Réflexions sur l'Afrique.

Last week I attended the Our Homecoming Education Summit at ALáRA Lagos where Opeyemi Iredumare spoke beautifully about the Cultural Renaissance happening in Africa, especially as it pertains to our music industry. It was so profound and it reminded me of the importance of Strategy for Development.

Having studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at Warwick University and spent the last three years in Paris where I studied Development Communications, it is no secret that I am passionate about Development. What my years of study have taught me is the importance of strategy. Strategy is where the foundation of every development lies, where you find the values, purpose and why behind decision-making.

Unfortunately, I often see how my fellow Africans identify problems and go straight to problem-solving without actually defining the strategy behind the solutions they provide and how it fits into the larger development of the continent. My people perish for lack of knowledge is how Prophet Hosea puts it. In my nation Nigeria, we place value on the short, quick, and easy routes, forgetting the importance of building strong strategic foundations.

I, however, believe in collecting gems, insights, and wisdom from experiences within and outside of Africa, building strategic connections, positioning oneself, and partnering with Africans and non-Africans for the strategic development of Africa.

My end goal is Africa but the path to Africa isn’t always Africa.

So, I bring to you-

“Réflexions sur l'Afrique: Strategic Reflections from Global Experiences, for the Development of the African Continent”.

It is split into Four Strategic Umbrellas which reflect my four main passion points: Africa’s Excellence Mandate, The Unification of Francophone and Anglophone Africa, Mental and Sociocultural Skills Development in Africa, and Women - Africa’s Holy Ground. These topics are dear to my heart and are areas I have been intrigued by over the last decade of my life.

My aim with this weekly newsletter is as always, to share. To share knowledge, to share information, and truly to get the raging thoughts out of my mind because quite frankly, I think too much.

This is my ‘doing’.

I do not write to influence, I simply write to share - if it influences then so be it. As I write however, I encourage you too, to share - share your thoughts, share with your network, and share with those in your everyday world. Let us join the conversation because we are already there - the African Renaissance.

óDàBò, ó DI òSè TI ó NBò [Goodbye and See you next week in my native language, Yoruba]

Motunrayo Onafowokan.