advice from a neighbour
President Yoweri Museveni gave some history, leadership, business, and investment insights in a speech when he opened the new Serena hotel in Uganda.
Some of the things he mentioned touch on the future prospects of Tiomin, Kengen, Sasini, Serena, coffee marketing, and relations with China & and other foreign donors. I welcome any recent Ugandan visitors to comment, since I am yet to visit the Pearl of Africa beyond Malaba (trip planned for 2007).
Thx 4 sharing this with us – i particularly liked his part on the Chinese and the finished products.
I think the speech is the typical Museveni style (army, Idi reference, etc), but it has this clear & direct approach I sometimes miss with Kenyan leaders. Did Kibaki & Co tell the Chinese to buy finished products?
“I was in China and the Chinese said they want raw materials and I said I am very sorry, I will not sell you raw materials, I suffered enough selling the Europeans raw materials. You will have to buy my finished products… We supplied raw materials to Europe for the last 300-400 years, including slaves. Should we now supply to China? What sort of idiots are we? This will not happen…”
I agree, and wrote similarly recently in another blog.
Still, does this mean that Museveni came back without a goodie bag? The Africa skeptic in me say, “I doubt it.”
Well, I hope he follows up in deed and not just words…
Once some goodies comes, then the ‘swear’ statement will go off Museveni’s mind. Africa needs to tread carefully with China. More is there than meets the eyes. “When the deal is too good,……”
“[President Hu] reiterated China’s policy of making business deals without any expectation that governments will improve democracy, respect human rights or fight corruption. He told reporters in Nairobi…that China follows “a policy of noninterference in other countries’ internal affairs.”
“Wherever there are resources, the Chinese are going to go there. They see no evil. They hear no evil. That’s very bad for Africans.”
“Chinese business interests are following a pattern long established in Africa: Foreign powers treat the continent mainly as a source of raw materials — and a market for finished goods.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061201506.html
{Sorry, I don’t know how to encapsulate links within, um, links. A lesson, please?}
i must say when i read this it was a pleasant suprise for me. that there is an african leader who thinks like i do! our own strong man came back rejoicing because we got lots of roads in return for our livelihood.
All i can tell you is that Kampala Serena is off the hook. You don’t wanna miss that!!!
E-nyce: Google a little
I like Aga Khan firms. They are generally well managed.
Kampala Serena is ready for the Commonwealth Talks while many others aren’t.
Unfortunately, Kampala Serena is NOT part of TPSEA so no benefit to shareholders. Nevertheless, I expect in 5 years all sub-saharan Serena properties will be under one roof incl Mozambique & Uganda.
Saw pics of The Kabul Serena in Afghanistan, it was inaugurated in Nov 2005. Looks spectacular.
@propaganda:
Thanks!
🙂
jke: It was a very good point about value addition
E-Nyce: I think there were goodie bags for all countries
coldtusker: Kenya and Uganda are two countires now questioning and combing thru donor solutions
Odegle: hear hear
Shiroh: Kampala Serena and Zanzibar Serena in ’07
Mitzy: That will have to wait a few years, before I can visit Kabul