Living between New York and Lagos certainly has its benefits.
Of course, I get to enjoy the finest culinary cuisine from both sides of the Atlantic including deliciously cheesy New York pizza and chewy Long Island bagels on one side, then spicy jollof rice and fresh okra soup on the other. It’s not often that my New York world gets to collide with my Lagos world, so when I received an invitation to attend the Future Africa Forum at The Africa Center in Harlem, I was excited to see what the event would have in store.
Three key take-aways that came to mind when I reflected on the event.
Africa was well represented in New York!
The Forum was held a few days before the official start of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), so many leaders and notable persons were in attendance. The energy in the room was truly electric, and I was proud to see a roomful of Africans and Africa enthusiasts all together to shape a vision of a stronger, more advanced, and more impactful Africa.
The main event was the showcase The Africa Center’s enormous new building under construction, located in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood, TAC is now positioned for impact. Alhaji Aliko Dangote announced a $20 million donation from the Aliko Dangote Foundation, followed by a $5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, on top of the $7 million that has been given by the Mo Ibrahim Family over the years. All three of these men were there in person, so you can imagine many of their friends, supporters, and acquaintances were also present.
With so many amazing people in one room, it was a great opportunity to catch up with many of my mentors, as well as just have a good time with great people.
What may start as one thing, can quickly take a different shape and evolve into something completely different, yet even more impactful.
For those who may not know, The Africa Center (TAC) is a New York based organization began 35 years ago as the Center for African Art and the Museum for African Art. It was founded to to elevate the public’s understanding and appreciation of African Art and culture. I had never quite paid attention to TAC and the activities they engage in until very recently when one of my husband’s closest friends (and wedding speech-giver extraordinaire), Dr. Uzodinma Iweala, was appointed CEO of the Center. It was then, earlier this year, when I learned the full breadth of programs and potential of the Africa Center. Uzo, together with board members Chelsea Clinton, Halima Dangote, and Hadeel Ibrahim, is accelerating Center’s growth. I’m looking forward to many more great things from TAC.
Beyond TAC, Uzo is a man of many hats. He began as a writer, became a medical doctor, and now runs a number of businesses simultaneously. He has always looked at the size and impact of an opportunity, as opposed to if it simply fits into the type of work he has done in the past. I think many people (myself included) make the error of only working in areas we’re comfortable with or have had training and past experience.
In this current day and age, with the advent of digital technologies and social media platforms, it’s important to start examining potential new jobs and roles that may not even exist yet. We all need to learn new skills that may be outside of our core competency, but have the potential to be really impactful (Case in point: I learned how to build a website and built ww.chinnyco.com from scratch, currently learning new data analysis tools and coding).
Long story short, to simply survive and thrive, we need to be comfortable stepping far out of our comfort zone.
Manage your time wisely, and don’t book a flight the same day you’re meeting with titans of indutry
Hubs and I had to dash out from the event a little early because we had to rush back and get the kids for all of us to get to the airport and head back to Lagos that evening. Was a mad rush getting to the airport, but fully worth being able to attend such a landmark event.
However, there were several people we should’ve spoken to for longer and given proper time for the right dialogues to take place. With business, you really never know where any particular conversation might take you. Being present and having those conversations is vital to remaining relevant and effective.
Not to even mention that I audibly gasped said “My God…wow!” when I saw Naomi Campbell. I’ve seen her before, and each time I’ve set my eyes on her she literally glows and radiates beauty, I’m not even a big fan of hers, but she’s so STUNNING she deserved this addendum!
The Future Africa Forum event was exciting and inspirational in the potential and vision it showed for the continent. The Forum served as “this year’s signature policy and business event at The Africa Center [as] a platform for sharing new ideas and strategies that challenge the structures and systems that support one-dimensional narratives of the continent.”
