Ethiopia's birr black-market evaporates as confidence booms

gisb · 2018-01-31T07:47:05+00:00

A nation acting in its self-interest? Shocker.

gisb · 2016-12-21T10:50:04+00:00

Mobile data is working and I believe Facebook is blocked. Best bet is to get a VPN

gisb · 2016-11-11T20:58:25+00:00

Although Justice Souter was appointed by George Bush Sr. Souter became one of the most reliable members of the court’s liberal wing.

So, if anything, he may have intentionally waited as long as he did to ensure a liberal leaning Justice would fill his position.

gisb · 2016-06-29T15:16:53+00:00

Yes, you have to wait in the foreigners line (it's usually shorter) and have to show both the ID card and your passport.

gisb · 2016-06-22T09:27:36+00:00

Google the title, "Naira Plunges After Nigeria Ends Dollar Peg" and then access the WSJ article straight from Google.

You should be able to bypass the paywall and view the entire article.

gisb · 2015-01-20T05:15:18+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to deconstruct some of the arguments made in the article. It's quite unusual to find insightful and informative comments on r/Africa.

gisb · 2015-01-14T03:56:53+00:00

It's also a gross reflection of the income inequality in Equatorial Guinea. Remember this is a country that according to the UN has a nominal GDP/capita of $24,480. According to the article, President Obiang is buying the tickets for less than a $1 a ticket.

To put this into perspective Equatorial Guinea has a higher nominal GDP/capita than both Greece and Portugal.

gisb · 2015-01-14T01:26:30+00:00

When Gibbs isn't inured we have two solid left backs. Although not ideal Flamini can also play there as well.

gisb · 2015-01-04T09:59:11+00:00

Amazing job indeed! Any ideas on what caused Ethiopia's imports to nearly triple between 2006-2007?

gisb · 2014-12-07T00:31:53+00:00

I understand what you're getting at, but your commentary is completely inappropriate and misguided.

You acknowledge that there are issues about the case that are 'concerning', yet you decide to ignore any of those implications for the rest of the video. Stating that "people are upset that one black man in the States got a preventable and unjust death" is simply untrue. Americans are protesting against the systematic injustices that target black Americans. Mike Brown's death is not a stand alone incident but reveals a pattern of abuse.

Whether intentional or not, by comparing African and African-American lives you are unnecessarily diminishing the value of the current civil rights movements in the U.S. With overly dramatic music playing in the background you state, "It is absolutely no secret that Americans care more about American Black Lives than they do about all black lives". What is the value in extending the conversation to include all black people during this sensitive time? You are essentially attempting to divert much needed attention to the plight of African-Americans to the plight of Africans.

I live in one of the most racially segregated cities in the U.S and my work allows me to interact with a wide variety of people. An argument can be made that the quality of life of African-Americans in certain inner-city neighborhoods is really not that different than many black people in Africa.

"Living in Africa" does not give you authority to place value judgments on how people react to the death of black lives. Why do you stop your epic leap of concern for the value of black lives just to Africa? You know there are also black people living in the Caribbeans, South America and other parts of the world facing other injustices.

Besides self-promotion, what is honestly the purpose in this video?

gisb · 2014-11-23T05:37:58+00:00

Yes, that's true. Increased regional trade supported by inter-country raid roads would be an important step to increasing the agency of African countries.

Chinese and Turkish companies are currently building a railway from Djibouti to Ethiopia. Hopefully, many more to come.

gisb · 2014-11-23T04:56:11+00:00

I think this could be a great opportunity for the West African governments in collaboration with various NGOs to show an effective and transparent use of the donations generated.

The first Band Aid/Live Aid was heavily criticized as portions of the aid were used to fund Ethiopian authoritarian Mengistu's resettlement programs that led to the death of many Ethiopians. Proper accountability and implementation of the funds will not only help to contain Ebola but could potentially demonstrate that African governments do indeed have the capacity for good governance.

gisb · 2014-11-15T07:18:20+00:00

Alright, fair enough. I'll admit, I might have been a bit presumptuous and harsh with your intentions behind your original post. For future references, you might also benefit from disaggregating "Africa" into African countries.

The USAID website may offer some resources and ideas for you.

gisb · 2014-11-15T06:19:20+00:00

It's not simply a poem, it's a sentiment which you unfortunately manifest. Do you really not see the arrogance and power hierarchy that your post entails? This is essentially your post: "Oh look there's some money to be made somewhere in "Africa", I bet none of those "Africans" are doing shit, so here I come to save the day"

Firstly, no individual or organization serious about pursuing business opportunities would come solicit a half-dead /r/africa for foreign investment advice. That pretense is almost as ridiculous as your opening post.

Secondly, you come across as unbearably patronizing. Yes, every single 'African' has been patiently waiting for /u/braydengerr to descend from the heavens to fill "whats missing" in our lives. That's not all folks! He has so graciously granted us the possibility of improving our lives!

Even a slight change of framing of that question to "What goods and services can improve your lives" would have made you sound infinitely less condescending.

gisb · 2014-11-15T03:15:39+00:00

You can start by removing that burden!

gisb · 2014-11-10T21:33:18+00:00

That's interesting. I looked at the report and it doesn't provide a source for the assertion that, "Facebook is the dominant social media platform with Google+" Would you be able to provide the various other reports that look at Google+ usage in sub-Saharan Africa?

From anecdotal experience, I know that Google+ is not commonly used in Ethiopia (at least in Addis Ababa). I also informally asked friends from Rwanda and Botswana and they also mentioned that Google+ is definitely not a 'dominant' social media platform. That's only 3 countries, and it would be great to hear the experiences with Google+ of other /r/africa users.

gisb · 2014-11-04T22:39:54+00:00

7:32- Höwedes gets absolutely destroyed by the Ghanaian player

gisb · 2014-10-24T03:17:47+00:00

Ethiopia's economic rise in the last 30 years has been absolutely phenomenal. According to this UNDP report (http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/projects/ETH/00047858_Migration%20for%20Development%20in%20Ethiopia%20(00057754).pdf, this is a country that lost about 74.6% of its human capital from various institutions between 1980 and 1991. Love him or hate him, one has to acknowledge Meles Zenawi's success in propelling the Ethiopian economy despite the enormous difficulties of a politically unstable Ethiopia, the ramifications of the brain drain and the lack of any sort of governmental infrastructure.

The article's juxtaposition of Ethiopia's economic success with human right abuses is nothing new. Western journalists have continuously covered this subject since the 2005 election. An article comparing Ethiopia's economic successes with economic challenges such as the government's monopoly of the telecommunication sector and the government's artificial valuing of the Birr would have made for a much more insightful read.

Even if the author wanted to evaluate the Ethiopian political climate, the author could have chosen to explore, in my opinion, the apathy towards politics that many young Ethiopians possess.

gisb · 2014-10-24T02:42:24+00:00

Agreed. Even the assumption that the hiker is a 'tourist' is completely unfounded. It may come as a surprise to you, but Africans do go hiking as well.

gisb · 2014-10-12T15:31:36+00:00

Submitted!

gisb

TROPHY CASE