To my youth friends: There are a few engagements I’ve had with few persons over the last 4 weeks that prompted me to write this.
We need to embrace a new understanding – that your platform for success is not just your country’s 4 walls any longer, it is Africa, it is the world. Seeing yourself in that light ensures that you drastically increase the scope of your possible opportunities and professional standards you aspire to.
I was recently advising someone, that they shouldn’t be scared of exploring the world – it doesn’t take from you, it adds to you as long as you don’t get stuck out there. It enriches your mind, your experiences and your opportunities – yes, the variety of cultures, thinking, worldview, philosophies suddenly makes you a 360 degree person you see things globally only if you have engaged globally.
You see, when you get on the internet, your efforts should not be limited to Facebook and Porn – you should be hunting for graduate recruitment schemes, exchange programmes, and supported volunteer jobs available all over Africa and globally instead of whiling away your unemployed life in misery and dejection.
Apply to them, make a strong case – you’ll be surprised you might get it and the transformation it can bring you. Don’t limit yourself to the 4 corners of your country. USE the Internet and Google to CREATE your own opportunities. That should be your current job. The fact that someone hasn’t employed you doesn’t make you unemployed – they don’t owe you. You are unemployed because you fail to employ yourself in moving your future forward. You owe yourself that.
The difference between you and unemployment is the skills you either don’t have or the opportunity you haven’t created for yourself. It’s your life – take responsibility for it please.
If you are or dare to be an entrepreneur, look for solutions to problems that are NOT only common to your country but to Africa – again, that increases your opportunities. Consider that we are surrounded by some countries that may have just emerged from some difficulty and there may be services or products we take for granted in our own countries that don’t exist in these fragile or recovering countries yet – you could make your break by being the pioneer of these services or products in these countries.
Consider also that your educational system could be somewhat more robust than of some countries – these are all opportunities. Don’t be scared at all. Take a chance. Be bold.
We have been fooled too long into believing Africa needs everything from the world out there and that there is nothing in Africa that the world needs. It’s a lie – search search search. There are things in your country, that with a little repackaging can become world class offerings. THINK & LOOK hard.
I was delivering a lecture the other day to Ministry of Finance workers from different African countries when a Kenyan “madam” was lamenting her quality Ghana sheabutter had ran out and how hard it was to come by. Yet tonnes of it sit and melt in the Northern regions of Ghana. Where possible, look for collaborations – that’s a better use of Facebook than following non-value-adding debates on politics.
THINK – Think solutions to problems, how to remake or rebrand existing services or products, think about new products that could arise from joining or splitting existing ones, think about making life much more lazy for people, think about automating what is still largely manual. But please THINK.
RESEARCH – Research opportunities
ACT – Take action on the results above
All the best folks. Remember – it’s your life and it’s not too late – take responsibility for it. DO something after you have prayed – but DON’T sit still. The proof you prayed is – YOU ACT.
The writer is the Managing Consultant for Marricke Gane Speaks and an International Development Expert.