Making Futures: Young Entrepreneurs in a Dynamic Africa

by Sangu Delle

Making Futures tells the story of a dynamic Africa, through the eyes of some of its youngest and most promising entrepreneurs.

The 17 entrepreneurs profiled here are already shaping Africa's future and creating prosperity for millions in fields such as healthcare and energy, film and TV, advertising and agribusiness. From Eric Muthomi in Kenya, who has built a successful business creating multipurpose flour from bananas to feed babies, to Farida Bedwei, co-founder of the largest microfinance banking software platform in Ghana, Delle tells the story of these extraordinary women and men who are building innovative business and not-for-profit enterprises.

In his engaging and intimate style, Delle provides a glimpse of the history and political economy of each country, detailing a thriving business environment whilst challenging the simplistic “Africa Rising” narrative.

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 17, 2019

Reviews

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is just capitalism porn? This book feels like it was designed in a lab to frustrate me.

Ultimately a collection of stories about people who were identified as “gifted” at an early age and then started a company. Sure, fine, it’s interesting once or twice.

On a deeper level, this book asks and answers all the wrong questions. Is it ethical to take 50% equity stake in MSMEs and generate 80% ARR from their labor? Why are so many pharmacies poorly stocked? How do we prevent current patterns of development from repeating?

Joy James said that Harvard is a think tank for imperialism. This book is proof!

If you lack imagination, these stories are uplifting, I guess. I just wish smart people could imagine a world of shared welfare instead of the continuation of our present indifference toward the global poor.

Oh well! I suppose these people will continue to write self-serving books about how well their VC investments are doing. And apparently I will continue to read them.

[Anna Ogunnaike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sangu did the work of visiting each country and entrepreneur featured in this beautifully written book. He knows what it means to be an entrepreneur, as he has been creating development funds and projects since he was an undergraduate student. This book paints a badly needed portrait of hope and optimism for an often maligned continent. Africa is poised to change the world and Sangu and the young people featured in this book have the passion and tools to do just that.

[Chi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Sangu not only travelled all over the continent to get us these great interviews but also did some great research on each country and gave us amazing context. Hope we get another book from him soon!

[Joseph Lassen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the summaries of various African nations; however, it would have been great to learn more about the challenges of growing startups in each subject country rather than just optimistic outlooks.

[Muthoni Ngocho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chronicles young entrepreneurs in different industries and spaces across the continent. It’s author is a Ghanian investor and entrepreneur whose main enterprise is a health policy and investment optimization company.

[Alex Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring.

[Sibusiso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst the geographical diversity of the stories was impressive, many of the stories told seemed to be driven too much by social media, people with active twitter accounts, perfect LinkedIn accounts, no meaningful vulnerability; essentially people who are good at personal branding so much so that it was hard to believe in the authenticity of many of the stories. It would have been nice to hear less glamorous stories maybe, a story of someone who starts a law firm or joins a family business, there were too many trendy start ups with access to international networks that many African entrepreneurs just don’t have; those stories are just as meaningful. It would have also been worthwhile to have less stories but ones that felt a bit more personal and honest. Nonetheless it is a worthwhile read.