Opinion: It is Time For The African Youth To Take Charge

Africa has two major leadership problems: firstly, its leadership is fragmented. And secondly, its leaders are stagnating. We need a bold new vision that will integrate the continent and engage the new generation in building its future.

"We are angry, we are restless. We are sick and tired of mediocrity and corruption. We want to make our future. Can our leaders make way for us?

Can we have a meaningful dialogue without being lectured about the liberation struggles of the past?"

This was the popular refrain among the over 400 youth leaders who met at the Mo Ibrahim Annual Conference in Dakar, Senegal, over the last few days – where they discussed the rather charged topic "African Youth: Fulfilling the Potential".

Today, half of the population of Africa is under 20. By 2035 the African labour force will be bigger than China, and by 2050 a quarter the global workforce will be African. At that time, nearly half the global youth population will be African. How do we ensure that Africa benefits from this demographic dividend? How do we ensure that African youth compete at a global level through their sheer numbers?

There is a falling confidence that the current generation is building a brighter future for the next. And this is hardly surprising. Today, the average age of the African head of state is 62, which is three times the average age of the African population.

It is time for my generation to move out of the way. We should be creating the pathways that connect youth to opportunity. We should be building an inter-generational dialogue that encourages a bold vision of an African century we hailed at the beginning of the millennium.

We are constantly reminded by politicians that Africa is the fastest growing continent in the world. There are two questions we need to pose to ourselves. What is the baseline? Africa, with a population of over one billion, has 2.7% share of global GDP. That's less than France, with a population of 65 million. The GDP of the Netherlands, with 16 million people, is equivalent to the total GDP of SA, Nigeria and Egypt. The average per capita in Africa is $300, compared to France at $50,000. It is these facts and data that should drive our strategy and political debates.

Even in our growth there is a different story of who is succeeding in Africa. This is not the story of China and Brazil, where tens of millions are lifted out of absolute poverty; where in spite of corruption, public institutions like education and health give people skills, jobs and livelihoods; where the public infrastructure like roads, highways, electricity, water, sanitation and housing are expanding. We have an incestuous web of interconnected, predatory political and economic elites who have a stranglehold on our growth potential. And if GDP is indeed growing rapidly, and even GDP per capita figures are also growing, inequality is also soaring.

The key question is whether a narrow focus on GDP growth will drive job creation and social inclusion. As I travel across Africa, I see urbanisation happening at a frightening rate. It is driven by poverty and the piercing climate crisis that has resulted in prolonged droughts, the resource wars that devastate communities and undermine social cohesion. As I experienced in Kibeira, "the settlement sits like a huge sprawling mushroom of shacks on the outskirts of Nairobi. No-one knows how many people live there and not many want to be counted in official statistics, but unofficially many claim it is more than a million. It is a teeming, bustling place which is now part of a familiar sight on the African landscape. I see no signs of public investment here."

Africa missed its opportunity in the global commodity boom of the last decades. We acted as 54 separate countries, weakening our bargaining power as an economic bloc, and failing to ensure mutual benefits in terms of beneficiation and the development of our infrastructure.

Mo Ibrahim, himself a successful telecommunications entrepreneur and pioneer of mobile telephony in Africa, says: "We do not understand our strength as the fastest-growing telecommunications market in the world.

We have 500 million users today. Do we have a single telecommunications equipment supplier on the continent? This would never have happened in China. They have forced companies to open manufacturing plants there and to transfer technology and skills to Chinese people."

We end up as a sheer supplier of raw materials; our African intellectual resources end up in the developed world, strengthening the stranglehold global companies have in relation to us; our countries become markets for manufactured goods and services from developed economies.

And our public debate about the Beijing Consensus versus the Washington Consensus is false. The reality is that every country and corporate wanting to do business with Africa has an agenda to serve themselves.

The real failure is our political inability to negotiate as an economic block and create a viable economic common market for our billion citizens.

So the challenge is one of regional integration. The intra-country barriers impede the flow of goods, services and people. They raise the costs of doing business in Africa and fail to create economies of scale.

How quickly we integrate into the global economy and scale up our connecting infrastructure depends on our political will to break down these artificial barriers and the vested interests that perpetuate it.

Which brings us to the greatest challenge, that of governance. Who benefits from the inefficiencies at our borders; the failure to connect our roads, railways and electricity grids; who benefits from the murky world of bureaucratic red tape that hides the corruption and inefficiency of the system? We have to bring ethics into our conversation. Are leaders entering the public service to serve the interests of the citizens or their individual vested and material interests?

As one young leader said, "Give me examples of those who have led our countries that have not ended [up as] dollar multimillionaires by the time they have left office. We can count them on the fingers of one hand. Will they have to account for how they or their family members have acquired such extraordinary wealth?" I think that is a legitimate demand.

As I listen, I marvel at the power of technology to democratise information, transform the delivery of services and empower citizens.

Everyone here has a smartphone. It is absolutely clear that the pace of technology will change how we live, work, educate ourselves and source services from both public and private sector. But it will – it has already begun to – change the checks and balances of democracy. Already the mobile digital revolution is linking farmers in rural areas to understand the prices of their produce in urban markets. Africa accounts for 15 of the top 20 countries using mobile banking. In countries like Kenya, Sudan and Gabon, more than half the population uses mobile banking.

Arabic, especially in North Africa, is the fastest growing language on Twitter. Ushahidi, a non-profit business in Kenya, is becoming a global brand that has created a platform that allows geospatial visualization of our campaigns against human trafficking and other areas of social risk. Governments will soon realise the futility of secrecy laws and censorship to hide corruption from the public eye. The media of the future will be driven by citizens on open-source platforms.

I visited a social change hub in Dakar, Senegal, and spent a fascinating time with earnest entrepreneurs who had set up a shared services model.

Its founder, Karim Sy, gave up his job after attending a social entrepreneur conference in South Africa, and today the incubator hosts over a 150 new start-ups, demonstrating youth leadership and excellence.

After an engaging conversation I was convinced that young leaders like Karim needed to be supported in order to replicate and scale up their service across Africa. They represent our true destiny.

Things have to change. The older generation wants a status quo: we call it "stability", which appeals to too many donors. The youth want changes now; they call this "prospects". We need to find a responsible role for the youth without being too prescriptive. We need to be breaking down barriers and co-creating solutions. This is the new political narrative we should be building with the youth of the future. As Iman Bermaki, an 18-year-old Moroccan who interacted with former President of Nigeria, Obasanjo, in the opening session, softly says, "Have confidence in young people. We are serious about our future. But try to listen more carefully to what we say."

Archbishop Tutu, in his characteristic humour, encouraged youth leaders to be unstoppable. "We must be optimistic about the future," he said.

"It belongs to you. Go out and seize it. It's your destiny.

- This article was originally published by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

University of Botswana Set To Receive US$115,000 grant To Develop Business Education Programmes in Africa

 The University of Botswana Faculty of Business will receive a $115,000 grant to develop graduate and executive business programmes from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) Management Education for Tomorrow (MET) Fund. Ben Glover, regional director for GMAC Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will present the grant to Thabo T. Fako, vice chancellor of the University of Botswana,  on Thursday, November 22, at Cresta Lodge Gaborone.

The University of Botswana is one of just 12 recipients worldwide of grants funding innovation in business education in the Ideas to Innovation (i2i) Challenge, a two-part program that identified innovative ideas to improve management education and is now providing more than $7.1 million in grants to implement the ideas.

The Graduate Management Admission Council  is a nonprofit education organization of leading graduate business schools and owner of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT exam), used by more than 5,600 graduate business and management programs worldwide. GMAC is based in Reston, Virginia, and has regional offices in London, New Delhi and Hong Kong.  

The MET Fund is the philanthropic effort of the Graduate Management Admission Council, the worldwide association of leading business schools that administers the GMAT exam used in admissions.

"Through the MET Fund's i2i Challenge, GMAC is investing in -- and giving back to -- management education and the institutions where it is taught. We are working with schools to innovate and, through innovation, to foster new ways to develop the next generation of business leaders. We're proud to be able to partner with the University of Botswana in these efforts," Glover said.

The University of Botswana grant, which runs through March 2014, will be used to develop curriculum for graduate management education and executive development programmes in areas that are critical to the needs of students, educators, and businesses in both Botswana and throughout Africa.

"The programme will support the continuous and long-term training of the local workforce and will also help develop local teaching materials, business cases and simulations for business and management university coursework throughout Africa," says Professor C.R. Sathyamoorthi, dean of the Faculty of Business (currently acting deputy vice chancellor, Academic Affairs) at the University of Botswana.

"Political, economic, and educational leaders around the world recognise that emerging economies need skilled managers. GMAC is doing its part to support the growth of management talent in Africa while ensuring that prospective graduate management students are prepared and qualified to enroll in quality programmes," said Ron Sibert, GMAC Africa business development director.

The University of Botswana grant is one of two i2i Challenge winners developing programmes in Africa. The Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - ALTIS in Milan, Italy, in partnership with Tanzaga College of the Catholic University of East Africa, received a grant to offer the first executive MBA in social entrepreneurship in Africa. The executive MBA programme will foster collaboration amongst business schools in Nairobi, Kenya, Loyola Institute of Business Administration in Chennai, India, and Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California.

"The University of Botswana is proud to be a part of this initiative that will benefit the rest of Africa, in particular Southern Africa," Sathyamoorthi said. The University of Botswana (UB) is a leading center of academic excellence in Africa and the world and has a student population of 15,000. 

Meet Adebayo Jones: Africa’s Fashionista Guru

At the age of 12, veteran multi-award winning Nigerian born and London-based fashion Designer cum style consultant, Adebayo Jones knew he was destined to be a famous fashion designer. Having caught the sight of a T-shirt in the window of a fashion store close to his home, he became inspired by what he saw.

According to him, “There was something about this T-shirt that stood out for me. I just had to have it. I went back home and pestered my mum for the money to buy the T-shirt which she gave to me. The occasion came to wear this T- shirt as it was church time on Sunday. It was worn with pride and almost a sense of knowing. Almost as if one were to predict the future - for on the front of the T- shirt were the words printed boldly “I’M REALLY FAMOUS.”

Adebayo started making shirts from newspapers which were held together with tapes and glue. He would make his younger ones put them on and have mock fashion shows.  Even while he was at the University, where he had his first fashion show, Adebayo said “I knew then that after my degree this had to be my world. Just like the T-shirt I had when I was twelve” I just had to have this.”

Today, Adebayo is known as the Godfather of African Fashion in the United Kingdom as he had built a name for himself both at home and abroad. The media and critics of the fashion industry describe him as the KING OF COUTURE - for the individuality of his piece speaks for him in the international fashion community.

He is renowned for creating his own fabrics and presenting the most lavish and luxurious collections of gowns, his new bridge couture prêt, a porter collection also reflects the style and the elegance that has defined his career over the years while his success has opened doors for others in his field.

As one of the leading African designers in Europe; Adebayo Jones is known for creating the most luxurious and luscious fabrics, ranging from silks to brocades, velvets, chiffon’s organza’s, crochets and damask while presenting a fine, clean and classic lines. The fashion genius outstanding designs in formal wear and wedding dresses are second to none. His designs are often described as glamorous, elegant, magnificent, rich and mind blowing that are fit for royalty.

His influences, he says are from his travels, art, surroundings and also from the subconscious.  “I have always loved fashion. It has always been my childhood dream. It was also my mother’s profession and I grew up seeing her make outfits for clients and particularly my elder sister. I had my sketch book with me always in school and would draw fashion sketches nonstop. University was no different either. I designed my outfits even when I was in school. I saved my pocket money and bought fabrics and designed my shirts and trousers. I always wanted to stand out. In school we took part in what was then called fashion parade. I was always involved if it had to do with fashion.”

But his fashionpreneur stint has not been one without storm. Having completed his first degree in humanities at the University of Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1985, Adebayo proceeded to a fashion college in London (London Central School of Fashion) to acquire a formal and requisite training for his first love - fashion design.

Starting out as he once told Yada magazine was small. According to Adebayo “Some have been incredibly wonderful and others have been heart-wrenchingly painful. I have known comfort as well as desertion. I have seen love as well as betrayal. I have known grace and the loss of loved ones. I have seen kindness.” In spite of this he said “All these varied experiences in pursuit of this dream and from every experience, the totality of a blessing has been gained. It is refreshing to know that I am never alone and can stand at all times, for if God be for me, nothing can work against me. I have become stronger and refined.”

He will be quick to say that his grace for resilience has worked for him. To him, “Failure is not in falling, it is in not getting up to fight again.”

However, for each piece he created, the fashion genie says, “Passion, dedication, time, and a great deal of love and sacrifice go into each average piece. The need for an identity and signature to be embedded in the garment. So when someone sees a garment, they can tell immediately “that’s an Adebayo Jones.”

Adebayo believes details will set your work apart.

Adebayo recently celebrated 25 years in the fashion industry at the Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL) which was held at the London Spitalfields Market Halls to African and African inspired designers all over the world where he showcased his work to a 10,000 strong audience in London’s hip Shoreditch district this August, 2012.

Will he have been doing something else aside fashion, Adebayo said in an interview, “Fashion has always been a lifelong passion for me. As far back as I remember my dream has always been to explore, innovate and push the boundaries of new thought and creativity where fashion is concerned. From the conception of an idea to realizing, the end product gives one a buzz and satisfaction that cannot be quantified.”

Aside fashion, Adebayo also has an equal passion for food and music. He sings and writes gospel songs. The fashion genius in his university days once belong to a group called the Ayoro voices. He sang at Isha and Arne Johansen’s wedding in Freetown. He also sang with a live band when he collected the Male Lifetime Achievement Award at BETTFA 2011 Awards.

As a foodie, he has a passion for exploring foods and has future plans to do something in the food industry as well.

Adebayo is not alone in his enduring journey to fame as he said “I have been very fortunate having had the support of a very loving family.  I would not have progressed along on this journey without their support. Fashion was also my mother’s profession so I naturally had support from her as well as the rest of the family.”

On the reason for making London his business domain, Adebayo acknowledges that techniques, skills, availability of resources to function at one’s best is a very important catalyst to his brand’s success and there are limitations sometimes in operating back home as even the littlest of things like finding good quality zips which would not snap and embarrass your brand and your client in a situation can be tasking. He argued that basically most of those with successful brands back home do the shopping from abroad.

“I studied fashion in England. My training and work experience was acquired here. My contacts were mainly here. The natural progression was to harness all the resources and contacts and make them work for ones vision and dream.  Convenience could be a defining factor here. I could have access to fabrics, manufacturers, and every kind of resource that I needed to realise whatever I was trying to achieve in a garment or collection.”

Adebayo however believes fashion can be a tool for development in Nigeria and in Africa. He said “Fashion is a huge industry. It is a multibillion-dollar industry worldwide. There are economies that boast a great percentage of their revenue from the fashion industry. 

Nigerians was responsible for the second highest revenue documented for fashion in the UK.

Egypt is noted for her cotton as well as manufacturing. Egyptian cotton is easily the most covetable worldwide and does not come cheap either when purchasing fashion products made from it. It is highly esteemed and valued.  Tunisia, Morocco etc are major manufacturing ports in North Africa. Morocco for leather goods, which are mainly exported to Europe and boast a base of factories for shirts, jeans and other fashion separates that produced for major international brands worldwide.”

“Considering how much fashion is a huge and integral part of Nigerian life, the right support, infrastructure set up, and a conducive atmosphere for factories to be able to operate with minimal obstructions, would not only create employment for thousands, should international brand begin looking in at such manufacturing bases and to take advantage of a massive workforce. It would also attract many investors both local and foreign. If we look in and put in the right infrastructure, it would be amazing opportunity for growth and investment as revenue can be realised in this industry.”

Adebayo’s famous clients include singer/ actress Patti Boulaye, T V star Sally Familoe, Miss World 2001 winner Agbani Darego, TV cum stage star Faith Brown and celebrity stylist Janet Ginnings. He has also designed and styled gowns for several winning Miss Nigeria contestants and for some finalists at the Miss Universe pageants.

Adebayo has in the past worked for different brands including a company that lineup of Hollywood top celebrities on their books from Tina turner, Diana Ross, Shirley Bassey etc. He has also worked with Britain’s Katherine Hamnett CBE, a two time British Designer of the Year.

At the home front, Adebayo formerly worked with HRH Erelu Abiola Dosumu, who in the eighties had opened her shop “Talala” on New Bond street where he once worked as an intern.

To fashionistas, Adebayo said, “If you do go into the industry … have a balance. Fashion has its excesses as well and be strong enough to say no to things that may be injurious to your health. I would rather be un-cool at a party than end in rehab later for one form of addiction or the other. Be yourself, eventually those who considered you un-cool then will in turn respect you.”

But everything is not all about making money. Adebayo Jones has over the years used his skills to support various charity Organisations by hosting charity fashion shows, and travelling the Globe in support of Organisations such The British Red Cross, UNICEF Children’s fund, Pink ball Fund, Support for Africa, Imperial Breast cancer Research Fund, Kanu Nwankwo heart foundation, The heart campaign amongst others. He has also contributed to Education both in the UK and abroad by working with various schools, colleges and universities in educating and training students for the fashion industry. His high-profiled company has also been a haven of employment to Nigerians and Africans in Diaspora.

Adebayo’s phenomenal success has been widely acclaimed all over the world and has received various international award to boot. In 2009, he was honored with the N4LIFE AWARD first special recognition for his outstanding contribution to fashion industry in the UK and for promoting the image of Nigeria positively through fashion on a global platform.

On the 29^th of November 2009 at the Nigeria fashion awards held in Abuja Nigeria, Adebayo Jones won the BEST NIGERIAN DESIGNER IN DIASPORA AWARD while in 2010, the 

designer was the recipient of three Fashion awards in the UK alone.

Adebayo is also the proud achiever of The BEFFTA MALE LIFETIME ACHIEMENT AWARD (2011), NEL AWARD for outstanding contribution to Fashion (2011). He has also won The Best Designer in Diaspora from three major organisations: CITY PEOPLE AWARDS( 2006), NIGERIA FASHION AWARDS (2008), and SIDEVIEW STYLE AWARDS (2011).

Liquid Gold from Argan Tree Enriches Berber women

In a poor but fertile corner of southern Morocco, illiterate Berber women are tapping the surge in global demand for argan oil, a "miracle" product they grind from a special nut, that is helping to lift them out of poverty.

Sometimes known as "liquid gold" or "miracle oil" for its rich cosmetic, culinary and medicinal properties, the exclusively Moroccan export has caused a sensation in the West, where it is touted as a unique hair care and anti-ageing skin potion.

The rolling countryside between Essaouira and Agadir, resort towns better known for their Atlantic surf, is covered with argan trees, and distinguished by the bizarre sight of goats perched in their branches munching away on the pulp of the nut.

Another striking feature of the landscape is the profusion of cooperatives that employ Berber women to produce the oil, from the tree to the bottle, and sell it as far afield as Canada and Japan, sharing the profits.

Indigenous, non-Arab Berber people make up a large portion of the local population.

Zahra Knabo, who runs the Ajddigue cooperative, one of the very first, says there are now 137 of them, and hails the "evolution" they have brought to the region's Berber women who suffer from widespread illiteracy, poor health care and stifling social mores.

"In this rural area, women would traditionally herd the animals and gather wood from the forest. They were the first to wake up and the last to go to bed," says Knabo.

"Now most of the women working in the cooperative have money in their pockets. Some have completely financed their houses. They've been able to get electricity, televisions and fridges," she says.

When it opened in 1996, Ajddigue had 16 employees and produced 200 litres (52 gallons) of oil monthly.

But around 60 women now work there, Knabo says, and monthly production has risen to 1,000 litres, with an annual turnover last year of four million dirhams (360,000 euros, $460,000).

Reflecting argan oil's growing popularity in the cosmetics industry, the group's two biggest clients are French and Italian, while the nearby Kaouki cooperative says its main customer, a British firm, started buying the oil in 2009.

Scientific proof of the oil's unique healing properties is elusive, but leading aromatherapists argue that, with its richness in fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamin E, it is a highly effective treatment for damaged skin and dry hair.

The economic crisis has taken its toll on demand this year, with both cooperatives seeing their big European clients cutting by half their orders of the luxury commodity, which sells for between 250 and 400 dirhams a litre.

Competition from the growing number of producers has, meanwhile, left smaller associations like the Tawount cooperative, which opened in July and employs 15 Berber women, struggling to sell their products.

 - Reaping the rewards –

 Colourfully dressed women sit on the Tawount shop floor, cracking open the nuts and sorting them into baskets, with stone grinding tools used to crush the kernel and extract the oil, as they lack the machines that others use to do so.

Argan products range from cooking and cosmetic oil, to hand cream, honey and "amlou" - a sweet, nutty paste made with almonds - while the pulp is used as nutritious animal feed, and the shells burned as fuel for cooking.

Karima, a 28-year-old assistant at Tawount, remains optimistic that business will pick up. But she is adamant about the cooperatives benefiting the marginalised women of the area, who she says were often unable to reap the rewards of their labours.

"Before, they worked at home roasting and crushing the nuts and giving the oil to their husbands to sell. Now, by working together, they are able to earn money for themselves, to support their children and their families."

Another threat to the Berber groups' success is now making itself felt, according to Ajddigue's Knabo and others familiar with the market, from companies "disguised" as cooperatives looking to cash in on the trend.

In the heart of Essaouira's medina, Khadija, 21, runs a small shop selling bottles of the golden liquid on behalf of five women producer groups, one of many argan oil outlets in the historic port city targeting the tourist trade.

"Unfortunately, a lot of false cooperatives have been set up recently, working with businesses in Casablanca. They lie about their activities" to get the official certificate of approval, she charges.

"We need the state to stop giving certificates to these false cooperatives. There are dozens of them in the region of Essaouira, and they are undercutting our business."

But the argan oil boom is in its relative infancy and hopes remain high.

Its positive impact on the environment has also been hailed as a success story, spurring conservation work to reverse the over-exploitation of the endemic tree, now found only in southern Morocco and parts of Algeria.

The cooperatives have carried out reforestation projects backed by the government, and millions of euros in EU support, that also encourage the Berber women to appreciate the importance of the tree for future generations.

UNESCO, which designated 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometres) of the argan region a "biosphere reserve" in 1998, has highlighted the tree's function as a buffer against desertification, as well as its rich yields for the local community.

AFP