"I dream of a united Africa." -Muammar Gaddafi
What the US-NATO-EU hopes to achieve is to eliminate the half-reliable partner Gaddafi and replace him with a neo-liberal oriented government that will do their bidding: sign in on AFRICOM, kick China out, reverse the government central bank to a BIS private enterprise, continue using dollars of course, and have the lackey leaders join in their permanent war age throughout the Middle East and Africa.
New neo-liberal socio-economic policies would eliminate what the Gaddafi government has provided the entire population through state subsidies funded with oil export sales: the highest standard of living in Africa with free, universal health and education care, and the possibility of studying abroad at state expense; $50,000 for each new married couple to get started with; non-interest state loans; subsidized prices of cars much lower than in Europe; the cheapest gasoline and bread prices in the world (similar to Venezuela); no taxes for those working in agriculture.
The Central Bank also financed Africa’s first communication satellite with $300 million of the $377 cost. It started up for all Africa, December 26, 2007, thus saving the 45-African nations an annual fee of $500 million pocketed by Europe for use of its satellites and this means much less cost for telephones and other communication systems.
While Gaddafi had turned much of his oil sales toward the West, inviting in many of the major oil companies for great profits (BP, EXXON Mobil, Shell, Total, etc), he did not join the US wars against Afghanistan and Iraq as did most of the oil rich Middle Eastern governments. Nor did he sign on with AFRICOM, a US-inspired pact oriented towards US economic and military benefit in Africa also oriented to isolate China from Africa’s natural resources. In fact, China has 50 major economic projects going in Libya with $18 billion investment. Before the US-NATO invasion, there were 30,000 Chinese workers on these and other projects. Much of China’s investment is destroyed.
In 2010 Gaddafi offered to invest $97 billion in Africa to free it from Western influence, on condition that African states rid themselves of corruption and nepotism. Gaddafi always dreamed of a Developed, United Africa and was about to make that dream come true - and nothing is more terrifying to the West than a Developed, United Africa.
The West's illegal war against Libya also is a war against Entire Africa.
AFRICAN UNION:
Libya is one of the biggest contributors to the budget of the African Union. Libya is one of five countries -- the others are Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa -- which cover 75 percent of the Union's budget. "Libya makes its full required contribution to AU funds. Not all countries do and that buys it influence," a senior African Union official said.
MALI:
Location : Bamako -Mali
Date of Establishment: 1998
Participation: 100% LAAICO.
Activity: LAFICO-MALI owns Hotel de l’Amitie in Bamako which is being up-graded to a 4 star international standard .It is also a shareholder in the National Tobacco Company (SONATAM). Plans are also underway to establish a fruit juice processing plant.
For several years Mali has been confronted with the activities of the radical Islamist militia Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in its northern deserts. Gaddafi have helped to resolve conflicts in northern Mali between rebels and the government. In 2010 Libya has given Mali two security planes to combat insecurity in the north of the country. These conflicts could flare up again if Gaddafi exits the stage.
Nowadays Gaddafi has many supporters in Mali who regularly march to protest against the Western-led military intervention in Libya.
CONGO:
Location : Brazzaville, Congo
Date of Establishment: 1976
Participation: 100% LAAICO
Activity: The company owns a forest concession of 506.000 ha and a sawmill plant producing furniture and carpenter wood. Marketed throughout the world .
Production: the company produces annually 60.000 m3 of logs. 36.000 m3 of furniture & carpenter wood is produced annually types of wood produced: Ayous, Sapelli, Sipo, Afromosa.
Libya has put $65 billion into sovereign wealth funds, including one which is specifically designed to make investments in Africa. The Libyan Arab African Investment Company, a vehicle of Libya's Africa sovereign wealth fund, owns Le Meridien, one of the biggest hotels in Congo. The hotel is undergoing refurbishment paid for by Libyan investment. In 2010, Libya planned to fund the building of a highway north of Congo's capital Brazzaville, where also the building of a mosque is planned.
LIBERIA:
Location : Monrovia -Liberia
Date of Establishment: 2002
Participation: 100% LAAICO
Activity:
1)- 86% LAAICO share holding in the Pan African Real Estate corporation.
2)- Industrial: a rubber factory with capacity of (1000) Tons Per Year.
Libya has provided millions in investment projects, helping to strengthen the rule of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in one of Africa’s most impoverished nations. Gaddafi's help includes the funding of a rubber processing factory built in Gbarnga, Bong County, a technical and vocational school for the handicapped, as well as Libyan assistance in helping Liberia tackle the food crisis and renovation for the Ducor Intercontinental Hotel.
NIGER:
Location : Niamey
Date of Participation: 2001
Participation: 51% LAAICO. & STRATEGIC PARTNER 49% Government of Niger
Activity: Telecommunications
Other interests of LAAICO include:
The purchase of a parcel of land of 6017 M2 .
The purchase of Kolo farm of 50 hectares.
Also in Niger Gaddafi has helped to prop up the government and the authorities would become more fragile without his financial help. Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi visited Niger in August 2010 and announced the creation of a $100 million investment fund for Niger as part of a strengthening of bilateral ties. Under earlier agreements, Libya is contributing 100 million euros for the construction of a Trans-Sahara highway in the north of Niger, according to sources close to Niger's foreign ministry. The local subsidiary of Libya Oil, along with Total, are the major players in Niger's fuel retailing business.
CHAD:
Location : N’djamena, Tchad
Date of Establishment: 1997
Participation: 100% LAAICO
Activity: Industrial, hotels and real estate; owns a mineral water plant, garment factory. The company is currently constructing a 5 star 200-room hotel in N’djamena and an administrative, commercial, residential complex.
Gaddafi has been a key supporter of the government, which would weaken if it lost his aid revenue. Chad has been plagued by civil wars and invasions after its independence from France in 1960. After years of unrest, Gaddafi seals a peace agreement for Chad between four Chadian rebel groups and the Chadian government in 2007, which agreement was signed in Sirte.
In 2010 Libya made a huge investment in Chad's National Telecom, which meant a boost of the number of the Chadian mobile phone users from 100,000 to two million.
In 2010 Libya made a huge investment in Chad's National Telecom, which meant a boost of the number of the Chadian mobile phone users from 100,000 to two million.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC:
Location : Bangui
Date of Establishment: 2000
Participation: 50% LAAICO - 50% Private concern
Activity: Diamond mining.
In addition ,LAAICO owns a hotel in the capital city of Bangui which is still under construction to be rated 4 star.
Libya has helped to prop up the fragile government, sending paratroopers into the capital in 2001 to defeat a rebel assault. In 2008 Gaddafi played a role in the formation of a peace agreement between the government and rebel groups.
MAURITANIA:
Gaddafi was the first head of state to visit after a 2008 coup which brought President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to power. Aziz, who subsequently won a presidential election, has visited Gaddafi several times since then. Even Mauritanian opposition politicians have gone to Tripoli to pledge allegiance to the Libyan leader. Mauritania has debts to Libya of about $200 million. During discussions on debt relief in May 2010, the Libyan Central Bank announced Libya would provide $50 in grants to build a hospital and a university. The university is to be named after Gaddafi.
SUDAN:
The 20,000-troop peacekeeping mission in Dafur, jointly supported by the African Union and the United Nations, could be hampered if the African Union (AU) loses funding from Gaddafi and destabilize the country. Gaddafi, who blamed the crisis in Darfur on Israel, made a number of attempts to broker peace talks between Darfur rebels and the Sudanese government.
In October 2010, Gaddafi warned ahead of a vote on possible independence for South Sudan that a partition of the country would be a “contagious disease” that could spread to other African states.
ETHIOPIA:
Location : Addis Ababa , Ethiopia
Date of Establishment: 1981
Participation: 49% LAAICO - 51% Ethiopian Government
Activity: Drilling water wells and other agricultural activities.
Location : Addis Ababa , Ethiopia
Date of Establishment: 2000
Participation: 100% LAAICO
Activity: Shareholder in a mineral water factory. LAFICO-ETHIOPIA seeks to expand in food processing projects and other sectors.
The African Union, based in Ethiopia's capital, could find itself in financial trouble if it loses the massive support that Gaddafi gives it. Under his rule, Libya supplied 15% of the AU’s membership dues, and it also paid the dues of many smaller and poorer African nations.
To seek for a solution of the Eritrea-Ethiopia conflict, Gaddafi has sent a special envoy to Ethiopia in 2000. In 2008, Libya's OiLibya bought Shell Ethiopia. This agreement also included retaining all Shell employees, who were hoping to work in a better environment since a long time.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
LAAICO is a shareholder in Oryx Natural Resources a mining company whose present activity is diamond mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the same time. The company is aiming to expand its activities in other African countries
GHANA
Location : Accra, Ghana
Date of Establishment: 1982
Participation: 65.5% LAAICO - 34.5% The government of Ghana
Activity:
1)- Glahco Hotels & Tourism Development Company Ltd:
Owns the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra rated 4 star having 234 rooms and 16 studio apartments. The company is also planning to purchase Kumasi Hotel located in Kumasi city.
2)- Ghana Groceries Ltd. Owns a super market in down town Accra.
3)- Ghana - Libyan Arab Agricultural Company Ltd. Owns agricultural farm of 3426 Ha. planted with fruit trees like mangos, lemons –etc in sojakobi located 115 km from the capital city Accra. The company invested in irrigation and agricultural equipment .
SOMALIA:
The African Union peace keeping mission, whose 8,000 soldiers are crucial to the battle against Islamic radicals in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, could be severely weakened if the AU lost the financial support of Gaddafi.
In 2008 Libya decided to grant an investment fund to Somalia through the Sahel-Saharan Investment and Trade Bank to fund infrastructures such as roads and bridges within Somalia.
GAMBIA:
Location : Banjul , The Gambia
Date of Establishment: 1999
Participation: 100% LAAICO
Activity: LAFICO-GAMBIA owns the Atlantic Hotel in Banjul containing 204 rooms rated 4 star .In addition, the company is engaged in commercial activities through a 60% equity in the African International Trading Company.
Libyan firms own two hotels and the "Dream Park" entertainment centre in Gambia. Gambian agriculture has received support from Libya, including a donation of new tractors. In 2009 Gaddafi gave camels to Gambian President Yahya Jammeh as a gift. The Libyan and Gambian presidents have exchanged visits and senior Gambian officials attended ceremonies in September to mark the anniversary of Gaddafi coming to power.
On September 7, 2009, Gambia celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Al Fateh Revolution: "In Libya everyone enjoys Freedom!".
African Union
Read also:
Gaddafi - > http://libyasos.blogspot.com/p/gaddafi.html
Muammar Gaddafi Speech To United Nations Sept 23, 2009 [ UN General Assembly ] /United Nations removed the English transcript of his speech from its website and western media removed the transcript from all types of media resources. Gaddafi showed a actual evil face of UN and security council to the world. September 2011 / ->http://libyasos.blogspot.com/2011/09/muammar-gaddafi-speech-to-united.html
[ Source:
Libya fact sheet - > http://www.ronridenour.com/articles/2011/0504--rr.htm
The Libyan Arab African Investment Company: http://www.laaico.com/invest.htm
The Big Picture: War on Libya is War on Entire Africa: http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=627695?rss ]