[size=14pt]Five Countries to Watch[/size]
Africa's rapid growth is not affecting the continent equally. Here's a look at five African countries that represent some of the brightest spots.


In May 2000, The Economist magazine declared that Africa was "the hopeless continent." Eleven years later, in 2011, it referred to Africa as "the hopeful continent." And on October 20, 2012, the magazine stated: "In recent years investors have been piling into Lagos and Nairobi as if they were Frankfurt and Tokyo of old."

Clearly, gloomy skepticism has given way to glowing optimism about Africa, and for good reason--over the past 10 years, many of the economies within Africa are outpacing economies anywhere else in the world. In fact, according to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) World Economic Outlook released in October 2012, 11 of the world's 20 fastest-growing economies are in Africa, and this booming economic growth has helped create the fastest-growing middle class in the world.

Of course, the major trends driving this growth--changing policy environments, a growing middle class that expects equitable social and economic policies, high commodity prices, robust domestic demand, and rapid mass urbanization--have not affected all countries on the continent equally. Here's a quick look at five economies that have especially benefited from recent developments, and those that pose some of the best potential for the future.

1.South Africa: The Continent's Largest Economy
Africa's southernmost country has a mature economy with strong industrial, financial, and transportation sectors. With GDP estimated at $408 billion and per capita income estimated at $11,000 for 2012, the country sits firmly in the World Bank's Upper-Middle-Income category, along with Brazil and China. In 2010, South Africa joined the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), an association of top emerging economies distinguished by their fast growth and burgeoning influence in regional and global matters.

Despite its developed infrastructure and abundant natural resources, South Africa does face challenges in the areas of governance and inequality. Protests, strikes, and instability have hindered foreign investment in the country. And compared to Africa's Middle-Income Economies--or MICs, as defined by the World Bank--South Africa's 2.6% economic growth rate is sluggish. (This has partially been because closer ties to the global economy and substantial exposure to the Euro zone mean South Africa has been more affected by the global economic slowdown.)

That said, the country is a major regional powerhouse. It has large investments in neighboring countries. And South African companies--particularly its financial services, retail, fast food, supermarket, service station, and textile firms--are flooding the continent with consumer goods and services. This has given the country an outsize influence on the continent, and a firm stake in the success of economies across Africa.

2.Nigeria: A Waking Giant
Nigeria, in West Africa, tops most lists of African countries to watch over the next decade. Traditionally known as "the sleeping giant of Africa," the country has a huge population of more than 167 million, over 50% of which lives in urban areas like Lagos and Kano. According to the state-run Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer, exporting 2.5 million barrels per day. Economically, it has registered a solid 7% growth rate for the last decade, and politically, with its second civilian transfer of power in less than a decade, the country has begun to consolidate its democratic reforms.

In many ways, Nigeria's current status resembles that of Brazil before political and social reforms turned around its economy in the 1990s. Nigeria may be able to replicate Brazil's success by adopting similar policies, including investing in infrastructure, reducing poverty and inequality, and reforming institutions.

According to an October 2012 report by Standard Chartered Research, Nigeria's challenge is to replicate its success in technology (mobile telephony) in the utilities, refining, and agricultural sectors. The report urges Nigeria to move away from the "system of patronage" that has held the country back for decades. It also calls for greater emphasis on diversification and long-term planning that will change Nigeria from an "allocation" to a "production" state. The report states that, "Oil and gas, even given Nigeria's vast resources, are not going to determine development in the future."

Nonetheless, there is a great deal of optimism surrounding Nigeria. The Economist even suggested recently that Nigeria's economy, messy as it still is, has the potential to overtake South Africa within a few years.

3. Angola: A China-Fueled Surge
Angola is sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest economy after South Africa and Nigeria, with a GDP of $107 billion and per capita income of $8,200. Since the end of the civil war in 2002, Angola's economy has been growing much faster than the continent's two powerhouses, and the World Bank recently reclassified it as an Upper-Middle-Income economy. Unlike South Africa, however, Angola has a young economy that lacks diversification. And the country is still recovering from that 27-year-long civil war, which devastated its economy and people.

Angola is the continent's second largest exporter of oil. Its economy was expanding at a rate of 15% before the global recession of 2009. Despite the current contraction, its economy is still expected to expand by 6.8 % this year thanks to the export of oil and diamonds, as well as uranium, iron ore, gold, and copper. (Most of Angola's oil goes to China; Angola is China's biggest trading partner on the continent.)

Since the end of the war, Angola's civilian government has instituted aggressive economic and social reforms that are beginning to bear fruit, and it claims to have reduced poverty from 68% to 39% over the last decade. It has also asserted an infrastructure development program to build thousands of miles of roads and railroads, and hundreds of bridges and reconstructed airports. Most of these infrastructure projects involve Chinese firms under an oil-for-infrastructure deal that some criticize as favoring China.

4. Ghana: Africa's Next Economic Star?
Another emerging African "lion" is West Africa's Ghana, which is still classified as a Lower-Middle-Income country by the World Bank. Its economy grew at 14.3% in 2011, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world (and tops on the African continent), though the World Bank expects its growth to slow to 7.5% for 2012.

Ghana's growth can largely be attributed to increased oil production, although diamond, iron ore, and cocoa exports also contributed to the bottom line. After decades of mismanagement, Ghana began to turn its economy around in the early 1990s, when it instituted wide-ranging economic reforms with the support of the IMF and World Bank. In 2007, oil was discovered, which led to faster economic growth. Today, Ghana has been a stable democracy since 1992, and is considered a model for prudent political and economic reform.

5. Ethiopia: Public Sector Investment
Ethiopia is an example of a non-resource-rich country with an economy that nonetheless grew at an average of 11% between 2004 and 2011. According to the World Bank, this is based on its government's public sector investments in agriculture, industrialization, and infrastructure. Government investments in hydropower have made Ethiopia a net exporter of electricity to neighboring countries such as South Sudan and Djibouti. And with a population of 85 million, Ethiopia is sub-Saharan Africa's second most populous country, after Nigeria.

With that population expected to reach 100 million by 2020, Ethiopia represents a huge market that is expected to drive economic integration in the region and growth for its neighbors. In addition, the country has been praised for making progress in all areas of the Millennium Development Goals (ending poverty, hunger, and disease). The Ethiopian government estimates that poverty declined from 38.7% in 2004 to 29.6% in 2011. As a result, Ethiopia has laid the foundations for sustainable growth and even emerging economy status.





A Look To The Future
While these five economies represent some of the brightest spots on the continent, others are waiting in the wings, particularly those that are rich in resources. The World Bank notes that the combined benefits of a peace dividend and iron ore exports in Sierra Leone, for example, have led to a 25% growth rate over the course of 2012. Similarly, in Niger, uranium and oil exports have led to a 15% growth rate this year.

According to the October 2012 edition of Africa's Pulse, a World Bank publication, at least 10 countries are expected to join the 21 in sub-Saharan Africa that the bank classifies as MICs. Among those predicted to be upwardly mobile are Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda, where the discovery and development of new reserves of oil, gas, and other minerals, is expected to accelerate growth.

Terra Lawson-Remer, a Fellow for Civil Society, Markets & Democracy at the Council for Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., cautions not to paint Africa's growth story with "too broad a brush stroke." She notes that most of the countries that have registered rapid growth rates are resource-rich, and have benefited from high commodity prices in recent years.

Emira Woods, co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, also cautions against focusing too much on growth rather than equity. She notes that, "We are seeing growing inequality both within and among countries." This inequality is compounded by the rising expectation among the poor for wealth-sharing that, if not met, could lead to political instability.

"This is the reason we have protests in Nigeria, Tahrir Square [in Egypt], Sudan, and Tunisia," Woods said. "The current labor uprising in South Africa also shows evidence of the problem of expectations [and] of inequality."

Nevertheless, there are strong signs for the continent as a whole. Lawson-Remer suggests the downturn in Europe's economic fortunes means that "capital looking for investments has to go elsewhere." Thanks to Africa's growing economies, high rate of return, and abundance of natural and human resources, Western conglomerates like IBM, Nokia, and Nestlé are investing heavily. And China's interest shows no sign of waning. The country's trade with Africa is expected to hit $220 billion in 2012--a 25% growth rate annually--and its former vice-minister of commerce, Wei Jianguo, told China Daily that Africa will surpass the U.S. and the E.U. to become China's largest trading partner.

Woods argues that, across the continent, technological development will be the "way of the future." She points to innovations such as mobile banking and the massive penetration of mobile phone technology, as positive developments. "The combination of the fast-growing youth bulge--workers aged 16 to 30--and technological innovations are positive and bode well for the continent," Woods said.

Considering these factors, there is reason to believe that, despite challenges, Africa will continue to produce dynamic, emerging market economies. South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, and Ethiopia may just be the first wave--with many more to follow.

http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/connections/archive/2012/12/265894/

The big question is what are we going to do about it?
Area we going to wait for the west to come take advantage of our potential or are we going to start companies that would harness the immense potential in this great continent.

Entreprenuership is the way forward. Africa is booming and the onus is on us to start an economic revolution.
The west saw the potential in our oil and they came for it, left with trillions of dollars and left us with pollution and poverty. That was then. We didn't understand entrepreneurship.Now we know better.

Nobody should wait for government. Think up solutions. Start companies in Technology, Agriculture, Retail and Services.
Start Small. Grow Fast.Think Global. Act Local. The future is ours!

Forget the rosy picture of SA painted, facts, in unmistakable terms, show SA is in a gradual decline. Nigeria has a chance to create a future now. However, our politics is messed up and that messes everything including formulating and implementing required reforms capable of re-engineering our economy.

If we can get the politics right, the rest is assured.

Prof Corruption: Forget the rosy picture of SA painted, facts, in unmistakable terms, show SA is in a gradual decline. Nigeria has a chance to create a future now. However, our politics is messed up and that messes everything including formulating and implementing required reforms capable of re-engineering our economy.

If we can get the politics right, the rest is assured.

Yeah, our politics is messed up both at the center and at its adjoining bodies.
However, the private sector can make a lot of impact even where the government is failing.

I actually like looking at things from an individual perspective with the big question: How do I as an individual take advantage of this scenario? What can I do to harness these opportunities?

There are 15 million Lagosians.
If I make shirts for just 15,000 lagosians, I can easily earn 15 million Naira on a profit of 1000 Naira per shirt.
Fresh Meat is sold in dirt poor environments. Instead of buying that SUV, might just be better to start a clean Butchery and make tonnes of money from the emerging middle class seeking cleaner alternatives.
Instead of buying that land in Lekki for 50 million, it might just be more sensible to go back to my village and by 100 acres and start a plantain plantation to feed this massive population.


Our thinking must change or else it is the Indians, Lebanese, Chinese, South Africans and Europeans that would harsess these opportunities. Again we might just be left with the crumbs. We must start thinking entreprenuership instead of thinking consumption.

Every jeep you see on the street can start a very profitable business. Every plot of land purchased in our uban areas for building homes can start very successful businesses. We need to change our thinking.

brilliant post Papa Browne. You sound like a man with ideas and solutions.

PapaBrowne:


Yeah, our politics is messed up both at the center and at its adjoining bodies.
However, the private sector can make a lot of impact even where the government is failing.

I actually like looking at things from an individual perspective with the big question: How do I as an individual take advantage of this scenario? What can I do to harness these opportunities?

There are 15 million Lagosians.
If I make shirts for just 15,000 lagosians, I can easily earn 15 million Naira on a profit of 1000 Naira per shirt.
Fresh Meat is sold in dirt poor environments. Instead of buying that SUV, might just be better to start a clean Butchery and make tonnes of money from the emerging middle class seeking cleaner alternatives.
Instead of buying that land in Lekki for 50 million, it might just be more sensible to go back to my village and by 100 acres and start a plantain plantation to feed this massive population.


Our thinking must change or else it is the Indians, Lebanese, Chinese, South Africans and Europeans that would harsess these opportunities. Again we might just be left with the crumbs. We must start thinking entreprenuership instead of thinking consumption.

Every jeep you see on the street can start a very profitable business. Every plot of land purchased in our uban areas for building homes can start very successful businesses. We need to change our thinking.

You are preaching to the choir. It could be better with right government initiatives. There is no country in the world with good and efficient private sector without a competent public sector as well. If we don't reform our political process, the economy ll never attain the true potential.

[quote author=]brilliant post Papa Browne. You sound like a man with ideas and solutions.[/quote]

Thank you bro. I just believe somehow that Africa is finally on the3 verge of something. And this will only happen if Africans create the solutions instead of waiting for the west.

normally i would be excited about this kind of news but in a country torn apart by tribalism,ethnicity and religion,no thank you...i'll pass...
the proposition to focus on state of residence and not state of indigenship is the best thing i have heard in recent years and is capable of putting this country on the path to redemption but when you have youths (leaders of tomorrow)argueing vehemently against it then we are finished.
go to the north especially the middle belt,benue,plataeu,kaduna.you ll find people passionate about where they live in.
e.g in jos....a yoruba,ibo or ijaw man who grew up there feels very passionate about that city.most josites i know..whether hausa yoruba ibo ijaw or ibibio knows know other place other than jos and i can bet you a yoruba man buttered and bred in jos will change jos for the better better than an indigene.

i dont care if nigerias economic growth is at 100% per annum.....if we do not tackle and de-emphasize tribe,religion and ethnicity.....then this nation will be like a mansion built on quick sand.

phantom: normally i would be excited about this kind of news but in a country torn apart by tribalism,ethnicity and religion,no thank you...i'll pass...
the proposition to focus on state of residence and not state of indigenship is the best thing i have heard in recent years and is capable of putting this country on the path to redemption but when you have youths (leaders of tomorrow)argueing vehemently against it then we are finished.
go to the north especially the middle belt,benue,plataeu,kaduna.you ll find people passionate about where they live in.
e.g in jos....a yoruba,ibo or ijaw man who grew up there feels very passionate about that city.most josites i know..whether hausa yoruba ibo ijaw or ibibio knows know other place other than jos and i can bet you a yoruba man buttered and bred in jos will change jos for the better better than an indigene.

Residency, in substantial terms, has nothing to do with our economic progress.

phantom: i dont care if nigerias economic growth is at 100% per annum.....if we do not tackle and de-emphasize tribe,religion and ethnicity.....then this nation will be like a mansion built on quick sand.

That's not exactly true. Infact one man can rule Nigeria for twenty years and the nation ll be largely happy as far as solutions are being provided to our problems.
Regimes that have transformed nations in the world usually retain a competent leadership, dictatorial or democratic, in power for a considerable period irrespective of diversity or otherwise. "Many people don't really care about this indigineship thing if they are happy economically."

Prof Corruption:

Residency, in substantial terms, has nothing to do with our economic progress.

my point is this country will never attain its true potential IF WE DO NOT FEEL LIKE WE ARE IN A COUNTRY. maybe you feel so.....i dont!

phantom: i dont care if nigerias economic growth is at 100% per annum.....if we do not tackle and de-emphasize tribe,religion and ethnicity.....then this nation will be like a mansion built on quick sand.

You are very right. However, I read something interesting in another article that says its been researched and proven that once an economy hits a GDP of $6,000, the likelihood of political, tribal or other parochial instabilities reduces considerably. Nigeria is currently at $2500. We are not too far.

Truth is, people are less likely to act on their tribal hatred if they have work to occupy their time. When there is enough food to eat and excess money to spend, who cares about tribalism.

phantom:
my point is this country will never attain its true potential IF WE DO NOT FEEL LIKE WE ARE IN A COUNTRY. maybe you feel so.....i dont!

I get you now. We are on same page but reading different paragraphs.

Prof Corruption:

That's not exactly true. Infact one man can rule Nigeria for twenty years and the nation ll be largely happy as far as solutions are being provided to our problems.
Regimes that have transformed nations in the world usually retain a competent leadership, dictatorial or democratic, in power for a considerable period irrespective of diversity or otherwise. "Many people don't really care about this indigineship thing if they are happy economically."

apparently you do not know how far the rabbit hole goes....if you think the US is the richest nation today and amerivans are happy because their economy is doing so well then think again.
quote me anywhere....AMERICA IS THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH TODAY NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR ECONOMY BUT BECAUSE THE CITIZENS HAVE AS SENSE OF BELONGING.THAT IS WHAT THEIR WEALTH AND SUCCESS IS BASED ON...

phantom:
apparently you do not know how far the rabbit hole goes....if you think the US is the richest nation today and amerivans are happy because their economy is doing so well then think again.
quote me anywhere....AMERICA IS THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH TODAY NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR ECONOMY BUT BECAUSE THE CITIZENS HAVE AS SENSE OF BELONGING.THAT IS WHAT THEIR WEALTH AND SUCCESS IS BASED ON...

You are absolutely wrong. You are completely wrong. There can never be a sense of belonging where the majority are living in abject poverty and are unhappy. Tell me what drives the so called "sense of belonging" in US?

PapaBrowne:

You are very right. However, I read something interesting in another article that says its been researched and proven that once an economy hits a GDP of $6,000, the likelihood of political, tribal or other parochial instabilities reduces considerably. Nigeria is currently at $2500. We are not too far.

Truth is, people are less likely to act on their tribal hatred if they have work to occupy their time. When there is enough food to eat and excess money to spend, who cares about tribalism.

hmm...interesting....

Prof Corruption:

You are absolutely wrong. You are completely wrong. There can never be a sense of belonging where the majority are living in abject poverty and are unhappy. Tell me what drives the so called "sense of belonging" in US?

what was driving the rapid development of nigeria post independence??

PapaBrowne:

You are very right. However, I read something interesting in another article that says its been researched and proven that once an economy hits a GDP of $6,000, the likelihood of political, tribal or other parochial instabilities reduces considerably. Nigeria is currently at $2500. We are not too far.

Truth is, people are less likely to act on their tribal hatred if they have work to occupy their time. When there is enough food to eat and excess money to spend, who cares about tribalism.

Are you surprised? Folks that are economically happy ll easily relocate from epicentre of violence and move toward a peaceful region. The more people that can do that, the less the likelihood of violence in first place.

phantom:
what was driving the rapid development of nigeria post independence??

There was nothing like rapid development post independence. We had rapid decline post independence.

However, there was rapid development pre-independence and that could be explained in just one word: competence.

i am a southerner but i try to see past that line.....in the last elections i voted buhari.....my wife voted jonathan even when i had pointed to out to her that this man had done absolutely zilch in bayelsa state as governor.she failed to see with me and instesd insisted that buhari was on a quest to islamise the nation,besides the northerners had ruled for far too long.purely emotional reasons if you ask me and i can bet you 80-90% of southerners voted along these lines.
look at the mess we've found ourselves in with jonathan.
the yorubas are playing their own tribal politics(yes!that is what it is).how has it helped us

phantom:
apparently you do not know how far the rabbit hole goes....if you think the US is the richest nation today and amerivans are happy because their economy is doing so well then think again.
quote me anywhere....AMERICA IS THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH TODAY NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR ECONOMY BUT BECAUSE THE CITIZENS HAVE AS SENSE OF BELONGING.THAT IS WHAT THEIR WEALTH AND SUCCESS IS BASED ON...

But the US had and still has some of the world's most intense racial issues.

From 1900-1960s, America's economy was advanced and the greatest in the world and yet blacks were not allowed to vote until 1965. Surely the blacks, and probably native Indians didn't have a sense of belonging. There were much more violent riots in the 50s/60s America that there are riots today in Nigeria. That didn't stop America from creating some of the greatest companies which eventually created the greatest middle class the world has ever known.

I enjoyed reading this, nice one Papa

Prof Corruption:

There was nothing like rapid development post independence. We had rapid decline post independence.

However, there was rapid development pre-independence and that could be explained in just one word: competence.

ok i agree...let me re-phrase.
can you compare the rate of development just post independence(pre-oil) to what we have now?if we had continued at that pace without all the setbacks including the civil war....where would we be

phantom: i am a southerner but i try to see past that line.....in the last elections i voted buhari.....my wife voted jonathan even when i had pointed to out to her that this man had done absolutely zilch in bayelsa state as governor.she failed to see with me and instesd insisted that buhari was on a quest to islamise the nation,besides the northerners had ruled for far too long.purely emotional reasons if you ask me and i can bet you 80-90% of southerners voted along these lines.
look at the mess we've found ourselves in with jonathan.
the yorubas are playing their own tribal politics(yes!that is what it is).how has it helped us

Every region plays tribal politics and there is nothing, in absolute terms, that is wrong with that. Politics is all about gang up, fighting and protecting interests. Ethnicity will not even affect our politics if political platforms have irreducible minimum that makes it difficult for mediocre to emerge. I voted for Ribadu. He's a political neophyte but has a track record of performance that can not just evaporate. I believed then and still hold that believe that Buhari has nothing to offer this country.

PapaBrowne:

But the US had and still has some of the world's most intense racial issues.

From 1900-1960s, America's economy was advanced and the greatest in the world and yet blacks were not allowed to vote until 1965. Surely the blacks, and probably native Indians didn't have a sense of belonging. There were much more violent riots in the 50s/60s America that there are riots today in Nigeria. That didn't stop America from creating some of the greatest companies which eventually created the greatest middle class the world has ever known.

true....but remeber america already had a foundation pre-slavery + can you compare america in the 50's/60's to america in this dispensation?ECONOMICALLY i mean.

Prof Corruption:

Every region plays tribal politics and there is nothing, in absolute terms, that is wrong with that. Politics is all about gang up, fighting and protecting interests. Ethnicity will not even affect our politics if political platforms have irreducible minimum that makes it difficult for mediocre to emerge. I voted for Ribadu. He's a political neophyte but has a track record of performance that can not just evaporate. I believed then and still hold that believe that Buhari has nothing to offer this country.

My brother, you know after having a deep think about all this issues facing Nigeria. I have come to realise that it is not really the "President" that can change this country but his subordinates ie ministers, governors etc.

The president is just one man that gives his veto but the people implementing it are the problem. Therefore even if likes of Ribadu, Buhari, Fashola, GEJ, etc all have their turns, the country would not really change until the people under them change.

Prof Corruption:

Every region plays tribal politics and there is nothing, in absolute terms, that is wrong with that.
reallyi dont agree.
Politics is all about gang up, fighting and protecting interests.
true

Ethnicity will not even affect our politics if political platforms have irreducible minimum that makes it difficult for mediocre to emerge. I voted for Ribadu. He's a political neophyte but has a track record of performance that can not just evaporate. I believed then and still hold that believe that Buhari has nothing to offer this country.

now you are talking....
but...mind you....the comparison was between buhari and jonathan.a comparison between a 'known' track record and 'no record'. but anyways thats not the topic of this thread

alj harem:

My brother, you know after having a deep think about all this issues facing Nigeria. I have come to realise that it is not really the "President" that can change this country but his subordinates ie ministers, governors etc.

The president is just one man that gives his veto but the people implementing it are the problem. Therefore even if likes of Ribadu, Buhari, Fashola, GEJ, etc all have their turns, the country would not really change until the people under them change.

lol. Alhaji, I don't agree with you. A president can change Nigeria. A competent leader will easily fire a corrupt minister, will easily recognise and appoint competent cabinet ministers. You don't blame ministers when the powers of hire and fire rest with the president.

phantom:
now you are talking....
but...mind you....the comparison was between buhari and jonathan.a comparison between a 'known' track record and 'no record'. but anyways thats not the topic of this thread

Tell me one region in Nigeria that does not play tribal politics?

Prof Corruption:

Tell me one region in Nigeria that does not play tribal politics?

none as a matter of fact and it has not helped us.people would rather vote mediocres from their region than a highly qualified person from another region.that has been and remains our bane.
i am sure if you pull up the 2011 election statistics you'll find out that mostvotes for jonathan were from christians and vice versa for buhari.we need to go above that.
you would be shocked that many christians would even see voting for buhari a moslem as a sin....

alj harem:

My brother, you know after having a deep think about all this issues facing Nigeria. I have come to realise that it is not really the "President" that can change this country but his subordinates ie ministers, governors etc.

The president is just one man that gives his veto but the people implementing it are the problem. Therefore even if likes of Ribadu, Buhari, Fashola, GEJ, etc all have their turns, the country would not really change until the people under them change.

I have also come to this realization Alhaji. But I think more than just Ministers and Governors, the civil service and the Local Governments have to have the right attitude. Anytime I'm in Lagos I always wonder that with all Fashola is said to have done,much of Lagos still holds some of the most horrid human abodes on the face of the planet. These places will experience change only when those directly responsible actually implement their tasks.