abdi.ismail wrote:gurey25 wrote:abdi natural resources mean shit.
what you need is human resources.
19th century japan had high literacy and a crafts industry making everything they need, and a society that respected craftsmen.
Somalis look down on crafts men as untouchable scum, and will not marry from them call the midgo, tumaal etc etc.
True, but things are changing now - we're in the the 21st century for god's sake. And even the japanese had a caste of 'untouchable' craftsmen that were considered filth. I agree with the Human resources though, a highly educated and skilled population can do wonders for an economy that natural resources can't. Just compare the Gulf arab countries to South Korea or Taiwan. But surely the natural resources, if used smartly, can give the country a extra boost. For instance, the revenue that is generated by the country from - say coal export - can be used to train workers at a steel factory for instance, and thus we'll be able to produce our own steel.
But how do we train and educate or population, that is the question? Everyday I keep hearing several hundred engineers and doctors graduating from Somaliland universities, but what do they do once they graduate? Sit in a Maqaaxi all day?
you cant compare burakamin to the tumal, crafts men were highly regarded in japan, and the metal smith especially a swordsmith was extra special, if he is good, he can charge whatever he wants and marry from
the highest caste families.While the burakamin only worked in taking care of the dead, garbage disposal and the leather industry that japanese found offensive.
What can we do with our graduates?
we should put them to work.
We can use the model used across the world, even the early United States.
We could have a corps of engineers in the army and they coulod be building bridges , roads and ports just like they did in the 1800's.
We could also make use of our unemployed, conscription.
our army is 20,000 and is of little use because only about a 1/3 have any experience and they are not skilled enough.
The army should be reformed to become a professional force of 5000to 7000 men.
supported by conscription of 15,000 to 20,000.
The conscipts could be used in labour for roads, housing, agricultural infrastructure like dams and undergouround canals for catchment of heavy rains and seasonal rivers.
There is allot of work to be done, more than enough labour and more than enough money to do it.
we dont have the organization.
for example, a new road from Erigavo to burco will cost around $50 million dollars at the lowest possible price, take 3 years if we do it the current way, maybe longer because we need to wait for doners.
id it the Eritrean way, we could get it done in under a year, costing $10 million dollars and using 3000 workers.
$10 million is more than enough to pay for the equipment the petrol/diesel and the aphsalt.
the 3000 workers if they are conscripts can be payed $25 to $30 a month and half that amount extra for their food and accommodation.