Africa Month: Why You Should Invest in Africa

In 2020 the COVID-19 Pandemic slashed all aspects of foreign investment in Africa. Foreign Direct Investment in East Africa and Southern Africa, declined by 16%. Africa’s commodity-dependent countries were more severely affected than non-resource based economies. This should tell us something; natural resources are good but are only worth anything if we are able to extract them.

The reality is that the state of the continent’s overall economy took damaging knocks due to the pandemic, and the state worsened due to – for instance, the hostile conflicts that affected entire global supply chains between the Ukraine and Russia. Within South Africa, the looting and recent floods in Kwa-Zulu Natal have not helped this region’s case either. Recovering has not been an easy feat. A few years ago, I could have banked on the construction industry being the top sector to invest in, however, profitability in this industry has been at staggering lows. So Why Should anyone invest in Africa?

I say invest in Africa because of the people, invest in the men, women and children. Tidjane Thiam said it so beautifully, he said, “ The challenges in Africa are many and real. What we Africans have in the face of these challenges is our intelligence, our capacities, our emotions, our determination and our convictions. This is what we realistically have to work with.” If this is what we have to work with as the people of this land, then surely investors should partner with us based on those terms and not elaborately designed strategies that were designed for first world countries. It is imperative that they make the link with the importance of the human factor, the answers, the niches, and the opportunities belong and can only belong within Africans themselves. Moreover, I strongly believe the 2 reasons I present below, are good enough reasons for potential investors to consider putting their money in Africa, despite the very real reality of weak markets.

1. Customers are changing:

With the growth of Africa’s middle class, there is the development of new expectations. We are educated, we are young urban professionals, and we are brand-aware and sophisticated in terms of our consumption. In agricultural terms we are good soil to put your seed into, investors would want to take advantage of this.

2. Africa is diversifying:

Africa is seeing a returning diaspora that recognizes the potential and opportunities in their own countries. This population supports local economic growth with their skills and talent, by acting as “first movers”, investing back in their communities. To me, it would seem more logical and cost-effective to invest in someone that is favoured by local trade policies. This not only helps the locals but it is also quite beneficial to investors because we have moved towards a world where it is the intangibles that hold the most value on balance sheets; it is no longer just the properties and the equipment that makes up the bulk of any company’s value – what matters more and more is goodwill. As a result, there is now a benefit in capitalizing on what is in people’s minds as it guides our consumer behaviour. Investors could project yielding good Returns of Investment in our continent because of this trend.

Concluding, Africa has real intellectual and human capabilities, we already have goals specific to each individual region, and we are not idly waiting for someone to spoon-feed us. However, with that being said, we are open to anyone willing to listen to us and see how they can help us achieve these goals. Africans have an eternal commitment to hustle, when we are faced with tough situations, by nature we are designed with the ability to rise, be creative and act.

Bank on the people!!

Sources:
UNCTAD, World Investment Report 2021
The World Bank
AFDB African Economic Outlook 2021
World Economic Forum


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About Minnie Zondi

I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

Build A Resilient Team for 2022

Despite the misleading title, I am most certainly not writing about choosing a leader, establishing clear goals, setting schedules with clear deadlines and creating open lines of communication – okay maybe I will write about the latter.

In any case, I am taking a different and maybe the most unpopular approach – many critics within the Human Resources world actually argue if there is any importance to my chosen approach and of course, I believe in the counterarguments, that there is. Just step foot into any organisation, no matter the size and you will see that TRUST is highly important in the building of strong teams. Furthermore, if you are anything remotely like me, hyper-analytical, you will start spotting the nuisances that break internal organisational trust.

In this blog, I will briefly explain what a trusting team is, one of the things that break that trust and conclude by giving a tip to help deal with the issue.

How does trust factor into ‘Team Building’?
Simon Sinek says: a trusting team is a team made up of people who feel safe around each other – safe expressing their feelings, asking for help, talking about problems and admitting to mistakes.

So we can deduce that trust has the potential to invoke some sort of synergy within teams. But how do we get to a place where team trust is broken or just does not exist? Well, I believe that the breaking of, or lack of trust within teams, is largely due to the underrated power of ‘the grapevine’ popularly known as gossip (informal communication).

More often than not, everyone in a company would jump into bold defence when they are told they partook in office gossip. Regretfully this would be far from true. If you have ever engaged in a discussion about another colleague who is not present to hear the feedback, provide their perspective and engage in joint problem solving, you have engaged in office gossip.

Venting with one or more colleagues about how difficult management workflows are, creates a feeling of connection with everyone else who is struggling with the same thing. Those similarly frustrated treat one another with in-group favouritism that creates a sub-team. When these sub-teams grow within the office, problems in the organization remain hidden within these smaller teams and cannot be addressed by management and this is due to the vine being characterized by unverified information that is impossible to track and(or) address. The danger with this type of infestation is that after some time, these unresolved issues build up and can become threats to the company’s overall productivity.

With this one example, we can vaguely see how informal communication – no matter how valid, is a type of destructive communication that often negatively impacts individuals, bleeds into the teams and eventually impacts the whole organization. By stopping it in its tracks and engaging in collaborative problem-solving; relationships and the organization can flourish, where trusting teams, working towards common goals are established with no friction allowing for synergy to take place.

There is a lot of advice I could present to combat the effects of the vine, but I want to focus on this note – we first need to learn that our professional and personal lives are not two spheres that are separate. In fact, they are integrated pieces of our lives.
The moment we separate the two, we start to think that we must hide our emotions, humanity and even identity from our colleagues.
This creates apathy, we begin to see each other as enemies rather than collaborators. When we as humans see each other as enemies, we are mentally programmed to decline to our lowest human form – ego and work in competition with each other instead of completing each other. This unfortunately harms the office environment and functioning of a business.

If we can grasp this basic concept, it becomes easier to create and adapt to feedback-rich environments workspaces. The more we normalize the integration between the professional and personal spheres of our lives, receiving and giving feedback – positive or negative becomes less daunting and offensive, it is actually welcomed.
Ideally, people would then become less likely to look for alternative and untraceable means to express their frustrations and concerns.
Deborah Riegel suggests that rather than saving feedback for annual performance reviews, discussions about what someone did well, and what he or she could do differently, should be made a normal part of the company culture.

Now that I have succinctly captured my thoughts, I have to place responsibility on someone that will undertake the tough job of tackling the vine – building strong teams and unfortunately it is a burden I place on leaders. Simon Sinek motivates my point best by saying ‘Leaders are not responsible for the results, they’re responsible for the people who are responsible for the results.’

Take care of your team and the team will take care of the company.

On that note, I hope that this blog has been insightful and has held you accountable. I hope it encourages leaders and employees to rebuild trust within the organisation. If done properly, I know without a doubt that individual commitment, enthusiasm and passion will rise. It is incredible to see how teams with passionate people inspire each other to reach great heights, just watch ‘Steve Jobs’ [2015] and you will see what I mean and why Apple Inc. is what it is today.

Good Luck for the year ahead you guys, GO TEAMS!!

Sources:
Shortform
HBR


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I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

Featured Project: 390MW Atinkou Power Plant, Jacqueville, Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast – PPA 23174

Description
Construction and operation of the Ciprel V 390 MW natural gas-fired power plant in Jacqueville, 50 km west of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The Project is designed as a combined cycle including: a 265 MW gas turbine and a 125 MW steam turbine as well as the balance of plant including the closed-circuit water-cooling system (forced-draft), water treatment plant (including demineralization processes), effluent treatment and sewage treatment plant, lubrication system, compressed air system and fire extinguishing infrastructures and administrative buildings. The plant will be connected to the network through a 400kV switch yard that will be constructed on a parcel adjacent to the project site. The raw water will be supplied from boreholes and stored within the raw water/fire water tank. The entire project is to be built on a new site and will be constructed and operated under a 20-year Build-Own-Operate-Transfer concession agreement. The project cost is valued at €404 million. The exact co-ordinates are currently not available however the approximate area of location is 5.2568001, -4.3295238

 

Status Region
Underway Ivory Coast
Category Value
Building R 200 Million+
Industry Timing
Power Grid 2019 onwards (duration of contract 27 months)
Sector Class
Public Private Partnership Invited/Negotiated

 


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I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

Featured Project: The Zanzibar Domino – Building

Tanzania

Description
Construction of the Zanzibar Domino mixed-use tower, 15km from Stone Town, on the west coast of Zanzibar, Tanzania. The entire project will be developed on an artificial island that will be linked to the main island by a high and low bridge structure. The tower itself will be a 70 floor commercial tower that houses 560 apartments, luxury hotels, resorts and a golf course. The entire project value is estimated to be US$1.3 billion dollars. The GPS marker has been placed in the general region of the proposed construction site, the co-ordinates are: -6.1626487, 39.1857006

 

Status Region
Design Tanzania
Category Value
Building R 200 Million+
Industry Timing
Hospitality & Leisure 2021 onwards
Sector Class
Private Invited


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I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

Mind Strengthening: How to keep your head above the waves!

posted in: General 2

How do you remain positive during unstable economic times and a global pandemic?
How do you stay sane during trying times?
How do you make your mind obedient?
How do you make your mind, mind?
By Taking Every Thought Captive!

I write this blog coming from a place where I have personally seen the face of mental illness and the battle for the mind. I battled with severe depression and anxiety for a number of years. Fortunately somewhere along the line, I found healing and in the process, I learned a few things about the mind and its power but moreover, I learned that all things were permissible in my mind but not everything was beneficial to me and I was determined to never be mastered by anything my mind willed.

In winning the battle for my mind. I went through vicious cycles that came in the form of meltdowns, relapses, and mistakes that happened after I had been momentarily volatile in stressful situations. I am aware that there is much material out there on this topic, but all I wish to do for this blog is give 3 principles that I used over the years and more frequently during the trial period of 2020 and 2021. I hope it helps someone as much as it has me.

1. Do not believe everything that you think

Sometimes what we think is far from true, the thoughts that appear in our minds do not always reflect or support the condition of reality and because of this, we should not assume that what we think is true regardless that it comes from within us. The world puts suggestions in our minds that are inaccurate, and we are flooded with those false ideas all the time and this results in corrupted minds that we should not always trust.

We tell ourselves things like ‘things aren’t as bad, things are better than they really are,we’re doing okay/I am fine’ we tell ourselves ‘it’s no big deal,’ when it really is. I often advise against not allowing your emotions to feel what they need to. This is our body’s way of re-setting when it is overwhelmed. When you try to bypass that natural process, you cause worse damage. You would not continue driving an overheating car because the radiator can explode and the engine could catch fire, why would you do that to your body and mind!?

2. Guard your mind for it is the wellspring of life

The wise are always hungry for knowledge and the foolish feed on trash’

Just like there are three kinds of food for your physical body; food that makes you smart, junk food (simple calories), and toxic food (which is poisonous) the same is true in what you feed your mind. What you graze on [even in your spare time] all diligently develop and shape your thought processes and if it is garbage that you’re taking in, garbage will come manifest as involuntary actions. My advice would be to start filling your mind with things that develop your emotional intelligence. When confronted by difficulties, do not be anxious, but approach every situation with thanksgiving and try to find things you can be grateful for within the trouble. Try to learn not to resist against tough times, but rather re-channel towards gratefulness, this will turn your mind away from the things that could potentially crush your mind. It’s all about finding a positive perspective!

3. Stretch Your Mind

If we are going to fight the battle of the mind we need to learn how to stretch it – this is a crucial part of the battle.

The act of stretching the mind begins when we teach our minds to think BIGGER. Think beyond the current circumstances: Be a person with vision!

People with goals hardly perish because they have an overarching vision for their lives that serve as GPS coordinates that keep them in control even when skies are grey and overcast. Have goals, without them it is impossible to stay grounded when this world shakes you with uncertainty.

 

Concluding, I learned it was not enough just not to believe everything I thought. It was not enough just to guard my mind against the junk. I figured I needed to stretch my mind and imagination because I saw that I was faced with the constant need to outthink, out-dream, and outsmart this world and all its troubles.

I would say this to you as a reader, learn to push against internal and external resistance. Learn to endure the discomfort. Persevere through any current limitation until the discomfort decreases and the capacities to move forward increase. Do not give in to the part of you that offers all kinds of reasons for why you should give up. Strive, run the good race until it is finished.

Hold the vision and trust the process, this will give you hope. Hope will fuel your Heart. The Heart and all its good affections will overpower the mind. And in this peculiar coming together of the heart and mind, engaging your physical body you will find that you start receiving outward fuel that helps you get through each day.

Take it one step at a time, tomorrow will worry about its own problems.

 

Book Sources:
Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith, Jon Bloom
Don’t Follow Your Heart: God’s Ways Are Not Your Ways, Jon Bloom
Think, John Piper
Craig Groeschel, Winning the War in Your Mind – Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life


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About Minnie Zondi

I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

Featured Project: Accra-Tema Motorway – Phase 2

Ghana

Description
Construction works for the extension of the Accra-Tema Motorway in Ghana. Works will be done on 27.7 km of road. The contract Value is US$570 million. The GPS co-ordinates are 5.6348604, -0.1437697

 

Status Region
Awarded Ghana
Category Value
Infrastructure R 100 million+
Industry Timing
Road 2021 onwards (48 months)
Sector Class
Public Private Partnership Open Tender / Pre-Qualification / Invited


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About Minnie Zondi

I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

Featured Project: North West University Student Housing

North West

Description
Construction of new student housing for the Mafikeng campus of the North West University in North West Province. Included in the scope of works will be the construction of 6 residence clusters. Each cluster consists of 5 or 6 new triple-storey student residence, 1 recreation hall, 1 warden house, 1 guardhouse and laundry room with and including associated infrastructure. The exact co-ordinates are currently not available however the approximate area of location is -25.8278213, 25.6079121

 

Status Region
Underway Mafikeng (Mahikeng) Region
Category Value
Building Unknown At This Stage
Industry Timing
Residential 2019 onwards
Sector Class
Public Open Tender


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About Minnie Zondi

I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

Featured Project: Le Meridien

Ghana

Description
Construction of a Le Meridian, Marriott Hotel at Airport Residential Area, Accra, Ghana. The development is a 18 000m², 8 storey hotel property, comprising 160-keys including standard rooms and suites, an all-day dining restaurant, a separate speciality restaurant, lobby lounge and associated bar, conferencing facilities, fitness centre and spa with an outdoor hotel pool and pool bar provision. The GPS co-ordinates are 5.5992335, -0.1758426

 

Status Region
Underway Ghana
Category Value
Building Unknown At This Stage
Industry Timing
Hospitality & Leisure 2019 to 2022
Sector Class
Private Invited / Negotiated


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About Minnie Zondi

I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

Featured Project: Tlhabane Square – Mall

North West

Description
Construction of a two level, 31 000m² mall for Tlhabane Square Precinct in Tlhabane, North West. The precinct is located along the Swartruggens Road (R104) and bordered by Monareng Street and Motsatsi Street. Direct on-grade open parking will be available throughout the precinct. Estimate Value: R700 Million. The GPS co-ordinates are -25.645411549782242, 27.209999514927187

 

Status Region
Underway North West
Category Value
Building R 100 million+
Industry Timing
Retail October 2019 to March 2021 extended to October 2021
Sector Class
Public Private Partnership Open Tender / Possible Pre-Qualification


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I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

Featured Project: Autumn Leaf Mall – Infrastructure

North West

Description
Construction of services and associated infrastructure including access road, civil services (water, sewer, stormwater reticulation and electricity) for the proposed Autumn Leaf Mall and filling station including a convenience store situated on Portion 24 (a Portion of Portion 5) of the farm Hazia 240 JP, near Zeerust town situated in the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality, North West Province.

 

Status Region
Awarded Zeerust
Category Value
Infrastructure R 100 million+
Industry Timing
Retail 2019 onwards.
Sector Class
Private Invited / Negotiated

 


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I am an insanely optimistic ambivert that does everything from the heart instead of the mind. Deeply interested in people and matters that pertain to mankind.

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