Consonance; The African Synergy
I grew up to learn that Africa was one of the poorest continents in the world. I grew up hearing that a better life awaits me just off the coast of the African borders. I grew up seeing the atrocities of happenings in my country and in Africa, especially in the political sphere. I didn’t choose this life, it chose me. It is really difficult seeking development in a continent that is lacking the most basic infrastructure in this present age. But still, I believe.
I believe because of what I can see.
A few weeks ago, Bill Gates was in Nigeria and he said to the government; “the most important choice you can make is to maximize your greatest resource, the Nigerian people. Nigeria will thrive when every Nigerian is able to thrive…If you invest in their health, education and opportunities, the human capital, which will lay the foundation for sustained prosperity”. Bill Gates could see the Vibranium in Nigeria, but it wasn’t just a metal that could absorb different forms of vibration energy, it was the human capital, you and I. Unlike the movie, The Black Panther, that showed Wakanda’s rich resources; Vibranium and the people’s ability to utilize it for their benefit, we have in Africa, a Wakanda that is oblivious of their own rich resources, so much so that they need the white man to tell it to them. But this is changing…
Africa is Rising
What did Bill Gates know that many Africans don’t? Is it that Africa is the youngest population in the world and by 2040, half of the world’s youngest people will be in Africa? Is it that companies abroad are now looking to find the next generation of digital workforce in Africa? Could it be because over the next 50 years, Africa will be home to 1.1 billion workers? Or maybe its because these workers will speak English, providing an ease of doing business as opposed to other countries or continents with the same human resources. Could this be the reason for the increase in venture backed resources? Could this be the reason companies from the abroad are trying to sow their corporate oats in Africa? With the emergence of more and more hubs in Africa and programs like ALC by Andela, HngInternship by Hotels.ng, Processor by Consonance, Devcenter, Moringa school, forLoop meetups and many more initiatives around the continent, we can say that although the tech revolution started in Palo Alto, its future will be written in the capitals of Africa.
Dr. Maya Angelou saw this and puts it this way;
Up from a past rooted in pain, I rise;
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, I rise;
Into a daybreak miraculously clear, I rise;
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the hope and the dream of the slave and so; I rise.
When you take a look at the past and see the way things are now, you can tell that there has been a shift and although it will take more than the movie, The Black Panther, to show this, some people are already seeing it. The younger generation, especially those in tech, can see this clearly. Look around you, what do you see? I see the likes of Yinka Adewale, Maya Horgan Famodu, Yasmine El Baggari, Ogunlana Olumide, Prosper Otemuyiwa, Nadayar Enegesi, Elo Umeh, Segun Famisa, Abiola Olaniran, Moyinoluwa Adeyemi, Okechukwu Ofili, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Ire Aderinokun, Onyeka Akumah, Rupert Bryant, Christian Nwamba, Raindolf Owusu, Ola Orekunrin, Yele Bademosi, Mubarak Muyika, Timi Ajiboye, just to mention a few, all inspiring young folks making a difference. This shows that Africans are rising and the landscape is changing really fast. We are working on a way to celebrate folks like these especially the developers through a comic initiative; the backend superhero (still in the concept phase, so chill, don’t get too excited yet..lol).
Consonance, a community of tech enthusiasts committed to growth through self-learning with a mission to build Africa, is one of the organizations that can see this landscape changing. We started out exactly one year ago, today, with a few techies at Obafemi Awolowo University including Oyewale Ademola, Otaru Babatunde, harny otuoniyo, Jubril Edu, Adebimpe Adebowale, Israel Adura, Ekundayo Blessing Funminiyi, Taiwo Azeez, Perfect Makanju, Ezekiel Oladejo, Talabi Opemipo, Lon Ilesanmi, Kanyinsola Oyindamola Fapohunda, Omotoso Omoniyi, samparsky, Ayomide Aro, BAKARE Ayomide Olalandu, Goodness Kayode, Michael Okuboyejo, Shox Adomokai, Brenda Okoro, Ologunowa Samuel Oluwatomi, Timilehin Ogunyemi, Michael Akanji, PELUMI ONI, Nnabueze Uhiara, George Okereka, ikezogwo wisdom, Mayowa Tudonu, Bashir Hamza, Jerry Adeleye, Lekan Wahab, Wumi Oyediran, Tinuade Adeleke, Odu Oluwafemi and a few others. We have since grown to almost 1000 techies including you (add your name here, if you’re reading from Consonance) in different locations, learning, growing and sharing along the way through various media.
Our heart is on the campuses, the younger generation coming up, where we have the raw form of Vibranium which can be harnessed to become the need of organizations all over the world, which can be harnessed to build our wonder land; Wakanda and fix every broken part and which can also be harnessed to groom the next billion work force. This is definitely not a job for one organization, which is why we encourage our members to be a part of every good thing happening around them including DC Slack by Devcenter, ALC by Andela, ICA by Ingressive, Meetups by forLoop, HngInternship by Hotels.ng, GDG, WTM, IEEE and other communities that will prove consequential to their growth. This is also the reason for the pilot initiative; Processor (Ademola spoke about it here), that will commence by Q3 on a few university campuses and will later spread to most campuses in order to provide resources needed by techies to learn and grow.
We aren’t fortune tellers, we can’t tell what the future holds, but we are sure of one thing, if we stick together and remain supportive in our various journeys, we will be alright and maybe, just maybe, have made a difference in the continent at the end of our days on earth. Soon, we will have both the resources and influence to take on daunting projects together which hopefully, might change #AfricaForever. Steve Jobs once said, ‘Everything you see around you was created by people who are no smarter than you’, so we will play our part in shaping this continent, the one our children will interact with, the same one our children will grow up to know and the exact one that the world will come to respect; my mother land, Africa. The Africa you have grown to know is changing and its evolving fast. I couldn’t ask a better question than Sean in his article; Finding Wakanda:
When the shift in Africa takes place, where will you be? Will you be the one rushed into the lab waking up to wonders you never knew existed? Or will you simply fly over this potential utopia unable to tell the forest from the trees?
I’m really grateful for how far we’ve come and its both exciting and daunting how far we have to go. Happy Anniversary to all Consonance members.
#ConsonanceIsOne
Do not forget to clap if you liked it. Thanks for reading.
