Impact as a Business Model
My first impression of Mackinac Island, Michigan, was that it smelled like my grandfather’s farm in Malawi. Specifically, cow dung. It was a familiar smell, although not one I had expected to encounter on an American island celebrated for its Victorian architecture, historic hotels, and tourist attractions.
Human Capital
Africa’s demographic future will not be secured by education alone. The harder task is building the people, firms and public institutions capable of converting human potential into productive capacity.
The Bets Got Bigger
It has been the greatest honor of my life representing Malawian youth and [social] entrepreneurs in the inaugural cohort of the #BigBets fellowship, operationalized by the Rockefeller Foundation.
‘Saving’ Africa
Africa today produces less than 2 percent of global manufacturing output and just 1.4 percent of global manufacturing exports. Manufacturing value added on the continent reached about $351 billion in 2025, which sounds substantial until you remember the size of the continent, its population and its ambitions. Manufacturing contributes about 10.8 percent of African GDP compared with 16.5 percent globally. Those numbers bother me.
