'Agents for change'

African business leaders visit US to learn new practices

Oscar Nchaso, from Equatorial Guinea, dances with a woman at the African Cultural Exchange Night Program at Lincoln University last week.
Oscar Nchaso, from Equatorial Guinea, dances with a woman at the African Cultural Exchange Night Program at Lincoln University last week.

 

After dedicating their time and knowledge to helping their communities, 25 business leaders from sub-Saharan African came to Jefferson City to shape their countries' future.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship program seeks to help produce the next generation of Africans who will lead change in their countries, according to Felix Edoho, program director and Lincoln University professor of entrepreneurship and business.

"The idea is that they are leaders of different capacities in their communities, in government and their neighborhoods," he said. "The program is intended to enhance that skill, to expose them to new leadership skills that they can apply to what they're doing, wherever they are."

This is the first time Lincoln University received the honor from the U.S. State Department and IREX, to host the 25 African fellows. Edoho said LU plans to continually apply to be a host organization.

Before coming to Lincoln, the fellows had to go through a highly competitive application process, where around 50,000-60,000 young African leaders applied, but only 1,000 would be chosen to participate in the fellowship.

"The common, defining attribute for all of them is their willingness to bring about changes in their community to give back to their communities, to help young children, youth, in their community," Edoho said.

The program gave the fellows a chance not only to learn about a new community but also teach the community about their various home countries.

Fellow Mervin Pool, in the U.S. for the third time, was surprised to learn about the history and polarization of race in the U.S.

He is a resident of the Seychelles Islands, a group of islands with a diverse population due to various ethnic groups immigrating to the region. There everything is more mixed in term of race, he said.

"While I'm here, I'm more aware of my skin color," Pool said, "That's why I always ask questions to get a better understanding of the history, and why it's like this."

The fellows not only learn about Missouri's community, but they can also teach others about Africa and their own story.

"You hear their individual stories, they are stories of courage, stories of success, stories of commitment, stories of triumph in spite of the odds," Edoho said.

He recounted how the fellows were shocked when they learned about the history of Lincoln University and how people volunteered and donated the little money they had to build it.

"They have been brainstorming on what they can do, coordinate and collaborate among themselves for when they get back home," Edoho said.

The thing faculty and mentors have been trying to tell the fellows is not to wait for someone to give them an opportunity, but create that opportunity and be an agent for change.

"They should be the agent of change that they are looking for in their government," Edoho said.

According to a 2015 survey by Transparency International, a group dedicated to exposing corruption, 58 percent of African residents believed corruption has increased in various public services.

The survey said people were more likely to pay a bribe to get out of trouble with the police and the courts or to receive basic necessities like electricity and water.

Many African residents believe it's best to fight corruption by reporting it, but at least 35 percent of those surveyed are to afraid of consequences to report corruption or bribery. Another 14 percent believe reporting wouldn't even make a difference.

"We also tell them the importance of ethics and value-based leadership," Edoho said. "They need to develop ethical standards for what they do so they don't fall into that old trap of 'anything goes.'

"It's good to talk about these things but that also remember they have the opportunity that when they're in those situations they shouldn't fall into the same crack."

Lincoln has drafted examples of excellent leadership from both local organizations and nationwide businesses, Edoho said.

"Because it's not common," Edoho said. "Something like that for common good is not prevalent in most of these (African) countries. It's not that people can't do so, but there is no deep-seated culture of doing so.

"Everything is monetized, everything is 'you pay me, I do.'"

They shouldn't add to the inequality in their countries, Edoho said, but need to be the "agent of equality" to create change and fair opportunity for young children.