Some time ago, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Rakesh Wahi in Lagos. Wahi is an Indian entrepreneur involved in early stage investments in emerging markets. He’s invested in various geographies – including Sub-saharan Africa (SSA) – and in various industries – including education. To give you an idea of his profile, […]
Education in Africa: A Pillar of Growth
Last weekend I saw a great documentary: “Journey to school.” I strongly recommend it. It’s about four real stories of kids that undergo tremendous difficulties and dangers on a daily basis to go to school. One of the stories is that of Jackson, 11 and his younger sister. Everyday, they walk for 2 hours back […]
“Africa Rising” – Under Question?
“Do you really think Africa is going to take off?” This is a question I often get both from Africans and from people in the West. My answer: “It’s not going to happen tomorrow but I’m convinced it will happen.” At any typical introductory talk about the continent chances are that the speaker will show […]
Ethiopian Women Flying High
Have you ever flown in a plane with an all-female crew? I know your answer: no – unless you flew from Addis Ababa to Bangkok with Ethiopian Airlines a couple of weeks ago. This was the first time in the history of aviation that a flight has been operated by women only, including cockpit, cabin […]
Trash and Hope
You might wonder how trash and hope relate to each other. Last Saturday I watched the thriller “Trash: Thieves of Hope.” It was filmed in one of Rio’s favelas. It’s a harsh movie that confronts you with the reality of children who survive by picking up items with some residual value from humongous mounds of […]