Let’s commend Ethiopia for its evolving visa policy: any African can get visa on arrival. That is a message everyone needs to hear – Ethiopia is open for business and investment.
Ethiopia is taking the dream of free movement in Africa one step further.
The country will soon allow African citizens to enter without obtaining visas in advance, president Mulatu Teshome told parliament on Monday (Oct. 8). The move follows the decision in June by new prime minister Abiy Ahmed to start issuing online visas for tourists and visitors coming from all over the world. Currently, all travelers, except those from Kenya and Djibouti, have to get a visa before departure or receive it on arrival.
When I wrote a piece few years ago in Harvard Business Review, titled “Africa is Open for Business”, I was hoping for a moment like this. Yes, it was sheer stupidity to claim that you were open for business when your neighbors could not even enter your country. Ethiopia got the memo and the redesign is happening.
But, Africa is not an isolated island in the world, and ongoing uncertainty with some of its trading partners could imperil any sustainable progress. A trade shock is just around the corner, as the continent remains reliant on a mineral-based economy. And new, rosy economic statistics have not managed to stop strikes, riots, and other protests, which are the result of the continued reality of economic inequality. What’s more, Africa is complex, fragmented and multicultural. What works in Nigeria is not guaranteed to work in Kenya.
If the Western World makes us to dance atilogwu, ekombi, sheka, makosa, etc, before giving us visas, Africa must do better.
As Tanzania restricts movement and South Africa prefers Chinese and Indians on their visa policies, Ethiopia is showing while it is emerging as the true unity spot of Africa. Addis Ababa will simply grow as foreign entities make it a destination if the liberal visa policy stays.
Nigeria needs to learn how the competitiveness of Ethiopia will affect our capacity to continue to grow. We need to advance our policies because if people can easily enter Ethiopia, capital will follow. Yes, when you have the best continental airline, and people can easily enter your country, you have closed all the flanks. Nigeria’s visa policy has to evolve as part of Ease of Doing business.
The ease of getting visa is always correlated with flow of capital. Angola is one of the toughest African countries to get a visa, and it remains among the farthest. Yes, Angola remains largely forgotten.
Agro-Financing Farmers make up 70% of Africa’s workforce. However, many smallholder farmers are operating at a fraction of their potential capacity. Africa contains 60% of the world’s non-cultivated arable land, yet African governments spend $35 billion annually on food imports. A major hurdle for African farmers is a lack of access to agriculture finance: financial services that allow […]
It is amazing as reviews come back very POSITIVE on my book – Africa’s Sankofa Innovation – which is going to be a required textbook next spring in a U.S. university. I want to thank you all and the hundreds who paid $20 to subscribe. We hit close to $50k via Tekedia subscriptions and sales on Amazon. I am confident by 2021, this hobby can grow to $250k.
I have asked team to transfer the funds to African Institution of Technology, a tax-exempt charity. By policy, we do not accept grants for our works. We simply do things that bring money to fund whatever we have in mind. My passion now is AI and helping schools deepen that capability. We have been in 102 African universities (see photos). Yes, the funds are available and more programs in schools.
I have shared some images of readers who shared great comments on their experiences. More books are coming: the Dangote System is super-awesome, and the Zenzeleni Innovation is a masterpiece. I have been writing while at airports and lobbies as I travel across Nigeria.
As you refine your 2019 strategy, take time to read my One Oasis Strategy (pdf). I will be in Boston, USA next month to teach this framework which will appear next year in Harvard Business Review print. This is a management guide on how to allocate capital to drive symphonic value creation in any organization.
Discover your one oasis and invest to make it a category-king in your sector, and using that win territories and markets. In this age of winner-takes-all, strategizing to deepen capabilities in your sector is going to be catalytic in creating that new basis of competition which would trigger the expected disruption.
Indeed, oasis is very critical and every company has oasis. Your best product is the oasis in your business. Every other product feeds on that best product. If you build your investment around that main product, you will find success, because those investments will have a clear “customer”, and that reduces market risks. In other words, if your new business investments are geared to support the best product, and the best product is doing well, it means the risks on the new investments will be easily managed. Provided the best product continues to do well, demand on the new investment is assured. That is the One Oasis Strategy.
The One Oasis Strategy Works for Career Planning
I did not think about that but this LinkedIn comment made a strong case on it.
As it’s the case for businesses, the One Oasis Strategy would be immensely beneficial to individuals, in the pursuit of their careers.
If you are a tech person, you can build business skills and capabilities, to feed your Oasis – the technology skills. Same goes for business gurus being technologically aware, a way of reinforcing the core skill.
You still need to be politically, socially and environmentally aware. The modern world is no longer for ‘specialists’, but all round humans, who know a thing in everything.
Conflicting news from Flutterwave, the digital payment company, which I called “amazing” many months ago. First, the good news is that Flutterwave is growing. It has raised new funds, bringing the total to $20 million. The tough news is that the co-founder/CEO, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, is leaving the company. Iyin had co-founded Andela which he left for Flutterwave. Full statements from the company and the former CEO below.
Flutterwave is exciting, not just for its vision, but also for the speed it is pursuing it. The firm provides technology, infrastructure and services which help global merchants, payment service providers and African banks process and accept payments on any channel including web, ATM, POS and mobile. It simplifies the process of managing the African problem – many small nation borders – by building infrastructure for modern trade. From outside looking in, Flutterwave connects the world to Africa, and from inside Africa looking out to the world, Flutterwave can power unbounded opportunities, smoothing the exchange of funds in excess of 150 currencies.
FLUTTERWAVE COMPLETES SERIES A EXTENSION ROUND OF FINANCING, FORMER VISA CHAIRMAN AND CEO JOINS BOARD
Lagos, Nigeria – October 13th, 2018: Flutterwave, Inc. (“Flutterwave”) announced that it has completed its Series A Extension round of financing. The latest round of financing includes investments from Mastercard, CRE Ventures, Fintech Collective, 4DX Ventures, and Raba Capital, among others. Flutterwave has now raised over $20 million to date and its largest investors include Green Visor Capital and Greycroft Partners.
As part of the financing, current Green Visor Capital Chairman & General Partner and former Chairman & CEO of Visa, Joe Saunders, joined the Flutterwave Board of Directors.
In a separate development, Flutterwave CEO, Iyin Aboyeji, has stepped down to pursue family goals. In a farewell message, Iyin Aboyeji thanked the Flutterwave board and team.
“It’s been amazing working with the Flutterwave team to build another great African company and I’m excited for the future under its new leadership.”
Flutterwave Co-Founder, Olugbenga Agboola, will replace Iyin Aboyeji as CEO. Olugbenga Agboola is a Financial Technology Engineer, with core financial services technology experiences with Paypal, Google, GTBank, Accsss bank, Standard /StanbicIBTC Bank
Olugbenga Agboola, Flutterwave CEO: “On behalf of the entire Flutterwave team we wish Iyin luck in his future endeavors. Moving forward ; the entire Flutterwave team and I are excited for Flutterwave’s future and look forward to growing the company.”
Headquartered in San Francisco, Flutterwave is building modern payments technology and infrastructure for Africa to enable people and businesses to connect with the global economy.
Much like in mobile communications, Africa is leapfrogging traditional payments technology and Flutterwave is building the Pan-African infrastructure to become the standard bearer for modern payments. Flutterwave’s API makes it easier for the almost 24,000 businesses and individuals using its solution to process payments across Africa. The African market, marked by increasing cross-border requirements, multi-instrument and channel payments, and a drive for financial inclusion is primed for Flutterwave’s unique vision and offering.
About Flutterwave
Flutterwave is building modern payments technology and infrastructure for Africa. Its solution enables banks and merchants to replace multiple payment integrations with one simple API, which enables processing of any form of payment anywhere in Africa. Since its founding in May 2016, Flutterwave has processed over $2.3 billion in payments across 60 million transactions and partnered with Standard Bank, First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, United Bank for Africa, and Ecobank. Flutterwave clients include Transferwise, Flywire, Booking.com, JumiaPay, and Uber, amongst others.
PRESS STATEMENT: IYINOLUWA ABOYEJI’S DEPARTURE FROM FLUTTERWAVE
Today will be my last day at Flutterwave. After much thought and prayer I decided to step down from my role as CEO and focus on giving back to the startup community I owe so much of my success to.
Just a little over 2 years ago in May of 2016, myself and my co-founders at Flutterwave started on this unlikely and amazing journey to build payments technology and infrastructure that could connect Africa to the global economy and usher in a new wave of prosperity across Africa. We knew it would be an incredibly difficult and intriguing mission but we never imagined we would have the kind of impact we did so quickly.
Two years later the team at Flutterwave has built one of the world fastest growing payments business of all time from Africa, processing over 700 billion naira in payments across over 50 million transactions generating revenues in the billions of naira. Beyond its scale, its human impact has been profound, from connecting thousands of riders and drivers to daily enabling thousands of families in diaspora share prosperity with their love ones at home. It has been an incredible privilege to lead the team through an era of incredible growth and impact. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world.
This would have been impossible without the hard work and genius of the talented team of young people who are Flutterwave, the incredible support of our investors and advisors and the good will of so many who have been our biggest champions and advocates.
Over the next few months as I figure out what is next, I’ll be catching up on sleep, spending time with my family and supporting and advising startups in our community (more to come on that)
Everyone who knows me well know what matters most to me is my lifelong commitment to building the future of our country and our continent. As I take some time to rest and reflect on the incredible experiences I have had building two world class African success stories at Andela and Flutterwave – I am excited about the opportunities the future of our continent holds and I remain dedicated to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs who will go on to build the next Andela’s and Flutterwave’s.
Thank you for your love and support on this journey
