This assignment is to respond to two students regarding order number #81580326 “Africa : Economic Development” and the video associated to that assignment. it is important that you read each student’s comments, reflect on them and provide well-reasoned scholarly responses which add value to the discussion. If you provide new information in a posting be sure to re-title the subject line for that posting.A minimum of 250 words per response for each student. Student # 1 The name of MIT’s new lecture series, Legatum Pericles, seems an odd choice in an era in which innovative, strategic global leadership, especially the sort that breaks from the past colonialism, is advocated. Although Pericles is legendary in terms of being the catalyst for Classical Athens’ Golden Age, he did not spark democracy or democratic reforms (cf. Pericles, 2016). He came from an aristocratic family—what might be referred to today as “the 1%”—and his version of “democracy” basically included only that group of wealthy, land-owning individuals (cf. Pericles, 2016). Pericles is also known as a patron of the arts; however, the funds to create that beautiful, city held in such high esteem in the West, came from misappropriated funds from the Delian League, colonization, and some of the very historical atrocities many rally against today (cf. Pericles, 2016). His leadership led to the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE) that is seen by historians as a suicidal move by Athens and Sparta because it removed both city-states from influence and prosperity in the future (cf. Pericles, 2016). Behind the marble ruins of Athens and heroic sculptures of Pericles that cause such amorous and idealistic views of his leadership lurks economic collapse, war, a plague, and other such horrors. Former president of Ghana, John Kofi Agyekum Kufour 2009), on the other hand, in his presentation, “Entrepreneurship, Government, and Development in Africa,” demonstrated how a leader can pull a nation up by his strategic leadership. What stands out in his speech is that a strategic leader must understand the history of a region and the context within which change may occur; a leader must also be fearless in vision and pursuit. More specifically, Kufour (2009) summarized the history of Africa being split into two main parts: 1) the northern region which borders the Mediterranean Sea; and the 2) sub-Saharan part that was a mystery to most of the world until the 10th century CE. The former evolved along with Europe and Asia, while the latter was colonized and “gang raped” for slaves and other resources for 600 years (Kufour, 2009). Thus Kufour (2009) took courageous steps to achieve a better future for Ghana by 1) establishing a Ministry of Private Sectors to support small farmers (e.g., the example of the cocoa growers); 2) seeking loan forgiveness from the IMF as well as foreign investments; 3) fighting corruption by “institutions” and “the rule of law”; and 4) by prioritizing people (e.g., universal healthcare). Therefore, students of strategic, global leadership are left with two ironic models: Pericles who colonized, plundered, led his city-state into three decades of war and destruction and then gets an MIT lecture series named after him as a great democratic leader, and Kufour who advanced Ghana forward democratically and economically in just eight years but who has no such honors and probably will not be remembered fondly like Pericles. I look forward to hearing others’ thoughts on these two leaders. Michael H Student #2 The highlighted evolution of African entrepreneurship and development brings to light that Africa is complex yet inspires others. This is evident through Kufor’s (2009) statement that it is simply time to be “…matched by equally impactful achievers in business on the continent of Africa” (Kufor, 2009). Specifically, he speaks to private sector businesses and how they can impact their economy through entrepreneurship. Kufor (2009) acknowledges that Africa is complex and comprised of a variety of cultures and socio economic status levels. Clearly, it is understood that the levels in some parts of Africa are inexcusably poor, and they have their own unique concerns. However, his description of Africa could have been that of many other locations. Thus, Africa may be unique but perhaps not as “complex” as other parts of the world who have/are experiencing similar challenges and celebrations. I believe that he is correct in his stance regarding how entrepreneurships can impact the development of the country. However, there are many critical components to consider. I am a supporter of bottom-up entrepreneurship and believe it can be the table of which to place the pieces of a puzzle in developing nations. Bottom-up entrepreneurship can also assist with recession issues but, a large component is that mentors and advocates for the new venture entrepreneurs must be active in the process. An additional area to consider with regards to bottom-up entrepreneurship is the amount paid to those in Africa to carryout jobs of new entrepreneurs as not to further cause suffrage and hinder growth but to help each other rise above poverty. The United States Economic Development Administration funds bottom-up opportunities and The Idea Village is one of their success stories. Although this particular example is stateside, the idea can be employed globally as well. Check out The Idea Village (2015) and U.S. Economic Development Administration (2013) references below to learn more about bottom-up entrepreneurship and specifically about The Idea Village.
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