A CALL TO START RAISING CHICKENS IN AFRICA

Raising chickens is becoming more and more popular with small farmers, urban farmers, homesteaders, others. Many people are realizing that the difference between pasture raised chicken meat and eggs, and those from large confinement operations is similar to the difference between fresh seasonal heirloom tomatoes, and those picked green, ripened with ethanol, and shipped across the country. Chickens can also be beneficial in diversified farming operations by helping to control pests, providing an alternative, year-round source of income, and producing high-nitrogen manure for fertilizer.

Interest in raising chickens has grown quickly in the last few years, accompanied by a resurgent interest in heritage breeds, pastured poultry, and on-farm processing.
In this post, abroad range of resources, applicable to small-mid sized farmers and hobbyists alike are offered. Below are links to websites, magazines, articles, and books about raising chickens and other types of poultry, and information about small scale poultry processing.

Where to Go for Information to Start Raising Chickens

• Chickens 101 – offers basic information about raising chickens, starting with eggs, coop plans, chicken breeds, and more.

• Chicken Breeds List doesn’t just list breeds, as their name might suggest. They also provide great information and articles on chicken care, breeding, and much more.

• Raising Poultry – an information packed site that provides a broad range of information and resources regarding all aspects of raising poultry. A great place to start.

• BackYardChickens.Com – is a terrific, comprehensive site focused on raising chickens on a small scale. They feature a learning center, links to great forums and message boards, coop designs, breed information, and a great photo gallery.

• Poultry Production houses all of ATTRA’s publications on poultry.

• Poultry One – offers articles and guides for getting started in raising chickens, and other poultry. The provide great information for the beginner, with lots of information and resources.

• A Pastured Poultry Resources Page links to a number of useful publications, resources, associations and forums.

• The American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA) – “Encourages people to learn and exchange information about raising poultry on pasture, exchanging techniques, innovations, and advice.”

• The City Chicken – “a web site to encourage city folks to take the plunge into poultry!” Articles, Laws, Brooding Chicks, Pictures…

• Backyard Poultry – “A magazine dedicated to more and better small flock poultry.” The also have an excellent website with great information, resources, and links.

• Chicken Crossing Forum – A very active forum with great information and answers. The site also has links, photos, a coop gallery, and a store.

• Backyard Egg – “[Their] goal is to collect information related to raising a backyard poultry flock, providing Backyard Egg Lovers everywhere with simple and straightfoward information concerning their pets!”

• Chickens on Camera is a fun website with lots of great information on raising chickens and farm web cams of chickens in ‘action’.

• Chicken and Egg Page from Mother Earth News has a lot of information and links.

• Poultryhelp.com includes information about plants that are toxic to poultry

• Kerns Chicken Farm has a great blog about building coops, feeding, and much, much more.

BOOKS and ARTICLES on how to Start Raising Chickens

• Raising Poultry on Pasture: Ten Years of Success from the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association has over 130 illustrated articles. It’s divided into fourteen chapters and is fully indexed for ease of reference. The enormous range of viewpoints and techniques, not to mention the APPPA spirit of starry-eyed pragmatism, make this book unlike any other.
• A Guide to Raising Chickens: Care, Feeding, Facilities by Gail Damerow is a useful guide.from the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association has over 130 illustrated articles. It’s divided into fourteen chapters and is fully indexed for ease of reference. The enormous range of viewpoints and techniques, not to mention the APPPA spirit of starry-eyed pragmatism, make this book unlike any other.
• Humane and Healthy Poultry Production is a manual for Organic farmers published by NOFA, written by Karma Glos. A small book, but packed with information.
• Pastured Poultry At Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm – Weston Price Article.
• Small-Scale Poultry Keeping: A Guide to Free Range Poultry Production – by Ray Feltwell – Publication Date: October, 1992
• Raising Chickens For Dummies: by Kimberly Willis & Rob Ludlow – Publication Date: 2009
• Living With Chickens: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your own Backyard Flock – by Jay Rossier – Publication Date: March, 2004
• Pastured Poultry Profit$: Net $25,000 in 6 Months on 20 Acres – by Joel Salatin – Publication Date: July, 1996
• Storey’s Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds: Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys, Emus, Guinea Fowl, Ostriches, Partridges, Peafowl, Pheasants, Quails, and Swans – by Carol Ekairus
• Keep Chickens!: Tending Flocks in Cities, Suburbs, and other Small Spaces – by Barbara Kilarski
• The Chicken Health Handbook: by Gail Damerow
• Building Chicken Coops: by Gail Damerow

Source: beginningfarmers

"Believe in Your Ideas!" An Entrepreneur's Success Story

"Believe in your ideas. The passion in what you are doing only comes when you believe in the idea yourself" Justina Kavale

Justina Kavale is a 33 year old entrepreneur who has found a new passion in soaps and cosmetics. She recently started a small business in Namibia that will focus on manufacturing soaps, detergents and cosmetics. Running her business part time, Justina hopes to be able to eventually focus on growing her business and leaving her regular “9-5” job. Her dream is to become a full-time Entrepreneur and she is on her way to business success!

The African Entrepreneurship Award got to meet Justina in Namibia and she gave some advice for other African Entrepreneurs!

AEA: What motivated you to start your own company?

JK: The idea of starting up my own company started building up in me when I registered for my Masters in Business Administration. As I did the different modules, I realized that my position in the organization I worked for did not necessarily allow me to use some of those skills. So I thought, if I have my own company, I will be able to apply some of the concepts better. Things like innovation as part of Entrepreneurship, Market Research, basic accounting/ bookkeeping and many more. Then the idea of registering my own company was born and became a reality in May 2012.
However, the company has been dormant since its registration in 2012 until towards the end of 2014 when I started to take action to realize this dream.   At the moment I have few products on offer which I made and am promoting them under the “ELI” brand.  Shower gel, Dish Wash and Lip Balms.  I will keep adding new products every 2 months.  For example, next month we are introducing the floor cleaner.

AEA: Why did you focus on manufacturing cosmetic products? and what has driven you to be eco-friendly with your business idea?

JK: I wanted to offer a service or product that helps in meeting a basic need. I also wanted to be unique in a way that I did not want to go into a business that everyone in Namibia seem to be doing.  I wanted to offer something different, so I avoided areas like catering, décor, entertainment etc.  I also wanted a business where I focus on making my own product (manufacturing) and not buying and re-selling.  Eventually I want to be able to offer employment opportunities to others and make a difference in our economy.  I just think time has come to have Namibian made products as I think we heavily rely on imports and have very few products made locally. I thought soaps and cosmetics have not really been explored in Namibia as I only know of less than 4 companies that do soaps in Namibia. There could be more, but it is a market not really explored as almost all big retail shops have soaps from other countries.
At the moment, I only have the Lip Balm that is 100% natural.  But the idea is to slowly shift to Eco Friendly products in the future.  This can only happen if I reach a stage where I can get funding.  Specialists in Research and Product Development in the soap and cosmetic industry are not cheap.

AEA: What was the hardest part of starting a business in Namibia?

JK: The hardest part is finance.  Saving up to buy a Liquid Soap Mixer Machine and first batch of raw materials was not easy.  But I had to do this so that when I go to financial institutions for financing, I would already have the business operational and products ready to be shown to make it easier to explain my concept. There is also a challenge in getting necessary equipment and materials locally.  One has to import the machines and different soap bottles from South Africa.  That puts pressure on the pricing of the products because one has to pay high transport costs and import levies in addition to the prices of bottles and machinery.  Marketing is also not easy as many people are used to certain brands they have used for years and you have to convince them to shift to your products.  I have also realized that sometimes people have doubt in the local products, but with the passion I have for this, I believe with time I will change that perception.  My aim is to make a quality product.

AEA: What advice can you offer others from what you have learned in creating your own business?

JK: Believe in your ideas. The passion in what you are doing only comes when you believe in the idea yourself. It also becomes easier to introduce and sell the idea to your target clients when you believe in it. It is also important to talk to people who are passionate about business and creating solutions for needs in the community.  Join forums that promote the ideas of Entrepreneurship.  Every time you attend those types of sessions, you become more motivated and willing to work on your idea.

Source: African Entrepreneurship Award

The Culture of Life, The Culture of the Market by Rev. Robert A. Sirico

What devalues human life? Our times are undoubtedly characterized by a lack of respect for the dignity of the human person. Many who proclaim the culture of life fault the free market for devaluing human life. It is thought that the market reduces people to mere economic actors, valued only for their earning potential or their productive capacity. However, this misunderstanding of the market economy hinders our allies against the forces that degrade the human person. Let us reflect on the interaction, tension, and ultimate reconciliation of the culture of the market and the culture of life more deeply.

I want to be clear about definitions. The culture of life is the recognition that this life is a temporary stage of our eternal existence and that life itself is a gift entrusted to us by our Maker that should be preserved with the utmost responsibility and care. Life carries a sacred value from its inception to its end, and every human being has the right to have his life respected to the fullest extent possible. The market is not a mere abstraction of economic production and distribution, but, rather, people themselves—people who save and invest, keep contracts and watch markets, take risks and make dreams. In their economic lives as producers and consumers, they are cooperating in a vast network of exchange in which people half a world away buy their products and make products for them. 

The market strengthens the culture of life and its moral order in three important ways. First, the market promotes peace among people. From the simplest to the most complex market exchanges, they all have one thing in common: people trading voluntarily with each other to their mutual self-satisfaction. Second, the market offers people the best opportunities to employ their creative gifts and become full participants in society, thus obeying God's command to work and create. In contrast, legal barriers and perverse incentives erected by government prevent people from entering the workforce and keep many from perfecting their abilities and becoming a vital part of society's division of labor. Third, the free market promotes the material betterment of humanity. For example, it has brought modern medicine, electricity, running water, and, now, information access to an ever-broadening segment of the world population. 

It is unfortunate and highly dangerous that many of the market's most eloquent advocates often overlook the moral foundations of freedom. To those who might be tempted to think that society can revolve around the bank statement, the culture of life delivers a message: Base motives can also exist within a market economy. There are values higher than profit and market success, among which is the preeminent value of life itself. What we propose, then, is a free economy that puts the human person at the center of economic actions because the human person is the source of all economic initiative. The market, imbued with freedom and virtue, is a necessary ally for a social order that respects human dignity.

Source: Acton Institute

6 Stories of Super Successes Who Overcame Failure by Jayson DeMers

Failure is not the alternative to success. It’s something to be avoided, but it’s also only a temporary setback on a bigger, more significant course. Everybody encounters failure at one point or another. What truly matters is how you react to and learn from that failure.

Take the stories of these six entrepreneurs. Their stories end in massive success, but all of them are rooted in failure. They’re perfect examples of why failure should never stop you from following your vision.

1. Arianna Huffington got rejected by 36 publishers.

It’s hard to believe that one of the most recognizable names in online publications was once rejected by three dozen major publishers. Huffington’s second book, which she tried to publish long before she created the now ubiquitously recognizable Huffington Post empire, was rejected 36 times before it was eventually accepted for publication.

Even Huffington Post itself wasn’t a success right away. In fact, when it launched, there were dozens of highly negative reviews about its quality and its potential. Obviously, Huffington overcame those initial bouts of failure and has cemented her name as one of the most successful outlets on the web.

2. Bill Gates watched his first company crumble.

Bill Gates is now one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, but he didn’t earn his fortune in a straight line to success. Gates entered the entrepreneurial scene with a company called Traf-O-Data, which aimed to process and analyze the data from traffic tapes (think of it like an early version of big data).
He tried to sell the idea alongside his business partner, Paul Allen, but the product barely even worked. It was a complete disaster. However, the failure did not hold Gates back from exploring new opportunities, and a few years later, he created his first Microsoft product, and forged a new path to success.

3. George Steinbrenner bankrupted a team.

Before Steinbrenner made a name for himself when he acquired ownership of the New York Yankees, he owned a small basketball team called the Cleveland Pipers back in 1960. By 1962, as a result of Steinbrenner’s direction, the entire franchise went bankrupt.
That stretch of failure seemed to follow Steinbrenner when he took over the Yankees in the 1970s, as the team struggled with a number of setbacks and losses throughout the 1980s and 1990s. However, despite public fear and criticism of Steinbrenner’s controversial decisions, eventually he led the team to an amazing comeback, with six World Series entries between 1996 and 2003, and a record as one of the most profitable teams in Major League Baseball.

4. Walt Disney was told he lacked creativity.

One of the most creative geniuses of the 20th century was once fired from a newspaper because he was told he lacked creativity. Trying to persevere, Disney formed his first animation company, which was called Laugh-O-Gram Films. He raised $15,000 for the company but eventually was forced to close Laugh-O-Gram, following the close of an important distributor partner.
Desperate and out of money, Disney found his way to Hollywood and faced even more criticism and failure until finally, his first few classic films started to skyrocket in popularity.

5. Steve Jobs was booted from his own company.

Steve Jobs is an impressive entrepreneur because of his boundless innovations, but also because of his emphatic comeback from an almost irrecoverable failure. Jobs found success in his 20s when Apple became a massive empire, but when he was 30, Apple’s board of directors decided to fire him.
Undaunted by the failure, Jobs founded a new company, NeXT, which was eventually acquired by Apple. Once back at Apple, Jobs proved his capacity for greatness by reinventing the company’s image and taking the Apple brand to new heights.

6. Milton Hershey started three candy companies before Hershey's.

Everyone knows Hershey’s chocolate, but when Milton Hershey first started his candy production career, he was a nobody. After being fired from an apprenticeship with a printer, Hershey started three separate candy-related ventures, and was forced to watch all of them fail.
In one last attempt, Hershey founded the Lancaster Caramel Company, and started seeing enormous results. Believing in his vision for milk chocolate for the masses, he eventually founded the Hershey Company and became one of the most well-known names in the industry.
Draw inspiration from these stories the next time you experience failure, no matter the scale. In the moment, some failure might seem like the end of the road, but remember, there are countless successful men and women in the world today who are only enjoying success because they decided to push past the inevitable bleakness of failure.
Learn from your mistakes, reflect and accept the failure, but revisit your passion and keep pursuing your goals no matter what.

Source: Entrepreneur Media

OPPORTUNITY: Get 3 million naira for your Business – Apply for Diamond Bank’s Building Entrepreneurs 2016 (BET6) Business Grant Today

The Building Entrepreneurs Today (BET) is a programme designed to support budding entrepreneurs. Every year, 50 entrepreneurs are selected from the pool of the numerous applications received and these entrepreneurs undergo a six (6) months intensive entrepreneurial/business training. At the end of the training period, the Top five (5) Entrepreneurs are awarded financial grants as seed capital for taking their business to the next level. Now in its sixth edition, the BET programme has developed a brand personality of its own and has attained both local and international recognition. Last season, one of the Top 5 winners was featured on


African Voices (a programme on CNN), thus giving huge brand visibility to the BET initiative and the Bank.

This year’s edition has been streamlined to 3 key sectors;  
Education; 

Healthcare;
Agriculture.

 These three sectors are important for any growing economy and providing capacity training and financial support for entrepreneurs in these sectors will impact the economy significantly especially as the country takes significant steps to diversify the economy and grow the non-oil sector.
One of the aims of this year’s BET edition is to re-affirm the value of quality education and healthcare systems and also to discover how alternative approaches in the provision and management of quality education and healthcare could be harnessed.
Other benefits of this impactful initiative which has also become a reference point for other industry counterparts include:

• It creates a strong business benefit for our MSME/Retail strategy
• It positions the Bank as a great supporter of emerging businesses
• It increases brand loyalty amongst customers and non–customers by driving high level visibility across different platforms

Selection Criteria

• Applicant must have a fully functional business (at least 3months in operations)
• Applicant MUST not have attended any entrepreneurial Management program at EDC.
• The business must have high growth potential.

How to Apply:
Create and upload your 60 secs video
Fill your BET online application and include your YouTube link
Once you have successfully submitted your entry, get all your friends to vote.
The top 300 entries will be contacted.

Click here to Apply

For more information about the opportunity, click here 

Source: diamondbankbet6

Cassava Farming

Cassava

(Manihot esculenta)

Cassava is a perennial woody shrub with an edible root, which grows in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Cassava originated from tropical America and was first introduced into Africa in the Congo basin by the Portuguese around 1558. Today, it is a dietary staple in much of tropical Africa.
It is rich in carbohydrates, calcium, vitamins B and C, and essential minerals. However, nutrient composition differs according to variety and age of the harvested crop, and soil conditions, climate, and other environmental factors during cultivation.

Importance
In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) cassava is mainly a subsistence crop grown for food by small-scale farmers who sell the surplus. It grows well in poor soils with limited labor requirements. It provides food security during conflicts when the invader cannot easily destroy or remove the crop, since it conveniently grows underground. Cassava is usually intercropped with vegetables, plantation crops (such as coconut, oil palm, and coffee), yam, sweet potato, melon, maize, rice, groundnut, or other legumes. The application of fertilizer remains limited among small-scale farmers due to the high cost and lack of availability. Roots can be harvested between 6 months and 3 years after planting.
Apart from food, cassava is very versatile and its derivatives and starch are applicable in many types of products such as foods, confectionery, sweeteners, glues, plywood, textiles, paper, biodegradable products, monosodium glutamate, and drugs. Cassava chips and pellets are used in animal feed and alcohol production.



Production
More than 228 million tons of cassava were produced worldwide in 2007, of which Africa accounted for 52%. In 2007, Nigeria produced 46 million tons making it the world's largest producer. According to 2002 FAO estimates, Africa exports only one ton of cassava annually.
Cassava production depends on a supply of quality stem cuttings. The multiplication rate of planting materials is very low compared to grain crops, which are propagated by true seeds. In addition, cassava stem cuttings are bulky and highly perishable as they dry up within a few days.

Harvesting
Nineteen million hectares of cassava were planted worldwide in 2007, with about 63% in Africa. Cassava requires less labor than all other staple crops (21% in working days as compared to maize, yam and rice). However, it requires considerable postharvest labor because the roots are highly perishable and must be processed into a storable form soon after harvest. Roots can be harvested between six months and three years after planting.
Many varieties contain a substance called cyanide that can make the crop toxic if inadequately processed. Various processing methods, such as grating, sun drying, and fermenting, are used to reduce the cyanide content.

Consumption
Nearly every person in Africa eats around 80 kilograms of cassava per year. It is estimated that 37% of dietary energy comes from cassava. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest consumer of cassava in SSA, followed by Nigeria.
Disease and constraints
The major pests of cassava in SSA are the cassava green mite and the variegated grasshopper. The main diseases affecting cassava are cassava mosaic disease (CMD), cassava bacterial blight, cassava anthracnose disease, and root rot. CMD alone accounted for an estimated 47% of East and Central Africa's cassava production losses during a serious outbreak beginning in the early 1990's until 2006. Pests, disease and poor cultivation practices combined can cause yield losses as high as 50% in all of Africa.

IITA's research and impact

IITA scientists have played a leading role in developing improved cassava varieties which are disease- and pest-resistant, low in cyanide content, drought-resistant, early maturing, and high yielding. Disease-resistant varieties give sustainable yields of about 50% more than local varieties. Distribution of CMD-resistant varieties in response to the CMD outbreak in East and Central Africa resulted in production levels recovering to pre-epidemic levels in less than five years. Improved cassava varieties are now used in most cassava-growing countries in SSA.
IITA's biological control program resulted in a 95% reduction in cassava mealybug damage and a 50% reduction in damage caused by the cassava green mite.
Post-harvest strategies include the development of effective and simple machines and tools that reduce processing time and labor, and production losses. With these machines, losses can be reduced by 50% and labor by 75%.
During the past three decades, IITA has trained more than 9000 researchers and technicians in ten African countries in processing and in new uses for high quality cassava flour (HQCF). As a result, the private sector in Madagascar, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda have begun using HQCF as a raw material for processing secondary products such as biscuits and noodles.

Source: IITA

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

#Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, costing people, communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow.
People are experiencing the significant impacts of climate change, which include changing weather patterns, rising sea level, and more extreme weather events. The greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are driving climate change and continue to rise. They are now at their highest levels in history. Without action, the world’s average surface temperature is projected to rise over the 21st century and is likely to surpass 3 degrees Celsius this century—with some areas of the world expected to warm even more. The poorest and most vulnerable people are being affected the most.
Affordable, scalable solutions are now available to enable countries to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient economies. The pace of change is quickening as more people are turning to renewable energy and a range of other measures that will reduce emissions and increase adaptation efforts.
But climate change is a global challenge that does not respect national borders. Emissions anywhere affect people everywhere. It is an issue that requires solutions that need to be coordinated at the international level and it requires international cooperation to help developing countries move toward a low-carbon economy. To address climate change, countries are working to adopt a global agreement in Paris this December.

• From 1880 to 2012, average global temperature increased by 0.85°C. To put this into perspective, for each 1 degree of temperature increase, grain yields decline by about 5 per cent. Maize, wheat and other major crops have experienced significant yield reductions at the global level of 40 megatonnes per year between 1981 and 2002 due to a warmer climate.

• Oceans have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished and sea level has risen. From 1901 to 2010, the global average sea level rose by 19 cm as oceans expanded due to warming and ice melted. The Arctic’s sea ice extent has shrunk in every successive decade since 1979, with 1.07 million km² of ice loss every decade

• Given current concentrations and on-going emissions of greenhouse gases, it is likely that by the end of this century, the increase in global temperature will exceed 1.5°C compared to 1850 to 1900 for all but one scenario. The world’s oceans will warm and ice melt will continue. Average sea level rise is predicted as 24 – 30cm by 2065 and 40-63cm by 2100. Most aspects of climate change will persist for many centuries even if emissions are stopped

• Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have increased by almost 50 per cent since 1990

• Emissions grew more quickly between 2000 and 2010 than in each of the three previous decades

• It is still possible, using a wide array of technological measures and changes in behaviour, to limit the increase in global mean temperature to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels

• Major institutional and technological change will give a better than even chance that global warming will not exceed this threshold

SOURCE: UN

Why Africa Needs ‘Cheetahs,’ Not ‘Hippos’ by George Ayittey

Currently, Africa — a continent immensely rich with mineral resources and yet mired in poverty — suffers from a catastrophic leadership failure or monumental deficit of leadership. Since 1960, there have been 210 African heads of state, but just try to find 10 — just 10 — good ones among them. Names like Mandela, Nkrumah, Nyerere easily come to mind but then rapidly fall off. But there is hope in what I call the “Cheetah Generation.”

The Cheetah Generation refers to the new and angry generation of young African graduates and professionals, who look at African issues and problems from a totally different and unique perspective.
They are dynamic, intellectually agile, and pragmatic. They may be the “restless generation” but they are Africa’s new hope. They brook no nonsense about corruption, inefficiency, ineptitude, incompetence, or buffoonery. They understand and stress transparency, accountability, human rights, and good governance. They also know that many of their current leaders are hopelessly corrupt and that their governments are contumaciously dysfunctional and commit flagitious human rights violations.

The Cheetahs do not look for excuses for government failure by wailing over the legacies of the slave trade, Western colonialism, imperialism, the World Bank or an unjust international economic system.
To the Cheetahs, this “colonialism-imperialism” paradigm, in which every African problem is analyzed, is obsolete and kaput. Unencumbered by the old shibboleths, Cheetahs can analyze issues with remarkable clarity and objectivity.

The outlook and perspectives of the Cheetahs are refreshingly different from those of many African leaders, intellectuals, or elites, whose mental faculties are so foggy and their reasoning or logic so befuddled that they cannot distinguish between right and wrong. They blame everybody else for Africa’s problems except themselves.
This is the “Hippo Generation,” intellectually astigmatic and stuck in their muddy colonialist pedagogical patch. They can see with eagle-eyed clarity the injustices perpetrated by whites against blacks, but they are hopelessly blind to the more heinous injustices they perpetrate against their own black people.
The Hippos are of the 1960s-era mentality — stodgy, pudgy, and wedded to the old “colonialism-imperialism” paradigm with an abiding faith in the potency of the state.

They lack vision — hippos are near-sighted — and sit tight in their air-conditioned government offices, comfortable in their belief that the state can solve all of Africa’s problems. All the state needs is more power and more foreign aid. And they would ferociously defend their territory since that is what provides them with their wealth. (Hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal.)
They care less if the whole country collapses around them, but are content as long as their pond is secure.
The Cheetahs are not so intellectually astigmatic. Whereas the Hippos constantly see problems, the Cheetahs see business opportunities. The Cheetah generation has no qualms about getting their hands “dirty.” Africa’s salvation rests on the back of the Cheetah generation.

I have identified several Cheetahs — both men and women — in many African countries: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Togo, Zambia and even Somalia.
They are operating in many fields: agriculture, informal sector, IT technology, manufacturing and even in government.
But now is not the time for the Cheetahs to take over. They will be ripped up by the ornery and nasty Hippos. Rather, they should build up on their skills, strength and accumulate knowledge and wealth — in the private sector — while methodically draining the swamp of the Hippos.
Soon, they will find themselves “homeless” and then the Cheetahs can take over.

Africa's cheetahs versus hippos video

Opportunity: Entrepreneurs’ Organisation Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) for Innovative Undergraduates 2017. USD400,000

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) is the premier global competition for student entrepreneurs who actively run a business. EO GSEA is an exclusive opportunity for student entrepreneurs to make connections, find resources, and grow their businesses!

Offered annually? Yes
Eligible Countries: All
To be taken at (country): Frankfurt, Germany
About the Award: If you are crazy enough to run a business between classes, this is the competition for you. The competition is for undergraduate students (pursuing a bachelor’s degree).
Type: Entrepreneurship
Eligibility: 

1. The student must be an undergraduate (bachelors) student at a recognized university or college for the current academic year and enrolled in school at the time of application.
2. The student must be the owner, founder or controlling shareholder of their company and principally responsible for its operation.
3. The business must be structured ‘for-profit’ and have generated US $500 or received US $1000 in investments at the time of application.
4. The student’s company must have been in business for at least the past six consecutive months.
5. The student must not have been the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards winner in the past and/or were not one of the top six finalists from the previous year’s GSEA Finals Competition.

Selection Criteria: Students are scored by a panel of judges and receive numeric scores on the following criteria:
Part 1: Evaluate the Entrepreneur
Does the student demonstrate the tenacious spirit needed to succeed as an entrepreneur? Has he/she encountered challenges, overcome them, and learned from mistakes?
Does the student demonstrate the tenacious spirit needed to succeed as an entrepreneur? Has he/she encountered challenges, overcome them, and learned from mistakes?
Is the student effectively integrating the two roles of life – as a student AND a business owner?
EO Core Value #1 – Boldly Go – Is the student taking smart risks and evolving to meet changing circumstances?
EO Core Value #2 – Thirst for Learning – Is the student seeking out expert advice and wisdom, and proactively growing their own knowledge? Are they naturally curious?

EO Core Value #3 – Make a Mark – Is the student innovating, planning for the future and distinguishing him/herself from the field? Is he/she taking a long view rather than just quick wins?
EO Core Value #4 – Trust and Respect – Does the student hold him/herself to a high standard of integrity in all aspects life and business? Does he/she strive to do the right thing even when it’s hard?
EO Core Value #5 – Cool – Does the student have a unique personal identity that he/she brings to the business? Is he/she living their values and writing their own story?
Total Score for the Entrepreneur
Part 2: Evaluate the Business
Has the student demonstrated a knowledge of strong business fundamentals and shown that they are in practice in the business? Has he/she provided information relating to the growth, revenue and profit of the business?
Has the student effectively communicated the business and its vision?
Does the business show strong potential for future growth?
Number of Awardees: 3 finalists
Value of Awards: 

• Access to successful entrepreneurs. Feedback. Mentorship.
• Students will represent their business and country on a worldwide stage in Frankfurt, Germany
• Refined elevator pitches. Going head to head with other business owners and answering tough questions about their business to our judges helps competitors improve their pitch skills and enhance their ability to communicate the value proposition of their business.
• Expanded networks. Competitors will meet other student entrepreneurs from around the world, as well as Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) members and our honored guests.
• Media Exposure. Competitors will receive local and national media attention for themselves and their business.
• The Global Finals competition awards US$400,000 in valuable business products, plus a $20,000 cash prize

Duration of Awards: Awards for the most entrepreneurial student will be given on the 17th of April, 2017 in Frankfurt, Germany.
How to Apply: 

• Fill out the online application at Apply Now
• After we have received the application, we will review the application in detail.
• If selected to compete, someone from GSEA will contact you to give you further information on the location of the competition and how to prepare.

Visit Awards Webpage for details
Award Provider: The Entrepreneurs’ Organization

OPPORTUNITY: United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Launches Call for Applications for Young Peacebuilders in West Africa

On International Youth Day 2016, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) is pleased to launch the Call for Applications for the Young Peacebuilders in West Africa programme. The Call is open to participants between 18 to 25 years old, from West Africa, with a strong interest in growing their ability to act as agents of peace in their community, region and beyond.

Up to 20 young women and young men affiliated with youth-led and youth-focused organizations will be selected to participate in an intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding experience. Over the course of 12 weeks, the selected participants will interact online through a series of facilitated modules, and in-person, during a one-week workshop in Abuja, Nigeria. Participants will act as a force multiplier of the lessons learned through the program and actively take part in follow-up activities at the community level.
The aim of this new programme is to support the growth of networks of young peacebuilders who are equipped with the tools to address stereotypes, prejudice and polarization in order to build more inclusive and peaceful societies in their communities and globally. It is part of UNAOC’s educational programming for young people, which seeks to enhance the ability of young people and their organizations to foster mutual respect, understanding and long-term positive relationships between peoples of different cultures and religions.

Guided by the principle that youth are key actors to achieve peace, UNAOC develops educational programming to enhance the ability of young people and their organizations to foster mutual respect, understanding and long-term positive relationships between peoples of different cultures and religions.

The Young Peacebuilders in West Africa is designed to engage young women and young men from West Africa in an intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding experience. The aim is to support the growth of networks of young peacebuilders who are equipped with the tools to address stereotypes, prejudice and polarization in order to build more inclusive and peaceful societies in their communities and globally. The programme is implemented in collaboration with the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY).
The programme is intended for young women and young men who are starting their involvement in this field.
20 selected participants will learn and collaborate online and in-person during 12 weeks – from October to December 2016.
Participants will interact online through a series of facilitated modules and in-person during a one-week workshop in Abuja, Nigeria in November.

During the programme, participants will:

• Learn about other cultures, faiths and worldviews within and beyond the group to foster intercultural cohesion and collaboration;
• Learn about stereotypes and how to critically analyze them to reduce their prevalence;
• Understand different perspectives in identity-based conflict and gain tools to develop solutions at local, national and regional level and transform conflicts peacefully;
• Develop competences to use different forms of media or expressive arts as a way to create alternative narratives, reduce polarization and promote social inclusion.

Programme components:

• Part 1: online phase . Participants access the course through an online collaborative platform. UNAOC and other trainers facilitate the first few modules of the curriculum, giving an opportunity to participants to get to know each other prior to their first in-person meeting. They also start getting exposed to tools and concepts, engage in discussion and start reflecting on their individual and joint action.
• Part 2: one-week face-to-face workshop. All participants travel to Abuja, Nigeria to complete modules and field visits with trainers and facilitators. They also work together on the development of the group final products and their own action plans.
• Part 3: online follow-up phase. Participants stay connected through the online platform, improve their final products and report on the implementation of their action plans. Each participant must commit to complete three follow up actions in the 2 months following the workshop. This part consolidates the network and follow-up mechanisms, ensuring the members of the group continue to support each other after the close of the project. 

 SOURCE: United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)