Inventure Management Ltd.: KENYA Investment Guide

Inventure Management Ltd.: KENYA Investment Guide: KENYA Investment Guide Openness to Foreign Investment The Government of Kenya encourages foreign direct investment. Multinational ...

Nobel Peace Price to Africans

Nobel Peace Price to Africans, Africas first female president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, peace activist Leymah Roberta Gbowee and yemenite Tawakkul Karman.There have been several female head of states in Africa, but not elected.

Carmen Pereira (1937-)
Acting president of Guinea Bissau from 14 May 1984 to 16 May 1984, in the capacity of chairman of the National People's Assembly.

Sylvie Kinigi (1952-)
Acting President (de facto) of Burundi from 27 Oct 1993 to 5 Feb 1994.

Ruth Perry (1939-)
Chairman of the Council of State (a six-member collective presidency) of the National Transitional Government of Liberia from 3 Sep 1996 to 2 Aug 1997. Perry has been, excepting Burundian premier Sylvie Kinigi, who acted as president briefly de facto in early 90s, Africa's first female head of State under a republican system.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (1939-)
President of Liberia since 16 Jan 2006. She is Africa's first elected woman head of State.

Rose Francine Rogombé (1942-)
Interim president of Gabon from 10 Jun to 16 Oct 2009.

A different kind of safari

Some memories from last year. And yes. We got the financing.

In June, travelled a gaudy crowd norwegians to Kenya. It was desired to try to realize a vision of a school in rural Kenya for solar power, water purification, clean energy. The vision that had emerged through collaboration between Kvadraturen Education Centre / Vest-Agder County Council and Kisumu Polytechnic. 

Norwegians who had strayed to Kenya was the County Council Mayor Thore Wester Moen, Head of the Comiteef or culture and education Olav Haavorstad, Regional Manager Kjell Abildsnes, Erling Andresen (Senior, Kvadraturen School) from the VAF and the ARC-Aid CEO Spinnangr and the undersigned, Svein Mork Dahl.

Our goal for the trip was to create a common understanding between the Norwegian and Kenyan partners on the framework for the project, and through meetings with the Kenyan authorities to create local ownership of the project. The desire to meet local authorities to take us on a different safari through Kenya's political landscape.

Happiness is a quiet hour on the terrace before you find the bed. The sound of Africa. Thunder rolling in the distance, and lightning that lit up the sky in a constant strobe lights as on nature's own nightclub. Tomorrow is the party for invited guests and kids program at ARO DC. I hope the storm comes this way, but from what I've heard it's way to the Rift Valley, so tomorrow's festivities should be secured.

We have already met our Kenyan partners from Kisumu Poly, and visited DCen in Bondo, and PC in Nyanza. These state representatives serve as a form of county men, so our courtesy visits here are important for the rest of the trip. Important to go official channels. African courtesy visits are a fascinating spectacle for us Northerners. More form than content. You use like 10-15 minutes to introduce himself and thank the other party to have the opportunity to meet before you use the last quarter of the allotted half hour on the facts. 

We are gathered for a "nightcap" on the terrace to get the whole mind. The program for the trip are not yet nailed down and ready, so we do not know yet who we will meet next week. This is Africa, so we go to bed knowing that uncertainty is our only sure clue.

It's Saturday and party at the center of many invited guests, singing and dancing and hired musicians. Let me particularly impressed by the children the program appearance. The center has also been honored with visits by the Secretary in the Ministry of Education, which bodes well for the rest of our mission. The rest of the weekend precursor quiet with a visit to Bondo, and Godfrey newly opened restaurant. Tighten to NOK, although the food is not kept winning standard. Personally I suspect that the meat that was served was a goat, but the joke that I saw a stray dogs here in the place that now is gone ..

We hope to have met Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Nyanza, when he and President Kibaki are here because of the funeral of a member of parliament, but it can not do, we decide to follow them back to Nairobi. All flights are booked by the funeral guests, so we decide to drive to Nai. We stops at Tea Hotel, an old British colonial hotel in the Rift Valley, and the feel of a bygone era. One can feel the history in the walls where wallpaper is loosened, and the hotel fading along with the remnants of the British Empire.

After a week in Majiwe it is a shock to come to Nairobi. A vibrant international city with well over 3 million people, buildings, a vibrant nightlife, and otherwise is known for having some of the world's worst traffic jams, and a few years ago was known as Nairobbery colloquially. We still do not know if we get a meeting with the Prime Minister's office, but we live in hope.

While we wait for clarity we will visit the Nairobi National Museum, and will be so short notice innkallt to PMs Office.Vi have managed to get to a meeting, and are excited about how we and our vision will be taken in mot.Vi throws us in the taxi who spend 40 minutes on the few kilometers to the Treasury Building.

Hurry is lastverk said, and when we arrive waiting room to the PMs Office is we sit and wait. One hour, two hours. After three hours we are summoned to a meeting where we will be greeted by a delegation led by Caroli Omondi, the 35-year-old chief of staff to Raila. For once, I'm not the youngest in the room.

For us the meeting is a journey. They have put themselves into the matter, know what we are talking about and have input and reviews. Best of all is that we get assurances that this is something that Kenya wants, and it assures us that Kenya is willing to assume the obligations that will accompany the establishment of Solskolen. Now it's just up to us mzungus to obtain financing.

The journey is over, and we can go home with memories of a safari like no other.