Spotlight: Ideas
Expert opinions & narratives from business leaders in Africa & beyond that have potential for impact across the continent.
Africa’s hidden venture advantage: Dr. Ola Brown on African startups needing less capital to reach $1B
HealthCap Africa's Dr. Ola Brown calls out a key disconnect in global VC: African startups produce unicorns with remarkable capital efficiency yet receive less than 1% of global venture funding.
August 2025
“Africa can only be made great by Africans”: How Aliko Dangote is proving his own philosophy right
With a $20 billion refinery that's reshaping global energy markets, Africa's richest man isn't just building wealth — he's building a model for African self-sufficiency that other entrepreneurs can replicate.
August 2025
The end of aid: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s blueprint for African self-reliance
As global aid rapidly shrinks, the WTO Director-General reveals how the continent can tap $250 billion in pension funds, diaspora bonds, and underutilized development banks to fund its own growth.
August 2025
Africa is deliberately kept poor: Dr. Fadhel Kaboub on breaking Africa’s colonial economic traps
The Tunisian economist explains what's preventing African prosperity, and why pan-African cooperation is the only path to economic sovereignty.
August 2025
An ‘Entrepreneur’s Paradise’: Fred Swaniker’s vision for turning Africa’s problems into prosperity
While Silicon Valley chases the next viral app, this serial Ghanaian entrepreneur sees Africa's challenges as the foundation for building world-changing businesses.
August 2025
Resource wealth without value creation: The story of Africa’s exports
Africa commands vast resources—a third of global mineral reserves & more. Here's what the continent's export patterns reveal.
January 2025