Africa’s rising is complicated by the reality of persistent poverty and income inequality. While 6 of the 10 fastest growing economies are in Africa, it’s alarming that we are home to 7 of the 10 most unequal countries in the world. We have economic growth, but not economic freedom. For me, economic freedom for us in Africa …an Africa where most of the economy is owned and controlled by Africans, an economy that provides jobs for its youth, an economy that matches strong economic growth with broad-based shared economic prosperity, an economy that offers opportunities to everyone to succeed, regardless of your age, your tribe or ethnicity, which political party you’re affiliated with, or your gender. Our economic freedom may very well lie in another resource, one that we’ve neglected for too long. Our women. Our female entrepreneurs. Research estimates that advancing women’s equality could potentially add $12 trillion to the global economy! $12 trillion!

Born in Ghana, Sangu’s childhood home was a refuge for victims of torture and violence from Liberia and Sierra Leone. Sangu graduated from Harvard with highest honors in African Studies and Economics. Convinced that community needs can best be met through entrepreneurship, in 2008 he founded an investment holding company, Golden Palm Investments (GPI) to fund promising startups that can have social impact and generate jobs. GPI has backed startups throughout the continent such as Solo Mobile, mPharma,and Stawi Foods. GPI has built a portfolio of greenfield companies in healthcare, real estate, and financial services. Sangu has received several international accolades including being named Africa’s “Young Person of the Year” 2014, a 2014 TEDGlobal Fellow, one of Forbes’ top 30 most promising entrepreneurs in Africa in 2015 and Euromoney’s “Africa’s Rising Stars” award for “outstanding individuals who are changing the financial, investment and business landscape in Africa.”

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx