Bunmi Akinyemiju

For too long, we’ve been told that the path to economic glory is paved with unicorns – billion-dollar startups that capture headlines, attract global investors, and spark national pride. I’ve been there, across continents, seeing the allure and the risk. In the Middle East and Africa, chasing unicorns often dazzles with promise yet rarely builds lasting value. Unicorns are built for Silicon Valley. They rely on deep pools of patient capital, predictable exit opportunities, and a robust...

What if governance was designed like a startup? Iterative. Phased. Contextual. Focused on delivery. That’s the experiment I’m launching with this new essay series: Rethinking Governance to Accelerate Africa’s Development. Governance is not politics. It’s the ultimate infrastructure. And Africa cannot rise without redesigning it. Dive into the first essay and join the co-design lab: https://lnkd.in/gS3c2hJP

The world has a way of wrapping greatness in myth, making it seem distant, reserved, or inherited. But real greatness starts smaller, quieter, and most times overlooked. Greatness is often treated like a gated community—reserved for the pedigreed, the privileged, or those born into legacy. As if it only lives behind the doors of the Rockefellers, the Waltons, or the Dangotes. Inherited. Not built. But I know something different—because I lived something different. I wasn’t born into power, no...