible sources, from aid to investment to trade.

Beyond that, even if every African country was led by a saint, they could do nothing about the severe environmental damage that global warming – for which Africa has no responsibility whatever – is inflicting across the continent.

Even the best African leaders could do nothing about the destructive impact on African development of the present worldwide economic crisis, for which Africa has no responsibility whatever.

No African leader has the slightest influence on the drastic increase in food prices that is causing such suffering – including outright starvation – to millions of Africans.

Even a continent's worth of Mandelas couldn't change the massive subsidies Western governments provide to their agribusinesses. When they're in Ghana, the Obamas should do some comparison shopping. They may be taken aback to find that it costs more to buy a locally-bred chicken than one that's been shipped all the way from Europe, thanks to subsidies to European chicken farmers.

And nothing will now change the vast damage already done to Africa by the destructive neoliberal policies that were imposed on African governments by the World Bank and IMF (International Monetary Fund) over the past 30 years. Even today, while their rhetoric has changed, these institutions, deeply American-influenced, continue to insist on discredited policies that fail to promote growth while vastly increasing inequality.

At the risk of being pushy, I recommend that President Obama reads my little book, The Betrayal of Africa, which documents the twin burdens that actually account for Africa's situation – the continent's own wretched leaders combined with exploitative Western policies and practices. Unless he grasps this truth, his administration will become yet another in an endless line that has caused Africa more grief than good. And I'm confident that's not what he intends.

* Gerald Caplan is the author of The Betrayal of Africa.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.

UK IMMIGRATION MATTERS- 10 July 2009

IMMIGRATION MATTERS
Bankrupt NVQ College leaves thousands of Filipino students stranded
By Charles Kelly
10 July 2009

NVQ college, Precision Training UK Ltd, has gone bust leaving Filipino students "high and dry" after paying hundreds of pounds in upfront fees weeks before the owners pulled the plus on its Wembley office.
Since Precision Training collapsed students have been sent letters by a company called 'Aspire Training', which claims they have taken over from Precision due to 'Precision Training going into liquidation'.
Despite this, the company is offering no refunds and will not take any fees paid into account when "advising" students to sign up with them to continue their training.
According to reports, as many as 4,500 students from the UK, Philippines, Ghana, Bulgaria and other countries may have been scammed by Precision's owners Nichola and Salim Shivji.
Despite the fact that NVQ awarding body EDEXCEL had imposed sanctions against Precision as far back as May 2008, preventing them from taking on new students, some months ago, the company continued to recruit new candidates.
The all too familiar story has echoes of last year's scandal involving Birmingham based bankrupt college, Affinity Training and its Philippine cohort Kirsten...Full story


OTHER STORIES THIS WEEK

7 Steps for overseas students when your college fails
What should you do if you are a victim of precision training or another bankrupt college?
As a student on a student visa, you must be in 'full time study in order to comply with your visa conditions. If your college is not providing you with full time courses, or has gone out of business, you should register with another training provider, which is on the Government-approved Tier 4 Sponsors Register. Cynthia Barker, Immigration adviser and Centre Manager for Majestic College gives you 7 Steps.
Cynthia also said that her team would be as "flexible as possible" on initial fees with students who have lost money with Precision or other failed NVQ colleges.
You can find out more about Majestic College at http://www.majesticcollege.org/ email them at info@majesticcollege.org.Drop in visitors welcome - no appointment needed!

How to check out a UK Limited Company
I am often asked by Immigration Matters readers - overseas students or job hunters - if a company offering them a course or work placement is legitimate. The internet has given birth to millions scams including those offering people bogus jobs, usually requiring applicants to send money in advance for Work Permit applications or flights.

UKBA arrest illegal immigrant on his wedding day
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has arrested and deported an illegal immigrant on his wedding day last week. There were no "many happy returns" from the UKBA as officers arrested the 29 year Jamaican minutes before he was due to marry his British fiancée on Friday 3 July at Birmingham Register Office.
If you need any immigration advice or help with Sponsorship or Work Permits, Visa or an appeal against a refusal please email:
info@immigrationmatters.co.uk or visit http://www.immigrationmatters.co.uk/

Malawi Budget Statement 2009/2010 link.

http://www.finance.gov.mw/downloads/Bud2009.pdf

U.S. Congress Apologises for Slavery

This Day (Lagos)
Africa: U..S. Congress Apologises for Slavery
Constance Ikokwu

20 June 2009
http://allafrica.com/stories/200906200007.html

Washington, D.c. — The United States Congress has for the first time in its 230-year history issued a formal apology for slavery and segregation, describing the dark period of that country as inhuman.

The apology issued by Senators on Capitol Hill on Thursday, however, did not agree to the payment of reparations, but it condemned centuries of injustice caused by slavery.

In a strongly worded document, the Congress unanimously voted to acknowledge the "fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws."

It stated that the US Congress "apologises on behalf of the people of the United States for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws."

According to Wikipedia, Jim Crow laws were local and state laws enacted between 1876 and 1965 in the US, mandating segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "equal but separate" status for black Americans.

If the House of Repres-entatives pass a similar measure as expected next week, it will mark the highest effort to apologise for the wrongs of the past.

A similar effort failed to make it to the Senate in 2008 after it was passed in the lower chamber.

The resolution affirmed the "principle that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and calls on all people of the United States to work towards eliminating racial prejudices, injustices and discrimination from our society."

Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, was quoted as saying that "no one pretends that a mere apology or any words can right the wrongs of the past, but it represents our recognition of the past and our commitment to fully live up to our nation's promise."

The sponsor of the resolution, Senator Tom Harkin noted that slavery "is an enduring national shame" for the country.

He added: "slavery and Jim Crow and their continuing consequences are not the historical baggage of one state, one region or one company."

Harkin said the resolution was long over due. He warned that more work lies ahead as the latest move would not wipe out all injustices automatically.

Reacting, some African-Americans said the apology was not enough but is a first step.

Former President Bill Clinton while in office had expressed regret for the act while George W. Bush described it as "one of the greatest crimes of history. But they stopped short of a proper apology.

Some states in the country have also previously adopted resolutions expressing regret for slavery, but no formal bill at the national level was officially passed.

Jim Crow laws were enshrined in the US Constitution to segregate blacks and whites.

The resolution also fell on June 19, being the celebration of the freedom of African-Americans at the end of the Civil War in 1865.

A ceremony to mark the passage of the new resolution is expected next month.

HAS COCA-COLA FINALLY MET ITS MATCH?

Self respecting marketers, marketing novices and the public at large know Coca-cola and its secret recipe as a massive marketing success for 'eons', I even dare think- what would we do without good old coke? Remote villages in nameless countries have the familiar shape Coca-cola bottles pregnant with the dark money making liquid perched invitingly on shelves in local village shops and pubs.

Recent activity in the Health sector though seemingly threaten coke's viability in the healthy eating habits persuasion. Will healthy eating habits affect Coca-colas dominance of the fizzy drinks market? Are we witnessing the slow death of a giant as we have known it ? Or will this just lead to healthier Coca-cola spin-offs? the later makes profitable sense.

In the meanwhile Venezuala has gone ahead and banned a version of Coca-cola citing possible health risks (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090611/twl-venezuela-bans-coke-zero-over-health-3fd0ae9.html). A couple of weeks ago I read a health article in a local london paper that stated that cola drinks deplete the body of some essential mineral if my memory serves me right, and this here now could be termed to be a consequential development ; My steadfast companion through the african heat, Coca-cola, what next?

Racial Discrimination at World Bank?

Report Details Racial Discrimination at World Bank

Published on Jun 9, 2009 - 9:35:50 AM

By: Government Accountability Project
http://yubanet.com/usa/Report-Details-Racial-Discrimination-at-World-Bank.php

WASHINGTON, D.C. June 9, 2009 - Today, the Government Accountability Project (GAP) released a report that investigates and finds evidence of racial discrimination against black professional grade employees at the World Bank. The report, which documents the treatment of these employees in recruitment, retention and internal judicial decisions, finds that a race ceiling exists at the institution, and that the Bank's legal system fails to address racial discrimination adequately. Read further....

http://whistleblower.org/doc/2009/RDWB.pdf

The Economic debate of our time? FT.com

Rising government bond rates prove policy works, The Financial Times Online
June 3, 2009 12:33am
by Martin Wolf

Is the US (and a number of other high-income countries) on the road to fiscal Armageddon? Are recent jumps in government bond rates proof that investors are worried about fiscal prospects? My answers to these questions are: No and No. This does not mean there is no reason for worry. It is rather that there are powerful arguments against fiscal retrenchment right now and strong reasons for welcoming recent moves in the bond markets.

Last week, the Financial Times carried two columns arguing that the US fiscal path was unsustainable, one by Stanford University’s John Taylor and the other by the Harvard historian Niall Ferguson. The latter, in turn, was a comment on a debate with, among others, the New York Times columnist and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman at the end of April.
On one point all serious analysts agree: public debt cannot rise, relative to gross domestic product, without limit. To embark on fiscal stimulus in the short run, one must be credible in the long run.

So what is the disagreement? Prof Ferguson made three propositions: first, the recent rise in US government bond rates shows that the bond market is “quailing” before the government’s huge issuance; second, huge fiscal deficits are both unnecessary and counterproductive; and, finally, there is reason to fear an inflationary outcome. These are widely held views. Are they right?
The first point is, on the evidence, wrong. The jump in bond rates is a desirable normalisation after a panic. Investors rushed into the dollar and government bonds. Now they are rushing out again. Welcome to the giddy world of financial markets.

At the end of December 2008, US 10-year Treasury yields fell to the frighteningly low level of 2.1 per cent from close to 4 per cent in October (see chart). Partly as a result of this fall and partly because of a surprising rise in the yield on inflation-protected bonds (Tips), implied expected inflation reached a low of close to zero. The deflation scare had become all too real.
What has happened is a sudden return to normality: after some turmoil, the yield on conventional US government bonds closed at 3.5 per cent last week, while the yield on Tips fell to 1.9 per cent. So expected inflation went to a level in keeping with Federal Reserve objectives, at close to 1.6 per cent. Much the same has happened in the UK, with a rise in expected inflation from a low of 1.3 per cent in March to 2.3 per cent. Fear of deflationary meltdown has gone. Hurrah!

It is true that spreads between conventional US bonds and bonds issued by Germany and the UK have narrowed (see chart). But US yields were extraordinarily depressed during the panic.

Normality returns.
If inflation expectations are not worth worrying about, so far, what about the other concern caused by huge bond issuance: crowding out of private borrowers? This would show itself in rising real interest rates. Again, the evidence is overwhelmingly to the contrary.
The most recent yield on Tips is below 2 per cent, while that on UK index-linked securities is close to 1 per cent. Meanwhile, as confidence has grown, spreads between corporate bonds and Treasuries have fallen (see chart). One can also use estimates of expected inflation derived from government bonds to estimate real rates of interest on corporate bonds. These have also fallen sharply (see chart). While riskier bonds are yielding more than they were two years ago, they are yielding far less than in late 2008. This, too, is very good news indeed.
Now turn to the fiscal policy. The argument advanced by opponents is either that fiscal policy is always unnecessary and ineffective or, as Prof Ferguson suggests, redundant, because this is not a “Great Depression”. Monetarists argue fiscal policy is always unnecessary, since monetary expansion does the trick. Economists who believe in “Ricardian equivalence” – after the early-19th-century economist David Ricardo – argue fiscal policy is ineffective, because households will offset any government dis-saving with their own higher savings.

Economists disagree fiercely on these points. My approach is “Keynesian”: in extreme moments, the excess of desired savings over investment soars. Again, monetary policy, while important, becomes less effective when interest rates are zero. It is then wise to wear both monetary belt and fiscal braces.

A deep recession proves there is a huge rise in excess desired savings at full employment, as Prof Krugman argues. At present, therefore, fiscal deficits are not crowding the private sector out. They are crowding it in, instead, by supporting demand, which sustains jobs and profits.
Prof Ferguson argues that fiscal expansion was unnecessary because this is only a mild recession. The question, however, is why it is only a mild recession, since precursors of a depression were surely present.

The answer, in part, is the aggressive monetary policies of central banks and the rescue of the financial system. But is that all? What would have happened if governments had decided to cut spending and raise taxes? One might disagree on how much deliberate fiscal loosening was needed. But one of the most important reasons this is not the Great Depression is that we have learnt a lesson from experience then, and in Japan in the 1990s: do not tighten fiscal policy too soon. Moreover, historically well-run economies are certainly able to support higher levels of public indebtedness very comfortably.

This, then, brings us to the last concern: the fear of inflation. This is essentially the question of how to exit from current extreme policies. People need to believe that the extraordinarily aggressive monetary and fiscal policies of today will be reversed. If they do not believe this, there could well be a big upsurge in inflationary expectations long before the world economy has recovered. If that were to happen, policymakers would be caught in a painful squeeze and the world might indeed end up in 1970s-style stagflation.

The exceptional policies used to deal with extreme circumstances are working. Now, as a result, policymakers are walking a tightrope: on one side are premature withdrawal and a return to deep recession; on the other side are soaring inflationary expectations and stagflation. It is irresponsible to insist either on immediate tightening or on persistently loose policies. Both the US and the UK now risk the latter. But their critics risk making an equal and opposite mistake. The answer is both clear and tricky: choose sharp tightening, but not yet.

Write to martin.wolf@ft.comMore columns at www.ft.com/martinwolf

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

Avoid e-mail mistakes with a single setting

Avoid e-mail mistakes with a single setting

* Date: June 9th, 2009
* Author: Susan Harkins
* Category: Outlook


We’ve all done it, and regretted it — sent an e-mail to the wrong person, sent an angry e-mail in haste, or sent an e-mail with mistakes. I don’t mind confessing my most humiliating e-mail mistakes because they’re so old:

• I sent an article to the wrong publisher. Now, that’s not horrible and as a freelancer, all my editors know that I work for other publishers, but it was still unpleasant because I looked stupid.
• I used the wrong publication name when corresponding with an editor. She responded with a curt, “I work for… ,” and I never received another assignment from her.

Most e-mail clients send e-mail as soon as you hit Send in the message window, and that’s why we get into trouble. Instead of sending each e-mail immediately, let them sit in the outbox. Later (usually a few hours or so), review the messages one last time and then send them. I often find small and seemingly unimportant mistakes, but mistakes nonetheless. Occasionally, I find something more important and I count my lucky stars! Letting a message sit for a while, especially if you’re angry when you respond, will give you a bit of time to rethink and perhaps, even save face.

Outlook is configured to send mail when you click Send in the New Message window. To reset this option so that you control when Outlook sends mail, do the following:

1. From the Tools menu, choose Options.
2. Click the Mail Setup tab.
3. Click Send/Receive in the Send/Receive options.
4. Uncheck the Include This Group In Send/Receive (F9) option in the Setting For Group “All Accounts” section. Most of us will set this for all accounts, but you can configure Outlook to handle each account differently.
5. Click Close and then OK.

After unchecking the Send/Receive option, you must remember to click Send/Receive on the Standard toolbar to send mail. You can also set Outlook to send e-mail when you launch or close Outlook, or schedule it to send and receive e-mail at regular intervals, so be sure to consider those options as well. You’ll still have to find the mistakes, but putting a little time between creating and sending messages makes it easier to catch mistakes you might otherwise miss.

OF EU ELECTIONS AND BRITISH LIFE.

I followed the arrows. I walked through the open south transept door, glancing around like a stranger usually does into the St Peters church hall crossing converted into a polling station; I felt some huge dissapointment at the scene unfolding before me, I had expected the sophistication of 'Europe', technical gadgets etceteras but there before my eyes was a basic electoral scene not dissimilar to that of my African home country, facing me were 5 makeshift open ended wood booths, to my immediate left sat three English ladies on a lone table with three heaps of differently coloured paper, the 25 years young silent one was far younger than the other two. The wall clock said 11 am UK time, yet I was the lone voter and undeservedly got more than the attention I needed; I looked the smiling one in the eye, smiled back and handed in my poll certificate, I confirmed my name as Kapito and my address of abode, was rewarded with a long voting card folded into three, with which I pranced on my black loafers silently to the first left wood booth.

I fished out a pen from my shirt pocket, unfurled the voting card, and heard the two ladies yell to my back 'you have to open it up to see all your options', I thought 'I have already sodding done that mai!' but mouthed a respectful 'thank you' instead, my eyes caressed the 10 or so parties listed on the firm black and white thin board paper and settled for a choice with an 'X' mark before walking to the right facing the church chancel, alter and sacristy, where just before the step stood a middle aged Englishman busy with something in his hands, he glanced at me briefly as I stuffed my vote into an opening in the black 'toolbox' like container atop a metal table and muttered something friendly, I muttered back. I had voted for my choice of a UK member of EU parliament (fondly called MEP's by mainstream media).

Like me millions across the UK partook a similar ritual, millions less than elections years before, the Sky News election results of this morning mention the historic low turnout of a mere 37.5% of registered voters. The economy, parliamentarian expenses scandals have taken their toll, the population has voted with their backsides, they sat the elections out, stayed home or pretended them away. How did the UK get here? now thats a long long story.

For me though the first answer was the top deck window seat ride of route 279 towards Enfield Borough, Zone 4, London. Not a single of the loud conversations around were in English, I wondered, perhaps aloud if I was really in London, the advertising boards that slowly flashed by as the bus motored ahead confirmed I was in London, so I thought instead about how the indigineous Englanders felt about this sustained 'invasion' of economic and academic migrants, it must be uncomfortable I thought, and indeed it was, since then I have seen the Home office push forward unprecedented reforms in immigration, strikes by British workers over immigrants 'taking' their jobs, have heard countless stories of people being deported ( 'ali mmanja mwa Boma'), visas refused, scandals of asian forgers of academic certificates at £4000 pounds, British driving licences, British passports caught and brought to book, I have seen the quiet tide turning against 'foreigners'. This is not the UK my father lived in way back in 1975, it is under siege mental or otherwise; anti EU sentiment, centuries of immigration and the opening up of the EU migration are taking its toll and the ordinary British fear for their way of life.

The UK has offered qualitative education for a long while now, on a comparative scale British education ranks better than other 'developed' nations. The reality on the ground though indicates that society is grappling with the realities of opening its borders to the outside world. The biggest issue affecting the UK now is immigration asides from the state of the economy, the guilt trip the UK took for colonising, harvesting and shipping all the goodies out of the colonies and then more by taxing the colonised locals is biting back. The indigenous UK population has spoken through this 2009 election, by voting in the far right party BNP and such parties into the European Parliament for the first time, some say its a protest vote against the main parties for their abuse of the system, I say its a real vote and a sign of things to come. Some non-UK visitors have long abused the system, illegally claiming benefits, working full time on student visas, falsifying documents, perpetuating various crimes, terrorising and bombing innocent people, all culminating in higher costs (security, social welfare, health etc) for the state, a deepening mistrust and now a xenophobic culture albeit in its infancy.

The future will see less students from african countries study in the UK, as student number intakes by approved educational institutions are closely monitored by the Home Office, scholarship numbers reduce, and the 'fees upfront' immigation policy weeds out undesirables before they reach the British shores, it will only serve to make British education more attractive, good old supply and demand laws at work, scarcity breeds value. So what next for UK Educational Institutions? Franchising? Supply the students in their home countries?

So whats my rant about? Its about voting, its about rising xenophobic tendencies, its about a closing door to access of education on British soil by non-EU citizens, its about private thoughts about immigrants now being made public. Alarmists are at play, in the media, in the dailies, everywhere and even on youtube, sample this if you may as an example of whipping up of the anti-immigration frenzy or rationalising depending on which side of the railtrack you are on:

OBAMA CAIRO, EGYPT SPEECH IN FULL.

Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda biography.

Hastings Kamuzu Banda Biography - Detoured on Road to Become a Doctor, Pursued Degrees with Diligence, Spoke Out Against Racism

Dambisa Moyo vs. Jeffrey Sachs in The Huffington Post. Does Africa really need aid?

Dambisa Moyo's thesis is an interesting and fresh approach to the perennial issue of donor aid. Originally from Zambia, Dambisa argues against the ills of aid in its current disbursement form, she outlines convincingly why donor aid is being abused and how the donors have used aid to dictate their policies on how recipients should run their countries, and how ultimately this African community fixation on aid will do Africans more harm than good. She cites the Marshall plan as assisting particular nations of that post-war era through one time injections of targeted aid rather than the now ritual annual doses of 'foreign aid' to African presidents holding out begging plates.



Huge debates have ensued online, and the simplistic and easiest responses I have seen in some cases ridicule her outright, some even blame her for Italys state aid withdrawal from a country in Africa. Being a lifetime student of history I am reminded of people that dared question the status quo in times past, the societal discomfort thus created by their thinking 'outside the box' resulting in their being excommunicated by their churches, barred by their communities or indeed for lack of a better word martyred by society on burning stakes. Picture this if you may; a way of life built on a false premise, the powerful were bound to lose clout, respect and a culture destroyed due to new insights, new technology, new thinking, this new revolution challenged the comfort of their way of life, all that they had lived and died for, it was unacceptable,the easiest way was and is to chuck out the revolutionary new thinking and stick with the tried and tested, as they say 'dont rock the boat', 'if it aint broke, dont fix it', and a coordinated character assasination of the revolutionary inclusive of expletives ensues, culminating with 'death to the revolutionary' chants by masses whipped into a frenzy by the change resistance brigade.


My take is we hear her out, she has very valid points, a response to the question she raises has to be multi-dimensional, yes or no answers may be too simplistic, while most arguments articulate the benefits of aid, that's the easy part, no one seems to be commenting on the negative end of aid, the fact that the donors pick and choose recipients (Pakistan, India, Israel and Egypt, a case in point), the abuse by governments, the loss of innovation, I believe Dambisa is daring to take the road less taken, to shift the paradigm, albeit with academic reserach prowess, she has a message that if you read her book without prejudice and avoid the urge to take sides before hearing her out is quite balanced.

Analyse if you may, the growth in Africa that has come about since China came up with aid formulas in spite of the west, its all around us, Dambisa argues that governments in impoverished states epitomise wealth hence the infighting and perpetual 'crying for votes' after elections, because that's where the wealth and power is concentrated, every self respecting politician wants that POWER, that government post that is funded by donor aid. Dambisa argues that governments should be judged on innovation and improved citizen welfare without factoring utilisation of foreign resources that would have still poured into particular economies irregardless of who won the election or who is at the helm........give her a chance, lets not behave like our ancestors in being afraid to be challenged by a different way of looking at things, at some point aid will dry up, we have to ready ourselves........shes just blowing the horn, as uncomfortable as she may make us the future is heading our way....

I am in love again, totally smitten, this time with Dambisa's way of thinking, Go girl Go!

Dambisa's website: http://www.dambisamoyo.com/

Huffington Post debate: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dambisa-moyo/aid-ironies-a-response-to_b_207772.html

If you are on Facebook search for her page.

New Insurance Law introduced in Tanzania

FARAJA MGWABATI, Dodoma, 25th April 2009 @ 11:30.
THE DAILY NEWS (TANZANIA)

New insurance law to benefit public
Tanzanians stand to benefit from the new Insurance law that has been passed by the National Assembly this week whereby Insurance Companies (Insurers) will be forced to pay their customers’ claims within 45 days of occurrence of an accident.

The new law, Insurance Act 2009, has come at the moment when there are many cases of accidents happening in the country while victims are left without compensation, otherwise the compensation process takes years.

The Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs, Omary Yusuf Mzee told the National Assembly on Friday that the new law is meant to protect the users of insurance services who for long have been complaining about how they were treated by Insurers.

“This law gives teeth to the Commissioner of Insurance (CI) to make sure that the insured get their claims within 45 days...We have done calculations and found that 45 days are enough to process payments,” he said.

Mr Mzee said if the Insurers fail to pay claims within the stipulated period the CI has power to assess the reasons, if proved genuine, the CI is entitled to add a few days (not exceeding 45) or if the reasons are not genuine, the Insurance company will be fined not more than 5m/- on top of the claim.

He said under the new law, the Insurance Appeal Tribunal and Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority would be established to enable Insurers, brokers and customers to file their appeals when they are not satisfied by CI’s decisions and customers submit their complains.

To give Tanzanians a chance to participate in the insurance business, he said the law requires Tanzanians to have at least 33 per cent of the stake in those companies. “Insurance is a business, if we (Tanzanians) can not invest in it, the whole industry will be dominated by foreign investors that is why we are giving at least one third of companies ownership to Tanzanians,” he said.

He said Insurance companies would be forced to declare to the public their financial accounts to enhance accountability and good governance within the industry. “Another good thing about this law is that it provides wide ranges of insurance cover including the marriage cover…We are used to seeking help from colleagues for donations when you want to get married, but with marriage insurance when you are 18 you start saving,” he said.

The Deputy Minister said the government would finalize reforms to stabilize the National Insurance Corporation (NIC) to enable it to compete efficiently in the market and provide better services to the public. Debating the Bill, some Members of Parliament advised the Minister to provide education to Tanzanians on the importance of insurance services in life and attract them to participate as investors.

Responding to the comments, he said it was true many Tanzanians including MPs did not give greater importance to insurance services and those who cared about their health or properties only took third party insurance which does not help them much. “Its true we need to educate our people...I hope MPs you will help the government to sensitize the public on that,” he said, adding that people should take a comprehensive insurance covers. The new law if endorsed by President Kikwete would replace the Insurance Act of 1996 chapter 394.

STAFF WRITER, 5th May 2009 @ 00:00, (Excerpts).

After a decade since its liberalisation, the insurance industry is now poised for robust and sustainable growth following changes on the law to boost efficiency and accountability.The National Assembly recently pass the Bill for the Insurance Act 2009, which among other things, provides for settlement of claims after 45 days and establishment of the appeals tribunals.Tanzania's insurance industry had for three decades since 1967, been under the hegemony of the state, where there were only two players in the market.

The market in Tanzania mainland was the monopoly of the National Insurance Corporation (NIC), while in the the Isles, the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) was the sole operator. Tanzania’s Insurance Industry was liberalized in 1996 with the objective of making it a sound and competitive agent for national saving mobilization and development of investment channeling.

Other reasons included promoting insurance sector as an effective catalyst for enhanced economic growth, strengthening and promoting the industry health and orderly growth through establishment of operating performance standards and prescriptions.There are now about 18 insurers, a reisurance company, dozens of brokerage firms and over 500 agents and loss adjusters in the domestic market.

Some of the insurance companies and brokerage firms operating in the country have connections with world-class houses that provide a myriad of products."We are in a situation where you are covered for various risks. You have life and health assurance, motor and property coverage. There is now more security," said Salum Hussein a Dar es Salaam agent.

Some analysts say the proposed law comes at a moment when there are many road, fire and other kinds of accidents happening in the country, while victims are left for long without compensation.

“This law gives teeth to the Commissioner of Insurance (CI) to make sure that the insured get their claims within 45 days...We have done calculations and found that 45 days are enough to process payments,” Deputy Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Omar Yusuf Mzee told Parliament in Dodoma while moving the bill for its second reading.

Mr Mzee said the proposed law empowers the commissioner to extend the period for settling a claim upon being furnished with genuine reasons, as well as punishing defaulters.

An insurer, for example, may end up coughing 5m/- on top of the claim for non-compliance.The proposed law has adopted the principle of the industry's ombudsman, under which stakeholders with complaints against the commissioner could be handled.

It provides for establishment of the Insurance Appeal Tribunal and Tanzania Insurance Regulatory Authority to enable Insurers, brokers and customers file appeals when they are not satisfied by commissioner's decisions.

The law requires firm's to allocate at least one-third mandatory stake to Tanzanians for it to secure registration. "This is a deliberate move to empower Tanzanians take part in the lucrative industry," Mr Mzee noted.

Analysts say the proposed law consolidates the regulatory framework enshrined in the Insurance Act 1996 and Insurance Regulations 1998. The law had set strict prudential guidelines to ensure that the nascent insurance industry was established on strong foundations.

This strictness manifests itself in rules that govern the operation of insurance firms: Insurance firms must meet paid-up share capital and solvency margin requirements and must hold certain percentage holdings of various investments.


The insurance business faces a number of challenges including failure by some firms to maintain minimum solvency margin which impedes their ability to meet their financial obligations. Other challenges include lack of training facilities for professionals within the country especially actuarial science and other related risk management studies.

The insurance industry at end of 2007 employed 2,530 staff, out of whom 982 (39 per cent) were working in insurance firms, while 1,548 (61 per cent) were engaged by insurance agencies, broking houses and loss assessors and adjusters.