Africa the next aviation hot spot?
07-14-2013, 01:04 AM
#22
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2009
Posts: 578
Originally Posted by got2fly
Having lived in Africa, I can tell you the continent is on the MOVE. Americans are completely out of touch with what is going on there. The Chinese are investing heavily in Africa. They see opportunity, and they are right. I used to fly all over the continent for an African Airline and half the airplane was Chinese businessmen. I'd go down to breakfast at my hotel and it seemed like most of the people in the restaurant were Chinese businessmen.
Does Africa have a lot of problems to fix? YES. Definitely. Are some African countries not growing economically and even moving backwards? Yes again. But many countries in Africa are seeing double digit growth of their economies each year, and their neighbors are recognizing that they can get on the band wagon or be left behind. Many African cities have many huge building projects underway. You get into a conversation with an African from one of these countries, and he'll say things like "it's our time", "it's our turn", etc with a big wide smile on his face. This is a different era for Africa. Trade-Not-Aid is the new catch phrase in much of Africa. Check out Dambisa Moyo videos on YouTube and you'll see the kind of optimism and professionalism that you see rising throughout the continent. Do they have a loooong way to go? Yes, but Africa is on the MOVE.
Does Africa have a lot of problems to fix? YES. Definitely. Are some African countries not growing economically and even moving backwards? Yes again. But many countries in Africa are seeing double digit growth of their economies each year, and their neighbors are recognizing that they can get on the band wagon or be left behind. Many African cities have many huge building projects underway. You get into a conversation with an African from one of these countries, and he'll say things like "it's our time", "it's our turn", etc with a big wide smile on his face. This is a different era for Africa. Trade-Not-Aid is the new catch phrase in much of Africa. Check out Dambisa Moyo videos on YouTube and you'll see the kind of optimism and professionalism that you see rising throughout the continent. Do they have a loooong way to go? Yes, but Africa is on the MOVE.
07-14-2013, 01:14 AM
#23
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Aug 2009
Posts: 578
Got2fly, I think I know you and you're optimistic because like myself, you came here as a young man and got your start or jumpstarted your career. This is OUR experience, not the africans' experience. And pretty soon, OUR time will be up. We are Mzungu, even if you're Muindi. WE did ok here, THEY have not. How many projects have you seen, started with good intentions and as soon as the donors or benefactors leave, the project stops, the pipes or wires are stolen and scrapped, or the tractor is out of fuel and finished? I have seen this is the most progressive nation in africa and the one the West likes to use as an example. New AWOS station installed, no one guarded it, AWOS station gone, fence gone, concrete pad left. Government aid reduced, start pulling over foreign vehicles and demanding new tax on foreigner vehicles. No one trusts anyone or the government enough to truly truly invest. Ok, maybe a road, but never a large scale factory or institution to add value to raw materials. The factory would keep requiring new "permits", lazy workers who got fired would be escorted back to their jobs by the police as a new law is made by someones brother in law that locals cant be fired. Ask what happened to the SA farmers who were granted land in Congo. They built it up, then new "permits" made it impossible to continue. Just one more story about how the corruption, short sightedness, nepotism and lack of forward thinking ruin everything.
07-14-2013, 11:34 AM
#26
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2009
Posts: 441
I lived and flew in Africa for 3 years and loved it,It has its ups and downs. But i got to do some real flying and see things you can only see in a National Geographic. The pay was good, and i met a lot of good people. Compared to the ****ing ***** scumbag regional airlines, 1,500 a month. Africa was the dream.
07-14-2013, 12:09 PM
#27
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Position: Capt
Posts: 3,215
one example is lome, togo. the chinese r building a brand new terminal that will look like the terminall in brazzavile, (french)congo. it is 100x better than delta's/jfk,s terminal 2....it is a disgrace that nyc has a terminal that is one of the worst in the world! anyway, lome is planning 4 their airport to be a western african hub w/ something like 3x the passengers currently.
ethiopian started up a west african carrier. kenya airways wants to do the same. the chinese r kicking our ass all over africa. but, we r at least starting to notice africa. my buddy will be flyimg uavs there soon, for a lot of money.....a LOT.
ethiopian started up a west african carrier. kenya airways wants to do the same. the chinese r kicking our ass all over africa. but, we r at least starting to notice africa. my buddy will be flyimg uavs there soon, for a lot of money.....a LOT.
07-14-2013, 01:59 PM
#28
Eats shoots and leaves...
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Position: Didactic Synthetic Aviation Experience Provider
Posts: 849
Originally Posted by atpcliff
one example is lome, togo. the chinese r building a brand new terminal that will look like the terminall in brazzavile, (french)congo. it is 100x better than delta's/jfk,s terminal 2....it is a disgrace that nyc has a terminal that is one of the worst in the world! anyway, lome is planning 4 their airport to be a western african hub w/ something like 3x the passengers currently.
ethiopian started up a west african carrier. kenya airways wants to do the same. the chinese r kicking our ass all over africa. but, we r at least starting to notice africa.
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