the cheetah generation

a colleague sent me a link to an instructive and in(cite|sight)ful talk by Prof G Ayittey that touches on the ineffective leadership of the past by a tyrannic elite (Hippo), and a new breed of African (Cheetah), who are more prepared than ever to, pro actively, take responsibility for what their destinies are, and to "instigate change" one 'village' at a time

this is must see 'tv' if you have 18 minutes to spare

meanwhile, if you are reading this, you probably also want to take a look at Google's Believe Begin Become initiative, to promote entrepreneurial qualities among local people to setup and invest in Business activities within the African sub region

As I have always maintained, the evolving landscape of technology and communications capabilities in our small space, as well as a continued lifting of the people through more access to information, generally, will continue to push Ayittey's Hippos to more transparent (and readily accountable) policies and programs, while educing more productivity from the, hitherto, vastly untapped quality human resource we possess

the winds of change, they are a-blowing ;)

Cheers,
eokyere

UPDATE:

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's TED talk, sets the record straight on what the Africa of today is; a region where there is the will to fight; a will to reform and a realization that no one will do it but ourselves. It also touches on liberalization, and on a market that is readily consuming technology; that only a few 'smart' companies are paying attention to. How to 'help' Africa? engage with us. Instructive, insightful and on-topic.

Links:
1. TED Talks - Prof Ayittey: Cheetahs vs. Hippos for Africa's future
2. Believe Begin Become
3. TED Talks - How to help Africa? Do business there