Kwame Som-Pimpong

  • No. 26: As a Third Grader, I Broke Up a Fight Between Two Fifth Graders

    And thankfully, Mark Mobius aka Lex Luthor is breaking up the fight going on between emerging and developed markets on US Federal Reserve Bank guidance rumors. The dance has gone something like this: Emerging Markets: Sigh, the Fed is being pretty tight with it’s currency. Come on coach, let emerging markets spin! Ben Bernanke: Policy…

  • No. 25: Infrastructure in Africa: Go Big

    In 2009, The World Bank estimated that it would take $93B annually over the next 10 years to bring Africa’s infrastructure to a healthy level. Four years later, how much of the $372B needed has actually been invested on the continent? Watching Eddie Obeng give this TED Talk left me pondering on how we can…

  • No. 24: Social Media a Key Driver of the Next Wave of African Growth

    But I won’t argue the point too hard. Yesterday evening, I attended the DC Africa Tweet up hosted by Semhar Araia. I learned about the event through Twitter and had a blast chatting it up with folks addressing the task of contributing to African development from different angles. Of the ~60 or so people at…

  • No. 23: Three Things Africa on My Mind This Week

    1. Mining and Governance in Africa – Kudos to Ghana for ramping up its move against illegal mining in Ghana with the arrests of several Chinese miners two weeks ago, and several Nigeriens a few days ago. I look forward to seeing how the country and others continue to build their capacity around governance to…

  • No. 22: Lunch with Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool

    It usually does not take long to sense when certain people have wisdom, but when are you able to actually feel a person’s wisdom? One can feel Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool’s wisdom. During our conversation over lunch on Wednesday, Ambassador Rasool stressed the importance of South Africa exporting the principle of Ubuntu – I am because…

  • No. 21: Lessons From a Zambian Poultry Entrepreneur

    Never have I been so excited about chickens! Earlier this year in Uganda, I and Sydney Musonda developed a business model for a chicken farm he would run in Zambia. He spent the next five months pursuing financing for his venture and secured funding in November. To date, he has purchased 205 day-old chicks and…

  • No. 20: African Countries Drive Geothermal Development Amid US-China Brinksmanship

    United Nations climate talks end today in South Africa and the United States and China are playing chicken on who will take the lead in stewarding the environment well while also driving economic development. Quietly, Kenya has signed major deals just this year that will see the opening of at least three plants that will…

  • No. 19: Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital: Brazil v. African Countries

    Entrepreneurs across the African continent are developing highly innovative technologies that are meeting real needs and improving the ease of life for people from all walks of life. At this year’s MIT Venture Capital (VC) Conference, I sat in on a panel that covered Brazil’s VC space. Two things struck me as very different from…

  • No. 18: Not a Protectionist, But David Cameron’s Interest in Africa Makes Me Nervous

    While reading an article on David Cameron’s visit to Africa, I just couldn’t help but see an image of British ships exploring the new world, landing on the African continent and thinking – “we’ve got free labor”. The author follows Prime Minister Cameron on his trip to South Africa and Nigeria, highlighted by the fact…

  • No. 17: Compartment Syndrome Reveals African Brain Drain

    Why did there seem to be so many African health care professionals at DeKalb Medical Hospital? Over the course of my weeklong stay at the hospital, recovering from surgery, I could not help but ponder this. In the course of a week, nurses from Nigeria and Tanzania tended to me. My primary doctor was Nigerian.…

  • No. 16: Uganda – Farming Challenges in Kayongo

    Though back in the US, I am still in awe at how lush Uganda’s land is. I am also in awe to have seen so many children with malnutrition at the church I worshipped at on my last Sunday in the country. I and some friends travelled to a village called Kayongo that is located…

  • No. 15: Incredible Uganda – Week 1

    I have been eager to update you on my first week in Uganda. The past week that I have spent in Uganda has been a tremendous time of soaking in observations of Uganda’s business and governance environment. My first meeting of the week was with Dr. Yasin Ziraba, Chairman of the National Steering Committee for…

  • No. 14: Rail and Tram Networks Establish Collaboration Space

    I left a 10-day vacation in Switzerland last month in awe of the country’s rail infrastructure. One can live in a small village hours away from a major city like Zurich or Geneva, yet work in the city without a car. This would be tough to do in Atlanta. In Switzerland, trams are an indispensable…

  • No. 13: Business Exchange Encourages Business Deals Between Swiss and African Businesses

    Business people from African countries and Switzerland will gather for the Fourth Swiss-African Business Exchange in Geneva this week to dig in and find ways to do business with one another. Exchange sessions will cover several topics including manufacturing, East African trade and investment opportunities and renewable energy. The following manufacturers will make up part…

  • No. 12: Partnerships Needed: Atlantan and African Entrepreneurs Ripe to Connect

    While receiving an award for Excellence in Commercial Diplomacy at Howard University’s Africa Business Conference, Florizelle Liser, Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa expressed her desire to see entrepreneurs in the African-American community and in African countries seek out partnerships with each other. The city of Atlanta, Georgia has a mix of key ingredients to…