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, an

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 bo

Let’s get one thing straight: SaaS is not a silver bullet for Africa. Too many founders come into this market armed with a clean software playbook, expecting recurring revenue, low CAC, and global scalability. And too many walk away stunned, bruised, or burned out—realizing far too late that the rules here are different. Not worse. Just different. The issue isn’t with the tech. It’s not about lack of talent. It’s that the soil is different, so the seed must change. In Silicon