Wake up every morning and tell yourself, I can do this! Then don't fail to set aside the time...

When I was at college we had a student whose parents were leading professors in physics, and I will never forget how he was once admonished by a lecturer after he complained that a certain African student was always beating him in physics. “In human beings, knowledge of physics or any other subjects for that matter is not passed on genetically," he said. "You have to study and you, my boy, don’t study, OK?!”

I’m always reminded of that stern rebuke when I see people who think they know the history of Africa more than non-Africans, even though they themselves don’t read anything about African history! I love African history, particularly when it is approached with proper scholarship. Every month, I read two or three books on African history but I never stop there, as I’m a global citizen.

Recently as I flew to America from London, I used the flight to read an amazing book by a Nigerian-British friend of mine, David Olusoga, called?Black and British. It is a must-read for all black people, and indeed anyone who wants to understand our modern history as a people.

The previous week, I listened to the audio version of?Between Starshine and Clay?by Sarah Ladipo Manyika. It is important to listen to it because it is a collection of podcast interviews with some of the most amazing black people in history, and only one of them is a politician. I was in awe of both the people being interviewed and the fact that Sarah had managed to interview them!

I also enjoyed a new book on Mandela by Justice Malala called?The Plot to Save South Africa. I was in South Africa when Chris Hani was killed and this book is a must-read for all serious students of modern African history.

I rarely read a book twice because I’m always trying to get to the next book on my list, but one I read twice recently was Siddharth Kara's Cobalt Red about cobalt mining in the DRC. It left me incandescent with anger, and I don’t get angry that often; it’s not my nature. Later I felt so saddened that I wept even as I prayed. Now I will look for ways to make a change but I need your help!

The Christian evangelist John Wesley famously implored members of his ministry to read for at least five hours a day, on non-Bible materials. Well, if you are gasping at the suggestion, just remember that most people who own a TV spend that much time watching TV every day!

“Mr Masiyiwa, if there was one piece of advice you could give me as an entrepreneur, what would it be?” asked the young man with earnestness in his eyes.

“READ, READ, as though everything depended on it and it does! Read business and subject matter every day but also read things that broaden your understanding. Never assume that you know something until you have sat down to read a book, not some WhatsApp or social media article. Go get a couple of books on it. That’s my advice.”

Image caption: "It cannot be that the people should grow in grace unless they give themselves to reading,” Wesley said. “A reading people will always be a knowing people."? Start your children early!