Youth Entrepreneurs in Garissa

[Haatu]

YoniZ;974534 wrote:

Thanks Haatu, I enjoyed watching the doc, huge educated youth potential.

 

I wonder if the top university graduates from NFD ever come back to their counties and share the benefit with their communities not as politicians running for parliament but civil servants and entrepreneurs.

You're welcome sxb.

 

Unfortunately as Nuune said there's not much opportunity for the young graduates to secure jobs in the whole of NFD. Outside of like one bread making plant that I know of there's virtually no industry in the whole region. Sad I know. Even more unfortunate, our useless politicians do next to nothing for their people and the small amount that Nairobi sends for infrastructure development they share it between themselves. You see, the politics of the County is virtually run by two men and their minions, Mahad Kunnow and Duq Maxamuud. These two old men are the kingpins of Garissa and they literally decide who the next leader will be. The hapless common folk simply follow the directives of these 'elders' and after being paid 250 shillings each do as they're bid. Not a good system for accountability. However, there is some hope on the horizon. The new Governor of the county seems to be a good man with a vision. As of yet it's still too early to judge him but we have at least a slither of hope.

 

On a side note, the city and region at large is truly rich. We have a year long river that can easily sustain industrial agriculture and supply fresh water. The city is also a huge animal market and transit route. If someone bothered to just set up just one slaughterhouse and sell off the meat and leather separately they would be rich. Unfortunately, the people with money from the region are all obsessed with real estate in Nairobi and Mombasa and the ones with the vision are penniless.

[Haatu]

^^However, that said, progress has been made in the past 13 years or so. Thanks to grants from the Saudis and other donors, most of the city today has a supply of fresh tapped water. Although the supply isn't constant owing to mismanagement and water theft, it's a big improvement from fetching water on a donkey cart The city is also doing relatively well on the electrification front. Most houses are connected and the supply is actually pretty good without much blackouts and fairly cheap. Also, the sewage system for the town is being redevloped and expanded and should be complete in the next few years or so.

 

So although there are challenges, some things are being done to overcome them. In the past two years a masterplan was made for the city (I posted a video about it on the Garissa thread) where it was properly structered with ring and arterial roads, parks, clinics, residential areas, commercial areas, industrial areas, an upgrade of the airstrip into a fully functional airport etc. However, due to lack of funding and other issues, it was put off until the county government was established so hopefully we should start seeing some progress since a lot of money was spent on developing that plan. If it does happen, then the city's industry and economy would grow exponentially.

[Haatu]

Alpha Blondy;974560 wrote:

fish farming?

 

Haatu,

 

Abti,

 

since when did this poverty-stricken hell-hole have a coast? is uncle Ahmed 'Kibaki' Madoobe allowing access to Kismayo port?

 

i have never heard the Queen's English vicariously abused like this. Af-Somaali maxaa u diiday?

 

that Ifrah Ali, the radio presenter, would be good for a date or two, you know.

Yes fish farming inaar, in the river.

 

And yes of course we have a coast, it stretches from past Baraawe to Ras Kaambooni

 

It was in English because it was made by the donors USAID or something like that. It's still terrible I know.

 

Ifraax eh? You must be blind to spot her and miss the other one inaar

[Haatu]

Garissa county will hold a major investor forum in three weeks. Speaking in Garissa town, Governor Nadhif Jama said the forum will help market the county to potential investors and showcase its potential.

 

"We are targeting small, medium and large scale investors to open up shop in our county with our main target being the more than 300,000 residents of Garissa in the diaspora," he said.

 

Jama said there are discussions to co-host the exhibition with Wajir and Mandera counties, who are facing similar challenges. He said there is need to start build factories and industries to create job opportunities and industrialise the county whose economy is pastoralist based and has just one small textile industry.

 

On the issue of devolution, the governor said the county is ready to take over all the functions devolved by the central government and will immediately embark on them.

 

"We have the capacity to handle all these functions and we are ready for work. we have already put in place teams and measures to run all the aspects being devolved," said Jama.

 

He called on residents to support the county government as it sets out deliver on its promises and not engage in side shows and divisive politics which he said hinder development.

 

http://allafrica.com/stories/201308122230.html

[YoniZ]

Good stuff, Thanks again Saxib for the resourceful insight.

 

I have high hopes for the educated youth of that region, without exaggeration they hit the highest points in-terms of education and professionalism comparing to other Nomad regions.

 

It is tough to convince Nomads move away in investing speculative sectors, where there is no government guaranteed long-term infrastructure projects.

 

How is the electricity prices per kwh in Garissa? I hope it is not anywhere close to the outrageous prices they charge in Somalia.

[Haatu]

^ No probs sxb. About the educational attainment, I personally don't think there's much difference and if there is it's probably due to the fact we haven't suffered from civil wars and displacement in recent history Alhamdulilah.

 

As for the electricity, I don't know how much it costs per kwh but it's pretty cheap as the average worker in town with a cafe or watchman can afford it. In other words, it's waaaaaay cheaper than Somalia's. Currently the electricity is provided by an offgrid plant that runs on generators. However, there's a project currently ongoing to connect Garissa to the Kenyan national grid:

http://www.ketraco.co.ke/opencms/export/sites/ketraco/projects/downloads/kindaruma_mwingi_garissa/ESIA_Report_KPLC_132kV_TL_Kindaruma-Mwingi-Garissa.pdf

 

When complete, electricity should be more reliable and cheaper.

[Carafaat]

Thanks for posting Haatu. I think Garissa, Mandera and Wadjeer districts need to cooperate specially on economic activities. Individually they are to small to compete for attracting large investments.

[Haatu]

^No probs sxb.

 

I just read on a USAID report that 40-50 million shillings ($635,000-$793,00) exchanges hands in the Garissa livestock market every week. That's an astonishing amount for such a poor area.