Starting a Company In Sudan: A Real Dilemma

Posted on February 4, 2007
Filed Under Sudan, Personal, Africa |

I don’t have much time to blog today and I don’t think I’ll be blogging for a day or two. Anyways, for now I thought maybe this would be interesting to post here for everyone to see. It’s a bit personal and was written in a rush but it will give you an idea of what’s going on inside my head. I left the following comment on a great blog called The Benin Epilogue Part 1: African-Read for Business:

I’m not sure how my plans will start rolling. I’d love to go back to Sudan and start a company there asap. The time is perfect with all the investment happening now. I have the connections there and elsewhere in other countries. I am afraid of one thing though. Maybe you can give me your thoughts on it. I have some older friends who went back and started companies. They’re doing well but there’s one thing they ALL have in common. They ALL had to bribe a few people to get things going. This is the sad reality of Sudan. It’s a dilemma for me honestly. I hate the corruption in Sudan and I oppose it. I want it to go away but if I do as others do then I simply contribute and become a part of it. That will make me a hypocrite. It won’t improve Sudan. It will just make it worse. Entrepreneurship should be about creating development, generating employment for the unemployed, providing experience and skills to the inexperienced, moving people slowly towards a knowledge based economy etc.

My friends keep telling me that when you start, you have to play by the existing rules of the game even if you don’t like them and by the time you’re in the game, you can start changing the rules. I say that’s crap. Maybe I’m taking this too emotionally, I don’t know. All I know is that this is a challenge I need to overcome.

Here’s what Benin Mwangi had to say in reply. It’s very interesting and insightful. Thanks BW. I appreciate your thoughts. I really do.

Comments

12 Responses to “Starting a Company In Sudan: A Real Dilemma”

  1. The Raccoon on February 4th, 2007 5:00 pm

    C’est la vie, bro. Business and corruption is like hunams and shit - you can have the latter without the former, but not the former without the latter.

    You’ll have to become corrupt either way - be it bribes or old-boys’-network or dealing with the mafia or whatever. This is inevitable.

    The only question is, can you survive the corruption and shed it later on? Most can’t, you know. And, well… as the Japanese saying goes, “Business is War”.

  2. Roman Kalik on February 4th, 2007 5:36 pm

    I know how you feel, man. My grandfather, may his soul be forever woven in the weave of life, was much like you. He was an idealist through and through, a pro-democracy activist in the Soviet years, and an economic reformist in the post-collapse years. He tried to become a politician, thought he could change the system from within…

    Then one day, he simply left. He had given up. He was all alone in there, and the only way he could have ended up is like the rest.

  3. Roman Kalik on February 4th, 2007 5:44 pm

    He didn’t live to see Putin turn Russia into a police-state, by the way. That was for the best, I think. And my mother told me she felt like she’d dirtied her father’s memory with all the bribes she gave just to hasten the funeral arrangements…

    The apparatchiks, the Communist Party managers and penpushers may be gone, but their taint now rules every aspect of Russia.

    My advice is to follow your heart, man. The first step towards corruption is the difficult one. Those that follow are much easier.

  4. John Powers on February 5th, 2007 4:22 am

    It’s so cool that you linked to your exchange on The Benin Epilogue Part 1: Africa Ready for Business. Something that exchange reminded me of is you’ve got fans worldwide. Benin was so happy you visited his site because he’d been visiting yours. The context of your exchange wasn’t some random person leaving a comment, it was Drima from the wonderful Sudanese Thinker.

    I’m not sure how much difference your reputation and the attention people pay to you makes about corruption and business. But my hunch is that it makes some. I don’t really grasp how the new communications tools are changing things, but I do feel a change. At Benin’s blog I linked to a video via Idea City in comments, and I wanted you to see the link–it’s less than 5 minutes.

    No doubt corruption is an age old problem, but I think there may be new ways to look at the issue and address it which come out of rethinking business.

    Meanwhile I’ll continue reading your blog for your great insight and humanity. Thanks for all the effort you put into it.

  5. Precious on February 5th, 2007 11:16 am

    Very interesting topic and read.. Thanks to you and to The Benin Epilogue.. I’m saving the link to his blog as well..

    But from the perspective of someone who is relativly close to the business field in sudan, what your friends say : “My friends keep telling me that when you start, you have to play by the existing rules of the game even if you don’t like them and by the time you’re in the game, you can start changing the rules” is very right.. so sad but so true.. The System here in Sudan is filled with corruption and you can never go ahead with out having to bribe people along the way.. or else all of your papers and procedures might take YEARS even if they are 100% correct and legal.

    Not forgetting that the direct way of doing all busienss related procedures such as Authorizations from governmental departments or if its customs clearance, are all highly expensive at cost which makes business men to look for what is cheaper at price and lower in quality to make a reasonable profit, cuz high quality imports will be highly expnsive when delivered to the market and might be a total loose for the business.

    Starting Business in Sudan is very risky. What you need to be successful is good relations (which you already have as you said), flexibility ( going through that corrupted road when you need to), and to be as cold blooded as you can ( Remember the EBM Syndrom you once talked bout).

    But I see you have the passion & the vision for ir & Enshala Allah will help you to reach your goals.. and when you do, remember me, ok? ;)

  6. Black Kush on February 5th, 2007 11:17 am

    On a different topic: I have problems viewing your blog. The right bar is completely brought down and skewed. Has anyone mentioned that to you? I use IE.

  7. Precious on February 5th, 2007 11:20 am

    You’re right Black Kush I get the same view on the main page, but when I click ona topic it comes back the way it used to. I use IE as well..

  8. benin on February 6th, 2007 6:08 am

    Drima, thanks again for the visit and what lively discussion. You know, however it works out for you when you do make your return, know this-no human being can judge us-because no person is perfect. You know what I mean, in the end you will have to make the choice that makes the most sense according to your belief system, your community, your family, and yourself. Everything else, I think is background noise.

    Me, perhaps I’m just an idealist because from a purely practical point of view, what everyone is being said makes a lot of sense. Basically, what is being said is that corruption in Sudan (but Sudan isn’t the only place, Africa is’t either) is more of an institution, which belongs to another even bigger institution. From a holistic point of view one could probably say that the bigger institution might be seen as the true issue. And that the bigger problem is social, socio-economic, and probably even a few other group consciousness systems (that we may not even be aware of) bending and breaking to the tensions and pressures that have probably been there for a very long time. Whereas before strong laws and even stronger personalities kept some fragile balance, now that is not the case and as a result corruption has become an answer to fill in the void. In that sense this problem is so large that an individual might look like a pebble next to this issue. Maybe that’s where beliefs and faith come in because from a physical and practical standpoint it would appear that the individual has no chance trying to win againgst an entire institution.

    So, my friend in the end, I am not sure if my response was able to help you come any closer to knowing how to respond. But my friend when it comes to these types of things we never can be sure what we may do until we actually get to that bridge.

    So until then, my advice is to continue doing what you are doing-you are already, I believe on the path to discovering yourself. Tomorrow wil then take care of itself. Also, if nothing else ever comes out of our little conversation (which has been very good, I think) , at least you know that you have a friend here, who wants to see you succeed in life and who already sees the success that you are today-alright?

  9. Drima on February 6th, 2007 9:59 am

    “The only question is, can you survive the corruption and shed it later on? ”

    Raccoon, I hope so but I’ll only know when I face it.

    RK, sounds like your grandpa was a woderful guy.

    JohnPowers, thanks for your kind words

    Benin, your response has been extra helpful. It really was so thanks a lot. And as a I said, me appreciate it my friend. :)

    Precious and BK, I think your IE is an older version. The problem is because of the red ticker tape at the top. I’ll remove it in a while and then let me know how it is.

  10. The Usual Suspect on February 7th, 2007 11:12 am

    oh dear Drima- having met you I can tell you that you will achieve great things and all that your heart desires and still remain true to you.
    Some people can compromise their beliefs, values, ethics and may or may not come to regret it or find that it does not bring true happiness.
    You however? Hmmm…somehow I think you will do just great and achieve what you want YOUR way.
    One word of advice- your young (wise yes, but young)- you have the world ahead of you- don’t think that you have to do things yesterday before tomorrow (this from the woman who thought her life was over because she didn’t get her Phd by the time she was 25!!!) Do as I say- not as I do!

  11. Adevents on February 8th, 2007 11:19 am

    Hi
    Off topic,
    I really liked your blog in general the design and the contents and I am very glad to find a young Sudanese blogging and doing it good not that there is no other but as far as I know this the best blog made by sudanase that happened to land on and I noticed most of the Sudanese bloggers are not in Sudan all living abroad.
    I tried to blog but I think I don’t have the time or the knowledge of designing a site and the html language i am trying but again not enough time
    however i bookmarked your site and I will be visiting regularly i am also one of the many Sudanese thinking seriously to establish a business in Sudan which we know how hard it is ,but i believe we got to start somewhere and by any means if I have to bribe some official employee of the authority and there is no way out of it I have to do it, but I am talking if the gov officials stand in my way, otherwise I will try my best to be fear and honest in my business practice
    you are doing very good keep it up and wish u all the best and lets be in touch

  12. Drima on February 8th, 2007 12:51 pm

    Adevents thanks for your kind words. You’re welcome to drop by here anytime.

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