HARAMBE ENTREPRENEUR ALLIANCE

HARAMBE ENTREPRENEUR ALLIANCE WORKS TO FOSTER A CULTURE CONDUCIVE TO YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACROSS AFRICA. HEA PROVIDES MENTORS, SCHOLARSHIPS, SERVICES, PHILANTHROPY AND ACCESS TO INVESTORS IN AN EFFORT TO LOWER THE ENTRY BARRIERS TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP FACING QUALIFIED YOUNG AFRICANS, WHO WISH TO START UP OR SCALE UP THEIR SOCIAL AND BUSINESS VENTURES. HEA CONTENDS THAT AFRICA'S SUCCESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY WILL BE DETERMINED BY ITS ABILITY TO TAP INTO THE INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURIAL POTENTIAL OF ITS MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE, ITS YOUNG AND HIGHLY ENTERPRISING GLOBAL HUMAN CAPITAL. TO THIS END HEA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AFRICA'S MOST INNOVATIVE AND EFFECTIVE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR GROUPS, SUPPORTS ENTREPRENEURIAL ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF AFRICAN PROFESSIONALS.IN LINE WITH OUR MISSION OUR ALLIANCE HAS NURTURED THIS ECOSYSTEM BY CAPTURING THE IMAGINATION OF HIGHLY EDUCATED YOUNG AFRICANS AROUND THE WORLD, INFORMING THEM OF THE COMPLEX CHALLENGES AND DIVERSE OPPORTUNITIES OF THE CONTINENT AND PROVIDING ACCESS TO A PANOPLY OF ENGAGEMENT OPTIONS ACROSS AFRICA. AS EVIDENCED BY THE GROWING NUMBER OF APPLICANTS TO JOIN OUR ALLIANCE, OUR EFFORT HAS RENDERED RISK TAKING AND DIRECT ENGAGEMENT MORE APPEALING TO YOUNG AFRICANS, WHO HAVE TRADITIONALLY PREFERRED THE PREDICTABILITY AND RELATIVE SAFETY OF CORPORATE CAREERS. CAPTURE: TO COUNTER THE NEGATIVE AND PERVASIVE PORTRAYAL OF AFRICA AS A LAND OF POVERTY, WAR, AND DEVASTATION, WHICH HAS OFTEN DETERRED THE DIRECT ENGAGEMENT OF HIGHLY EDUCATED AFRICANS LIVING ABROAD, HEA HAS SOUGHT TO RE-BRAND THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC NEEDS OF AFRICA. THE CENTERPIECE OF OUR AFRICA RE-BRANDING EFFORT HAS BEEN THE HARAMBE BRETTON WOODS SYMPOSIUM (HBWS).HBWS: HEA'S ANNUAL GATHERING, KNOWN AS THE HARAMBE BRETTON WOODS SYMPOSIUM BRINGS TOGETHER HIGHLY EDUCATED YOUNG AFRICAN SOCIAL AND BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AND DISCUSS STRATEGIES TO SCALE UP THEIR VENTURES AND INCREASE THE IMPACTOF THEIR ACTION.DIVERSITY: OVER 4000 YOUNG AFRICANS STUDYING IN UNIVERSITIES IN AFRICA, ASIA, EUROPE, NORTH AMERICA AND OCEANIA SUBMIT THEIR APPLICATIONS EACH YEAR IN A BID TO PARTICIPATE IN THE HBWS. THE COMPETITIVE NATURE OF OUR APPLICATION PROCESS HAS ENABLED US TO ASSEMBLE OVER 200 QUALIFIED AND HIGHLY MOTIVATED ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERS, A FEMALE MAJORITY GROUP WHICH REPRESENTS OVER 79 UNIVERSITIES, 34 AFRICAN COUNTRIES AND 5 CONTINENTS. HBWS SPEAKERS AND GUESTS: THANKS TO THE GUESTS AND SPEAKERS OF OUR TEN ANNUAL SYMPOSIA, HARAMBE ENTREPRENEURS HAVE GAINED ACCESS TO ADMISSION OFFICERS AT LEADING GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA AND PROMINENT FIGURES FROM INFLUENTIAL GROUPS. HARAMBE CAMPUS COLLOQUIA: OUR ANNUAL CAMPUS DISCUSSIONS IN UNIVERSITIES IN ASIA, EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA CONTINUE TO PRESENT YOUNG AFRICAN STUDENTS WITH VIABLE ALTERNATIVES TO CORPORATE CAREERS OUTSIDE OF AFRICA.