Lelo Nxumalo

The last time I fought back tears at an airport was when I first left my home country, Zimbabwe, a decade ago. In a very short space of time (2 months), Vietnam had become a home away from home (away from home) for me. As such, it was difficult bidding farewell to the many friendly people I had met. In this post I pay tribute to them as well as reflect on what I learned while doing my internship at the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Saigon. My first days were difficult as I was not only fighting jet-lag but also wondered what I had just thrown myself into. (An international internship is a requirement for graduation in my program at the Harvard Kennedy School). I have  already blogged about why I chose Vietnam. It became apparent to me that I would stand out the day I arrived in Saigon. Outside Tan Son Nhat International Airport I was greeted by curious faces, many of whom probably had never seen a black man before. I shuffled through the inquisitive crowd to find ...

After presiding over economic decline marked by hyperinflation which brought Zimbabwe to its knees, president Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party have emerged as victors in the recent harmonized elections in Zimbabwe. Mugabe got 61% of the vote and his ZANU-PF party won 158 of the 210 parliament seats, giving it a two-thirds majority in the legislature. In order to understand what this means for Zimbabwe’s future, the Harvard Africa Policy Journal has obtained an exclusive telephone interview with the outgoing member of parliament of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) from Bulawayo, Mr. David Coltart. Read more here

(As I wait for the official result from the presidential election). Below is a cool graphic from   The Observatory of Economic Complexity :  a tool that allows users to quickly compose a visual narrative about countries and the products they exchange. The charts below are as of 2010. In 1995 the majority of our exports (by value) went to Europe (16% to the UK, 11% to Germany) and Japan (11%). Fifteen years later, the top destinations for Zim exports were the United Arab Emirates (20%) and China (16%). Germany's share fell to about 3% and the UK's 4.2%, while Japan's shrunk to just 3%.  Where does Zimbabwe Export To?

Vietnam plans to become a modern and industrialized country by 2020 (Socio-Economic Development Plan, 2011). One hallmark of industrialized states is the extent of the manufacturing sector, and in particular, the share of medium and high technology value added within this sector (Amsden 2004, UNIDO 2010, CIEM 2010). Manufacturing generates externalities in technology development, skill creation and learning that are crucial for competitiveness. A cursory analysis of the share of medium and high technology activities in total manufacturing exports shows a positive correlation between the latter and economic development (UNIDO, 2011). Analyzing manufacturing exports allows for a better comparison across countries as the ability to participate in global markets illustrates the competitiveness of a country. Vietnam has benefited from a program of internal modernization, a transition from its agricultural base toward manufacturing and services, and a demographic dividend powered by its yo...

I recently read Dambisa Moyo's Winner Take All: China's Race for Resources and What it Means for the World. The book is a thorough review of the resource landscape - from water to land to energy, and what China's drive to acquire these means for the West and the developing world including Africa. Moyo conducts due diligence on the contentious issue of land grabs  of African farmland by states that are seeking to grow crops for food and energy as alternatives to oil. "This puts food and energy in direct competition, given that the grain required to fill a 25 gallon (95 liter) fuel tank with ethanol could instead feed one person for an entire year." Given the finite extent of arable land, Moyo, argues that the above means one thing for food prices - they can only go up! The food security picture is even more dire when we consider that of the 1 billion people that go hungry each day, a third live in Africa, yet the latter is home to much of the remaining untilled...

Yesterday I visited the War Remnants Museum in HCMC, a memorial to the losses and injustices of the Vietnam war (1955-1975). I was overwhelmed by what I learned especially regarding a chemical called 'agent orange' (see below). I took these images at the museum.

I am currently working at the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Ho Chi Minh City with my MPA/ID classmate from the Kennedy School. It has been a week since we started and I thought it best to collect a few thoughts about this amazing place. I decided to spend my summer in Vietnam not only to study the country's economics but also expose myself to  one of the most fascinating places on earth. Vietnam is a long S-shaped country in South east Asia bordering Laos and Cambodia to the west and China to the north. The entire eastern part of the country is coastline off the South China sea. The country comprises 63 provinces including Ha noi (the capital) and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - the economic engine of Vietnam. Vietnam is classified as a lower-middle income country by the World Bank. The country has come a long way since the implementation of the Doi Moi ( renovation)  reforms, which initiated the process to turn Vietnam into a market economy. The authorities rec...