Patrick Awuah: Educating a new generation of African leaders

Translator: Abdikani Hassan Reviewer: Mohamed Aanoy

Like many of you here, I am trying to contribute

Sida in badan oo idinka mida oo halkan joogta, laftigaygu waxan gacan ka geysanayaa

towards a renaissance in Africa.

baraarugga Afrika.

The question of transformation in Africa

Su'aasha isbedelka ee Afrika

really is a question of leadership.

xaqiiqdii waa su'aasha hoogaanka.

Africa can only be transformed by enlightened leaders.

Afrika keliya waxa bedeli kara hogaamiyayaal baraarugsan.

And it is my contention that the manner in which

Waana sidaan aamisan ahay: qaabka isaga ah

we educate our leaders is fundamental

ee aynu wax u baro hoogamiyaasheena ayaa sal u ah

to progress on this continent.

horumar qaaradani gaadho.

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

Waxan rabaa inaan idiin sheego sheekooyin sharaxaya aragtidayda.

We all heard about the importance of stories yesterday.

Dhamaanteen waynu maqaly muhiida sheekooyinka waayahii shalay.

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

Saaxiibkay Maraykan ah ayaa sanadkan kalkaalinimo kaga taburacay Ghana,

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

waxayna mudo sadex bilood ah kusoo koobtay

about the state of leadership in Africa

xaalada ku saabsan hogaanka Afrika

that had taken me over a decade to reach.

ee igu qaaday aniga mudo toban sano ah inaan gaadho.

Twice she was involved in surgeries

Waxay laba joor ka qayb gashay qaliimo

where they lost power at the hospital.

markaasoo ay waayeen korantadii cubitaalka.

The emergency generators did not start.

Istaadhayashii xaalada degdega ahi ma shaqayn.

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

Goobta toosh ma yaal, faynuus ma yaal, shamacna ma yaal

pitch black.

gudcur madow!.

The patient's cut open, twice.

Bukaanka waa qalanyahay, laba jeer.

The first time it was a C-section.

Marka hore waxa lagu sameeyay C-section.

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

Nasiibwanaag, cunigii dibedu usoo baxay--hooyadii iyo cunigii way badbaadeen.

The second time was a procedure that involved local anesthesia.

Marka ka labaadi waxay ahayd mar ku lug lahayd suuxin dhaqameed.

Anesthetic wears off. The patient feels pain.

Suuxintii way duushay. Bukaankii xanuunkii buu dareemayaa.

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

Wuu ooyayaa. Wuu qaylinayaa- Wuu ducaysanayaa.

Pitch black. Not a candle, not a flashlight.

Madow gudcur. Shamac ma leh, faynuus ma leh.

And that hospital could have afforded flashlights.

Custibaalku wuu soo gadan karayay faynuusyo.

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

Way awoodeen inay soo gataan waxyaabahakan, laakiin may yeelin.

And it happened twice.

Laba joorna way dhacday.

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

Mar kale, waxay aragtay argagaxa iyadoo kalkaaliyaal iska daawanayaan qof dhimanaya

because they refused to give her oxygen that they had.

sababtoo ah waxay u diideen oksijiintii ay hayeen.

And so three months later,

Sadex bilood ka dib,

just before she returned to the United States,

wax yar ka hor intaanay kusoo noqon Maraykanka,

nurses in Accra go on strike.

kalkaaliyaashii Akra shaqo joojin bay sameeyeen.

And her recommendation is

Taladeeduna waxay ahayd

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

fursad ka faa'iidaysta qof kasta erya, meel cusub ka bilaaba.

Start all over again.

Meel cusub ka bilaaba.

Now what does this have to do with leadership?

Hadaba tani maxay tani kula xidhiidhaa hogaaminta?

You see, the folks at the ministry of health,

Waxad arkaysaa, raxamada wasaarada caafimaadka jooga,

the hospital administrators, the doctors, the nurses --

maamulayaasha cusbitaalada, dhakhaatiirta, kalkaaliyayasha--

they are among just five percent of their peers

waxay ka tirsanyihiin uun boqolkiiba shanta facooda ah

who get an education after secondary school.

ee hesha waxbarashado dugsiga sare.

They are the elite. They are our leaders.

Kuwaasi waa indheergaradkayaga. Waa hogaankayaga.

Their decisions, their actions matter.

Go'aanada, fikilkoodu waa muhiim.

And when they fail, a nation literally suffers.

Marka ay ku fashilmaana, umaduna way la silicdaa.

So when I speak of leadership,

Hadaba markaan ka hadlayo hogaaminta,

I'm not talking about just political leaders.

keliya uun ka hadli maayo hogaamiyayaasha siyaasada.

We've heard a lot about that.

Taa waa ka dheregsanahay

I'm talking about the elite.

Waxan ka hadlayaa indheergaradka.

Those who've been trained,

Kuwa loo carbiyay

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

ee shaqadoodu tahay u adeegista bulshadooda.

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

Garyaqaanada, xeerbeegtida, booliiska, dhakhaatiirta,

the engineers, the civil servants --

Injineerada, shaqaalaha dawlada--

those are the leaders.

kuwaasaa ah hogaamiyayasha bulshada.

And we need to train them right.

Waxaynuna u baahanay inaynu carbino si wanaagsan.

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

Aniga khibradaydii ugu horeysay uguna xusuusta badnayd ee hogaanka Ghana

occurred when I was 16 years old.

waxay igu dhacday anoo 16 jir ah.

We had just had a military coup,

Afgambi Milatari baa na qabsaday,

and soldiers were pervasive in our society.

askartuna bulshada way ku dhex baahsanaayeen.

They were a pervasive presence.

Meel kasta way joogeen.

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

Maalinbaan garoonka diyaradaha aaday si aan aabay ula kulmo.

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

Anigoo fuulaya wadada taagan ee meesha baaburta la dhigto

to the terminal building,

kaa qaada ee dhismaha garoonka ku gaysa,

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

ayaa waxa i joojiyay laba askari oo AK-47 sita.

And they asked me to join a crowd of people

Waxayna igu amreen inaan dad doora ku biiro

that were running up and down this embankment.

kuwaasoo kor iyo hoos u ordaya meel taagan oo biya-celiye ah.

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

Sabab? waayo wadada aan qaaday ayaa ahayd mid lama-galaan ah.

No sign to this effect.

Wax muujinayay ma jirin taa.

Now, I was 16. I was very worried about

Hada, Markaa waxan ahaa 16 jir. Waxan aad uga cabsi qabay

what my peers at school might think

waxa facaygii dugsigu ay oran doonaan

if they saw me running up and down this hill.

haday arkaan anigoo kor iyo hoos u ordaya taagan.

I was especially concerned of what the girls might think.

Waxan si gaara uga cabsi qabay waxa habluhu is oran doonaan.

And so I started to argue with these men.

Markaa waxan bilaabay inaan la murmo nimankii.

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

Doqoniimo yara ahayd, laakiin wad garan kartaa 16 jir uun baan ahaa.

I got lucky.

Waan nasiib badnaa.

A Ghana Airways pilot falls into the same predicament.

Waxa dabankii kusoo dhacay duuliye Gaaniis ah.

Because of his uniform they speak to him differently,

Dirayskuu sitay awgii isaga si kalley ula hadleen,

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

waxayna u sheegeen in amar la siiyay ay raacayaan.

So he takes their radio, talks to their boss,

Markaa raadiyoogduu buu ka qaaday, taliyohooduu buu la hadlay,

and gets us all released.

dhamaantayo wuu na sii daayay.

What lessons would you take from an experience like this?

Cashar noocma ah baad ka qaadan lahayd khibrad noocan oo kale ah?

Several, for me.

Dhowr mid aniga xagayga.

Leadership matters. Those men are following

Hoogaamin baa meesha ku jirta. Nimankani waxay raacayeen

the orders of a superior officer.

amaradii taliyohoodu siiyay.

I learned something about courage.

Waxaan wax ka bartay dhiiranaanta.

It was important not to look at those guns.

Muhiim baya ahayd inaan qoryahaasi ii muuqan.

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

Sidoo kalena waxan bartay inay ku caawin karto hablohoo laga fakaraa.

(Laughter)

(Qosol)

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

Hadaba wax yar kadib dhacdadaa, Gaana waan kasoo tagay deeq waxbarasho ahaa

to go to Swarthmore College for my education.

si aan u galo Swarthmore College.

It was a breath of fresh air.

Jawi neef qaadasho leh bay ahayd.

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

Waad garanay, kuliyadaha xagani nagama rabaan inaan wax xifdino

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

kadibna aan kusoo celino sidii aan kula qabsanay Gaana oo kalle.

They wanted us to think critically.

Waxay naga rabeen inaan si xeeldheer u fekero.

They wanted us to be analytical.

Waxay naga rabeen inaan wax lafa-gura noqono.

They wanted us to be concerned about social issues.

Waxay rabeen inaan u kuurgalo arimaha bulshada.

In my economics classes I got high marks

Fasalkaygii dhaqaalaha dhibca saraan keenay.

for my understanding of basic economics.

Fahankayga aan fahmay dhaqaalaha aasaasiga ah awgeed.

But I learned something more profound than that,

Laakiin wax intaa kasii qotodher baan bartay,

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

kasoo ah in hogaamiyayaashu--maamulayaasha dhaqaalaha Gaana-

were making breathtakingly bad decisions

ay gaadhayeen go'aano khalad ah oo layaab leh.

that had brought our economy to the brink of collapse.

Kuwasoo ku dhoweeyay dhaqaalaha inuu burburo.

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

Halkana waxa markale yimi casharkii--hoogamintu waa muhiim.

It matters a great deal.

Muhiimad weyn bay leedahay.

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

Si buuxda uma fahmin wixii igu qabsaday Swarthmore.

I had an inkling,

bidhaan ban hayay,

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

laakiin si buuxda uma garawsan ilaa aan saaxada shaqada aaday,

and I went to work at Microsoft Corporation.

oo aan qabtay shaqo shirkada Microsoft.

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

Waxana kamid ahaa koox-- kooxdan fekeraysa, baranaysa

whose job it was to design and implement new software

oo shaqaqoodu tahay abuurista iyo naqshadaynta software cusub

that created value in the world.

kaasoo qiime ka jooga aduunka.

And it was brilliant to be part of this team.

Waxa ayna ahayd cajiib inaan kooxdaa kamid noqdo.

It was brilliant.

Cajiib bay ahayd.

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

Markaasaan garawsaday wixii igu dhacay markaan joogay Swarthmore,

this transformation --

isbedelkan--

the ability to confront problems, complex problems,

awooda wajihida masalooyin, masalooyin qalafsan,

and to design solutions to those problems.

iya u abuurista xalal masoolooyinkaas.

The ability to create is the most empowering thing

Awooda abuuris waa waxa ugu adag

that can happen to an individual.

ee qof wajihi karo.

And I was part of that.

Taasaana kamid ahaa.

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

Hadaba, intaan u shaqaynayay Microsoft, dakhliga sanadlaha ah ee shirkadu

grew larger than the GDP of the Republic of Ghana.

wuxu ka koriimo batay dakhliga jamhuuriyada Gaana.

And by the way, it's continued to.

Qaab kaaasayna kusii socotay.

The gap has widened since I left.

Farqiguna wuu sii waynaaday intaan ka tagay.

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

Hadda, waxan hore uga hadlay sababaha keenaya inay tani dhacdo.

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

Waxan uga jeedaa, dadka sida xoogaleh u shaqaynaya,

persistent, creative, empowered.

hal-adayga leh, halabuurka leh, awooda la siiyay.

But there were also some external factors:

Laakiin waxan jira qodoba kalo dibada ah:

free markets, the rule of law, infrastructure.

suuqa xorta ah, kala-danbaynta,kaabayaasha dhaqaalaha.

These things were provided by institutions

Waxa kan waxa bixiya heyadaha

run by the people that I call leaders.

ay maamulaan dadka aan ugu yeedhay hogaamiyayaasha.

And those leaders did not emerge spontaneously.

Hogaamiyaashuna iskama soo baxaan.

Somebody trained them to do the work that they do.

Qof uun baa tababaray si ay shaqayday hayaan u qabtaan.

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

Hadaba, intii aan u shaqaynayay Microsoft, arintan cajiibka ah baa dhacday.

I became a parent.

Waalid baan noqday.

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

Waqtigii ugu horeysana, Afrika muhiimad bay ii yeelatay aanay hore iigu lahayn.

Because I realized that the state of the African continent

Waayo waxan garawsaday in xaalada qaarada Afrika

would matter to my children and their children.

ay saamayn doonto ciyaalkayga iyo ciyaalkooda.

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

Xaalada aduunku

depends on what's happening to Africa,

waxay ku tiirsantahay waxa ka dhacaya Afrika,

as far as my kids would be concerned.

ilaa waqtigaa ciyaalkayga saamayn bay ku yeelanay.

And at this time, when I was going through

Waqtigaas aan ku dhex jiray

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

waxan ugu yeedhay ''qalalaase-nafeed-hore'

Africa was a mess.

Afrika way ku jirtay wareer.

Somalia had disintegrated into anarchy.

Soomaaliya ayaa u xuubsiibatay dawlad la'aan.

Rwanda was in the throes of this genocidal war.

Ruwanda ayaa badhtanka uga jirtay dagaal xasuuq.

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

Waxayna iigu muuqatay inay taasi tahay jaho khalad ah.

and I needed to be back helping.

Waxan u baahday inaan dib u noqdo si aan gacan u gaysto.

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

Iskama aan joogi karayn Seattle, si aan caruurtaydana iskaga korsado

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

anigoo kamid ah daris dabaqada dhexe-sarre ah kuna farxo taa.

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

Taasi ma ahayn aduunka aan rabay in caruurtaydu ku korto.

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

Markaa waxan bilaabay inaan hawlgalo, wixii ugu horeeyay ee aan qabtayna

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

wuxu noqday inaan Gaana ku noqdo dad badana la hadlo,

and really try to understand what the real issues were.

xaqiiqdiina isku dayo inaan fahmo arimaha runtoodu waxay tahay.

And three things kept coming up for every problem:

Sadex arin ayaa meel kasta igaga soo baxay:

corruption, weak institutions

musuqmaasuq, hey'ado liita

and the people who run them -- the leaders.

iyo dadka maamula---hormuudka.

Now, I was a little scared

Markaa waan yara baqay.

because when you see those three problems,

Waayo markaad aragtid dhibaatooyinkaa sadexda ah,

they seem really hard to deal with.

waxay u muuqata inay adagtahay in wax laga qabtaa.

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

Waxayna dhihi karaan, 'Hoy, ha isku dayin.''

But, for me, I asked the question,

Laakin anigu waxan is weydiiyay su'aasha,

"Well, where are these leaders coming from?

''Hagaag, xagay ka hogaamiyayaashani ka yimaadaan?

What is it about Ghana that produces leaders

Ka waran Gaanada soo saarta hormuudkan

that are unethical or unable to solve problems?"

ah kuwa bilaa qimanka ah ee aan awoodin sida loo xaliyo dhibaatada?

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

Markaa waan baxay si aan u eego waxa ka socda nidaamka waxbarashada

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

waaba qudheedii--waa qaybistii--

from primary school through graduate school.

laga soo bilaabo dugsi hoose ilaa heer jaamacadeed.

Very little emphasis on ethics,

waxyar baa laga tusay qimanka

and the typical graduate

welibana qofka kasoo qalanjabiya

from a university in Ghana has a stronger sense

jaamacad Gaana ku taal waxa ku xoog badan dareenka

of entitlement than a sense of responsibility.

xil jeclaysiga in ka badan dareenka masuuliyada.

This is wrong.

Tani waa khalad.

So I decided to engage this particular problem.

Marka waxan goostay inaan galo dhibatadan wax ka qabadkeeda.

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

Waayo waxay iigu muuqataa aniga in bulsha kasti

must be very intentional about how it trains its leaders.

ay xil iska saarto siday u carbiso hormuudkeeda.

And Ghana was not paying enough attention.

Gaana'na xil iskama saarin buuxa.

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

Tanina waa run ka jirta wadamada saxaraha ka hooseeya, xaqiiqdii.

So this is what I'm doing now.

Hadaba tani wa waxa aan qabanayo hada.

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

Waxan isku dayayaa inaan khibradaydii Swarthmore aan Afrika geeyo.

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

Waxan ku taamay in koleej culuumta fanka/liberal arts lagu barto uu ku ooli lahaa Afrika oo dhan.

I think it would make a huge difference.

Waxan rajaynayaa inay isbedel wayn sababi lahayd.

And what Ashesi University is trying to do

Waxa jaamacada Ashesi isku dayaysaana wuxuu yahay;

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

wuxu yahay sidii loo heli lahaa fac cusub oo hogaamiyayaal qiyam iyo halabuur leh.

We're trying to train leaders of exceptional integrity,

Waxanu isku dayaynaa inanu dhisno hogaamiyayaal leh sumcad gaara,

who have the ability to confront the complex problems,

oo awood u leh ka wajihida masalalooyinka adadag,

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

is weydiiya su'aalaha saxda, lana yimaada xalal shaqaynaya.

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

Waan qirayaa inay jirto marmar ay u ekaanayso ''Mashruuc:Suurtagalnimada kafog,''

but we must believe that these kids are smart.

laakiin waa inaynu aaminaa in caruurtani ay maskax badanyihiin.

That if we involve them in their education,

Taasi waa hadii aynu la falgelino waxbarshadooda,

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

hadaynu u ogolaano inay ka doodaan arimaha soo wajaha--

that our whole society confronts --

taas oo bulshada oo dhan soo wajahda--

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

iyo hadii aynu siino xirfadaha awoowda usiinaya inay dhex galaan calaamka runta ah,

that magic will happen.

mucjisadaasaa dhici doonta.

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

Hada, bil intii aanu ku jira hawshan, waxan bilownay fasaladii

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

bil intaanay kasoo wareegin waxan imi xafiiskii

and I have this email from one of our students.

waxana fariintan ka helay mid kamida ardayda.

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

wuxu u yiri si fudud ''Waan fekeraya hada.''

And he signs off, "Thank you."

Wuxuna kusoo xidhay ''Mahadsanid''

It's such a simple statement.

Keliya waa odhaah fudud.

But I was moved almost to tears

Laakiin waan ilmeeyay runtii

because I understood what was happening to this young man.

sababtoo ah waxaan fahmay waxa ku dhacay wiilkan dhalinyarada ah.

And it is an awesome thing to be a part

Waan arin cajiiba inaad ka mid noqotid

of empowering someone in this way.

awoodsiinta qof sida tan oo kale.

I am thinking now.

Waan fekerayaa.

This year we challenged our students

Sanadka kan waxanu ardaydayada horkeenay

to craft an honor code themselves.

inay jeexdaan xeerar iyaga laftoodu .

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

Waxa jiray dood aad u xiisa badan oo dhismaha jaamacada ka socotay

over whether they should have an honor code,

oo ku saabsan inay samaystaan xeerar naftooda ah

and if so, what it should look like.

Haday sidatani dhacdo maxay noqonaysaa.

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

Mid kamida ardayda ayaa i waydiiyay su'aal qalbigayga aad u diirisay.

Can we create a perfect society?

Sidee baynu u abuuri karaa bulsha quman?

Her understanding that a student-crafted honor code

Fahankeeda ah in xeerka ay ardaydu samaysteen

constitutes a reach towards perfection is incredible.

uu sabab ku leeyahay qumanaan ayaa cajiiba.

Now, we cannot achieve perfection,

Hada kuma guulaysan karo qumanaan

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

Laakiin hadaan u hawlgalo, waan gaadhi karaa heer wanaagsan.

I don't know ultimately what they will do.

Ma garan karo waxay kama danbaysta yeeli doonaan.

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

Ma garannayo inay go'aansanaan xeerkaa inay yeeshaan iyo inkale.

But the conversation they're having now --

Laakiin doodaha ay ilaa hada leeyihiin

about what their good society should look like,

ee ku saabsan sida bulshadooda wanaagsan u ekaan karto,

what their excellent society should look like,

sida bulshadooda qumani u ekaan karto

is a really good thing.

xaqiiqdii waa arin wanaagsan.

Am I out of time? OK.

Waqtigii miya iga dhamaaday? Hagaag

Now, I just wanted to leave that slide up

Hada, waxaan rabbaa in aan qaybta iskaga tago

because it's important that we think about it.

sababtoo muhiimadu waa in aynu wax iska waydiinay.

I'm very excited about the fact

Aad waxan ugu faraxsan ahay xaqiiqda ah

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

in arday kasta oo Jaamacada Asheshi dhigtaa uu shaqo qaran bulsho qabto intaanu qalan jabin.

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

Taasi qaar badan oo kamid ah, waxay u ahayd khibrad nololeed cajiiba.

These young future leaders are beginning to understand

Hogaamiyayashan mustaqbalka ee dhalinta yari waxay bilaabeen inay fahmaan

the real business of leadership,

waayaha runta ah hogaaminta,

the real privilege of leadership,

muhiimada dhabta ah hogaaminta,

which is after all to serve humanity.

taasoo ujeedaduu tahay u adeegista insaaniyada.

I am even more thrilled by the fact that least year

Waxan aad ugu sii qalbi samahay in sanadka ugu danbeeyay

our student body elected a woman

in gudida ardaydeen ay u doorteen gabadh

to be the head of Student Government.

inay noqoto madaxa Ururka Ardayda.

It's the first time in the history of Ghana

Waa markii u horaysay taariikhda Gaana

that a woman has been elected head of Student Government

ee gabadh loo doorto gabadh madaxa Ururka Ardayda

at any university.

ee jaamacadi leedahay.

It says a lot about her.

Waxbadan bay ka tarjumaysaa nafteeda.

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

Waxbadan bay ka tarjumaysaa isbedelka horumar ee hoyga jaamacada ka samaysmay.

It says a lot about her peers who elected her.

Wax badan bay ka sheegaysaa faca doortay iyada.

She won with 75 percent of the vote.

Waxay ku guulaysatay 75% cododkii la dhiibtay.

And it gives me a lot of hope.

Waxayna aniga i gelisay raja badan.

It turns out that corporate West Africa

Waxana ay keentay in Afrikada galbeed kale

also appreciates what's happening with our students.

ay ka mabsuudaan waxa ka hugmaya ardaydayada.

We've graduated two classes of students to date.

Waxanu soo saaray laba fasal oo arday ah ilaa hada.

And every single one of them has been placed.

Mid kasta oo kamida ahina wuxu helay shaqo.

And we're getting great reports back

Waxanuna dib u helaynaa helaynaa warar wanaagsan

from corporate Ghana, corporate West Africa,

oo nooga imanaya Gaana inteeda kale, Afrikada galbeed ee kale,

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

arinka ugu waynina waxa weeye say uga mabsuudeen nidaam shaqeedkooda.

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

Waxad garanay, jacaylka ay u hayaan waxay qabanayaan

The persistence, their ability to deal with ambiguity,

hal-adaygooda, awoodda ay u leeyihiin inay furfuraan wax kakan

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

awooda ay u leeyihiin sida dhibatooyinka loo maareeyo aysan weligood arag.

This is good because

Tani waa wanaag waayo

over the past five years, there have been times

tan iyo shantii sanee lasoo dhaafay, waxa jirtay waqtiyo

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

ay dareemeen in arintani tahay ''Qorshe aan socon karin''

And it's just wonderful to see these glimmers

Waana cajiib inaynu aragno iftiinkan

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

balanqaad ee waxa dhici kara markaynu si aynu u carbino caruurteena si wanaagsan.

I think that the current and future leaders of Africa

Waxan rajaynayaa in hogaamiyayasha kuwa hada iyo mustaqalka ee Afrika

have an incredible opportunity

ay haystaan fursad cajiib ah

to drive a major renaissance on the continent.

si ay baraarrug wayn uga dhaliyaan qaarada.

It's an incredible opportunity.

Waa fursad cajiib dhaaf ah.

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

Ma taalo intan oo kale oo fursad ah caalamka.

I believe that Africa has reached an inflection point

Waxan aaminsan ahay in Afrika gaadhay meeshii weecsanka

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

oo ay lasocoto nidaam dimoqraadi iyo suuqyo xor ah oo qaarada oo dhan ah.

We have reached a moment from which can emerge

Waxanu gaadhnay waqti kaasoo ay kasoo bixi karto

a great society within one generation.

bulsho heersare ah isla hal jiil.

It will depend on inspired leadership.

Waxay ku xidhnaan doontaa hogaamin yididiila leh.

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

Waana qanaacadayda in qaabka aan u soo saaro hogaankeena

will make all the difference.

ay isbedelka keeni doonto.

Thank you, and God bless.

Mahadsanidiin, Naxariis Eebe.

(Applause)

(Sacab)