CI-NEWS

Create your future; Don’t wait for it.

2019-08-06

No: 439

*Create your future; Don’t wait for it.*

Godfrey Esoh Inspiration. July 31st, 2019.

Some months ago, a young man ranted on Facebook about how children in Nigeria have the opportunity to own shares in companies, meanwhile, in Cameroon, successful companies like MTN do not give young people the chance to invest in them and share in the wealth that they create. Before I tell you my response to this guy’s worry, let me rewind the tape a few decades back.

Do you remember the years when the first mobile phone company in Cameroon was Mobilis? If you remember Mobilis, then you will recall that owning a cell phone was like owning a laptop today, and making a one minute call meant spending money that could buy you a healthy lunch. Imagine that in those days, a certain visionary had rallied Cameroonians and told them that with 10,000FCFA investment each from one million people, they could found a telecommunications company that would dominate the country in 20 years, and turn each of these investors into millionaires.

What do you think the people would have done to this visionary entrepreneur? Some would have laughed at him, some would have insulted him, some would have prayed for him, and some would have consulted the ancestors on his behalf. Unfortunately, there were no such visionaries, and there were no such Cameroonians who believed in creating the future rather than waiting for it. As a result, the 20 years have blown by like a wind, and one of the most lucrative industries in the country is dominated by companies that are not really owned by Cameroonians.

Orange Cameroon is a pipeline that transports Cameroonian wealth to France; MTN Cameroon is a pipeline that transports Cameroonian wealth to South Africa. Why? Because like almost every other multinational company operating in Cameroon, these are foreign companies with Cameroonian minority co-owners. The problem with Cameroon is not the invasion of foreign investments. Nature abhors a vacuum. These foreign investments must fill the gap that Cameroonians have refused to fill. The drama of the birth of Cameroon’s telecommunications industry 20 years ago is not history. It is a model that keeps repeating itself because as technology advances, the dynamics of economics keeps changing, and hence, opportunities keep evolving.

Africans will regain control over Africa only when the critical mass of businesses in Africa is owned by Africans such that the wealth generated from their operations remains in Africa and benefits Africans. Political activism, religious fanaticism, and academic overzealousness are all kids’ toys that have been designed to keep the children busy while the thieves do away with the property.

Going back to our friend who longs for an opportunity to invest in MTN so as to cash in on the profits they are making, my question is, are you ready to make the sacrifices needed to build something bigger than MTN? Are you ready to do the hard work now and swim in your own billions tomorrow or must you wait for someone else to do the work and then you complain that he is being selfish by not sharing his fruits with you? Are you ready to create opportunities that your own children will benefit from?

One reason why poor people often regard rich people as selfish is because rich people know from experience that poverty is predominantly due to laziness. 49% of human beings have hardworking muscles but lazy brains. The other 49% of human beings have hardworking brains but lazy muscles. The remaining 2% are those who sweat both inwardly and outwardly. It is they that own over 95% of the world’s wealth. Rich people are never excited about giving away their money to those who know only how to liquidate and complain. Most of them are, however, always eager to give the education you need to make your own money.

People say that Africans are allergic to the concept of investment because they hate risk and want to put their sweat only where the benefits are guaranteed. That is a blatant lie. People do not spend on PMUC and Pari-Foot because they have guarantees. People do not buy a bottle of Big Guinness for 1200FCFA because they have guarantees. People do not buy smartphones for girls because they have guarantees. People do not sow seeds and pay tithes and offerings in church because they have guarantees. People do not spend on travel programs because they have guarantees. And people do not bribe their way into professional schools because they have guarantees. What pervades our society is the delinquent mindset of expecting rapid rich rewards with minimal effort. But nature’s law cannot be broken. If you want to eat, you must cultivate, you must sow, you must groom, you must watch and wait, and then you will reap.

We are at an unprecedented time in human history. Never before has there been so much opportunity for anyone to leverage global opportunities to create anything they want. There is no power anywhere that has carved out a destiny for you to come and fulfill. You create your destiny as you go along:

• _Through your free will, you can deliberately choose what life you feel is best for you to enjoy._

• _Through imagination and organized knowledge, you can create the path that will lead you from where you are to where you want to be._

• _Through passionate and persistent action, you will definitely become who you desire to be._

And there is no limit to what you are allowed to dream.

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Create your future; Don’t wait for it.