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

THREE WORDS THAT DEFINE THE NEW AFRICA  Opportunities

WHERE IS YOUR PLACE IN THIS AFRICAN REALITY?  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

BENCHMARK YOURSELF AGAINST THE WORLD  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