Ease of investment monitoring.

As we mentioned before, I have lived in Uganda, Kenya and the U.S. grew up in Kenya as a refugee moved to the U.S for predominantly biblical studies and then to Uganda. 

As an outsider one always has a unique perspective regarding the general flow of things In country. So that it always going to be an edge that non locals have over locals especially when it comes to the willingness to get your hands dirty. The second consideration has to do with the ability to leave. The outsider generally feels like he has nothing to loose so he is at liberty on the whole to talk smack to the locals and the government without much fear of consequence. The local on the other hand has to be much more careful. 

Kenya was interesting because while there I was able to present a different perspective about life there but my refugee status never really let me settle down. 

The U.S was slightly different in that there were accorded to me more freedoms but these came at a cost and were accessible until the temptation came in to overstay my welcome. And to be fair to the Americans, they pretty much dish out the same vitriol to all those who overstay regardless of race. But then too the opportunities and the ease of investment varies and is determined to a large extent on citizenship and later on race and the dynamics that go with that. 

The same and possibly worse effects come into play in the U.K the foreigner often has to start from scratch even after training in prestigious local school and is prevented from the making a little more money by restrictions that are designed with the visa He acquires. You would think that we here in Africa would enjoy colonial servant status but this is harder to come by and it's been ages since we unwillingly got on those slave ships and traded in our royal relatives for cola nuts or ivory. 

So on the whole the ease investment for us comes with a whole lot of baggage. Should you manage to rise through the ranks of your University or make better use of your Rhodes Scholarship, chances are you will be sent back to improve the lot of your people even though your dreams are really elsewhere. Once back home you have to face the wrath of those you left behind because a las! You are no longer a local. 

Once officially back in the region you have to adjust to the local pressures which are often enveloped by historical leaders whose hold on power is firm and whose influence goes well beyond borders. Having breathed the rarefied air of freedom in the U.S or the U.K of at least aspects of it via DSL, you will have little or no room for compromise which will put you on a direct collision course with your local peers. The comfort of a seat on the leadership team of a human rights NGO might help for a while according you the benefits of some travel and access to great schools for your tots but soon this will vanish when hands and shaken and power shifts to generals or despots. In short, you have to negotiate across borders with sleek post colonial leaders many whose intentions you have to weigh against your own in an increasingly shrinking world.