African Business News February 2011
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Transcript of African Business News February 2011
8/7/2019 African Business News February 2011
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.afabu..za | Fb 2011
The real deal
on african iPos
sPecial
rePorT
uP and coming
african sTarT-uPs
the growth
oF AFricAn Air trAvel
AFricA’stopsmArtphones
exPerTsearch
enginesTraTegies
Cheick Diarra
microsofT’sman in africa
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hIS PRoFESSIoNAl ANd PERSoNAl
joURNEy hAS tAKEN hIm ACRoSS thEgloBE ANd INto AN ExPloRAtIoNoF oUtER SPACE. Now, ChEICKdIARRA hEAdS mICRoSoFt’S AFRICA
oPERAtIoNS whERE hE woRKSto ImPRovE ACCESS totEChNology ACRoSS thE
CoNtINENt
by isAAc hAmzA
Fua 2011
Business Ceebs
Cheick Diarra
microsofT’sman in africa
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RecAlling his eArly DAys, cheick Diarra
says: “When I was a young boy, growing up in
Mali, fascinated by the stars, I had never met
an astronomer... What’s more, the chances of
meeting one were minimal to say the least. Yet, had Imet an astronomer, my personal journey to astronomy
may have been different.”
Though he may have not quite made it as an
astronomer, the young boy did not do too bad.
After spending 10 years working for NASA as itsfirst African astrophysicist before joining what can
only be called the defining brand of our generation,
Microsoft.
Dr Diarra, the prefix a result of his PhD in
mechanical and aerospace engineering from HowardUniversity, Washington DC, is a man of many
achievements and one on whom the continent can
rightly take pride.
“I am a son of Africa. I had an African childhood
and education, and like so many Africans, I have
mosot’s
vt u o at www.afauw.o.a
Business Ceebs
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been a farmer, battling the rains and the droughts. I
am also a scientist, one lucky enough to have worked
with some of the greatest minds in the world in my 14
years at NASA.”
As a interplanetary navigator, Diarra has pilotedfive NASA missions to Venus, Jupiter, the poles of the
Sun and Mars. This was followed by the directorship
of NASA’s ‘Mars Exploration Program Education and
Public Outreach’.
In 2006, he took over the challenge of Microsoft
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Fua 2011
A 2006 micrsf leaers Fru, diarra (cenre) i Bi
gaes an Bi Cinn
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Africa. Diarra attributes this success to his roots and
approach to both business and life: “I am an African
entrepreneur, a person who, by nature, embraces
initiative and risk and uses available resources in
novel ways.“Entrepreneurs are not daunted, we are excited.
We see what could be and we say ‘why not?’ We bring
people together with the power of ideas, an action
plan, and a lot of ‘can
do’ spirit. Some of us work in business, some
of us in the community,
some in even broader
circles.”
Diarra believes hisnew role with Microsoft
places him in a perfect
position from which to
bring alive his dream for
his beloved continent.
mosot’s
vt u o at www.afauw.o.a
diarra is eai ine ian African cariies aneucaina ranisains
Business Ceebs
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Fua 2011
“My vision for my continent is to see Africa gowell beyond basic IT access, to become a thriving,
competitive, technology and knowledge-based
continent in my lifetime,” he says.
Diarra back many charities and educational
organisations such as the Pathfinder Foundation thatsupports female students achieve scientific education.
“If we invest in the women of Africa and in basic
literacy programmes for them, this will have an
exponential effect in terms of broader literacy and
education,” he says. afr
diarra i suens in Africa