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Welcome
to AFRICABIZ, 
Welcome
to AFRICABIZ HTML Email edition.Previous issue available at this
link
Dear faithful reader,
THE
LANDMARKS OF THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF THE HUMANITY
The march of the Humanity towards progress is marked by scientific discoveries
and technological breakthroughs, which are landmarks in the quest for a better
life style and well being. These landmarks overlap each other over a broad period
of ages.
This delivery is not meant to recount the epic battles and struggles
of the Humanity to survive adverse conditions over millenniums and prosper. Hundred
of books have been written about the matter. This first part of this short delivery
focuses on the following landmarks that span the last four centuries - a drop
in the sea of ages:
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The Industrial Revolution.
- The Information Technology Revolution
-
The Genetics Revolution. |
Each of these revolutions is still running; interacting with each other. It is
not possible to limit, in time-frame, their respective impact on the development
process of the humanity.
The
industrial revolution started in 1763 when John Anderson asked James Watt
(1736-1819), to improve the performance of an early steam power engine called
Newcomen engine. James Watt's works develop the steam power technology
tremendously. And the utilization of the new energy boosts up the economies of
the western European countries to the highest level recorded in human history.
It helps these countries establish their domination on the rest of the world in
social, economic and military achievements. Particularly the G-7 countries and
their leader, the United States of America.
The
industrial revolution led to the development of the Electronic Era, the so-called
Information Technology revolution, which expansion started with the discovery
of the personal computer in the 1970's.
And now the huge mathematical
analysis power of computers is driving the astounding development of the Genetics
Revolution through a multidisciplinary approach. The
scientific communications made at the last International Congress On Genetics,
July 7-11, 2003, Melbourne, Australia, attended by 3,000 delegates from more than
60 countries is testimony to the importance taken by genetics in our life.
And we are in agreement with the Australian born Medicine Nobel Prize winner,
Professor
Peter Doherty, that:" If we are to be responsible citizens, we must
all learn more about genetics."
WHAT
IS GENETICS? It
is everywhere in the media. Everyone heard or read about Genetics. Genetically
modified crops, genetically modified foods, the sheep Dolly
and human cloning. Controversial views abound. The debate is raging about
the pros and the cons. Some are speaking of Frankenstein foods. Technology
Protection System developed and patented by big players in the field of genetically
modified seeds is branded Terminator
technology by "Environmentalists" activists.
We will not
take side in the row because as everything else in human life the Truth is scattered
everywhere to be found. No one has is all. A bit of Truth is everywhere to be
gathered. That is how one can try to reach the Truth. It is only a try, not an
achievement because as human beings we cannot ever know about the hidden paths
leading to the Truth. Our quest of the Truth, in any line of human undertaking,
is "non-productive" because of several hindering factors: racial background,
religious beliefs, knowledge background, economic activities - just to name the
few.
Furthermore, let us not forget that the same kind of heated debates
occurred during the early stages of the development of other revolutions' landmarks
above briefly outlined. People were against the first railways and steam powered
trains; against motor vehicles. Some people are even, nowadays, against computers.
However, the point is no one in the world can stop the scientific progress.
The genius of the Genetics Revolution is out of the bottle since the day Mendel
established the famous Mendel's
(genetics) Laws. The only thing we can do now is to cope with the development
of the genetics; harness and bridle Frankenstein deviations.
Indeed,
the development of Genetics really started when Johan Gregor Mendel (1822-84),
an Austrian biologist, botanist and monk, researched the inheritance characters
in plants, especially edible peas (1866) to providing the basis for modern genetics.
Recognition came many years after his death, when his key article, 'Experiments
with plant hybrids' (published in 1866), was discovered by a German botanist,
Karl Franz Joseph Erich Correns (1864-1933).
WHAT
IS GENETICS REVOLUTION?
In an article titled: "Why double helix is the shape of things to
come" in www.theage.com, dated July 7, 2003, Professor Peter Doherty
wrote:
"Before Mendel, much was understood about the practicalities
of breeding for improved characteristics. The cattle breeder Robert Bakewell used
inbreeding to generate more productive livestock in 18 Th. century England. Charles
Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, triggering the debate on natural
selection and evolution that is still deeply offensive to some religious fundamentalists.
Mendelian genetics, then the science of molecular genetics that began with the
double helix, explained how both inbreeding and natural selection work."
The
article of Professor Doherty available here to review is a short and concise
summary on the works of the main researchers who, over one century and a half,
made the history of Genetics. It gives a brief recount about the development of
Molecular Genetics since the day, 50 years ago, when James D. Watson and Francis
Crick worked out the
double helix structure of DNA and solved the mechanistic problem of how organisms
replicate themselves.
The pioneering works of James D. Watson and Francis
Crick opened the way to the Genetics Revolution we are now experiencing:
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The Human Genetic Information Data's mapping and sequencing.
- The Animal
cloning.
- The ongoing attempts to clone human beings.
- The transgenic
manipulations of seeds and plants for yields' improvement and cultural conditions'
enhancement.
- The diseases control through the detection, control and manipulation
of responsible genes.
- The research for the construction of bio-computers.
Etc. |
AFRICA
MUST EMBRACE THE GENETICS REVOLUTION
Africa did not participate to the development of the industrial revolution. It
is striving now to be part of the Information Technology one. It should not miss
the opportunity to be a player in the Genetics Revolution. Emerging countries
like India and China understood the challenge and are taking necessary steps not
to be let aside. Africa can and must do the same.
Professor Doherty said:
"Double helix is the shape of things to come...If we are to be responsible
citizens, we must all learn more about genetics."
The above
short listed consequences of the Genetics Revolution proves that Professor Doherty
is right. Genetics will be the driving force for the economic development in this
21 Th. century. Every field of human activities is concerned: Agriculture, Industry,
Services, Health, Education, Leisure.
Africa's decision makers will
do a good job taking the necessary steps to pave the way for African countries
to enter the revolution of the century. Otherwise, Africa will be blew off; let
aside for good and remain under the political, economic and social domination
of the western European countries and the United States of America.
Issue 52 will further consider "How
Africa Could Enter the Genetics Revolution And Bridge The Developing Gap.".
IN IVORY COAST THE NATIONAL ARMY AND THE REBELS DECIDED
TO BURY THE WAR HATCHET
On July 4, 2003, the "Loyalists"
- in other words the remain of the former national Army of Ivory Coast, which
backed the government of President Laurent Gbagbo since the failed coup of September
19, 2002 - and the Army of the Rebels, which challenged Gbagbo's power, decided,
unexpectedly and suddenly , to bury the war hatchet. Click
here to read more
"CONTRIBUTOR'S
GUIDELINES" are
available here. We invite you
to contribute to AFRICABIZ ONLINE MONTHLY ISSUE - with articles related to
"How Africa Could Bridge The Developing Gap".
Many
thanks for subscribing to Africabiz. See you on August 15, 2003.
Dr. B.M. Quenum
Click here for contact & support console
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| Business
Opportunities
FLOWERS AND FRAGRANCE
PLANTS AGRIBUSINESS AS INCOME BUILDING POWER FOR AN AFRICAN COMMUNITY / PART V:
INDUSTRIAL SCALE PRODUCTION OF ESSENTIAL OILS - PRODUCTION
ESTIMATES OF EXISTING PLANTATIONS IN MALAWI
The
size of essential oils' market exposed in Issue 47 averages US$ 8 billion
export a year and increases at the annual rate of 10.9%. Africa' share is less
than 1% of that market. Doubtless, there is room for Africa to have a better
portion of the cake and kill two birds with one stone.
Indeed, most sub-Saharan
African countries suffer recurrent drought, which results in desertification of
their territories. A well planned and carried out reforestation policy is the
answer to the problem. Trees species, which are raw material to produce aromatic
oils should be planted. The most promising speculations are essential oils
from: Geranium, Citronella, Lemongrass or Sweet calamus, Eucalyptus. (See
Issue 47 for briefs about said plants)
Once an essential oil industry
set up in a sub-Saharan African country, it opens the way to develop other business
opportunities: foods, cosmetics, detergent, pesticides, pharmaceuticals; and contribute
to the Self-Inducing And Accelerating
Impact Factor/ Synergetic
Impact Factor to speeding up the economic development of said country.
The condition to develop essential oils' industry, on small, medium or large-scale
basis, is of course the availability of the raw material. Agricultural development
of the raw materials (plants, seeds,
nuts here listed) used to produce essential oils are not considered in this
delivery. People interested in the matter should refer to other sources for data
and information. Only exposed are cultural technical information and investment
data necessary to the setup of the industry.
In sub-Saharan African countries,
Malawi is the one country that
already has plantations of Eucalyptus (15,000 ha); Lemongrass (3,200 ha) and
Citronella (2,800 ha).
- PRODUCTION ESTIMATES OF MALAWI'S PLANTATIONS
Let
us consider an operation in Malawi to produce essential oils of Eucalyptus, Lemongrass
and Citronella. Before the exposition
of the investment amount required, we need to know more about the production's
estimates of the various essential oil generating plants available in Malawi.
Table below summarizes information
available at following link:
| Plantations | Existing
ha | To
be used
ha | Raw
material
Metric Tons |
% Oil |
In MT | In
Liters | | Eucalyptus | 15,000
ha | 300 | 9,600 | 1% | 96 | 109,464 |
| Lemongrass | 3,200
ha | 300 | 7,000 | 0.4% | 28 | 32,000 |
| Citronella | 2,800
ha | 300 | 7,000 | 1% | 70 | 78,000 |
In
next issue 52 will be exposed
investment data about an industrial scale operation to producing Eucalyptus, Geranium
and Lemongrass essential oils based on production estimates above briefly outlined.
Adobe
Acrobat Reader is available here
For
more details on the international trade of Essential Oils visit following link
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In each of said situations it is frustrating to search
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What you need to avoid such a painful undertaking is an utility, which backup
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One such program, from JerMar Software Corp, is WinDriversBackup delivered
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Visit JerMar
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