Obama Foundation, Africa Leadership Program, INSIGHTS FROM THE INSIDE

This July, Former President Barack Obama have launched the Young African Leaders Initiative in its first round.

“Obama Foundation Leaders: Africa Program 2018” is specially designed to empower the young leaders of Africa to address the local challenges they always face and to cause an actual impact while tackling them.

“We believe that young people have the power to change the world to better. In our travels across Africa — as citizens, a Senator, a President, and a First Lady — we’ve been inspired by emerging leaders like you who are overcoming incredible odds and pursuing a better future for your communities.”

From the +1200 who have applied, I was selected on behave of being CEO and founder of a mobile fundraising app

That selection was based on these two business models that were identified as remarkable mobile payment solutions that facilitate charity donations; with iKhair achievements of more than 2.2M USD donations till now, as well Appgain.io Mobile Marketing techno support for charities in MENA

I was influenced and inspired by the 5-day camp spent among 200 top leaders and entrepreneurs in the gathering of Obama’s Leaders, and I came back loaded with interesting insights to share.

The top insights I got were the ones related to the African market and the chances MENA region entrepreneurs might get there, and these some of the conclusions I got:

• Time to perceive Sub-Sahara African Countries as they really are!

I had a very wrong perception about Sub-Sahara African Countries before hitting the road for the camp, I admit. After the visit, I was surprised by how fast-growing and determined they are!

As entrepreneurs, when considering a wider expansion outside our mainland, Sub-Sahara African countries are often a blind spot. But through networking with African entrepreneurs who have already been there, a different fact was proven; these countries do have great potentials and calibers. People there have such purposeful determination to raise and develop. They are hard-workers who never give up on their dream of joining the top developed countries. They also have a wide base of well-educated social classes who always dedicatedly take a role in uplifting their country.

With that new enlightening perception, my interpretation of our chances there has completely shifted.

• Blue Ocean Strategy Vs Red Ocean Strategy:

After correcting my perceptions about African countries in general and Sub-Sahara African Countries, I got the chance to attend a great speech by Mr. President about challenges facing African citizens and how to overcome it, and it lights my mind up.

Throughout that talk, it was strongly highlighted that we — African leaders and entrepreneurs — should stop focusing on the markets that are already crowded and well developed, and pay special attention to the resources we already had in Africa. The African market is promising but it still untapped, so why don’t we stop leaving our continent and go for the US and Europe?

and that was when the business term blue ocean strategy jumped into my head. Look it that way; the brilliant minds always emigrate from Africa to America. So instead of cultivating their own blue ocean market, they go hit a market that’s already categorized as a red ocean one. we are leaving Africa — the land of opportunities — and we go for a very stuffed market where chances are the hardest to find! a sad fact.

Enlightened with Mr.President answer for one the leader's questions about brain drain, I became more convinced that it’s time to invest in Africa before it turned into a red ocean one, not a secret that China is pushing hard in Africa!

to be continued …