Let's Be Billionaires

Welcome to African Hustle! Your bi-weekly dose of inspiration and smart insights into African entrepreneurship — featuring real stories about tech, culture, startups, founders, and innovations shaping the future of the continent.

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Geopolitics in Orbit

On Friday, I got an email from Starlink.

It wasn’t a product update

It wasn’t a tech announcement.

It was a call for help.

Starlink wants South Africans to support a proposed government policy shift. This policy would give companies like Starlink itself a legal pathway to operate in South Africa without giving up equity.

Let me back up a little, so that I don’t lose you here!

Starlink vs South African Law

You see, South Africa’s post-apartheid economic justice framework has a set of policies aimed at redressing the racial inequalities entrenched during apartheid. One such policy is called the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE).

Among its various stipulations, B-BBEE mandates that foreign telecom operators seeking licenses must allocate at least 30% equity to Black South Africans or groups that were historically marginalised.

Starlink refuses. Elon Musk himself has described the B-BBEE framework as racist and discriminatory.

Now the government is considering an alternative be B-BBEE. It is proposing an Equity Equivalent Programme. This workaround will allow foreign companies to fulfil empowerment obligations not by surrendering ownership, but through alternative means.

No shares exchanged, just contributions in kind. This is the policy workaround that Starlink has requested support for.

Instead of selling 30% shareholding of its South African operations to black South Africans as required by law, Starlink would rather offer free high-speed internet to thousands of rural schools.

So, what should we support, 30% equity or free wifi to kids in rural schools?

What is more empowering, equity or access?

That question runs deeper than one policy debate. It goes to the heart of African economic sovereignty.

Musk has increasingly aligned himself with right-wing U.S. politics. He and Donald Trump have frequently weighed in on South African affairs, most recently amplifying narratives of white genocide, a discredited claim that nonetheless serves political ends.

If you are active on X, you might be no stranger to these narratives.

Despite Musk’s hardline stance, I like Starlink, though!

But again, I have a strong distaste for the political gangsterism and economic thuggery that the Elon-Trump bromance has resorted to in order to coerce South Africa into docility.

After all the US peddled allegations and false narratives, you then start to wonder if this policy shift is a diplomatic concession to economic pressure, aiming to accommodate Starlink and broader US business interests.

Beyond Starlink

This isn’t just about Starlink. It’s about patterns, how global powers use policy, pressure, and philanthropy to shape outcomes in African markets.

And yet, in all this noise, Africa is struggling to speak with one voice.

Remember how Zimbabwe folded like a deck of cards during Trump’s tariff tantrum and waived duty on US imports?

The U.S. has a history of using economic leverage to bend African policies. We then have every reason to fear the US and its cronies because we have not harnessed our collective strength, and we do very little business amongst ourselves.

When intra-African trade accounts for only 15% of total commerce, compared to 60% in Europe and 70% in Asia, it is no wonder that Trump can grab us by the scruff.

It’s sad to consider that the collective GDPs of 4 of the biggest economies in Africa, Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria and Egypt, are dwarfed by that of New York City alone — and by a substantial margin too. Since we do not see the potential at home, our reliance on Western markets will remain our Achilles’ heel.

Consider the fallout in 2018, when East African nations sought to ban second-hand clothing imports to protect their local textile industries.

Rwanda went ahead with the ban. They did not just ban them, but categorically stated that wearing Western hand-me-downs threatened the dignity of their people.

The Trump administration retaliated by threatening to remove the East African nations from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), cutting off access to U.S. markets.

Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda backed down.

Rwanda did not.

Annually, the US unilaterally reassesses which countries are or are no longer entitled to preferential access to its market.

I hope you are starting to see the picture I am painting and how that harmonises with our overarching theme for intra-African trade.

Away With Short-Term Comforts

Should efficiency come at the expense of empowerment?

Carefully consider Zimbabwe’s land reform program, where land was redistributed from predominantly white commercial farmers to members of the black majority. While the policy aimed to address historical imbalances, challenges in maintaining previous levels of agricultural productivity have persisted.

If Africa’s transformation is to be inclusive and sustainable, it must be driven by local ownership, not external charity. That means building local alternatives to Starlink. That means nurturing policies that don’t scare away investment but don’t give away the future either. Is this even possible?

Again, I tell you, this is not just about Starlink’s dalliance with South Africa. This is about power and who owns it, who profits from it, and who controls the terms of progress.

Instead of setting sights on the US, China, Russia or the EU, Africa should be diversifying its economies and acquiring the industrial capacity to produce high-value-added products.

That’s where you and I come in, the continent’s hustlers!

Enter the Hustlers

Entrepreneurs and small businesses are key drivers of inclusive growth and economic stability. Africa’s growth increasingly relies on domestic sources - its people, governments and private companies.

Did you know that businesses with fewer than 20 employees and less than five years’ experience provide the bulk of jobs in Africa’s formal sector? We are not just small businesses, we are the spine of the African economy.

And yet so often, we are the sacrificial lambs of policymakers when big corporations come along.

Our ability to innovate, create jobs, and adapt to new technologies positions us as catalysts for a sustainable and inclusive industrial revolution.

Our focus, though, should be on growth and vertical integration. This is how Dangote consolidated his empire and compounded his wealth.

Let’s Be Billionaires

What’s the cost of letting billionaires write the rules? And what’s the cost of being too broke to say no?

We should be billionaires. At least then we will have the balls our politicians lack.

Let’s build big enough to be billionaires.

Not for the yachts or the jets. Not for the headlines. But for leverage.

Because when you have wealth, you get to shape policy. You get to protect your people. You get to say no.

Imagine thousands of Dangotes, Motsepes, Masiyiwas — one in every city, every province.

I know it sounds ambitious, this call for African billionaires with backbone!

But just look around. The billionaires of the West influence elections. They set public health agendas. Drive geopolitical outcomes. Launch rockets. Write education curricula.

We deserve that power, too.

We can be like Gates with his vaccine agenda.

We can be like Oprah and her drive for education.

We can be like Musk and get our government to move regulatory mountains.

So, let us grow and stand for something so monumental it lights up the whole continent; let’s do something great.

Let’s build the infrastructure. Let’s fund our own connectivity. Let’s empower our own schools, not just wait for free WiFi.

Let’s invest in each other, build regional supply chains, and give the African Continental Free Trade Area more than just lip service.

I hope you got the point.

This is not just about Starlink. It’s about us creating African-built, African-owned and globally respected solutions

Local Hero

Meet Evariste Ndikumana

Evariste Ndikumana is a prominent Batwa indigenous leader and lawyer from Burundi, recognised as the second Batwa person in the country's history to graduate from university.

Motivated by a commitment to serve his marginalised community, he founded a Batwa-led nonprofit focused on advocating for the rights and development of the Batwa people. His organisation works to secure Batwa rights related to land, justice, education, legal identity documents, health, housing, and cultural preservation.

Ndikumana has served multiple terms in Burundi’s Parliament, where he is a vocal advocate for Batwa inclusion and rights. He has also participated in international forums on indigenous peoples’ rights and led efforts to provide Batwa communities with essential civil documents such as ID cards and birth certificates, critical for accessing government services and voting.

Proverb Of The Week

Quiz/Trivia

_____________ is the largest lake in Africa. Several African countries are smaller in total land area than Lake Victoria. These include Seychelles, São Tomé and Príncipe, Mauritius, Comoros, Cape Verde, Gambia, Eswatini, Djibouti, Rwanda, Burundi, Lesotho and Equatorial Guinea.

Did You Know?

There are 16 landlocked countries in Africa. Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Founder Insights

Invite Disagreement Early

Create A Culture of Open, Respectful Debate

The best startups are those where founders and teams can challenge each other's ideas without fear of bruised egos or retaliation. Disagreement, when focused on ideas rather than personalities, is not just healthy; it’s essential for sound decision-making.

Build Trust Before You Debate

Inviting disagreement only works when there’s trust. If people don’t feel safe speaking up, debate devolves into chaos or, worse, silence. As a founder, your job is to create an environment where team members know their opinions are valued and won’t be met with personal attacks or career consequences.

Hidden Risk of Working With Family and Friends

Cofounders who start as family or close friends often avoid tough conversations to protect their relationship. Ironically, this reluctance to engage in honest disagreement makes these partnerships less stable than those formed between acquaintances or former colleagues. When sensitive issues are left unspoken, they fester, making a blow-up more likely, not less.

Disagree Without Being Disagreeable

The goal is a conflict of ideas, not a conflict of personalities. Encourage your team to debate vigorously, but always with respect. Research from Kellogg and Stanford shows that socially diverse teams, though they may experience more friction and longer debates, ultimately outperform homogenous teams because they surface more perspectives and challenge assumptions more thoroughly.

Tackle Issues Head-On

Passive aggression (gossip, silent frustration, or avoidance) is far more damaging than visible, honest disagreement. When uncomfortable topics are discussed openly, teams can clarify expectations, resolve misunderstandings, and move forward with renewed commitment.

Key Takeaway

Make it safe and expected for your team to challenge each other’s thinking. By inviting disagreement early and often, you’ll build a stronger, more adaptive company that’s equipped to handle the toughest challenges and seize the best opportunities.

Community

#ShoutOut

Spotlight Mo Ibrahim

Mohammed Fathi Ahmed Ibrahim is a Sudanese-British billionaire businessman.

Mohammed "Mo" Ibrahim founded Celtel International in 1998, one of the first mobile phone companies serving Africa and the Middle East.

He sold Celtel to Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Company for $3.4 billion in 2005 and pocketed $1.4 billion. Since then, he's focused on fighting corrupt leadership in Africa through the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

In 2006, Ibrahim founded the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to strengthen sound governance and leadership in Africa.

In 2007, he initiated the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, which awards $5 million to African heads of state who deliver security, health, education and economic development to their constituents and democratically transfer power to their successors.

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