Heirs, Thieves and Hard Workers.

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Opportunity Alert

Main Issue

The Waiting Wicked

I used to think I was above it all.

Above the greasy handshake.
Above the backroom deal.
Above the seductive offer of wealth without work.

But like a slow-burning fire, Africa has a way of testing your purity, one temptation at a time.

Some time ago, in a fiery post I didn’t think would echo so loudly in my conscience, I publicly agreed with Jason’s Law of Corruption. To those not familiar, this law is a gut-punch truth dropped by Nigerian journalist Pini Jason Onyegbaduo. Jason bifurcated Africans into two categories: the ruling wicked and the waiting wicked.

To put this in layman’s terms, Jason was saying that you are probably not stealing because you haven’t had the chance. Should the opportunity occur, your moral compass will disappear faster than a politician changes his mind.

Would you say no to a Bentley Bentayga?

A youthful entrepreneur in Zimbabwe has leveraged his proximity to presidential power into a sprawling empire of state tenders worth billions. He hands out luxury cars, yes, hands them out, like sweets at a village wedding. So far, over $20 million has been spent gifting people who, depending on whom you ask, are either loyal friends or strategic pawns.

I found myself in a debate with a friend about this very benevolent and philanthropic entrepreneur. It was easy to take the moral high ground.

“If that money was looted, I wouldn't touch a dime. Not even a car,” I said vociferously.

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But then my friend asked, “What if it’s a Bentley Bentayga?”

That twin-turbocharged, V8-powered behemoth. Retail price? Over $250,000.

Would I really say no?

Would you?

It’s easy to say no when the opportunity doesn’t exist. But as I look through the list of car recipients, including prominent figures, clergy, and seemingly upright individuals, I notice that none have publicly refused the gift. That makes me realise it might not be such an easy choice after all.

Which brings us back to Jason’s Law of Corruption. The average African’s outrage is often just a performance, an orchestrated symphony of righteousness played in the absence of opportunity. We play too much - to the gallery that is!

Proximity to power and opportunity changes everything. Access rewrites values. Probably for many of us, the only thing standing between us and the very corruption we criticise is distance.

Steal It, Inherit It, or Sweat Blood

A viral post recently claimed there are only three ways to get rich.

1. Steal

2. Inherit

3. Work hard for

Inheritance? Forget it. For now, at least! Africa has the highest poverty rate in the world, with over 35.5% of the population living on less than $1.90 a day. We're not inheriting wealth; we’re inheriting debt, struggle, and trauma.

Steal it? That seems to work for the elite, if you’re already in the club. For the rest of us, the only destination is a prison cell, not prosperity. And perhaps hellfire, we can’t omit that since our dear Africa is the most religiously committed continent.

So, we’re left with the long, dusty and thankless road: Work. Hard.

But here’s the uncomfortable and unfortunate twist that we dread to mention: hard work alone won’t make you rich. Our parents worked hard. Our grandparents broke their backs. And yet here we are, still locked in the same economic purgatory.

So, if you're going to walk the long road, walk it strategically.

The Real 5-Step Plan to Wealth

Forget recycled cliches and quotes. Here’s a raw, no-BS blueprint for the African hustler who refuses to wait for scraps from corrupt tables.

1. Earn
   Get a skill. Create something. Sell anything. Your first war is for cash flow, not clout.

   You can’t invest ideas; you invest income.

2. Save
   Stack. Stack. Stack. Learn to live below your means. In a world obsessed with flexing, discipline is your real status symbol.

   Do not be pressured by the curated highlights of other people’s lives on social media.

3. Invest
   Money is a soldier. Deploy it. Stocks, real estate, your business, or your own education. Let your money multiply.

   You start by working for money, but get rich by making your money work for you.

4. Own
   Ownership is the revolution. Your brand. Your business. Your audience. Your time. Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time. If you’re renting your life out, you’re building someone else’s wealth.

5. Scale
   The rich don’t hustle harder, they hustle smarter. There is a limit to how much you can sweat. Multiply results without multiplying effort. Use tech, people, and systems.

   Your hustle should not be a trap but a means for liberation.

We are not poor because we lack ambition. We are poor because corruption robs us, systems fail us, and our outrage dies the closer we get to ill-got wealth.

But we do have a choice.

We can choose to sweat with dignity rather than steal with shame. Even if it takes longer, we can build legacies that are earned, not inherited or extorted.

We can choose not to become what we hate. Even when handed the keys to a Bentley Bentayga.

Local Hero

Meet Rev. Philbert Kalisa

Work

Rev. Philbert Kalisa is a Rwandan Anglican priest and founder of REACH, an organisation dedicated to grassroots reconciliation and healing in post-genocide Rwanda.

Born and raised as a refugee in a camp outside Rwanda, Kalisa has a deep personal understanding of the complexities of reconciliation. After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, he began bringing together perpetrators and survivors to engage in the difficult work of forgiveness, unity building, and peace through “Unity groups.”

Impact

Kalisa’s work has reached over 33,000 people and involves forming partnerships across government, religious institutions, and communities to promote healing and coexistence. His approach includes restorative justice, truth-telling workshops, and creating safe spaces for dialogue.

One notable project under his leadership involved perpetrators and survivors collaborating to build houses for victims, symbolising reconciliation through shared constructive work.

Proverb Of The Week

Quiz/Trivia

Which African mobile operator spans 19 countries and serves over 280 million subscribers?

Answer: MTN Group

Did You Know?

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is the largest stock exchange in Africa, with over 400 listed companies and a market cap exceeding $2 trillion.

#ShoutOut

Spotlight Adebayo Ogunlesi

The Nigerian-born businessman known as "the man who bought Gatwick Airport" is a respected private equity tycoon based in the US. He has advised two American presidents.

Now 72, he holds degrees from Oxford and Harvard. He began his career as a law clerk. He then spent 23 years at Credit Suisse First Boston, rising to executive vice chairman.

In 2006, he founded Global Infrastructure Partners. The firm manages $84 billion in assets, including three UK airports. Ogunlesi’s expertise earned him roles on President Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum and President Biden’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council. He is a major voice in global infrastructure.

In January 2024, BlackRock agreed to buy Global Infrastructure Partners. Ogunlesi will join BlackRock as part of the deal.

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