CHRIS KIRUBI:Lessons from Mauritius

BY CHRIS KIRUBI
I went to Mauritius last week. It is a Beautiful country with friendly hard working people. Their beaches are stunning. The nation is a melting pot of culture. But as I was meeting my hosts, I was amazed by the amount of interest that they raised to have me invest in their country. And not just me alone, they are thirsty to have more Kenyans put their money in their country. As the ‘ambassador’ of young people in Kenya, I took time off to draw some lessons that can help us. As the chairman of Brand Kenya, I always look out for opportunities for our motherland and I found plenty in Mauritius.
First, the importance of African countries investing in each other cannot be overemphasized. If there is a continent which continues to bubble with untapped potential, it’s undoubtedly Africa. Some of the most coveted resources of the world e.g. minerals, wildlife, culture, a youthful population, among others are found in Africa. It is time for Africa to rise and be a global powerhouse. But how can we achieve that when we barely trade with each other?
I want to urge every African investor, before thinking of putting our money in foreign markets, to invest right here at home. African markets like Kenya and Mauritius are teeming with potential and also offers very handsome rates of return on investment.
Instead of always importing finished products that are extracted as raw materials from Africa and processed abroad, Africans can set up value addition industries that can retain the wealth of Africa to benefit Africans. Because as I always say, Africa is poor by choice. In as much as trade bans have been lifted in most African countries, high tariffs remain a significant barrier to trade in Africa. Closer to home, some countries in East Africa still expect duty charge for imports of East African products. How then will we compete with the world when we compete among ourselves?
Second, there exist travel restrictions in some African countries e.g. it is easier and cheaper to travel to Dubai than to go to Zanzibar. It takes about four days to apply for a visa to go to South Africa. For Africa to move forward, we must have an open border policy like European countries do.
Could it be that what ails Africa and hampers unity is a lack of trust between countries? We seem to always be in competition with each other instead of complementing each other. Remember the old adage; If you want to walk fast, walk alone but if you want to go far, walk with others.
Third, we are in dire need of a Pan-African business mentorship program. Why don’t we have different African nationalities offer mentorship to upcoming business leaders from Africa without being limited by borders? The African Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Initiative, as well as the Tony Elumelu Foundation, are making tremendous progress to bridge the gap but we need to scale it up. Other successful business leaders from Africa need to offer their time to mentor other upcoming leaders because what we invest in others inform of mentorship is much more valuable than what we leave behind for them in terms of inheritance.
Fourth, we can study and look at each other’s industries. What can we export and import from one another? There is a lot to learn. Let us make it easier to form bilateral partnerships. We should open the doors and let each other in. Your network is your net worth.
We need to strengthen our working relationship. There are unexploited potential and a ready market for consumption. Mauritius has a long track record of being a leader in several industries like tourism. Can Kenya and Mauritius work on a partnership to exchange knowledge so that we adopt best practices from one another?
Fifth, the population of Mauritius is like that of Mombasa. At a population of 1.3 million people and a land mass of 2,040 sq. km, their GDP per Capita is at USD 10,000 (upper-Middle income). In comparison, Kenya has a rough estimate of 47 million people (36 times that of Mauritius) and a land mass of 219, 788 sq. km (108 times that of Mauritius) but our GDP per Capita stands at USD 1,245.
Though their economic development overshadows that of Kenya, there is some light at the end of the tunnel because we have a lot of opportunities to become a greater Nation. Compared to their GDP growth rate which is at slightly 3% PA, Kenya’s at 5.4 % PA in 2015 can easily overtake theirs.
My final advice to young people of Kenya; the amount of money you have in your hands shouldn’t limit the size of your vision. Do not despise humble beginnings, just DREAM BIG. You would rather attempt and fail while doing something than not fail at all by not attempting anything. A ship might be safe at the dock but remember that rough seas make skillful sailors. There are many opportunities beyond Kenya’s borders like in Mauritius, please leave your footprint there.
Last week in the first part of the lessons from Mauritius, we discussed 5 lessons that I learned from the Mauritius. Today, in the final part, I want to take you through a journey on the benefits of branding and the power of effort.
Brand Positioning
As is said in PR, a skunk is killed by the bad publicity it gives itself. Instead of always exporting news of riots and mayhem from our country, why don’t we talk about the hot bed of all the good things that are going on for this nation? And instead of always speaking pessimistically about Kenya, why don’t we stir up the patriotism in us and say that yes, Kenya like many other countries has challenges but we will not dwell on the negatives all the time. Why don’t we speak proudly about our parks, beaches, conference facilities, honeymoon destinations, beautiful landscapes among others? My dream of Kenya is a place that will be seen by the world as a land of opportunities, beauty, hospitality and the best hope of Africa.
How many of us, given a chance, would rather visit Mauritius or an exclusive destination in Kenya? Your guess is as good as mine. Mauritius is in the list of the top ten islands in the world nominated for the 2016 Travelers’ Choice Award by Trip advisor. However, we can promote Brand Kenya to rival some of the best destinations in the world. Let’s maintain our beaches to be white and clean. When we go for holidays, let us not litter around the beach and let’s fight poaching with every might within us. They sell the beach and mountains while we have all that, plus much more, why don’t we take the lead position in tourism?
Branding in Mauritius
When I told some of my friends that I am in Mauritius, a lot of them found it hard to believe that I was there for work and not on a leisure trip. One thing I admire about Mauritius is how they have created a strong brand as one of the best leisure destination in the world.
What makes Mauritius unique? For starters, the country scooped the best country to do business in Africa by World Bank doing business 2016. In addition, the Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance 2016 named Mauritius as ‘As a success story of Good Governance in Africa.’
Kenya has made major strides in simplifying how business is done, both for locals and foreigners. The Huduma centers and E-Citizen platform is altering the business landscape in Kenya. But why are we not leading as a preferred business and leisure destination in Africa? Let us break down bottlenecks that are slowing us down, we must crush the Goliath of corruption. Kenyans together must unite and say that the promised land is nearer, we will reach it.
It takes hard work
When people look at my life, some imagine that everything I’ve got came on a silver platter. On the contrary, I disciplined myself. I started from the basement but now I’m in a pent house. When I was speaking to the Vice President of Mauritius H. E. Mr. Vapoory we both realized we had to work hard to get to where we are now. Young people, some opportunities will knock on your door but you will have to literally chase some. Don’t be a jack of all trades and a master of none, but with a killer whale’s focus, chase your dreams till they become a reality.
When I was in Mauritius, the question that they frequently asked in many forums I spoke in was this, “how come you are not in politics?” To me, that is the most common mistake many African leaders make. Is it only in politics or through politics that we can change people’s lives? Absolutely not.
I chose to be a leader in business and not in politics. I create over 5,000 jobs that change lives by simply being an entrepreneur.
Exposure is vital to progress
As Africans, we need to give scholarships to African students to study in other African universities instead of going to the western countries. The first and most important step is to empower our Universities so that they are as competent as those abroad. This will ensure that we as Africans can give solutions to African problems. When students study in foreign countries they get foreign solutions and some of them stay there leading to brain drain.
Exposure is vital to progress. When you travel across the world, you get to see opportunities and the veil of ignorance in lifted. Since young people are living in an interconnected and mobile world, i would want to urge each and everyone to take advantage of scholarships and exchange programs across Africa so that the dream of being leading continent is birthed right here in Africa.
For example, Mauritius gives about 50 scholarships to African students per year. They are working towards increasing these numbers. Other African nations should also follow suit. More Kenyan youth should, therefore, look to further their studies there. As a matter of fact, there are 8 Kenyan students in Mauritius. It is an excellent opportunity to be bilingual, make inter cultural partnerships and to speak both French and English.AskKirubi