Where are the youth?

It wasn’t long ago that I sat among other young African diasporas at Brunei Lecture Theatre, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and attended the launch of African Foundation For Development’s (AFFORD) new initiative, ‘Africa-Gives’. Africa Gives’ is a newly established platform to support the young generation of African Diaspora to contribute in Africa’s development. Filled with excitement, positive intentions and optimism, I sat among many other young hopeful Diasporas, eagerly anticipating hearing what the new revolutionary platform has in store. It was a special occasion simply because young African diasporas are least represented when it comes to Africa’s development. In the past, the talk of contribution to Africa’s development has always been on the premise of what older generations have done and are continually doing - that is until now.

As I sat on the bus on my journey to the launch, an avalanche of questions and ideas popped into my head but my train of thought was swiftly disrupted by the upbeat reggae sound of Alpha Blondy’s, ‘Cocody Rock’ from my iPod Nano. Many of the thought provoking questions that crept and indulged my mind were what ‘Africa Gives' could offer, and what were the implications of ‘giving’ back to Africa. What will this mean? How will this actually be implemented? And ultimately, will this work, for us - for Africa?! To top it all, what can young Diasporas do that is different to their predecessors? Even though I rejoiced the founding nature of the initiative, I have reservations about the emphasis it places on ‘giving’. As I quote, Africa-Gives’ key objective ‘is to deepen learning and understanding of young diaspora ‘giving’… for Africa’s development.’ The term ‘giving’ offers little to describe strenuously the ramifications of the initiative which is to provide networking platforms for young Diasporas as well as fostering enterprises and employment in Africa.

I believe that the altruistic nature of ‘giving’ through establishing charities, or placing emphasis on volunteerism is important to the cause but further to that young Diasporas should seek for more. I therefore accentuate the importance of opportunism, entrepreneurship and personal development to be at the forefront of how young Diasporas can contribute to the continent. The contribution of the aid sector has played a part (some might argue negatively) in the development of Africa thus far but sustainability and self reliance is just as important. Whilst we can superficially gloss over some issues with slogans such as 'giving' and ‘aid’, we cannot address the routes of organic change without taking into consideration the importance, durability and sustainability of any given initiative. And, crucial to any sustainable project/model in international development is its legacy and impact for future generations. Young people are the future. It is therefore crucial that young Diasporas are provided with different platforms to contribute to Africa’s development.

There is an old Africa proverb that says ‘it is a small group of men who go out to track and hunt the elephant, but it is the whole village that feasts on the proceeds.’ Just like the hunter, entrepreneurs are the driving force of any community and their success will not only benefit themselves but the community as a whole. Deals negotiated by a cow-herding Maasai in the plains of East Africa will consequently have a major impact to his boma and community as a whole.

To begin with, I go along with the International Organization for Migration definition of diaspora as ‘members of ethnic and national communities, who have left, but maintain links with, their homelands. The term ‘diasporas’ conveys the idea of transnational populations, living in one place; while still maintaining relations with their homelands, being both ‘here’ and ‘there’’. And by young diaspora, I mean those aged 18-35; the new generation, the activists for change, the generation willing and ready to stand on their own but this time - be counted.

$60 billion sent through remittance; strong GDP growth rates; increasingly developing manufacturing industries and SME’s sectors. I am very much on the ‘Africa is Rising’ bandwagon simply because I have seen the changes and developments that Africa, and especially my beloved Tanzania, has made over the past decade. D’banj’s ‘Oliver Twist’ sits comfortably at #9 on UK’s Top of the Pops; Nairobi Half Life is nominated for an Oscar; Azonto is even up there with Bashment, Ceilidh dancing and modern day R&B, and according to the recent Metro Newspaper, ‘Africa’s influence grows with new beauty products,’ And who knew about AfryKamera, the Polish African Film Festival. These examples signify the growing demand for not only African products but our culture, heritage and traditions. The winds of change are infiltrating the western world and elsewhere in the globe. There is a change in people’s perception about Africa and much is owed to the driving forces in economic, social and political developments of the continent. The tidal wave for Africa’s development is flowing and the current is strong enough to bring Africa back from the brink and from its demise. It might not be for all states in the continent but for most part, Africa is truly rising.

I was dumbfounded when I recently returned home and having not been back for quite some time, I thought I will take some of my old school pals for a drink or two. Convinced of my spending prowess, I bought the first two rounds of beers and some ‘nyama choma’ before a turn of rounds took place. It didn’t take long to realise that this was going to be an expensive night and one that would cause a massive dent in my budget. The East Africa drinking tradition was well and truly alive. Six rounds of beers flew past without anyone batting an eyelid, and despite my bravado I felt myself continuously glimpsing at my wallet as it got ever lighter by the round; I shamefully resorted to calling it a night, leaving my friends behind to enjoy the rest of the night carefree.

I am not insinuating that all is wonderful and rosy in Africa, but development has been a gradual crawling process which can only get better and it is certainly gathering momentum. Most African States have been independent for just over 50 years and did not initially possess the requisite leadership and expertise in many of its sectors. Young Africans of today are equipped with these skills and are rejoicing at the opportunities they have. They possess wealth and ever increasing disposable income, a crucial component for consumerism and one of the crucial driving forces for the continent.

WHY AND HOW SHOULD YOUNG DIASPORAS CONTRIBUTE TO AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT?

There is a shared understanding, a common denominator, a continued pattern and story among diasporas - most of them are fairly well educated with at least one if not two degrees, they possess the drive to succeed but are stifled by the system and ended up doing menial jobs in call centres, catering or manufacturing industries. I have seen and met many young Diasporas who possess the requisite qualifications and experiences that could bring wealth and prosperity in Africa. There are many reasons they cite for staying, some give excuses but most ignore or refute the idea of either going back or investing their experiences and expertise in Africa. Many still hold the belief that life is better on this side of the continent. The time to ‘give’ to Africa is here and it's an opened window for young opportunists from the diaspora to join the ‘Africa is rising’ battalion and see what the continent has to offer us and what we in turn can offer the continent.

There are many reasons why young Diasporas should contribute to Africa. Re-connecting to the continent, meeting long distant relatives and friends, but crucial to all this, and central to the theme, is the need for personal development and entrepreneurship. The increasingly deteriorating employment sector in Europe and the West in general has had a major impact to young African Diasporas. With over half of young ethnic minorities aged 16-24 unemployed and most aged 24 and over on temporary or contracted menial jobs. Africa provides a new challenge and opportunity for those seeking personal development. Resentment and frustration from lack of opportunities in our beloved adopted country should be channelled elsewhere. Some might call it abandoning the ship when the going gets tough or refer back to how some people left the continent when ‘we had nothing’, but I believe that like human evolution, development can only flourish if one is willing to take opportunities and utilise all the resources available. The opportunities are ample and we must endeavour to follow them, all it takes is drive, motivation and entrepreneurship skills. These are traits we already have in abundance since many of us have taken full or part time employment combined with full/part time education. Now is the time to seek greener pastures and new beginnings. Like the migration in the Serengeti; survival is to follow the rains which will provide the resources for life. Follow the opportunities and life can be bountiful.

One of the ways for young Diasporas to contribute to Africa’s development is to ensure that there is a continuous flow of investment, skilled workforce and experience. We are, so to speak, the brain drain on the continent and it is our responsibility to ensure that skills and qualifications gained are reinvested. These experiences and expertise gained from either professional or menial jobs will be crucial to making it in Africa. African Governments have also noticed the importance of the Diasporas and it only takes one to notice that even conservative, nationalist states such as Tanzania, are willing to negotiate and discuss issues surrounding the once held pipe dream of dual citizenship. African governments understand that the trickle effect of investment in Africa will lead to job creation in many different sectors and therefore organically develop the continent. Economic development and changes in immigration obstacles in Ghana and Nigeria set an example. ‘These businesses are practical means of facilitating voluntary return, brain-gain, and transnational citizenship’, (Gibril Faal, 2013).

As I sat at the launch and listened to inspirational speakers such as Hon Chuka Ummuna, UK MP and Shadow Secretary of State, Business, Innovation and Skills, Mr Herman Chinery-Hesse, a self made entrepreneur and founder of SOFTtribe, the largest software company in Ghana, and himself formerly in the diaspora, I began to wonder how many people have left the diaspora to set up successful businesses in Africa or countries of origin. The answer is many and Mr Herman, a self made and charismatic individual provides such an example. Despite having a comfortable life in the UK and a ‘cushty’ job as a mechanic, he moved to Africa without any capital, savings, infrastructure nor equipment. With just a laptop as his main possession, he was once described as ‘the Bill Gates of Africa’ having established himself as a leader in IT and technology with over 70 employees and a client base of more than 250 organisations, including Microsoft.

I then looked at young Diasporas who have established themselves in Africa and it only takes me back to University days to name a few. James Taylor, a graduate from University of the West of England (UWE) with a government funded scholarship at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Indianapolis is on his way to establish himself in Ghana through his chain of online shopping websites, ZULU Group of Companies. Muyiwa Omosa, a fellow graduate from UWE is the CEO and owner of TMG; creators of the first ever Nigerian apps. But it is Jason Njoku who epitomise the need for opportunism and entrepreneurship from young Diasporas to Africa’s development. The 31 year old British Nigerian national, left the UK in 2010 to set up iROKOtv which has offices in London, Lagos and New York. Having juggled and failed to run a number of business ventures in the UK as well as becoming a recruitment consultant, he has recently been noted by Forbes as one of 10 young African millionaires to look forward to.

To sum it up, we only have to look at Sudanese-born Dr Mo Ibrahim, a billionaire philanthropist from the UK diaspora who founded mobile communications company Celtel. Dipping into history, I can go back to say that some of Africa’s founding fathers, such as Kwame Nkrumah, Jomo Kenyatta, Leopold Sedar Senghor and Hastings Banda spent significant periods of their life in the diaspora. This is also not to forget the contribution of Martinique-born Frantz Fanon from the French diaspora.

Diaspora youth are very much at the heart of the next wave of contributing to Africa’s development.

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