\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n
\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};
\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n
\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n
\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Lekau Sehoana is from Limpopo province in South Africa. In 1994, he moved around and settled in Ivory Park with his family. As Lekau recalls, growing up in Ivory Park was hard, being one of the many squatter townships in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Also, he has partnered with top artists like Cassper Nyovest<\/a> and BMW Midrand, received several awards and nominations, and more. Lining up his achievements, it might sound like Lekau Sehoana woke up and found success. But is this assumption the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is from Limpopo province in South Africa. In 1994, he moved around and settled in Ivory Park with his family. As Lekau recalls, growing up in Ivory Park was hard, being one of the many squatter townships in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Lekau Sehoana is a young African entrepreneur from South Africa. He is the founder and CEO of Drip Footwear<\/a>, a fast-growing sneaker brand in South Africa. Now in his mid-thirties, he has built a name for himself in the sneaker industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, he has partnered with top artists like Cassper Nyovest<\/a> and BMW Midrand, received several awards and nominations, and more. Lining up his achievements, it might sound like Lekau Sehoana woke up and found success. But is this assumption the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is from Limpopo province in South Africa. In 1994, he moved around and settled in Ivory Park with his family. As Lekau recalls, growing up in Ivory Park was hard, being one of the many squatter townships in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n
\"drip
Drip Footwear founder Lekau Sehoana (Photo source: News24)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is a young African entrepreneur from South Africa. He is the founder and CEO of Drip Footwear<\/a>, a fast-growing sneaker brand in South Africa. Now in his mid-thirties, he has built a name for himself in the sneaker industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, he has partnered with top artists like Cassper Nyovest<\/a> and BMW Midrand, received several awards and nominations, and more. Lining up his achievements, it might sound like Lekau Sehoana woke up and found success. But is this assumption the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is from Limpopo province in South Africa. In 1994, he moved around and settled in Ivory Park with his family. As Lekau recalls, growing up in Ivory Park was hard, being one of the many squatter townships in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Who is Lekau Sehoana?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Drip Footwear founder Lekau Sehoana (Photo source: News24)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is a young African entrepreneur from South Africa. He is the founder and CEO of Drip Footwear<\/a>, a fast-growing sneaker brand in South Africa. Now in his mid-thirties, he has built a name for himself in the sneaker industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, he has partnered with top artists like Cassper Nyovest<\/a> and BMW Midrand, received several awards and nominations, and more. Lining up his achievements, it might sound like Lekau Sehoana woke up and found success. But is this assumption the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is from Limpopo province in South Africa. In 1994, he moved around and settled in Ivory Park with his family. As Lekau recalls, growing up in Ivory Park was hard, being one of the many squatter townships in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Returnee Spotlight: How Salma Okonkwo Built Blue Power Energy, One Of Ghana\u2019s Biggest Solar Firms<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is Lekau Sehoana?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Drip Footwear founder Lekau Sehoana (Photo source: News24)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is a young African entrepreneur from South Africa. He is the founder and CEO of Drip Footwear<\/a>, a fast-growing sneaker brand in South Africa. Now in his mid-thirties, he has built a name for himself in the sneaker industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, he has partnered with top artists like Cassper Nyovest<\/a> and BMW Midrand, received several awards and nominations, and more. Lining up his achievements, it might sound like Lekau Sehoana woke up and found success. But is this assumption the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is from Limpopo province in South Africa. In 1994, he moved around and settled in Ivory Park with his family. As Lekau recalls, growing up in Ivory Park was hard, being one of the many squatter townships in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

This article shines a light on Lekau Sehoana, a bold South African entrepreneur that turned his adversity into one of the biggest footwear brands in South Africa. Stories like this is a reminder that all it takes to change your situation is a big imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Returnee Spotlight: How Salma Okonkwo Built Blue Power Energy, One Of Ghana\u2019s Biggest Solar Firms<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is Lekau Sehoana?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Drip Footwear founder Lekau Sehoana (Photo source: News24)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is a young African entrepreneur from South Africa. He is the founder and CEO of Drip Footwear<\/a>, a fast-growing sneaker brand in South Africa. Now in his mid-thirties, he has built a name for himself in the sneaker industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, he has partnered with top artists like Cassper Nyovest<\/a> and BMW Midrand, received several awards and nominations, and more. Lining up his achievements, it might sound like Lekau Sehoana woke up and found success. But is this assumption the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is from Limpopo province in South Africa. In 1994, he moved around and settled in Ivory Park with his family. As Lekau recalls, growing up in Ivory Park was hard, being one of the many squatter townships in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Although these conditions have had adverse outcomes in their lives, some have strived to live above adversity. In Africa, for instance, many entrepreneurial success stories revolve around people turning hardship into opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article shines a light on Lekau Sehoana, a bold South African entrepreneur that turned his adversity into one of the biggest footwear brands in South Africa. Stories like this is a reminder that all it takes to change your situation is a big imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Returnee Spotlight: How Salma Okonkwo Built Blue Power Energy, One Of Ghana\u2019s Biggest Solar Firms<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is Lekau Sehoana?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Drip Footwear founder Lekau Sehoana (Photo source: News24)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is a young African entrepreneur from South Africa. He is the founder and CEO of Drip Footwear<\/a>, a fast-growing sneaker brand in South Africa. Now in his mid-thirties, he has built a name for himself in the sneaker industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, he has partnered with top artists like Cassper Nyovest<\/a> and BMW Midrand, received several awards and nominations, and more. Lining up his achievements, it might sound like Lekau Sehoana woke up and found success. But is this assumption the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is from Limpopo province in South Africa. In 1994, he moved around and settled in Ivory Park with his family. As Lekau recalls, growing up in Ivory Park was hard, being one of the many squatter townships in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

\n

Growing up, most kids from developing countries like Lekau Sehoana had it rough getting basic needs like clothing and food. Why? Several reports have uncovered that, among other things, ethnic conflict is one of the causes of impoverishment in most societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although these conditions have had adverse outcomes in their lives, some have strived to live above adversity. In Africa, for instance, many entrepreneurial success stories revolve around people turning hardship into opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article shines a light on Lekau Sehoana, a bold South African entrepreneur that turned his adversity into one of the biggest footwear brands in South Africa. Stories like this is a reminder that all it takes to change your situation is a big imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Returnee Spotlight: How Salma Okonkwo Built Blue Power Energy, One Of Ghana\u2019s Biggest Solar Firms<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is Lekau Sehoana?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Drip Footwear founder Lekau Sehoana (Photo source: News24)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is a young African entrepreneur from South Africa. He is the founder and CEO of Drip Footwear<\/a>, a fast-growing sneaker brand in South Africa. Now in his mid-thirties, he has built a name for himself in the sneaker industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, he has partnered with top artists like Cassper Nyovest<\/a> and BMW Midrand, received several awards and nominations, and more. Lining up his achievements, it might sound like Lekau Sehoana woke up and found success. But is this assumption the truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau Sehoana is from Limpopo province in South Africa. In 1994, he moved around and settled in Ivory Park with his family. As Lekau recalls, growing up in Ivory Park was hard, being one of the many squatter townships in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many families including his had to deal with classism and insufficiency. His academic pursuit up to high school began in Ivory Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What living in destitution was like for Lekau Sehoana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"informal
An example of shack houses in informal settlements in South Africa (Photo source: The Conversation<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he states in many interviews, Lekau Sehoana grew up in solitude since he didn\u2019t quite fit in with his peers. He secluded himself since they mostly lived in shacks or temporary houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This settlement attracted ridicule from his schoolmates. In essence, solitude was an escape for Lekau Sehoana. But something amazing was born out of this nature of his life\u2014Lekau developed a reading habit. Also, he became conscious of the inadequacy at their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of this lifestyle on Lekau Sehoana included insecurity, lack of electricity, and lack of social interaction with other kids. At 2 years his father left home after divorcing his mother which made things worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Saran Kaba Jones\u2019s FACE Africa Is Offering Liberians Life<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps, things would have been a little different if his father was around. His mother had to look after him and three of his siblings until they were old enough to hustle through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Lekau Sehoana\u2019s entrepreneurial journey began<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What do you do when you are mandated to show up in school uniform but have none? This exact scenario happened to Lekau in 2003 while in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find an outfit that looked like a school uniform, he restored an old pair of shoes using denim and polyurethane to create a masterpiece. All he wanted was a pair of shoes, but to the eyes of his schoolmates, it was remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following this response, Lekau repurposed old and worn-out shoes and made money. This went on for four years until 2007 when he completed high school. Regardless that he made money while studying, it wasn\u2019t enough to sustain him after high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between that period and 2012, he worked odd jobs to survive. These included starting his own cleaning business, which unfortunately didn\u2019t go well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going back to school and getting employed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, Lekau Sehoana applied to study civil engineering at Ekurhuleni West College. This decision came after failed attempts to sustain life as a high school graduate working odd jobs. Fortunately, the college went well and Lekau was lucky to get employed in a construction project in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After two years of working in construction, he had to quit after he was denied leave to plan for his wedding. That was early in 2018. The wedding plans were successful, as so was the wedding itself. However, one thing was clear after all that\u2014he was back home with no job, no car, and a young child since his wife had recently conceived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Entrepreneur Spotlight: Uganda Eco-Stove Is Saving Ugandans On 2 Fronts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the terrible experience of asking for leave, Lekau Sehoana didn\u2019t picture himself looking for employment again. However, he did not have plans to be a stay-at-home dad. Therefore, he had to figure out how to make money without employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting back to entrepreneurship and launching drip footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/lekausehoana\/status\/1170933121082109953\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first business Lekau tried after quitting his job was poultry farming. The business had challenges like market forces, which led to its failure. That fiasco didn\u2019t stop him. Subsequently, he established a restaurant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It failed too. At this time, Lekau was dead broke and in debt. For most people, these failures would be enough to kill their dreams of making it in business. For Lekau, it was different\u2014he went back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lekau decided to revisit his \u201cfirst love\u2019\u2019 as he describes it. By first love, Lekau was talking about restoring old shoes using denim. This time, he was thinking bigger\u2014manufacturing sneakers from scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After toying with the idea for a while, Lekau decided to start a sneaker brand. Following the review of the prototyping stages, the Drip Footwear sneaker brand was established in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolution of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"drip
Colorful Drip Footwear sneaker designs (Photo credits: Drip Footwear Twitter page)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first consignment of sneaker designs Lekau received had 600 pairs of shoes. Jokingly, Lekau describes the moment by saying that he had never seen so many pairs of shoes and they were all his. On top of this excitement, Lekau worried about how or where to sell the shoes. He was not prepared for what happened next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, after sharing a touching story of how the brand came to be on Twitter, his tweet went viral<\/em>. The massive exposure from the tweet saw the sale of the first batch within six weeks, with a demand for more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing this response from the public, Lekau invested more in research and development and manufacturing for the business to remain afloat. In a short space of time, the boy who didn\u2019t have shoes growing up was now the owner of a top sneaker brand in his country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Temitope Mayegun Has Discovered The Secret To Success. Guess What It Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successes and challenges of Drip Footwear<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"yellow
One of the many sneaker designs from Drip Footwear (Photo credits: Kempton Express)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the early days, Drip Footwear\u2019s success was majorly a product of social media sensation. Of course, the product itself was and is still brilliant. However, the support from friends and the online community had the biggest impact. Thanks to this support, Drip Footwear has become a multi-million brand\u2014and is franchising across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, Lekau and his sneaker brand have had their fair share of tragedies. Recently, Drip Footwear MD was shot dead<\/a> at her home. Lekau took to Twitter to express his grief and plead for justice. Also, Lekau was sued for 34% equity of the company<\/a> after claims over debts and repayments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge Lekau had to deal with was the exponential growth of the business. Ironic as it may sound, the immense demand for sneakers stressed the business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, the company was fairly new and its production capacity could not meet the demand. Secondly, the company did not have enough working capital to support operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drip partners with Italian brand FILA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to opening his 21st store, Lekau Sehoana has partnered with the Italian brand FILA. Earlier this year, Drip Footwear\u2019s collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest\u2019s \u2018Root of Fame\u2019 sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I met Cassper, we had just five store and we have grown ever since as a brand,\u201d Sehoana explained the importance of collaboration during an interview with TshisaLIVE. \u201cThe most important outcomes of collaborations is that they legitimize your brand and help you grow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the collaboration, FILA has built three fashion sneakers inspired, designed, and produced by Drip\u2019s bold design. According to Sehoana, the brand wants to become more practical and he believes sneakers will help the company to broaden their reach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the products of Drip Footwear and FILA limited-edition collection is the \u2018Drop One\u2019. It is exclusively available on FILA\u2019s website and at handpicked Drip and Shesha stores. The retail price is between R399 ($23) and R2,199 ($126.74).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"lekau
Cassper Nyovest and Lekau Sehoana celebrating a business partnership (Photo credits: Twitter @DripFootWear)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

#1. Start with what you have<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Innovation is about using what you have to create something. Whether what\u2019s on your mind is an old shoe, use that to create something. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As evident in his story, Lekau did not let his lack of money, experience, or anything else stop him from becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is about becoming creative with the small things and walking up the ladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Entrepreneur Spotlight: Ibrahim Mahama Sold His Artwork For $1 Million. See How He Is Using The Money<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. Keep trying even after failing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All along, Lekau Sehoana has been involved in several businesses, most of which have failed. But this didn\u2019t stop him. After each failure, learn from your mistakes and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surveys have shown that most startups fail, but most of the founders eventually create even better products or services. We learn from failures but success is a dead end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. Re-invest back into your business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with The Hustlers Corner SA<\/span>, Lekau says that he didn\u2019t get salary from Drip Footwear until the business became stable enough. Plowing back the proceeds from your business will keep you from having to rely on debts to fund the business operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. Scale and innovate fast, if possible <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rapid growth is crucial for the sustainability of any business. It could have been very easy for Drip Footwear to be a one-hit-wonder that just made headlines, but through innovation, Lekau was able to create a brand out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, when faced with the challenge of overwhelming demand, Drip Footwear introduced pre-orders to raise money for manufacturing the sneakers. Also, Lekau entered into collaborations that helped to propel the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. Focus on your destination and do whatever it takes to get there<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Entrepreneurship is a bumpy ride that can discourage many that aren\u2019t prepared. Realizing this early helps you plan and have a vision, which becomes a roadmap and guide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the words of Lekau Sehoana, \u201cstart and stick to the goal and no matter how things turn out, keep going\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We share these stories of African entrepreneurs to celebrate \u201cblack founders\u201d and also inspire young Africans to take action. Clearly, there is so much untapped potential on the African continent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from the worst conditions of life and building a multimillion brand, Lekau shows that anyone can do it. You just have to be willing to challenge the status quo and dream big. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream? Share with us in the comment box below.<\/p>\n\n\n","post_title":"Once Shoeless, Lekau Sehoana Now Heads A Multimillion-Rand Sneaker Brand","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"lekau-sehoana-building-multimillion-rand-sneaker-brand-in-south-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-16 20:27:00","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=321360","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":401520,"post_author":"10046","post_date":"2022-07-15 05:27:14","post_date_gmt":"2022-07-15 12:27:14","post_content":"\n

Elon Musk is a name that does not need much introduction. Unlike most other billionaires, Elon Musk doesn\u2019t shy away from the spotlight. He is so often at the center of some crazy new inventions or controversies<\/a>. This is unusual, especially for a man who is described as introverted and who has publicly admitted he is \u201csuch a bad public speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps this is all part of Musk\u2019s charm. His unusual personality has made many to wonder if he is a visionary or a mad scientist. But one thing everyone acknowledges is that the man is a genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Elon Musk (Photo credit: Twitter\/@MarcoSilberhand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His revolutionary way of thinking has transformed both the automobile industry and the space industry. But that\u2019s not all, Musk is a man with many talents. He has both the drive and means to excel in any industry he shows interest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though most of his ideas seem outlandish and fictitious, Musk has gained an incredible amount of trust both in the tech world and beyond. One reason for this is that he always comes through regardless of how the odds are stacked against him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> <\/a>African Vibes List Of African Billionaires Of 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk hasn\u2019t shown as much interest in Africa as CEOs of other big tech firms. We have seen CEOs of Airbnb, Microsoft, Google, Alphabet, and most recently Twitter (before his takeover bid which now seems to be on the edge), pay a visit to Africa. Amazon and Twitter have already moved to establish a base in Africa. But none of Musk\u2019s companies is in Africa, until recently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starlink Satellite Internet Connection and What it Means for Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was reported that Starlink, one of Elon Musk\u2019s companies, will be coming to Africa. Starlink is a satellite network developed by Spacex to provide a high-speed internet connection. It will be accessible even in the most rural areas of the world where connectivity is a challenge. The company\u2019s representative had been in talks with regulators in some African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
Starlink worldwide availability (Photo credit: Twitter\/@SpaceX)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But so far, they seem to be getting nowhere in some of the countries. One reason for this could be the regulation and licensing agreement that is required for Starlink to operate in these countries. However, Mozambique has taken the lead. As of February 23rd, Starlink received the green light to operate in Mozambique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1530234643219243009\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Starlink\u2019s presence in Africa will mean better connections, especially in areas where traditional terrestrial connections are inadequate. This means that you can have internet access wherever you live in Africa. But that is if all goes as planned and the respective governments approve their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong>  Elon Musk Is Building Technology So You can Do This With Your Brain<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter and Elon Musk\u2019s Ambitious Free Speech in Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While free speech may not be a bone of contention in the West, many African governments still grapple with the concept. Recall that on June 4th, 2021, the Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country. It all started on June 2nd when Twitter removed the Nigerian President\u2019s tweet for violating its rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, the Nigerian government banned Twitter, accusing it of siding with secessionists to undermine the country\u2019s \u201ccorporate existence\u201d. The ban lasted for about seven months before it was finally lifted on 12th January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Elon<\/a>
(Photo credit: Twitter\/@NadaanPrindey1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that Twitter had consented to the regulatory guidelines set by the government of Nigeria. The absence of official comment from Twitter serves to buttress this point. The question is, does Twitter\u2019s agreement mean that it can no longer fight for the cause of the people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will happen should #ENDARS repeat itself? Can the Nigerian government arm-twist Twitter into submission? So many questions. Perhaps, this was why Elon Musk\u2019s initial bid to take over Twitter garnered so much conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Nigerian Government Twitter Ban: Who Is suffering More, The Government Or The Masses?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk taking over Twitter trended for a while<\/a>. In his typical fashion, Musk has people talking once again. This time, it is about \u201cFree Speech\u201d. Prior to announcing his bid, Musk berated Twitter<\/a> for not living up to its duties as the \u201cde facto public town square\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further stated that the platform undermines democracy by doing so. It is clear that Musk aims to modify Twitter's rules on censorship. How this plays out in countries where \u201cfree speech\u201d has been violated is left to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 8, Elon Musk announced that he was pulling out of the Twitter deal. According to him, the company failed to provide details on the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform. Twitter says they will head to court to force the billionaire to honor the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the drama continues to play out, Twitter shares has lost about 20% of their value from the time Elon Musk announced the purchase in April to July 8. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting Facts About Elon Musk\u2019s African Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But while some people debate on this, others have taken a deeper look at why the billionaire is eager to promote free speech on the platform. A recent article<\/a> has shed some light on Musk\u2019s childhood in Africa and revealed interesting facts. Most notable is his experience as a young white boy in an apartheid regime where misinformation was practiced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is what drives Elon Musk or not is anybody\u2019s guess. One thing is certain, Elon Musk is a fascinating personality. Here are even more interesting facts about his African roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1. He has always been pro-freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk is a white South African and that means growing up he had to deal with the unjust apartheid system in his home country. Although Musk rarely talks about his childhood, it seems it had such an impact on him. According to him, this was one of the reasons he left South Africa at the age of 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the South African government demanded that all white males between the ages of 17 and 65 years undergo compulsory military service. Musk said, \u201c I don\u2019t have an issue with serving in the military per se, but serving in the South African military suppressing black people just didn\u2019t seem like a good way to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2. He sold candies at an exorbitant price to make some money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk might have grown up to be a tech slash business tycoon, but it began a long time ago. Musk lived with his parents and siblings in Pretoria. As a privileged white South African, he lived among other wealthy neighbors. Musk and his brother took advantage of their environment to make some money selling homemade Easter eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would go door-to-door to sell these chocolates at a very steep price. Whether this was his idea or his brother\u2019s idea is unknown. But you could clearly see the entrepreneurial spirit in young Elon Musk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3. He felt sympathy for his father whom he describes as \u201ca terrible human being\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the young age of 10, Elon Musk witnessed his parents separate. But while his siblings moved in with his mother in Durban, Musk stayed back with his father. This was an action he would later regret. In an interview, Musk describes his childhood as miserable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many reasons for this is the fact that his father was \u201ca terrible human being\u201d. When asked why he had moved in with his father, Musk replied that he felt sympathy for his father Errol Musk who seemed \u201clonely\u201d and \u201cvery sad\u201d by himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Breakthrough In Vaccine Equality As mRNA Vaccine Technology Comes To 6 African Countries<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4. He has a sibling whose mother is his stepsister<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk and his father are estranged and it seems to be for the better. Among the many atrocities of Errol Musk, fathering a child with his own stepdaughter sits at the very top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As vile as this may sound, Errol defends himself saying it was in \u201cthe heat of the moment\u201d and that he is just a man who makes mistakes. This revelation might have shocked the world but clearly nothing strange to Elon Musk, who knew what kind of man his father is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5. He struck his first deal at age 12<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most kids his age were playing sports, the piano, or reading comics, Elon Musk was busy closing business deals. At the age of 12, Musk had struck his first deal worth $500. That was a huge sum of money at the time. He earned the money selling a trivial space game called Blaster which he coded at the age of 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6. He disliked the apartheid system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk grew up in a South Africa that was rife with misinformation. Black South Africans were considered terrorists and many white South African kids bought into the story but not Elon Musk. In fact, Musk was known to make friends with his black classmates and even defended them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An act that often made him the target of bullies. It\u2019s also reported that Musk was among the few white kids who attended the funeral of a classmate that passed away in a car accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Kenya Set To Join African Countries Manufacturing Electric Cars<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#7. He was often bullied<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Musk\u2019s gregarious personality may sometimes make him look formidable. But, as a young South African, Elon Musk was often bullied by his classmates. According to him, he was \u201cthe youngest and smallest in his class\u201d. In addition to this, Elon Musk was a stereotypical nerd who was fond of books and this placed a bullseye on his back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#8. His parents thought he was Deaf<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with a gifted child could be a handful and it was no different in the case of Elon Musk. As a young child in South Africa, Elon was an introvert but that\u2019s not surprising. What\u2019s actually surprising is that he would often get lost in his thoughts, so much so that his parents thought he was deaf.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, Elon Musk had an operation because his parents and even the doctors assumed he was deaf. To help restore his hearing, the doctors removed his adenoid glands, but it made no difference. It turned out he wasn\u2019t deaf. Perhaps, the earth wasn\u2019t as entertaining. Luckily for him, the adenoid gland plays a minor role in the body\u2019s defense system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> Meet The Founder Of The Year 2021 Winners<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#9. He came from a very wealthy home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At some point, while building his business empire, Elon Musk ran into some financial issues. What is also true is that he came from a very wealthy background. His father Errol Musk was an engineer among many things and he was part owner of an Emerald mine in Zambia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elder Musk said \u201cWe were very wealthy, we had so much money at times we couldn\u2019t close our safe. One person will have to hold the money in place with another closing the door.\u201d This paints a very vivid picture of just how wealthy the Musk family was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#10. He failed in business, a lot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lot of young Africans blame the lack of funding as an excuse for not starting or failing in their business. For them, having rich parents would have made the difference. Well, having rich parents did not make Elon Musk immune to failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a fresh graduate in 1995, he applied to Netscape and got no response. He was even ignored on his physical visit to the company. Eventually, he founded Zip2 which was supposed to be an online business directory. As the startup grew, the board lost faith in him as the CEO and he was demoted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A similar fate would play out with PayPal which he cofounded with Greg Kouri. In 2000 when he decided to take a break and restrategize, he contracted lethal cerebral malaria during a vacation to South Africa and Brazil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tesla which surpassed $1 trillion valuation in October 2021<\/a> was almost a failure at some point. He had to throw in the $35 million he made from the sale of PayPal and resort to loans from friends to keep the company alive. In 2010, Elon was officially broke. However, the beauty of his story lies in how he consistently turned what seemed like a failure into success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The life of tech billionaire Elon Musk is indeed fascinating. While he navigates the world of business and technology, Musk so often stops to give us a tweet or two. How he is able to juggle so many things remains a mystery but in his usual witty fashion, he once replied to this question by saying \u201cI\u2019m an Alien\u201d. Of course, he was just joking, or was he?. Let's hear your thoughts in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","post_title":"10 Interesting Facts About Elon Musk's African Root And His Plans In Africa","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"interesting-facts-about-elon-musks-african-roots-and-his-plans-in-africa","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-12 08:43:21","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/africanvibes.com\/?p=338174","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":329796,"post_author":"10055","post_date":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-19 11:12:00","post_content":"\n\nUndoubtedly, one big achievement of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration is the remarkable revival of Ghana as one of Africa's biggest tourist destinations. In 2019, the West African nation hosted non-African blacks in the year of return, attracting billions of dollars in investment<\/a>. As an after-effect, from Dave Chappelle<\/a> to Stevie Wonder<\/a>, African-American celebrities are championing a campaign for black Americans to return to Ghana. Jumping aboard the returnee train is the ace American rapper, Chance the Rapper.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/PJkevApproved\/status\/1478854602846089219?s=20\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: Ghana And Jamaica Waive Entry Visa Requirements<\/a><\/strong>\n\nThe Grammy Award winner has announced that he wants to take a large group back to Ghana in July. This is because of the pleasant experience he had there. He stated on Twitter that he hopes to return to the country not alone, but with a large group of people.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_329797\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"800\"]\"Chance Chance the Rapper (Photo credit: @beyondthereturn\/Instagram)<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nIn persuading his fans, Chance the Rapper promised that anyone who wanted to travel with him to Ghana would feel at home. \"Ghana will commemorate the 65th anniversary of its FIGHT for independence. In July, I'd want to return with a large group. I guarantee you'll feel at ease,<\/em>\" the rapper tweeted.\n\nThe announcement also contained a video montage of the rapper's work when he was in Ghana this month.\n\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/chancetherapper\/status\/1481671540999692301?s=20\n\n \n\n\n\n \n

Are Ghana's Efforts Finally Paying Off?<\/h2>\nWithout a shred of doubt, Ghana\u2014and Ghanaians\u2014are benefitting from this exposure. While declaring the Year of Return, Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo said,\n\n\u201cWe want to commemorate it (Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade), to be able to say together that never again will Africa and her people permit themselves to be subjugated to these types of dehumanizing and inhumane events. Never again! At the same time, we want to use the symbolism of this year to take concrete steps to solidify the relations of our kith and kin in the Americas and the Caribbean.\"<\/em>\n\nALSO READ:\u00a0Year Of Return: WWE Champion Makes Heart Warming Trip To Ghana After 26 Years<\/a><\/strong>\n\nBeyond strengthened partnerships, Ghana has gained an international reputation for being an emerging tourist destination. With this reputation, the nation is positioning itself for a massive influx of Foreign Direct Investment. Already, the 2019 Year of Return was an outstanding success as\u00a0over 500,000<\/a> tourists visited Ghana in 2019.\n\nMany of these tourists bought properties, set up businesses, or made investments, and the nation is reaping the gains today. Also, its tourist appeal is bringing giant opportunities for Ghanaians. Twitter and the African Vaccine Coordination Center recently set up their Africa offices in Accra. With tourism prioritized, Ghana can certainly do more to boost its economy.\n\n\n

How African Nations Can Replicate Ghana's Success<\/h2>\nAfrican leaders must take a cue from Ghana on how to harness the power of tourism. Ghana has put in the effort to improve its image. It is also a country known to respect the rule of law, with the absence of political instability or insurgency. These are all markers that set it apart from many of her neighbors. Before any nation can replicate Ghana's success, these must exist.\n\nAs Chance the Rapper undertakes a mission to show Ghana's beauty to the world, Africans must be happy. More importantly, Africa and Africans must work to see that every country is as attractive for investment and tourism as Ghana is. No country on the continent should be left behind.","post_title":"Ghana\u2019s Tourism Efforts Pay Off As Chance The Rapper Leads American Celebrities To Return To Ghana","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"ghanas-tourism-efforts-pay-off-as-chance-the-rapper-leads-american-celebrities-to-return-to-ghana","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_modified_gmt":"2024-08-09 18:29:30","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.africanvibes.com\/?p=329796","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"next":false,"prev":false,"total_page":1},"paged":1,"column_class":"jeg_col_2o3","class":"epic_block_3"};

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