Qatar’s gratitude
Lolwah R M Al-Khater is the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar. She visited Ethiopia this week and held bilateral discussions with different officials.
Before her appointment as the Spokesperson, Lolwah joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Minister Plenipotentiary. She also served as the Director of Planning and Quality at Qatar Tourism Authority and as a Research Project Manager at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.
She is also the Executive Director of Doha Forum.
Lolwah Al-khater has been working as an Independent Policy Analyst participating in conferences and multiple publications, and she is the co-editor of “Policy-making in a Transformative State: the case of Qatar”, a book published by Palgrave Macmillan. Al-Khater also wrote a book titled “Educational Outputs and Labor Market Needs: A study on Labor Market Issues and methods of Addressing Them” and was published through the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Capital talked to her about the purpose of her visit and her country’s support to Ethiopia. Excerpts;
Capital: What is the purpose of you visit?
Lolwah Al-Khater: There are many areas of collaboration. I mean, there are also issues that Qatar and Ethiopia enjoy a good relationship on. There are a number of other meetings for example, there is one with the Ministry of Peace. Half of Ethiopia’s cabinet members are women. This is a role model for all to follow, so we have also discussed many key areas of potential collaboration. I was impressed in particular by the comprehensive approach the Ministry of Peace is taking towards the concept of moving from negative peace to positive peace or building inner peace within the society. We also a discussion with the Ministry of Trade about strengthening bilateral trade between the two countries as well as the African Union.
Capital: What is the business relationship between Qatar and Ethiopia?
Lolwah: I think the business has yet to realize its full potential, as you can imagine. I mean we have a sizable Ethiopian community that is helping our developmental project. This is especially true with the World Cup that is ahead of us. We are also in discussions with the Ethiopian government about supporting their upcoming general election.
Capital: The Ezden project, here in Addis was supposed to occur a few years ago. Tell us about the development on that?
Lolwah: I think, the investment portfolio is big as we expect, that was supposed to be a private investment, there were direct negotiations between the authorities here and that private company in Qatar which apparently never worked out. Yet there are negotiations happening now and those negotiations between the two governments are very hopeful and enthusiastic.
Capital: What is the status of the blockade from GCC countries?
Lolwah: Let me give you some background information to this question. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed illegal blockades on Qatar in an attempt to isolate Qatar from the rest of the world. As a result, Qatari citizens were expelled from those countries, including Mecca Medina. This, unfortunately, included students. Although we were able to negotiate with Egypt and convince them to allow some students to return. So the blockade has separated thousands of families and you know very well how intertwined the social fabric is so this is a serious issue. We depend on other nations for 90 percent of our food and medical supplies and Saudi is our only land border. So, when there are problems between us and Saudi and the United Arab Emirates, especially when we cannot access their ports, especially Juba Port, we have serious problems. Since this has completely stopped Qatar has been forced to diversify its supply chain and seek new markets. As a matter of fact, Africa has been very instrumental and very generous with Qatar for food security and for that we are very much thankful. In a very principled position, the Ethiopian Government understood that there was some pressure, whether by Saudi or the United Arab Emirates. The government of Ethiopia, worked to position itself principally as a mediator and as a neutral state and for this we are grateful. Right now, economically speaking, we are actually out performing, our neighboring countries, ironically enough so GDP growth is the highest in the GCC despite the blockade and all the actions against us. Qatar has increased exportation of energy, natural gas from 77 million tons per year to 100 million tons per year, constituting 30 percent of the energy market globally. Frankly speaking we are doing very well where it comes to GDP but the social fabric is still a serious problem. Thousands of families are separated even beyond that unfortunate case of Qataris who disappeared in Saudi, which Saudi made very difficult not as their claim of welcoming us for the visit Hajji Umra (Mecca). We know a couple of cases where a father and a son disappeared in Saudi, So that is another area of and of course undermining the global or regional security is a serious concern to us, you see the escalation between Saudi and the United Arab Emirates on one hand and as a small state in between these powers. Unfortunately, this blockade has hindered the multi- lateral work of the GCC, to give you one example many countries needed to negotiate with the GCC block. They negotiate with that of the European Union where the EU is concerned about the UK leaving this means they would re-negotiate likewise many countries want to remain and this is very problematic of course.
Capital: You are importing agricultural products from Africa, which countries?
Lolwah: We are importing from many countries, for example Sudan, in Ethiopia we are importing coffee, we are also importing corn and livestock. I can’t think of the specifics but there are other projects in Ethiopia. There is an institution called HASSAD that has helped us in food security. We have also looked to West Africa as well.
Capital: You are going to host the World Cup, what can you say about that?
Lolwah: Qatar invites all Ethiopians this is the first time it has been played in the Middle East. We have built an environmentally sustainable stadium in Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, the chairs can be detached so you can actually export them later and there are discussions with a number of countries in the region to export them so they can be re utilized. In Qatar, the longest distance from any Stadium would be a maximum of an hour so fans can watch two matches a day which is just unprecedented and its way more convenient for the players. November and December are beautiful in Qatar.
Capital: Is there anything you want to add?
Lolwah: I just want to say congratulations to Ethiopians for the wealth of achievements that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accomplished. He has won the noble peace prize and has brought back hope in the region; stability, prosperity.
“ON THE GRIND” A three-week exhibition celebrating emerging youth subculture in Ethiopia
The second edition of the “On the Grind” exhibition kicked off Friday October 25 at Alliance Éthio-Française.
On the Grind 2019 is the 2nd edition of a free annual 3-week focus/festival to celebrate youth subculture in Ethiopia through the promotion of values such as diversity, fun, freedom and self-expression. The event aims to inspire the youth to take pride in their own uniqueness, develop a shared youth identity within society’s dominant culture as well as foster understanding, respect and peace building across diversity.
On the Grind is supported by the Embassy of France, the Embassy of Canada, the European Union Delegation and the Embassy of Spain.
On the Grind will feature a diversity of events over three weeks.
October 25: Opening of a 3-week art exhibition featuring four artists/collectives selected from an open call for artists.
October 30: Afro-Cosmic Concert – Faizal Mostrixx & Susan Kerunen (Uganda): a bold and pulsating musical project fusing ancient influences from central Luo culture with hypnotic electronic beats.
November 1-3: “Game Jam”: a 48-hour Gamer Hackathon to develop a subculture-inspired game. Open to all, on registration only.
November 6: A night of subculture documentary screenings: “Africa Riding” & Premiere of Ethiopia Skate Tour film.
November 8: Live electro sets, featuring Kira (Ethiopia), Tinnish&Tillik (Ethio-Canada) and headline performance tropical electro riddims by Poirier & Face T. (Montréal, Canada).
November 9: A day showcasing hip-hop culture through music, breakdancing, graffiti, skateboarding, fashion, and food. Ethiopian artists selected from a call for artists will share their talents: music, installations, visual arts, games, urban marketplace, skateboarding & food. The day will culminate with a headline performance by BCUC, a seven-piece afro-psychedelic band from Soweto (South Africa).
The African CEO’s Shared Values Checklist
Injecting sustainable socio-economic development into an African company’s DNA is not just good practice, it’s good business.
By Anthony Worku
After spending countless hours in the boardrooms of Fortune 1000 companies around the globe helping CEOs realize their goal of maximizing their shareholders’ return on investment over my 20 year career in business technology, I started questioning if this model works for African companies. If only businesses are able to produce large-scale prosperity in the global capitalist system that prevails, then what role can African CEOs play in the socio-economic growth of their homelands?
In my search for answers, I made frequent trips back to Africa and looked at how and why African countries grow despite centuries of colonial-manufactured underdevelopment and decades of systematic exclusion in the global trade economy. I realized that as diverse and complex the continent is, Africa shares a unique, common characteristic; the innovative talent, resilience, and adaptability of its people. The current digital revolution in Africa is proof of this, as it has become a socio-economic equalizer and African tech entrepreneurs are thriving. This phenomenon made me realize that Africa can and will be its own salvation; the continent just needs to strengthen its own consumer-base. We need stronger buying markets. “Who has the interest and ability to make increasing peoples’ buying power part of their core values?” I asked myself. It is African businesses and chiefs at their helm.
This idea is certainly not new. The concept of creating shared value was pioneered by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer in a 2011 field-defining Harvard Business Review article. Shared value theory makes the argument that CEOs should aim to enhance the competitiveness of their company while simultaneously advancing the social, economic and environmental conditions in the communities in which they operate. Essentially, CEOs should change how they measure return on investment, and expand their definition of ‘shareholders’ to include their employees, local communities, and the planet. While businesses in the West face the challenge of reinventing themselves, reeducating their shareholders, and changing behaviours and practices, Africa has the advantage of being a clean canvas. African CEOs can develop business models and acquire their primary customer bases with shared values theory at the core.
On a continent rich with natural resources and opportunity yet lagging far behind in development, it is time for African CEOs to heed the call to create shared value for their countries. African societies have a plethora of social and economic needs like health, education, nutrition, and employment, and with a population of over 1.2 Billion across the continent, there’s a high demand for solutions. In countries with pervasive poverty, inefficient governments and largely ineffective NGO efforts, it’s time for a new model of radical transformation and socio-economic uplift. As long as Africa’s top economic development talent is working in government and the nonprofit sector, the continent is losing money. Businesses have an opportunity to innovate models for growth that align financial gain with social impact. It’s challenging, but possible and powerful. Here’s an African CEO Shared Values How-To:
Localize Your Leadership.
The GDP per capita of a country has a direct impact on the value of a company in its markets. When consumers have low buying power, private sector companies won’t grow. African CEOs should contribute to the GDP per capita of their countries, starting with increasing the buying power of their employees by investing in their socio-economic well-being and that of their families and communities to fill the void of poor social services delivery. Investments into human capital can take many forms. African CEOs should hire for potential, not skill, and instead create the workforce they need by training low income, high potential candidates in their local communities.
Be Motivated By Mission.
African CEOs should ask themselves: are my employees our customers? Can they afford our product? If not, their employees are either not paid enough, or the product is not affordable enough. African CEOs should be proactive in entrenching sustainable development values as part of their core mission and business model. Start by identifying potential customers who are currently socio-economically disadvantaged, and making them your target customers. Then, reallocate a portion of your budget towards making your product affordable for them.
Empower Your Best Assets: Employees.
Africa’s best resource is its people. Resourceful, innovative and talented employees should be engaged in finding solutions to the problems their communities face. Through their employees, African CEOs should have direct engagement with their target customers, understand consumer pain points, and design solutions for them. CEOs should strive to create a solutions-centered workplace culture where Google’s 80:20 rule is universally adopted. 80% of employees’ time should be spent on daily job tasks, and 20% on solution ideation and innovation. If this is done well, product development and consumption will be localized, and employees will create market-fit products that they will buy.
Insert tech innovation into Your Business Model.
In Africa, technology is a business accelerator, not a mere tool. With 747 million mobile users on the continent, the market is prime for disruptors who understand and innovate for the African context. Africa’s CEOs should be innovators at heart, and the key to innovation is to recognize customer problems and turn them into revenue-generating solutions. New technology innovations have been disrupting whole industries across the globe for decades. In Africa’s current digital revolution, we have the opportunity to disrupt systemic inefficiencies by inserting tech into our business models.
Catalyze Socio-economic Mobility in Africa.
Businesses that address existing socio-economic needs as part of their model of operation create shared value by generating profits while also improving the lives and livelihoods of their target local communities. If all of the checklist items above are completed, then the value of African companies will inevitably increase exponentially. African business profitability will no longer rely on export economies, and instead be propped up by consumers in their own backyard.
The stakes are high, and the potential is limitless. On a continent brimming with talented business leaders, and an abundance of potential customers, creating shared value in business sectors will enable the economic independence of Africa and the freedom of its people. Private sector leadership, it’s up to you.
Anthony Worku is an Ethiopian-American serial tech entrepreneur and the founder/CEO of BeeZ Social ERP and BizDate. With 20+ years of experience working and innovating in the technology industry, his unique path and experiences as an insider in the corporate world and an outsider in Silicon Valley have shaped his passion to open doors for the next generation of African tech entrepreneurs. He co-created the African Tech Got Next concept under the Kudu Ventures VC umbrella to move this mission forward on global platforms.
