Enterprising young Africans bare it all on Glo-sponsored CNN African Voices

BY LAWRENCE AKPAN

Two young Africans who are agents of change on the continent will, this weekend, bare their success stories on the 30-minute magazine programme, African Voices on CNN. The programme is sponsored by the grandmasters of data, Globacom.

Nigeria’s Ugo Udezue, Chief Executive Officer of Africa Basketball League (ABL), and Fred Swaniker, founder, African Leadership Academy, will take centre stage on the edition of the programme with the theme Change Makers, the sponsors said in a statement released from its headquarters in Lagos on Friday.

Udezue, 37, an indigene of Enugu State, Nigeria, was a basketball professional who played for Wyoming, USA. Udezue takes basketball beyond sports and has a mission to create a sports empire from nothing. He will bare his mind on his plan “to provide a safe and socially conducive entertaining environment with basketball as the epicenter” and his hopes that the ABL which he co-founded will ”unite Africans through sports.”

Fred Swaniker, a Ghanaian entrepreneur and leadership development guru, has established five organizations with the aim of raising leaders in Africa. He will discuss his pet project, the African Leadership Academy, whose objective is to develop 6,000 transformative leaders for Africa over a 50-year period.

CNN explained that “these individuals are shaking up the status quo and simultaneously empowering their fellow countrymen”. Both change agents share common dreams for a better world and future.

The programme airs on CNN International at 10.30 a.m. on Friday, with a repeat broadcast on Saturday at 2.30 p.m., and 12.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. on Sunday. Viewers can also watch the show on Monday at 11:30 p.m. and on Tuesday at 5.30 a.m.