Comments for Owen abroad

Comment on I warn you … by Going, going … | Malcolm Redfellow’s Home Service

Going, going … | Malcolm Redfellow’s Home Service — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:50:24 +0000

[...] a Blairite encapsulation of Neil Kinnock’s better, unscripted (?), uncontrived effort at Bridgend on 7th June 1983: I warn you not to be ordinary, I warn you not to be young, I warn you not to fall ill, and I warn [...]

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by fasil

fasil — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:54:03 +0000

Sol, thanks for the response. you are right they hadn’t turned it on; I made the mistake of going to the ETC office @ sidist kilo instead of the one at Legahar where they are better informed about EV-DO services.

Comment on Mobile phones in Ethiopia by JaK

JaK — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:40:27 +0000

Is any person tell me How much the charge for 512up/512down Kbps Pure Dadicated line in Ethiopia….in any city..And the docuements need.. we are form Dubai base company…

Comment on Mobile phones in Ethiopia by sol

sol — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:21:40 +0000

@Jak,

Yeah you can buy 200 sim even more every month from Ethio Telecom dealers but what kind of call center business are you planning cause if it is about voip related staff, am afraid the telecom doesn’t allow. If it is a support kind of business may be.

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by sol

sol — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:11:33 +0000

@ Fasil, the error number 678 is if your device is not getting network, so either your number is not active or your evdo dongle needs to be unlocked. I can help you if you still didn’t solve it.

Regards,

Comment on Debre Libanos and the Portuguese Bridge by Biruk

Biruk — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:11:03 +0000

About the facility in debrelibanos the hotel called Ethio- German Park. if you want to know more about the place call on these phones +251911978834 or +251911438119
regards
Biruk M.

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Tseday

Tseday — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:07:31 +0000

ETC’s service is visiblly progressing. These days however you cannot use the card u buy. Niether *805* nor 909 recieve recharging card numbers. It is causing people to loss many things evryday. Does it have any connection with *806* survice? As a strategy? I don’t know.

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Abdul Adus

Abdul Adus — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:24:03 +0000

Andrew

thanks you very much the information

Comment on Is budget support less fungible than project aid? by Sven

Sven — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:58 +0000

Having just finished a minor course on Development Aid, I found this a very interesting article. Thanks for the nice read!

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Andrew in Addis

Andrew in Addis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:58:25 +0000

Abdul,

You can even get your SIM card cut here in Addis by going to the Apple shop (Opposite Beer Garden Hotel between Bole road and Edna Mall).

I would be careful about buying teh EVDO modem outside Ethiopia in case it is one that Ethio Teecom cannot set up. They are cheaper now, around 1500 Birr.

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by fasil

fasil — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:38:09 +0000

abdul, you can use an unlocked iphone as long as it has a sim card (gsm not cdma). You can buy a 3g sim card from et tele but you need to cut it to be a micro sim card. You can but a sim card cutter online -pretty cheap.

Comment on Mobile phones in Ethiopia by Chris

Chris — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:13:52 +0000

I just bought an ETC SIM from a high street seller for Birr 40, which had Birr 15 of credit on it. I needed a photocopy of my passport, (which they kept, I didn’t need the original document), and two passport photos. My phone reckons it can get internet although I haven’t got it working yet. But I did notice my taxi driver this morning googling while he waited for me, so I’m sure it is just a case of APN etc settings. (How do you fit a 230 character alphabet on a 4×3 keypad????)

Comment on Mobile phones in Ethiopia by Chris

Chris — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:19:43 +0000

I have a UK Asda PAYG SIM and it works fine here in Addis, £1.40 to call or receive calls and 40p per text. My phone even reckons it has 3G internet but I don’t have the balance to test it. About to hopefully buy a local SIM – someone said I can show my passort and bring a photo.

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by fasil

fasil — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:41:16 +0000

I have a zte ac2726 cdma/evdo modem. The cdma part works fine. 3 days ago having taken out the cdma sim card I registered for evdo service, but when I try to connect i get a 678 remote computer didnt respond error message. It has the 15 birr that comes preloaded with the service but i dont want to add more until i know it works. Any help is appreciated.

Comment on Development blogs you should read by Development: Article publishing outlets | My Transitions (2010-12)

Development: Article publishing outlets | My Transitions (2010-12) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:51:50 +0000

[...] Foreign Policy, etc. http://www.owen.org/blog/3150 Like this:LikeBe the first to like this [...]

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Abdul Adus

Abdul Adus — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:05:01 +0000

I am planing to to visit ethiopia in the nexct couple of months. I would like to know if i can use my unlocked iphone to use the Data. I am planing to teather my iphone to my laptop did any one tried that.
can i buy evdo mdm outside of ethiopia and use it in ethiopia?
thank you in advance

Comment on Development blogs you should read by Nivedita Das

Nivedita Das — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:17:16 +0000

I think that one must include the Institute of Development Studies on this list—their Bulletins are especially noteworthy:

http://www.ids.ac.uk/
http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/bookshop/ids-bulletin

http://participationpower.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/participation-team-online-blogging-highlights-from-2011/

http://www.developmenthorizons.com/

Comment on The Simpsons go to little Ethiopia by Dagim

Dagim — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:26:33 +0000

It is great cause it create a new real image of Ethiopia. Not as the mass media publicized image of poverty. Ethiopia has a lot to offer.

Thanks to the simpsons

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Solomon mekonnen

Solomon mekonnen — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:36:17 +0000

How can i use internet in ethiopia,with blackberry mobile aparatus?

Comment on A dollar a day by Three hundred and nineteen | threehundredsixtysixdays

Three hundred and nineteen | threehundredsixtysixdays — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:13:38 +0000

[...] These figures are converted into US dollars, not by standard currency exchange rates, but by purchasing power parity (PPP) rates. ” [...]

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Sparkle

Sparkle — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:09:47 +0000

Thanks Sten & Amy. I’ve had the exact same experience in past years! I was there 2 years ago and was able to get SMS to work – never could in the past. But I was using a Canadian Rogers SIM card. I was thinking of getting my phone unlocked, or purchasing a cheaper unlocked phone and buying an Ethiopian SIM card there. Just dont know if its worth doing that with my Blackberry or if I should just upgrade to an unlocked iPhone or Android as I was planning to any way.

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Amy

Amy — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:56:59 +0000

Sparkle,
I have used the blackberry on both trips I was there, but I could only get SMS and phone service working. I was never able to get data working no matter what I tried and even when the network on the phone clearly displayed “3G”.

On a side note, from my experience there was a trick to get service at all (lots of times it would say only SOS service). To connect to the network properly, I would send an SMS text even though I had only SOS service. This would seem to establish a connection to the ETH MTN cell provider. Some times this didn’t work either so I had to then reboot the phone…. I also tried various attempts to turn off 3G service (use only 2G), research for network, etc…, but only had mild success and usually didn’t work for very long (few minutes). With the SMS method it seemed to work until I moved (transfer cell tower I assume).

My local provider in US is ATT and I did not try to use an Ethiopian SIM card which I was thinking might work better, but my phone is locked.

Thanks,
Sten and Amy

Comment on Fallacies about aid and development by Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:03:46 +0000

I am impressed by the diversity of comments in this topic.Some being outright ignorant,others well informed and some bordering to ignorant and arrogant.Development /underdevelopment of Africa cannot be explained by simplistic sweeping statements.As some comments have clearly outlined,its a factor of several contributors.Europe and the imperialists underdeveloped Africa through exploitation of resources for decades and distabilization of the social and economic order that had existed for centuries.After a century of control,these countries emerged from colonialism with a confused hybrid of traditional and western ideals.The education provided by the colonizers was selective,subjective and meant to convert the Africans to puppets/Subjects of their former colonizers and to further their interests through serving them.The monetary economy introduced was confusing and created poverty as Africans were turned into labourers in the imperialists farms and industries.It was inadequate to manage and sustain the systems introduced by the imperialists and especially to manage modern Economies.Not to belabour the point much,let me just state afew facts from an African point of view.Aid alone in Africa might not alleviate poverty and suffering.It needs to be combined with appropriate education and training to ensure its relevance.Except for humanitarian Aid,the rest should be channelled towards building longterm institutions that are appropriate for the African settings.Its not a question of whether to channel it through government or through NGOs but also a question of what is functioning at that particular place and time.Thorough research must be undertaken to establish what people view as development from an African point of view as Africa is as diverse as its people from one country to the other.Generalizations are almost a crime.Some countries are so advanced in education/infrastructure,Health/Governance etc etc.Some are still living in the bushes of Kalahari desert(bushmen).All Africans are not incompetent,hopeless and ignorant.Some are well incorporated to the world economy and are living good lifestyles in urban cities.Others are still traditionalist,ignorant,illiterate and absolutely poor.A chain is as strong as its weakest point.The world has every obligation to uplift the poorest from absolute poverty and suffering.This could be in transfer of technology,Foreign direct investments,opening of markets,Increased aid and also demand for better governance and accountability for donor aid.More say for the locals in their developoment projects is also important so as to discover what Africans value as development and not what the donors think is development.

Comment on The Simpsons go to little Ethiopia by Edom

Edom — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:03:20 +0000

I think letting the simpsons go to Ethopia was a wonderful idea because then now they can learn something new about a different culture.
Batam amesagnilin means we thank very much for putting country on a popular show like the Simpsons.

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Sparkle

Sparkle — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:56:19 +0000

Does anyone have experience using a blackberry in Addis? I’ll be there for 3 weeks and hope to use my blackberry bold to access data (BBM mostly). Any thoughts would be great. Thanks.

Comment on What happened in Busan? by State Department deserves cautious applause for aid transparency | PARTISANS

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:18 +0000

[...] Owen Barder: What happened in Busan? [...]

Comment on Mobile phones in Ethiopia by JaK

JaK — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:36:58 +0000

Hi I want to Buy 200 Pay as you go sim card every month. beacouse I want to start call center Busness in addis ababa or any other state in Ethiopia & for that I want 512kbps up/ 512kbps down Pure internet conectivety. Do you ahve any idia? How can I manage this both things? Pl Hepl us to start my Busness in Ethiopia. We are form Dubai.

Comment on A dollar a day by sam

sam — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:16:12 +0000

Owen

Excellent post I came across while searching for the root-cause of global poverty. I am lost while understanding what could be the causes of such world wide poverty passing on from generation to generation. Please recommend me some good reading material as I am totally new in understanding this phenomena.

Thank you

Comment on From Bordeaux to Gerona through the Pyrenees by Gordon Lewis

Gordon Lewis — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:40:54 +0000

Dear Andy,
On second thoughts it might be beter if you email me directly at gordon@lewisgh.demon.co.uk and I’ll be able to send you the information much more easily.
Best wishes
Gordon

Comment on The open data revolution comes to aid by International Transparency Initiative makes world giving open, shareable, standardized, transparent « GuideStar International's Blog

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:31:28 +0000

[...] ‘The open data revolution has come to aid’ writes open data advocate Owen Barder (known for his work on development policy), and yet while the US is the world’s largest bilateral donor, Publish What You Fund’s Aid Transparency Index states that five of six US aid agencies are not very transparent. Why does this matter? Because the quality as well as the quantity of international aid is critical to the fate of the developing world (and the developed world’s as well!) and there are significant questions about whether aid is accomplishing its purposes. For example, aid may even be creating dependency rather than development in Africa, according to Dambiso Moyo’s book Dead Aid. [...]

Comment on What happened in Busan? by Global Health Cooperation: What is Next? | AFGH – Blog

Global Health Cooperation: What is Next? | AFGH – Blog — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:03:24 +0000

[...] our perspective, the results of what happened in Busan have been mixed. The launch of the Global Partnership for Effective Development [...]

Comment on What happened in Busan? by Brian Barder

Brian Barder — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:31:33 +0000

>>the October draft would have committed all the donors who had signed the Accra Agenda for Action to “untie all aid by 2015″ – this was taken out of the Busan agreement in the final days at the request not of China, who would not have been bound by it, but of the United States<<

This is truly shocking, with the US Secretary of State herself present and answerable to a liberal and enlightened US President. Perhaps their hands were tied by the knowledge that they wouldn't get untying through the Congress. Pretty shameful, even if so.

Comment on What happened in Busan? by IHPNews #148 – Development Assistance for health: on Jeffrey, George, Laurie and Christopher | International Health Policies

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:24:44 +0000

[...] Owen Barder wrote an excellent piece summarizing Busan: “Busan was an expression of new geopolitical realities, but despite high level [...]

Comment on The coming collapse of the development system? by [AUDIO] China in Africa: Understanding the “Negative Narrative” | The China Africa Project

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:01:43 +0000

[...] pragmatism over paperwork? When we have a situation like what Owen Barder has written on his blog about Senegal’s 82 individual aid coordination forums that Chinese preference for pragmatism over paperwork can be quite refreshing. And I also think [...]

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Brian O'Mahony

Brian O'Mahony — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:10:00 +0000

Hi Amy,
I know you can get a prepaid 3G SIM card in Addis, but I am unsure if you can get a micro SIM. But you can cut down a SIM to a micro SIM using a punch tool or with a sharp knife and a template. Google “make a micro sim from a regular sim” to see what I mean. If you are not keen on DIY, it may be worth taking the SIM to some of the IT shops mentioned in this blog to see if they can make it into a micro SIM.
Your friend will love the unlocked iPhone 4.
Brian

Comment on End of year reflections by End of year reflections | Global Health Hub

End of year reflections | Global Health Hub — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:01:39 +0000

[...] See more here: End of year reflections [...]

Comment on Your blackberry and mobile data in Addis Ababa by Amy

Amy — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:47:31 +0000

Hi! I am wondering if a prepaid micro Sim can be purchased in Addis? I plan to take an unlocked iPhone4 to a friend there next week and want to be sure he can get the prepaid cards.
Thank you.

Comment on End of year reflections by Graham Rawlinson

Graham Rawlinson — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:53:16 +0000

I think it is great to end the year of gloom with some optimism, and overall I think it is justified, just about. Sure, who knows, next year could be the worst year for Africa ever, but it may be the best, who knows? no-one knows. That is the truth of it, surely.
So what can we do to help, though that in itself may seem patronising?
First, we can get to know people and places better than we do now. Simply having more people know more about Africa will, in this time of social networking improve Africa’s self reliance, which means the self reliance of the people of Africa. Be better informed. Have some idea of the size of the countries, of their populations, of their interests, don’t just look at the media, make connections and ask people who live there, make open connections, don’t pre-judge.
Pick a country you want to know most about, and tell friends what you find out, create a blog and share stuff. And then, when you know a bit more, and maybe even try to learn a bit of local language, go and visit, make new friends, but please, don’t patronise. The closest you should get is some kind of cousin to cousin. How to find mutual interest, then you really engage. Your ‘cousin’ knows some things better than you, but you may know some things better than your cousin.
It looks like world economies are shifting, the techtonic plates are creating change, the USA may again be separated from South America, and South America may get connected again to Africa. Who knows?
And if we don’t know, we should stay open minded, stay positive, think with care and compassion and creatively, it is going to be an interesting year which none of us will be able to predict.

Comment on End of year reflections by Sam Gardner

Sam Gardner — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:28:13 +0000

My oh my,

“a new generation of leaders”. Excuse me, but when did I hear this phrase before?
“the bend in the river” talking about Mobutu. Some years later, Arab Moi, Mugabe. Another ten years later, Kagame and Museveny. Did these governments became really more responsive to the needs of the population, beyond the whims of the enlightened despot?

I like your piece for the rest, the whole of it, but why this cheesy start?

I believe that you are right, and that the economical growth leads to a bigger pie that leads to even more pro-business and inclusive policies. I believe the democratic accountability leads to ever-better adapted policies. But the jury on the leaders is out. In the UK, leaders get booted out after 10, maximum 12 years, mainly because it is difficult to keep focused on policy, and scandals multiply. How about these “new leaders in Africa”? Can they keep their focus? Do they keep a broad coalition, or do they count on a narrowing clique? There are certainly new leaders in Africa: those that give way to their successors after their 8 years in government are over.

Development policy should acknowledge and respect new leaders, but the beneficiaries should be the poor, and not the leaders.

Comment on From Bordeaux to Gerona through the Pyrenees by Gordon Lewis

Gordon Lewis — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:05:11 +0000

Dear Andy,
I’ll get on and try and post here my variations to Owen’s route, and some hotel recommendations. If you get a chance you can look at the blog I wrote en route at http://www.c2cpont.tumblr.com – remember you have to scroll through lots of pages to get to the start as the current page is the last.
It’s a great journey, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the cycling.
Best wishes
Gordon