TAKING THE LEAD IN A RISING AFRICA!

Becoming the solutions to the challenges tomorrow’s solutions will bring

J. J. OMOJUWA.

TEDxAsoRock Abuja, Nigeria. 27th May, 2013

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AFRICA

Africa was about wars…Nigeria, Angola, Burundi, DR Congo, Eritrea,

Congo…

Apartheid; South Africa

Famine; Malnourished children were the image of the continent

Political instability; military rule and unpopular governments were

the norm

Foreign Aid and corruption

AIDS

It was dark in here

TODAY’S AFRICA

Unprecedented economic growth in a world where

growth is a rarity

Increasing middle class

A trading continent

Representative democracies

General optimism

AN URBANISED CONTINENT

Africa at 40% of the population is more urbanized than India

at 30% and is only just less urbanized than China at 45%

The rapid rate of urbanization and population growth has

ensured that Africa has one of the fastest growing labour

forces and consumer markets in the world

Consumers and opportunities are like sugar and ants, they

find each other

ATTRACTING NEW INVESTMENTS

The United Arab Emirates has invested $97b in Africa over the

last decade…Nigeria’s Etisalat is one of those.

China’s direct investment into Africa reached $14.7b in 2011,

a 60% leap on its 2009 numbers

South Africa’s Stock Exchange is the 18th largest in the world,

Nigeria’s Stock Exchange is one of the world’s most profitable

The European Union has more investment in Africa than any

other region, over 40% of foreign investments in Africa

MORE POSITIVES FOR AFRICA

China will age within decades! Only 28% of the Chinese

population is under 20, in Africa 50% of the population is

under 20. This matters to you if you are under 20. Ask me a

question about your personal reality against this African

reality

China will lose 10 million jobs over the next decade.

Africa is poised to attract these jobs.

In 2040, there will be more young people in Sub-Saharan

Africa than there will be in East Asia

THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

In 2012, Africans living outside Africa sent $60b

(about N10 trillion) home

A lot of them are returning and more will return

with their expertize

Nigeria is experiencing a reverse-brain drain

The African Diaspora will become a socio-economic

force going forward

THE NEW AFRICAN CONSENSUS

Economic Liberalization and Privatization are creating more

efficient and effective market systems in Africa

War and military coups are no longer the norm, democracy and

representative governments have come the new continental

consensus

Intra African Trade is set to grow from its current 12% due to a

consensus on regional integration

Africans Investing in Africa has become an African reality. South

Africa and Nigeria are running the show

THE WORLD’S FOOD BASKET

The world will need to feed 9 billion mouths by 2020,

Africa can be its food basket

According to McKinsey and Company, Africa’s

Agricultural production has the potential to reach

$880billion by 2030, from $280 billion in 2008

A sizable number of the world’s arable land is domiciled

in Africa, Africa could become the world’s farm

NEW SOLUTIONS, NEW CHALLENGES

Africa was built to ship its resources to the world

because of colonial realities

Africa must now build to trade with Africa

African integration will be built on necessary new

infrastructure; why do you think Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote

is either in or planning to be in 33 African countries?

Africa is doomed to build

T H R E E W O R D S T H AT D E F I N E T H E N E W A F R I C A

Opportunities

Opportunities

Opportunities

W H E R E I S Y O U R P L A C E I N T H I S A F R I C A N R E A L I T Y ?

Your generation is the bearer of Africa’s tomorrow;

you will either live with its prosperity or perish with

its poverty!

Your destiny is in your hands but only just for a

moment

Tomorrow’s opportunities will throw tomorrow’s

challenges at you. New challenges will arise

We need thinkers, we need innovators, we need

entrepreneurs

A DIGRESSION: MONEY

All paychecks are limited!

Those who live on paychecks will be limited by the limits of their

pay

Africa does not need men and women who depend on paychecks,

we need those who pay paychecks

Those who waste time today will be wasted by poverty tomorrow

Time will be scarcer than ever and you must invest the time you

have today

MONEY

Money is one of the many reactions that arise from

an action process called value creation

Your worth is the sum of the value you can create

Corruption will not produce tomorrow’s

millionaires, technology will not allow that. Think

above corruption

Tomorrow’s wealth is on the next slide

B E N C H M A R K Y O U R S E L F A G A I N S T T H E W O R L D

If you benchmark yourself against a country you

will be limited, if you benchmark yourself against

Africa you will be better off but if you benchmark

yourself against the world you will be unlimited

You are global citizens. Start living on this reality

Africa’s opportunities are your challenges. Those

who meet these challenges amongst you will be the

leaders

TO DO LIST

Seek Knowledge. Where ever she is, find her! Knowledge

is the road to your destiny

To know is never enough. Understand your realities.

Always seek to understand.

Be wise. Wisdom is better than weapons of war

(Ecclesiastes 9:18)

Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not

Understanding. Understanding is not Wisdom!

I HAVE ARRIVED!

The above disaster must never be your reality. The day you

think you have arrived is the day you begin to die or the day you

are dead.

Your generation is a blessed generation. You are not limited by

the walls of classrooms. You can know more than your teachers

How you spend your time on the internet will determine how

much of tomorrow’s prosperity (or poverty) you attract

You may be young but you are never too young to dream big

SOME OF TOMORROW ’S OPPORTUNITIES

Renewable Energy

Agriculture

Entertainment

Construction

Media – Digital and Old forms

Thinkers

Fashion

Futurists

REAL JOBS ARE OLD JOBS

As long as you are not limited by your thoughts,

you will be earning lots of income and influence from

"unreal" jobs

AFRICA WILL BE RICH BUT…

I cannot guarantee your wealth in a wealthy Africa

but I can guarantee your wealth if you observe to do

according to what I have in the next slide

START!

Start solving problems today. Start thinking for your

communities. Start taking responsibility

Know and understand that Africa’s future depends on you. If

you refuse this responsibility someone else will take it

Those who take responsibility today will be the leaders of

tomorrow and that tomorrow started yesterday

Start living your dreams already…just start something…you

will have detractors but ONLY you can stop you

THE BEGINNING…

There are no endings…only new beginnings

THANK YOU

@omojuwa