A Grim and Gloomy Picture Lurking behind the Glittering Surface of Angola

Angola, a billion-dollar oil industry houses SONILS, the major hub of oil operations in Africa. It pumps out nearly two millions of barrels of oil almost every day. A report from the International Monetary Fund forecasts the economic growth of Angola by 7.1 % for the year of 2010. The well-dressed European and American oil merchants climb down from oversized luxurious vehicles at SONILs. Evidently, the economy of Angola is booming. But, a grim and gloomy picture of Angolans lurks behind the gleaming and glittering surface.

The majority of Angolans rots under slum-like conditions when heavy downpour creates a chaos every year. Bearing witness to this bitter fact is the heart-rending story of Feliciana whose twenty year old son, Francisco was electrocuted in the water gushing out of beneath the mud floor when he grabbed a metal pole for support in the dark. The abyss of her grief is immeasurable as evident from her words, “I don’t want to live here anymore, I want to move away to another place but I have nowhere to go”.

This year the seasonal rain has taken away 54 lives, made ruins of schools, bridges and other edifices, and left over 65,000 people without shelter. Though the northern and southern provinces of Angola received the most rainfall, Luanda the capital city of Angola bore the tons of damage incurred by the rain in torrents. Heavy downpours in the months of February, March and April submerged many areas of the city under water. It led to the collapse of newly-constructed roads, the overflowing of drains, the flooding of large buildings and the abolition of small homes.

The badly affected neighborhoods of Luanda are densely crowded with houses in a disorderly way. The utter lack of sanitation arrangement turned those neighborhoods precarious to inhabit in the rainy season. Pondering over reasons behind the chaotic condition of Luanda during the seasonal rainfall, Cupi Baptista, head of Water and Sanitation at the NGO Development Workshop reveals , “ The construction is not good quality, many families do not have latrines and defecate in the open air, so when it rains you can imagine how the situation gets worse”.

In a news conference recently held at the Presidential Palace, Carlos Feijo the President’s Chief of Staff and Minister of State stated that a new plan is under consideration to sketch integrated solutions to this misery of Luanda, the worst victim of flood. He also voiced that dealing with the problem with heavy hands is a concern with the President to mitigate the after effects of the seasonal rainfall in Luanda. Sanitation arrangement, population resettlement and construction of roads are the focus of this plan.

Leadership Training - Be a Follower First to be a Leader

Though some people still believe in the proverb “leaders are born and not made” with leadership skills training programs, it is possible to develop certain leadership qualities. Studies reveal that leaders behave in a certain manner. So you can learn from certain qualities and behavioral traits of a leader and incorporate them in your life. The bottom line is to become a good leader one needs to be a good follower first.

Here is a brief list of the areas one needs to improve in order to develop leadership skills.

Honesty: Leaders are respected for their honesty and ethics. Honesty is the key to earn trust and faith of others. This is one small step you can take in your life. Honesty is not just about speaking the truth, it also means taking responsibility for your own actions especially when the results are not favorable.

Courage: Leaders have the courage to take risk, to break the existing set up and give new directions to his followers in order to achieve a goal. Following the established rules without innovative thinking shows no drive or determination. To become a leader you need to have the courage of crossing barriers and exploring what is beyond. You can practice this by speaking up against what you think is wrong instead of just being a silent watcher.

Passion: Leaders have enthusiasm for doing something new. A leader has passion for his work. You can develop that passion for work by being enthusiastic about the tasks assigned to you.

Commitment: Commitment is a common trait of leaders. You can achieve this quality by practicing commitment to your work, to your team mates as well as family and friends in life. Commitment means hard work and discipline for achieving goals.

Focus: Leaders have strong focus for their goals and they strongly believe in what they can accomplish. By making a good plan and executing it thoroughly, you can build mental strength and focus in you.

Along with these qualities, a leader also has that charisma and ability to win people’s trust and respect. But it does not happen in one day. It takes a long time to develop leadership skills even though you may have the qualities. There are several areas in your personality that you need to work on in order to be a leader. That is what the Jean Houston Foundation in Leadership Training Oregon and Ashland are doing to give a new direction to young aspirants through various leadership training programs.

5. Goal Oriented

Leaders are very focused on the objectives that need to be achieved. They develop a plan and strategy to achieve the objectives. In addition, they will also work to build commitment from the team and rally them to achieve the organization’s goal. When developing leadership skills, start by looking at how goal oriented you are now. Improve upon that behavior.

6. Developing People

Developing people whether by training, coaching or teaching is one of the main traits of a good leader. No one can achieve organization goals alone. The team is needed in order to achieve them. Leaders develop people to build a stronger team so that the organization is effective. Start by developing your own knowledge when developing leadership skills.

7. Prioritize

Leaders do the most urgent and important things first regardless of their interest in them. For them, whatever needs to be done should be completed with the best possible effort. How do you compare with this trait? Do you complete tasks that you are uncomfortable with? Start developing leadership skills in this area by recognizing what are the important tasks to complete.

8. No Public Glory

Leaders understand that at best they will get personal credit for their work. Public glory is not expected. They know whatever achievements made were the results of joint efforts of their team. They share glory and credit with the rest for the work. They know they are only as good as their team. When developing leadership skills, ask yourself this – are you generous enough to share the accomplishments of your unit’s achievements?

Developing leadership skills is a long process. Some people are born with leadership skills. They develop into leaders much faster. Leadership is also your behavior as much as a skill. It is possible to learn leadership skills. Start now and when the opportunity arises, you will be ready.

A Glimpse into the Present Stand of African Women on the Women’s Day 2010

On the 8th of March every year, the entire world celebrates International Women’s Day. In Africa too, the day is commemorated with cheers to appreciate the accomplishments of women and appreciate their achievements in different fields – social, economical, political, educational and commercial. The day was first celebrated in the year of 1910 in Copenhagen. Today, Copenhagen witnessed the centenary of this international ceremony.

On this particular day, all African women from all layers of the social ladder and economic heaps are given due honor as a power of the nation. Their very existence and identity get recognized as being integral to the growth and development of the African nation. To the utter surprise of African women, 8th March has been announced as a national public holiday.

International Women’s Day is the day for the African women to look back at the picture of their lives in the past. It is day for them to realize their potential and come out of the shell. It is a day for them to go beyond the social chains that restrain their movement and freedom. The present stand of women in the African society has gradually been built over years as Rome was not built in a day.

The African women have long fought to gain equality in the eyes of society and politics. The fruits of their long-running struggle for recognition are emerging to the surface. For example, various policies have been taken for their welfare and several laws have been implemented in their favor. The Women’s Day is a reminder for them to keep up with their vigor and vitality. They must carry on their wage with equal spirit for future generations.

Zambia has already witnessed tremendous progress in the development of women’s condition from different perspectives. The Zambian Government has ensured equal opportunities for men and women in diverse sectors of society. The women of Zambia have been entertained with rights to serve in decision-making positions. The Government of Zambia has also retained the fundamental rights of girl children to receive education. In Zambia, women are allowed to avail loans to improve their livelihood. However, the African women have a long way to go.

Nigeria is in Need of International Aid to Overcome the Ongoing Food Scarcity Problem

Niger, a West African country is facing the overwhelming blows of food scarcity in recent times. Food insecurity is the present bugbear of the African Government. The problem is moderate in some parts of Nigeria and severe in some other parts. A report from the United Nations states that approximately three-fifth of the total population is under the problem of food shortage.

A non-governmental organization of the United Nations has appealed to countries across the world for aid to curb the suffering of Nigerian people so that Nigeria can keep the consequences of food scarcity away. Khardiata Lo N'Diaye, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator said, “It is imperative to support the Government in its efforts to mobilize the resources to satisfy the food needs of the most vulnerable”.

A survey, conducted by her last December reveals that 2.7 million people have been suffering severe food insecurity and the number of people suffering moderately from the same problem goes up to 5.1 million that is more than half of the total population. The United Nations and their partner organizations are coordinating with the African authorities to respond to the needs of the suffering in Nigeria.

Digging the causes for the ongoing food paucity shows that an irregular, premature and ill-distributed rainfall in 2009 led to the insufficiency of cereal and grain production. The whimsicality of nature has come down as a curse on innocent people and livestock of Nigeria. The Government is evaluating the volume of fund needed to address this national issue.