Thank you to all who participated in Dalberg’s study on diaspora investment in Nigeria, commissioned by DFID’s Policy Development Facility. The results are out! Guest post on behalf of Dalberg Global Development Advisors Nigeria’s diaspora, estimated at up to 15 million people worldwide, plays a crucial role in driving growth and progress in the country. As Nigeria emerges from recession, civic and business […]
Dalberg Global Development Advisors is undertaking a study on diaspora investment in Nigeria. The objective of the study is to understand the potential for engaging the diaspora in promoting investment, entrepreneurship, and economic growth in Nigeria. In particular, Dalberg is seeking to understand what motivates the diaspora to invest in Nigeria, and the barriers that may impede engagement. The output of […]
What does a tech entrepreneur look like? As with most things in life these days the first “person” I asked was google. The results? Mostly white men. Young African women do not often get to see themselves represented in the tech space and therefore lack visible role models. It’s difficult to aspire to what you cannot see. This is the […]
Mark Zuckerberg’s newly formed $48 billion venture, the ‘Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’, has announced its first lead investment of $24 million dollars in African start-up Andela. Not only does Andela now have the internet’s most powerful man backing them, but GV (formerly Google Ventures) is also in on the investment!
In 2015 alone, African startups received over $185m of funding. The lion’s share came to rest in the laps of South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya – the countries with the highest startup activity. No longer heavily reliant on grants or foreign donor funding, equity investment is on the rise on the continent. This begs the question – which route should […]
For those old enough to recall the film ‘Trading Places’ (one of my favourites), you’ll indulge me as I reflect on how a quest for speaking at Harvard started in the 80’s after watching Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) and Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) exchange lives in an involuntary social experiment, with Winthorpe at one stage cursing “he was wearing my […]
Twitter has revolutionised the way we communicate, and has spared no political leader. Africa has the honour of being home to the most interactive head of state in the world – more on that later. On a continent where traditional processes take time, it is in the best interests of African governments to stay connected on social media and responsive […]
Large amounts of money are sent to Africa every year by individuals from all over the world to support friends, spouses, parents and children. The World Bank estimates that in 2013 alone, approximately $32 billion were sent to Sub-Saharan Africa from individuals abroad. Volumes are expected to continue growing over the next few years, with current and projected figures excluding […]
The only thing that is constant is change … Realising transformative change on the continent will undoubtedly involve many difficult conversations and challenging of the very notions and pillars on which previous waves of promised change have been founded; after-all that is the entrepreneur’s way. So let us embrace new points of view, in particular those that advocate new frameworks which provide […]
Ever taken a cab, dared to gaze down, and witnessed the road whizzing past beneath your feet?… One of those journeys where you have chosen to divorce yourself from reality, pretend that what you’re experiencing is perfectly normal and that your safety is not actually at risk? I had this pleasure when taking a yellow taxi in Lagos last summer […]