Doing (online) business in Africa

Texas in Africa comments on the challenges of conducting online transactions from Africa:

‘Ah, yes, the assumption of guilt and attempted fraud until proven otherwise. It's a strategy more and more international corporations and small businesses are using with regards to Africa-based transactions. I experienced this firsthand a couple of weeks ago when trying to check in for my Delta/KLM flights to Entebbe. Their system wouldn't allow me to check in online or at the airport kiosks. When I finally got to the front of a ridiculously long line, I was informed that Delta requires passengers traveling to certain countries to present the credit card with which the ticket was purchased in order to be allowed to check in for the flight.

‘I found out later that this is because they assume that transactions involving the purchase of a ticket to Uganda are fraudulent. The burden of proof otherwise is on the customer...

‘Fraud happens everywhere. This kind of thinking on the part of businesses certainly reflects legitimate concerns about fraud protection. Never mind that the only international fraud ever committed using any of my accounts came not from central Africa, but from Germany.

‘But it also reflects knee-jerk prejudice and the willingness to write off an entire continent of people as liars and cheaters. The consequences of this attitude are far reaching, in ways as varied as the crazy TSA decision a few months back to require extra screening of all passengers associated with Nigeria to immigration rules that assume most citizens of developing countries wouldn't want to come home to their families and homes.’

Sarpong Obed-ready to chew revisits Ghana’s elimination from the World Cup:

‘I will make this as short as possible. Ghana is sad. Africa is sad. Football lovers are sad!

‘On a night of surprises, the trickery the continent has played on other nations in this World Cup so far has come to rest on the shoulders of the landowners, albeit via the interference of the devilish workings of a foreigner.

‘My own mysticism during all of Ghana's matches was that each time I killed a mosquito in the Radio Universe studio, the Stars scored. Today, I did it twice but we lost that last penalty still. My friend who's turned 21 today predicted a 2-1 win for Ghana, but it was not to be so! We can use the 50,000 USD promised each player for something yet better. I suggest books for children.

‘However, that Uruguayan defender, Luis Suarez, who literally handed out the ball to prevent Ghana's defender Dominic Adiyiah's header in the last minute of extra-time period obviously deserves something bitter than the red card he received...
It's over and we cannot reverse anything. All heroes have their moment of blackout. Asamoah Gyan goes down as a hero, nothing more nothing less; and so does his compatriots for they have done us proud. I'm a sportsman and I know how these moments feel like when a player loses.’

Adujie’s blog lambastes the now overturned decision of the Nigerian government to ban the national team from international competitions, and the decision to outlaw begging in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde:

‘These two events in the Cameroons and Nigeria were the result of failures by the governments to have long term public policies... But instead of seeking answers through thorough examinations of the root causes of both outcomes in the Cameroons and Nigeria, the governments chose knee-jerk reactions. Governments in both nations seem to want to design and build their jet planes as they fly such planes or design and sew their shirts as they travel on public buses!

‘Banning and banishing the Super Eagles of Nigeria surely cannot be a substitute for a policy that ensures that there is a robust provision of resources and manpower for the national football-soccer team...

‘Cameroon banished and carted street beggars off of its metropolis because these fellow citizens are a public nuisance and eyesores, embedded with witchcraft and all manners of evils, at least, according to the ignorant comments made on BBC radio by some Cameroonians! But, none of their self-righteous indignation addressed the root causes of street begging and the beggar phenomenon, such as abject poverty and destitution!’

David Ajao takes a critical look at the Facebook page of Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan:

‘President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has been making waves among the young Nigerian populace on the social networking website Facebook... Through a Facebook page opened on 28th June 2010, he has systematically been sharing his belief in Nigeria and his dream for Nigeria. Things seem to be looking very good for him so far. For a page unleashed barely a week ago, he has done tremendously well with followership as he has already attracted 65,783 people at the time of writing...

‘Not only are his brief messages read with rapid attention, but thousands of Nigerians are freely giving their feedback to his messages as well. Much as his messages portray him as a humble man with a genuine drive to serve his country Nigeria, it obvious that this is a calculated attempt to win the heart and minds of Nigerians who are active on Facebook, in a bid to secure electoral victory to continue in the Office of the President of Nigeria after Election 2011...

‘Nonetheless, his attempt to reach out to Nigerians directly is laudable. If only he would keep reading as many comments as time would allow, he would surely be on the right path as he would be reading directly from some of the people he is leading. I am assuming he has a mind that can mentally filter out the sycophantic comments though. As to the sustainability or his real intentions, time would tell.’

Scarlett Lion reacts to a recent list of Failed States in Foreign Policy:

‘A couple of weeks ago, Foreign Policy ran one of those not-all-that-informed lists they called, “Postcards from Hell: Images from the World’s Most Failed States.” Normally, this isn’t the kind of thing I would even bother commenting on. I disagree with the premise, so criticizing the execution seems pointless. However, since one of my photos of Liberia is featured in the series, here comes some pointless criticizing!

‘I took this photo circa November 2009 at a market in Paynesville, a part of Monrovia pretty far from the city center. It was a nice market. I bought some lapa while I was there, took some photos, and chatted with a couple of old ladies. And for the record, let me say that’s about as hellish an afternoon as I can imagine!

‘You’ll know a failed state when you see it,” FP writes. But in my book, a list that includes Yemen and Somalia in the same breath as Ivory Coast and Liberia isn’t going to tell us that much. But the problem is not how little it tells us, it’s how many people like what it has to say: as of today, more than 4,500 people had posted a link to this on Facebook.

‘Thanks FP, for often providing great news and analysis, and every now and then providing crappy link bait.’

Scribbles from the Den republishes a special report from the Washington Diplomat about the arrest of Jerome Mendouga, Cameroon’s former ambassador to the United States:

‘After serving for 15 years as Cameroon’s ambassador to the United States, Jerome Mendouga has traded in the comfort of Embassy Row for the confines of Cameroon’s most notorious jail, as he fights to prove his innocence in a domestic scandal that has become the proverbial albatross around the disgraced diplomat’s neck.

‘Foreign ambassadors, once they finish their tours of duty in Washington, often go back home and write books or become private consultants. Others join the faculty of prestigious universities. If they’ve had an especially distinguished track record, they might be named foreign ministers by their country’s president, and — in a few cases — they end up as presidents themselves. Jerome Mendouga’s career took a very different path — taking him all the way from the comfort of Washington’s Embassy Row to the squalor of Cameroon’s most notorious slammer.

‘After serving for 15 years as Cameroon’s ambassador to the United States, Mendouga returned to his African homeland in November 2008 — and five months later was arrested and jailed on suspicion of embezzling millions in state funds, largely in connection with an aircraft deal that’s become known in Cameroon as the ‘Albatross’ affair.’

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* Dibussi Tande blogs at Scribbles from the Den.
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