Concentric Circles of Competition by Jim Joseph

Your Business's Competitors Extend Well Past Those With Similar Products

When it comes to marketing your business, attracting customers is more about beating your competitors with the quality of your product over their product. Successful marketing is also about building your brand over their brand. The following exercise called “Concentric Circles of Competition” by Jim Joseph, published on Entrepreneur.com, will help you do that :


The exercise is relatively simple, but the visualization of your competition is incredibly insightful in analyzing your business.

• In the inner most circle, simply list your closest competition: the products that are the most similar and offer the same functional benefits. These are your top-of-mind competitors you face daily.
• In the next circle out, list the competition that is perhaps a little less direct, but still a threat to your product’s success.
• Keep going, layer by layer, listing competitors that are less and less direct. Once you get past the first couple of circles, your competition becomes more about your brand and about the emotional benefits you offer rather than just your products.
• By the time you are outlining the most indirect competition in the outer most circle, these businesses are generally fighting against your brand, challenging what it stands for. You are competing with them on an emotional level, often with little bearing to the product features. (…)

Draw some concentric circles and map out your direct and indirect competition. (…)You’ll see that the threats to your brand are far greater than those to your products, but you may not have ever thought about it that way before. This means your action plans are going to be very different as a result, and perhaps more impactful.

 Source: Entrepreneur.com

Cultural liberty and freedom of belief

The freedom to hold beliefs of one's choosing and to change them is central to human development. It is the individual's search for meaning and the desire to know who we are as human beings that distinguish the human conscience.

We applaud the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its Human Development Report, “Cultural Liberty in Today's Diverse World.” For the first time in the Report's fifteen-year history, it acknowledges cultural liberty as a “vital part of human development” and affirms the “profound importance of religion to people's identities.”
Human Development Reports have evolved dramatically from a purely materialist approach centered on wealth and income to embrace the concept of development as the expansion of human freedoms. By including cultural freedom in its analysis — including the freedom of religion or belief — the UNDP has once again broadened the conceptual framework underpinning the evaluation of progress in human development.
The UNDP's focus could not be more timely. Human development and security — two issues at the heart of today's global agenda — have refocused the attention of the international community on the question of human freedom. And the Report has set the stage for an earnest re-examination of the role of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion in human development.

As a worldwide religious community that regards the human conscience as sacred and believes in the independent search for truth, the Bahá'í International Community urges the UNDP to give serious consideration to four critical issues intimately related to its Report: (1) the right to change one's religion or beliefs; (2) the right to share one's beliefs with others; (3) the responsibilities of the international community and national governments vis à vis marginalized and peacefully organized religious communities; and (4) the responsibilities of religious leaders vis à vis the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of religion or belief.

1) The right to change one's religion or beliefs. The Human Development Report defines cultural liberty as the “capability of people to live and be what they choose, with adequate opportunity to consider other options.” The Report, however, focuses primarily on cultural exclusion based on “external'” manifestations of one's religion or belief while omitting from its discussion the core dimension of cultural exclusion — namely a denial of the “internal” right to change one's religion or belief. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights explicitly affirms:
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.”
The individual's search for truth and meaning is an activity most intimately linked with the human conscience and with the desire to see the world through one's own eyes and to understand it through one's own faculties of perception and intelligence. As such, it is inextricably linked with all facets of human development.
Due to pressure from dissenting States, however, subsequent United Nations treaties have used weaker language to define this right, failing to uphold the unambiguous standard set by the Declaration.
The Human Rights Committee has identified the freedom to change religion or belief, freedom to manifest beliefs, non-coercion in matters of religion, and non-discrimination on the basis of religion as core components of this right. As signatories to the Universal Declaration and subsequent treaties and global commitments, governments bear the primary responsibility to create, safeguard, and promote the necessary conditions for the enjoyment of the freedom of conscience, religion, or belief for all of their citizens.

2) The right to teach one's religion or beliefs. Intimately connected with the freedom to hold and to change one's religion or belief is the freedom to share those beliefs with others. Within the broad range of activities potentially encompassed by the freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs, the right to teach one's religion or beliefs has been particularly contentious.
While the Declaration calls for the unconditional protection of the “internal” right to freedom of religion, the “external” right to manifest one's beliefs is subject to limitations: Governments are permitted to place restrictions on this right for purposes of “meeting the just requirements of morality, public order, and the general welfare in a democratic society.” This has too often been abused in efforts to quell minority populations and has raised questions about what constitutes legitimate governmental interference in manifestations of religion or belief.
States argue that limiting the teaching of religions and the sharing of beliefs is necessary to preserve particular traditions and to protect the rights of the targeted populations; yet the right to freedom of religion or belief is necessarily contingent on the exposure to new ideas and the ability to share and receive information. Limitations on the basis of “maintaining public order” and “morality” have also been applied with considerable latitude and in a manner inconsistent with the principle of non-discrimination.
Non-democratic and theocratic States in particular have repeatedly issued such reservations without the burden of proof, calling into question not only their interpretation of this right but also their protection of related rights and freedoms such as the right to employment and education, and the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.
Ultimately, a long-term preventive strategy must be rooted in efforts to educate children and adults alike, equipping them with literacy skills and opportunities to learn about other systems of belief. Within a culture of education, people who can read the writings of their own religion as well as those of others, who are free to question and discuss, and who are able to participate in the generation and application of knowledge will be better prepared to counter the forces of ignorance and fanaticism.

3) Marginalized religious minorities. The challenge before States, and one of their central concerns as addressed in the Human Development Report, is the maintenance of social cohesion and national unity in the face of increasing cultural pluralism. The report cites the threats of social instability and violent protest as a primary imperative for States' need to accommodate minority claims.
States must discard outmoded notions of cultural homogeneity and ideological uniformity as a guarantor of peace and security and come to embrace a plurality of identities and beliefs.

4) The responsibilities of religious leaders. The responsibility to uphold universal principles of freedom of religion or belief also rests with religious leaders. In a world harassed by violence and conflict in the name of religion, leaders of religious communities bear tremendous responsibility for guiding their followers towards a peaceful coexistence.
Too often, those acting in the name of religion have fanned the flames of hatred and fanaticism, themselves serving as the greatest obstacles in the path of peace. Yet the religions and faiths of the world with which the majority of the earth's inhabitants stand identified have imparted a vast spiritual, moral, and civilizing legacy, which continues to succor and guide in these troubled times.
Indeed, religions have reached to the roots of human motivation to lift our vision beyond purely material conceptions of reality to embrace higher notions of justice, reconciliation, love, and selflessness in the service of the common good.

Given the weight of culture and religion in shaping motivation and behavior, it is clear that legal mechanisms alone will not engender the commitment and mutual understanding required to sustain an ethos of peaceful co-existence. The role of religious leaders as partners — in word and deed — in the promotion of respect for human dignity and freedom of conscience, religion, or belief cannot be understated.
Urgent action is now needed to reaffirm the vision of equal rights for all without discrimination on the basis of religion or belief. As a first step, the United Nations must unequivocally affirm an individual's right to change his or her religion or belief under international law.

Concrete actions — investigative, legal, and operational — must follow. Research and analysis are needed to clarify minimum standards for compliance with international law and to develop indicators marking the presence or absence of freedom of religion or belief. An annual world report prepared by the United Nations assessing the state of this freedom throughout the world would provide further substance and facilitate comparisons over time and across geographic regions.

Source: Bahá'í International Community

OPPORTUNITY: INVITATION FOR YOUTH TO SUBMIT VIDEOS TO THE UNITED NATIONS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

 "The people of the world have asked us to shine a light on a future of promise and opportunity. Member States have responded with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development... It is an agenda for people, to end poverty in all its forms. An agenda for the planet, our common home. An agenda for shared prosperity, peace and partnership." — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon


The Education Outreach Section of the United Nations Department of Public Information invites
young people from around the world between the ages of 15 and 24 to submit 10- to 15-second
videos in English on how the Sustainable Development Goals can build peace. When making your
videos, think about why ending poverty, addressing climate change, forging equality and ensuring
access to education are important to creating a more peaceful world.

The most engaging videos will be featured on the United Nations International Day of Peace
YouTube channel. Some will even be shown at an official event at United Nations Headquarters in
New York on 16 September.

Selected clips are posted at www.youtube.com/channel/UCpLhcvaNT33Bs8ZvB4j6d8w from
13 June (the start of the 100 day countdown) through 21 September, the International Day of Peace.
When you make your video, please state your name and country at the beginning. [Example: “My
name is Jimena, and I’m from Peru.”] And remember that all videos should be appropriate for
viewing by younger audiences. 
We’ll be accepting your submissions from now until 1 September. So start sending your videos to
unitednationspeaceday@gmail.com today!

Background: The International Day of Peace falls on 21 September. Every year on this day, the
United Nations calls on the people of the world to remember their common humanity and join
together to build a future free of strife. The theme for 2016,
Building Blocks for Peace”, highlights how ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring
prosperity for everyone, all contribute to global harmony. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals
were unanimously adopted by the 193 Member States of the United Nations at a historic summit in
September 2015.
“The Sustainable Development Goals:

More information on the International Day of Peace: CLICK HERE

 #PeaceDay #GlobalGoals

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF

How climate change is secretly disrupting your city By Roshni Rajiv

The city of Accra came to a standstill due to the magnitude of monsoon floods earlier this year. The city stood perplexed to a staggering toll of loss of over 200 human lives, irreparable damage to public and private properties indefinitely stalling business activities costing millions of Cedis to the national economy. Soon, fingers were raised at the Government for poor city development planning and an obsolete drainage system.  Amidst all this, a hidden issue still lurks around intensifying the consequences of floods year after year. This crucial yet often overlooked cause is the issue of Climate Change!

Understanding the Climate Change phenomenon

Some of the known impacts of climate change have been depletion of the ozone layer, the Arctic ice caps melting, sea levels rising, summers getting hotter and rainfall being erratic. However, these phenomena are often considered as distant ones, affecting the lives of ‘others’ and not really us.

During a parliamentary discussion on 19^th February 2014[1], one of the members of Parliament highlighted the importance of drawing the public’s attention to the issue of climate change. He pointed out that often the public understanding of climate change is anecdotal and not factual. Especially in rural areas where most people view calamities such as floods, droughts and low agricultural yield as God’s will and not an effect of a serious global problem like climate change. This article (the first among the series of articles addressing climate change in Ghana), is an attempt in the direction  envisaged by the Ghanaian Parliament to widen the horizon of the common man bringing into light unforeseen ramifications of climate change in Ghana.

Some of the known impacts of climate change have been depletion of the ozone layer, the Arctic ice caps melting, sea levels rising, summers getting hotter and rainfall being erratic. However, these phenomena are often considered as distant ones, affecting the lives of ‘others’ and not really us.   

The National Center for Atmospheric Research^[2] in USA has reported that one of the direct and sooner consequences of climate change is increased frequency of heavy rains causing floods in some areas and droughts in other. The simple science behind this process is that global warming causes a rise in temperatures, which results in more evaporation and consequently higher moisture content in the atmosphere causing heavy rains. Similarly, an increase in the number of droughts is also due to rising temperature and high rate of evaporation, which decreases soil humidity. Floods and droughts lead to soil erosion and land degradation respectively turning agricultural lands infertile, thus causing scarcity of lands for cultivation.

In Ghana, similar effects of climate change have already manifested in the Northern, Upper-east and Upper-west regions. In these regions, the majority of the population comprises of farmers, greatly dependent on rainfall for their livelihood. Inconsistency in the amount or timing of rainfall causes either floods or droughts, directly affecting agricultural productivity. The UN Refugee Agency[3] (UNHCR) reports that millions migrate from rural areas to urban areas around the world as a consequence of natural disasters or environmental issues caused by climate change. UNHCR refers such migrants as “climate refugees” or “environmental refugees”.

Climate change is a phenomena with ripple effects, often affecting a number of distant things to the extent that it looks absurd to connect the end results to the initial causes of climate change. This is the major reason why most people either fail to acknowledge the significant effects of climate change or view the warnings by environmentalist as exaggerated.

Below are five major ripple effects of climate change which are no doubt having some kind of an impact on your life right now

1. Rural-Urban Migration

Migration from the north to south Ghana in search of better job opportunities and standards of living has been a common practice over the past many decades. However, in recent times there has been an increase in the number of climate refugees migrating to the south. In a research survey[4] conducted among 203 migrants from the Savannah in Northwest Ghana[5], majority of the migrants decided to migrate because of environmental reasons such as scarcity of fertile land, poor soil quality, low crop yields, environmental degradation, water shortage, poor water quality and sudden natural disasters.

Accra’s largest slum ‘Old Fadama’ nicknamed as ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’[6] along the banks of the Korle lagoon is home to more than 80,000 migrants. Such illegal settlements pose challenges such as waste disposal, sewage disposal, water and environmental pollution and put further pressure on existing drainage infrastructure; thus heightening risk for floods. Most of these settlements were demolished recently when the officials discovered that the clogged lagoon prevented excess rain water from flowing into the sea, thus increasing the severity of floods.

Another chain effect of climate change which is also posing a threat to internal security of Accra[7] is the increase in rate of unemployment and poverty. The migrants, often unskilled workers, are disappointed to discover that cities demand skilled labourers. This has led to a high unemployment rate in the city pushing these migrants into the high poverty zone. In February 2015, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) reported unemployment as the biggest socio-economic problem confronting Ghanaians of all ages and sexes. The most visible signals of unemployment are: armed robbery, prostitution, streetism etc.[8]. The frequent news reports of criminal activities in the city such as armed robberies and burglaries, are therefore not surprising!

Figure 1.1: Ripple effects of Climate Change

2. Food Shortage Leading To High Rate of Import

In 2013, Ghana spent a staggering US$1.5 billion on imports of basic food items such as rice, tomato, sugar, cooking oil, frozen fish and poultry[9].  With nearly 60% of the population engaged in agricultural sector, the country still struggles to achieve self-sufficiency in the agricultural sector. To achieve agricultural self-sufficiency, the fundamental change required is to encourage existing farmers to get into commercial farming and also to create opportunities for the younger generation to choose agriculture as their choice of occupation. However, if the current trend of migration of farmers continue, then the future beholds more acute shortage of basic food items which in turn will catapult the rate of imports. Ultimately, the burden of paying exorbitant price for basic food items will fall upon the vulnerable sections of the society, including the migrants in the cities.

3. Power Shortage

The outcomes of climate change have surfaced in our everyday lives in an astonishing number of ways. For instance, if we consider a common effect of climate change i.e. erratic rainfalls, on one hand heavy rains are received over a short period flooding the city and disrupting lives. On the other hand rainfall is not consistent during the monsoon to efficiently operate the Akosombo dam for instance. The normal water level required to operate the dam efficiently is 278 ft., however, the authorities revealed that the current water level is only 237 ft., just two feet above minimum operating level![10]  This has resulted in increased ‘Dumsor’ (power shortage). For alternate power supply, the Government has resorted to importing expensive crude oil to power the thermal plants. So now one must be prepared to pay higher power tariffs.  Once more, high tariff rates will disproportionately affect the poor sections of the society!

4. Spread of Diseases

Another unpredicted and rather surprising outcome of climate change is the rise in spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its third assessment report[11] has confirmed that Africa would see an upsurge in spread of climate-sensitive diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, meningitis, cholera and dengue. The Regional Institute of Population Studies (RIPS) at the University of Ghana has also indicated that climate change will have dire consequences on the health of Ghanaians and the country’s development[12]. Furthermore, the research findings by the Institute point out that the effects of climate change will lead to a high incidence of malaria and diarrhoea, the transmission of schistosomiasis and other diseases[13].

5. Erosion of Coastal Regions  

At the Fourth International Climate Change Conference on Africa held at the University of Ghana in July 2015, startling research studies about manifestation of climate change in Ghana’s coastal zone were revealed. The Volta delta region, especially the Dangbe East District is the most vulnerable to erosion and rising sea levels. Analysing the data of rising sea levels from 1929-1992, the research team concluded that sea level is rising by 3.1 mm per year along Ghanaian coast. A rise of sea level to 1 meter is sufficient to inundate the Volta delta area. The towns of Ada and Keta have witnessed effects of high erosion; one post office at Ada, for instance has been submerged by the sea already. The fishing communities particularly at Tema and Akosombo have been affected. They have lost most landing sites for canoes to erosion. The unemployed Ghanaian fishermen are forced to migrate to neighbouring countries such as Togo, Cameroon and Nigeria for alternative livelihood. They are hired as contract labourers with demeaning employment terms such as staying away from family for 2-3 years and uncompetitive wages.

Conclusion 

Ghana is one of the least contributors to global warming but one of the most affected nations by climate change. Being a lower-middle income country, Ghana strives to get into the league of middle income countries[14] and climate change should be tackled appropriately to prevent any retrogression in the development of Ghana.

The Ghanaian Government has taken pro-active steps in adopting the National Climate Change Policy in 2014 to achieve sustainable development through equitable low carbon economic growth. However, the policy lacks specific timelines for achieving climate change adaptation strategies and hence it remains just a compilation of broad guidelines.  Aid has also been pouring into Ghana in the form of Green Climate Fund from the United Nations to strengthen the Ghanaian capacity to monitor and adapt to climate change issues.

Nonetheless, the issues of climate change cannot be handled in isolation since its impacts are multidimensional stirring across sectors including agriculture, irrigation, fisheries, trade, power, health, industrial and infrastructural development and social development. Consequently, effective adaptation to climate change would be amending existing policies of various impacted sectors to include sector-specific climate change adaptation strategies.

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[1] Parliamentary Hansard dated 19^th February 2014,  http://bit.ly/1fbWf5O

[2] ‘The Impact of Climate Change and Variability on Heavy Precipitation, Floods, and Droughts’,  KEVIN E TRENBERTH, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA, http://bit.ly/1DQvwHD

[3] ‘Climate change and forced migration’, Etienne Piguet, UNHCR, http://bit.ly/1hzX22m

[4] A survey conducted by PhD candidate from the University of Amsterdam, http://bit.ly/1HJ6Dsx

[5] North-South migration in Ghana: What role for the environment?’, Kees van der Geest, Environment, Forced Migration & Social Vulnerability, http://bit.ly/1HJ6Dsx

[6] ‘Sodom and Gomoroh demolished’, myjoyonline.com,  http://bit.ly/1UFH8BK

‘Sodom and Gomorrah demolition exposes illegal connections‘, Daily Graphic, http://bit.ly/1MqrjO1

[7] ‘Unemployment, Poverty and Inequality: A threat to the stability of Ghana?’, modernghana.com,
http://bit.ly/1gEFXUb

[8]. ‘Paying attention to unemployment and social dislocation’, 3^rd August 2013, B&FT

[9] Parliamentary Hansard, 16^th December 2014, http://bit.ly/1EO9lx8 : www.ghanaweb.com, http://bit.ly/1Nu4kSn

[10] ‘Thermal power to the rescue as water level drops’ , B&FT, 27^th July 2015

[11]IPCC Third Assessment Report: Climate Change 2001, Working Group II:
Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability  http://bit.ly/N9kLay  http://bit.ly/1PbZ978

[12] http://bit.ly/1IQt40V,

[13] http://bit.ly/1NDyjqb

[14] ‘FOREWORD: THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA’, National Climate Change Policy 2014

Source: IMANI Africa

Nigeria’s Energy Mix; A Conversation We Must Have Now by J.J. Omojuwa

Africa’s installed capacity of power is 90GW. That is about the equivalent to Germany’s installed capacity from wind and solar sources alone. This tells two major stories; Africa is actually more power poor than it is poor in other instances when compared with other countries – before you even begin to do a country by country comparison between an average African country and say a European country or even a South East Asian one. It helps to bring it back home quickly: according to mecometer.com, Nigeria’s installed capacity is 5.9GW (2013 numbers) while the same list places South Africa at 44GW. In fact, when you take away South Africa’s numbers from that of the other sub-Saharan African countries, what you have is an entirely dark reality. More than anything else, Africa has an energy challenge; in Nigeria, it appears we have now finally realised this and for once, the Nigerian masses are actually demanding power more than they have done in a long while.

This has spurred a lot of initiatives and commitments from the Nigerian government. The most bizarre of the lot has to be the now advanced plans for nuclear energy. Note that Nigeria is essentially looking to derive its future energy from a source that is actually being phased out by the likes of Japan, Austria, Belgium, Philippines, New Zealand (some 90 per cent of its energy mix is via renewables – and Germany. While many countries initially considered phasing out nuclear power generation, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster accelerated commitments. This actually further spurred investments into renewable energy. By 2022, Germany intends to have closed all its nuclear plants and does not intend to generate any more power via this source. The German Energiewende is essentially a commitment towards phasing out nuclear power by 2022 and a correlational development of renewable energies in the power sector.

A recent study trip to Germany showed why this commitment was not just about energy of itself but the source of the energy. The visit to Lusatia was the most telling. “God created Lusatia, the devil put the Lignite beneath its soil” is a Sorbian proverb. The proverb derives its essence from the unwholesome and unfortunate reality of lignite mining. Lignite mining is quite expensive. Beyond the cost of investment, there is the environmental cost, let alone the carbon footprint. For instance, the price of water in Berlin is apparently set to increase by 30 per cent because of new water treatments necessitated by coal mining. There is the cost of displaced people as the mining area is not habitable. Today, billions of dollars have already been invested in turning old mining sites into artificial lakes. It will take years before these artificial lakes themselves get to support life because of their understandably high acidic content. Coal is an essential source of energy globally – it provides about 40 per cent of the world’s total electricity, it is also responsible for some 39 per cent of the world’s total CO2 emissions. China’s deadly air pollution has more to do with coal mining than anything else. Coal mining has come at a great cost to the world. Nigeria is now vigorously pursuing coal as one of its sources of power. This is understandable because two factors make it a rational pursuit; Nigeria has a vast deposit of unexplored coal and the country is power poor. That Nigeria is in pursuit of coal mining to power its economy should not be an issue, at least not as much an issue as whether Nigeria knows exactly what it is getting into.

We must weigh all the costs from the beginning. A lot of communities where coal mining has since stopped are still paying some of these costs. We must also commit to an energy plan that captures our energy mix on a decade-by-decade basis. On this one, it would help to plan backwards. For instance, what sort of energy mix do we want by 2050? That answer will determine the steps we intend to take towards that. It will inform our investment priorities in the different energy sources available to us. Renewables now have an increased energy efficiency and there has been a telling increase in the adoption of renewable energy in Nigeria – especially in off grid communities – but we need to do more. There is no gainsaying that the energy of the future is renewable energy. We are seeing the consequences of climate change even in our own country –there is a telling correlation between Lake Chad losing some 90 per cent of its water content and the increase in violence in that region. When resources like vegetation are lost to desertification, there is often a telling increase in violence. The herdsmen challenge is a telling consequence of climate change.

Recent international meetings have shown that governments around the world have now fully come to the acceptance that we must do better with the management of our environment. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that power generation from nuclear plants and coalmines will be anachronistic by 2050, or 2080 at most. The signs are there. If Nigeria is not planning an energy mix of 2050 and beyond built on renewables, then we are planning to again be part of the chasing pack on that front when that future comes. And it will come soon enough.

One did a round of travelling within and outside Nigeria stating that if the country’s oil does not dry up, the price of oil will certainly plunge due mostly to the improved energy efficiency of machines, investments in shale oil and renewables. Four years on, that happened really quickly. There was even an “expert” who said at the time, “the price of oil will remain high for many years to come.” We cannot commit to power generation projects with this ever present “low hanging fruit” mentality, our plans must be holistic and we must have the future in mind. We are where we are today as a country because those who led us here hardly thought of the future; we continue to pay for the seeds of corruption and lack of discretion of years past. If we miss it today, our next generation and that after them will pay. The present reality of every country you see today was not determined today,it was determined in years past.

Every decision comes with a cost; even renewables have their own challenges – complaints against the use of farmlands as solar farms persist and the efficiency of renewable energy products are only two of those. The most important thing is to lay all the costs and benefits – including remote and immediate ones – on the table and then decide which we can afford, not only in terms of naira and kobo but also in terms of what we end up doing to the environment and the people affected. The Niger Delta will battle environmental issues long after the last drop of oil is taken off the ground. Did we for instance factor the cost of the clean-up in the contracts we signed with these oil companies several years ago? We must do better now!

I believe in creation. When God created the world, He started out by creating Light. This is very instructive. Light/Power is the foundation of development. No country has ever attained development without generating the necessary power needed to drive its industries and economy. Nigeria must commit to developing its power sector but whatever we do, we must do it with the future in mind. If we don’t, we will be paying more tomorrow for the gains we assume we will be making today, even if we pretend these gains are without dangerous and deadly costs. About time a robust conversation on Nigeria’s energy mix of the future got started. We don’t have to wait till we start doing 40GW before deciding the sort of distribution by source we want the power to come from. The business of power is everyone’s business.

Source: Africanliberty.org