WE ARE BEING ROBBED!

I recently visited Israel a country of about 8.7 million people and was amazed at the level of development in the country. Many of us know the story of Israel, that it was formed after the Second World War, how the desert was turned into an oasis and so much more. The level of development is incredible in view of the fact that the country is devoid of natural resources. I wept for Nigeria my country when I toured Israel.

Leadership and vision is at the forefront of these remarkable achievements. I then remembered Vision 2020, which comes up next year, which was to place Nigeria amongst the 20 largest economies in the world, to be able to consolidate its leadership role in Africa and establish itself as a significant player in the global economic and political arena. The objective was to review the economic and market oriented business reforms in order to diversify the revenue sources of the economy towards achieving the nation’s vision 2020.

Ifueko Omoigui, Richard Kramer and the Vision 2020 team spent so much time and passion developing the policies, which should have kicked off and been implemented. Next year will be Vision 2020’s anniversary and not much to show for such passion, workshops, policy documentations, etc.

In addition to the policies from Vision 2020, every year the Nigeria Economic Summit Group meets and delivers a well-articulated and attended conference, with the President and in the least, the Vice President attending. Great policies, vigorously debated and documented are agreed to by industry captains, politicians, activists, NGOs, and notable people in business and the society at large. Every year for several years now, this takes place in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory, but, very little to show for it, still.

After each great conference, the agreements are not well decimated and many of the policies do not get implemented.

Why does this happen to us, year in year out? Nothing gets done! What can we do as a nation? Below are some of the achievements of Israel from AIPAC that we should learn from.

Technology Advances Key Agricultural Techniques

Israel is 60 percent desert, its farmers and agricultural scientists have long focused on expanding both the yield and quality of crops, as well as making agriculture more efficient overall.

Drip irrigation has become popular with fruit and vegetable growers in dry weather areas, from Southern California to the Middle East. The world’s first surface drip irrigation system was developed in the 1960s at Kibbutz Hatzerim near Beersheba. Similarly, Israeli scientists have developed genetically modified, disease-resistant bananas, peppers and other crops that are expanding the world’s food supply and helping to keep prices down at grocery stores around the globe. In Nigeria, we focus on seasonal supply, do not take many of our agricultural produce seriously, despite the fertility and yield potential of our land and the fact that many economies globally, in developed and developing economies are sustained by agriculture. Though our government has started to enact policies to drive agriculture, it is just not enough. More needs to be done. Israel exports bananas, palm nuts, etc that they do not have the natural terrain nor ability to produce, but they have been able to do these, with strong leadership and focus.

Doctors Have Developed Life-Saving Treatments and Drugs

Throughout Israel’s history, Israeli doctors, scientists and researchers have produced countless medical advances. Whether achieved through independent research or joint projects with the United States, the medical discoveries made by the Jewish state are improving the lives of millions around the globe. Why can we not do this as a nation, in Nigeria? Our doctors are highly skilled and are performing feats in other countries. Droves are leaving the country because of poor service conditions. Many parents no longer want to have their children becoming doctors because of the poor pay and conditions in Nigeria. Why can this not be us, again poor leadership and focus?

High-Tech Developments Are Used Around the World

Israel’s high-tech civil innovations have left an important mark on homes, offices and businesses around the world.

Many offices now have computerized phones that plug into the Internet, taking advantage of Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. VocalTec Communications of Herzliya, Israel, developed the first practical Internet phone software. Similarly, those who enjoy chatting with friends over the Internet might be interested to know that this online phenomenon originated in Israel. Although the technology now belongs to AOL, Israel’s Mirabilis developed the first popular Internet chat program, ICQ.

Every day, millions of people watch online streaming video for entertainment or educational purposes. Metacafe, the world’s third-most-popular video sharing website, was founded in Israel. Likewise, tech-savvy Americans over age 30 remember the original IBM Personal Computer of the early 1980s. What they may not know is that its brain, the Intel 8088 processor, was developed by Intel’s Israel division. More recently, the Pentium M series of processors for laptop computers using the Intel Centrino platform, as well as some of Intel’s latest processors (Yonah, Merom, Woodcrest), were also designed by Intel Israel. In addition, Amazon.com’s Kindle e-reader owes much of its success to technology developed in Israel.

Solar Power to a Cleaner World

In an era of booming populations, shrinking resources and environmental degradation, Israel leads the world in such critical fields as solar power generation and seawater desalination. As nations struggle to make the best use of their resources, Israel’s cutting edge technologies promise to improve the health and living standards of hundreds of millions across the globe, while making industry more efficient and minimizing the environmental impact of human activities.

Through investments in basic science and industrial R&D, and the launching of pilot programs and full scale-ups for promising technology, Israel is taking the lead in confronting one of the most pressing security issues of our time. A country of under 8 million people, Israel alone cannot end gasoline’s global monopoly nor end the West’s dependence on hostile petro-regimes. But together with international partners, Israel can serve as a generator of intellectual property and a test-bed for innovative solutions, challenging the economic and security vulnerability that the United States and Israel both face through gasoline dependence.

Israel has also set a national goal consistent with the Copenhagen Accord to increase its share of renewable energy in electricity generation to 10 percent by 2020. In the same period of time, Israel plans to reduce its electricity consumption by 20 percent.

Though some people will say that Israel has huge support from the US and the aid they get is akin to what they give to the whole of Africa, I still believe the revenue we have earned from crude oil, the richness of our land, the seas, the diversity of our forests, the intelligence, strength and capacity of our people far outweighs the benefits received by Israel when compared to their physical environment. What has made them successful, is leadership and the will to succeed which we lack.

We are being robbed!

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Marie-Therese Phido, Chief Responsibility Officer, Elevato