Carla Bernardo
African News Agency
THE time for entrepreneurship in Africa is now, and it is the time for courage and persistence.
This was agreed by panellists taking part in a World Economic Forum on Africa (WEF-Africa) community conversation at the Cape Town International Convention Centre yesterday.
“The time is now and the answer is you. It is our time… Africa is shining,” said panellist Ashish Thakkar.
Thakkar was one of five panellists sharing their entrepreneurial experiences with South African youth in Cape Town on the first day of the 25th WEF-Africa summit.
Thakkar, founder of the Mara Group, was a refugee who had to flee Rwanda in 1994.
After witnessing the reaction people had to his parents when they knew they were refugees, Thakkar decided to leave school and carve out his own life.
“I am the most uneducated person in this room. I left school at the age of 15 and got a small loan of $5 000,” said Thakkar.
With his $5 000 (R61 377), Thakkar began building his business, working very hard to get it to where it is today.
Now, Thakkar’s Mara Group spans across three continents, in 24 countries, and employs about 11 000 people.
“Entrepreneurship is tough. You are going to fall down. But you get up and dust yourself off. The fight will be worth it.”
Another African entrepreneur who fought to beat the odds was fellow panellist Marlon Parker, the founder of Reconstructed Living Labs (R-Labs).
From Silvertown in Athlone, Parker, who started off eating the sweets he was meant to sell, soon realised his community needed something he could offer.
“Who better to tackle poverty than someone who has lived in poverty? That is the expert,” said Parker.
Understanding this, Parker founded R-Labs in 2008, a social enterprise focused on empowerment through innovation.
A few years later, R-Labs exists in more than 20 countries and has provided over 5 million people with skills.
However, despite international recognition, one can still find Parker interacting with Cape Flats youth.
“It is so important that you don’t forget where you came from,” said Parker to the young audience.
“And that’s not about showing off your flashy car. You need to have a vested interest in your community.”
Three more African entrepreneurs shared their advice.
Kenya’s Juliana Rotich, co-founder of the non-profit Ushahidi, which uses technology to democratise information, stressed the need for learning and teamwork.
“The entrepreneurial journey is more collaborative… Believe me, it is going to be very interesting.”
Austin Okere, founder and chief executive of the Computer Warehouse Group, which was named ICT Company of the Year 2012, said entrepreneurship was about putting up one’s hand.
From a sales agent making a commission to founder of his own ICT company, Okere believed in standing up and taking a leap of faith.
“It is about putting your hand up and asking, ‘As much as it was good, was it as good as it could be?’.”
Michael Macharia, the founder of Seven Seas Technologies, supported Okere’s views on taking a leap.
“The more you do this at a young age, the less scared you are of failure. And Africa is the best place to take that leap.”