Africa: A New Gold Rush

It's no secret that I like information. In my Strengths profile, Learner is very high (Learner: People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.). Because of that, I quickly look at any new source of statistics. A couple of days ago, the Wall Street Journal posted an interactive map of Africa showing a variety of statistics. They termed it: Africa Map: A New Gold Rush.

Granted, I'm not quite sure at this point how these might be useful to mission work in Africa. At the very least, they help give a clearer general picture of what's going on in a given country.

One thing that stood out to me is the very low direct foreign investment in Kenya, the country where we have served for almost a quarter of a century. It's lower than any country in Sub-Saharan Africa. On the whole continent, only Ethiopia and Eritrea are lower. There's no explanation but, based on experience and current topics of high interest in Kenya, I would guess it's the natural result of corruption — nobody wants to deal with that.

• What do you see in regards to your country that stands out?

For the Kingdom,

Bob A

PS

I haven't posted in quite a while. Partly, that's been because of the apparent lack of interest. That's quite all right. If this doesn't meet a need, then that's fine. But, the other reason has been my own schedule and the holiday season. We were in West Africa for a month helping with orientation for new personnel. Then, our adult children and daughter-in-law were here over the Christmas holidays. We had a great time but non-essential tasks were shelved.

Google Public Data on Sub-Saharan Africa

I will acknowledge at the outset of this post that I am an information junkie. I just discovered Google's Public Data Explorer and I find it fascinating. But beyond fascination, when I look at information on Sub-Saharan Africa, I find that it puts into perspective what has happened and what is happening on the continent and in the various countries.

For instance, looking at the population growth chart below, the thing that immediately stood out to me was the incredible drop in population growth in Rwanda in the mid-90's. The mid-90's was the horrific genocide in Rwanda. As incredible as it is, it seems that the genocide resulted in a net population decline of 8.27%, followed by a net increase 5 years later of 10%. The data and the graph really drive home the severe impact of the genocide. (This is my initial, lay assessment and certainly needs further research to confirm my assumption that the genocide and the population decline were related and that there is not another explanation for the changes or that it was not just a glitch in data gathering at that particular point in time.)

Beyond satisfying my curiosity and helping me get a perspective on reality, statistics and data can also inform Kingdom work among the peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa. For example, if 52% of the Kenyan population lives below the poverty line (as defined by Kenya, not as defined in the US), then that speaks volumes to me about methodology -- western methods, no matter how effective they are in the US or the UK or Germany, may simply not be sustainable in Africa (I would also need a good understanding of the PG or segment that I'm working with). That means I need to evaluate what I do and how I do it so that the continuance of the spread of the gospel of Jesus is not dependent on my presence and my funding.

Below are some graphs that I found most fascinating on Google's Public Data Explorer. I've just barely scratched the surface of what's there. Also, this is a Google Lab project and very much at a beta stage -- they will add much more information in the future. Put your cursor over a country name or a line on the graph to explore the data.

Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Line (% of population)

World Bank Definition: National poverty rate is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys. Source: World Bank staff estimates based on the World Bank's country poverty assessments.

[Note by Bob] It is important to note that the graph below does not reflect that actual number of people who are living in poverty. In his blog on African poverty, Africa Can ... End Poverty, Shanta Devarajan, World Bank Chief Economist for Africa, recently wrote a post asking the question, Is African Poverty Falling? in which he said:

...aggregate poverty rates have fallen in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since the mid-1990s ... [however,] the decline in the aggregate poverty rate has not been sufficient to reduce the number of poor, given population growth.

GNI per capita PPP (current international $)

World Bank Definition: GNI per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP). PPP GNI is gross national income (GNI) converted to international dollars using purchasing power parity rates. An international dollar has the same purchasing power over GNI as a U.S. dollar has in the United States. GNI is the sum of value added by all resident producers plus any product taxes (less subsidies) not included in the valuation of output plus net receipts of primary income (compensation of employees and property income) from abroad. Data are in current international dollars. Source: World Bank, International Comparison Program database.

[Note by Bob] Again, it is important to be aware of what this graph does not say. Just because a country like Equatorial Guinea has seen a dramatic increase in its Gross National Income per capita, it does not necessarily follow that families and individuals in that country have seen a dramatic increase in their income or wealth.





Population Growth (annual %)

World Bank Definition: Annual population growth rate. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of the country of origin. Source: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects: the 2008 Revision and 2006 Revision, Eurostat, national statistical offices, and World Bank staff estimates from various sources including census reports, national statistical offices, World Population Prospects, and household surveys conducted by national agencies and Macro International.




Prevalence of HIV, Total (% of population ages 15-49)

World Bank Definition: Prevalence of HIV refers to the percentage of people ages 15-49 who are infected with HIV. Source: UNAIDS and the WHO's Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic.




How do you use research data to inform your mission efforts, your evangelism, your discipleship, your church planting?

For the Kingdom,
Bob A

Strategic Use of Communications Technology in Africa

Over the past 3-4 days, I've come across some interesting information about technology and missions. I thought it was worth passing on as food for thought about missional strategies for the next decade, particularly for Sub-Saharan Africa where I serve.

In something I was reading, probably Brigada Today, I read a blurb about how quickly the mobile communications scene is changing around the world and especially in Africa. The point of the article was not to inform us of that fact but to say that the church and particularly missionaries are behind in recognizing the potential of this explosion of mobile access as it relates to evangelism, discipleship, and personal spiritual growth for, as some have termed him, the common man.

Following some links in the article and then others referenced along the way, I found some interesting information. Here are a few of the links:

• Mobile phones and other devices: The potential for evangelism
• Technology, Rising Middle Class, and the Future of Evangelism in Africa
• African Undersea Cables
  

The first article, Mobile phones and other devices..., talks primarily about how pervasive mobile communications are and gives some ideas for utilizing the technology to reach the unreached and to get discipleship materials to the reached. I realize that developing materials for the internet or for mobile devices is not likely part of the skill set that missionary personnel have. If you work under a sending/support agency, that agency may have personnel who could help with the development of this kind of technology. If not, there are likely individuals in churches with whom you partner (or could partner) who would jump on this like a tick on a hound dog.

The second article, Technology, Rising Middle Class, and the Future of Evangelism in Africa, speaks more specifically to the growth of mobile technology in Africa. The author begins with these provocative statements (provocative to those of us who have served in Africa for any length of time):

It used to be that Missionaries from the West traversed Africa for decades preaching the gospel through rough terrain in what was once considered the “Dark Continent”. Yet things are dramatically changing at a very fast pace that in just the next five to 10 years, the western old missionary model will totally be absolute [I think he meant obsolete] if it’s not dead already.

Mobile Phone Phenomenon in Africa…

Telecommunication Technology is a fast growing sector in Africa and has been greatly underestimated by many missionaries and African Christian leaders, largely out of procrastination and relying on old technologies that Gospel ministers find ‘convenient’ such as Radio and TV.

How pervasive is information technology in Africa? Did you know that there are more than 300 million subscribers to mobile phone services -- more than in either the US or the UK? That is expected to soar to more than 700 million subscribers by 2014. BBC is already taking advantage of that by offering news updates via cell phone.

Did you know that Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa experienced the highest net additions of internet users in Africa between 2000 and 2008? I have questions about the figure for Nigeria -- the chart label says 10.9 million net growth but the axis labels and the bar itself look more like it should be 3.9 million.

Did you know that in 2009 in East Africa alone, there were over US$4 billion transacted via mobile phones?

That's a lot of folks using technology

The third link, African Undersea Cables, is to a graphic on underseas fibre optic cables servicing Africa. There are at least nine cables that have been laid under the ocean off the coasts of Africa -- five in the Atlantic Ocean and four in the Indian Ocean, a total of 72,700 km of undersea cables laid (or being laid) at a cost of more than US$2,005,000,000.00. Of those nine cables, three were already active by 2009, two were scheduled to go active in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2009, two are scheduled to go active in the 2nd and 4th quarters of 2010, and the last two are scheduled to go active in 2011. The list of financial backers has some interesting inclusions: a foundation or business founded by the Prince Karim Aga Khan IV of Pakistan appears to own 75% of one of the longest and most expensive lines that appears, from the graphic, to originate in the UAE; a coalition of the Kenya government and various firms that own/operate ISP's in East Africa owns 85% of another that also appears to originate in the UAE and Etisalaat of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) owns the balance. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but there's a huge potential for influence from the Middle East using these communications links.

Kenya has been quickly laying fibre optic cable all over the country to tap into these undersea cables. In fact, about two weeks ago, contractors for one of the Nairobi (KE) ISP's (and an investor in the TEAMs undersea cables) ran a fibre optic cable into the compound where I live and terminated it less than 100 metres from my front door. It's supposed to go live sometime in March or April 2010. (Personally, we're hoping this means faster, more reliable, and less expensive internet access for us.)

Interesting stuff. Anyway, the point is that there is a major cultural shift going on. We have seen that -- Maasai in the middle of nowhere, phoning around to various cattle markets to find where cows are being sold for the highest price; the ubiquitousness of cell phones (it seems that everybody in Kenya has one); a surge of Kenyans using Facebook; African churches and institutions using e-mail to connect with people overseas. The first two articles argue that the Christian community -- churches and missionaries -- needs to make an intentional effort to take advantage of the cultural change, the growth in this technology.

Nothing will ever replace an incarnational presence of believers among lost people. But, like many of our strategic activities, the use of technology can supplement and extend our influence. Mivule ends the second article, Technology, Rising Middle Class, and the Future of Evangelism in Africa, with these conclusions:

The Western capitalistic lifestyle and middle class consumerism combined with technological advancement have taken Africa like a flood. So, rather than ignore such developments, or demonize them, Gospel Ministers had better utilize such technological developments to preach the Gospel.

Western missionaries ought to understand that they are no longer dealing with an ignorant population, or a group of Africans in the Dark Continent. Rather they are dealing with folks in Africa, highly educated, with access to Google, FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Therefore the preaching of the Gospel in Africa no longer provides leverage to the Missionaries from the West to be exploitative but rather accountable; leverage is rather granted to the African Christian and the trend will not stop but continue.

These two significant changes of a robust young educated population and Technology during the last decade will totally impact the way the Gospel is being preached in Africa; it will totally change the way African Christians are viewed as technology now provides an equal playing field and no longer do Western Christians have the unquestionable ‘say’ without accountability when it comes to Evangelism, Sound Bible Doctrine, Bible Prophecy, etc in Africa.

How do you plan to use information technology in the next decade to further the spread of the Gospel where you live?

Feel free to link to this blog post or copy it to others if it would help stimulate their thinking.

For the Kingdom,
Bob A

Inaugural Post -- Strategic Missional Thinking for Africa

Despite the title of this blog, I do not presume to be the authority on strategic missional thinking for Africa. I don't even presume to be an authority on that topic. Thus, any opinions I post here are tentatively held (not, though, my foundational beliefs) and not intended to describe the best way to do anything. Instead, I would like for this to be a forum for thinking, discussing, and sharing ideas on missions in Africa in the 21st century -- I simply want to serve as a catalyst for that.

I've lived in East Africa most of the last 24 years and work under a large missionary sending agency in the US. During that time, though my job titles have varied, I've primarily been responsible for either training missionaries or filling administrative roles. I have also had the privilege to be involved in starting a few churches and training church leaders. Currently, I serve in a position that our organization calls Strategy Training Associate. In that role, I'm responsible for coordinating a wide variety of training opportunities for our personnel, for national partners, and for local church partners in the US and other non-African countries.

So, part of my desire to start this blog comes from my need to stay current on strategic thinking for missions and training for Africa. I also want to have a place where folks working in Africa can find resources and talk.

I would welcome guest posts. If you're interested in writing a guest post, contact me by e-mail: sta (dot) ssap (at) gmail (dot) com (I do reserve owner/author rights over content).

At this point, I don't have specific editorial guidelines. Those will develop as needed. I do think we need to adhere to biblical standards of relationships, interactions, and discussions -- civility and respect, even when we disagree, are high values. These scriptural guidelines come to mind:

• Ephesians 5:4 (5:4)
• Galatians 5:22-24 (5:22, 5:23, 5:24)
• Philippians 2:3-4 (2:3, 2:4)

Let's see where this goes.

For the Kingdom,
Bob A