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6/11/2007 10:45:50 AM
George B.N. Ayittey
Africa’s cheetah generation: innovation and entreneurship Something is happening in Africa and you won’t read it in the major news outlets.
While the media focused on the G-8 Summit in Germany on what the G-8 should do for Africa, a momentous conference was held in Arusha, Tanzania at the same time as the G-8 summit. The theme of the conference was, “Africa: The Next Chapter,” and was held in Arusha from June 4 to 8 with over 400 participants. Here is the link:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/pages/view/id/49
It will easily rank as the most important conference held in Africa in the beginning of this century. The conference stayed away from the foreign aid model and focused instead on African risk takers, entrepreneurs, and those crafting their own indigenous solutions to Africa’s innumerable problems. These are the Africans I identified in my book, Africa Unchained, as the “Cheetah generation.” They are the young and angry generation of Africans who brook no nonsense about corruption. They understand what transparency and accountability are all about. And they are not going to wait for governments to come and do things for them. In the coming years, you will be hearing more about the “Cheetah generation,” and the “Cheetah revolution” in Africa.
This conference is important because it encapsulates the ideas I have been advocating for years with your support. Chris Anderson and Emeka Okafor, the TED directors of the conference, acknowledged me as the “god father” of the conference. Emeka, a Nigerian, has been a pupil of mine for years. When my book was published in 2005, he started this blog: http://africaunchained.blogspot.com/
Emeka acknowledged at the conference that I was his mentor and I have influenced him greatly with my ideas. There were many other Africans at the conference I had never met but hailed me as their hero. I spoke at the conference and, naturally, I was a huge hit with them.
There was so much buzz about the conference that Bono felt it necessary to make a quick trip to Arusha before rushing off to the G-8 Summit to badger the West for more aid to Africa. I don’t know if we converted him but I cornered him and gave him an autographed copy of my book. He said he had read me. Well, here is a more elaborate rendition of the alternate paradigm, I told him.
What all this suggests is that our struggle has not been in vain and I want to thank all those who have supported me and have been part of this struggle. Our viewpoint – free markets, free enterprise and free trade – is showing signs of triumph among Africa’s Cheetah generation. Our
next step is to unleash Africa’s Cheetahs.
Thank you for your support.
George Ayittey,
Arusha, Tanzania.
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