Week 4 - Nov 2

The last week was manic. We had our final presentation with the Governor and his Commissioners and Special Advisors on Wednesday. It went very well. We all presented our final summaries of the work we had done over the past month and then His Excellency commented on our work. He stated that he was very impressed and felt we had done the work of 1000 Nigeria’s in the short month we were in town. He also decided to invite us to his home for dinner the next day as a token of his appreciation. The dinner was surreal – we felt like kings (see visual above of Georgia and I in His Excellency's waiting room in his house). It was so extremely rewarding to get to know the great man behind the admirable projects Georgia and I had been working on. There were even a couple of us who stayed behind for a few minutes to talk in a little more depth with His Excellency about his legacy. The evening was truly unreal.

The next morning it was time to head out to Lagos where a few of us were scheduled to do a press conference discussing IBMs CSC work. Lagos was a big city that felt fairly safe and had a lot of diversity - see visual above of Lagos street scene. We had a nice time there doing a bit of touring around and visiting of one more village on an island where we handed out a few of our last little gifts to children - see visual below of children with Canada hacky sacks.

In the end it was extremely emotional departure – half of us were going to Lagos and the other half were leaving though Abuja. In the few moths we had gotten to know each other and then incidence such as Ryan getting Malaria – we all managed to grown VERY close to each other. In fact I felt like I had acquired 9 new brothers and sisters over the course of a few short weeks. On that last day it was like I was being ripped apart from my family – it was horrifying and extremely painful. We all cried a lot in those last few hours – the good-byes were torture and exhausting. It was an incredible adventure that created an unbelievable bond that can never be broken. I am sure the 10 of us will meet up again in the future.

In addition the work was absolutely amazing – I have never felt so fulfilled and useful in my life. I truly felt like I had made a difference in people lives that could not have made the difference on their own. This experience has been the most rewarding work I have ever done.

Week 3 - Oct 26

This week Georgia and I started running our deliverables by different parts of the Ministry to get their feedback and buy-in. Georgia was also leading a video recording effort where we wanted to go out to a few of the Primary Heath Care centers to talk to real people using the two programs we were helping execute (see visual above of child in one of the facilities). Again this experience was surreal. We manager to visit 3 facilities – two in Calabar, and one on the outskirts of the city. The facilities were probably some of the better ones in the state – and still very difference from the health facilities we were use to in our own countries (see visual below of clinic room). Everything is tracked manually on posters in each of these facilities and thus the need for a centralized IT network to help improve this documentation and delivery system.

After talking to a few beneficiaries in person Georgia started working with the local radio and television station to help edit the video to create a short documentary type testimonial on the Free Healthcare and Cash Transfer services that could be shared with others to motivate them to go ahead and use the service. The work Georgia did with the radio station was really an eye opener into doing business in Nigeria – for example, every step along the way it is necessary to provide a “dash” to get the next step completed. There was a small tip needed to use the studio, then the editor needed a dash, then the video guy needed a dash, and so on and so forth. In addition – everyone needed to be monitored in person for anything to get done. If Georgia created a list of request and left stating she would be back in a few hours to check on things and answer any questions – nothing would get done until she came back.

Another lesson for us in terms of language was the need to speak extremely slowly if you had any other accent besides the American accent. The US accent is readily understood despite their own local form of English – the largest reason for understanding the American accent is because they are exposed to American TV. Any other person – Georgia included (from Australia) needed to speak extremely slowly to be effectively understood.

One night this week we also went to a FIFA match. This was a large 2 week soccer match between different countries. About 15 minutes into the game is started to drizzle a little. Unknown to us (the 10 of us were seated under a semi covered part of the arena) it started to rain a little harder and as it started to get stronger people from the uncovered parts of the arena started to rush to our side – it was a little unnerving to begin with – but after a while it became apparent that nobody was going to get violent – see U tube video Georgia took: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8R03cHiiqM

This week Georgia and I were also invited out to dinner by Edak our Commissioner which was very kind of her. We went to the Chinese restaurant at the Mirage hotel – it was spectacular! The food was amazing as was the décor and the service. We ate huge tiger prawn which were some of the freshest prawns I have ever had since they are fished right out of the close waters and brought in fresh (there is a lack of reliable refrigeration so a lot of sea food is really fresh). We also had a seafood soup that was amazing as were the mixed veggie and rice dishes. This meal was a little different than the usual meal in Calabar which consists of grilled fish and plantain - see visual above. There is also generally a lot of spice in the food in Nigeria - see the visual below of sticks of street meat being covered in chilly spice.


It was also a scary week because we found out that Ryan contracted Malaria, as did Georgia potentially - on the same day we found out about these two tragedies Tim passed out and fell to the ground - there were a lot of visits to the hospital that night.

Week 2 - Oct 19

This week started out with work and the need to have at least the first drafts of most of our deliver ables completed. At the end of the week we were being given a treat, His Excellency – the Governor of Cross River State was sending all of us to a famous tourist destination called the Obudu Ranch (see group shot above). It was a surreal experience. We traveled via an armored caravan (see visual below of guards) to the ranch via mini bus along a poorly paved road through the country side of Cross River State for about 8 hours. We stopped along the way at a waterfall and were able to interact with some of the people in the village we stopped at. The people and villages along this trip were an eye opener compared to the life we had experienced so far in the city of Calabar. There was a lot more poverty in the country side – this was the way most of Cross River State was living. These were the people that were most desperate for the Social Safety Net programs the Ministry of Social Welfare were in the midst of creating. These were the pregnant women and children who were not surviving. It was here that so many of the people could not get themselves 3 square meals a day or proper health treatment. When hearing about 75% of the 3.89 million people in Cross River State living on less than $1/day – it was this population being referenced. When hearing about nearly 20% of all maternal women and children dieing – it was this part of the State those statistics were coming from. It was this trip that really put all these numbers into perspective and really instilled a sense of urgency into the work we were doing. For every day that Project’s HOPE and Comfort were not 100% operational – thousands more women and children were dieing. I wanted to really help make a difference – this was my time to help people who really needed the help. These were the people who really could not do it on their own.

The social safety nets being created with projects HOPE and Comfort are the first of their kind across all of Cross River State – the other 30 odd states in the country were all waiting and watching to see how these would look after launch. This was the Governor’s chance to really make a difference – not just in Cross River State – but across the entire country since the other states would follow suit if His Excellency does well. In turn if Nigeria pulls off these two programs effectively – every other developing nation will be watching and wanting to learn from their success.

The trip to the ranch was very inspirational and really made me want to help the government with this great initiative.

In addition to really opening my eyes from a socio-economic perspective – the Ranch itself was an oasis of beauty. It was nestled in a fairly remote hilly region of Nigeria where the temperature is a solid 10 degrees cooler than the rest of Cross River State. We needed to wear long pants and long sleeves as opposed to constantly sweating in Calabar.

We arrived at the ranch late at night on Friday so were not fully aware of our surroundings until waking up the next morning to a completely different world. It was like we literally left the country and were on the outskirts of the Canadian Rocky mountains or something. In addition – the resort was absolutely decadent – to the point that I felt guilty even being there after everything we had seen along the way up.

After breakfast we were shown around the grounds. We did a little walking, saw some beautiful little waterfalls, saw the Governor accommodations (not recently used) the helicopter pad (again not frequently used) and finally a small village where some of the employees lived – again bringing us back to the reality of the health and food situation in Nigeria. The contrast between rich and poor was again astonishing and eye opening. These sorts of comparisons were a clear illustration of how Nigeria is the 8th largest exporter of oil in the world and yet it is also the 20th poorest nation in the world. There is a VERY small portion if the Nigerian population that is extremely wealth while the rest of the country is desperately in the need of a social safety net and health, education (see visual of school house above), and cash transfer programs.

That evening we had dinner in the central dining hall and retired to one of the ranch bungalows to relax with each other. The next morning we started out early on the gondola out of the ranch and back into our mini bus to begin the journey back to Calabar. Along the way home we stopped in the jungle to get a true feel for the humid underbelly and the rainforest. We climbed up into the canopy walkways were we crossed from tree to tree via an interconnected sidewalk in the sky (see visual above). The experience was fantastic and beautiful – to be many feet above the ground moving from tree to tree just like out cousins the monkeys!

After completing the 8 hour trip back we were all exhausted and filled full of a totally different perspective of Cross River State. Thank you Your Excellency!!

Week 1 - Oct 12

This was the first official week in Nigeria. It was a week of getting to know our work, the players, how things are done in Nigeria, what makes the people tick, etc. There were a lot of learning lessons.

Within this week we learned a lot about the hierarchy in the Ministry. For example, there was one day when the private toilet in our (the office Georgia and I shared) office would not flush and so I went out looking for another facility. I did manager to find a public bathroom - the interesting thing about the bathroom was the fact that each stall was labeled for a different rank within the office. The Commissioner had her own stall, and other ranks had their own....interesting....

Another thing that was interesting was the physical contact and pure raw emotion expressed in the work setting. Everyone is always yelling out how they love you – which to them is an expression of their appreciation for your presence. "I love you" is simply something said when there is a desire to say - "thank you for bieng here to help". In addition - instead of saying “welcome” everyone says “you’re welcome” - which was hard to adjust to initially because I constantly thought everyone was recognizing an unheard "thank-you".

There is also a lot of physical contact in Nigeria. As people are talking to you they are also generally holding your arm or shoulders in a lot of cases and giving you a lot of hugs. There is also a lot of laughter when speaking. Attached is picture of Georgia and I with Iquo - the women in charge or Projects HOPE and Comfort.

There are also a lot of references to God in many discussions – statements such as “God willing...such and such will occur”, “God will ensure we are taken care of”, etc. In this first week we also went to church to see what that was like. It was a very large gathering with a lot of speaking and loud prayer. The preacher was very passionate and the people were very responsive. It was a long ceremony that generally occurs in the very early morning (approx 7am Sunday) and then again a little later (appox 10am). Given the fact that Cross River State is predominately Christian there is little rivalry between competing religions. This is also a big reason why this state is so much more peaceful than a lot of the others states (in addition to the fact that there is no oil in Cross River State – the predominant product is agriculture).

It was also interesting to see how unknown IBM was in these regions. There is VERY little brand recognition – people know Microsoft, HP and Oracle – but not IBM. IBM still has very little presence in Nigeria at this point in time.

This first week we also went to a local market to see how things are bartered and sold. There were many skinny alleyways where everything from underwear to raw meat was sold - see visual of young girl at market above.

First Few Days

The first week is almost over – I can’t believe it. We’ve had a great few days of exploration and cultural exposure.
Touring around:
On the Sunday after our arrival we went to a Drill monkey sanctuary in the middle of the city. This sanctuary has been created to care of Drill monkeys (a species of monkey native to the area) and chimps being hunted and treated badly. The chimp in the photo had her legs broken so she could be used as a photo prop. Monkeys, like humans will not readily climb into a stranger’s arms – they need to get to know the person before making physical contact. Since there is not time to get to know one another in a photo shoot, the monkey's legs were broken so the wounds could be squeezed as a way to “convince” the monkey to go into the stranger’s arms as requested. Unfortunately this is a fairly common practice.

After the Monkey sanctuary we toured around the city getting to know our surroundings a little better and seeing how the people of Nigeria live. We went into the older parts of Calabar where the living conditions were drastically different from the area around our hotel. The structures were far smaller and made of wood and thatch in some cases as opposed to the brick building in and around our hotel.

There are some traffic lights at major intersections in the city but none of then are operational – probably due to the lack of reliable electricity in the city. Instead there are traffic police positioned in the middle of the road and traffic circles in other places. In the center of most of the traffic circles in the city there are sculptures similar to the photo of the crossed feet attached which symbolizes relaxation. We also took a picture of the team in front of a sculpture of a pair of hands touching the ground to symbolizing peace - see photo(from left to right: Jolanta, CSC rep, Hugo, George from IBM Nigeria, me, Georgia, Yvonne, Abi, Kristina, Ryan, Henri, Tim had not arrived yet).
We also went to a Slave Museum, which provided a very realistic and moving account of the slave trade between West Africa and the US. We were provided with information from the beginning of the journey in Africa as volumes of people died in transport to the ports, to the horrifying conditions on the boats. On the boats slaves were packed on shelves side by side horizontally for the entire trip, only given a sprinkle of water through a hole in the roof, and made to defecate and urinate under themselves since they could not stand (the roof was only a few feet from the floor). After months at sea in these conditions of course only few survived. Even after thousands dyeing during ground transportation across Africa and then thousands more during boat transport across the ocean - they were then sometimes sold for one measly bottle of whiskey. For me the museum was comparable to Auschwitz in Poland in terms of the horrifying way one group of humans treated another group of people. It was a very moving visit that numbed our entire group for the next few hours.

Meeting our clients:
That evening we were invited to Ann’s house – our Nigeria logistics coordinator – for dinner. The evening was very interesting because of the exposure to authentic local food and the fact that we finally met our clients for the first time. It was very interesting meeting the Commissioner of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development – our client. She was very warm – laughing a lot, a lot of physical contact, grabbing our arm, hugging us and talking about how happy she was to see us and have us helping her ministry. This first contact with our client was very customary for Nigerians – a lot more physical contact and warmth than what I am use to in my business meetings.

Introduction to local food:
Regarding the food: my favorite food was Moi Moi made by Jane - also one of the wonderful people in Calabar making our stay more comfortable - see photo of Jane in a great Nigerian outfit. Moi Moi is a local food composed of crushed beans and spices wrapped in a banana leaf. Very flavorful. I also tried bush meet which was interesting. They have a lot of rice in Nigeria cuisine (coconut rice, fried rice and tomato rice seem to be the popular ones). There was also grilled fish, chicken and goat – all very spicy and tasty. Meat and carbohydrates seem to be the main staple of Nigeria cuisine – veggies are not very common and everything is heavily spiced – far spicier than the food in Bangalore.

First day of work:
The next day we started our first day of work. I was very anxious – it felt like my first day of school. Our client – the Commissioner of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development is a very auspicious woman with a strong presence - you know when she has entered a room. She is one commissioner among approximately 10-15 under His Excellency, Senator Liyel Imoke (the governor of Cross River State – the most south western state in Nigeria). There are about 4-5 women in the cabinet of the governor. I am starting to see that women are quite progressive in Nigeria and can be seen in high level positions of authority throughout the country.

She was very grateful and appreciative of us being there to help. We were able to meet with her and direct reports to get to know the leaders of each. Everyone was very gracious. We were told to simply knock on anyone’s door at anytime with any questions. We were also provided with a very comfortable office – very spacious, air conditioned with brand new furniture and computers as well as our own bathroom – we were being treated like royalty. We later found out the office actually belonged to one of the Commissioners’ cabinet members who was displaced to another smaller office for the month we would be helping out. We felt terrible….totally unnecessary….

As the days progressed – true to their word, we really could knock on any door and sit down for 2 hours sometimes and pick someone’s brains about the ins and outs of the two projects we were here to work on. The project names are HOPE and Comfort – both with missions as grand as their titles. Hope stands for “Health Opportunities for People Everywhere” and will deliver a free healthcare solution for pregnant women and children under the age of 5. Project Comfort is a conditional cash transfer program for vulnerable household where by a constant supply of money and vocational skills training is delivered to a needy household. Here is a link to an article on the two initiatives:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200909140860.html

My project mate – Georgia from Australia (see photo of Georgia in our office) and I will be developing a communication strategy and step-by step data collection manual for both projects. We are coming into the ministry after another team of two IBMers from the US and Germany helped with Change Management training and the first steps of the communication strategy and report templates for Projects Hope and Comfort.

It is really amazing what IBM is doing here in Nigeria – the services we are offering are full fledged IBM offerings at a very good price – free. While at the same time all of us IBMers are here long enough to really gain some strong foundational knowledge about the Nigeria culture and people.

Some observation:
• To date there is very little technology in Calabar and what technology they do have is very choppy with some pockets moving far faster than others. For example, there is wireless internet in our hotel while at the same time most of the day to day dealing in the hotel as well as in the Ministry are done with paper and pen. At the ministry they are currently going through fall plan (just like us back home) and all their budgetary planning documents are hand written. If a page has an error - they rewrite the page. On the other hand the bio data collection associated with project Hope and Comfort are done via finger print readers and electronic cards outfitted with computer chips. Even in the most remote area of Cross River State the Ministry is planning on eventually ensuring that every person has a unique biodata card and their personal information is stored on a central database that can be updated and accesses across the entire state in any health clinic as needed. All the health clinics no matter how remote will be connected into a single network repository for easy report generation and data analysis. This is all in the introductory stages but they are in fact moving surprisingly fairly quick given all the adverse conditions they are facing (e.g., no roads, electricity – using solar energy, schools, running water, etc.)
• It has been interesting working with women in positions of authority – not only is the Commissioner a female – so are many members of her cabinet including the person that owns Projects Hope and Comfort – women are really making incredible headway in the workforce here in Calabar.

• It has been interesting to notice the lack of garbage on the streets of Calabar. There is far more garbage on the streets in my neighborhood in NYC as compared to here
• The air pollution is heavy in Calabar from cars and motorcycles with no emissions controls and also from the diesel generators used as a power back-up when the electricity goes down. Most businesses have their own diesel generator to provide back-up power when the electricity goes out (happens at least a few times everyday). Wealthier homes also have their own generators
• The local taxi’s are actually motorcycles with the driver wearing an orange safety vest to distinguish himself from other motorcycle drivers. We have been told we are not allowed to get onto one of these taxis because they are unsafe and constantly in accidents. Instead a minivan from the government has been given to us for the month.
• The major roads are paved in Calabar, the side streets are unpaved red clay with many potholes and bumps

• The local beer is called STAR and is generally served in a very large bottle (about the size of two regular beer bottles)
• Everything involving food and drink seems to be super sized here. The portions are enormous. For example, when you order a juice you get a full 1 liter box of juice - not just a glass.

• It is very humid and warm in Calabar – and we are currently at the tail end of the rainy season but there are still patches of rain and the air in always really wet. The average temperature is about 80 degrees F
• There are not many mosquitoes right now which is not what we were expecting. There are mosquito nets on each of our beds in our rooms and we are all on a strict regiment of malaria medication and mosquito repellant with at least 30% DEET. Slight overkill for right now – but I guess it is better to be safe than sorry

• I asked the Commissioner of Safety and Security about the “dash” – he said this was something Nigeria’s give the police at road blocks as a thanks for all their hard work ensuring criminals are detained. He also stated it is not something foreigners are expected to pay. Interesting local perspective and answer from the security leader of the area...a little different from what the documentation I read said about the "dash" (see first blog entry)

First Impressions

The comfort levels here in Calabar are somewhere between India and Nepal in my mind. From first impressions - India has a few more western comforts and Nepal has not as many as Nigeria. We landed in Abuja yesterday (the capital) and had a 6 hour lay over. At this point I have been up for 30 hours....but wow was I exciting to be in Africa for the first time in my life! The people watching was fantastic. The outfits are fabulous. The fabric of the women’s clothing reminds me of the rainbow of colors seem on the women in India. The clothing is not only bright and colorful, the patterns are extravagant. The women’s outfits are generally made up of 3 pieces - a skits, top, and head scarf – all in the same extravagant and colorful patterns material. The traditional skirts are generally floor length and fitted around the top of the woman’s body with a slight flare as it falls to the ground. the material looks like a polyester cotton blend of some sort. The tops are generally short sleeve and also fitted. The scarf is usually tied into a beautiful art piece of the on the women’s head - later I found out that different regions have different signature ways to wrap the head dress. As I was heading off the plane in Abuja towards customs (which was a shorter line but longer wait for foreigners) – there was a women in a fantastic green and orange dress with moon shaped cuts of fabric attached to the bottom of the skirt like fish scales, which made her look like a mythical mermaid. The outfit was fantastic.

The silver lining of the 6 hour layover was the fact that I got to know some of my team mates a little better and started to get a feel for Nigeria. The airport was very clean and didn't seem very busy. There were a lot of employees with little to do. See the visual of luggage porters (men in purple shirts)at the Calabar airport sitting around waiting to help people move their bags to and from the airport.

Here is a key of who’s who:
Yvonne – from Germany
Jolanta – Poland
Henri – UK
Ryan – US
Kristina – Canada (calgary same area as my family!)
Hugo – Mexico
Tim – Belgium
Abi – India
Georgia – Australia

Not all of us were on the last couple of legs of the flight together but there was a large group of us that all had the layover in Abuja together so we did get to know each other a little bit. After a delayed flight to Calabar (waited in the plane for 1.5 hours as they locate a fuel truck and refueled) we finally arrived in Calabar

As we were flying I noticed the area is very lush and approximately 5-10 degrees cooler than Abuja (Calabar is at a higher elevation). From the air Calabar looks like a little jungle village with a lot of palm trees.

The ride to the hotel was all on a paved road which was very reminiscing of driving from the airport in Bangalore – except cleaner. There were businesses along the side of the road (see picture above for example) and large gutters for the water during the rainy season. There were a lot of motorbikes and honking as I remember was the case in both Bangalore and the capital of Nepal. As per usual there were entire families piled onto one motor cycle – Mom, Dad and a couple kids. See photo for example of how motorcycles are used to transport anything and everything.

The hotel we are staying at is called the Channel View Hotel. The rooms are comfortable and airconditioned. As was the case in both Nepal and India the electricity goes out regularly – but we are assured that it will not stay out for long because the hotel has its own generators.

We ate our first meal in the hotel – service was very slow and I somehow got missed entirely....I guess par for the course – smile. It took approximately two hours in total for everyone to get their food and there were a lot of mix ups....the service industry is not at the same level as what we are use to. If you sit down and order the exact same thing as someone else - but do it 30 minutes earlier - there is no guarentee that you will actually be served first. The person that sat after you may in fact get their food first. Additionally - nobody asks you at any point if everything is OK with your meal and nobody comes around to ask you if you want a drink refill or desert during the meal. There incentive and tipping system for the wait staff is disjointed and in a lot of cases the wait staff see none of the tip.

We also went for a little walk the first day to check our surroundings a little. It was very similar to walking the streets of Kathmandu – a lot of staring, honking and pollution from the vehicles. Not much to see along our journey. There is no city center and a few businesses here and there along the way. No major shopping stall yet, but I will keep looking – smile. See photo above for example of the shopping areas in Calabar.

As I crawled into bed in the evening under my mosquito net – I thought, this is going to be great – my team mates seem fantastic, the accommodations are very comfortable and the culture seems very interesting. I think this project is going to be fantastic. I can’t wait to meet the client and start our project.

The flight in

I am on the second leg of my 3 step trip to Calabar. The first flight from NYC to London was uneventful besides having to wake up at 5am after a restless sleep. My mind was going a mile a minute regarding work items I still had to complete on my flight as well as the excitement about finally after three months of planning and training actually heading out on my Corporate Service Corps assignment destination!

As I was sitting on the plane putting the final touches on some work I was finishing for Mary I started poking around some of my other emails – it was then that I discovered a terrible truth…I had sent Suzanne and Santa the wrong spreadsheet last night. So the first thing I did was search my hard drive to see how I could possibly have attached the wrong spreadsheet after having worked on it for about 4 hours the night before....that was when the horror started to set in – somehow the file I had worked on ALL NIGHT was GONE!!! I searched all over my hard drive for 30 minutes as my temperature rose…but in the end it was in fact gone. I had to start the whole thing over again. The only silver lining was that I was stuck on a plane for the next 6 hours – and yes I worked on that spreadsheet for over half the flight. After getting that done I was frantic to get any sort of internet connection in London before getting on another plane for 6 hours so I could quickly send Suzanne and Santa a message that I had redone the spreadsheet.

I was able to get a connection at the airport and then ran to the gate to meet my some of my team for the first time. Ryan, Jolanta, Henri and Yvonne were all there – it was like meeting my long time pen pals for the first time! We pulled a stranger over for our first picture together and were off to board our next flight (see second photo above of Ryan, Jolanta, Henri and Yvonne in the Abuja airport).

This leg of the trip was my first expose to pieces of Nigeria. The women were extravagantly dressed in colorful one and two pieces dresses, some with matching scarves wrapped around their heads. The outfits are beautiful. In addition there are many men dressed in full suits for this long 6 hour flight to Abuja....interesting that they would rather look good than be comfortable. I finally get to my seat at the back of the plane through much noise and chatter as people were finding their seats and packing far too much luggage into the overhead compartments. There was a man in my seat that moves and proceeds to complain to the flight attendant about his seat for the next 15 minutes – he later moves – I again have a free seat beside me (same thing happened on the first flight). There was then another confrontation with another gentleman as the flight attendant asks him if he would not mind moving so the person beside him could sit with his wife – he did in fact mind and made a big fuss about moving. This was a very different atmosphere than the first flight....I hope this is not an introduction to how things are going to be for the next month….displeasure and confrontation...

The other thing I notices was the tremendous amount of wealth in the business class section of the plane – I lot of Louis Vuitton and gold jewelry. I guess this is the 30% of the population that does not live on less than $1/day. From a fashion perspective the LV bags were a few season’s old in most cases but not all (see photo below of Women with this season's LV and great yellow pumps in the Abuja airport). I am curious what sort of footwear is worn with the loud and colorful outfits the women wear – I will have to take a peak and see if there are a pair of Jimmy Choo’s under there....

Last Days Before Leaving

Only days before the flight....I am both excited and anxious. I'm not anxious about the work in Nigeria or meeting my new team - I'm more anxious about making sure everything is prepared and runs smoothly while I am out. I don't want to get on the plane only to realize there was something major occurring in 3 weeks that I really should have prepped Mary and Suzanne for...it's kind of like forgetting your toothbrush while traveling - the difference here is there is no CVS I can pop into to pick up a replacement (literally as well as figuratively).

There will be no Lotus Notes connectivity in Nigeria due to the low bandwidth. So anything I forget now will be very difficult to send later. In other words, I will not really know what is going on day-to-day at work in New York for an entire month - this is a little unnerving. I guess I have grown quite accustomed to, and attached to, technology and its instantaneous nature. Nigeria will be very interesting from that perspective alone - "living in the moment" will be my new mantra - especially since long term planning is not customary or even possible in a lot of cases due to the "X" factor in many situations. I'm sure it will be challenging to adapt my mindset regarding the immediacy of work deliverables. In talking to Nigeria Team 1 - there is a large amount of patients needed while working in Nigeria. There are many factors that get in the way of getting things done in a timely manner (e.g., a lack of constant electricity, poor roads, no consistency of supplies due to poor infrastructure, etc). We have been told to appreciate the moment more since there is a lot of time spent waiting for things to happen. If you are constantly anxious about the wait time and things not going as planned you will have a very difficult time in Nigeria. I guess I'll see what it's really like in just a few short days....back to NYC work for now....

Some Pre-Trip Tid-Bits

Attached is a collection of information I have run into while trying to gain a better understanding of Nigeria and Calabar as I prepare for my trip. These statements are all personal observation that could in fact be inaccurate - it will be interesting to see what it is actually like when I get there....

• Nigerian women are making strides in male dominated industries such as the Banking industry. Read a McKinsey Quarterly interview with Cecilia Ibru, the current CEO of the Oceanic Bank in Nigeria - some highlights:
• Women are moving into the male dominated business community (though still in small numbers) - but they do have the respect cultural norms regarding the male/female hierarchy and the Nigerian cultural deference to men.
• micro-loans are not very common in Nigeria yet because there is a lack of awareness of their existence and people need help developing effective business proposals (thought: maybe we could help with awareness through proposal training courses...?). Interest rates are also quite high right now.
• Corruption is high in Nigeria - more education is needed to reduce ignorance (thought: maybe we could help with the educational infrastructure...?)

• After I wrote this blog entry - Georgina on my team sent me the attached article where Cecilia was one of the top bank executives caught up in the recent banking scandal in Nigeria. Thanks for sharing Georgina! Nigeria Bank Crisis.

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• There is a lot of business opportunity and growth potential in Nigeria - a lot of this is powered by the oil industry.
  
• Important to understand the impact of the oil industry on political progression and innovative progress - sometimes there is an inverse relationship between the amount of oil money and the political and innovative progress in a country - it will be interesting to gain a better understanding of a growth market with heavy oil influence. In this sort of country there is constantly attention paid to "life after oil" - need to invest in the country so there is a life after oil.
  
• A country like Nigeria would like to see Western companies that invest in the infrastructure and education of the population and not simply pull oil out of the country. Need to keep in mind the "teach them to fish don't give them the fish" philosophy so as to create a long term positive impact in Nigeria
• There is a long history of military rule in Nigeria after gaining independence from England
• Nigeria has the largest population out of all the countries in Africa with about 130 million people. Nigeria has not suffered the levels of famine seen in other parts of Africa. It is a very entrepreneurial country.
• Calabar - this part of Africa is seen as an oasis where a lot of businessmen in the oil industry have invested in homes where there families live. Nigerians are drawn to this area for relaxation as well due to its cleanliness, lower temperatures, lower crowding, and less government corruption.
• Some challenges we may run into while trying to start our projects in Nigeria:
• No low cost broadband options yet
• Policy blocks may be few in the IT arena since there are few policies in place right now - a fairly blank slate right now where we can help create effective policy statements
• Hard to find enough developed talent in Nigeria since there has been little focus on education investment - at the same time difficult to bring in talent from other parts of the world because Nigeria would like to keep the jobs in their country - must figure out how to help with developing talent locally
• Not enough electricity - a lot of business have to power their own generators for electricity

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• Security not as much of an issue in Calabar as compared to what seen in the media. Most problems are localized to other part of northern Nigeria and given the large size of the country and population - Calabar is not as impacted.
  

Cultural Tips

The Golden Rules For Working Across Cultures: Set realistic objectives and timeframes. When entering into a new cross-cultural relationship assume there will be differences until similarity is proven. Understand your own cultural orientations and their impact on others. Understandthe orientations of the other culture(s) and their potential impact on you. Familiarize yourself with other culture’s, custom’s, traditions, body language, etc. Try to work with a culture rather than against it. Remember to adapt is not the same as adopt. Focus on relating to individuals rather than cultural stereotypes. Listen and observe, think, and then talk. Focus on creating value out of differences rather than simply trying to avoid mistakes. Keep learning. Remember that the ability to understand other cultures is an ongoing process. Nigeria Specific Tips General Cultural Tips:

There are a wide range of cultures in Nigeria, and all cultures have their own customs and lifestyle. Be considerate of local customs. If invited to a Nigerian home, offering a small gift from your home country is appreciated. Avoid discussing religion. Nigerians do enjoy discussing African politics. Pushing the palm of your hand forward with the fingers spread is considered impolite in Nigeria. Waving, especially very close to someone's face, is considered insulting. Never wave to try to attract the attention of a waiter/waitress or taxi.

Business Cultural Tips:

Handshakes are the customary form of greeting. Appointments must be made well in advance, especially if meeting with government officials. Nigerians are not overly concerned with punctuality, although they are aware of the Western habit of being on time. Be apprised of travel difficulties within Nigeria, and make sure that you give yourself more than enough time to reach your destination.

Business Hours:

Mon-Fri: 0800-1230 and 1400-1630 Sat: 0800-1230

Tipping:

A 10% tip is customary for most services, if a service charge has not been included in the bill. When traveling via taxi, the fare and tip should be agreed upon before the trip. Airport porters expect a tip per piece of luggage. Source: International SOS IBM website

Nigeria Links

Here are some interesting links my colleagues provided prior to the trip:

This auditory performance about Africa brought tears to my eyes - thanks for sharing Hugo!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ip-N0H1Ig

Business Report on Nigeria from the Financial times - thanks Henri!:
http://www.ft.com/reports/nigeria-2009

Some negative press in Nigeria before leaving:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8171482.stm

Key Business Tips

1. Nigerians expect to have close relationships with business partners. Don't try to rush things, be patient. Things get done through connections and personal trust.
2. Always accept hospitality; Nigerians are generous and outgoing and will be offended if you decline.
3. Be aware that casual attire is often considered to be a sign of a casual attitude. Wear conservative, but lightweight, clothes.
4. Show great respect. Address people with their titles and honorifics. It is considered offensive in Nigeria to pass an elderly person without greeting them.
5. Be very patient. Things take time for many reasons, e.g., decisions - even small ones - being made at the highest level.
6. Do business face-to-face whenever possible. First, it shows that you are serious and second, the communications infrastructure is not reliable, and faxes and emails are easily lost.
7. If having lunch with a Nigerian business acquaintance, make sure you use your right hand (or both hands) to pass and accept dishes. The left hand is taboo, and is rarely used for any interpersonal transactions.
8. Be sure to check out if there are objections to smoking or drinking in your location.
9. Hire a good driver. Taxis in Lagos tend to be unreliable and can be unsafe.
   
10. Expect to be asked for dash (a tip) at roadblocks, in the airport, and in other situations where people help you. Respect local laws, your nation's laws, and your company's code of conduct.
    

Demographics

Nigeria Capital: Abuja
Cross River State: South East corner of Nigeria

Nigeria Population (2006) = 131,859,731

Age Range
0-14yrs: 42.3% (male 28,089,017/female 27,665,212)
15-64yrs: 54.6% (male 36,644,885/female 35,405,915)
65+yrs: 3.1% (male 1,930,007/female 2,124,695)

Life Expectancy (2006) = Total population: 47.08 years
Male: 46.52 years
Female: 47.66 years
Note: Some 5.4% of the population is HIV positive or living with AIDS.

Literacy (2003) = Total population: 68%
Male: 75.7%
Female: 60.6%
Source: CIA World Factbook

Flag of Nigeria:






Economy:
Nigeria's economy is highly dependent on the oil/gas sector. Oil accounts for 95% of exports by value and 80% of government revenue. Nigeria is the world's 8th largest exporter of oil. In spite of its oil wealth, Nigeria is a poor country. The World Bank classifies it as a low-income country. Its large population together with endemic corruption, long periods of military misrule and the long-term mismanagement of resources has meant that Nigeria's socio-economic indicators are low and worsening. It is among the 20 poorest in the world in terms of per capita income. In 1985, 43% of the population lived below the poverty line. By 2004, that had risen to 70% living on less than one dollar per day.


Belief System:
Approximately half of the country's population practice Islam, approximately 40 percent practice Christianity, and approximately 10 percent practice exclusively traditional indigenous religions or no religion. Many people practice elements of Christianity or Islam and elements of a traditional indigenous religion. Travellers in Nigeria will see black magic markets full of curious fetishes alongside churches and mosques.
Source: BBC

Useful Terms

The language of business in Nigeria is English but there are a few terms that are uniquely 'Nigerian'.

In the title of this blog : Dash - A bribe or a tip. 'Dash' is a Nigerian term for small and frequent cash bribes. A 'dash' is required for many local activities, from easing government bureaucracy to travelling along roads (including to or from the airport). Corruption should not be confused with 'dash', which is like 'baksheesh' in Egypt - a tip in exchange for a favor. Sometimes, dash is pure extortion, for example, having to pay a policeman to get through a road block, but generally speaking, it's just like an enhanced version of tipping in the West.

419: The word for any kind of fraud. 419 refers to the section of the Nigerian penal code that deals with fraud schemes and originally means financial fraud. The notorious email scams offering a cut of millions of dollars are 419 frauds.

Area Boy: Thugs in Lagos who intimidate people for money.

Batauri or Oyibo: White person.

Black shirt: a policeman.

Emir: A Muslim leader from the north.

Go-slow: A traffic jam.

Off seat: Out of the office.

On seat: In the office.

Sorry-o: Expression of sympathy. Nigerians often add 'o' to a word.

Wahalla: trouble. No Wahalla means 'no trouble'.