The 1312 Project

Highlights from IE Africa Center and IE in North America

VOLUME I of IV - April 2021

Welcome to the first edition of The 1312 Project, one in a series of four digital journals highlighting the communities, stories, and collaborative work of IE Africa Center & IE North America.

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A Letter from Felicia Appenteng: Chair, IE Africa Center & Managing Director of The IE Fund and Lilian Lopez: Regional Director, IE North America

In 1312, a fleet of more than 200 ships set sail to explore the limits of the Atlantic Ocean. This mission was led by King Abubakari II of Mali, one of the world’s greatest empires, made fabulously rich by its extensive trade networks. In fact, Abubakari’s son, Mansa Musa, is reckoned to be the richest man in history. (Sorry, Jeff Bezos!)

Although Abubakari’s ships sailed and were never seen again, his bold expedition illustrates an age-old vision for adventure and global connections. Now, more than 700 years later, the time has come for us to reveal the breadth of African ambition and innovation across the globe.

The 1312 Project is an ongoing initiative from IE University that celebrates the positive impact of connections between Africa and the rest of the world. Developed jointly by the IE Africa Center and IE’s North American team, it aims to shine a light on the African and Afro-descendant solutions to global challenges in North America, to re-examine our shared history, and to explore our future at this crucial point in time.

In each edition, you will find the stories and solutions that are emblematic of this spirit of discovery, excitement and ambition of that innovative voyage. We hope that you will find them as invigorating as we do and look forward to your comments and ideas.

- Felicia & Lilian

Location: New York, NY, USA

Explore the IE AFRICA CENTER

Revolutionizing how the next generation of global executives understands African innovation, collaborating with knowledge experts and thought leaders to bring the African perspective to conversations on humanities, education and social innovation.

News & Highlights

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IE Africa Center launches Gurus & Griots Fellowship

A IE University Educator Fellowship that provides a platform for African and diasporic solutions to global challenges and will incorporate the uniquely valuable perspectives of African and Afro-descendent business, policy, and thought leaders into the IE University ecosystem.

Read more about the launch of Gurus and Griots here.

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ICYMI: Digitizing Africa for the Future

In case you missed it, IE Africa hosted a series of four talks in February focused around business, energy, EdTech, and fintech in Africa and what the future of digitization looks like.

You can view all four recordings - scroll to the end for links.

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Navigating Career Success in North America

A panel discussion on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging. We thank our panelists for sharing their experiences and expertise, and for an engaging and educational discussion on how we can work together to create more inclusive workplaces with a real sense of belonging.

Download a copy of the Key Takeaways PDF from this discussion below.

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Key Takeaways - Navigating Career Success.pdf

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Announcing the First Cohort of Gurus & Griots Fellows

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Congratulations to the inaugural cohort of Gurus and Griots!

This selective fellowship program hosted by the IE Africa Center will center African and Afro-descendent leaders as educators and representatives of IE University in a purposeful, structured, and ongoing way.

Over the course of 12 months, fellows will collaborate with IE teams to develop multimedia educational materials and programming that center African and Afro descendent expertise for a wide range of audiences, including IE students and alumni, corporate and institutional partners, and academic peers. Fellows may also be invited to represent the university on high-profile public stages, at conferences and summits.

This cohort will form an advisory panel who will be influential in reimagining ways of learning and thinking about business and public affairs through an African and Afro-diasporic lens, directly influencing and shaping the next generation of business and policy leaders.

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Akinkunmi (AK) Akinnola

Senior Manager, Marketing & Communications - Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, Canada

Akinkunmi Akinnola is a senior strategic and inclusive communications consultant with a career spanning 15 years in the advertising, energy and non-profit sectors. AK is a public speaker and thought leader on diversity and inclusion subject matter and has been published in leading national newspapers including the Toronto Star and The Globe & Mail. LinkedIn

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Ayuli Jemide

Lead Partner - Detail Commercial Solicitors, Nigeria

Ayuli Jemide is founder and Lead Partner of Detail Commercial Solicitors and author of ListenEveryHow – How Negotiations Work. He is "hard-working and shows commitment to quality," with "very effective leadership," according to Chambers & Partners Global Commentary 2021. LinkedIn

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David Harlley

Co-Founder, Managing Partner, and CEO - Third Way Capital, Canada

David Harlley grew up in Accra, Ghana, moved to Canada to pursue an undergrad in mechanical engineering, and after a shift into the worlds of venture capital and alternative assets (via IE Business School), co-founded Third Way Capital where he now serves as CEO. Third Way Capital makes long term impact investments in African SMES. LinkedIn

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Kosi Yankey-Ayeh

Executive Director - National Board for Small Scale Industries, Ghana

Mrs. Kosi Antwiwaa Yankey-Ayeh is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) formally National Board for Small Scale Industries-NBSSI. She has raised and managed over US$300 million and developed different entrepreneurial programs for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and startups in Ghana. LinkedIn

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Raphael Ani

Head of External Commercialization - Wayra UK/Telefonica, UK

Raphael Ani is a senior business executive with extensive experience developing and growing innovative solutions to new market opportunities, both in developed and emerging sectors. He is known for his ability to apply fresh thinking with a non-conventional approach in seeking sustainable solutions. LinkedIn

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Tayo Akinyemi

Consultant - Query Insights, USA

Tayo Akinyemi navigates the intersection of African tech, innovation, and entrepreneurship, working to build the capacity of enabling institutions such as tech hubs . Most recently, she has focused on research, releasing Chasing Outliers, a report on early stage investing in Africa as well as reports on tech hubs for the ITC, and shared ownership models for OSIWA. LinkedIn

Women In Leadership

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A New Page for the WTO

Altagracia E. Cuevas Arthur, IE School of Global and Public Affairs, on Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's appointment as Director-General of the World Trade Organization. What does this mean, and how will a fresh perspective help tackle the challenges ahead? Read the Article.

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Enhancing Women in Business Education

"Female CEOs are still a minority, but this is no excuse for business schools not to design programs with content that will inspire future generations of women and contribute to achieving a balance in the composition of management cadres". Read the Article.

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Leading Women: Baroness Usha Prashar

Santiago Iniguez, President, IE University on his meeting with Right Honourable the Baroness Prashar of Runnymede, and her unique perspective combining the cultures of three continents, their visions and different customs. Read the Article.

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Africa Speaker Series: Digitizing Africa for the Future

The current pandemic has underscored the need for digitization across Africa, and this need will only continue to grow. Brought to you by IE Africa, the Africa Speaker Series showcases the possibilities and benefits of digitization, highlighting what has been achieved across the continent, and to provide inspiration for business and national development through the application of technology and digitization across various fields.

View full recordings of the series below.

Africa Claiming the 21st Century: The Role of Digitisation

This session will focus on the practical applications of technology and digitization in governance and business, and the impact, and opportunities for the continent.

The Role of Energy in Digitizing Africa

This panel discussion will focus on the important role that energy plays in Africa’s digitization. Explore and examine the energy challenges the continent faces and offer some options and alternative ways to address the energy gap.

Fintech and the Future

This panel discussion will focus on the practical applications of technology and digitization in governance and business, and the impact, and opportunities for the continent.

EdTech Propelling Africa's Digital Future

This panel discussion will showcase some of the groundbreaking EdTech solutions already being implemented across the continent and explore pathways to upscaling these solutions so that more people can access these solutions.

More at Africa at IE