London, United Kingdom – October 30th, 2018 — the 2nd Nomination Launch of the British Award for African Development (BRAAD) was held at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel in Central London this fall.
BRAAD is a business and development hub that seeks to identify solutions to development hurdles, and barriers to markets. The 2nd Nomination Launch was used to kick-off the next BRAAD and present the corporate arm of BRAAD, KNG Consulting.
The curated forum discussed the hurdles of investing in the Continent, identified good models of governance, emphasised the importance of locals being engaged and a pronounced and active stakeholder as the “scramble for Africa’ goes on. The event was a great opportunity for business-minded individuals with an interest in Africa to discuss opportunities and bridge the gap between Africa and her diaspora.
Jean Bosco Kanyemesha, curator of BRAAD, and CEO of Peace International remarked: “It is integral that Africans be involved in Africa, and take charge of their resources. It has already been shown that remittances to Africa outweigh Western aid, which highlights the importance of the diaspora in the sustainable development of the Continent.”
The selected speakers included, His Excellency Ambassador Kabiru Bala, Ambassador/Deputy Head of Mission of the Nigerian High Commission. His Excellency provided meaningful insights into the investment opportunities of the country, the role the diaspora can have in bridging the gap between both geographies as well as, a commitment to partner with BRAAD to further growth and development in the Continent with a specific focus on Nigeria.
Following, His Excellency, Nisaa Jetha discussed the importance of public diplomacy as a discipline to nation- brand and assist emerging economies to enter into new markets, as well as, apply soft pressure to further good models of political engagement and governance. She touched on the strategic importance of a platform like BRAAD and its ability to “leverage its deeply seeded network of industry leaders, government and strategies to assist with smooth market entry to mitigate political risk and stakeholder engagement” in light of the “statistical tragedy” economists often reference as being a hurdle to market entry due to the unevenness and reliability of economic statistical data more pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Justina Mutale, “acclaimed as one of the most influential and inspirational women of African origin”, winner of “African Woman of the Year” in 2012–an accolade which was awarded alongside Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa as well as the former President of Malawi. Justina Mutale is also the founder of the Justina Mutale Foundation and Positive Runway. Dr. Mutale spoke about the importance of embracing the African identify throughout the value chain alongside identifying potential opportunities.
The forum concluded with final remarks by Mr. Jean Bosco Kanyemesha, founder of Peace International, who outlined his strategy for BRAAD and upcoming projects such as the launch of African Entrepreneurship Week — a week dedicated to outstanding business accomplishments by Africans on the Continent and within the diaspora alongside the Entrepreneurship Fund, used to reward such achievements.