TRANSFORMATION OR MIRAGE: Two weeks ago, Citizen Daniel Ogbegie shared a link to a story about the transformation in the railway sector by President Jonathan. This update was inspired by my experience in Addis Ababa after taking a high level look and analysis of the expansion of Rail, Power and Agricultural Transformation in the two African Countries of interest - Nigeria and Ethiopia, that is. Nigeria’s high speed rail project initiated by President Goodluck Jonathan, being rated among the global top 100 world-class infrastructure projects by KPMG bring forth the issue of credibility of the accessor. You may want to ask them for the parameters they considered before arriving at such bogus and outlandish conclusion. According to KPMG, the rail will connect Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Warri, Bauchi, Abuja, and Port Harcourt and will cost the country $13 billion, much of which will be financed with a loan from the Export Import Bank of China. The China Railway Construction Corporation has secured the contract to build the 3,218-kilometre network, which will be digitally operated using fibre-optic cables, radio communication and wireless services. The project is designed to cover 54 stations and will take 25 years to build! Come with me to Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. From 38,000 feet above sea level, you may be forgiven if you mistake Addis Ababa for Los Angeles, because of the spectacle of light that dots every inch of the city as the giant bird descend into the New Spirit of Africa. Compare this with the thick envelope of DARKNESS that welcome you to Lagos or Abuja, two major entry points into the Giant of Africa, whenever you arrive at night and the pilot is descending into the Murtala Mohammed or Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airports. On disembarking from the aircraft and stepping into the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, you will begin to appreciate why the airport was rated among the top three in Africa whereas the Abuja and Lagos airports were in the top three category among the worst airports in Africa. That South Africa has dragged Nigeria to the court of public opinion for usurping the title Giant of Africa and got a favourable judgement, is no news. That Netizen from Nigeria has taken over blogosphere with news about the revamped railway transformation under President Jonathan is also no news. It is really heartbreaking when you find out that most stories coming out of Nigeria really lack substance and the real issue is rarely brought to the front of the agenda during the village square meeting. In contrast to Nigerias light rail that will require 25 years to cpmplete, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a country that prides itself as, The New Spirit of Africa, I found out that traveling around Addis Ababa -and beyond- is about to get a lot easier, as completion nears for a new light rail transit system. In the citys central Meskel Square, trains will tower overhead on raised tracks; in other areas, theyll tunnel underground. When service begins in January 2015, trains will carry as many as 60,000 people per hour and run up to 18 hours a day. The line will also continue on to Djibouti, a vital hub for the exchange of goods. Thats not all! As part of plans to boast power supply, 84 wind turbines stand tall at Ashegoda Wind Farm, North of Addis Ababa near Ethiopias Great Rift Valley. Launched in 2013, the operation will work in tandem with a hydropower project on the Nile: the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam, set for completion in 2017. Together, the projects will boost the countrys output from 2,000 to 10,000 MW. The government hope that these efforts, along with plans for an upcoming geothermal plant, will equip Ethiopia to power neighbouring countries too. This is an ambitious and realistic target, compare with Nigeria power sector reforms that has continually supplied darkness without adding one extra megawatt of power to the national grid despite the billions of dollars purportedly expended on critical power infrastructure. Moving on: In Nigeria, we hear that the agricultural transformation is working and on course. Perhaps in the rural areas where we hear farmers now access fertiliser through the e - wallet system, they also have access to guaranteed loans and improved seedling, inter alia. I cannot categorically say that is the case with urban farmers in the Giant of Africa. In the New Spirit of Africa, Addis Ababa is doing its part to promote urban agriculture, thanks to a strategic plan begun in 2013. By facilitating training and providing access to land and loans, the city supports such activities as poultry - and dairy - farming, vegetable- growing and beekeeping. Households raising animals (cows, chicken and sheep among them) can also receive veterinary help. By the end of 2015, the city aims to have 100 farmers in each of its districts. In terms of growth and statistics: - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is expected to create 12,000 jobs. - Addis Ababas goal for urban farmer is to have 11,600 urban farmers (100 farmers in each of its 116 district) by the end of 2015. - The length of the Addis Ababa light rail transit system is 650 kilometers. This is equivalent to the distance from Abuja to Lagos or Abuja to Maiduguri. Unlike Nigeria who largely depend on crude oil as source of wealth, Ethiopia is powered by a robust tourism industry! And there you have it - the difference between perestroika and glasnost! It is visible to only those with eyes that can see and audible to those with receptive ears! Dazzol
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 09:36:12 +0000
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