I would never expect my husband to play Robin Hood: to take from the rich and give to the poor. But when he told me his foundation would be working to “promote the growth of the private sector” in Africa, my eyebrows raised slightly with concern. I was born a [...]
In the kingdom of developing countries, there used to be the big four: China, seen as the assembly line of the world; India, the world’s back-office; Russia, the energy behemoth; and Brazil, the biofuel and large-scale agriculture provider. These countries joined forces to create the “BRIC” block and drive a [...]
An American literature academic once told Chinua Achebe that after reading his critique of Joseph Conrad’s Hearts of Darkness, the academic understood Conrad’s book for the first time. This, despite the fact that the academic had been teaching the book for years! This anecdote captures what Achebe was all about. By deconstructing [...]
It was an experience that I hadn’t dared imagine for my personal bucket list: an invitation to be the keynote speaker at the White House. Why did the White House invite me to talk about doing business in Africa? Why is the White House focused on an idea that seems [...]
Editor’s Note: March kicks off with elections in Kenya on the 4th. Starting with this article, we will be shining a spotlight on this East African country throughout the month. Over the next few weeks, we will delve into Kenya’s technology, youth and agriculture. Kenyan elections are here. The debate over jobs, wealth [...]
There have been rare moments in my life, “aha” moments if you will, in which I have literally been jolted into realizing the beauty of my ancestry and my race. Moments like when President Barack Obama was elected not only once, but twice as President of the United States. Moments [...]
I had the pleasure of being on the International Executive Planning Committee for the Youth Alliance for Leadership Development in Africa (YALDA) International Conference held in Lagos, Nigeria from October 4-7th 2012. YALDA was started by a group of students at Harvard University in 2004, and has already enjoyed three successful conferences in Egypt in 2006, Uganda in [...]
Robert Mugabe, or “Good ol’ Bob” as he was once called, was born just west of present day Harare, in the Zvimba district. President Mugabe, who on 21 February 2013 celebrates his 89th birthday, rose to power as the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) amid the conflict [...]
Last week, we looked at investing in Somaliland, whose economy is characterized by its informality, and entrepreneurship. This week, we delve into different sectors, starting with the telecommunications market, which is booming, but still facing many challenges. Booming Telecom Sitting at a meeting with business leaders, it is common to [...]
Our Video of the Week, Nigerian Men Tattoo Their Lips Pink! got us thinking about perceptions of physical beauty. In it, we’re taken to a parlor in Lagos, Nigeria and see a man getting his lower lip colored in light pink. He barely flinches as the tattoo gun buzzes on [...]
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