Well, I finally finished my report and gave my presentation at the US Embassy yesterday. It was a huge success. More than 100 people showed up -- lawyers, professors, microcredit experts, NGO types, street vendors, and government officials. Ben Akabueze, the Lagos State Commissioner of Economic Planning, even showed up to speak for the government. With great help from the consulate and the CLEEN Foundation staff, everything went off without a hitch.
I gave my powerpoint (there I am, above), we had a panel discussion, and then we opened it up to some lively questions from the crowd, including members of the media. There was some moving testimony from street traders, and some irresponsible statements -- one professor of sociology even claimed "most street traders are criminals." But everyone appreciated my work, and the discussion was very productive. Next 234 did a nice article, and a couple of TV stations were there.
Here is the report, entitled "All Fingers are Not Equal." Its long, but if you read it, I'd love to know what you think.
..
No comments:
Post a Comment