Governments in Africa are trying. However, there is one more ingredient that's needed in order to make Africa a success story. We need bold entrepreneurs. Yes, we do have entrepreneurs such as Nigeria's Aliko Dangote, Zimbabwe's Strive Masiyiwa, Kenya's James Mwangi, and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa. However, we need to ensure that we increase the number and scope of entrepreneurs. We need entrepreneurs that can change entire industries, whose products and services will affect many facets of the ordinary African life.
We need lots of industries that can change the future of Africa. If there can be more entrepreneurs especially in the agricultural sector, then we can begin to really talk of an Africa that is growing, rising, and lifting all boats in the tides. Think of the way Bill Gates has impacted the software industry, or the way Steve Jobs
personally helped to make Apple an industry leader. These leaders in their own right helped to reshape the destinies of their industries.
Africa too can, especially in areas where it has comparative advantages. For example, Africa has lots of land, and it needs just innovative entrepreneurs to turn this land into a productive resource that can produce lots of wealth. Currently, this land is being bought by foreign governments and corporations, leading to what's commonly known as land grabs. Commercial farming can indeed help to improve the fortunes of African farmers. What we need are the techniques to convert this land and incorporate modern farming practices.
Similarly, in the mobile phone sector, there are so many problems that can be solved using the mobile phones. Mobile money transfer helped to show that what Africa just needs is the right level of effective solutions for the continent's most pressing problems. Governments could do well to create the right environment for the entrepreneurs to flourish, while entrepreneurs should earnestly begin thinking of opportunities where they will be able to put their innovative approaches to great use.
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