Infrastructure deficit: Africa’s sticky point

High level panel at the 3rd 2017PIDA week in Swakopmund, Namibia

DOREEN NAWA, Swakopmund, Namibia.
RELIABLE partnerships between countries seem to be the panacea for Africa’s energy infrastructure inadequacies.
Intra-regional energy projects, if funded, could potentially enable countries across the continent to deliver enough power to its people and industries.
The challenge, however, is on countries in Africa failing to forge partnerships and funding energy projects beyond their national budgets.
Africa’s infrastructure insufficiency does not only affect the energy sector, but it is also visible in the transport and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sectors.
To bridge this gap, experts gathered for 2017 third Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) week from December 10 to 14, 2017 in Swakopmund, Namibia.
The meeting called for innovative ways of financing infrastructure projects in Africa to sustain the continent’s aspirations for sustainable development.
“Africa needs to work together and hunt as a team in order to develop its infrastructure and grow its economy. The lack of modern roads, power networks and other infrastructure hampers Africa’s economic development,” New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) chief executive officer Ibrahim Mayaki said at the meeting.
For Dr Mayaki, to succeed, Africa must develop infrastructural corridors that will link one country to the other. He said by so doing, African countries will be better equipped to develop infrastructure and create jobs.
“The burdens could be relieved and future opportunities captured by developing economic corridors and investing more in infrastructure development as a continent,” Dr Mayaki says.
“Economic corridors create virtuous circles, spurring additional growth, improving living standards and, through this, a greater uptake of commodities – be it from increased consumerism or further infrastructure investment.”
He said the creation of economic corridors has potential to increase the capacity of the continent to create jobs for its people and bring about economic growth.
“PIDA is about regional projects not national projects. 80 percent of infrastructure is done nationally. Sadly, fiscal pressure in Africa is very low, but we need to grow it to 25-30 percent. African governments need to work together and hunt as a team, until them, we will continue facing challenges in addressing the challenges that hinder the continent’s economic growth,” he says.
As the African Union Commission director for infrastructure and energy, Cheikh Bedda notes, the development of roads and energy infrastructure, among others, are necessary to make regional integration possible.
“Job creation through massive infrastructure development is vital for Africa’s growth. We have political will, [but] we need to move and solve problems and stop being skeptical about ourselves. Challenges do not equal to failure,” Mr Bedda says.
The majority of the world’s fastest growing economies in recent years are said to be in African, and economic analysts believe this is what has created demand for good infrastructure.
However, there are fears that infrastructure inadequacies could confine the continent to the developing world.
“Infrastructure is Africa’s top priority. With low levels of intra-regional economic exchange and the smallest share of global trade, Africa is the least integrated continent in the world. Infrastructure inefficiencies are costing Africa billions of dollars annually and are stunting growth,” Mr Bedda adds,
Bridging the gap in infrastructure is thus vital for economic advancement and sustainable development. However, this can only be achieved through regional and continental collaboration.
Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) group executive for origination and client coverage Mohan Vivekanandan feels Africa needs bankable project proposals to secure funding for infrastructure projects.
He also believes the continent has potential to fund its own projects.
“As a continent, Africa needs to save enough and fund its own infrastructure. Some projects do not require government offtake,” Mr Vivekanandan says.
In line with the continent’s Agenda 2063 and the “The Africa We Want” slogan, PIDA has about 400 proposed infrastructural projects.
Among those under implementation are the Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya power interconnection; Batoka HydroPower plant; the Central Corridor, Dar es Salaam to Chalinze toll road; Kinshasa-Brazzaville road and railway bridge.
Africa Development Bank Group division manager under the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility Shem Simuyemba challenged AU member states to partner on projects that will have equal spillover benefits to respective countries.
Mr Simuyemba said the infrastructure investment gap in Africa is estimated at US$100 billion annually out of which US$45 billion is bridged, leaving an annual funding gap of US$55 billion.
“Cumulatively over the years, this gap has been growing as demand for infrastructure grows,” Mr Simuyemba says.
It is envisaged that as Africa’s economies grow at all levels, the demand for infrastructure will also grow and the gaps will get wider, if countries do not get smarter about bridging the gaps.
But with constrained national budgets, the continent needs to enhance private sector participation in infrastructure projects and also moot innovative ways of financing. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON DECEMBER 19, 2017. LINK: https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/infrastructure-deficit-africas-sticky-point/

Sickle cell crisis that led Mwenda Phiri to initiative

MWENDA Phiri (second right) with his mum, younger brother and dad.

DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
NOW aged 15, Mwenda Phiri was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia disease at nine months.
But October 18 last month is a day to remember for Mwenda and his family. This is not because it is a National Day of Prayer and Reconciliation for the country, recognised as a public holiday even.
On this day, Mwenda had a crisis that was precipitated by a minor surgery [appendix removal] and supposed interaction with anaesthesia causing his blood cells to sickle faster.
“It was sad, we were even discharged. Then next thing in the evening, I am trying to wake him up for food and he is not responding,” Mwenda’s mother Lelemba Phiri says. “It was a very scary and a hard time for us as family. We then had to rush back to hospital.”
Mwenda, who is based in Cape Town, South Africa, was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Blaagder Netcare Hospital for eight days.
After being discharged, Mwenda dedicated every spare hour of his time to his phone, canvassing, and campaigning for the best way to tackle the challenges other children having similar health situation like his.
Mwenda, who was born at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka on March 17, 2002, strives to be a normal teenager, one not defined by his disease.
The disease is so-named because abnormal haemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen in the blood causes the red blood cells to become rigid, sticky and shaped like sickles.
Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that causes red blood cells to turn into a sickle shape under certain conditions. These cells die early, creating a shortage of healthy red blood cells causing anaemia. The sickled cells can block blood flow to major organs causing a lot of pain in what is known as a sickle cell crisis.
As a teen with this family of blood disorders, which is also known as sickle cell anemia, Mwenda faces many challenges like dietary- related, and taking folic acid every day which is challenging for many teens but Mwenda has accepted his condition.
“I have sickle cell anaemia also known as Sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is not contagious,” he says.
Before last month’s crisis, Mwenda last had a major crisis when he was three years old, but since then, his family has been very proactive with his care by ensuring that they work to prevent the conditions that trigger any crisis like managing extreme weather, dehydration and infection proactively.
But the attack that he experienced last month put his outlook on life into another whole new perspective.
“I was fortunate to have access to specialist doctors, equipment, medicine and facilities that saved me,” Mwenda says.
However, getting the excellent treatment and care for sickle cell survivors especially children is a far-fetched dream for many not only in Zambia, but Africa as a whole.
Because of this, Mwenda has started the Mwenda Phiri Initiative (MPI) in service of child health to raise awareness and funds for paediatric haematology and ICU in Africa.
MPI raises funds for hospitals and support groups in Zambia as well as bursaries for further studies in haematology for Zambian medical doctors.
“Because of my condition as a sickle cell survivor, I learnt that I am actually among the privileged few whose parents can afford great health care,” he says.
After being discharged from the hospital following the crisis, Mwenda took up the challenge and researched to find out how many children in Zambia and Africa have or do not have the luxury of finding doctors, equipment and sundries required to treat children with sickle cell disease.
No prizes for guessing what his findings were.
His findings gave way to Mwenda Phiri Initiative.
Mwenda has come up with a Facebook page and website https://www.youcaring.com/mpi1 to explain more on his initiative and allow donations from people across the continent.
Mwenda has also come up with a go fund me page to raise US$5,000 to purchase equipment for a pediatric hospital in Zambia.
“I started the initiative because during my time in hospital, even though it was hard to go through what I went through, I still felt everything would be fine because I had access to great medical staff, facilities and equipment,” he says. “I wouldn’t want other children to go through the same thing, and considering challenges in accessing excellent medical care, I did not knowing if they would be okay.”
Mwenda is a personification of how positive thinking can change lives and look forward to a better place for all regardless of one’s status in society.
Tapping into the teen mania for sharing even the most mundane titbits of daily life on social media, the Mwenda Phiri Initiative has been shared not only among his friends, but beyond his circle.
Now Mwenda, first born son of Sandras and Lelemba Phiri who has an 11-year-old brother Mwai, has some backing.
He is following the footsteps of his parents who have helping to build entrepreneurs on the continent. His father is director of Startup Grind in Johannesburg as well as chief executive officer and co-founder of Africa Trust Academy while his mother is chief marketing officer at Zoona.
He has tapped into his parents’ zeal and this is helping him build his initiative and reach out to many people.
He launched the initiative on November 12 this year.
Mwenda has an active life.
“I love acting and have won many awards for it. I love music especially artistes like Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and Quavo and I love community service. I’m the current Vice President for the Interact Club at my school Parklands College,” he says.
But he has to take time away from that in order to spare some hours canvassing and campaigning for the best way to tackle the challenges other children having similar health situations like his.
But although it took away precious hours from his usual play time, even keeping him away from his younger brother Mwai, he says the experience has one of the most rewarding of his life.
“I learnt that I am actually among the privileged few whose parents can afford great health care,” Mwenda says. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON NOVEMBER 26, 2017. LINK: https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/sickle-cell-crisis-that-led-mwenda-phiri-to-initiative/

Zoona Misozi Mkandawire is mobile

MISOZI (right) with television presenter Luyando Haangala-Wood.

SUNDAY PROFILE with DOREEN NAWA, Lusaka
WHEN she was 19 and could not afford college fees, she had two options – to get married or take a low paying job.
Today, Misozi Mkandawire, 27, is the managing director for Zoona, a mobile money company that provides electronic transfer services enabling consumers to send or receive money in Zambia.
Misozi’s highest qualification is a diploma in accounting from the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA).
“My childhood had humble beginnings,” says Misozi, the youngest in a family of five. “I lost my father at age of eight, and things turned bad for me, my siblings and my mother. My mother worked as a tailor, making women’s clothing in the house we grew up in. [But] she always pushed hard work and education on me and my siblings and that had a positive impact.”
In 2002, Misozi was selected to Grade Eight at Nyumba Yanga Basic School in Lusaka before going to Kabulonga Girls Secondary School for her Grade Ten. She completed high school in 2006.
But because of financial challenges, Misozi could not immediately get into college.
After three years, she enrolled at NIPA after her brother assisted with fees for the first year as she pursued a diploma in accounting.
But it was tough, so she started working as a sales executive at Zoona. However, after working for two years, her contract as a sales executive was not renewed.
“I used the gratuity K5,000 from my previous job [Zoona sales executive] to start up as an entrepreneur, a Zoona agent,” she says. “I registered my own company called Fappis Solutions in 2012 with the Patents and Companies Registration Agency and Zambia Revenue Authority which enabled me to apply to become a Zoona agent.”
After seeing how well she did in the first year, she decided to invest even more money in the business. And over the next five years, she expanded from one Zoona outlet to 43.
“I started my own business as a Zoona agent at the age of 22, knowing very little about business,” she says.
“My work entailed providing financial services to primarily unbanked consumers in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas of Zambia. This is through money transfers, bill payments, bulk payouts, vouchers, airtime sales, and international remittances.
“My first Zoona outlet was opened in October 2012 and I had one employee. The first few months were very challenging as we had to work hard to bring in customers since very few people had heard of the business Zoona in Zambia and what products we offered.”
But through sheer hard work and determination, Misozi built her business.
“I had 43 employees, 38 females and five males, all under the age of 35,” she says.
“I empowered five former employees to become Zoona agents operating their own shops independently, which has allowed them to increase their incomes. The majority of my employees were female.
“I am most passionate about women empowerment and women supporting their fellow women. I also worked to train my employees with basic business skills so they can move up in the business and eventually become Zoona agents, go back to school, or start up other businesses.”
In the last five years, Misozi has been presiding over an empire of Zoona kiosks across the country.
But now, she is country managing director for Zoona in Zambia.
Appointed in the position last month, Misozi is now overseeing over 3,000 agents and a staff of 22 at the headquarters in Lusaka.
As a mobile payment company, Zoona prides itself in transforming how people and organisations send and receive money in Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It provides clients with an easy, safe, and quick way to transact with their family, friends, and service providers. So far, clients have used Zoona to send more than US$500 million.
“At the beginning of this year, I was approached by Zoona and asked to be the Zoona Zambia managing director,” she shares.
“I’m very excited to see where this part of the journey takes me and to use my experience as a previous agent to help other entrepreneurs thrive. After seeing the positive impact that Zoona has had on my life and some of my own employees, I gladly accepted.
“I believe my experience as a former agent will greatly support the Zoona agents and Zoona mission to help communities thrive and spread financial inclusion where it is needed most. I will also continue to further my studies and work towards an MBA.”
In April, The Economist ran an article titled ‘A different approach to mobile money in Africa’ in which it gave insight into the workings of Zoona and also mentioned Misozi, who was by then not yet at the helm of the company.
“Money-transfer businesses are proliferating in Africa. But Zoona is unusual. Unlike M-PESA, the best-known in Kenya, it is not run by a phone company. Nor is it owned by a bank. Instead, Zoona has built a business from scratch. It processed US$200m in transactions last year and bubbles with ambition: Mike Quinn, its [Canadian] chief executive, talks of reaching 1bn customers,” the article partly read.
“Zoona was founded in Zambia in 2009 by two brothers, Brad and Brett Magrath. As a startup, they were at a disadvantage, having to recruit their own agents. Zoona did so by seeing them as its core customers, giving them credit and training to set up their own franchises. Some are impressively successful. In central Lusaka, Misozi Mkandawire presides over an empire of kiosks. She started with Zoona while at college. Her profits can now reach 50,000 kwacha (US$5,200) a month. That is exceptional. Last year the average agent made $548 in monthly commission, before costs. Globally, nearly half of mobile-money agents have not processed a transaction for a month; 97 percent of Zoona agents do so every day.
“The right location helps. Zoona puts its lime-green booths in canny places, like markets, bus stations and even a hospital. They are often flanked by booths for Airtel and MTN, two phone companies offering similar services. Zoona is not the cheapest—the sender pays about 10 percent on small transactions—but competes on coverage and reliability: for example, ensuring its agents have enough float to cash large amounts.”
Misozi has her work cut out. But she is up for it. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON NOVEMBER 12, 2017. LINK: https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/zoona-misozi-mkandawire-is-mobile/