US VP Kamala Harris’ three themes for Africa, from Ghana.

The VP came with a bag of proposals and used Ghana as gateway to talk about Africa. It’s something US governments have done in the past.

Women empowerment, digital inclusion, and good governance were the key themes. It was an address to the cheering crowd, but also a framework for politicians in closed sessions.

Statisticians make clear, the biggest trading block in thirty years time will be Africa, with 1/4 of the world’s population and its median age of 19 years of age. It’s a market place that’s needs securing and nurturing.

VP Harris’ trip would have been planned in advance of last week’s news when Russia linked further its finance with the Yuan. But there’s an underlying geo movement that requires midwifing.

I was a freelance correspondent based in South Africa in the early 90s when US Secretary Ron Brown addressed South Africa . Foreign Direct Investment was what SA needed.

( listen here)

The message from VP Harris was along the lines of both Ghana (Africa) self-help and what can be attained by a reciprocal hand. Women empowerment, good governance and innovation were all linked, which should also boost the #Femtech industry. In digital inclusion, VP Harris highlighted several gains: Rwanda’s digital health care, vaccines in Ghana, mobiles in Kenya, and in SA space engineering.

Africa’s innovation in growth has been impressive, but would benefit from tertiary/ secondary education across start up cultures, pulling in feasibility funding, and digital growth strategies. This is one of the areas we’ve been focusing on, and one reasons for visiting Ghana soon.

At our digital hub in Cardiff and previously in London we’ve broken away from the modular education system to foster interdisciplinary, analogous, system and applied story thinking. We have incredible pioneering digital figures who’ve acted as mentors such as Lee Robertson Chartered FCSI FRSA Stephen Wheatley Tramshed Tech and Jessica Phillips.

Innovation requires a diversity of people and thought and an environment that fosters ambition and risks. Often the pressures from funding and demands can work against that. Hence it would be interesting to hear more about the US’s framework for public and private sector digital innovation ( via government policy and funding).

You can hear the VPs speech here