Reason #2: You can climb the corporate ladder faster in Africa than elsewhere
All businesses in Africa need 3 things: a viable product, some capital, and talented teams. Of those three, most people think capital is in the shortest supply. That’s not true—it’s actually fairly easy to get capital as an entrepreneur if you have the right idea. The real shortage most businesses in Africa struggle with is finding well-trained talent with the skills to execute. We have tremendous skills gaps in crucial areas that will be important for Africa to stay competitive. So if you’ve studied abroad and acquired those skills, you’ll be a hot commodity on the continent. I experienced this firsthand when I moved to Johannesburg after my first degree and started working with McKinsey. I was given far greater responsibilities than my colleagues who were working for the same company in New York. As a result, my career took off much faster than my peers who stayed in the USA.
