Economic growth has led to rising incomes in Asia, but that trend has not been repeated in the cities of sub-Saharan African The mood surrounding African economic development has improved greatly in the past few years. This is good news. It seems to indicate that the "lost decades" for sub-Saharan African countries of the 1980s and 1990s – when output was sometimes shrinking and welfare indices worsening – are behind us. However, there are caveats. In most fast-developing economies outside sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Asia, a major reason for rising incomes is new economic activity in towns: the development is largely an urban phenomenon. Industrialisation is a key element in much of Asia. Exports may include primary commodities, but manufactured products increasingly form part of the mix. The urban-located production of these sorts of goods has been a key reason for the rise in urban incomes in countries like China and Vietnam. In sub-Saharan Africa, the picture is very different. It is often claimed Africa has the world's fastest growing urban populations and is urbanising faster than anywhere else. The first point is true, but the second is a myth. Fertility in Africa is higher than elsewhere in the world, and towns have tended to be home to lot of young people in their childbearing years. As a result, natural increase rates in towns – the excess of births over deaths – have been high. For decades, population growth in many of sub-Saharan Africa's main towns has been caused largely by this high natural increase, rather than migration. Because birth rates are higher than in Asia or Latin America, the towns grow faster. However, if urbanisation is to occur, the proportion of people living in towns has to increase, which usually involves significant long-term migration into urban settlements. When the estimated increase in the percentage share of the urban population in many Asian countries over the past decade is compared with that for African countries, usually the Asian countries turn out to be urbanising fastest. Why is this? The answer lies mainly in the differences in urban economies. Theories about modernisation and development have assumed that cities and urbanisation were necessary accompaniments to positive economic change. It was in towns, with their dense networks of people, that innovations would occur and economies of scale in production would be realised. Urban economies, it was assumed, would involve industrialisation that generated other types of activities including commerce and services via backward and forward linkages. Workers in towns produced goods with more added value than rural people. In 2009, the World Development Report from the World Bank emphasised all these positive aspects of urbanisation and promoted towns as developmental. However, while many Asian cities exhibited all these sorts of economic changes, which created millions of new jobs in formal sector enterprises, in sub-Saharan Africa urban economies have been struggling. In a world where the harsh rules of comparative advantage, policed by the World Trade Organisation, have been increasingly dictating who can produce what and where, African cities have fared poorly. European and North American cities have lost some industrial jobs to Asia because of this, but Africa's experience has been disastrous. While Africa can compete on wages, many towns cannot compete on other factors influencing investment choices by footloose industrialists. A key issue is infrastructure, particularly reliable electricity: anyone who has spent time in African cities, not excluding South African cities on occasions, has experienced the power going off for long periods of time. Another is educated labour: decades of regional austerity measures enforced by international financial institutions have undermined education outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. The result has been de-industrialisation on a major scale, and the loss of hundreds of thousands of formal sector jobs in countries where industrialisation had been in its infancy. In towns across Africa, the outcome of past austerity programmes and trade liberalisation has been the mass informalisation of economies and livelihoods. The majority of urban residents work in informal enterprises and many are self-employed petty traders. This is work, and very hard work, but it too rarely generates a reasonable income. Despite all the excitement generated about the growth of middle classes in Africa, any objective look at the Africa Development Bank's income data from which this stems shows that in most sub-Saharan African countries, the proportion of people on anything like a realistic middle-class income remains tiny. This brings us back to the issue of urbanisation. Recent censuses in many large mainland countries indicate this has slowed. In part, this is because migrants to towns have been struggling to establish livelihoods and many move on, or back to rural areas. Cities are not as attractive as they used to be. Growth in GDP is often generated largely by natural resources: agriculture, minerals, forestry. The impact on urban incomes and job creation is far less than the significant industrialisation in Asian cities. One sobering statistic demonstrates the huge difference in the urban experience of these two regions: Vietnam exports more light manufacturing goods than the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. • Dr Deborah Potts is reader in human geography, Cities Research Group, King's College London http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2012/oct/04/africa-economic-growth-not-accelerated-urbanisation?intcmp=122

rudy-Diiriye;876272 wrote: why are somali waji deereys have such an ignorance when it comes to the human race...is something thats beyond comprehension!! walaahi. It reminds of that ole saying......a thief calling a thief..thief! where is the logic here?? Blinded by the cabo qaabil...Make them think they better than other n their shyte dont stink!! This Song will cheer you up, Rudy!

Kenya has no business creating Maamul Goboleeds in Somalia given that we have a territorial water dispute with them. [that is the business of Federal Gov in consultation with it's Citizens.] AMISON is here to provide security and not to meddle with internal politics. P.s Any Sijui/kenyan agent who disagrees with me can do this!

Xaaji Xunjuf;876198 wrote: Oromos are not Somalis. and the Bantus no comment I'm glad you saved us from your bigotry there, XX!

I can't believe the Spaniard took the bait, he should have brought those facts at the end of the season while holding this!

Ngonge, the video was Rafa Benitez's "it's a fact" rant again Fergie. His Kevin Keegan version - "I will love it if we beat them"!

Tallaabo;876067 wrote: I think Ms Edna should be confronted about her remarks in that video. There is no excuse to insult a whole society like that let alone our own fellow Somalis. Speaking abusively about a whole society is unacceptable both Islamically and diplomatically. Thank You!! P.s Regarding my previous comments, I take nothing away from her humanitarian work, and may Allah accept her efforts.

Maaddeey;876062 wrote: Sharciga Maraykanka kan Islamka waa looga maarmaa qofka dhaha ka warran? Where did I say that? If you're referring to my comment that jumping red light might be tantamount to sin, then in figh sense I'm correct. Traffic regulations are not American law,, they are universal...so next time you're in Haaj, in Mecca, in a car, and you happen to jump red lights and have a near miss, you will not only be committing a crime against Saudi State, but your will also be violating the rights of way, by endangering yourself and other road users, and that is a sin in my book.

^ I thing I learned early on about Islam is that, it teaches not to take your deen from a fasiq, especially those deemed to suffer from fusiq al-aqeeda. And If we're going to take this deen to others [Non- Muslims], then it can only be taken it in it's pristine and uncorrupted condition. قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ

^ Good reply.

Apophis;876022 wrote: Nein! Facts are not open to popularity contests Since when did Aphophi's opinions/bias and prejudice become facts?.:rolleyes: Now here is a man using his facts and Ngonge will agree!

Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar;875939 wrote: Qudbaduu maanta Baydhabo ka jeediye inta ka dhageysta . " Dowladnimo dadkoo dhan u roon inaa helno. Dowladnimo Soomaaliyeed oo danaha dadka Soomaaliyeed [oo dhan] ka wada shaqeyso markaas kaliya ayaa waxaa la heli karaa danta gaarka ah oo gobol leeyahay ama reer gaar ah. Waaku celcelinaa mar badana waa iri maahmaahdii ahayd, "Hooyada uurka leh waxa u roon ayaa cunuga uurka ku jirana u roon." Wixii Soomaaliya u roona ayaa wax kasta oo Soomaaliya ka dhex jiro u roon . Muxuu run sheegay. Dadka shisheeyaha dabada ka watoo hadalkiisa si fiican u dhuuxa.

Chimera;875922 wrote: Plenty of other countries could fill that void, Egypt has already volunteered, and the President has both the legitimacy and domestic mandate as a permanent representative to demand their withdrawal, and under international law they will be forced to accept. Remember Kenya's inclusion was solely because they made the error of thinking UN law was on their side, when it wasn't they claimed they were 'invited' by the transitional government, when that was contradicted by Sharif, they found themselves unwillingly rehatted into the AMISOM uniform. Secondly, AMISOM is temporary, the fund for the reconstruction of the Somali Armed Forces is already being put in motion, better get used to the fact that the President will soon have around 40 thousand 'Alpha group' trained Somali soldiers under his command equipped with heavy hardware that no 'technical' operated by a clan-millitia will be able to withstand.

AUN

Jacaylbaro;875730 wrote: Asal Asal ,, JB, This time you have exceeded yourself!

Xaaji Xunjuf;875872 wrote: But that still doesn't make her a tribalist whether she generalized the people of Somalia or not she didn't use Clanism to define who is good and who is bad in Somalia. You're still defending this woman, and what's your motivation?

Xaaji Xunjuf;875868 wrote: I am not lying to my self these are facts Edna is far from a tribalist i have never heard her say clan x is that and clan b is that have you. What makes her clannist is her definition of which Somali she thinks is worthy and which is not, at their height they were estimated 3000 pirates in Puntland and Galgaduug and 6k-20k Al Shaabab in south Somalia....now if she was just, she shouldn't have lumped these criminals with rest of the population that is roughly 7 Million.

Che -Guevara;875865 wrote: I think it's fair to say now that no one is going to convince the other that what she was saying was tribal in nature or not. Clan is everything:- Ng'onge

Xaaji Xunjuf;875863 wrote: Well it sure not tribalism what ever it is but not tribalism unless all those said terrorists and pirates belong to the same tribal origin? She never singled out a single tribe she only talked about the sad situation of Somalia. Xaaji, keep lying to yourself, you aint fooling me.

Maaddey, you dont' have the tools nor the humanity to do da'awa, just quit and and go and take stock, and ask why it all went wrong.

Xaaji Xunjuf;875849 wrote: ^^ She didn't even mention a qabil how are her remarks clanish ma iyadaad afkeeda ka maqashay reer hebel ba sidaas iyo reer hebel ba sidaas ah. What motivates her if not naked tribalism. Here you have a Somali woman without shame castigating her fellow Somalis who are victim of terrorism, piracy and famine. Instead of calling for the world to come to the rescue of her fellow humans, here she is actually campaigning for their abandonment. Thank God, rizk isn't in her hand...what a sad creature!

Mooge;875624 wrote: are you saying bigger regions can't have parliament or elected officials? if your case against some of the 18 regions joining and forming bigger states is that minorities are not protected, then your argument falls flat because the smaller regions have minorities too, and the majority in each of the 18 regions can still manipulate the process to its liking i.e governor will be from majority, most parliamentarians will still be from majority. loool you failed to make sense mario. i hope i showed you the flaws of your argument. My first arguement was that the 18 regions is more democratic, it will mean that instead of Dr Faroole being the Governor of regions and lands that he never visited he can just have the pleasure of being the Governor of Nuugal. Bari [bosaso] will have it's on Governor and so will Mudug [ Galkayo]. Minorities in this system are much more near the centre of power than your convulated 2.5 regions. It also mean it will take away the need to redraw the Somali map along clan lines.

Wiil Cusub;875616 wrote: Why is thread is still going Edna doesn't need your recognition, she already received international awards and it is clear we don't share same hero's Sayid Mohamed who killed thousands and insult all tribes is your hero, Edna who saved thousands of mothers and children is our Hero. Waxa la yaable Caaliyadan siyaasadu madaxmartay ee aan arkayn intay xaawolay haween wax u qabatay. If you can forgive the British who killed thousands in their quest for our colonisation, i hope you can forgive the certain individual.

you are forgetting that clan has no boundaries Regions have boundaries, so within each region, a provisional parliament and an elected Governor will come out and govern the particular region. Example Lower Shebelle with it's capital Barawa will self govern in a federal system.

General Duke;875608 wrote: I was born above clan differences Adeer . Don't mistake me for Galayr who has a deep seated hate for his own in laws.