Two un-ignorable giants: Nigeria turns 50 and Sasol is 60 years

Two seemingly unrelated events but both of significant importance to the African continent and Africans in general and to black South Africans in particular.

Let us start by looking at Nigeria, which was amongst the first countries in Africa to be liberated from colonial rule celebrated 50 years of independence at the end of September 2010. Federal Republic of Nigeria has so many unique characteristics like having the largest population in Africa; estimated at 120million or possibly 159 million - take your guess.

The idea is not to do a historical or economic analysis of the country but rather to look at lessons we can learn. I have had many trips to Nigeria over the years and it’s a country that never stops amazing me. The first thing that strikes me is its entrepreneurial spirit. The country is buzzing with that and because there are many entrepreneurs at the lower income levels, to a foreign eye it looks rather disorganised. It is also a country that is cash flush. The lesson we can learn from this is that economies are driven by businesses and not by governments. The levels of education across the board are very high. Nigeria has also been very receptive to investors from rest of the continent and hence you find companies from South Africa like MTN and Southern Sun amongst others that have thrived in that country.

The entrepreneurial spirit is not only at the lower levels but in larger businesses. One of the first companies to be listed on the main board of JSE from the continent is Oando from Nigeria, founded and headed by one of the smart business people in the African continent, Wale Tinubu.
Of course, I cannot leave the impression that it is a perfect country because it is far from that. It is sad that its 50th Anniversary celebrations were marred by bombings. The fact is: it has not managed to utilise its vast oil resources for the benefit of all citizens. Lastly, the failure of the general population to ensure that State-owned Enterprises, e.g. the electricity utility provide adequate infrastructure for its citizens, the business community and investors is a serious indictment on its citizens. The lesson that South Africans should learn from this is to be vigilant in ensuring that our taxes are used for the intended purposes.
On the home front, another milestone which I wish to scrutinise is Sasol celebrating 60 years of existence. What does Sasol turning 60 years in 2010; have anything with black South African entrepreneurs?

Sasol which was founded as Suid Afrikaanse Steenkool en Olie (SASOL) in 1950 had accumulated assets, about $18.8 billion as of 2009, employing over 3000 people. This was just two years after the nationalist party came to power. Whatever Sasol is today, there is no doubt in my mind that it was established to advance the Afrikaner community.

There are and could be a lot of discussions about its origins and funding, sure, but that is maybe a debate for another time.
Some of the questions we need to ask ourselves are:
· Is South Africa today, with black political leadership, on its way to creating another giant,
like Sasol?
· Will black entrepreneurs 60 years from 1994 stand tall and be a beacon of hope to future
generations; not because they bought into other peoples businesses but because their
entrepreneurial spirit will stands out as a shining example?
· Is there a debate or are there initiatives in that direction, if you know of, please raise your
hand.

I am sure some will be quick to point me in the direction of MTN, AVUSA, etc. They may be correct, I do not know. The question is: Will we arrive in 2054 as proud black business people with a huge track record of enterepreual monuments to showcase?

In the meantime, our aim as black South Africans is to show that it is, at least, a Work in Progress.


Sango Ntsaluba