www.afrika-kommt.de Afrikakommtler: AK4Newsletter 2016

Afrikakommtler: The Afrika kommt! Newsletter

Welcome!

Dear AK5,

After four editions of Afrika kommt!, it is quite pre-

dictable that the fifth edition will be the best one

yet. Throughout your time in Germany, many guide-

lines will be at your disposal. However with this edi-

tion of the Afrikakommtler, we aim to motivate you

and share some of our experiences with you. Ulti-

mately, it’s in your hands to make good use of what

AK5 will offer throughout the next 12 months. Macht

euch bereit!

First things First: Wie geht’s?

Right in the beginning, one can conclude that not

knowing the German articles Die, Der and Das can

lead to some confusion. For example, the German

word Tor is one of the nous to carefully use, be-

cause das Tor is ‘the gate/portal’ and der Tor is ‘the

fool’. Same noun and two different meanings that

simply depend on the article you use. The German

language is quite tricky in these terms. Try to memo-

rize the nouns with the correct article. But again, be

careful with ‘Tor’!

As you continue to master your German, do not get

frustrated when the challenges move towards ac-

cusative, genitive, and dative forms. Den, Des and

Dem can‘t wait to meet you around the corner,

and you can’t avoid them. The good news is: you

are in the right environment to conciliate theory

and practice. Enjoy figuring out what the German

learning adventure is all about. We wish you all the

best!

Die Anpassungsfähigkeit ist sehr wichtig!

A Professional Success

Story

Towards the end of the AK4 program, the feelings of uncertainty regardless one’s performance during the practical phase naturally sets in: thoughts of re-turning back home to systems that are not comparable to those in a developed society (i.e. power challenges, water, in-frastructure , bureaucracy, procedures), reintegration with family, resuming work or returning back to previous engage-ments, and for those without job offers, thoughts of going back to the gruesome job search in high unemployment.

Irrespective of one’s situation, AK brings so much professional development dur-ing and after the program: effective net-working with industry leaders; exposure to how things should run as a result of well-developed systems; emphasis on long-term planning and its effects; im-portance of high productivity during working hours as well as observing the German business and non-business cul-tures.

In order to manage expectations, it is al-ways advised to have a backup plan inde-pendent of the companies participating in the program. Before the program end-ed however, I was privileged to be offered a role I loved and really looked forward to exploring. Surprisingly a month after resuming, my responsibilities were expanded; largely due to my prior experience in the German headquarters of my company, a direct consequence of the AK program. For me, professional de-velopment during the program has trans-lated to a professional success story after

www.afrika-kommt.de Afrikakommtler: AK4Newsletter 2016

Exchanges: Arts & Culture

Many are fascinated with Africa in Europe; always wondering about our rich tradi-tions, cultures, history, and artistic creativi-ty (art, dance and textile)... Sadly, this her-itage has dwindled before my eyes. More and more, our generation is influenced by the western media, thanks to connectivity and digital technologies. Rather than a two-way street, the influence flow is most-ly from the West to Africa. How about us-ing these same tools to propagate our her-itage? Not too long ago, I had an interest-ing conversation about “juju” with a Ger-man friend. Soon enough, I found myself in uncharted waters when he started to educate me on the Nigerian traditional gods of “Amadioha” and “Shango”. I was ashamed that in comparison to him, I knew so little about our African traditional beliefs. This is a huge potential for grow-ing our tourism industry.

I visited the Picasso exhibition at the Kunst Gallery in Hamburg with other participants in the AK program. As we moved from one room to the next, I whispered to my col-leagues about the varieties of art wasting away in Africa. Artists are forced to drive cabs for a living because no one is interest-ed in promoting their craft. The legitimacy of their profession is constantly being questioned and belittled. Still the possibili-ties of legally exporting traditional African art – sculptures, pottery, painting, cane arts, tie and dye textiles – to Europe are endless and the earnings vital for our economies. (continued on page 3)

Bringing Content Taking Germany to Africa – Mind the Risks

Afrika kommt! brings together a diversity of young profes-

sionals, whose fields of expertise cover areas like business

administration, management, sales & marketing, procure-

ment and so on. As a former Afrika kommt! participant, I

recommend that you know the risks of ‘your’ international

project. Surely, the Partner Companies differ regarding

their interests; however effective establishment of business

units in Africa (whether for a long or short-term) or en-

hancement of market competitiveness (if already estab-

lished). Thus, considering a bottom-up appraisal of the risks

in a project-based context is always beneficial.

Think of these three levels of decision: strategic, administra-

tive, and operational. What are the tasks you’re going to

develop, and how do they fit in each level of decision? If

you are placed in a position that supports the decision-

making, consider having a thorough understanding of your

project. Depending on the case, you can create or simply

ask for a Project Breakdown Structure; thus, you are not far

from developing an insightful risk appraisal of your project.

International projects require inputs like cultural risks, geo-

political risks, organizational risks, financial risks, economical

risks, technological risks, market risks and others according

to their relevance. At a lower level of input, keep your fo-

cus on reducing complexity and on maximizing the value

of information in your risk appraisal.

As an important contributor to the strategy of your partner

company, be sure that information you find at a glance

might accessible to everyone, but the interpretation of the

many sub-factors behind it depends a lot on your talent.

Be cautious and proactive because you’ll be delivering

your ideas and knowledge to potential investors, whose

engagement is important to your Afrika kommt! experi-

ence. Add value to your experience by doing your home-

work, i.e., get familiarized with topics like taxation, contract

negotiation, financial & operational issues, investments,

hedging strategies, etc. Keep in mind that your home

countries are the central objectives.

Amílcar Mahota

MSc Prj. Management (Expected 2016)

Specialization in Energy, Oil & Gas

A Professional Success Story (continued from page 1)

After going through a program of this nature, transfor-

mation is expected to occur in participants’ mindset,

a change for the better. At this critical stage of devel-

opment, Africa cannot continue to be emerging. We

should be able to drive and sustain the anticipated

growth. As young professionals, we owe it to our con-

tinent to use the exposure of the AK program to impact positive changes in our countries. While the change

cannot occur all at once, we all have a role to play in this day-to-day gradual process. The objective of the

AK program is not merely to create more enlightened job seekers, but business leaders in all aspects. Let’s

go out there and make Africa proud! To all current and future participants, congratulations and wishing you

the very best!

Samson Ajayi Regional Brand Manager – West Africa

Robert Bosch GmbH

Lagos, Nigeria

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Exchanges Science & Technology

The automotive industry is

thought to be a German strong-

hold. As true as this is, every part

of Science & Technology is a

huge area of knowledge transfer

between Africa and Germany.

The land of resources we call

home, Africa, can be trans-

formed into a technological

wonderland instead of a base

for commodity trading. No one

pays premium for cocoa or cof-

fee seeds, but for the added

value in chocolates and Star-

bucks cappuccinos. This is what

Afrika kommt has ignited in me,

a burden to utilize the resources

in Africa for value creation. I

couldn’t stop thinking about this

after the study tour at Adlershof,

Berlin. Resource trading is not a

sustainable model for economic

growth; the current price of

crude illustrates this. No, I am

not blaming government this

time. We, the youth, can lever-

age the technologies present in

the global market and create

value for global trading. African

traditional medicine is an un-

tapped area of immerse poten-

tial. In Germany, we can access

the technological know-how to

scientifically justify our local

methods, a much-needed step

in bringing these solutions in

medicine to global standards.

Samuel Somuyiwa

B. Development Manager: Africa

Merck KGaA

Darmstadt, Germany

Exchanges: Arts & Culture (continued from page 2)

Maybe you are from the school of thought that Germans

lack humor, but I was successful at making a few of them

laugh. What about African movies? Nollywood is the second

largest movie industry in the world by production volume

and thrid largest by revenue. However, we still restrict our

audience to English speakers and the locals? Hey, it’s time

to make the Germans laugh too! With translation software

readily available to aid us, let’s bring Nollywood to Germa-

ny! Most likely, we would learn some modern technologies

that could help grow our productions. After all, Germany is

tech capital of sorts.

I could go on and on about the fruitful offerings of Germany

to Africa and vice-versa, but then, I would be writing a book

and not an article. If you are reading this and you are Ger-

man, thank you for the opportunity you have given me to

explore your country. I am a brand new version of me; bet-

ter equipped to strive for the future I envision: one that

bridges trade relations with Africa; one that is prepared to

sell Africa to the world; one that brings global developments

to Africa.

To my fellow Africans, we have come to a point of inflec-

tion, a period where the global attention is on us. We have

being tagged the next growth frontier. I believe the labors

of our heroes past have not been in vain. They are no longer

here with us, but their spirits sway to the melody of the birds,

soaring to heaven and singing stories of development and

growth in Africa. The actualization of that glorious, united

and developed Africa is in our hands.

Vielen Dank für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit!

Samuel Somuyiwa

Business Development Manager: Africa

Merck KGaA

Darmstadt, Germany

Simple Guide to a Successful

Mentor-Mentee Relationship

During the Afrika kommt! program, I was privileged to enjoy

the most successful mentor-mentee relationship of my

career. While success is heavily dependent on the personali-

ties of the parties involved, below are my key take-aways:

1. Establish clear goals

2. Ask questions

3. Listen actively

4. Communicate often and openly

5. Implement new ideas

6. Say, “Thank you“

Chidimma Agbasi

Auditor

Bayer AG

Germany

Our Transfer Projects

Demystifying the stereotypes about Nigeria (S. Ajayi) Consultancy & Professional Ex-change Association (A. Mahota)

www.afrika-kommt.de Afrikakommtler: AK4Newsletter 2016

Living In Germany: Not A Laughing Matter We’ve all heard the stereotype, “Germans have no sense of humor”. Well, here is a shocker: on

the streets of Darmstadt, you will find humor between the efficiency and timeliness. We pictured

scary stereotypes typical of anyone venturing into the unknown. Yet, our innate inquisitive na-

ture still propelled us here. Maybe it’s not true. Maybe the storytellers were biased. Maybe this,

maybe that... It was a huge step of courage to leave home, filled with all the comfort of family,

friends and a familiar territory and leap into the “unfamiliar” German territory. Maybe not so dif-

ficult for the unmarried few, but I’m sure it was a more daunting decision for the married lot

(Please take my few and lot literally).

The main objective of the Afrika kommt! program is knowledge transfer; building cultural bridg-

es that hones business processes. On the one hand is profitability for German companies in Afri-

ca, while on the other is the economic and social development of African countries. The latter

will be my focus. If you are reading this only because of the title, thank you! Try to endure my

long rhetoric of development initiatives till the end. And yes, we didn’t come here to laugh. We

came to unlearn, learn and build bridges.

The words efficiency and timeliness were carefully chosen in the first paragraph of this article

because you can play with sausages and beer in Germany, but not a letter of these two words.

That is if you want to enjoy a stress free professional life in Germany! Did I neglect to mention

the social aspect of living in Germany? Yes, don’t be late to a summer barbeque! You might

find the meat is finished before you take your first bite.

Initially it seemed ridiculous to me. I wondered often why people could be so fixated on timeli-

ness. Do they not consider traffic? Or maybe the drycleaner has unending disappointments?

Then I realized, in Germany, power is stable. Public transport is efficient. The road networks are

smooth, so traffic can never be an excuse for a well-planned event. Deutsche Bahn (your late

coming buddy) surprisingly, issues covering statements for delayed connections and can even

write your employer. At some point I stopped laughing and whining. I am here for a purpose; to

give and to take. To bring modern developments and technology from Africa to Germany (this

is written with a straight face) and vice- versa! I believe trade relations are best when involved

parties mutually benefit.

Samuel Somuyiwa

B. Development Manager: Africa

Merck KGaA

Darmstadt, Germany

The Intern Professional

In the AK program, companies and participants alike, face a conundrum, “How do you we officially and succinctly address the professionals participating in the program?” For the companies, it is impossible to create a new title category because participants are too few and the program does not run on set calendar (e.g. yearly or every 18 months). For some departments, the confusion transcends mere terminology and ex-hibits in tangible day to day interaction that can impact a participant’s experience. It is advisable to clear this up at some point during your stay at the companies. Most im-portantly, always be professional!

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To Motherland A Poem By Samuel Somuyiwa

All bright and young,

Soaring tides of ambition,

Ambitions converge from distance XY,

To the glory of motherland.

The journey before departure,

Tah-toe like the infant, we learnt how to talk.

Bold and daring, we've become warriors.

Tarrying not, we've come a long way.

Not without hassles,

A journey marred by elephant clashes,

Like grasses, we bowed to superior powers.

Still, we tarry not. We've come a long way.

Tooth and tongue, we stick together like buccal,

Biting accidentally and on purpose,

All eyes on goal,

Time grew love amongst us.

Call us the league of the colossus,

The league of extraordinary men,

The pilots of emerging Africa,

And you are not far from the truth.

Weathered the snow and rain,

Feathered and decorated,

The ancestors smile in heaven,

Africa has come!

Our training; broad and sound.

Our scope; far and wide.

Our knowledge; thorough and true,

Discerning yet the magical.

Equipped as a family,

We beseech you today screaming,

Africa! Africa my Africa!

The land of hope and ancestral savannahs

We are not there yet,

But, we’ve come a long way.

Editor Notes

It‘s always a challenge and an honor to

create. Thank you to all contributors and

readers! Until next time...

Chidimma Agbasi

Ein besonderes Dankschön an:

Gladly, I seize this opportunity to ex-press my joy in delivering great

thoughts of the great AK 4 people. Please, enjoy!

Amílcar Mahota