Re-focusing on the development of the Service Industry in Eritrea
By Amanuel Biedemariam,
As a new nation, Eritrea is in a constant state of change and social rearrangements. While most expected the sky to fall over, they worked hard to see the demise of the government and ultimately the instability of Eritrea; the unity of the people, their determination, ingenuity, dedication, resilience, selflessness, and sacrifices worked as a foundation that set Eritrea on solid grounds. Eritrea’s strong mindset foiled all attempts and stands as a testament to the unshakable foundation Eritrea is founded upon.
Some essential ingredients make nations successful. These include an educated public, citizens determined to defend their country at any cost, strong nationalism, and a government that respects the people. When this foundation is established solidly, it becomes a platform for building a nation. Since the success of any country depends on this core.
Eritreans have successfully demonstrated that they can defend their nation and ascertain sovereignty while building a country from the ground up by establishing the social, political, legal, and physical infrastructures necessary.
After decades of wars, the task to build Eritrea was daunting considering the hostilities they faced and kept facing; considering the lack of material, human and financial resources; the competitive global environment, technological disadvantages faced, and poor physical and institutional infrastructures they inherited. The lack of experience and expertise in the service industry also meant that Eritrea’s chances for success were limited.
Developed nations have established economies based on various sectors that can work together. They have established manufacturing, technological, agricultural, service, and other sectors to support their economies. The balance of these sectors is what sustains their stable economies. Japan is an excellent example of this. China has also developed formidable manufacturing as well as technology-based industries to support their economies.
Currently, Eritrea does not have the technological and manufacturing bases that can serve as anchors to her economy. However, Eritrea possesses great potential in many areas that can enable her to compete globally even at the current economic and developmental stage. These include mining, fisheries, tourism, and related service industries.
Eritrea’s government is taking steps to ensure a balanced approach to development so that one sector can bolster the other is ingenious, safe, and meticulous. It is designed to provide a sustainable developmental approach to avoid mistakes many African nations have suffered for decades.
Eritrea’s uniqueness is based on her commitment to ensuring that Eritreans own their resources and can extract and exploit them. It takes dedication, patience, perseverance, and hard work. It mainly requires a population that understands what is necessary to propel a nation to the next level. Eritreans have long understood that a collective-conscious approach to development will ultimately ensure successes consistent with their national goals and aspirations.
Developing all sectors to satisfy the national aspirations is very difficult to attain considering the challenges. However, it is attainable in due time and with a pragmatic approach. With this understanding, the people of Eritrea must seize opportunities.
The service industry is one sector that Eritreans can take advantage of rather quickly and easily. Eritrea requires great service expertise to develop her economy. The service industry must develop at high levels to facilitate the growth of other sectors. For example, the tourism industry needs hotels, restaurants, transportation, and developed-service-culture to support and nurture it.
To provide the services required well, Eritreans must honestly assess their service industry, evaluate how they provide services and adjust accordingly. The service industry is the key culprit to the development of any nation. Service is the basis of all sectors. Developing a culture of service and providing good service reflects well on any organization or country. How does Eritrea fair in this?
These are essential questions to help evaluate where Eritrea is today. An honest and balanced review is required. It is also crucial that it is relative to the region and the world. And they are based on expert analysis.
Eritreans must also evaluate, ask questions to assess the services they provide and receive from the establishments they own and operate. This self-assessment is critical even in the Eritrean communities abroad. They must reevaluate how well or poorly they serve each other.
Diaspora Eritreans are essential to the development of the service industry of Eritrea for two reasons.
Firstly, they are the number one tourists and essential consumer base, and secondly, they are the primary recipients and providers of the services Eritrea offers. Service requires heart, caring, and dedication. Eritreans must be willing to serve each other first and then the world to compete in this global economy. For decades Eritreans in the Diaspora have primarily focused on safeguarding their nation.
That meant the service industry received little attention, energy, and resources. To change that, Eritreans must reengage in this endeavor and succeed in the same manner that they defend their nation. It is natural when a country is engaged in national defense as Eritreans were forced to do; the focus is on protecting the nation. As a result, many industries suffer. The service industry is one.
A strong community is a community that can nurture the future of their children at the highest of levels; a community that can ensure a stable environment for their families; a community that can educate, develop, and grow resources to ensure future successes. It is communities that can help support each other’s businesses, increase wealth and information sharing. It must be a community willing to give service at the highest of levels and receive it.
The irony, when a community fails to develop this communally oriented service attitude, it robs children of their future by creating a vacuum. And by default, that becomes a victory for the enemies because that is what they want. They wanted to see Eritreans disintegrate and forget their nation when they lived elsewhere. They wanted to ensure that Eritreans lost a sense of identity by targeting their unity.
Hence, failure to establish a strong community that can withstand many pressures will harm future generations. It would mean Eritreans have failed at the very issue that holds them together, the love and defending their nation. And also because service is one way to ensure the viability of Eritrean communities.
When an establishment, say a restaurant, gives relatively good service that meets the needs of the families in a given community, it has contributed to the wellbeing of the community.
However, suppose a restaurant fails to meet the needs. In that case, the families will be hurt, the children robbed of the service they deserve, and could develop a negative impression of the community restaurant.
It is significant because these families would then be forced to take their kids elsewhere, distancing them from their communities. It, in turn, will cause the restaurants to either close or look elsewhere. The spinoff ramifications are significant either way. It can hurt the communities to disintegrate.
The true expression of nationalism or citizenry is voluntarily serving a nation. Eritrean kids are very motivated and willing to contribute to the future of Eritrea. In the past, they have conducted many campaigns to help Eritrean families in Eritrea. They washed cars and sold many things to raise funds. They have stood tall along with their parents to ensure the safety of Eritrea. That is the honor citizens can give one nation. During tough times they have stood in defense and keep standing. That is what makes Eritrea’s children in the Diaspora is special.
These deeds underscore the importance of nurturing Eritrea’s children in the Diaspora. Eritrea’s children ought to be the priority of Eritreans. When these children are satisfied with the services they receive from their establishments, they are more likely to be proud and bring their friends, mainly when they grow older. It is also one way to encourage them to engage in businesses that reflect their heritage, as Italians have done for centuries. Nurturing children will go a long way in creating pride and continuity.
Therefore, it is vital to see service from all angles. Service is a part of every aspect of life, no matter how it is rendered and by whom. Eritreans are good servants of their nation. As Eritrea transitions from the war footing into a full-fledged nation-building mode, they need to reassess this issue and partake. Serving each other at the highest of levels will go a long to ensure a bright future.
When service is provided at the highest levels, expectations rise across the board. Eritreans are very close to their country. They travel to Eritrea by the hundreds of thousands every year. Eritreans are not only the consumers of the products and services they receive in Eritrea. They are, in many cases, service providers or contemplating to do business and participate in the development of Eritrea. Therefore, to expect a high level of services, they must first understand it and render the services in countries of their residency. In short, they are responsible as citizens to engage and remain seized in the matter.
To conclude:
Eritreans have gone through many phases in the struggle to free Eritrea and make it a success worthy of the sacrifices made by her heroes. Therefore, it is an obligation of every Eritrean to ensure that the future of Eritrea repays the payments made in blood. One way to ensure it is by building a nation that reflects their values, which can be proud of and taller than the tallest.
Eritreans stood together to ensure their freedom. That was the most challenging hurdle to overcome. But the collective focus brought a nation from ruins. That legacy, in a sense, is the guide that no challenge can stop Eritreans from fulfilling their dreams of building Eritrea. Eritreans, therefore, need to RE-FOCUS and bring the same energy and focus on the rebuilding of Eritrea. Eritrea went through an incredibly tough journey to ascertain sovereignty. Eritrea was also challenged by all the powers to be. Eritrea, however, cleared the clouds of hell, and fresh air is flowing throughout the nation. It is, therefore, time to go to the next level and, it starts in all of us
