2013 Tutu Fellow Jumoke Oduwole is working on reforms that should have a dramatic impact on the economy of the country. Expectations are ambitious: for Nigeria to move 20 places up in the World Bank 'Doing Business' Rankings by October 2017, and into the Top 100 by 2019.  As a senior advisor to the Nigerian Vice President on Trade & Investment, who in turn has an executive role in transforming the economy, many of the changes will make it easier for micro, small and medium sized businesses (MSMEs) to do business in the country. 

2013 Tutu Fellow Monica Musonda has won the 2017 African Agribusiness of the Year Award.  The African Agribusiness Entrepreneur of the Year Award recognizes entrepreneurs who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in agricultural input and value-added industries, serving food and fiber production in Africa. The award is conferred by Market Matters every year to an agribusiness entrepreneur whose efforts have made a outstanding positive impact on African rural communities.

Two Tutu Fellows have been selected by MIPAD for its list of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent under 40 for 2017. Both were in the category Business & Entrepreneurship.  The other categories were Politics & Governance; Media & Culture; and, Religious & Humanitarian. The Fellows who were selected are 2014 Fellow Ntombenhle Khathwane, the Founder of AfroBotanics; and 2013 Fellow Ally Angula, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Leap Holdings.

Tutu Fellows have attended and participated in the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's Governance Weekends' for several years.  The organization and the event deals with many of the issues that Fellows grapple with in their various sectors and countries and it provides an excellent forum to network and gain feedback on developments.  This year was no exception.  The Governance Weekend was early in April this year and was held in Marrakesh, Morocco.  This year, the focus was on leadership in the 21st century.

A number of Tutu Fellows attended the 2017 World Economic Forum, which was held in Durban, South Africa, this year, as Young Global Leaders with the WEF; in their personal capacities; or as invited speakers. Thirty seven Tutu Fellows are Young Global Leaders. More than a thousand people attended the event from more than 100 countries, including many leaders and several heads of state.

The Fellows included Victor Ochen, Bright Simons, Monica Musonda, Landry Signe, and others.  2008 Tutu Fellow Elsie Kanza is also to be congratulated for the event as Senior Director and Head of Africa at WEF.

2013 Tutu Fellow Monica Musonda narrates her journey into entrepreneurship as a Zambian woman in this TEDx talk in Euston in the United Kingdom.

She tells how, working for the richest man in Africa, her former employer Dangote asked “Where are the Zambian Banks & Factories?”  Monica reflected on how Nigerians run their economy and this inspired her to actively participate in her own country’s economy.  It is a funny story about the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur, but also about the impact that steps such as these can have in building the African economy.

In this TEDx talk, Tutu Fellow Ed Mabaya talks about his childhood growing up in rural Zimbabwe and how it gave him the insight into the power of improved seed to provide a pathway out of poverty. He left the small family farm where he grew up. But when he returned, it was to the realisation that food security remains a problem for too many parts of rural Africa. Successful farmers are able to make enough money to invest in their children's educations. A key element to better farming outcomes is better seed.  Mabaya calls this improved seed the 'hunger buster 2.0'.  Climate smart varieties of non-GMO, conventionally-bred seed offer opportunities for bigger harvests.

African experts in finance and economics gathered in Dakar, Senegal in March 2017 to discuss growth, inequality and unemployment as part of the weeklong activities marking the Africa Development Week 2017.  A theme that emerged was a call for policies that cater to youth. The conference is organized by the UN Economic Commission for Africa.  Two Tutu Fellows who attended were Dr Geci Karuri-Sebina, a 2009 Tutu Fellow, and 2015 Fellow, Dr Wiebe Boer.

One of the candidates participating in the 2017 Tutu Leadership Programme, Sonkita Conteh, has been selected by the Schwab Foundation, in partnership with the World Economic Forum as a Social Entrepreneur of the Year awardee for 2016.  The Schwab Foundation drafts the list annually from a global pool of candidates.  The annual selection usually comprises about 20-25 people who join the 260 social entrepreneurs in a global network that fosters the peer-to-peer exchange of ideas.  The foundation works closely with the World Economic Forum to integrate their awardees into regional and global meetings of the WEF.

The United Nations has called attention to the wave of attacks in South Africa targeting foreigners living in the country. The attacks in South Africa have spawned calls for retaliation on South African businesses and nationals in Nigeria. The UN news site, the UN Dispatch, reports that youth groups have been the major drivers in this violence, and it goes on to quote an open letter by Ugandan youth leader and Tutu Fellow Victor Ochen. In his open letter, Ochen says that while the youth have been at the center of the attacks, they can also be part of the solution. He called on youth leaders in Africa to embrace non-violence. 

The Bertha Centre, which is run by 2013 Tutu Fellow Dr. Francois Bonnici, has been profiled as one of the top five university-based social impact centres in the world.  The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship is at the University of Cape Town and is part of the Graduate School of Business.  The nonprofit organisation the Bridgespan Group published the report which was done by the Skoll Foundation. 

2014 Tutu Fellow Isaac Fokuo has written a thought piece for African Business in which he considers the potential impact of China on Africa, not from the typical perspective of trade or infrastructure, but in terms of education. Fokuo, who is the co-founder of the Sino-Africa Centre of Excellence makes the point that higher education is one sector that could benefit from greater involvement by China.  One area in which the impact could be profound is in the area of technical and vocational training. 

A film dedicated to telling the story of the Chibok girls kidnapped from their school by Boko Haram is being premiered at the Sundance film festival this month. Waiting for Hassana tells the story of the kidnapping through the eyes of one of the girls - named Jessica - who escaped from Boko Haram. 2015 Tutu Fellow Uzodinma Iweala produced the documentary after being encouraged to do so by his mother.  Waiting for Hassana is the first Nigerian production ever selected to debut at the prestigious international film festival.

2016 Tutu Fellow Nhlanhla Dlamini has been included in the Mail & Guardian's 2016 annual edition of Young South Africans. The prestigious list, now in its 11th year, features 200 notable South Africans under the age of 35.  The list includes categories such as Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Politics & Government, and the category in which Nhlanhla was selected, Business and Law.  This year, the M&G received more than 1,000 nominations for inclusion on the list.

Nhlanhla is quoted by the publication as saying that a goal for the company he started, the Maneli Group, is to address some of the biggest challenges the world is currently grappling with, including food security and sustainable farming.  Fellows on previous editions of the list include Zukie Siyotula, Craig Wing, Catherine Constantinides, and Gareth Morgan.

You can take a look at the entire list on the Mail & Guardian.

The CNN International Edition segment that features African Start-ups has interviewed Tutu Fellow Swaady Martin, the founder of Yswara Teas.  Africa is one of the top exporters of tea in the world, but none of the top three tea companies are African.  Yswara was started in 2012 and Martin set about changing perceptions about the quality of African teas, which is better known for its low-quality teas.  Her company currently exports 27 varieties of high-quality premium tea to 16 countries.