Tag: education

The Lost Potential of African Diasporan Talent

Nigerian-American Dr. Osatohanmwen Osemwengie, dubbed “the US drone builder”, has 4 PhD’s degrees and 7 Master’s degrees. An academic juggernaut in the fields of Robotics and Engineering, he is an indispensable asset to the US Armed Forces where he has shaped the future of military technology as a master drone builder.

So Nigerian leadership let me understand: You struggle with insecurity, have no weapon production industry, and import second-hand military technologies? All while one of your national sons is abroad, working for a foreign government as a robotics and engineering mastermind, and is behind the advanced military technologies for one of the most advanced countries on Earth?

There are no words that can describe such myopia, incompetence, and wretchedness of such abominable leadership and lack of creative vision in view of the immeasurable talents of the people that are being wasted! As an African Statesman once poetically lamented about the persistent habit of African leadership to squander developmental opportunities: “Even when opportunity drops in our laps, we never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity!”

If Nigeria assembles just five of the highest performing and innovative diasporans abroad (in governments and private sectors) operating in each of the national development sectors, locally build an industry around them in coordination with local talent, then organize their activities around the execution of a comprehensive national vision, then I say unto you and hereby speak the following truth into the universe:

…in only 15 years (max 20 years), Nigeria will rise to the level of the US and China! And will become the developmental standard bearer and coordinator of the global African/Black People!

This is not an opinion, but an ungainsayable fact of objective reality!

But this requires real leadership and vision from governance committed to aggressive nation-building! Progressive Nigerians and Africans need to take possession of their weak governments and compel a change in leadership to visionaries who are ready to work and action-oriented!

Oh Africa, how great you could be and yet how weak and disappointing you currently are. No more excuses, just stand up and take control of your destiny! The time has now come for real change, so either African leadership embrace aggressive nation-building, or any impediments therein should now be swept of the way!

Onward & Upward!

~Dr. Ikenna A. Ezealah, Ph.D., MBA
Builder of the African Future

Nigerian-American Dr. Osatohanmwen Osemwengie

AI Tools For African Development & News

I am reaching out to see if anyone knows of an AI African development/news synthesizer. An AI product that aggregates news, latest developments, historical facts, government actions, policy dialogues, investments, innovations, and geopolitical matters across all reportable sectors in every African country. Included in this should be thought-leaders in podcasts, academia, and civil society.

In one tool I want to reach and vigilantly monitor developments in the entire continent in an all-encompassing manner from the past to present, information consolidated and tightly coordinated, to see everything happening at the same time like an eagle looking at the whole continent from space.

If you know of any existing tools or any such tools in development, please share so I can experiment.

Based on the above description, it is important that African governments enact policies and take actions that rigorously monitor and authenticate the AI data inputs (sources AI is using for its information), but also the outputs (where the gathered information from people is being collected and what the AI company is doing with it). AI should not become a Trojan Horse in the African continent, so it is the task of leadership to ensure the inputs and outputs are under scrutiny through firm policy implementation and monitoring. The best case scenario is Africans building AI technologies that can compete with foreign ones, so they personally control the inputs and outputs.

From a business standpoint, AI companies will be a great investment. From a legal perspective, AI law and regulation will be in high demand and a lucrative career. From a human perspective, AI should support human value systems and be an efficient assistant for productive activities but not dictate or distort them. The AI tsunami has already started and will affect everything, so the focus at this point is how to properly harness it to serve good goals and positive activities that bring value to society.

So, if you know of any such tools mentioned above, please share.

~Dr. Ikenna Ezealah