Mehmet N’diaye, MBA (Président Directeur Général Imaad Holding)
A wave of optimism, unprecedented since the independances in the 1960s is blowing on the African continent, especially amidst the African Diaspora. Since the beginning of the new millenium, Africa overall is experiencing a sustained economic growth, a maturing democracy and a booming middle class. This fact reinforces the will by highly educated Africans, trained in the best schools around the world, and working in the most prestigious institutions to come back and bring their stone to the building. However, most of them-like me not long ago-do not know how to proceed, and sometimes get rebucked by the quite low salaries and job prospects proposed to them back home. Below are five pieces of advice for a successful return in the motherland, from a personal experience:
1) Dare or Die: Many people THINK about coming back to Africa, but only a FEW actually DO come back. It’s true that living overseas, we get accustomed to some standard of living we might not find in the homeland. However, remember that it is YOUR task to help your country reach this level, through your hard work, dedication and knowledge, not someone else.
2) Do not wait too long: I recognize the term too long sounds subjective, so I will give some indications; For me, too long is getting married, having kids, reaching VP or C-Level positions in the corporate ladder. It’s true there are exceptions to every rule, but once you get to those levels, you are inclined to be more cautious, and overthink. The best time to come back home is definitely when you are free of every obligation, whatsoever.
3) Your network is your net worth: During vacations, plan meetings with executives and leaders in local business, politics and culture; it gives you a clearer idea of the direction of the country, the booming sectors, and the opportunities available. It also puts a picture on a name for the time you’re ready to come back.
4) Be ready to differ gratification: Let’s be clear on this point: The probability of you getting the perfect job based upon your experience overseas is pretty LOW. Be ready to compromise, but compromise strategically. You don’t want to take a job that gets you bored, but one that challenges you, one in which you can be helpful and have a real impact on the firm’s bottom line, eventhough the financial compensation is not comparable to what you previously earned. I can definitely tell you that the outcome is worth the sacrifice.
5) Get back down to earth: The beauty of Africa is that we do not have to reinvent the wheel, but just to learn from developped coountries’ experience and adapt it to our local constraints. Do not think you will be required to devise some esoterical algorithm to solve some quantum physics problem… All you need to do is being serious on the work you are assigned, think out of the box, leverage your valuable foreign experience and rolodex, and surround yourselves with people who know how to deal with local intricacies… (the latter might be the subject of a future post…)
Of course this list is non-exhaustive but at least, gives an insight in the life of a returnee to the motherland.