GCC Food Security

H.E. The Fomer Prime Minister of New Zealand and Former Head of WTO Mr. Mike Moore' comments about food security makes sense. GCC countries cannot buy food security by buying large swathes of land in the Africa or Asia. There will be local enmity; what rates they will be paid? how better production investments will be compared to their local plots? how could you export while there is a local food shortage? Who sold the land? The political elite at the capital! This is a short sighted, short term exercise. Better partner with local populations, the real owners of the land and buy the produce. This is the best security.

Aid to Somalia, Somaliland

Most of he aid s directed towards state enterprises,which either do not exist or only n name.

Policies of pushing humanitarian aid to conflict areas with hope that some will trickle down to the need and target sectors has not worked well. In fact itperpetuates the status quo by empowering the warlords and militias who grab a big chunk and distorts the market economies by under cutting imported or local products.

Better to look for an alternative mechanisms of delivering aid - humanitarian & all.

There could be ways to employ the private sector for most or all of assistances.

Even though 55% of Aid goes to NGOs and 44% to UN which is good,which NGOs? How responsive are they? What local component? How transparent and accountable? NGOs are viewed another international organization (similar to UN) to the local population.The are very much not coupled to local needs!You really hit it right: VERY MUCH TRANSACTION & OVERHEAD CHARGES WHICH GIVES BAD IMAGE TO LOCAL POPULATIONS. NAIROBI COSTS!!!

Pooling of resources targeting collectively same projects and creating joint ventures with private sector.

Creating an advisory board consisting of private sector,elders, religious leaders for ADVISORY,FOLLOW UP, TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILTIY ON DONNER and RECEIVERS, PUBLICITY and SECURITY,ON PROJECTS & PERSONAL. You very well touched on all of this but just thought to highlight.

Reviews by confidential private sector entities.

As much as possible to target rural sectors,where the needs are far more acute and results more attainable. but needs a novel way to implement.

As you rightly said forget post conflict situation, it partial conflict.

Fighting In Somalia: Mogadishu

Seems Ould Abdalla now heading to NY to ratchet up the fighting. it will not work. No non Somali is willing to fight expect Shabaab supporters. Situation in Mogadishu is worse in several years. No excuses this time Ethiopians are fighting etc. now it is back to 91, the locals are fighting, the exodus of the populace is in big scale and a lot of these will not come back. Mogadishu which was on it's last legs for a long time is finished after this fighting. Salaam

Economic Recession

A lot of talk by experts and government officials: 'the recession is receding', ít bottomed out', 'the rebound has started'.... We must be care full, non of the above and a lot of other claims are TRUE. The fundamentals that made the world economy to collapse was started by the total failure of the US economy; due to mismanagement by private sector managers and the failure of administrators to stop them and to regulate. Same old remedies are not going to work. Today's remedies are just souped up old ones. The fundamentals are not addressed. The other serious new dimension is the pumping of lots of money to resuscitate a dying economy. The remedy will have its own short term effect, too much medicine will give false signs of recovery, but will have its side effects. After a while the economy will be immune to cash injections, thus what do we have? Nothing! What about the side effects, a new toxic hyper inflation, lack of confidence in economic recovery, uncheckable decline. THE MAGIC WILL STOPS WORKING.

The Dow Jones will hover around mid 8000! the danger is when it slides again between end of July and mid September. By then we will be out of magic potion! That is very frightening. A new economic order, a new set of rules, a new regulatory mood and regime is needed. Sorry we have not yet started.

Salaam

Demise of Dubai?

A BBC report has coined this 'Demise of Dubai?' Well it is not so. What is the big surprise? That a recession has hit Dubai? Why not? Dubai is maturing and the economy will expand and recess like all others. The Dubai leadership has done a wonderful experiment in building out of sand and a tiny fishing/trading port a metropolis of global dimensions. Congratulations.

What they need now is to look beyond:

• How to sustain this metropolis?The first phase was the expansion stage, and I feel this was not checked enough but pushed to beyond the long term interest.
• Is all the wonderful infrastructure built needed? For how long?
• Medium and long term study of the size of Dubai?
• Stricter control of any more expansion.
• Provision of open spaces and more greenery to sustain a better quality of life.

Otherwise Dubai will be a big concrete jungle, underutilized, with a big infrastructure that cannot be fully supported. This will be a tragic ending for a noble, commendable experiment.

Salaam

Views of a Minister on PIRACY

'The pirates are angry because their fishing grounds are looted by international trawlers, and their nets and livelihood is destroyed.' said a senior Minister in TNG of Somalia. What RUBBISH!!

President Zardari in Washington

President Zardari in Washington said: We asked for helicopters, night vision ... even dogs!

Come on, Mr. President why did you not ask for the DOG FOOD as well. It is time the US government bets on a different type of horse. For too long these shady ‘so called leaders’ were being propped by the US who spent a lot. What have been the results, failed states, which are taken over by extremists that strongly oppose the US!

It is time more representative leadership is supported and genuine dialogue is encouraged.

Dubai Developers Non Performance

Thanks Mr. G. Dickinson, same with me with Tanmiyat Group. In LIVING LLEGENDS I bought a THREE B/R apartment on Dec 06, completion Dec 08. Paid 20%. No construction has been done, only a fence was put up few months ago. Feb 09 received first ever communication, letter of waiver of payment till end of April. On 02 March 09, second letter claiming FORCE MAJEURE. Can you believe 3 months after completion!!! Visited RERA no registration of contract!!! Now last resort the courts which want AED 30,000 as fees and a similar amount for lawyers!!! I suggest let us start a DEFENSE FUND? I suggest DUBAI CARES/GOVERNMENT should set up a defense fund. Where else can we go MR. SAJWANI????? THE MEDIA. Yes THE MEDIA

Mr Auguste Kouame-World Bank: Gulf Public Investment in Agriulture

It is really not logical that wealthy Japanese, S.Korean and Gulf countries are investing big amounts in agricultural projects in Africa, Pakistan, India, Latin America and Australia to secure food. They buy the best land cheap, and deny the poor local farmers the chance to grow food and market abroad.

Nonsense, what security? This creates a new issues of ownership and these projects are doomed. Better buy from these countries, and their farmers; assist in quality control, packaging and transport. And pay good prices. YOU WILL HAVE TOTAL FOOD SECURITY FOR A LONG TIME.

Salaam

UBS: Dubai property & rent prices

Masud of UBS gave good estimates. For sure residential property prices and rents are going down till 12 at earliest. Not bad as all will come down to realistic levels which will help Dubai & UAE. As Mcdonnell wrote authorities must do something about bank interest rates on loans, mortgages. What happened to central Bank 120 billion aeds pumped to the banks??? There must be stricter laws on banks rates.

RAK Properties Disclosure

RAK Properties 
Posted at ArabianBusiness.com by Mohamed Djirdeh, Dubai, UAE on Sunday 26 April 2009 at 07:13 UAE time


This straight, full disclosure is what has and is missing in the U.A.E property market. Congratulations. I hope the authorities will make developers to be fully transparent. Lack of transparency is hurting the U.A.E property market. Most customers including me are not getting any information! 

Good RAK Properties

SOMBUC: my posting Aptil 23, 09

AWB Dear All, We look at immediate job creation actions: Short Term: road building repairs of government buildings - schools, offices & hospitals repairs of agricultural water canals Long Term: setting up holding grounds for livestock development of fishing industry development of meat processing for export development of agro-industrial projects milk industry This should be undertaken by private sector and in partnership with the government administrations and the international community. Salaam Mohamed Djirdeh

UAE Work Visa Extension

This is long overdue, most of us are in this country not only for work but we live here. It is a very arbitrary and highly unnecessary that within a 30 day grace period to look for an another residence visa. In fact sometimes residents are forced to get a temporary resident visa. This just doubles the work on authorities, and an extra burden on residents.

About time the authorities look at this very carefully and give to people who lost their jobs an adequate, humane period to look for another employment in the country or have a decent period to plan where to move to. If the authorities decide to the extension they should not discriminate against blue color employees, but this should apply to all. The extension should also be a fairly easy process and the rquirements should be minimum to avoid further complications.

Regards

Mohamed Djirdeh

As a resident of the UAE

 

US Economy Rebound

Few days ago, CITI Group posted profits for Jan & Feb! which quarter does this period correspond. As a financial expert in Dubai said "this is a storm in a tea cup". It is suspect the timing, period covered and the announcement.

Unless these financial institutions who created made the mess we are all in learn their lessons and come up with real corrections and BETTER PRACTICES, we will get into a more serious problems. We all should do our best to make the hap hazard stimulus efforts work. I have full support for President Obama because he and his team are working in the dark on economic corrections efforts.

Bi 

Election of OBAMA

For the African and African descendants this election takes away centuries of inferiority complex, at last one of us can and is sitting on the most powerful seat. For the others and especially the whites  "MAN WE ARE EQUAL" at last.

After the honeymoon: "

for the Africans this election is the end of adolescent. Now we will not get or ask for any special privileges. The time for the minority benefits, quotas etc is gone. We have become MEN and "WE SHOULD ACT ACCORDINGLY"

for the Whites we have arrived. "PLEASE LEARN FAST HOW TO LIVE WITH IT"

Bi for now

Economy Rebounding

Seems today is the first hint that the US economy and the EU is rebounding.  A lot of comments by experts it bottomed up! Well we all hope so. But there could be only two outcomes:

A start of a rebound due to the unrepresented pumping of funds

A short up which is not lasting

Either way we better be careful the first will take us to unknown territories and the second is the bottom is still far away and can we handle the problems!