Africa has contributed extensively to France in many ways. From Ivory Coast to Cameroon, Africans have supported this European country. Yet, the legendary racism in France continues to scale exponentially. As I was returning with family after Christmas, we had a lay-over in Paris. We went to the lounge and my wife presented our Nigerian passports; quickly, the lady started struggling, bringing all kinds of new rules, etc. But knowing that we were in France, and to save my time and deal with the usual demons, I took the Nigerian passports and dropped the U.S. passports before her, and magically, she started smiling. You know what? She wished she did not have Nigerians right there for no apparent reason!

But this new one has taken the “trade” to a new level – a French researcher thinks that Africans should be the labs upon which vaccines for Covid-19 (i.e. coronavirus) should be tested on. When you hear such nonsensical statements from experts, you begin to doubt what drives this world. That statement has the potency to push many Africans to AVOID any Covid-19 vaccine if the world finally comes out with one.

Dr. Jean Paul Mira and Dr Camille Locht made provocative racist comments in the wake of Covid- 19.

On live television, Jean Paul Mira suggested Africa should be the testing ground for Covid-19 vaccines due to their vulnerabilities.

Jean Paul Mira stated, “If I could be provocative, should we not do this study in Africa where there are no masks, treatment or intensive care, a little bit like it’s done, by the way, for certain AIDS studies or with prostitutes?”

“We try things because we know that they are highly exposed and they don’t protect themselves,” he said.

Camille Locht, the research director from France’s Inserm, responded: “You are right. And by the way, we are in the process of thinking in parallel about a study in Africa ….”

Shame to Dr. Jean Paul Mira. 

Sure – the current leader of France is a good friend to Africa and there are of course great people there. Yet, France and Europe seem exceedingly  lost when you see how the demons of racism are still growing from stadiums to college classrooms.

Seni Sulyman, Andela’s Vice President of Global Operations, has announced that he will be stepping down effective May 15, after four years with the company. He made the announcement on Thursday to the surprise of many who have expected him to carry on after helping to pull Andela through its many challenges last year.

Sulyman has overtime, acquired enormous wealth of experience working in different areas in the tech industry, but he always knows when it’s time to say goodbye.

“There is never a right time to say goodbye to a community I love from the bottom of my heart, and people I’ve built lifelong relationships with.

“After four tremendous years at Andela, I am transitioning out of my role as vice president of Global Operations and into the Alumni Network on May 15.

“I am immeasurably grateful for the privilege to have spent the last few years doing the hardest yet most fulfilling work of my career, with some of the most passionate and driven people I’ve met. My experience at Andela have permanently reinforced my sense of purpose and enhanced my belief in what’s possible when incredibly talented people from diverse cultures and contexts come together to pursue a bold mission” said Sulyman on Medium.

Andela was barely two years old when Sulyman joined them in 2016 as director of operations, and in less than a year, he became the country director of Nigeria. Andela witnessed tremendous growth under his leadership, growing by over 400%, and unveiling its ultramodern tech office in Lagos.

In just two years after he joined Andela, the company emerged number 1 Jobberman’s Best 100 places to work in Nigeria (2018), and was awarded by the US Secretary of States for Corporate Excellence.

Sulyman bagged a Bachelor of Engineering in Northwestern University and had worked with other reputable companies prior to his involvement with Andela. Konga, HP, CardinalStone, Bristow and Bain & company were among the companies he worked for before now. He is also the founder of AYPAfrica, a youth organization that focuses on nurturing talents.

In 2019, Sulyman was appointed Interim Country Director for Andela Kenya. But the most challenging change he effected in Andela was the notorious layoff of about 400 workers in 2019; it was a monumental decision that was needed to keep the company in business.

Sulyman said the decision to leave Andela was a difficult one, but there is never a better time to make it.

“This is a bitter-Sweet moment for me. It is difficult to leave when we’re still in the early days of a wicked global challenge with COVID-19 pandemic. I am also disappointed that I won’t be able to visit our various offices one more time in person due to travel restrictions imposed by various countries (which I agree with).

“I’ve second-guessed my decision to leave a few times, but there just isn’t ever a perfect time. I take comfort in the leaders and subject matter experts we have across the organization,” he said.

Sulyman plans on going sabbatical to put some of his personal ideas into practice including Real Talk Show with Seni, building a platform where entrepreneurs can share their experiences and learn from each other.

In February, Sulyman had shared his first step in making that dream come through, using his Twitter handle. It appears more time on his side will mean more of the shows after May 15. He said his most gratifying achievements is building the remarkable team leading Andela’s Africa delivery centers, and would want to continue in that vein after his sabbatical.

“After some time off, I’ll plan my next great adventure in line with my life’s purpose of building an ecosystem of exemplary African businesses and leaders, and creating commercial bridges between Africa and the world,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gokada is planning to expand its water services soon, as it appears to have introduced bigger boats to Lagos waters. The company shared a picture of its branded yacht on twitter with the caption: “We told you guys.”

Since the Lagos State Government banned the activities of commercial motorcyclists including app-based motor companies, Gokada and other ride-hailing companies have been looking for alternative fields to stay in business.

In June last year, the company introduced the waterway transport system (Gboats) that focused on the island due to limited ferries and inadequate infrastructure. The operation was limited to few Terminals at Laswa yard Falomo, Ikoyi; the Kingfisher Waterfront Jetty at Wole Olateju, Lekki; and the Paradise Jetty at Walter Carrington Victoria Island.

Much was heard of the initiative as Lagos State owned jetties were taking its campaign to many parts of the state.

Gokada said more speed boats and yachts have been added to its fleet and appears set to expand its water operations to other parts of Lagos. The introduction of yatch means the company has a plan to offer luxury and VIP services to riders.

Use this for the the link of Tekedia mini-MBA faculty list.

This is hard news: Germany’s Rocket Internet has exited Jumia. Within  the window it sold, from Nov 8 2019 to say early February 2020, Jumia’s highest stock value was about $8.50. That is still a huge drop when you consider that the stock rose to $49.77 shortly after IPO before it lost steam. Jumia closed at $2.58 today after losing more than 8% of its value. This sector remains a challenge in Africa, and not an electronic business, as the marginal cost is all physical. The sector challenges are well documented in this seminal Harvard Business Review piece I wrote a few years ago.

German tech investor Rocket Internet RKET.DE said on Thursday it had sold its stake in African ecommerce company Jumia JMIA.N, which has seen its shares steadily fall since they listed last April on Wall Street.

Rocket Internet, which had held an 11% stake in Jumia as of Nov. 8, sold its holding between then and the onset of the coronavirus crisis, Bettina Curtze, the firm’s head of finance and investments, told journalists, declining to be more precise.

Curtze declined to reveal what proceeds Rocket Internet made from the sale, but said they were included in the 2.1 billion euros ($2.30 billion) of net cash the company had as of March 31.

Jumia shares soared when the company became the first African tech stock to list on Wall Street on April 12 but tumbled a month later after Citron Research, run by short-seller Andrew Left, questioned some of its sales figures.