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Get This Book: Give us Your Best And brightest: Why Does Africa Lose It’s Best Brains To America And The West?

Why does Africa lose its best and brightest brains to America and the West? A simple Google search on top student in KCSE 1989 (Kenya’s equivalent of the American SAT exams) Naeem Samnakay (Alliance High School), reveals that he went to Australia to pursue medical studies. He is now a paedriatic surgeon at St. John’s hospital in Australia. 

A search on the top student in 1990, Fred Were, from Starehe, reveals that he went to the US for further studies and is a now a medical researcher there.

A search on Gilbert Tengetta, from Mang’u High School and top student in 1992, reveals that he went to the US to pursue engineering studies where he is up to date. Similarly ,some of the other top students went to various American  universities.

They include:

1989- Dennis Okumu Ouma- A student at the Alliance High School who got a full scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed undergraduate through PhD in Electrical Engineering in Just seven years. 

1989- John Gachora Mburu- Who went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Harvard and UPenn, but then returned to Kenya and is now CEO of NCBA Bank. 

1994-Kirimania Muriithi- Alliance High School and got a full scholarship to Massachusetts Institute of Technology- Alliance High School-MIT. He was the best student in the 1994 KCSE high school exam, and says nobody ever got the marks he got. But it wasn’t easy for him to adapt to life at MIT, what with his thick accent and home sickness. He wanted to come back home but then persevered graduating with a Masters in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He told the MIT student newspaper back on graduation day that once he made enough money, he wanted to set up a n American style ranch back in his rural home in Laikipia, Kenya.

1997-Mwashuma Nyatta. Alliance High School. He went on to get a full scholarship to Harvard University, and became a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford university. He is a musician on the side, and as per his LinkedIn profile, was worked with Softbank Latin America.

1998-Timothy Thairu-Alliance High school- Harvard. He topped both the elementary exam at Busara academy in 1994 before topping again in 1998 as the top KCSE student. He went on to work for Microsoft and became one of the thousands of Microsoft millionaires that were churned out when Microsoft instituted an employee share ownership scheme.

1999- Samuel Gikandi-Alliance High school-MIT.

2000-Dhar Tishampati –Mang’u High school –University of Adelaide. When you account for grade inflation, his mean mark of 85 percent has not been beaten up to date. He got 99 percent in both Math and Physics. At University of Adelaide, he was also on the Dean’s list as best performing student throughout his undergraduate years. He was a software programmer at apogee defense company in Australia.

2001-Amit Monga- Starehe Boys center–McGill University

2001-Hillary Mucheru-(Nguviu Boys)-Harvard

2001- Isaac Nyang’olo –(Mang’u high school- Harvard.

2005-James Kandie Rotich-Moi High school kabarak- Massachusetts Institute of Technology-MIT.

2005-Zawadi Lemayian–Alliance Girls High school- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

1998-Paul K Njoroge –Starehe Boys Center-Who went to MIT before founding Africa’s Talking. 

2010-Wanjiku Mungai-Precious Blood Girls-Harvard.

2010-John Kimani kamau–Nairobi School-Harvard .

2010-Anthony Mabonga-Alliance High School-Harvard

2011-Joab Nalianya, topped the 2011 high school exam and was admitted to Stanford where he says meeting the best students from across the world really challenged him. As per a media interview, he was at Texas instruments hired with a degree in electrical engineering.

2000-Brian Oduor -Alliance High school-Connecticut College and Yale School of Management.

1995-Edwin Macharia- went to Alliance High School then matriculated to Amherst College before working for the Clinton Global Initiative. He attempted politics but ditched it to pursue a career in consulting at Dalberg consulting in South Africa.

1995-James Mwangi, Alliance High School – Harvard. He studied Economics and often thought he would go back for masters program. He worked at Dalberg consulting South Africa and is married to his Harvard sweetheart, from India.

1991-Humphrey Wattanga- Alliance High School, who went to Harvard after a series of strikes from his initial university, University of Nairobi. He studied biochemistry and got an MBA from UPenn , went to work for several insurance firms and is currently the Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority-KRA.

1988-Shahir Salyani- Alliance High School, Aga Khan Academy- Massachusetts Institute of Technology-MIT, now in the medical services industry.

1996-Irene Murimi -Alliance Girls High School-Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Chemical Engineering Major.

1995-Martin Mbaya- Alliance High School-MIT/Harvard. Mechanical Engineering And Japan Studies. Now head of executive education at Strathmore Business School.

2009-Ed Magema- Wei Wei Secondary. He was the sixth best student in that year and went to Harvard on a full scholarship. For someone who had never heard of Harvard and only thought of Yale as a padlock, he was called by an official from the American embassy that he could apply for scholarships in some of the best American universities. He ended up studying Pure Maths at Harvard, the only black student in the program. He has written a book on how to get into Harvard even as an average student, is running an EdTech company and also a Fintech company focused on remittances from migrants.

2010-Mwangasha Lydia Katini- Kenya High School- Harvard Medical School. 

2014-Albert Wandui Kamau- Moi High School Kabarak- Stanford and Caltech for Physics PhD. 

2016- Janet Irene Otieno-Pangani Girls- Wanted to study Aeronautical Engineering at Technical University of Kenya but got a full scholarship to Yale University where she likely majored in a liberal Arts discipline.

2017- Naomi Karimi- Pangani Girls- Hoped to study in the US.

Given that this is just a small sample, how many students could actually have left? Your guess is as good as mine. Of course, some will start proclaiming about patriotism but in the current globalized world, competition for talent is stiff and talented people will move to areas where they feel their skills are appreciated. Equally important, such universities as Harvard have huge endowments and African local universities may be unable to compete for the KCSE cream. Such students get full scholarships and a return ticket which they are unwilling to use to come back to their home countries.

About the author Collins Mabinda Okango Koni. I write on the intersection of politics, business, education, management, and technology. My articles have have appeared in numerous global publications among them, the White House website. Here is a snippet of an article that appeared on the White House website.

An official website of the United States government

YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE

AFRICA’S YOUTH MUST TAKE UP CHALLENGE TO DEVELOP AFRICA

By YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE

3 MINUTE READ

YALI Network Member Collins Mabinda recent op-ed in All Africa: 

Recently, I joined a network of young Africans who are each working in a myriad of ways to develop the continent. I joined the Young African Leaders Initiative Network, which is an initiative of the United States government and African countries. The initiative seeks to promote a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Africa that is open for business, entrepreneurship, and civic opportunities.

Each of the YALI network members has pledged to help develop Africa in their own little way.

Among the YALI network members, there is a flourishing farmer in Morogoro, Tanzania, a civic leader in Lagos, Nigeria who is fighting against malaria in a sprawling slum in Lagos, and a Zimbabwean entrepreneur who founded the first innovation hub in Zimbabwe, Hypercube. Some of the YALI network members will be chosen to become Mandela Fellows, which will see them attend leading institutions in the United States for eight weeks. An additional small group will stay behind and be offered internship opportunities in leading companies in the US. Ultimately, the fellowship will culminate in a summit between African and American leading figures.

The partnership between the United States and Africa is now informed by the fact that Africa has to move from the periphery of world affairs, and move to the centre, where it becomes part and parcel of the global conversation.

This is an Africa that will be known for its opportunities and will be at the desk of policymakers in the White House, London, and other global capitals is what we seek as YALI network members.

Evidently, not all of us will be selected to become Mandela Fellows. However, I urge even those who will not be selected to become Mandela Fellows to continue engaging in the various networking opportunities, and work to build Africa one step at a time. One day, their efforts will be rewarded, and they will get other opportunities to showcase their talents.

Moreover, as young Africans, it is our duty to ensure that we create a new narrative for Africa. Africa is on the brink of takeoff, never mind a few instabilities here and there. It would be a tragedy if outsiders see Africa’s potential, but Africans don’t see this potential.

YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE

White House 

Department of State 

Read more here and if you can, buy the book here..

Also, Get This Book: What Goes Into Choosing a Great Career?

Quite too often, many students are at a loss as to which careers to choose. Majority of high school, college and university students rely on their parents and the society to make career choices for them. Is it any wonder then that many young professionals are disillusioned with their careers? This is simply because they were not guided properly when choosing their courses and careers. They are then forced to stay in jobs and careers that do not make use of their best talents and abilities.

This book is detailed on what each course means, the career prospects of each course and future professional growth. Some newly emerging fields such as renewable energy and cyber and internet security are also covered. The over 80 page book in paper explores what you need to gain admission into Universities that offer these courses. In addition, answers to over 30 frequently asked Career questions are also provided. In effect, a perfect career choice is an intersection between what you are good at, that is measured by your talents and abilities, your passion, and what the job market is willing to pay.

If for instance you are a great poet as your passion, then become a newspaper writer so you balance between your passion and the job market demand. If you love assembling and disassembling objects and are good in Math and Physics, then you could become a great engineer. If you have a sticky tongue and can sell ice to an Eskimo, then you could make a great marketer. If you have dexterity of fingers and are passionate about working with people, then you could make a great surgeon. You will not only get an insight into how the College and University Admissions process works, but you will also get an insight into application for the various scholarships that are on offer for needy students. In addition, students who are interested in studying abroad will also have their interests catered for, as the book explains a step by step process of applying for admission into US and UK Universities, the two favorite destinations for students worldwide seeking to study abroad. You will also get a valuable insight into what it takes to get scholarships into elite Ivy League Universities such as Harvard and Yale in the US. Students, Parents, career coaches and admission officials in universities will find the book especially useful. Read More Here And Possibly Also Buy It Here.

Also Get This Book:

The 1% Continent: How Africa Can Rise From Poverty To Prosperity: Summary:

How is a continent that has so much potential, abundant natural resources, and unlimited human capital, sit at the tail end in almost all important global statistical measurements? Africa accounts for just one percent of global trade, one percent of new patents, one percent of stock market activity, to name just but a few of the economic parameters. How can the continent increase its economic output to the world, and in return, become more wealthy and prosperous? And most importantly, who is to blame for the continent’s woes? Is it the bad leadership, the unfair world trade practices that favor the rich and developed countries, or a combination of both internal and external factors? In the 1960s, the independence wave swept across several African countries. 

And yet, fifty years later, the same problems that encumbered the continent then are still the same ones that the continent grapples with. War, disease, and poverty are still in the national manifestos and vision statements of several African countries. They are more of ideals that haven’t translated to tangible benefits on the ground. And yet, journalists and public commentators continue to proclaim that six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa. So, even in the midst of all the tragedies and despair, there is a palpable sense of renewal that is sweeping across Africa, especially among the continent’s young population. Will these small gradual steps that are being made in many African states result in an exponential growth that will catapult the continent to sit at the center of world affairs rather than at the periphery? Or will these small steps merely be a bubble which will burst as fast as it appears? Still, bad leadership and politics have been blamed for the continent’s woes. The important question though is whether democracy as envisioned in the West really works in Africa. 

Too often, most conflicts occur during times of elections, and the elections are contests of one tribe versus another, rather than a contest of parties, individual election candidates, and their ideals. Last year, China launched the ‘Chinese dream’ something akin to the American dream, although opinions are divided on what the ‘Chinese dream’ really means. What then can an ‘African dream’ consist of? And how can this ‘African dream’ be transplanted to the hearts and minds of Africans across Africa and the globe? Still, an African dream will have to evolve in every facet of life, to ensure that Africans have a respectable standard of living, and can aspire to the highest ideals, and be proud of their heritage, even as they take the best from the world. This will mean that more and more African children can hope for the best in the continent, without needing to travel out of the continent wholesome. Currently, Africa’s young men and women seem to have lost hope in the continent, as perennial conflicts, strife, poverty, and disease seem to take the better of the day.

Sure, unlike the United States or China, Africa is not one country. There are wide disparities within and without countries. There is also the huge gulf between North Africa, which tends to lean to the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. So, in a nutshell, each of the 54 African countries would have to adapt the ‘African dream’ to its own unique situations and circumstances. However, there are broad themes like political stability, reasonable standard of living, democracy and freedoms for the local populations, high standards of literacy and education for Africans, a hunger free Africa, and a right to a decent and affordable healthcare that should form the hallmarks of an African dream. Indeed, these aspirations are not just for Africans, they are universal. Read More Here And If You Can Buy The Book.

You Can Also Read This Book: Remaking America: Here Is How America Can Bounce Back.

Is the United States declining? The middle class is disappearing very fast. Wages are stagnant like never before and when you account for inflation, the average American is worse off compared to the American of the 1970s.

There are racial tensions pitting African Americans with their resentment towards everything that the American state stands for. Then there is the cancel culture and wokeness that is directed towards White Americans. And with this comes the revision of the history of America. 

Was George Washington really great given he advocated for the bill of rights that everyone is equal and yet kept slaves himself. Then of course there is Abraham Lincoln who survey after survey shows he is the best American President of all time, beating Obama to position eight. Lincoln is usually voted the best American President of all time because he ended slavery, and in the ensuing civil war, saved the American Union. 

But revisionists are not painting the same exact picture of Lincoln as a towering paragon of virtue. That in fact, the notion of freeing black slaves was motivated by the fact that Lincoln wanted a white only America and so he had considered repatriating all American slaves back to Africa so they would become the ruling class like Americo- Liberians are dominating Liberia. 

 And that’s why there needs to be a debate on how to remake and renew America. Even the previously politically  aloof Asian American, the so called model minority who has created her own parallel state of upper middle class careers and small business excellence, and so no need to participate in the American political process, she finds herself being entangled into the ravages of the American political process especially with the advent of the Corona pandemic which originated from China and so the Asian American picks up the tab as hate crimes against Asian Americans has risen by over 2,000 percent over the last few years.

And that’s why America needs a debate, a cool one at that, on the question of race and racism and it’s place in America. President Obama should have solved the race quaestion in America. Having ancestry from both Europe and Ireland to be specific, and Africa, Kenya to be specific, then he would have moderated the race question very amicably. He wouldn’t have gravitated to any one side too much and in essence wouldn’t have stepped on anyone’s toes. 

Of course some say that Obama himself is aloof to the course of African Americans since he basically was raised in white previldge, attending predominantly white elite schools in Hawaii, Occidental College, Columbia, and Harvard Law School. In fact, the real connection of Obama to African Americans is through his wife Michelle Obama, who is a descendant of slaves rather than African immigrant in the case of Obama. And remember Michelle Obama undergraduate thesis at Princeton university was about racism, and she was quoted by saying that she was for the first time proud of America only because her husband was running for Presidency which attracted a rebuttal from then running mate of John Mc Cain, Sarah Palin, who said she has always been proud of being an American.

But then Obama dodged the bullet. The only time he addressed the race issue in America was when he was distancing himself from his long time pastor Jeremy Wright, and after that, he would only  be occasionally angry when an overzealous white police officer shot an unarmed black man. But of course, the race question never went beyond that. And now, American kids are learning about critical race theory and how can it be taught safely even as the place of America is dignified. 

African Americans want critical race theory to explain the high inequalities between blacks and whites in America. African Americans argue that systemic and institutional racism is the reason why African Americans are so far behind white Americans in every economic metric. And this is why pundits say that an African American is an African without memory, since her history begins when the slave ships arrived in America in 1619, 400 years ago, and so her history about black people is confined to the last 400 years of black subjugation, rather than a millennia of triumph of many black civilisations. On the other hand also, an African American is an American without previledge since she doesn’t partake of the white previledge.

Of course, white leading figures view the critical race theory as an affront on whiteness in America, and so they think and believe critical race theory is but teaching White American kids to be ashamed of their history, be even enemies of America. But of course, America has the twin sins of slavery, forced immigration of Africans to work in the American slave plantations, and a near extermination of native Americans and taking away their land, and so America was built to be a European satellite state even as immigrants from all over the world have constantly renewed and rejuvenated America. 

So, plagued by the question of race and it’s place in America, how does America move forward? How does America reconcile with it’s past?

The answer is economic renewal. Really, the next chapter in the civil Rights movement is the availing of business capital to minorities, blacks, women, and people of color. African Americans must reject the Democratic Party tokenism of Obama and Kamala Harris where they watch from the sidelines on the fence or peeing through the window as a few blacks are invited to the dining table while their conditions generally do not improve. Someone said the biggest danger to African Americans is the white liberal and and evidence seems to point towards that.

And it’s why the African American should not be a tick in the box, affirmative action policy point, or the latest cliche right now, diversity and inclusion. It’s the latest trend in the biggest American companies right now, that of having a few black faces in senior management to show that the company is racially diverse. 

African Americans could borrow from Asian Americans who haven’t been reliant on the state to fix their issues. They have inculcated in their kids the virtues of hardwork and tenacity for talent. And that’s why Asian Americans have managed to ascend the American dream and have upper middle class careers such as doctors and lawyers, accountants, programmers and coders; and having thriving family businesses and in this case, the Asian Americans. So, because of this, Asian Americans have been dubbed as the model minority in which they excel even when having no state to dish out goodies to them.

For instance, in the Ivy League universities, even though Asian Americans make up just 2 percent of the American population, their student numbers are about 20 percent in elite universities such as Harvard and Yale. And if you remove racial admission quotas, a lawsuit against Harvard and the University of North Carolina by an Asian American lobby Group- Students for fair admissions, then the numbers of Asian Americans at elite American universities like Harvard would jump up to 45 percent, nearly half of the student population in these elite universities. These figures are based on the University of California Public system, a series of 13 colleges which includes America’s best public college, University of California Berkeley. When the racial quotas was abolished and merit admission system was used, the number of Asian American students increased to 45 percent. Hence, Asian Americans want to see these kind of numbers reflected in the admissions at elite American uber private or Ivy League universities. 

Donald Trump has the correct message for America. That is the middle class in America is disappearing very fast. But unfortunately, it had a racial tinge to it because of Trump’s many rough edges. And so, many of his adversaries saw his campaign as enabling a return of white domination of America, and in fact a number of his supporters urinated on homeless Mexican Americans since Trump had said that Mexican illegal immigrants were thieves and rapists that were poisoning the blood of white America. And of course, according to a Trump insider, on Obama winning the elections in 2008, Trump wondered aloud if there was any country in the world that was run by a black person that was successful. Read More Of The Book Here And If Possible Buy It.

You Can Also Get This Book: The Western Media Agenda Against Africa. Summary.

The media is often referred to as the fourth estate in democracy, after the other three tenets of democracy; the executive, the judiciary, and the legislature. What has been the role of media in defining the Africa’s agenda? Have African journalists acted in a fair and transparent manner, and have they been as much critical as they have been patriotic? How has the international media covered Africa? All these are genuine questions that one must ask, since in this new world, perception is the new reality, and ‘Brand Africa’ has been much devalued in the international arena. Is the international media right in portraying Africa as a place of disease, war, and poverty, or is this merely a reflection of the situation on the ground, something that we just too eager to cover up. Most importantly, How can Africa change its image from a place of savage to one where there are real hopes and opportunities, and where the successes and small steps are celebrated just as challenges and failures are acknowledged? 

At least in the past ten years or so, media airwaves have been liberalized, and there is now much more open space to air dissenting opinions. However, African journalists are still facing tremendous challenges in their day to day activities. The trial and conviction of Aljazeera journalists by the Egyptian government shows just how vulnerable journalists operating in Africa are. To this end, African journalists have to play a thin line between staying patriotic to the continent’s ideals, while also questioning what they clearly think could be cases of bad governance and mismanagement. Media companies in Africa are torn on which broadcasting mode they should adopt. Should they adopt a private commercial entity like American broadcasters, or take the more public orientation of the major European broadcasters. While the public relied on state media from independence right through the 1990s, the media landscape in Africa has now changed to a great deal. There are many FM stations that have come, and increasingly, the number of private TV stations is increasing. Can African state broadcasters play a neutral role, say like the BBC, and even criticize their own governments? 

In Africa at least, we are yet to reach this level of journalism. In Zimbabwe for instance, private broadcasters that were not in support of President Robert Mugabe’s policies were shut down, and the advertising withdrawn. In Zambia, senior editors of a government run newspaper were drawn to court for questioning the government’s policies. Even then, there is a crucial role that public broadcasters play. There are regions in which the private media would consider simply as being too expensive and uneconomical to cover their stories. These are areas in which public broadcasters could excel in, that is, by giving the marginalized areas a voice to tell their stories. In fact, one of the major accusations of private media in Africa, is that they serve only a tiny middle class to rich elite, and are concentrated in the major cities and urban areas. The breadth of stories that the private media represents is strikingly narrow. To this end, there is a huge role that public broadcasters in Africa can and should play. The private media are reliant on advertising, and in fact, in future, the threat to free media will not be the government, but the advertisers who wouldn’t want their dirty linen washed in public. In this way, given that governments across Africa are some of the major advertisers in the media, this is a sure way to put a muzzle on the media. Denial of advertising revenues is a far more potent threat to the media than you can imagine. If a private media airs a story that the government is not happy with, the government can simply respond by pulling away the advertisements, leading to the demise of the station. 

For instance, in early September 2014, Radio Zimbabwe, which operated from London, and was focused on the ills of the Robert Mugabe regime, had to shut down due to a lack of advertisements. Equally, big corporations and companies will continue to have an unnecessary leeway over the conduct of the private and public media. Since these big companies are some of the major advertisers, many media managers will be keen not to air negative stories about such companies. The companies spend huge amounts of money on advertisements and promotions and expect nothing but good publicity from these media outlets. A Nigerian journalist for example, complained that it had become difficult to do a major story in which a leading company in the country was letting out waste in a nearby river simply because the company was a major advertiser in the media company. However, this is not a uniquely African problem. A leading financial newspaper in China is under investigation for demanding bribes from companies in which it carries positive stories, and it issues threats of negative coverage if its demands are not acceded to. 

So, should African media seek alternative sources of funding to enable them be above the interests of advertisers. Unfortunately, advertisements are the only real way that most media companies make their money. The media executives know therefore that even as they criticize the major stakeholders, they must not rock the boat too much, or else the ship will sink. Numerous times, a call from a major company CEO, or a government bureaucrat has been enough to have a worthwhile story killed. This then portends a very worrying situation for advertising dependent media. Could pay TV and subscription TV help to lessen the financial burden on TV stations? Pay TV is slowly picking up in Africa, and perhaps, as the number of Africans that pay for media content continues to increase, the TV stations would be able to make substantially more revenues and become less reliant on advertising. However, this will depend largely on whether the media stations in the continent will be able to produce content that is relevant and which consumers will be willing to pay for. Currently, apart from news, the TV stations’ programming is filled with foreign content, and some programs such as Mexican soap operas continue to find a wide market in the continent. 

Still, one of the major drawbacks of the media in the continent is in the coverage of intra continental stories. While many African media have vastly improved the coverage of local affairs, the coverage of regional and continental issues remains fairly low. Sure, there are a few broadcasters that are trying to stretch across the continent, such as South Africa’s SABC, but the fact is that they are few and far between. The fact is that too often, the continental media is relying on (mostly) Western broadcasters to tell the African stories. Sometimes, the foreign journalists in the continent do not understand the scope and context in which the stories are carried. There are definitely many private media stations that are making quite a substantial amount of profits, and it defeats reason as to why they are not sending journalists to cover stories in neighboring countries. Could it be that Africans are simply not interested in affairs that are happening in other African countries? And how could the media in the continent help to change this trend? Or will the present trend of relying on international newswires to air intra-continental stories continue?

At their heart, media houses are commercial enterprises, one that have obligations to their shareholders. Given this, profit becomes the primary motive and news and features only a distant second as a product. In the race for ratings, could media houses be dumbing down? After all, the higher the ratings, the more the advertising revenues, the more the profits, and so, journalists and presenters, news anchors, and columnists become merely the tools which the media houses achieve their end. It’s possibly one of the reason why drama sells on TVs, while sensationalism sells on the print media. Can the media houses strike some balance between the profit motives, and also helping to address the issues which are most pressing to the audiences? But even then, if the audiences decide the content that they want to consume, what’s the editors got to do other than give them the content that they want? Perhaps then, the public broadcasters should be empowered even further, so that they would be free from the pressures of meeting the quarterly financial targets. Their targets would be more aligned with public service. The growth of small community stations could also fill this niche, but the issue of funding will have to be sorted out. Get The Book Here. And Buy If You Can.

About Collins Mabinda Okango Koni. I comment on general issues in politics, business, education, management and technology. I was a former columnist for the Star Newspaper. My articles have appeared in numerous global publications, among them, whitehouse.gov. Here is a sample of the article that appeared on the White House website.

An official website of the United States government.

YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE

AFRICA’S YOUTH MUST TAKE UP CHALLENGE TO DEVELOP AFRICA

By YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE

3 MINUTE READ

YALI Network Member Collins Mabinda recent op-ed in All Africa: 

Recently, I joined a network of young Africans who are each working in a myriad of ways to develop the continent. I joined the Young African Leaders Initiative Network, which is an initiative of the United States government and African countries. The initiative seeks to promote a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Africa that is open for business, entrepreneurship, and civic opportunities.

Each of the YALI network members has pledged to help develop Africa in their own little way.

Among the YALI network members, there is a flourishing farmer in Morogoro, Tanzania, a civic leader in Lagos, Nigeria who is fighting against malaria in a sprawling slum in Lagos, and a Zimbabwean entrepreneur who founded the first innovation hub in Zimbabwe, Hypercube. Some of the YALI network members will be chosen to become Mandela Fellows, which will see them attend leading institutions in the United States for eight weeks. An additional small group will stay behind and be offered internship opportunities in leading companies in the US. Ultimately, the fellowship will culminate in a summit between African leaders and leading American figures.

The partnership between the United States and Africa is now informed by the fact that Africa has to move from the periphery of world affairs, and move to the centre, where it becomes part and parcel of the global conversation.

This is an Africa that will be known for its opportunities and will be at the desk of policymakers in the White House, London, and other global capitals is what we seek as YALI network members.

Evidently, not all of us will be selected to become Mandela Fellows. However, I urge even those who will not be selected to become Mandela Fellows to continue engaging in the various networking opportunities, and work to build Africa one step at a time. One day, their efforts will be rewarded, and they will get other opportunities to showcase their talents.

Moreover, as young Africans, it is our duty to ensure that we create a new narrative for Africa. Africa is on the brink of takeoff, never mind a few instabilities here and there. It would be a tragedy if outsiders see Africa’s potential, but Africans don’t see this potential.

YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE

White House 

Department of State