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Welcome
to ICAfrica
Let's
eliminate extreme poverty by 2020
At
ICAfrica, we are researching, testing and confirming
methods for beginning the
process of achieving tangible reduction in extreme poverty
numbers in Africa, by creating jobs and helping capable
adults to start
earning better incomes to support themselves and their families.
Today, in 2011, 70% of sub-Saharan Africans still live on less than
$2 per day. (In Canada, the average is $108 a day)
Currently
(2011) average unemployment is at 70% and with 200 million able-bodied adults
jobless or underemployed, it is not difficult to see why
extreme poverty levels continue to be high. At ICAfrica, we
believe that more effort should be put at assisting local
entrepreneurs and farmers (small and large), to stimulate
their respective local economies and become more
productive, especially at the individual levels, generate
appropriate revenues and create the required jobs for the
masses.
Canada
already puts over $1 billion into Africa each year but it
has not been confirmed that most of it goes into places that
produce
reasonable jobs for local people. From our experience, $1
billion applied correctly, is enough to generate 2 million
new jobs in Africa every year, and for every new job, 3 or
4 people move out of poverty. Imagine how many new jobs
could be created and lives saved from extreme poverty if the other $25 billion supposedly reaching Africa from the other developed
nations every year, are applied towards jobs creation. It will mean single
digit unemployment and move at least, 200 million people
out of poverty in less than 10 years. It's time those
responsible for spending ODA money re-think their actions.
Generally, most
government bureaucracies are not equipped
to create mass jobs. The
private sector is naturally the correct avenue. So donor
nations should encourage and
continue to support private sector-led jobs creation
initiatives in Africa. ICAfrica is encouraging well established
firms and entrepreneurs in Canada to go to Africa and create profitable job-yielding
businesses. Labor cost is lowest there today,
producing a huge advantage for manufacturers. Canada
should also be interested in the potentially huge
international trade opportunities that lie in the future
of the continent. For more
information please send email to: admin@icafrica.com
ICAfrica is
a Social Entrepreneur, applying business skills to solve social problems of extreme
poverty in large populations in Africa. Unlike a for-profit
business, where the bottom line is maximum profit for the
shareholders, performance of ICAfrica is measured by the
number of people we have assisted to get out of extreme
poverty. We are working, through the
support of grassroots Canadians, to provide capable
African entrepreneurs - men & women - with the tools necessary
to develop their ideas and grow their micro, small &
large enterprises and create jobs for themselves
and others.
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