This is a very good thread,sadly input will be almost zero...a question i asked in the markets section which I believe @Murchr answered but not exhaustively...why does the govt allow business men to import almost everything?Why do we import clothes,yet we can grow our own cotton nd have our own textile industry,why we import tomato paste and pasta,yet we grow tomatoes and wheat which can be used to make the two...Our economic policies are all twisted...govt after govt doesn't address this vicious cycle that must be addressed thoroughly and in depth...The US is a great entrepreneurial country,something we must emulate to help raise our standard of living...

@maka, @wa_ P, it's important that we become conscious of the structures, processes and trends that we are interacting with even as we try to find solutions to unemployment and poverty.

Firstly, we are now in a globalized system where capital and investment are supposed to be unfettered by boundaries and restrictions. Check on economic partnership agreements especially for African states.

Following closely or perhaps more precisely, happening simultaneously are political maneuvers that ensure that those political entities that are involved get their way in proportion to their power and interests. That is, domestic pressure drives international action and vice versa.

Thirdly, as information technology widens in scope and spread across the world, the separation between consumption and production becomes hazy.

Fourthly, human movement globally is intensifying making the idea of 'local production' obsolete. Every country is bound to be a multicultural center, heavily networked to other multicultural centers.

These and other factors I haven't mentioned like comparative advantage of various countries, financial constraints like debt, and 'disruptive technologies' like robotics provide and imply that we should first strive to develop an understanding of who we are, who others are and what they are up to, and the strategic context of our actions.

We also need to understand the systems we are using now, and how they can be changed optimally.

Then we can design real solutions. Here we need investment from interested parties because such an initiative must be research driven. We need a multifaceted approach because we are looking at change in all social aspects.

Clearly such an endeavour needs an idea champion, the creation of a conducive environment, collection of expertise, creativity and innovation, rapid development of applications and community involvement. It's about taking risk and expecting rewards from it.

I have been working for the last twenty or so years trying to develop simple and workable solutions because I have not only been among the poor youth, but these 'thugs' are my neighbors and friends. And one thing I know is that the best solutions must start with these youth who are inadequately educated and socialized. Programs have to be designed for their families too.

This is something that goes deep and only the daring and seekers of knowledge and wisdom can pull through.

Let's take this furniture example into consideration. If the majority of Kenyans are poor then only a minority can afford expensive imports. Again, the fundis who make good quality furniture compete with these imports in price. So the majority can't access them.

What happens when second hand goods are banned? Think of deforestation, think of how tastes and preferences are cultivated. Such action is likely to generate more problems than solutions. This 'simplification' is called 'suboptimization'. It's a common trap.

But let not my thoughts and contributions damp any ones. I have learned that opinions and thoughts don't have to be convergent. In fact each of us is independent in some way and what counts is what one does.

There's a global competition for scrap metals http://www.cofek.co.ke/i...-affects-every-consumer

The paradigm shift you're talking about has to include rethinking economic models.

You are right... but we cant be worse than the west and the east.... Capitalism is good if it helps grow our economies and create employment.