ABOUT YOU AS A FUTURES THINKER / PRACTITIONER

You identify yourself as an African futures thinker or practitioner. How would you describe to the woman or man on the street what it is that you do in this regard?

I am an Entrepreneur by profession, author by passion and Networker by occupation with a passion to wage a pre-emptive war against African poverty.

How many years have you worked as an African futures thinker / practitioner?

More than ten years

In which countries or places have you had working experience as an African futures thinker / practitioner?

Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Singapore, China, United States and others.

In what languages have you undertaken futures / foresight related work or research?

English

What is it that motivates you to work or participate in the foresight / future studies / related field

Desire to impact transformation, touch lives, ease suffering and make a difference.

Like Rumi once said, it's important to raise our words, not our voices as it's rain that grows flowers and not thunder.

What goal/s would you most like to reach with your work as an African futures thinker / practitioner?

Creating mass awareness of capabilities and easing poverty and disease.

Creating a sustainable business model that eases livelihood.

Who or what most influenced your thinking as a futures thinker / practitioner, and how?

The creator's original purpose for the world.

What is your main disciplinary background? (i.e. your primary training / qualification)

Business.

How do other people describe you and how do you describe yourself?

Others describe me as… Ambitious
I describe myself as… Blessed

YOUR PERSPECTIVE

What is one of your favourite quotes about the future?

To be longsighted (vision wise), it is essential to add goodness to your faith, to add knowledge to your goodness, to add self control to your knowledge, to add endurance to your self control, to add Godliness to your endurance, to add affection to your Godliness. The only thing left to add will be love!

How would you describe the state of African futures thinking right now?

More potential to be exploited. More action needed.

What is, in your opinion, the main barrier to uptake of futures knowledge by African institutions and organisations?

Attitudes/ Flexibility. In foot ball and in life, no one chases you when you don't have the ball. And better still, no one wants to give you the ball when you don't want to pass it on.

If you were to give advice to someone who wants a career in African foresight / future studies, what would you say to him or her?

Engage more Mentor ship and Coaching programmes.

What are your recommended readings for every African futures thinker / practitioner?

1. The Bible
2. In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters
3. Built to Last by Jim Collins
4. Spy secrets that can save you by Jason Hanson
5. How Successful people think by John Maxwell
6. The Circle of Profit by Anik Singal
7. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
8. Choose Yourself by James Altucher
9. How to change the world by David Bornstein
10. The Road Ahead by Bill Gates

What are your recommendations for other favourite futures resources: websites, newsfeeds, mailing lists, associations, etc.?

Find a mentor and coach. A mentor is someone that has been where you want to go, knows where the speed traps are, where the tree has fallen, where there is a sharp corner, where you should speed up, where you should slow down. A mentor helps you travel in one year a journey you should have travelled in a decade and in this case see 10 times further as a thinker.