TEDGlobal 2007: Africa on the Move

I have a colleague who created a list of 100 things that she wanted to do before she died. She had things like "paddle down the Amazon river" and "walk along the Great Wall in China" on her list. I never created such a list. However, if I did ... then today I would be adding "Attend a TEDGlobal Conference" to my list. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Earlier this month, TEDGlobal 2007 was held in Arusha, Tanzania.

Having a conference in Alkebulan ... our motherland ... is invigorating in and of itself. Africa is a country at a crossroads. Its problems and challenges are well known. Less well known is that across the continent, change is afoot. Instead of relying only on development aid, Africans across the continent are beginning to take matters into their own hands. Ingenious solutions are being applied to tackle some of the toughest health and infrastructure problems. Brother Benin Mwangi regularly informs us that businesses are being launched that are capable of transforming the lives of millions. BDPA devotes an entire online community to Alkebulan. New communication technologies are allowing ideas and information to spread, enabling markets — and governments — to be more efficient. And the numbers suggest that incomes are starting to nudge up in some countries and real growth is on the way. A new Africa beckons.

I have posted recently about the genocide in Darfur. It is easy to find negative images of Africa dominating the news: famine and disease, conflict and corruption.

But Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Finance Minister of Nigeria, says there's a less-told story unfolding in many African nations: one of reform, economic growth and business opportunity. Cracking down on corruption -- and the perception of corruption -- will be the key to its success She tells how high-ranking Nigerian officials taking money illicitly have been jailed, and how citizens and prospective business partners are getting at least a partial picture now of where money flows.

I highly encourage 'villagers' to take some time to watch her comments as shared earlier this month with the TEDGlobal attendees.





I would be very interested in your take on Okonjo-Iweala's comments or the TEDGlobal conference. What say u?