Its time for Africa's rich to give back.

I'm not a socialist. I believe entirely that the rich deserve all the wealth that they have amassed, so long as its in a clean and transparent manner. Afterall, we need rich entrepreneurs in Africa to be able to create clean, decent, and rewarding jobs, especially to our youth. Africa has been experiencing a boom in the number of rich people. According to Ventures Magazine, the number of dollar billionaires in Africa could be above fifty. Forbes magazine estimates that the number of billionaires in Africa could rival the billionaires in Latin America. 

With great wealth comes great responsibility. Can Africa's rich donate to worthy causes around the continent? During the ebola outbreak, Africa's rich such as Aliko Dangote, Strive Masiyiwa, and others donated roughly $20 million dollars towards combating the scourge. This was a laudable move, but it is a
drop in the ocean. Still, too many of Africa's rich are not giving back to the community. At the South Africa based African Leadership Academy (ALA) for example, 90 percent of the donors are non African. This is even as the school educates Africa's best and brightest, and students who will likely be future leaders in the continent.

There are many areas where Africa's rich could give back. For example, they could donate to combat some of the most dangerous diseases that encumber Africans. It defeats logic that malaria is still a disease that encumbers millions of Africans and leaves many dead. Africa's rich could also donate and build intra continental universities, universities which can be global and give Western universities a run for their money. All the universities that Africans dream of going to, such as Harvard, or Yale, or Carnegie Mellon University, have always had a benefactor. Rich Africans could set up world class universities which will ensure that their names are inscribed in history as they help develop the next generation of African leaders. To build their legacy, Africa's rich could start campaigns that encourage them to give back to the community, and in this way, the continent would be much better off. Let's not forget that by giving back to their communities, Africa's rich will in a way be plying back, and ensuring that the path to making even more wealth is smoother and sustainable.