Oluyomi Ola-David Insights

Call me black Yes, I am dark And you seek my tan all summer So I still tick Call me ancient Yes, I am historical And you plundered artefacts from forebears  So I still tick Call me weak Yes, I am work-in-progress And full of rare strength that you hunt  So I still tick Call me backward Yes, I am late-in-coming And I see no-go-tracks from your mistakes So I still tick Call me traditional Yes, I am ingenious  And I create pieces you may not dare So I still tick Call me failure Yes, I am learning And I don't like succeeding at wrong work So I still tick  Call me laggard Yes, I am steady And I like to navigate my own lane So I still tick Call me useless Yes, I am valuable  And I know where my usefulness counts So I still tick Call me coward Yes, I am thoughtful and wary And I choose battles I always win So I still tick Call me kinky Yes, I am natural And I love the curls you like to copy So I still tick  Call me misfit Yes, I am an outlier And I stand on ideals I conform to So I still

It is indeed a pessimistic fact that Africa may have 90% of the world's poor by 2030. However, lessons from history point to an optimistic future. Our colonial masters thought out a system of education that churns out experts and managers for established business systems, political order, and constricted economic structures. Here is our 21st century outcome: a teeming population of entitled 'educated unemployed' people with nothing more than certificates to brandish. Moreover, with Africa's ever growing population and relatively stagnant absorptive and industrial capacity, our rising unemployment and poverty rates should not be surprising.  My stance is that Africa and its development thinkers can forge and institute sustainable systems of re-orientation, critical and creative thought, and balanced education that can release empowered nation-builders and wealth creators.  Africa has all the creative, human, and natural resources it needs to minimise its incidence of pov

This week, while looking through shelves to pick out some pre-searched books in development economics and macroeconomics from a University Library, I came by a title on the role of religious organisations in African development. At that instant, I was reminded that I had once thought out the inevitable role of piety in the development of religious Africa. In order to design appropriate and effective interventions for Africa, it is necessary to study the culture and structure of the average African personality. In recent history, economic agents, who seek to take advantage of the fearful, insecure and superstitious African, have been observed to design appropriate media messages, methods, and materials that perpetrate their trade. Using fundamental brainwashing tactics, religious extremists reck a lot of havoc on the minds and perspectives of adherents. The monumental damages to human lives and infrastructure, engineered by such religious devotees can be observed throughout Africa. Furt

Deep within Nigeria's and Africa's inundating socio-economic problems lay streams of opportunities and potential for socio-economic strengthening. However, more often than not, a considerable majority of indigenous populations, who may be without visionary perspectives, merely bemoan the numerous challenges. Thankfully, the inflow of human capital and financial capital from oversea territories increasingly serve to jolt local sleeping giants to action. For instance, soon after a stream of foreign-owned firms expanded the output of the Nigerian telecommunications sector at the turn of the century, an indigenous telecommunications firm emerged to claim part of the market share. Moreover, several cases of knowledge spillovers from 'foreign presence' in various industries are apparent in the recent development history of Rwanda, Madagascar, and Kenya amongst others. In the light of these, foreign direct investment as well as portfolio inflows to Africa's largely untappe

This weekend, I am reminded of one of the soulful speeches of a founding father of the American heritage, Patrick Henry: The famous "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" Declaration. The speeches and actions of the founding fathers of African hope and independence from perceived oppression, were equally daring, patriotic, and visionary. They all knew that true liberty is about taking absolute responsibility for the outcome of one's decisions and actions. Yet they all lived very long enough to pen the kind of constitutions and build institutions that could guarantee the fulfilment of the dreams they envisaged. The sustainable future of generations yet unborn lie subject to our collective and unselfish commitment to building nations and societies that work for all. We can all work to promote peace and security, people development, shared prosperity, protect planetary boundaries and build partnerships that save the planet. We are better working together for a sustainable future

Africa is a continent of beautiful and bright colours, with rich and diverse cultures, and a promising young population; all of these assets contribute to its prospects for growth and development. Even though the scars of self-hatred subtly engineered by colonial rule and dependence may abide in the mindset and lifestyle of the average African, there is hope for development on the continent and wholesome expression of African dignity. Africa's many development challenges, from energy insecurity and low manufacturing capacity to poor healthcare investments are only opportunities for forward-looking investors.  For instance, many indigenous and foreign-vested firms are currently facilitating enterprise development through the provision of technology-enabled business and personal finance solutions. Thus, improving access to finance, which was once touted the main obstacle to business start-ups and growth on the continent. As African individuals, households, firms, and governments incr

Nation-building is such a serious business, that charlatans, the thoughtless and imprudent cannot navigate its terrain. As a consummate and conscientious nation builder, I think Nigeria first, then all other countries next. Nigeria is the STAR nation in Africa, she leads and others follow. If I can fix Nigeria, then Africa can be transformed. Afterwards, other nations will come for lessons. Watch out, Nigeria is on the verge of an epoch-making transformation! #structuraltransformation #Nigeriafirst #nationbuilding #Africa

For those who know already and for others who may care to be informed, Africa is the next global engine of growth. The next civilization that will make the achievements of the West pale into insignificance is emerging from the hitherto 'third world'. You can safely engrave these words in gold. Africa and its national policy environments are becoming most favourable to foreign direct investments (FDIs) as against portfolio investments, because FDIs tend to be more value- and employment- creating than portfolio investments. Development literature also attest to the knowledge spillover and demonstration effects from the presence of foreign firms in domestic economies. Moreover, the launch of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area  signals a new trajectory for the Continent's contribution to global trade and value-chains. All these are signals to smart investors who may seek to gain a first-mover advantage in specified areas of goods and services delivery on the Continent.  It

In popular parlance, it is common to term esusu as ajo. In a forthcoming Encyclopaedia entry we distinguish between Esusu and Ajo. Esusu Ajo The discussion continues...