I have had the opportunity to live in another African country for a while now, with a cohort of other Africans from about 16 different African countries. I have learned and observed a good number of things during this time, and I think I have learned quite a deal about what Africa needs.

For the past few months, I have been considerably impressed, and frightened at the same time. Impressed because of the levels of talent and ambition I see amongst my peers. The dreams many of these people have are surpassed only by those of children, and the talent is simply unbelievable. But I have been frightened at the same time, because, if all this talent was buried in some towns and villages for lack of money, what is the chance that there is more talent hidden somewhere else, just for lack of opportunity?

Because history is replete with talented people who did nothing constructive with their lives, it’s no secret that talent is not enough to be successful at anything. Of course, hard work is to be applied for any amount of talent to make a difference. However, there is a critical element very seldom mentioned, which is at least as important as hard work: opportunity.

Those versed with the history of technology can attest to the fact that Microsoft only took over the world because of some failure of IBM at some particular point in history. Now, to most the general public, Bill Gates made it to the top because of his unparalleled focus, drive and genius. Of course he deserves everything he has achieved thus far, but then, what if IBM hadn’t given him the floor at that precise point in history ? He’d probably be nothing more than a footnote in the history of technology.

What would Barack Obama have become if he had been raised in Kenya? I doubt anybody can answer that question with any amount of certainty, but the answer to that question is definitely not “President of the United States”, and the probability that “President of Kenya” could be an answer to that question is quite low.[^1] An even deeper question: What if the cure to cancer, or AIDS, or the solution to the energy problems we are facing is trapped in some mind somewhere, which will never be developed, for want of opportunity?

I think Africa got to this point because the prior generations did very little to create opportunity for the future. I am refraining from accusing bad leadership, because that argument is pretty much worn, and because even today, most of those creating opportunity for Africans do not hold much political power. So, creating opportunity doesn’t really require political power in itself; it simply requires willingness to make a difference.

The general tendency in our day is that some of the most talented Africans get opportunity from some power, then leave the continent in order to realize their potential. So, we have that those with the skills, resources and knowledge to make a difference do not even live on the continent. Of course, this is for good reason: we all want to be the best of ourselves, and do meaningful work; both of which require opportunity. However, this reinforces the already vicious cycle of impoverished opportunity for those left on the continent. The only way this cycle will break, I suspect, is that a generation of Africans would have to sacrifice at least a considerable portion of their personal dreams in order to create more opportunity on the continent.

Opportunity in this case can mean different things. Some scientists would have to accept to give up working in state-of-the-art laboratories, and producing world-class research, to set up laboratories, and unlock another generation of talent. Some academics will have to give up teaching in great institutions in order to dedicate time to building good schools that develop critical thinking skills instead of promoting rote memorization. Others will have to find ways to create employment opportunities that enable people to do fulfilling work, and others will have to give up living in well-organized societies in order to participate in making the political climate favorable for the development of talent. Some of us will just have to focus on becoming the best we can, so as to provide inspiration, hope and positive examples for others in the continent.

Of course, because of its size, it would be unrealistic to think that any amount of effort could suffice to unlock all the potential trapped in Africa, or anywhere else, for that matter. Even if that were possible, there is no way to know for sure. However, what we do know for now is that there is still a considerable amount of work to be done.

So, for all those who say they have a heart for Africa, please go a step beyond hash-tags on social media and sympathetic cries about everything that is wrong with our dear continent. Create opportunity. On any scale, no matter how small.

Notes

[^1] Kenya has had only 4 presidents since independence, two of whom are from the same family. It’s just hard to imagine that Barack Obama would have been one of them, if he grew up in Kenya.

Thanks to Joseph Siewe, Mbu Waindim, Cyrille Tago, Rowena Cornelius and Sofiat Olaosebikan for reading drafts of this