By Rebecca Ekpe
‘’I knew that I was always destined for this region’’, CEO of Djembe Consultants, Michelle Prather talks to Ghanaian Journalist and Editor-in-Chief, Rebecca Ekpe in an exclusive interview in Accra, Ghana. The Continent of Africa, he said, has always been a potential.
Mr. Prather said when he read the literature about ‘’Africa Rising’’, he thought ‘’Africa’s rising, yep’’. So, for me, I read that. I thought that was very patronizing and condescending because Africa’s always been here’’, he stated.
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‘’It’s just that you’re waking up to the potential of Africa. And so, for me, and that’s why, like when we do accelerator programs, and which is a huge role when they’re incubating ideas really, really early, they say, here’s the problem. Here’s the solution’’, Mr. Prater posited.
Born in the United States of America, studied in England, and spending time visiting South Africa, has perhaps shaped the idiosyncrasies and the perceptions of Entrepreneur, Michelle Prather who is very much convinced about the enormous potential that is endowed in Africa through its story telling heritage.
Infact, literature abounds supporting the notion why Africa could be the next global superpower. Data available points to the fact that out of the top 20 fastest-growing economies in the world, more than half are in Africa.
Obviously fueled by foreign investment, ample resources, policy reforms, and with a burgeoning, young population, Africa today, can boast of endless potential that gets countries like the United States, China amongst others competing for influence.
African Storytelling and the future of Djembe
Explaining the importance of building a good resume through storytelling, Mr. Prather stated that Africa lacks opportunities, and that is why programs such as ‘’Accelerate with Djembe” are offering the unique opportunity to SME’s and CEOs by bringing together 10-15 scale-ups to address communication challenges that can help them expand their businesses. The program also offers a combination of remote and in-person 1-to-1 learning sessions, group learning sessions, and sprint projects.
‘’And so, why we work with our scale-ups is first to help them build that story. Build it from a credible manner, build it to where it resonates with all their stakeholders, not just investors, because there are strategic partnerships, there’s potential employees, there’s customers, and then clients’’, Michelle Prather articulated.
