Notes from the Africa Gathering London – “sharing ideas about positive change” – an event about business, IT, social causes and Africa.
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Bill Liao – Neo.org
The future of humanity
Where do we get our commerce from? Scarcity
- A lot of revenue from oil and cars
- Oil prices go up and down – which cause other people to lose money
We live in a consumer society – but what if there are no consumers?

People – the society gets older
Trustworthy people – are abundant
- Many people are getting informed and inform themselves
- trying to control that is hardly possible
- it’s about the context
5 billion people of 7 billion are not engaged in enterprises
Entrepreneurs are working in relationships, not alone
- Nintendo increased their market share by engaging the community
We all want to contribute
- More doers
- Less talkers
- Globally aware, locally focused
Happy Planet Index
Thrivability
- you don’t want to just survive in this world, you want to thrive in it
- starts with trust
- find the commons – confluence of gifts and commerce
- be vulnerable and open
- be authentic
- assist others & loyalty
- Neo.org
Happiness?
- idea: Company Happines Index
- happy companies – happy ecosystems
- happy companies make happier workers
but the 5 billions are missing in this picture which are not entrepreneurs
- need for a happiness leapfrog?
- we need the developing world to save us
- weforest.com
- the rain forests keep us alive, we have to conserve them to survive
- rain forests create rain, not the other way round
- reforestation of the planet is important, it’s simple, doable, sustainable – please support the movement
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Sean Moroney – AITEC
Events in over 50 African countries “ICT exhibitions and conferences”
- e.g. how to use the newly available bandwidth in East Africa
ICT events in Africa still work in isolation
- associations & industry connections are lacking
- people want to keep their ideas for themselves
- top-down scenario with a strong disconnect between traditional and new developments
- Real-life gatherings such as this Africa Gathering don’t really take place in Africa
- it’s tough for young professionals and researchers
Professionals in Africa work in isolation and under extreme pressure
- it’s hard for them to find people to collaborate
- skilled people are in huge demand
Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem
It’s beautiful that so many non-Africans talk about the future of Africa here
Internet is becoming more and more important in Africa
Dictatorships and authoritarian regimes add internet as third battlefield
What is needed in Africa
- young people
- mentoring
- democracy
This event shows young people how to become part of “good gangs” – teaching how to be creative and innovative
Q & A:
How to encourage and motivate the leaders to give the mentoring?
- the leaders can’t give what they don’t have; events like this here might help – for the lead
- Also informing and educating people in general helps – power and responsibility
Are things getting better in Nigeria – concerning spam, identity theft, …
- people are aware that there is a problem, there’s a project called “rebrand Nigeria”
- many Nigerians work hard, these people do not represent all Nigeria
Maybe the reason is the crisis in leadership – same as here? What can we do to inspire business leaders?
- more inspirational input, professional development events & networks
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Teddy Ruge – Project Diaspora – Mobilize – Engage – Motivate
How many people in the diaspora are making a difference by investing in fellow Africans?
Project Diaspora
- Motivate people who want to invest in Africans
- Engage those who are doing for Africa
- Mobilize that want to do something but don’t know how
In the US there are 4-6 millions members of the diaspora
The missions of the project
- making sure that the money goes to community development projects
- if the money is given to the community, everybody is better off, not only the person you had in mind
Does Africa understand the benefits of customer service?
- a way of survival – if I please you I will eat today
- all products salesmen in Africa sell are shaped for the community needs
- a lost customer is a lost revenue opportunity
Customer service as path to prosperity
The word needs to be spread that African time is not fast enough & quality needs to be high enough for the West – customer service can be learned
Africa is defined by a single story only – mostly problems and poverty, but it can be so much more
Customer service as the core of Africa’s digital future
www.gotissuez.com
- complaints about customer service online
- based in Kenya
We have potential to move forward
Comments, Q & A:
How do orgaizations in the west know who / how / when to trust?
- Get somebody who speaks the language and knows the customs, he/she will understand
Let’s start to celebrate success sories
Organizations in the west have to involve
- don’t just throw money
- success indicators, control
Try to give education to the people, communicate with Africans, learn from them
Education is the only thing I would ask for aid – it’s an investment