Can the world help poor african nations via biofuels production?

[ryan]

What are your thoughts?

[john]

What you have touched upon is a very wide ranging issue.

Africa is perhaps the 'richest' continent on earth today because of its vast oil and mineral resources that havent even been discovered and its all waiting to be tapped. Some countries like China have been smart enough to take the lead and tie up with some of the poorest African regimes to take advantage. But largely the world has been amazingly somnolent.

Africa, scientists estimate, has at least a 100 times untapped crude reserves as what was there when the Mid-east was discovered. Sadly most of the land and coast is governed by regimes that are stricken by decades of civil unrest or plain poverty and lack of expertise.

And I have not even touched upon the non-crude mineral reserves yet. Like diamonds, gold and platinum.

Look its pretty simple, for the last about 100 years, while the countries all over the world developed and became stronger and richer and technically self dependent (great example - India ), the African nations have struggled on basic issues of food security, health and civil wars. The ruling elite in most countries is a small 1% or 2% of the population that lives like royalty among all the squalor and disease.

So if u really want to help Africa and Africans, each advanced country has to take up 4 or 5 small African nations, be its total benefactor, and take like say 10 % of profits as crude or minerals out to their own land, so as to make it fruitful for all parties.

The rest has all to be put back into HRD and give it 20 - 25 years. You will see a new Africa emerging.

Else, we could be having this discussion in 2030 again.