Africa is a very energy rich continent. The UN, Wold Bank, IEA have all given billions to the governments of these countries for "green energy projects". The majority of the monies have been stolen. Government corruption is the largest hurdle to development in Africa. From the IEA report released October 2014, "Africa has long been plagued by the resource curse, where abundant oil, gas and minerals in places like Equatorial Guinea or the Republic of Congo have made a select few rich, led to widespread corruption and left the majority of citizens poor. The energy resources have also sparked conflict in countries such as Sudan and Nigeria, and have contributed to years of coups and political unrest. That trend is set to continue, the IEA report said, unless countries tackle the range of problems that hinder the energy sector, from widespread oil theft (worth $5 billion a year in Nigeria) to electricity tariffs across the region, which are among the highest in the world. Corruption, too, remains a “major barrier” to investment in some countries." Africa need to solve its governance and security issues before declaring the only solution is the erosion of my property rights.

After 9/11 the law was changed to allow for unlimited background checks instead of the former previous 7 years. So 20 years after my conviction I was suddenly fired for it. After a year of job hunting and a year of refusals I said sarcastically to myself "The only way a company will ever hire me is if I own the company". And that was when necessity met inspiration and great things started to happen. I started my own company. An IT consulting/staffing firm, the type every Fortune 500 uses to fill positions. So I first incorporated (C-corp is best for this situation). As Cytotoxic stated, "I cannot imagine an IT shop failing to check the background of a system administrator who will be working with banking systems". He is right. Being the "consulting firm" allows you a layer of insulation between yourself and the client while still allowing you to advertise "all of your consultants have been through a vigorous background check". Technically this is not lying as you have been through a few vigorous background checks. Most firms will not pay to BG check if they hire through a staffing firm. As far as client knows I am just a consultant for XYZ Corp, I do not volunteer that I am the owner unless asked (don’t lie if asked). If you are working in a regulated environment (ie banking/financials) this still doesn't get you past the SEC Officer or other regulatory agency official. gcnaddict advice was spot on as it is exactly what I do. I go first directly to the SEC Officer (I usually work investment houses) to fill out my background check paperwork and absolutely write down my conviction and the required "brief description". Being honest I have yet to be turned down (my conviction is theft). This information is generally not passed back to the employing company. Since starting my firm, it merged with another, became one of the premier in its niche, was purchased by an investment firm, and my felonious self laughed all the way to the bank. Could be you next.