Patrick Awuah: Educating a new generation of African leaders

Traducător: Stan Bogdan Corector: Laszlo Kereszturi

Like many of you here, I am trying to contribute

Ca multi dintre dumneavoastra, incerc sa contribui si eu

towards a renaissance in Africa.

la o renastere a Africii.

The question of transformation in Africa

Problema transformarii in Africa

really is a question of leadership.

este in realitate o problema de conducere.

Africa can only be transformed by enlightened leaders.

Africa poate fi transformata doar cu ajutorul unor lideri luminati.

And it is my contention that the manner in which

Si imi permit sa afirm ca maniera in care

we educate our leaders is fundamental

ne educam liderii este fundamentala

to progress on this continent.

pentru progresul de pe acest continent.

I want to tell you some stories that explain my view.

As vrea sa va spun niste povesti care va vor lamuri viziunea mea.

We all heard about the importance of stories yesterday.

Am auzit ieri cu totii despre importanta povestilor.

An American friend of mine this year volunteered as a nurse in Ghana,

O prietena americana a voluntariat anul acesta ca asistenta medicala in Ghana.

and in a period of three months she came to a conclusion

Iar ea in trei luni de zile a ajuns la o concluzie

about the state of leadership in Africa

despre starea conducerii in Africa,

that had taken me over a decade to reach.

concluzie la care eu am ajuns in peste zece ani.

Twice she was involved in surgeries

A fost implicata de doua ori in operatii

where they lost power at the hospital.

in care s-a luat curentul in spital.

The emergency generators did not start.

Generatoarele de urgenta nu au pornit --

There was not a flashlight, not a lantern, not a candle --

si nu era acolo nici o lanterna, nici o lumanare.

pitch black.

Inturneric bezna.

The patient's cut open, twice.

Pacientul era deschis -- de doua ori.

The first time it was a C-section.

Prima data a fost o cezariana.

Thankfully, baby was out -- mother and child survived.

Din fericire bebelusul a iesit -- mama si copilul au supravietuit.

The second time was a procedure that involved local anesthesia.

A doua oara a fost o interventie care necesita anestezie locala.

Anesthetic wears off. The patient feels pain.

Efectul anestezicului s-a dus. Pacientul incepe sa simta durere.

He's crying. He's screaming. He's praying.

Plange. Tipa. Se roaga.

Pitch black. Not a candle, not a flashlight.

Intuneric bezna. Nici o lumanare, nici o lanterna.

And that hospital could have afforded flashlights.

Si spitalul acela si-ar fi permis lanterne.

They could have afforded to purchase these things, but they didn't.

Si-ar fi permis sa cumpere lucrurile acestea, dar nu au facut-o.

And it happened twice.

Si acest lucru s-a intamplat de doua ori.

Another time, she watched in horror as nurses watched a patient die

Alta data a privit ingrozita cum asistentele au stat si s-au uitat la un pacient care murea,

because they refused to give her oxygen that they had.

pentru ca ele refuzasera sa ii dea din oxigenul pe care il aveau.

And so three months later,

Astfel, peste trei luni,

just before she returned to the United States,

chiar inainte ca ea sa se intoarca in SUA,

nurses in Accra go on strike.

asistentele din Accra intra in greva.

And her recommendation is

Ea a recomandat

take this opportunity to fire everyone, start all over again.

sa se folosesca ocazia aceasta pentru a concedia tot personalul. Pentru a lua totul de la inceput.

Start all over again.

Pentru a incepe de la zero.

Now what does this have to do with leadership?

Ce treaba are asta cu conducerea?

You see, the folks at the ministry of health,

Vedeti, vina apartine ministerului sanatatii,

the hospital administrators, the doctors, the nurses --

administratorilor spitalelor, doctorilor, asistentelor --

they are among just five percent of their peers

acestia reprezinta aproximativ 5% dintre colegii lor

who get an education after secondary school.

care primesc educatie si dupa ciclul secundar de invatamant.

They are the elite. They are our leaders.

Ei sunt elita. Ei sunt liderii nostri.

Their decisions, their actions matter.

Deciziile lor, actiunilor lor conteaza.

And when they fail, a nation literally suffers.

Si cand ei gresesc, literalmente, o natiune sufera.

So when I speak of leadership,

Deci, cand vorbesc despre conducere

I'm not talking about just political leaders.

nu vorbesc doar de lideri politici.

We've heard a lot about that.

Am auzit destule despre ei.

I'm talking about the elite.

Vorbesc despre elita.

Those who've been trained,

Despre aceia care au fost pregatiti.

whose job it is to be the guardians of their society.

Aceia a caror meserie este sa fie protectorii societatii lor.

The lawyers, the judges, the policemen, the doctors,

Avocatii, judecatorii, politistii, doctorii,

the engineers, the civil servants --

inginerii, functionarii publici --

those are the leaders.

acestia sunt liderii.

And we need to train them right.

Iar noi trebuie sa ii pregatim corespunzator.

Now, my first pointed and memorable experience with leadership in Ghana

Experienta mea initiala si totodata memorabila legata de conducerea din Ghana

occurred when I was 16 years old.

s-a intamplat cand aveam 16 ani.

We had just had a military coup,

Tocmai ce avusese loc lovitura de stat

and soldiers were pervasive in our society.

iar soldatii erau omiprezenti in societatea noastra.

They were a pervasive presence.

Erau omniprezenti.

And one day I go to the airport to meet my father,

Intr-o zi ma duceam la aeroport sa ma intalnesc cu tatal meu,

and as I walk up this grassy slope from the car park

iar in timp ce mergeam pe o panta inverzita care se intindea de la parcare

to the terminal building,

pana la cladirea terminalului,

I'm stopped by two soldiers wielding AK-47 assault weapons.

am fost oprit de doi soldati cu automate AK-47.

And they asked me to join a crowd of people

Acestia mi-au cerut sa ma alatur unei multimi de oameni

that were running up and down this embankment.

care alergau in sus si in jos pe un terasament.

Why? Because the path I had taken was considered out of bounds.

De ce? Pentru ca drumul pe care am mers era considerat interzis accesului.

No sign to this effect.

Nu scria nicaieri asta.

Now, I was 16. I was very worried about

Aveam 16 ani. Eram foarte ingrijorat

what my peers at school might think

cu privire la ce vor crede colegii mei de la scoala,

if they saw me running up and down this hill.

daca ma vor vedea alergand in sus si in jos pe acel deal.

I was especially concerned of what the girls might think.

Eram in special preocupat de ce vor crede fetele.

And so I started to argue with these men.

Si am inceput sa ma cert cu acesti oameni.

It was a little reckless, but you know, I was 16.

Am fost un pic nesabuit, dar, stiti cum e, aveam 16 ani.

I got lucky.

Am fost norocos.

A Ghana Airways pilot falls into the same predicament.

Un pilot al Ghana Airways cade in aceeasi situatie penibila.

Because of his uniform they speak to him differently,

Datorita uniformei, ii vorbesc diferit acestuia,

and they explain to him that they're just following orders.

si ii explica faptul ca ei doar respecta ordinele.

So he takes their radio, talks to their boss,

Asa ca acesta le ia statia, vorbeste cu seful lor

and gets us all released.

si ne elibereaza pe toti.

What lessons would you take from an experience like this?

Ce concluzii ati trage dintr-o experienta precum aceasta?

Several, for me.

Eu personal am tras mai multe.

Leadership matters. Those men are following

Conducerea conteaza. Acei oameni respectau

the orders of a superior officer.

ordinele unui ofiter superior.

I learned something about courage.

Am invatat ceva despre curaj.

It was important not to look at those guns.

Era important sa nu te uiti la acele arme.

And I also learned that it can be helpful to think about girls.

Am invatat de asemenea ca poate fi folositor sa te gandesti la fete.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

So a few years after this event, I leave Ghana on a scholarship

La cativa ani de la acest eveniment am parasit Ghana cu o bursa

to go to Swarthmore College for my education.

si mi-am continuat educatia la Swarthmore College.

It was a breath of fresh air.

A fost ca o gura de aer proaspat.

You know, the faculty there didn't want us to memorize information

Stiti, facultatea acolo nu iti cere sa memorezi informatii

and repeat back to them as I was used to back in Ghana.

si sa le reproduci pentru ei, asa cum am fost invatat in Ghana.

They wanted us to think critically.

Ei vroiau sa gandim critic.

They wanted us to be analytical.

Vroiau sa fim analitici.

They wanted us to be concerned about social issues.

Vroiau sa fim preocupati de problemele sociale.

In my economics classes I got high marks

La cursurile de economie primeam note mari

for my understanding of basic economics.

pentru ca intelegeam bazele economiei.

But I learned something more profound than that,

Dar am invatat ceva mai profund decat atat,

which is that the leaders -- the managers of Ghana's economy --

respectiv ca liderii -- managerii economiei din Ghana --

were making breathtakingly bad decisions

luau decizii incredibil de proaste

that had brought our economy to the brink of collapse.

care au adus economia noastra in pragul colapsului.

And so here was this lesson again -- leadership matters.

Si iar am ajuns la aceiasi invatatura -- conducerea conteaza.

It matters a great deal.

Conteaza foarte mult.

But I didn't really fully understand what had happened to me at Swarthmore.

Dar nu am inteles in totalitate ce s-a intamplat cu mine la Swarthmore.

I had an inkling,

Aveam o banuiala.

but I didn't fully realize it until I went out into the workplace

Dar nu am realizat complet pana nu am inceput sa muncesc,

and I went to work at Microsoft Corporation.

si am inceput sa muncesc la Microsoft Corporation.

And I was part of this team -- this thinking, learning team

Am facut parte din aceasta echipa -- din aceasta echipa care gandea si invata --

whose job it was to design and implement new software

a carei sarcina era sa conceapa si sa implementeze noi software-uri

that created value in the world.

care au creat lucruri de valoare in lume.

And it was brilliant to be part of this team.

Si a fost extraordinar sa fac parte din aceasta echipa.

It was brilliant.

Extraordinar.

And I realized just what had happened to me at Swarthmore,

Si atunci am realizat ce se intamplase cu mine la Swarthmore,

this transformation --

transformarea --

the ability to confront problems, complex problems,

capacitatea de a confrunta probleme, probleme complexe,

and to design solutions to those problems.

si de a dezvolta solutii la acele probleme.

The ability to create is the most empowering thing

Capacitatea de a crea este cel mai motivant lucru

that can happen to an individual.

care i se poate intampla unui individ.

And I was part of that.

Si eu am fost parte din asta.

Now, while I was at Microsoft, the annual revenues of that company

In timpul in care am fost la Microsoft, veniturile anuale ale companiei

grew larger than the GDP of the Republic of Ghana.

au depasit produsul intern brut al Republicii Ghana.

And by the way, it's continued to.

Si, apropo, cu trecerea timpului au continuat sa creasca.

The gap has widened since I left.

Diferenta s-a marit de cand am plecat.

Now, I've already spoken about one of the reasons why this has occurred.

Deja am vorbit despre unul dintre motivele pentru care acest lucru s-a intimplat.

I mean, it's the people there who are so hardworking,

Ma refer la faptul ca oamenii de acolo sunt atat de muncitori,

persistent, creative, empowered.

de perseverenti, de creativi si atat de motivati.

But there were also some external factors:

Dar sunt si niste factori externi:

free markets, the rule of law, infrastructure.

pietele libere, puterea legii, infrastructura.

These things were provided by institutions

Aceste lucruri sunt oferite de institutii

run by the people that I call leaders.

conduse de oameni pe care eu ii numesc lideri.

And those leaders did not emerge spontaneously.

Si acei lideri nu au aparut in mod spontan.

Somebody trained them to do the work that they do.

Cineva i-a pregatit pentru a desfasura activitatile respective.

Now, while I was at Microsoft, this funny thing happened.

Cat timp eram la Microsoft, s-a intamplat un lucru amuzant,

I became a parent.

Am devenit parinte.

And for the first time, Africa mattered more to me than ever before.

Si pentru prima data, Africa insemna pentru mine mai mult decat oricand inainte.

Because I realized that the state of the African continent

Pentru ca am realizat ca starea continentului african

would matter to my children and their children.

va conta pentru copii mei si pentru copii lor.

That the state of the world -- the state of the world

Ca starea lumii -- starea lumii

depends on what's happening to Africa,

depinde de ce se intampla cu Africa,

as far as my kids would be concerned.

din punctul de vedere al copiilor mei.

And at this time, when I was going through

Si in acest timp in care treceam prin

what I call my "pre-mid-life crisis,"

ceea ce am numit "criza mea de dinaintea varstei a doua",

Africa was a mess.

Africa era in dezordine.

Somalia had disintegrated into anarchy.

Somalia se dezintegrase in anarhie.

Rwanda was in the throes of this genocidal war.

Rwanda era in agonia cauzata de razboiul genocid.

And it seemed to me that that was the wrong direction,

Si mi se parea ca acea directie era una gresita

and I needed to be back helping.

si ca eu trebuie sa ma intorc sa acord o mana de ajutor.

I couldn't just stay in Seattle and raise my kids

Nu puteam sa stau pur si simplu in Seattle si sa imi cresc copii

in an upper-middle class neighborhood and feel good about it.

intr-un cartier din patura medie-superioara si sa fiu mandru de asta.

This was not the world that I'd want my children to grow up in.

Nu era lumea in care vroiam sa creasca copii mei.

So I decided to get engaged, and the first thing that I did

Asa ca am decis sa ma implic si primul lucru pe care l-am facut

was to come back to Ghana and talk with a lot of people

a fost sa ma intorc in Ghana si sa vorbesc cu o multime de oameni

and really try to understand what the real issues were.

si sa incerc cu adevarat sa inteleg care erau adevaratele probleme.

And three things kept coming up for every problem:

Si trei lucruri se regaseau in fiecare probelema:

corruption, weak institutions

coruptia, institutiile slabe

and the people who run them -- the leaders.

si oamenii care le conduc -- liderii.

Now, I was a little scared

La drept vorbind, eram un pic speriat,

because when you see those three problems,

pentru ca atunci cand intalnesti aceste trei probleme

they seem really hard to deal with.

ele par destul de greu de confruntat.

And they might say, "Look, don't even try."

Si unii ar spune sa stai linistit, nici sa nu incerci.

But, for me, I asked the question,

Dar eu am ridicat intrebarea,

"Well, where are these leaders coming from?

"De unde vin acesti lideri?"

What is it about Ghana that produces leaders

Care este acel lucru la Ghana care produce lideri

that are unethical or unable to solve problems?"

care sunt lipsiti de etica sau de capacitatea de a rezolva problemele?"

So I went to look at what was happening in our educational system.

Asa ca mi-am indreptat atentia catre ce se intampla in sistemul nostru educational.

And it was the same -- learning by rote --

Si era la fel -- invatatul pe de rost --

from primary school through graduate school.

de la scoala primara pana in facultate.

Very little emphasis on ethics,

Foarte putin accent pus pe etica.

and the typical graduate

Si absolventul mediu, tipic

from a university in Ghana has a stronger sense

al unei univeritati din Ghana are mai dezvoltat

of entitlement than a sense of responsibility.

un simt al meritului decat simtul responsabilitatii.

This is wrong.

Asta nu este bine.

So I decided to engage this particular problem.

Asa ca am decis sa abordez strict aceasta problema.

Because it seems to me that every society, every society,

Pentru ca mi se pare ca orice societate, orice societate

must be very intentional about how it trains its leaders.

trebuie sa fie foarte preocupata de cum isi dezvolta liderii.

And Ghana was not paying enough attention.

Si Ghana nu era foarte preocupata.

And this is true across sub-Saharan Africa, actually.

Acest lucru este de fapt adevarat pentru toate tarile africane sub-sahariene.

So this is what I'm doing now.

Asa ca asta fac acum.

I'm trying to bring the experience that I had at Swarthmore to Africa.

Incerc sa aduc experienta pe care am avut-o la Swarthmore in Africa.

I wish there was a liberal arts college in every African country.

Imi doresc sa fie un colegiu de stiinte umaniste in orice tara africana.

I think it would make a huge difference.

Cred ca ar fi foarte important.

And what Ashesi University is trying to do

Si ceea ce Universitatea Ashesi incearca sa faca

is to train a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders.

este sa dezvolte o generatie de lideri etici, intreprinzatori.

We're trying to train leaders of exceptional integrity,

Incercam sa cream lideri de o integritate exceptionala,

who have the ability to confront the complex problems,

care sa aiba abilitatea de a se confrunta cu probleme complexe,

ask the right questions, and come up with workable solutions.

de a pune intrebarile corecte si de a veni cu solutii viabile.

I'll admit that there are times when it seems like "Mission: Impossible,"

O sa admit ca sunt momente care seamana cu "Misiune Imposibila".

but we must believe that these kids are smart.

Dar trebuie sa credem ca acesti copii sunt destepti.

That if we involve them in their education,

Ca daca ii implicam in propria lor educatie,

if we have them discuss the real issues that they confront --

daca le punem in discutie adevaratele probleme cu care se confrunta --

that our whole society confronts --

cu care intreaga noastra societate se confrunta --

and if we give them skills that enable them to engage the real world,

si daca le oferim cunostintele care sa le permita sa abordeze lumea reala,

that magic will happen.

acea magie se va produce.

Now, a month into this project, we'd just started classes.

Intr-o luna de cand incepusem proiectul, abia incepusem cursurile.

And a month into it, I come to the office,

Deci, dupa o luna, am ajuns la birou,

and I have this email from one of our students.

si aveam un email de la unul din studenti.

And it said, very simply, "I am thinking now."

Spunea, foarte simplu, "Acum gandesc".

And he signs off, "Thank you."

Si incheie prin a spune "Va multumesc."

It's such a simple statement.

Este un enunt foarte simplu.

But I was moved almost to tears

Dar am fost miscat pana la lacrimi

because I understood what was happening to this young man.

pentru ca am inteles ce se intampla cu acest tanar.

And it is an awesome thing to be a part

Si este cel mai minunat lucru sa fii parte

of empowering someone in this way.

din motivarea cuiva in acest fel.

I am thinking now.

Acum gandesc.

This year we challenged our students

In acest an i-am provocat pe studentii nostri

to craft an honor code themselves.

sa conceapa singuri un cod al onoarei.

There's a very vibrant debate going on on campus now

Este o dezbatere foarte vibranta care are loc acum in campus,

over whether they should have an honor code,

daca ar trebui sa aiba un cod al onoarei,

and if so, what it should look like.

si daca da, cum ar trebui sa sune acesta.

One of the students asked a question that just warmed my heart.

Unul dintre studenti a pus o intrebare care mi-a mers la inima.

Can we create a perfect society?

Putem crea o societate perfecta?

Her understanding that a student-crafted honor code

Faptul ca a inteles ca un cod al onoarei facut de studenti

constitutes a reach towards perfection is incredible.

constituie un pas catre perfectiune este incredibil.

Now, we cannot achieve perfection,

Adevarul este ca nu putem atinge perfectiunea.

but if we reach for it, then we can achieve excellence.

Dar daca facem pasi catre ea putem atinge excelenta.

I don't know ultimately what they will do.

Nu stiu ce vor face in final.

I don't know whether they will decide to have this honor code.

Nu stiu daca se vor decide sa aiba acest cod al onoarei.

But the conversation they're having now --

Dar discutiile pe care le poarta acum --

about what their good society should look like,

despre cum ar trebui sa arate buna lor societatea,

what their excellent society should look like,

despre cum ar trebui sa arate societatea lor excelenta --

is a really good thing.

este un lucru cu adevarat bun.

Am I out of time? OK.

Am ramas fara timp? OK.

Now, I just wanted to leave that slide up

Acum vreau sa las ecranul acela acolo

because it's important that we think about it.

pentru ca este important sa ne gandim la acel lucru.

I'm very excited about the fact

Sunt foarte incantat de faptul

that every student at Ashesi University does community service before they graduate.

ca orice student al Universitatii Ashesi face munca in folosul comunitatii inainte de absolvire.

That for many of them, it has been a life-altering experience.

Ca pentru multi dintre ei a fost o experienta care le-a schimbat viata.

These young future leaders are beginning to understand

Acesti tineri, viitori lideri incep sa inteleaga

the real business of leadership,

adevarata menire a conducerii.

the real privilege of leadership,

Adevaratul privilegiu al conducerii,

which is after all to serve humanity.

care este, pana la urma, sa serveasca omenirea.

I am even more thrilled by the fact that least year

Sunt si mai incantat de faptul ca anul trecut

our student body elected a woman

corpul nostru de studenti a ales o femeie

to be the head of Student Government.

pentru functia de presedinte al Guvernului Studentilor.

It's the first time in the history of Ghana

Este prima oara in istoria Ghanei

that a woman has been elected head of Student Government

cand o femeie a fost aleasa presedinte a Guvernului Studentilor

at any university.

la o universitate.

It says a lot about her.

Asta spune multe despre ea.

It says a lot about the culture that's forming on campus.

Spune multe despre cultura care se dezvolta in campus.

It says a lot about her peers who elected her.

Spune multe despre colegii care au ales-o.

She won with 75 percent of the vote.

A castigat prin 75% din voturi.

And it gives me a lot of hope.

Si asta imi da multe sperante.

It turns out that corporate West Africa

Se pare ca si corporatiile din vestul Africii

also appreciates what's happening with our students.

apreciaza de asemenea ce se intampla cu studentii nostri.

We've graduated two classes of students to date.

Pana azi avem doua generatii care au absolvit.

And every single one of them has been placed.

Si fiecare dintre ei a fost repartizat undeva.

And we're getting great reports back

Si primim inapoi vesti foarte bune

from corporate Ghana, corporate West Africa,

de la corporatiile din Ghana, din Vestul Africii.

and the things that they're most impressed about is work ethic.

Si lucrul care ii impresioneaza cel mai mult este etica muncii.

You know, that passion for what they're doing.

Stiti, pasiunea pentru ceea ce fac.

The persistence, their ability to deal with ambiguity,

Perseverenta, abilitatea de a face fata ambiguitatii,

their ability to tackle problems that they haven't seen before.

abilitatea de a infrunta probleme pe care nu le-au mai intalnit pana atunci.

This is good because

Acesta este un lucru bun, stiti,

over the past five years, there have been times

in ultimii cinci ani au fost momente

when I've felt this is "Mission: Impossible."

cand asta parea a fi "Misiune Imposibila".

And it's just wonderful to see these glimmers

Si este minunat sa intrezarim, intr-un fel, aceste licariri

of the promise of what can happen if we train our kids right.

ale sperantei de ce se poate intimpla daca ne educam copiii asa cum trebuie.

I think that the current and future leaders of Africa

Cred ca liderii actuali si viitori ai Africii

have an incredible opportunity

au o sansa incredibila

to drive a major renaissance on the continent.

de a conduce o renastere pe continent.

It's an incredible opportunity.

Este o sansa incredibila.

There aren't very many more opportunities like this in the world.

Nu exista multe oportunitati precum aceasta in lume.

I believe that Africa has reached an inflection point

Cred ca Africa a atins un punct de inflexiune

with a march of democracy and free markets across the continent.

cu marsuri ale democratiei si piete libere de-a lungul continentului.

We have reached a moment from which can emerge

Am ajuns la un moment din care poate rasari

a great society within one generation.

o societate extraordinara in decurs de doar o generatie.

It will depend on inspired leadership.

Asta va depinde de o conducere inspirata.

And it is my contention that the manner in which we train our leaders

Si eu afirm ca maniera in care ne educam liderii

will make all the difference.

va schimba cu totul situatia.

Thank you, and God bless.

Va multumesc si Dumnezeu sa va binecuvanteze.

(Applause)

(Aplauze)