Collaborating Across Borders

To help the continent progress, Africa’s Next Generation should be engaged from the beginning through the provision of ‘leadership in practice’ opportunities. It is a responsibility of us all, especially corporations and governments, to galvanize young people wherever they are. It is also our responsibility to focus more on forming strategic partnerships on the continent.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Procurafrica, an agricultural and industrial procurement firm based in Belgium. As the name suggests, the firm’s target market is Africa. I was most attracted to working at the firm for two main reasons: i) the nature of the work, and ii) the opportunity to experience a different culture. My role was to help the company develop a market entry strategy for their operations in Kenya.

Kenya’s future is bright (and so is the continent’s) with the growing infrastructure and less political instability, and there are more opportunities for foreign investment. Secondly, I was curious to see how Belgium integrates the three regions (the Walloon, the Flemish and the Brussels Capital) to form a cohesive community and learn something on cultural integration that could be applied in my own country.

Procurafrica serves as an example of strategic partnerships in Africa that help advance the continent’s development goals. It has established a model where it takes in young, well-educated and self-driven African students as interns and leverages their passion for contributing to their home economies with the firm’s expertise on procurement and logistics.  We all need to work beyond today, to have foresight and spot opportunities for growth by investing in young people.

Two highlights of my experience as a young intern include:

• Being entrusted to meet with potential clients thus marking the company’s first direct presence in Kenya, something I could not have previously imagined, especially because of my young age. Having the opportunity to engage key industry players as a young Kenyan is remarkable. There is a vast wealth of knowledge among our professionals, but is rarely passed down to the youth due to the hierarchical structure of our society. That was not only a vote of confidence in the eligibility of my education but also served as a validation of my potential as a young woman.
• Secondly, I had the opportunity to demystify the differences between the two cultures. I have always had the curiosity to identify the strengths and differences between my continent and the rest of the world. In my opinion, it boils down to the structures in place and the people. The only way to bridge the gap would be through new strategic ties between the people in different places. There is always something we can learn from each other.

I highlight my internship experience because Africa’s Next Generation will need to know how to partner and collaborate with others, both within and across borders to move the continent forward. Strategic partnerships are the key to the success of the continent. They not only offer more economic opportunities but most importantly they provide the platform for continuous learning.

Photo: Sylvia Mwangi at The Walrus Talks “Africa’s Next Generation” in Toronto 2016

My perspective on Africa’s Next Generation is that they are and will be a mobile community that will remain strongly networked. Regardless of place, Africa’s Next Generation has an invincible commitment to serving their home communities. But most of all, they are committed to reshaping the narrative of the continent. I am not oblivious of the problems within the African societies. There is a growing need amongst the youth to experience more than that which has been placed on our plates by the previous generations. Whether it is by studying or working outside our home provinces or countries.

As Albert Hirchman argues in his book, Exit, Voice and Loyalty, the more loyal we feel towards unsatisfactory situations, the more likely we are to voice our concerns hence bring about change. As such, our institutions, particularly those that have direct contact with our youth (such as the institutions of learning) ought to be empowering enough to provide such opportunities to young people.

I am here because of the strategic partnership between the MasterCard Foundation and the University of Toronto, and so are many more people sponsored by the Program.

Africa’s Next Generation will be well educated. Whether it’s the mainstream education system or the vocational skills training centres that deliver the education level desperately needed on the continent. Being an international student myself, the beauty of my education lies in the opportunity to live in two worlds, and sometimes more. I may not travel the whole world in my lifetime but being at the University of Toronto brings the world to me in terms of the exposure to different nationalities. I am thus able to gain multiple perspectives and have a better understanding of the uniqueness between my home country and the rest of the world.

On multiple perspectives, my definition of leadership has changed over the years to incorporate the emphasis on strength of character. While Africa’s Next Generation is considered as the leaders who will drive the continent to the next level, my expectation is not to literally see younger people (under 40) in leadership positions (well, that would be great) but rather to see young people who are true to themselves and their society, who believe in the power of their voice, who believe in the power of their countries and the continent at large, and are working towards its progress in their daily hustles.  That is the character of the people who build great societies. That is the character of the people who dialogue across cultures and engage in equitable partnerships among the people and countries.

In conclusion, the late Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laurate, Wangari Maathai, said, “It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference…”

Hers was planting trees. Mine, much like Africa, is a work in progress: shaped by many forces yet remaining true to myself.

Sylvia Mwangi is a MasterCard Foundation Scholar pursuing her studies in (industrial) engineering at the University of Toronto.  She spoke at The Walrus Talks Africa’s Next Generation, a collaboration with The Walrus Foundation and the University of Toronto. Other speakers included Joshua Dzakah, a MasterCard Foundation Scholar at the University of Toronto, as well as Alemayehu Konde Koira, Senior Program Manager, Youth Livelihoods. Watch the talks.