I wholeheartedly believe that economic and environmental sustainability is a basic human right. The full on assault on display on the environment across many African countries often angers me. Nonetheless, light bulbs continue to go off in my head as I recognize a thousand business ideas that should have already arisen from the shameless mismanagement and indifference of the government institutions. I often wonder why there are few initiatives that challenge entrepreneurs to come up with sustainable solutions to address problems they face across their communities. Moreover, why aren’t more companies and organizations actively engaged in supporting this enterprise? …
I have spent a significant part of my life living in the West. When I was a student at university, I was often asked questions about Africa that were embedded in ignorance and negative perceptions. Most Africans in the West, can probably relate to having being asked a version of questions such as: “are you a princess”, “do you live in a hut”, “do you have lions as pets”, “do Africans run so fast because they have to run from wild animals”? Back then, I rarely got angry at these questions and sometimes, I figured quite unkindly, that I could…
Over the past few years, I have worked on a variety of projects that is positioned in some capacity to elevate the current African reality. My work is only a drop in the ocean. If investing time, knowledge and capital in entrepreneurs was all it took to uproot the rotten policies, corruption, unaccountability and flagrant mismanagement in the African continent, then that would have already been done by many in my generation who are tired of the mundane and demand something better.
Recently, as I reevaluated my “African” purpose, I was drawn back to academia. I recall my readings on…
Unaccountable Aid is Futile.
For far too long, African countries have primarily been extractive economies. In addition to being a seemingly helpless continent in constant need of “saving”, help often times comes via aid from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. The shift from aid came as many countries realized that aid has arguably hardly ever benefitted Africa. Unless there is an earthquake, Tsunami or other natural disaster, there is absolutely no need for it. Aid stifles transferable skills, creativity, hard work, and responsibility. And in many cases, it encourages corruption, greed, and the fattening of politicians foreign bank accounts. …
“Ask an African” is an initiative that seeks to gauge the perceptions of Africa by Africans. In this segment, we read from Ateh Atabong.
As a continent, Africa underperforms relative to other regions with regards to economic, social, and political development. I am quite interested in understanding the problems facing the African continent and finding solutions to them. In this quest and through my work in the West, I have realized how important changing the negative perception of Africa is to driving growth in and investments to the continent. Changing these negative perceptions is an uphill climb and will require strategic changes in our mentality as it relates to priority areas that include (but is not limited to) leadership, governance, accountability, security, education and…
Chisom Udeze
Entrepreneur | Founder of Mettle Consult | Co-founder of Pangea Accelerator | Passions: Africa. Sustainability. Things. Human Experiences.
