Warning: This is not about wallowing in the ‘poverty in Africa’ cliché but superficially examining what went wrong and more importantly how you and I can fix it. Starting today.

First, let’s be clear, we are talking about economic poverty as Africa is full of other diverse riches which I believe this blog is a witness to. There are a number of theories as to why there is a significant excess of economic poverty in Mother Africa, including the tragic and swift loss of resources during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonialisation.

The slave trade was abolished 200 years ago (on paper anyway) and Ghana, the first African country to attain self-rule recently celebrated 50 years of independence from British rule, with a stream of countries following on its heels.

So, isn’t that long enough to recover?
Answer: Yes BUT No.

It is a fact learned through hands-on experience that hand-outs (aka aid) don’t work. The irony of the G8 nations is that they are part of the problem, by endorsing the unfair trade rules that then lead them to debating how much aid to give; plus give loans that are inextricably tied to extortionate interest rates, which are in some cases passed on to profit-making vulture funds, e.g. in Zambia. This is like smiling at someone in a friendly manner and beckoning to hug them whilst simultaneously locating a tender place in-between their ribs on their back to drive in your knife.

Imported American rice and Italian tomatoes in Ghana, which are cheaper than local produce, thus putting local farmers out of business. Copyright: Ian Berry/Magnum Photos - part of the Disposable People exhibition

But there is hope with the growth of micro-financing initiatives, which are even more credible to cynics and have gained a huge global presence after Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Prize. Even larger mainstream organisations are changing their tune now that they realise that it can be profitable for them. In Kenya, banks are starting to cast their eyes to potential customers in the informal economy, beyond their usual middle class clientele. The power of the internet is also flourishing the concept of microloans from individuals through organisations such as

With regards to Fair trade, what then are the solutions besides storming the streets with Marxist placards? I reckon we take the ‘easy’ route. We play along. ‘The system’ [read: capitalism and democracy] is such that you and I are the most powerful people on the planet. Yes, you and I. Just sit with that for a moment and let it simmer.

Caveat: If only we get our act together.

In the capitalistic world in which we live, you the consumer, has the power to demand that whatever commodity you want is

I’m no economist, but it is crystal clear that if you and I don’t buy, businesses will collapse. They set out to please us because without us, they are, well, nothing.

In a democratic system, technically speaking the government is a euphemism for us. Which means that we have the right to demand that our respective governments trade fairly with African countries. In a country like the UK which can barely support itself and has supermarket shelves teeming with produce from all over the globe, in effect it is at the mercy of the developing world for commodities such as fruit, vegetables, flowers and even its recently booming café culture.

I struggle with being congruent sometimes. I love shopping in the local, independent grocers, but I realise that they can’t afford to go Fairtrade if it is not a mainstream practice. So I guess in order to compete with supermarket giants, the big corporations need to go Fairtrade first, and consequently make it mainstream. To our favour, there is more pressure on corporations to be socially responsible, which includes trading fairly. But this would work hand-in-hand with government policy. So this is where we come in. We put pressure on governments and supermarkets and we support microloan initiatives.

I know I have used words like ‘demand’ and ‘pressure’ which bear connotations, but it’s not all about being militant. Infact, I think asking nicely is more likely to get what you want by not antagonising others. During a conversation with a friend after being moved to tears of frustration by the docu-film Black Gold, based on Ethiopian coffee farmers and the global coffee industry, it emerged that Starbucks will serve Fairtrade coffee if you ask for it when making your order. I don’t frequent Starbucks and so this is unverified, but imagine the impact that would have, given that they are on almost every street in central London. It’s all about reaching the tipping point. If you doubt this, just look around now at the global economic bubble that burst after an increasing number of people were unable to pay their mortgages in the USA. Over-simplified, yes, but you get the drift: we the consumers have the power to change things.

A well-known British supermarket’s slogan is ‘Every little helps’. Given their reported profits in the £Billions, perhaps we should pay attention to this seemingly simple slogan and make it our own.

The more synergistic tactics we apply, the better chance we have to fix this. What do you reckon are other ways?

Shifting focus back to the start of this post – the African continent – how can we add value to our commodities such as coffee so that we may compete on an equal playing field?

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on practical action – both in the short and long term.

Normal posting resumes shortly.