Dear critical reader, the African Union's (AU) operational culture is a far cry from the bold leadership required to tackle Africa's pressing issues. It's high time the AU Commission Chairperson stopped being a ceremonial figurehead and started driving transformative change. This is crucial in the AI-era, with its many exciting possibilities for transformative change benefiting all societal demographics continent-wide.

Imagine if the AU boldly announced that, given the Ubuntu philosophy of creating shared value beneficial to all community families and social demographics, only social impact investors in the mold of the founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, happy to pay their fair share of taxes and help fight the elite grand larceny corruption slowly but surely relentlessly bleeding the continent dry, would be welcome. Wouldn't that be truly transformative, I ask?

There are many examples of such companies around the world whose founders could collaborate with the continent's younger generation of innovative entrepreneurs. Social impact companies are indeed present in various sectors of the global economy. You can find them in industries like:

- Environmental Conservation: Companies like Quinto are working on sustainable emerald mining, while others like Pula are providing agricultural insurance to smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia.
- Education: Organisations like Nest are supporting artisans and makers, promoting gender equity and economic inclusion.
- Healthcare: Companies like Tayrona Cacao are investing in education, healthcare, and skill development for local communities.
- Finance: Social enterprises like Grameen Bank are providing microloans to alleviate poverty, while others like Beam are crowdfunding to help homeless individuals.
- Technology: Companies like Waterbear Network are promoting conservation and sustainability through digital platforms.
- Fashion: Brands like Ameria Riva are elevating indigenous craftsmanship into global haute luxury, using sustainable materials like alpaca and vicuña wool.
- Food and Agriculture: Tayrona Cacao is transforming Ecuadorian cacao into a luxury commodity, promoting fair trade and sustainable practices.

These examples demonstrate the diverse range of social impact companies making a positive difference worldwide, which can guide African policymakers. Let's move with bold swiftness to do this. Now. Not tomorrow!

No more special-purpose offshore entities registered for the sole purpose of legitimising sundry illicit financial flows to dodge taxes in home countries and launder monies made from bad-faith grifter-bedrocked C-suite operational cultures, criminal and exploitative in nature in the countries they invest in, on the continent.

Isn't it time for Africa to prioritise its own interests and demand accountability from those who seek to exploit its resources?

#AfricanUnion #SocialImpactInvesting #GoodGovernance #SustainableDevelopment #UbuntuPhilosophy #AfricanRenaissance #CorruptionFreeAfrica #EconomicEmpowerment #AIEra #TransformativeChange