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The MOST brilliant idea yet to save Africa's infrastructure

On my most recent trip by land from Lagos/Nigeria through
Cotonou/Benin, Lome/Togo, Accra/Ghana to Ouagadougou/
Burkina Faso in September 2008 - by public transport ("travelling
with the people”) - I was made aware AGAIN that

many of the overland roads,
financed since 1960 by the World Bank;
Arab donors and the EU, are in a sorry state.

Many stretches of road have either completely disappeared
or wear thousands of pock-marks, some dozens of inches
deep, and thus represent real hazards both in the dry and
the rainy seasons.
This being so, those roads cause immense delays and wreak
havoc on cars, busses and lorries, causing deaths and
injuries.

NOWHERE - and I repeat: NOWHERE ! - have I ever seen
a single road repair team at work!, as we used to know them in the
good old days of the ‘Public Works Departments' or PWDs.

I have therefore come up with what is - undoubtedly - the
most brilliant idea to save - at least - this part of Africa's infrastructure:

As soon as the relevant department of the EU has found the
necessary funds (not difficult to find, so I am sure!), I shall

Then and therefore embark on a tour of
Africa's major overland roads, starting from
Mauritania in the North to Namibia in the South, and then
backwards from South Africa to Egypt.

Equipment needed:
- a very common car, NOT a 4x4 ! Registered and insured
- fuel, unlimited
- a digital camera , to document the damages visually
- a digital recorder to record interviews where necessary
- a GPS, to exactly locate the stretches involved
- a lap-top to document descriptions

Honorarium:
- 10 man-months per annum
- salary on D 1 (EU scale) level
- per diem according to EU levels
- hotel expenses - same

Qualifications:
I have been travelling (and living) in Africa since 1962,
worked as a correspondent for German, Swiss, Austrian, French,
Dutch, Irish and US radio stations;
Newspapers in same countries since 1965

Recommendations from relevant persons
will be supplied upon request

Among others from
Wole SOYINKA, formerly head of Nigeria's ‘Road Marshalls' (!!!)

Available
as from January 1st, 2009

Gerd Meuer
Weiherackerweg 5
D 79 289 Horben/Germany

e-mail: gerdMeuer@t-online.de
tel: 0049-761-290 99 180

first copies for information to:

Kurt Gerhardt - formerly DED chief in Niger
Dr. K.P. Schipulle - formerly DED chief in Burkina, also BMZ
Mr. Enno Bussmann - radio adviser in numerous African countries

Others to follow…

__________________________________________________
And then I got an e-mail from one Eva Krumm, sister-in-law
to that delegué. She is trying to set up a new party called
"Newropeans”, and I told her about my job application.

Her reaction on March 4th , 2009:

Herr Meuer,

you will need an assistant, won't you? I'd like to apply for that job.

Kind regards

Eva Krumm
Hermann-Burte-Straße 30
79689 Maulburg
________________________________________________

I haven't heard from the Délégué yet,
But I DO know where he plays golf in Kin-la-Poubelle…