Mohamed Ali fled Somalia’s civil war with his family, part of an exodus of refugees escaping a conflict which left the country in tatters. But after years abroad, Ali has returned to Somalia to found the Iftiin Foundation to incubate social ventures and groundbreaking projects that encourage change and innovation among young Somali leaders. “Entrepreneurship …
Kennedy is one of Africa’s best- known community organizers and social entrepreneurs. For twenty-three years Kennedy lived in the Kibera Slum, the largest slum in Africa, where he experienced the devastating realities of life in extreme poverty first hand. The oldest of eight children, he became a street-child at the age of ten. Still, he …
When Jane Otai walks through the Nairobi slums, she is no stranger. No stranger to the women living in corrugated-metal shacks or worse, no stranger to the poverty, overcrowded conditions and health problems devastating families. Most of all, she is no stranger to the huge boost that family planning services can provide for the urban …
Jacqueline’s law firm represents investors in Africa as well as governments, but she increasingly finds herself engaged as another kind of advocate. “I want to shift from deal making to mind shifting,” Musiitwa says. “Legal reform is intertwined with inclusive and sustainable development.” Musiitwa’s focus is now on the importance of good governance and rule …
The notion of “Africa rising” is understandably alluring. The vision of hundreds of millions of Africans striding into the middle class, mobile phones in hand, is certainly a refreshing antidote to endless images of death and deprivation. But while there is no denying that economies are growing rapidly across the continent, this feel-good narrative risks …