Where are the Kenyan Jack Mas?

 

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Chinese star who favourably competed with Jack Ma was Bruce Lee. Recall him? The crowd outside The University of Nairobi (UoN) Tower waiting to see and listen to Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma was a testimony to his popularity.

Many people including CEOs were disappointed. They only watched him on video. A lottery or charging some money would have reduced the crowd.

Even Chinese who live in Kenya were not left behind in seeing and listening to Jack Ma, whose real name is Ma Yun.

It’s common for Chinese in the West to give themselves a Western sounding name, not different from the ones we give ourselves after baptism. What religion do Chinese confess?

The 53-year old is a celebrity because of his wealth built on the net. His background makes him a bigger celebrity. His parents were poor and he never thought he would become rich.

It is quite possible that most of the people who flocked to UoN or Villa Rosa Kempinski to listen to Jack Ma share a similar socio-economic background. The fact that he is from China, once famous for communism, adds to his aura.

What made Ma? He explained in details including working through other people, forever learning, getting used to failing, seeing problems as opportunities and to the audience applause, being inclusive, specifically having more women in the work force; what we are trying to do by enacting new laws.

Summary of his key points is being shared online.

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Jack Ma observation on the great changes, spawned by world wars was interesting, from machines getting stronger than us, increase in travel speed and nightmarish scenario that machines will soon be smarter than us.

Do we complain that a car is faster than us? He should have added that timing really matters in entrepreneurship. He started Alibaba (sounds very Swahili) with Peng Lei in 1999, around the same time as Google, which was started in 1998.

These were the golden days of the internet. It should not surprise us that Safaricom; Kenya’s most profitable firm was started around the same time in 1997 and rides on the net too. Like Sergey Brin and Larry Page who started Google, Ma saw the potential of internet when others were sceptical. That is what entrepreneurs do; they go where others don’t dare. As the internet matured, there was a shakeout with Alibaba and a few other firms like Amazon, JD and TenCent flourishing. Ma tried to float Alibaba in Hong Kong, but it took too long. He went to US and had the biggest Initial public offer (IPO) in history, in 2014.

Like Sergey Brin, Ma saw the advantage of leaving the comfort of his village or hamlet. We find it hard to relocate to neighbouring counties! Market matters. The large Chinese market drove the growth of Alibaba, before taking the rest of the world. That is why US companies do so well, and scale up fast; there is already a big market to shore you up before going global. That was the dream of East African Community.

Ma’s allusion that Europeans and developed countries worry too much should not be taken lightly. We are following suite and that will stifle opportunities. Ma’s suggestion that we have nothing to lose if we try and fail was very inspirational.

He cautioned us against following other countries’ example blindly. He beseeched us to take care of the environment and the animals. Like Steve Jobs who said it is not the business of the customer to know what he wants, Ma turned conventional wisdom upside down. He suggested the key stakeholder is the customer followed by employees, then shareholders. Enough on Jack Ma. Where are our Jack Mas? The interest in Jack Ma clearly shows we need our Jack Mas.

Which Kenyan entrepreneur would rival Jack Ma? I’m sure if I draw a list, some of you will throw bricks at me, accusing me of bias. Few Kenyan or indigenous firms have scaled up to share the stage with Alibaba.

But there are great economic heroes in Kenya who in their own small ways have made a difference to our lives and the economy. Name them please...

The emphasis being put on entrepreneurship could one day spawn our Jack Mas. Shall we celebrate them the same way? Shall we set aside our differences and celebrate our economic heroes like Jack Ma.

In the hall where Ma gave his inspiring lecture, there were no tribes, no races, and no political parties. The internet is like that, free for all to make money without worrying much about borders and parochialism.

There are enough problems in Kenya and in Africa — from hunger to poor infrastructure. Jack Ma suggests these are opportunities. Even tribalism and nepotism can be opportunities to those who can help us tame them. Jack Ma was addressing the youth whose idealism is one of the greatest resources. Can they be our next Jack Ma?

He was 35 when he started Alibaba, not 23 like Zuckerberg or 19 like Bill Gates. Looking at demographics in Africa, there is no shortage of Jack Ma; we just need to give them an opportunity and some nurturing.

In the hall and outside looking at Jack Ma in the eyes were Kenyan Jack Mas. Do they include Jack Maina?

The writer teaches at the University of Nairobi