A FEW THOUGHTS ON PRIVACY

Neat, handy.....and necessarily intrusive!

So I was turning on the Genius feature for my iTunes to as it were, "expand my musical horizons" and came across this part of the iTUNES STORE - TERMS AND CONDITIONS, which nobody reads but weird specific people like me. Please breeze through.....

PRIVACY

Except as otherwise stated in this Agreement, the Service is subject to Apple's Privacy Policy at http://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/.

When you opt in to the Genius feature, Apple will, from time to time, automatically collect information that can be used to identify media in your iTunes library on this computer, such as your play history and playlists. This includes media purchased through iTunes and media obtained from other sources. This information will be stored anonymously and not associated with your name or iTunes Account. When you use the Genius feature, Apple will use this information and the contents of your iTunes library, as well as other information, to give personalized recommendations to you.

Apple may only use this information and combine it with aggregated information from the iTunes libraries of other users who also opt in to this feature, your iTunes Store purchase history data, aggregated purchase history data from other iTunes Store users, and other information obtained from third parties, to:

• Create personalized playlists for you from your iTunes library.

• Provide you with recommendations regarding media and other products and services that you may wish to purchase.

• Provide recommendations regarding products and services to other users.

At all times your information will be treated in accordance with Apple’s Privacy Policy.

Once you opt in to the Genius feature in iTunes, you will be able to create Genius playlists on Genius-capable devices. To enable the Genius feature on a device, you must sync it with your iTunes library after you have opted in.

If you prefer that we do not collect and use information from your iTunes library in this manner, you should not enable the Genius feature. You can revoke your opt-in choice at any time by turning off the Genius feature from the Store menu in iTunes on your computer. After you opt out, iTunes will no longer send information about your iTunes library to Apple. If you have elected to share your library from multiple computers, you need to turn off the Genius feature from each computer. The Genius feature cannot be enabled or disabled from your device.

By opting in to the Genius feature, you consent to the use of your information as described above and as described in Apple’s Privacy Policy.

When I finished I begun to wonder, can I really trust Apple Inc with a comprehensive insight into my personal music tastes. This information even includes the 'sources' of my music: crap, Limewire & Transmission are some serious friends of mine. Its of necessity, here in Accra, Ghana, where am I going to find a CD shop that sells reasonably priced CDs - Massa lookee hia, blame Sean Parker not me man. XD

George Orwell's 'original' manuscript in development [src; Wikipedia]

All that aside, I wonder how exactly Apple Inc will benefit from this information. I mean its an exchange, they will give me access to more music that is supposedly similar to my current predilections. In return they will expect me to pay for for the songs they recommend online - sounds fair, right? Question is, will they seriously just store this information about myself and not utilize it further? Will they not provide this information to third parties, either at a price, under duress or for other reasons. I don't know and that bothers me; then I think, why should it there is a lot more information about me on WEB 2.0 already. My Facebook account alone is like a treasure trove of personal information. And then my Gmail account, and my LinkedIn profile, Hotmail, Yahoo, Skype chats, Chrome/Safari/Firefox histories, even all my numerous accounts splattering my digital footprints all over cyberspace. Nineteen Eighty-Four came 20 years late, but it came nonetheless. Seriously, Facebook launched in 2004, chew on that!

Concerns must be analysed and then put in the right perspective. Now I grew up on the internet; or shall I say grew up with the internet. As it has evolved and become an even more invasive and addictive experience, I have come to the simple conclusion that I cannot shy away from this technology so I will embrace it fully. I will figure out its intricacies, its fluid framework and its highly dynamic set of rules and become extremely adept at utilizing it to achieve my own ends. It is _2011 (-93.5hrs) and I would much rather be an Inner Party member than Winston Smith; O'Brien had it far better. After all, I manage what information I would like to put in in the public domain and it appears quite self-evident that the better you manage this information, the better off you will be especially considering this is the Information Age. It is certainly impossible to control who has access to your digital information nowadays. It is so easy to access and share everybody's personal data, pictures especially are taken for granted but are much more revealing. Certainly if you see that flashlight blinking you better give your best pose, because someone might just tag you.


The best way to exploit a system is from the inside. So I am wired in hard, trying to stay ahead of the curve. Many people are just passive, some are reactive, but a few are proactive. Seriously, very proactive. Human beings will increasingly lead more and more of their lives on the internet, so as an early adopter in a rapidly changing landscape do not begrudge me my many Facebook posts, my prim and proper LinkedIn profile or my annoyingly snide emails. It is all part of my online persona, who is not that much different from me in person, just disconnected from the immediacy of the physical.

Anyway my Genius feature is turned on and apparently all 6961 audio files in my iTunes Library can be neatly categorized into 12 playlists. You can trust Jobs & Co to make things so easy. I'm diving in, doublethinking all the way because Big Brother is watching you! :)

Cheers

TheBizmic

TRO-TRO DIARIES PART 4(b): ON UNSTRUCTURED SITUATIONS

When I get to 37 Station, I have to take a taxi to work, or simply walk which is generally not feasible. My office is very close to the American Embassy, and that side of Cantonments does not cater to the needs of the tro-tro taking public from that direction. Even though I work at the National Petroleum Authority, I earn a National Service Salary so I have to manage my resources judiciously and this necessitates several changes in my outlook and practice of life in general. I view myself as less and less a privileged kid and more and more a young adult with growing responsibilities. At the NPA I am learning how to keep a rein on my temper, how to tactfully present a suggestion, how to determine if somebody can help you get your job done easier, and how to work with people you may detest. I have learnt that it is sometimes best to shut up and kiss ass than to always say as you will and that there is a hierarchy and one must observe the pecking order. I am part now part of a very big team, a simple cog in a vast machine. There are rules and I am playing the game by its rules – but being that I am me I have put my own twist on my affairs there. My work is very confidential, but essentially what we do is to regulate the downstream oil industry, but we also have a few engagements with the upstream sector as well of necessity. What do I do there exactly; I am officially attached to the Finance Department but in fact I am an intern with slightly expanded responsibilities. I love my job and it is enabling me to get closer and closer to making my oily dreams a reality.

I desire to be an accomplished guru in Ghana’s nascent oil industry, and to this end over the past three years I have done all that is necessary to pursue this goal. Accomplishment can only be attained through sacrifice, but I wonder if I have sacrificed enough yet. I am positive that I grew up way too early; I realized at too young an age that life is what you make of it, that Santa was a myth and money makes the world go round. You use the tools, talents and faults that define you to get anywhere you want to go. Look at Zuckerberg, do you really think he knew he would climb to such heights – Time person of the year? Most definitely not! He was just at the right place at the right time, with the right set of skills. Bono, Buffet, Gates, Jobs, Mandela, Rockefeller; what do they all have in common? There were prepared to maximize the opportunities that came their way; not just because they were destined to do what they did but that they recognized an opportunity, leveraged it and succeeded in making an impact on each of our lives.

I am destined to do as I must, and so are you. Rather than wrack your poor soul with useless worry, identify your strengths and the opportunities that surround you and leverage the hell out of them and at the same time mitigate your weaknesses and the threats that are an inevitable part of the package. I mean, nobody is perfect, least of all me! I am a product of my strengths and weaknesses; a simple equation of nature and nurture. Who cares which has precedence, you are who you are and you might as well be comfortable being yourself. Pleasure is only skin deep anyway so we may choose to just join the masses as mindless drones who end up doing nothing of note. Or we can have a far-reaching impact in this world – I am seriously in the midst of creating my legacy and I hope you are too. I know I am not the only one, but there are too few of us that my heart bleeds, my eyes tear and I wonder if there are enough people that recognize the simple truth of life – that what you invest determines the returns you obtain. Failure does not exist to the mind of the determined, you learn and you improve from your mistakes, and you are tasked to the limit of your ability by this world, so if you cannot accomplish what you desire blame nobody but yourself.

Doubt is just about the most dangerous thought a human can entertain. Doubt kills dreams; doubt destroys the well-laid schemes of mice and men. Doubt is a demon, and must be exorcised. Believe that you can make it, or don’t; that is up to you. As for me and mine, we know where we are going. Seriously, it should not surprise you if I die a premature death or become the president; they are all as likely as each other. I do not know what the future holds, who knows anyway. However you can prepare yourself as best as you can for the unknown. How? In a global village where a man is judged not by the content of his mind, but the size of his wallet how does one hope to make anything of consequence? I do not have any smart or quick answers; I am just trying to figure things out for myself, as is anybody else. But I do not mind sharing the little tidbits of wisdom that come my way as I flit from one place to another, one scene to another trying to make things happen.

Personally, my life is just a series of routines and unstructured situations. Routines are boring, and the unexpected is stressful – but a healthy mix of both makes life worth living. Nowadays, I treasure the little things now more than ever; my little resilient BlackBook that just won’t quit; my rent free room and my AC that doesn’t chill too much anymore; access to internet at work and home; my mother’s awesome cooking; my father’s constant advice; the unbridled love my now very mature and even cooler siblings and I share; my parents giving me transport money when I am broke; the washing machine that keeps my clothes so clean; the many books that I have had access to read; my few friends and many associates; the nearly perfect job for me at this particular point in Ghana’s history; the grey in my hair; my ‘unsmart’ Nokia phone; my youth, strength and health; even my mealy-mouthed approach to expressing myself – these are some of the little things that shape my perceptions of the environment within which I find myself and I appreciate the fact that I finally am able to put things in the right context most of the time.

I have been trying to listen far more than I talk of late as well and for good reason (save when inebriation upends sobriety).  By and large, three things occupy my mental faculties and physical energies – Thinking, Planning and Execution. That is not to say that others do not do the same, but frankly I am simply far more meticulous in my approach than most people I have had the fortune of meeting. But for all this aggrandizing “ahead of the pack” mentality sometimes I fail; matter of fact I have failed at so many things so many times that I am surprised I still have enough confidence to keep trying again. The redeeming trait I have is I cannot accept these failures because the way I see it, they are merely consecutive and unending tests. Dogged, stubborn and uncompromising to a fault I am and will remain. I will never short-change myself, and why should anyone. Seemingly insurmountable challenges are the stuff of legend, because they are just that, seemingly insurmountable. Yet man has gone to the moon, can see billions of light years into the past and posit the beginning of the universe and create technologies that are inconceivably miniscule or colossal. Large Hadron Colliders that bombard atomic particles to discover their sub-atomic component parts vie for attention together with macro-economic trends that shapes the life of billions – where is the world going to? Wherever it is going, a few shall ride the crest of the wave but many shall stand by the beach and watch and more shall flounder. Such is life, oh what an unforgiving mistress she is. In the meantime we are saving towards our Aston Martin – glad to say that we are 0.13867% of the way there at the moment so there is still a long way to go. Until that time, I will join the queue on my way back home, oh I forgot Ghanaians queue like sane humans to board the tro-tro at the station, but at the bus stop, well you already know.......hia hia hiaaaaaaa

I'm just saying, if you will aim, then AIM HIGH....hehehe :)

TRO-TRO DIARIES PART 4(a)....GETTING TO WORK IN THE MORNING

How we roll XD

Angels exist in each of the people that ‘saved’ me from a tro-tro ride back home when I had but a few pesewas to my name. Demons abound in any number of the fools that stoked my ire in the past couple of months. We live in a world of Angels and Demons and we can be mere tools to their ends, or we can take charge of our destiny and direct our own paths. You can exist for others or you can play the game on your own terms; I choose to play on my own terms no matter how uncomfortable it may be. What if the Tro-Tro is the mainstay of my transportation for a few more years? I found my niche; they are certainly uncomfortable, crowded and looked down upon, but they are a cheap and fairly efficient system of travel once you get the hang of it. I can even manage sleeping in the ricketiest of the rickety Tro-Tro buses for hours amidst the sights and sounds of Accra’s insane traffic jams. I travel proper Ghana style! I know how to get to work and back on a mere 3 cedis and still have change for Hausa Koko, Bofrot, PK and ‘Pure Water’ (PS: Inflation has caught up to even these items oh, imagine that at 37 you cannot purchase hausa koko for less than 30p anymore......HOW??).

Loading Tro-tro at the Station, the bus-stops are the "express service centres"

I used to complain bitterly about having to go through these things until I realized that it is not a punishment for crimes committed, but rather the best opportunity I have to learn how to be disciplined, focused and to appreciate the true plight of the average Ghanaian. A lot of people talk a lot of nonsense about how they want to help the people of Ghana and whatnot, but do they even know the naked suffering of the average Ghanaian; the ridiculously long wait in bus stations; the dangerous state of the rundown machines that transport them up and down and the unhygienic conditions that surround what they eat and drink. Tro-tros are the mainstay of Ghana’s public transportation system, moving people and goods across the length and breadth of the country and yet it is largely unregulated and attracts little investment - I see several huge businesses brewing in the need to improve the public transport system. Generally speaking though it is a very orderly affair, but when the pressure is on and demand is high, it all disintegrates into a very interesting scenario.

Early Morning Tro-Tro Olympics

A typical scene I encounter nearly every morning on my way to work goes like this......

            Spanner Junction [6:07am]...... A docile gathering of plenty black faces are waiting patiently at the bus-stop. Friends are talking, families are smiling, mobile phones are ringing and the sun is fairly bright in the sky but the temperature is still cool. The few tro-tros that pass by are full and speed into and out of the bus stop merely to cut a few cars in the serious morning rush hour. And there is always the one desperate guy running behind it, waving his hands in the hopes that the tro-tro will stop for him, unfortunately it stops somewhere ahead, and he slinks back to the far end of the station, awaiting impatiently for the Tro-Tro that will park right in front of him. Most of the cars on the road are private and the docile crowd glances expectantly towards the snakey traffic in the hopes of obtaining a ‘lift’. The crowd keeps increasing as the morning progresses and as yet no empty tro-tro has come by.

            Spanner Junction [6:31am]......The crowd is now a great mass of many more black faces and they are all sweating profusely. The heat is becoming unbearable so in tandem with the mobile phones, handkerchiefs are constantly at work. Unsurprisingly you may see a white face or two, but they are always dropping of from the tro-tro and not trying to get on it. The reason is simple, the dynamics of the bus stop are very different from before. Whenever a tro-tro breaks away from the snaky traffic and enters the other end of the bus stop (which is rather long by the way), immediately the phones and handkerchiefs vanish and so do the smiles and sighs. Eyes become fixated at the shrilling mass of rusted metal, gauging its contents and velocity. If it begins to slow down and appears to be offloading passengers, people immediately move into action. Inevitably some people had already begun running behind the tro-tro even before it slowed down (including our dear desperate friend), but the driver, through some mechanism known only to him determines where on this 20 meter stretch to screech to a stop. The driver’s mate slides open the door and calmly steps out of the way......he does not want to be in the fray of what is about to happen.

            Spanner Junction [6:32am]......A heaving mass of men and women, young and old are all struggling and shoving each other out of the way to enter into the tro-tro. They have now blocked the passenger who wants to step down, and he has to wait as the crowd reluctantly makes way for him. As he is getting off, people are still trying to get in. Now there 23 people in a Kung Fu Tussle in front of a 1-yard sliding door that can only allow one person to enter at a time. People are pushing, shoving, pulling, head-butting, eye-gouging, hair-pulling, stepping all over each other, hurling insults into the air and generally using any and all means to get into that last remaining precious seat. The moment somebody succeeds in putting three-fifths of their body into the tro-tro, the driver’s mate screams that the bus is full, shoves his way towards his own seat, and kicks out the dude sitting there and pleading to be taken along - who knew this was going to happen anyway. As he closes the door the seething crowd becomes docile again, but only for a moment. As the tro-tro speeds off to rudely join the snaky traffic, another breaks off and enters the bus stop, loudly and followed by a thick trail of black smoke, the desperate gentleman is running behind it and waving his hands but its too late and the cycle begins again......

NB: The Tro-Tro ride from Spanner Junction (Tetteh Quarshie) to the 37 Bus Station costs 25p – A taxi ride costs 5 cedis.

In the belly of the Beast :)

At first I used to laugh so hard at this scene. There is so much mirth to be obtained from watching grown men and women act like a bunch of sophomoric monkeys. And you know another thing, it is absolutely worse when the bus is completely empty, imagine that! The way the African mind works is just baffling, but sadly even I am part of this comedy scene since I realized that I either had to play the game or get to work very late. So as the mass heaves and shoves, I tighten the straps on my backpack, loosen my tie, take of my spectacles and jump into the mix. An effective strategy I observed is to grab onto the door with one hand, and use the other to shove, block and push. Stepping on toes is particularly effective, especially if you are wearing Santiagos with hard soles; very very effective indeed. I have seen a woman with her kid wrapped behind her trip, fall and get trampled slightly. Another time just as somebody was about to put more than half his body through the door, a hand slithered by and pulled him back into the fray and I slipped by him into the bus. Honestly it wasn’t me, but that helped me a lot man. People even improvise tools and weapons to improve their odds of getting through the throng. Backpacks and head loads are held in front and used as rams to shove people away from the gate. I have seen a heavy-set woman with a huge head load balanced on her head, running, no, sprinting after a tro-tro - and you know what, she made it inside somehow, load intact.

There are even team strategies, if there are several seats on the bus, the strongest of a group of friends will secure the gate with both hands blocking everybody else and let his fellows wiggle into the bus ahead of him before entering himself. Most times passengers tend to take this as a matter of course, but sometimes people get into serious fights that everybody tries to break up - until the next tro-tro appears. I generally avoid these pitfalls by ensuring that I take a tro-tro that bypasses Spanner Junction completely, but if I do end up there, I observe, I laugh a bit, and then I jump into the fray like a Bruce Lee wannabe, Jeet Kun Do-ing my way into the bus; backpack facing forwards and hard soles clogging along and ready to strike – hia hia hiaaaaaaaa. I have to get to work people......Sek Sek Sek Sek, Teri Sev Teri Sev Teri Sev.....hehehehe

Generally boarding a Tro-Tro is a civil affair, but when the pressure is on, PUSH COMES TO SHOVE!

A Big round of CHEERS to everybody that reads this blog. Merry Christmas and have a happy new year.

From TheBizmic & Co.

NEW CAPITALISM: SOCIAL VALUE CREATION

This article was co-authored by Derek Nnuro (President, Harambe Ghana) and Kojo Annan Ampofo (TheBizmic Himself). Look out for us in the Business & Financial Times - our Media Partner for TEDxHarambe.

Ghana’s burgeoning oil industry provides an opportunity for significant financial gains for not only that industry but all sectors of the economy.  Coupled with such gains is the need for companies to reassess their approach to community investment.

Fortunately for us, here in Ghana, we have had a considerable period of multi-party democracy that has enabled the growth of a thriving private sector.  Though the private sector has been active in addressing social issues and some interventions have been commendable, initiatives must evolve from more common Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) models. 

Ghanaian companies should seek a double bottom line.  In the 21^st century it is no longer enough to earn a monetary return on investments – that is merely the primary bottom-line. 

Owing to pressing social problems that are either regional or global in scope – youth unemployment, environmental degradation, famine, lack of access to basic amenities – companies operating in (especially) developing communities must seek to find ways of alleviating or solving the very problems that plague their operational environments.

Companies can seek a second bottom line through the services and products they provide, supply chain, internal operations, advocacy/philanthropy, and ethics.  Companies can also go as far to recognize that many social problems are lucrative business opportunities awaiting the right capital. A few companies, both local and foreign, are transcending the limited realm of established CSR practices. 

During Tullow Oil’s Capital Markets event in July, Ken McGhee, the CSR Projects Manager gave a presentation on Social Entrepreneurship.  Mr. McGhee’s presentation signaled a CSR maturation and (hopefully) turning point. Mr. McGhee argued for a shift away from ‘handout’ to a focus on long-term social and community investments.  It has been an established norm for most firms to make donations rather than ensuring that the projects they support are in line with the two S’s – sustainability and scalability.

By rebranding CSR as “Social Enterpreneurship” and announcing that Tullow Oil seeks to support ‘enterprise development’ through its efforts, Mr. McGhee demonstrated that Tullow plans to make sustainable and scalable investments in the community. Whether big or small firms, established companies or start-ups, we must find ways to harmonize profit making and social value creation for the long term.

To this end, on November 4^th, TEDxHarambe, hosted by Harambe Ghana, Business Minds Investment Club (BMIC) and their partners, will spark a deep discussion on social value creation under the theme, “New Capitalism.” TEDxHarambe is a local, independently organized event in Accra that strives to re-create the unique experience found at TED; an annual event that brings together the world’s leading thinkers and doers to share ideas that matter in any discipline – technology, entertainment, design, science, humanities, business and development.

Cheers......Don't miss out on TEDxHarambe on NOVEMBER 4, SEE YOU THERE!!!!!

MORE ON TEDxHarambe COMING SOON! Visit the WEBSITE!!!!

Visit the event site HERE!

A HISTORY FROM TIME PAST: AN ESSAY ON NKRUMAH AND GENERATION XYZ

Probably feeling himself small :)

“Kwame Nkrumah had been living abroad for twelve years, an itinerant student, invariably penniless but politically ambitious. In the United States he had collected degrees in economics, sociology and philosophy. To earn a living during student vacations, he had worked as a laborer in a soap factory and as a ship’s steward; he even tried selling fish on street corners in Harlem. Moving to London in 1945, he had intended to study law but soon became caught up in left-wing politics, befriending leading British communists and avidly participating in anti-colonial protests. “There was nothing to stop you getting on your feet and denouncing the whole British Empire,” he recalled. He abandoned his law studies but found it difficult to make ends meet as a political activist. Short of money, he would spend hours discussing politics in cheap cafes in Camden Town, only occasionally able to afford a cup of tea and a bread roll. When the offer of a job with the United Gold Coast Convention reached him, Nkrumah leapt at the opportunity." This excerpt is taken from, ‘The State of AFRICA’ by Martin Meredith. He was a man that believed in the power of politics to cause change, in his seminal speech at the Tenth anniversary of the CPP in Accra he said, “My philosophy, based on two axioms, has been clear from the very beginning, and it is quite simple: ‘Seek ye first the political kingdom and all things shall be added unto it.’ And secondly, we believe that. ‘The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent.’ ”

The iconic picture of Nkrumah

When Nkrumah came back to Ghana, he was young but brimming with energy, ideas and ambition. He soon fell out with his colleagues in the UGCC owing to their very different views on how to achieve autonomy from the colonial powers. History remembers him as the liberator of the Ghana (then the Gold Coast) under the CPP banner making it the first country to achieve full independence south of the Sahara. He also built the Akosombo Dam, several schools, hospitals, roads, railways, heavily patronized agriculture, and various other community programs. But most importantly, Nkrumah used his new found power to encourage and support complete liberation for the entire African continent. Nkrumah was a legend among legends and in the age where the African was only beginning to release the shackles of slavery and realize his true potential, here was a man that was way ahead of his time. His vision not only affected the lives of Ghanaians but all other Africans since he turned Accra into the nexus of the African Liberation struggle, organizing conferences that brought together representatives from across the continent and nurtured many who were later to achieve prominence in their own countries – Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Joshua Nkomo (Zimbabwe), Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia), Hastings Banda (Malawi), Patrice Lumumba (Congo), Holden Roberto (Angola), Amilcar Cabral (Guinea) among many others. At the height of his power Nkrumah was prolific on the international front, meeting with eminent personalities of all races and creeds to further his vision for the country and the continent. He travelled around the world bursting with energy, zeal and a magnetism that was unrivaled. He inspired, he motivated, and he fostered a feeling of pride amongst his fellow black men, that we were indeed capable of running our own affairs.

Despite all his achievements, Nkrumah was not perfect. According to Meredith, “Behind all the hurly-burly, Nkrumah was a lonely figure, distrustful of his close colleagues, rarely confiding in them. He enjoyed the company of women, but feared intimacy and declared he had no time to get married”. An English woman with whom he built one of the most trusting relationships he ever formed later described him as “moody, erratic, impatient and volatile, but also charming and considerate when it suited him”. Nkrumah was also known for his harsh treatment of his political opponents, and by the time he was ousted from power in 1966 he had already lost much of the overwhelming support that he had enjoyed in the early part of his political career. In fact in 1964 he orchestrated the passage of a constitutional amendment that made the CPP the only legal party and declared him President of both the nation and the party, for life. I was not there and I do not know, but I can posit that perhaps the trappings of absolute power made him loose touch with the people that he loved so much and it cost him dearly. In the introduction to Selected Speeches of Kwame Nkrumah Vol 3, Samuel Obeng states that, he [Nkrumah] was so reviled and rejected by his own people in his lifetime that it is a testament to his undying charisma that after his death he has been wholeheartedly accepted back by Ghanaians. He remains the greatest icon of love and adoration by all Ghanaians even to this day, and certainly remains one of the most prominent figures that our dark continent has and will ever produce.

Here lie the remains of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, forever Loved by his people

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Nkrumah has not been overthrown in a coup d’état supported by the CIA. Consider the aftermath; the vicious cycle of unproductive upheavals that brought the richest sub-Saharan African country in the early 1950s into abject poverty by the late 1980s. Consider also the plundering of Ghana’s wealth by various military regimes and the political elite that resulted in gross mismanagement of our resources, economy, politics and the very essence of our cultural identity. Sometimes I wonder but who knows perhaps it was all for the best; after all everything happens for a reason. But wonderment at Nkrumah and our nations past must pave way for the realities of the present because now I believe that we, the youth of Ghana and Africa at large, are at a crucial point in our history; a crossroads that echo the choices faced by Nkrumah and his generation: theirs was independence now or independence later and ours is development now or development later. We are the true beneficiaries of their bloody fight for total independence; it was their legacy and our inheritance. I say DEVELOPMENT NOW! Enough with the excuses and the blame game that all politicos love playing nowadays; enough with the corruption, cronyism, nepotism, and elitism that keeps the vast majority of Ghanaians, especially the youth in poverty and uncertainty. There has been enough time wasting and the we of Africa’s generations XYZ are faced with the huge responsibility of implementing system wide CHANGE because we cannot abide by the status quo – it has failed abysmally. And it is up to us, to seize the tools, the technology and the vast opportunities that the 21^st century has provided us to carve our own shining destiny out of the present rot permeating the system.

Africa's Generation XYZ.....The Hope of Africa!

However it is not enough for us to just help ourselves, as Nkrumah said, our development, be it as individuals or as a nation is meaningless unless it is linked up to the development of other individuals or nations. Ghana has enjoyed a relatively long period of freedom and stability that has lead to many socio-economic and political gains but even that is not enough. We must rapidly develop our nation and our continent but the present guard cannot do it. I think they know they truth of this matter themselves and they are not actively engaging the youth because they are afraid of losing their power. So I believe that the youth of today, the indigenous youth of Africa must position itself to use whatever means necessary to better ourselves and help others do the same; even if the Old Horses won’t give us way, we must build our muscles and shove past them. As George Ayittey said in his TEDGlobal ‘07 speech, ours is the Cheetah Generation, with whom lie the hope of Africa and we must take charge from the Generation of Hippos (aka Dinosaurs) that grow fat from the current mess and are quite comfortable with the present state of affairs. Like Nkrumah we must REJECT our past that is rife with poverty and chaos and embrace our bright and prosperous future; a future filled with promise, a future where we can catch up with the rest of the developed Global village. As our forbears will inevitably hand over the reigns of power to us, so shall we do the same to our progeny, and it is my fervent hope that we will be able to give a better account of ourselves to our children and their children. This is our chance; we must not waste it!

It is a momentous task but I know it is possible. Why? Because there was once a man who rose from selling fish on street corners to changing the destiny of millions with his words. This same man that went from toiling in a soap factory to hobnobbing with Kings and Queens; from not being able to afford a cup of tea or a bread roll to feeding a nation and freeing a continent. His name was Kwame Nkrumah; forever etched into our history books as a great man and a true visionary. He was just one of many that came before him and after him. If he was able to effect system wide change then why not you, why not me? It is not just our responsibility, it is our destiny.

We are doing our part on Nov 4 at TEDxHarambe; let us achieve our true destiny! Visit our site at www.tedxharambe.com for more details!

Cheers :D

COMMUNICATION: THE MORTAR THAT BINDS EVERY BUSINESS VENTURE

This blog was written by Samuel "Fiifi" Okore Mintah, the Vice President of BMIC. As always his article is a most inspiring and refreshing piece, I hope you really enjoy this! :)

Communication; the imparting or exchanging of information

Rarely is it such a fairy tale for somebody to finish university and almost immediately be at the helm of his own company with an estimated value of almost $100,000 and counting. Well I did it, through cold nights and lonely days at Evandy Hostel where I marshaled my thoughts to build my imaginary company in the form of a well-written business proposal. Though I wrote that proposal under compulsion, I later came to appreciate the amount and value of the work that was put into the business plan. When this plan metamorphosed into reality, I surrounded myself with a team of some of the smartest and talented minds I knew. We immediately jumped into gear, business prospects were looking good then suddenly I watched it all slip out of my hands. But as a firm optimist who believes in determination, hard work and the power of dreams no matter the problems that one encounters, I knew I had within my power the tools to create new and even better opportunities. As the great Winston Churchill said during the blitzkrieg of London, “Never, never, never give up!”

I graduated from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology a year ago, with the grade class I had always wanted. But most importantly, I left KNUST with the right frame of mind and the right kind of friends, and these factors have been crucial to enabling my ideas and plans to come to life. As soon as this great opportunity to run this firm knocked on my door I called on the battalion to come aboard because I knew they were going to propel the business to the next level. Within a month of the platoon hitting the ground, problems begun to assuage the firm, unforeseen and unpredictable problems cropped up all over the place and I watched in horror as this amazing chance disappeared almost as quickly as it came into being. It was a real nightmare especially looking at the kind of personal investment I had made within that short period of time. I had sacrificed my valuable time, every single dime, and as a man in his prime I was ready to capably run this engine and yet, here was I going home without having barely started the engine itself. When I reminisce about that shattering week, I can only grin and sigh with relief that things are back on track now.

What happened you may ask? It had nothing to do with the team I brought on board to take the business to the next level but rather myself. Several minute flaws that I had neglected in my personnel life grew into the very same abyss that derailed my entrepreneurial train.  I have always been a smooth talker brimming with eloquence but a little miscommunication between my business partner and I created an air of mistrust. After many nights of reflection as to what caused this predicament, I came to the conclusion that communication is the most vital ingredient in any and all forms of business; something like the mortar that binds all the other components of a business venture to make it one big whole. In business we may agree, we may disagree and we may even agree to disagree. However without the essential ingredient – effective communication – which builds trust among all stakeholders, no business will be successful.

Since that fateful week, I have done a lot of soul searching and reassessment; I have completely revamped my way of handling business, and to tell you the truth now, I feel like I can walk on water. I am back on my grind with a big bang; thing is this time everything is in place and nothing is bringing me down. I have been thorough in purging those minute flaws, which do not augur well for business in favor of traits that can earn me the chips that can afford me that trip to Monaco twice a year, the mansion on the hill and that McLaren MP4-12c. What did I do to come back on track and resolve all the problems with my partners?  Well I have always been consumed with a burning desire to make it happen no matter the odds against me, but besides that I read voraciously to further become knowledgeable about the efficient management skills that still eluded me. I also delved into my inner person to discover my latent abilities, which I’m developing everyday, and also took the time to unlearn the unproductive things that were part of my psyche.  So now I am back, consumed with the fire of winning and trust me, I am winning. With my formidable team we have built those efficient mechanisms to weather any storms that may blow no matter how great. KTA is back, and here to stay!

Samuel “Fiifi” Okore Mintah,

Chief Executive Officer,

Kreative Terrain Agency

If KTA was possible, so is this! On track to make my dreams REALITY!

DREAMING ON: HUSTLING AMIDST THE TUMULT.....WHY I TRY!

Le pays historique.....

I try because I dream. I am a wishful thinker at heart; deep down I am wildly optimistic. But all the lessons I have learnt in life have coerced me to build a wall of inscrutable sadness around myself. Yet however sad I may get, my hopeful confidence and enthusiasm to dream always shine through. I try to be infectious in my ambitions as well. I think dreamers like to know other peoples dreams as a matter of consequence. They do this to put their own dreams in perspective. You know, those deep down goals and fantastic objectives you had as a kid, but gradually are losing touch with, as you grow older. I ask other people what kind of life they envision for their future and they tend to give a safe answer; you know, the diplomatic response. The reply is always something sensible and expected instead of something incredible and juvenile. I sometimes feel very foolish because rather than play the safe game, I find Astons and yachts skipping all over the place. Hmmmm.....It’s really not my fault you know; blame my overactive imagination that is on a quest to build castles in the air and then proceed to wish them into being. If you are my friend you know as far as I am concerned Monaco is the place to be (probably because I am always trying to impress you with some tidbit of useless information about the principality) even though the closest I have ever gotten to this place is a mind-meld of James Bond, Wikipedia and recently Facebook. Actually Monaco is 641 miles (or 1032 km) away from London, I guess in geographic terms that is the closest I have been to that city-state. Oh, I almost forgot, I know this information because of....Google. Yeah, ‘technically’ Google is the closest I have been to Monaco. In fact courtesy Google, I go to Monaco whenever I want. I am amidst the tumult of 21^st Century Africa, and I dream of visiting some place in France so bad I find myself in random conversations telling people about it. I sometimes even wonder why, why there, why not somewhere else. I guess its an idiosyncrasy I seek to make a cliché, nothing more, nothing less.

Somebody drives one on the streets of Accra :)

And why, why am I always using words of Brobdingnagian proportions when I write, why bother? Its actually extra work you know. To find some obscure word that isn’t commonly used, string it with its brothers and sisters, and try to make them sing. That’s how I see it; I play with words the way physicists play with numbers. You put them together in interesting ways and then you try to convince other people that what you have conjured up makes sense and is relevant to them somehow. Maybe that is why I enjoy writing business plans because I like playing with both words and numbers. And it must be why I enjoy chasing business deals with such gusto because I enjoy playing with ideas; ideas that have a chance at becoming reality. I am not simply doing what I do to make money, no, that is not enough, not nearly enough. There are several easier ways to simply make money – a myriad really. But there is only one way to make an impact, especially a huge impact in the lives of people around you. And that is to look past the profit incentive, past the cash and dollar signs. I am not saying I don’t want money, I certainly do. But more so than that I want to positively affect the world around me, share what I learn, and show people that it is possible to succeed at anything, no matter how outlandish if you just try hard enough. I have learnt that the whole idea is to believe in yourself and never give up no matter what. That is why when people tell me to be less flamboyant in my writing, reduce the scope of my grandiose dreams or trade what I want for something less, I am obstinate to a fault. I really don’t see the point – personally – of wasting one’s finite time, energy and resources to merely exist safely, when one can truly live dangerously. Risk is always equal to Reward. That is why amidst this tumult, my hustle is to simply, try and never stop doing so.

I will try my hardest for supreme excellence because I can never settle for mediocrity. It is a very deliberate decision on my part to do so. I guess the norm is people grow and adjust to reality by downsizing their true dreams. They dilute their goals and they end up making it through this life safely but unremarkably. A few of us do the opposite, we do not adjust to reality rather we adjust to the fantasy we prefer to live in. We choose not to play it safe nor by the rules. Our whole agenda is to show that being unorthodox is another route through this life. A route that is fraught with so much danger and so much risk. A route that is most likely to end up in abject failure. And that is what most people see when they glance down this road, they see the path less travelled by and they shy away. Well, I tightened my belt, set my jaw and plodded on into the dusty winds. It is the avenue of tears and sorrows; where your confidence is sapped and obstacles beset you at all corners encouraging you to just give up. Yet I plod on, because I am willing to take these risks in order to stand a chance at getting the potential rewards. You see, that is all I will ever get if I try, a chance. The way I see it everything we do in life is a gamble, every decision we make will have certain consequences down the line. I would much rather play my game trying than not because the time we have on this earth is borrowed anyway. It’s not guaranteed that I will dream into reality but I don’t care because simply having that chance is good enough for me. Dare to dream and if at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again!

Cheers,

The Bizmic

TRO-TRO DIARIES PART 3(b): ON ASSIGNMENT – MEETING WITH SANDER

Sander then proceeded to give me some background on SOVEC and why they are operating in Ghana – they could have stayed in Holland or gone elsewhere in Africa with their money, but they chose Ghana because it has a stable political system, an enabling business environment and also because of the presence of a young, yet professional VC infrastructure, providing the right caliber of investment partners they require. He also told me a bit about the investment portfolio of SOVEC in Ghana, particularly their support for the “Private Schools for the Poor” project by Omega Schools which is an innovative idea that seeks to provide high quality education to the poor by bringing such communities on board and giving them an incentive to ensure the schools are self sustainable. And then we launched into the vast entrepreneurial opportunities available in Ghana. 

Sander was particularly interested in discussing my personal entrepreneurial ventures. In fact once I put it out there that I was an up and coming entrepreneur we naturally fell into a deep conversation about my business interests especially in Oilfield Services, which is my day job by the way. I stressed on the fact that I felt it my duty to share my practical experiences as I navigate the entrepreneurial world with others, so as to inspire, encourage and motivate. He commended my meager efforts, and suggested that all groups such as BMIC should collaborate under one umbrella rather than operate as splinter cells going after the same objectives. I assured him that our partnership with Harambe Ghana is just such a co-operative effort and with TEDxHarambe we are marking the beginning of a long and fruitful working relationship; and there is always room for more on board because as a united front, youth-oriented NGOs in Ghana will be able to achieve similar goals quicker and more effectively.

The Dutch venture capitalist was rather insightful so I volunteered information freely knowing it may yield dividends later on. He was very plain spoken about his definition of social entrepreneurship, “being that [he] does not primarily go for profit alone, but that [he is] convinced that it should be a mix of financial (profit incentive) and social things (value creation) to make venture capital investments sustainable. It cannot (and should not) be simply either one.” He was adamant that social entrepreneurship should not be labeled as simply granting money on the basis of pure altruism, or pure profit-making but rather a balanced dance of both; they were not mutually exclusive goals but could become a harmonious model for incentivizing the rapid development of Africa through win-win investor partnerships. And I agree wholeheartedly with him on this one folks, it is not simply possible but prudent to be a businessman with a heart and a conscience in the 21^st century; it is perhaps the only sustainable way forward. 

He also gave me another view as to his personal belief that the present model for AID to Africa is deeply flawed, referring to Dambisa Moyo’s book, Dead Aid. Rather he proposed an interesting theory; that there should not be a difference between a good entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur. To him the word ‘social’ is sometimes not appropriate in description because it doesn’t reflect the reality on the ground, which is that the present state of blind philanthropy is not just failing, but acerbating the various issues they seek to solve in the first place. That is the old way of doing things. Though I certainly feel blind philanthropy has its place in the development of Africa owing to how far behind we still are, I also felt his stance was just the kind of edgy and fresh thought that was needed to compel people sit up and take notice that the old way of doing things is simply not enough. We agreed that he should run with his idea and deliver his presentation along these lines.

So finally, Mr. Sander Smits van Oyen broke into a warm smile offered his hand and said, “Okay you have me.” I heaved a silent but heavy sigh of relief, chugged down the rest of up my pineapple juice, smiled broadly, shook his hand, grabbed my Targus book bag and returned to the confused din of night traffic and Spintex. The Tro-tro ride back home that day was not so bad; truly it would not have made any difference if I were in a tram, a train or a Double Decker bus: Okay, save the noise, the jolts and that creeping feeling that the machine is about to break up any second away.

Now things are looking good; not only is Sander speaking at the event, he may be, co-incidentally, bringing along his investors to visit TEDxHarambe with him........Bit by bit, we are doing it!

TRO-TRO DIARIES PART 3(a): ON ASSIGNMENT – MEETING WITH SANDER

A simple and straightforward affair indeed – my meeting with Mr. Sander Smits van Oyen was not quite that. I went to Shangri La Hotel completely resourced and prepared to carry aloft the TEDxHarambe torch. When I have something important to do I ensure my homework is done, so I read as much information about Sander as Web 2.0 could offer and Derek, being the super-efficient guy he is, even provided precise and comprehensive meeting notes for the appointment. By the way, I had successfully avoided Tro-tros the whole day; I had certainly seen them, many of them, calling and honking out to me, begging to break my silent notes down into jingling coins. But between my father and my friend, I was Corporal First Class of the “Ghana AC Brigade” all the way that day– well at least up to that point.

I definitely needed that little preparation; Mr. Sander is the managing director of a Dutch Venture Capital Firm called SOVEC Fund that is investing in SMEs in Ghana in collaboration with local partners like Fidelity II Fund and Oasis Capital. The main goal of the SOVEC Fund is to “stimulate sustainable economic growth in Africa. [They] strongly believe that this can best be realized by private sector development: i.e. investing in SME’s”. SOVEC’s model is to add value (i.e. create social value) by linking Ghanaian entrepreneurs to a networked group of Dutch investors who not only have capital, but also contacts, experience and expertise they would otherwise not have had access to. Bottom line, Sander and his partners are operating a fund of €6 million of private equity of which they have committed approx. 40% or € 2.5 million in about 10 indigenous investments so far. That is an average of €250,000 or $320,000 per venture, and this is probably just the beginning because this fund and its portfolio are still growing. You can obtain more information on SOVEC Fund and its mother company, SOVEC Foundation from their website, www.sovec.nl. The TEDxHarambe Team contacted Sander hoping he could share his thoughts on social entrepreneurism – SOVEC stands for Social Venture Capital so we felt their business model was exemplary of social value creation and Sander’s experienced perspective would shed more light on the issue.

Some of the points that were covered in the meeting were:

1.     A synopsis of BMIC, Harambe and our Joint-Venture (History, Objectives)

2.     A briefing about the TED, TEDx brand and their licensing requirements

3.     TEDxHarambe and its primary objective, “Social Value Creation”

4.     An orientation on the format of his speech at the conference

5.     Securing his consent as a speaker for the event

Well the above represents the main points that were to be covered, but the meeting went further and delved deeper. One of the first things I uttered to Mr. Smits van Oyen was that we were “trying to organize an event,” and he immediately cut me short and said, “Don’t try, just do it.” And later on when I went on to say that “In Ghana we face a lot of problems”, he corrected me by saying, “They are not only problems, they are also opportunities.” Therefore throughout the ensuing conversation I was ‘trying’ very hard to avoid this ‘problem’ of perception and rather use the situation as an ‘opportunity’ to show him I could ‘do it’ because I was a quick learner. However of all the things that we discussed that day, these two statements left the biggest impression on me, I will simply DO as I should by adequately utilizing the various OPPORTUNITIES present in Ghana........

The rest of this blog continues Mid-Week......Keep Checking this space for Part 3(b)

Cheers