Here in Africa it is possible to run a successful business and to do successful things in business without corruption. Corruption is not a laughing matter and it can never be. Entire nations are destroyed by corruption. Corruption has no colour, no religion and no gender. Corruption is corruption make no mistake, both the giver and receiver are corrupt.
We have an interesting challenge. 53% of the of the worlds population comprises of young people, of whom most are Africans. Africa’s mean age is 19 as a continent. We are the world’s youngest continent! By the turn of this century 40% of the world’s population will be Africans. However, we are sending out to the streets one million young Africans who are turning 18 every month i.e. 12 million eating the job market every year. We have a massive massive crisis of job creation and youth unemployment.
As a start-up Entrepreneur, one would think there is a general consensus that for us to create those jobs, Africa needs an entrepreneurial revolution on unprecedented scale. We also need now more than ever, Africans to start businesses. It’s not about starting businesses but we need to start and build businesses even while we are still in high school because if we don’t everything we fought for and everything our forefathers fought for will go to waste.
Moreover, how do we do it? Every survey after survey tells us that young people think that business people in Africa are corrupt. It’s more like a dichotomy. That is not how they think about business people in 1st world countries. However, in Africa is it real or just a perception? How can “big people” turn to the youth? How do we turn to each other and say ” who can go out there and start?” It’s not about tenders or who you know. You can create and build Africa’s next big generational businesses that can generate wealth.
Therefore, we have to deal with this core perception and the reality of corruption.
By Darlingtone Lipekesa.
11th November, 2021.