Today, she is an International affairs advisor in the Ministry of Education of Argentina. She also holds the position of Secretary for International Affairs of the Latin American Association for Energy Economics (ALADEE), the regional chapter of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE).
“We work exclusively in Africa, says Hamza Rkha, with products designed for the weak connectivity of old generation telephones, situations of water stress in North Africa and much needed fertilizers in West and East Africa”. Access is also key. The basic subscription costs 10 euros yearly per hectare, and more if a farmer expresses several needs. In 2020, SOWIT’s growth continued despite the pandemic and covered 45 000 hectares, mainly in Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Senegal.
In her case, the same applies to geography. Born in France, Patricia Ahanda partly grew up in Cameroon, her parent’s country. When her father was posted in Yaoundé, his family followed. Between the age of 6 and 10, Patricia observed and absorbed her new environment. She dreamt of becoming a school headmistress. “I realized the importance of education in Cameroon. My father was helping a lot of children in need, to finance their studies. He thought it was unacceptable to let kids work on the fields or walk for kilometers to attend class.
How did he land in Germany? It’s a lifelong story. Prince Boadu grew up in police barracks in Accra. His mother was a police officer and his father a small entrepreneur, operating a few buses to feed his family. He first studied Building Technology at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), thinking this was “not pure science” and could be useful. He then developed a strong interest in supply chain management, and got an MBA in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (2011-13).
Hanae Bezad learned a lot in Rwanda, a “fascinating country with a strong will, a clear direction and strong potential”, she says. She found similarities with her country in “the mobilization of the diaspora and the hard work on infrastructures”, but also differences in the fact that growth is “still driven by the State and foreign aid, while a more vibrant private sector would help accelerate the development”.
“I’m enjoying it, he says, some of my mentors are really good”. Among them, Togolani Mavura, Private Secretary and Speech Writer for the former President of Tanzania H.E Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, and Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki himself, who has been taking time to mentor him personally. “Since I joined AUDA-NEPAD, my mentors have been like my guardian angels and makes it a growing journey for me”, he says.
