(Seven keys every African leader must have to achieve impossibilities discussed)
By Ruth Nnadi – This year’s annual Africa Conference 2024 in Oxford, themed “Charting Africa’s Path Forward: A Journey of Possibilities,” brought together a diverse array of influential leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, and change-makers to deliberate on the continent’s future. This two-day event, served as a catalyst for thought-provoking discussions, innovative solutions, and collaborative efforts towards Africa’s inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Governance and Leadership
The conference witnessed insightful contributions from prominent political figures, including Hon. Raila Odinga, the former Prime Minister of Kenya, and His Excellency Godwin Obaseki, the current Executive Governor for Edo State in Nigeria. Odinga shared his perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing Africa’s development landscape, while Obaseki outlined the achievements of the past seven years in Edo State, serving as a case study for charting Africa’s path forward.
Collaborations and Partnerships
Professor Irene Tracey, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, emphasized the importance of the relationship between Oxford and Africa, highlighting collaborations in critical areas such as climate change and health. This sentiment underscored the conference’s role in facilitating meaningful partnerships and knowledge exchange between African nations and renowned institutions like Oxford.
Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
Entrepreneurship and economic development were central themes, with Mr. Edward Bussey delivering an inspirational speech on the trials and triumphs of entrepreneurs. Discussions focused on promoting entrepreneurship, integrating AI into African economies, and fostering an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Technology for Transformative Change
One of the key highlights was the emphasis on leveraging technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), to drive economic growth and youth employment across rural and urban Africa. Professor Chris Imafidon, the chair of the award-winning ExcellenceInEducation Programme and a board member of Keath.ai, an EdTech solution, expressed his belief that AI will revolutionize youth employment opportunities in Africa, based on recent studies. This sentiment resonated with the conference’s overarching theme of harnessing innovation and technology for Africa’s progress.
Gender Equality and Climate Change
The conference also tackled pressing issues such as gender equality and climate change. Notable speakers, including Dr. Khetwise Dlamini, former chief of staff at UN Women, and Naana Otoo-Oyottey, Executive Director of Forward UK, a charity aimed at ending violence against women in Africa, shed light on the challenges and opportunities surrounding gender equity and female empowerment across the continent. Furthermore, the disproportionate impact of climate change on African nations, particularly their agricultural sectors, was a topic of concern. Participants explored strategies for climate change adaptation and sustainable development, recognizing the urgency of addressing this global challenge.
Innovation and Empowering Youth
A highlight of the conference was the announcement of the Innovation Seed Fund (ISF) recipients. This initiative, which offers grants and mentorship opportunities to students from Oxford and leading African universities, aims to foster innovative and scalable solutions to pressing issues in Africa. The winning projects focused on optimizing water usage in agriculture, improving healthcare access and affordability for chronic disease treatment through remote monitoring and analytics, and enhancing the quality of menstrual health products.
Connections and Shaping the Narrative
The Oxford Africa Conference 2024 served as a platform for networking and collaboration, bringing together individuals passionate about Africa’s growth and prosperity. It provided a space for thought-provoking discussions on critical challenges and opportunities, showcased innovative solutions and success stories, and facilitated the forging of meaningful connections among attendees. As the conference drew to a close, it became evident that the journey towards charting Africa’s path forward is a collective endeavor, requiring the concerted efforts of leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across the continent and beyond. By embracing technology, fostering collaborations, promoting entrepreneurship, addressing gender equality and climate change, and empowering youth, Africa can unlock its vast potential and embark on a transformative journey towards inclusive growth and sustainable development. Additional reports by Professor Chris Imafidon.
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RUTH NNADI, a protégé of ExcellenceinEducation.org.uk and scholarly technologist and one of the pioneers of remote working in Africa. Ruth has over 12 years’ experience in network management with an excellent background in providing professional technical support. Experienced in monitoring, analyzing and maintaining network systems and infrastructures by effectively conducting preventative maintenance of critical information systems and equipment; ensuring effective coordination, control, and mitigation of risk to the organization. Proficient in providing Customer Service. Seeking a position to further expand my experience and knowledge. She has demonstrated the drive to deliver top performance as well as great team work qualities
Professor Chris Imafidon, is Chair of the record-breaking ExcellenceInEducation.org.uk programme and currently serves as Board Advisor to KEATH.ai, a multi- award-nominated EdTech organisation that solves time and resources for educators. He is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and Mentor to multi-millionaire tech entrepreneurs. He is a multi-Guinness World record holder; Internationally renowned adviser to monarchs, governments, presidents and corporate leaders; Coach to New York Times Bestellers and a Sunday Times Op-ed author. He is a 5X International bestselling author, and a celebrated royal biographer. His research and innovation have been recognized internationally, winning multiple awards in many continents across multiple disciplines and his mentees are global leaders in pioneers and also world record holders. He is an award winning chair of HM Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee programme on STEM & Education. He recently chaired the Coronation series on Artificial Intelligence’s impact on education and has authored royal biographies. [Twitter (X) @ChrisImafidon; Instagram @CoImafidon, Linkedln and Facebook – ProfessorChrisImafidon]
