It is exactly one and a half months since the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) was held in Nairobi; the first time in Sub Saharan Africa. And it is entirely too early for the loud silence around the US$1 billion-strong worth of initiatives that were launched through various commitments.
I do not only mean that from the standpoint of the institutions that made resource commitments, but also from Kenyans and the larger African continent.
What the 2015 GES meant to ensure was that we have a renewed sense of purpose and more stimulated conversations as youth, women and most importantly, aspiring and existing entrepreneurs.
If our discourse for the last couple of years has been around lamenting over the inaccessibility of funding to launch and grow our businesses, then this affords us the perfect opportunity to remain relevant in the conversation. But for some inexplicable reason, I do not see these discussions taking center-stage as they should be, other than in specific closed circles.
Let me backtrack a little bit. That the Summit drew Kenya back into the limelight from so many related perspectives – technology, entrepreneurship potential and all importantly, tourism – was a welcome relief. We had got tired of reading and hearing any and all references to our country being made in relation to terrorism. And that is a fact that even CNN, after their unfortunate social media gaffe, is unlikely to forget.
At the time when the Summit was ongoing, I was away, reveling in the attention that Kenya was garnering but even more importantly, raring to come back so I could participate in the conversations around what the visit by the United States President portends for our future. Despite wishing that I was here while the high profile event was underway, it is highly likely that I would have been watching it from the same place that I did while abroad; my television set.
In a bid to vicariously participate in what we predicted would be a palpable sense of excitement, most of the Africans I was with took to social media to enjoy glimpses of the unfolding events.
Kenyans, the highly humorous lot that we are, did not disappoint. And entertained we were; from all the jibes around grass being forced to grow in three days, numerous photos of the SWAT-like security detail and the pristine, picturesque city that we didn’t know lay below the dust and pollution.
Beyond the comedy though, I cannot help but feel disappointed by the lack of conversation beyond the most obvious observations. Yes, I am chuffed that tourism in the country has significantly picked up. After all, it was only a few months ago that I wrote about the dire straits facing the whole industry, from an investor and stakeholder livelihood perspective. And yes, the tech industry got a major boost as did all the related hubs that participated in the various show-and-tell initiatives.
Given that many participants in the tech-world fall into the youth category, this is a very welcome platform from which to launch both social and entrepreneurial initiatives.
But this is my gripe. Beyond those individuals and institutions that were fortunate to interact directly and indirectly with the GES, all I hear is a very loud silence.
In this particular scenario I will take exception with the media for not engaging in relevant and constructive follow-up after the hype of the actual event.
Our statistics have hardly improved much in the last few months. In fact, the business environment is only getting more challenging in light of the current devaluation of our local currency.
That the Central Bank and Treasury keep insisting this is not a Kenya-only affliction is all well and good, but that will not hold as the ripple effects cripple our ability to hit our business targets and the rising cost of living.
Unemployment remains worrying, as are the complaints regarding financing - both in terms of ease of access and the prevalent rates.
Economists and the private sector are unanimous that entrepreneurship, specifically in the small and medium enterprises sectors are likely to be one of the fastest drivers of the economy and a means to increase economic inclusion.
So, as I have been asking over the last couple of weeks, if indeed the GES put us on the world map with regard to entrepreneurial dynamism, why has the buzz died down so quickly?
Why aren’t we still having conversations about the risks and rewards; but most importantly, creating spaces where we can deconstruct the myths around self -employment? The intention of the GES was not to keep this dialogue within closed circles.
The GES was meant to spur the process of levelling the playing field to create more inclusion and access to information and resources. So why are we back to business as usual?
