Last week, I had the unique opportunity of transforming a Harambe-Cameroon-ian into a full-fledged member of the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance . Talk about a 360-degrees turn. In 2008, I sat in the Golden Room of Bretton Woods, and took the declaration to transform my ideas into actions, for the Africa we hope and dream of; and last Monday, June 08th 2015, Alain Nteff, was sitting in my living-room, to make that same pledge :
“... We, therefore, sons and daughters of Africa, assembled in Harambe Endeavor, with the assistance of those who have come before us and those who share our vision, publish and declare our intention to work together as one to unleash the potential of Africa’s people, pursue the social, political and economic development of our continent and fulfill the dream of our generation.
We believe in the unlimited power of ideas and the immediate need for action; we value the untapped potential of Sub-Saharan Africa and we sustain that our continent’s greatest resource is its people. Our mission is to empower a people, to inspire a nation and forge the destiny of a continent...
...Like Ayn Rand, we refuse to lose our knowledge that man’s proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. We will not let our fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. We will not let the hero in our soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life our continent deserves, but has never been able to reach...
...We will check our road and the nature of our battle, yet in the end, the #Africa our generation desires can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is ours."
Alain’s story, as I’ve narrated so many times before, is a testimony of how Cameroon’s youths can transform local problems into opportunities to have an impact in the lives of thousands in their community. With his co-creation of Giftedmom he has improved the lives of more than 3,000 pregnant women. But he doesn’t settle on all the world recognitions he has received (Anzisha Prize winner, youngest entrepreneur at WEF 2014, 2015 'Forbes 30 under 30' in Africa, and soon to be, one of the 4 Queen’s Young Leaders, from Cameroon).
Yet, Alain is really not about the Facebook and media hype, he is engaged and committed to resolving problems. He told me, “all that media is great, but what’s important is the relevance of what I can do on the field; are the SMS enough? Are women’s lives improving?” His aim has gone beyond providing relevant and life-saving information to the pregnant women and mothers who text MOM to 8006, now, his aim is more challenging and ambitious, he wants to create a zero-death zone (due to prenatal and maternal mortality) in one of the villages of the North West. I know, for certain, that if anyone can do it, it is Alain Nteff.
I remain a very proud mentor, but mostly older sister (or “parent” – as he calls Charlie and I, hehehe).
Bro, stay committed, stay focused, stay grounded, and keep solving the problems of our nation. May God, papa God, keep guiding and protecting your steps. As you always say, “Na God!”
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