What’s Next For Africa? Navigating Aid Cuts, Self-Reliance and Bridging the Digital Divide
"The principles and objectives of the Union are very clear. They include the improvement of lot of our people through intensified economic cooperation and integration; preservation and promotion of peace, security and stability; democratization and rejection of unconstitutional changes of governments; respect for human rights and rule of law, ensuring that every individual be part of society and assuring that the continent has its rightful position in the international arena. Above all, a more cohesive and united Africa is the only viable response to cope with the vagaries and opportunities of globalization." - Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, February 1, 2002
As Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) from 1989 to 2001, Dr. Salim advocated for African nations to rise beyond aid dependency and chart their course. As a visionary leader, Dr. Salim championed the dream of a self-reliant, economically empowered, and globally respected Africa. Decades later, many of the continent’s challenges remain the same. So, we must ask, what's next?
Join us for a thought-provoking webinar that revisits Dr. Salim's vision, seeking to go beyond the usual rhetoric. It will examine the real issues facing Africa today and what it will take to shift towards greater continental unity and economic independence.
Panelists
Manji Cheto is a technology entrepreneur who is passionate about leveraging Africa’s human capital potential to drive economic development on the continent.
She is currently the Founder and CEO of upskhill, a digital marketplace providing jobseekers and employees with opportunities to upskill and reskill across various fields and employers with a pool of expert-trained and vetted talent to grow their business.
Prior to founding upskhill, Manji was on the founding team of uLesson, a leading Africa-focused education technology (edtech) company providing affordable and accessible educational content for primary and secondary school students.
Before venturing into the edtech industry, Manji built a career for over a decade as a management and strategy consultant, providing market research, market entry, and political risk analysis services to private sector organizations looking to enter African markets and/or expand their footprint on the continent. She also led London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)’s initial public offering (IPO) business development for the Africa region. There she led the establishment and operations of the LSEG Africa Advisory Group (LAAG).
She has been a frequent business and political commentator on Africa and other emerging markets, with appearances on several local and international news stations including Channels TV, CNN, CNBC, BBC, and Al Jazeera.
She holds a BA in Global Affairs and French from George Mason University, a MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and an MBA from the Africa Leadership University School of Business.
Dr Peter Wafula Wekesa is a Senior Lecturer in the department of History, Archeology and Political studies at Kenyatta University, Nairobi. He holds a PhD in History from Kenyatta University. His research and teaching focuses mainly on issues of border community relations, border resources and conflicts, identity politics, international relations, and nationhood. He is the author of History, Identity and the Bukusu-Bagisu Relations on the Kenya and Uganda Border. Maryland: Lexington Books (2023); Politics and Nationalism in Colonial Kenya (2010) and co- editor (together with Kimani Njogu) of Kenya’s 2013 General elections: stakes, Practices and Outcomes (2015). He has also contributed several book chapters and papers in referred journals.
Mr. Sanjay Rughani is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Standard Chartered Bank Uganda Limited, a position he has held since June 2022.
Sanjay’ has a career spanning close to 25 years in Banking across Africa, Asia and Europe, he has worked in senior roles in the UK, Kenya, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Cote d' Ivoire, with responsibilities overseeing operations in the Standard Chartered Bank Business in Africa and India. His most recent role prior to this appointment, was CEO, Standard Chartered Bank, Tanzania.
Sanjay is recognized for driving significant business transformation, in his role as the CEO, he has won significant accolades for his position and through his strong leadership representation with different important thought leadership forums. He is credited with enhancing business performance, building and optimizing on human capital, championing responsible business and sustainability, driving digital integration and innovation and being a force for good for national
and global prosperity.
Sanjay is currently Chairman of Professional Accountants in Business Advisory Group (PAIB AG) of International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Director of TradeMark Africa(TMA) and Deputy Chair of YPO’s Sustainable Business Network. His past key governance representations included being Chairman of CEO Roundtable Tanzania, Deputy Chairman of Tanzania Bankers Association (TBA), Executive member of Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC), Director of Association of Tanzanian Employers (ATE), President of Lincoln Community School (International School in Ghana), Chairman of Ghana Business Coalition against HIV & AIDS (GBCA), Director Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) and Founder member of FSSC forum in Kenya.
Sanjay’s professional credentials and qualifications include being a Chartered Accountant through NBAA Tanzania, a Fellow Member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), MBA in Finance, a Fellow of Institute of Information Management Africa (Nigeria), Management post-graduation in HRD and a Bachelor of Commerce. He also represents the bank in various leadership forums.
He is a Tanzanian citizen.
Moderator
Significantly, I began my primary education at the William Pattern School in early 1960s London, where my father had gone as a law student. This led to a precocious competence in English as a second language, added to the Lunyala and Lusamia dialects which I had learned as a child; to which I was to add proficiency in Kiswahili and French, having also studied Latin, German and Italian at various stages in my youth.
Upon my family’s return to Kenya, I was “discovered,” at the school where I was to finish my primary schooling, by a Speech Day prize-giver, a man who had been seconded by the BBC to work for the KBC - the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. Thus began an apprenticeship, at the age of 12, as talent for the Kenya Schools’ Broadcasting Division, which provided nation-wide tuition through radio. This continued into my high school years. While at the University of Nairobi, where I majored in French, I worked as a news’ reader for the General (understand English) Service of what had become the VOK – the Voice of Kenya. This coincided with growing national recognition as a stage actor. In combination, my communication skills led to a shift to presenting on television. With broadcasting, stage and screen acting and print journalism as sustained sidelines, my professional mainstay was as a high school teacher of French, for over 25 years, before I retired, in 2008.
In the recent past, I turned first to television presenting, full time, and thereafter to consultancy work as a bilingual (English and French) international moderator at high level conferences, with a reputation for meticulous preparation, courteous tenacity and high intellectual rigour, with the possible injection of humour.