ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Magatte Wade - Brand creator
Magatte Wade creates jobs in Africa -- and calls attention to the obstacles to job creation on the continent.

Why you should listen

Magatte Wade's first company, Adina World Beverages, brought Senegalese bissap to US consumers through Whole Foods Market, Wegmans and United Natural Foods, Inc. Her second company, Tiossan, brought Senegalese skin care recipes to US consumers through Nordstrom and boutique beauty retailers. Her third company, SkinIsSkin, manufactures lip balms based on Senegalese ingredients in Senegal and markets them in the US to reduce racial bias.

Based on her experiences creating consumer brands and building agricultural and manufacturing capacity in Senegal, Wade has spoken at dozens of universities including Oxford, Harvard, Yale, Columbia and MIT, among other, as well as at global conferences on innovation and economic development in France, Dubai, Guatemala, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and many more. She writes for the Huffington Post, Barron's, and the UK Guardian. She is a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum at Davos and has appeared on the cover of Forbes Afrique. She was also named one of the "Twenty Young Power Women of Africa" by Forbes US.

More profile about the speaker
Magatte Wade | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2017

Magatte Wade: Why it's too hard to start a business in Africa -- and how to change it

Filmed:
571,196 views

Many African countries are poor for a simple reason, says entrepreneur Magatte Wade: governments have created far too many obstacles to starting and running a business. In this passionate talk, Wade breaks down the challenges of doing business on the continent and offers some solutions of her own -- while calling on leaders to do their part, too.
- Brand creator
Magatte Wade creates jobs in Africa -- and calls attention to the obstacles to job creation on the continent. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
Today, what I want to share with you
is something that happened to me,
0
1325
3714
00:17
actually, around four
weeks ago, it happened.
1
5063
2476
00:19
Words were said to me that I never thought
I would ever hear it said to my face
2
7912
6315
00:26
by another human being.
3
14251
1150
00:28
And those words, they shattered my heart.
4
16609
4127
00:33
And at the same time,
they filled it with so much hope.
5
21578
3666
00:38
And the whole experience
renewed my commitment
6
26387
4762
00:43
to the idea that I came
to share with you today.
7
31173
2571
00:45
You see, I tell everyone
that I am a haunted person.
8
33768
6079
00:51
What haunts me is the impossible stories,
9
39871
4182
00:56
story after story after story after story
10
44077
3087
00:59
of young people, my people, people like me
11
47188
4431
01:04
dying out there on the ocean, right now,
laying at the bottom of the ocean,
12
52752
4492
01:09
serving as fish food.
13
57268
1400
01:13
Do you really think
that's the best we can do?
14
61411
2245
01:15
To serve as fish food?
15
63680
1467
01:18
And for those of them
who are trying to migrate to Europe --
16
66077
2826
01:20
because that's what it is all about,
17
68927
1722
01:22
they are trying to migrate
to Europe to find a job.
18
70673
2389
01:25
Going through Libya.
19
73086
1267
01:27
Do you know what happens to us
when we're trying to cross through Libya
20
75498
3366
01:30
and we're trapped over there?
21
78888
1538
01:32
Well, we're being sold as slaves.
22
80450
2674
01:36
For 300 dollars,
maybe sometimes 500 dollars.
23
84030
3817
01:43
Sometimes I hear stories
of bodies that fall off an airplane.
24
91474
3433
01:48
Somebody hid in
the landing gear of a plane
25
96133
2873
01:51
or in the cargo section of a plane,
26
99030
1682
01:52
and then you find them frozen to death.
27
100736
1983
01:56
Wouldn't you be haunted if, like me,
from the moment you were a little girl,
28
104346
3646
02:00
you hear these stories
and they keep repeating themselves,
29
108016
2763
02:02
over and over and over?
30
110803
1175
02:04
Wouldn't you be haunted?
31
112002
1500
02:05
That's my case.
32
113988
1150
02:07
And at the same time, you know,
as my people are dying,
33
115917
2623
02:10
my culture is also dying.
34
118564
1247
02:11
There, I said it.
35
119835
1167
02:13
Because, you know,
we have this culture inferiority,
36
121026
2439
02:15
which means that anything
that comes from us is not good enough.
37
123489
3286
02:18
But you know, in my situation,
38
126799
1445
02:20
and because I was raised to criticize
by creating, it's Michelangelos.
39
128268
5269
02:25
My father said, "Do not
come to me with problems
40
133561
2326
02:27
unless you thought
of a couple alternatives.
41
135911
2057
02:29
They don't have to be right,
42
137992
1363
02:31
but I just want to know
that you thought of something."
43
139379
2579
02:33
So, I have this attitude in life --
something is wrong, find a way to fix it.
44
141982
3722
02:37
And that's why I start
the businesses that I start,
45
145728
2413
02:40
that's usually consumer brands,
46
148165
1508
02:41
that have embedded in them
the very best of my African culture.
47
149697
2953
02:44
And what I do is it's all packaged,
21st century, world-class tendered,
48
152674
4927
02:49
and I bring that to one of the most
sophisticated markets in the world,
49
157625
4867
02:54
which is the US.
50
162516
1150
02:56
First company was a beverage company,
51
164984
1817
02:58
second one is a skin care company,
third one is launching next month,
52
166825
3601
03:02
and they all have that in common.
53
170450
2008
03:05
So, why are these people leaving?
54
173823
2961
03:09
They're leaving because they have no jobs.
55
177371
3065
03:13
They're leaving because
where they are, there's no jobs.
56
181093
2738
03:15
So ...
57
183855
1150
03:18
But poverty, that's really striking them,
is the root cause of why they're leaving.
58
186053
6900
03:24
Now, why are people poor?
59
192977
2023
03:27
People are poor
because they have no money.
60
195024
2049
03:29
You have no money
because you have no source of income.
61
197097
2626
03:31
And for most of us,
what is a source of income?
62
199747
2227
03:33
For most of us, what is our
source of income, what is it, tell me?
63
201998
3158
03:37
Jobs, thank you.
64
205180
1151
03:38
Where do jobs come from?
65
206355
1299
03:41
Come from where?
66
209069
1150
03:43
Businesses, thank you.
67
211627
1944
03:46
Now, if jobs is what fixes poverty,
68
214143
3992
03:50
and jobs come from businesses,
69
218159
2394
03:52
don't you think --
70
220577
1374
03:53
especially, they come from small
and medium size enterprises, SMEs --
71
221975
3320
03:57
then don't you think, maybe for a second,
72
225319
1977
03:59
that we should focus on making it easy
for a small-business person
73
227320
4933
04:04
to start and run their business?
74
232277
1555
04:05
Don't you think that it makes sense?
75
233856
1754
04:07
Why is it that when I look
at the Doing Business index ranking
76
235634
2992
04:10
of the World Bank,
77
238650
1158
04:11
that ranks every country in the world
78
239832
2689
04:14
in terms of how easy or hard
it is to start a company,
79
242545
2604
04:17
you tell me why African countries,
80
245173
2936
04:20
all 50 of them,
81
248133
1356
04:21
are basically at the bottom of that list?
82
249513
2297
04:26
That's why we're poor.
83
254824
1562
04:28
We're poor because
it is literally impossible
84
256410
2710
04:31
to do businesses
in these countries of ours.
85
259144
3028
04:34
But I'm going to tell you exactly
what it means on the ground
86
262196
2905
04:37
for someone like me.
87
265125
1151
04:38
I have a manufacturing
facility in Senegal.
88
266300
2017
04:40
Did you know that for all my raw material
that I can't find in the country,
89
268341
4182
04:44
I have to pay a 45 percent tariff
on everything that comes in?
90
272547
3181
04:48
Forty-five percent tariff.
91
276066
1992
04:51
Do you know that,
even to look for fine cardboard
92
279217
2646
04:53
to ship my finished products to the US,
93
281887
2087
04:55
I can't find new, finished cardboard?
94
283998
1999
04:58
Impossible.
95
286021
1191
04:59
Because the distributors
are not going to come here
96
287236
2442
05:01
to start their business,
97
289702
1240
05:02
because it makes no sense, either.
98
290966
1676
05:04
So right now, I have to mobilize
3000 dollars' worth of cardboard
99
292666
3095
05:07
in my warehouse,
so that I can have cardboard,
100
295785
2183
05:09
and they won't arrive
for another five weeks.
101
297992
2100
05:12
The fact that we are stifled
with the most nonsensical laws out there.
102
300116
4265
05:17
That's why we can't run businesses.
103
305219
2135
05:19
It's like swimming through molasses.
104
307378
2142
05:21
So, what can you do about that?
105
309544
3801
05:26
I told you today that someone
said to me words that marked me,
106
314355
3667
05:30
because I explained the same thing
to my employees in Senegal.
107
318046
3499
05:33
And one of them started crying --
her name is Yahara.
108
321569
2513
05:36
She started crying.
109
324106
1376
05:37
I said, "Why are you crying?"
110
325506
1405
05:38
She said, "I'm crying
because I had come to believe --
111
326935
3525
05:42
always seeing us
represented as poor people --
112
330484
2166
05:44
I had come to believe that maybe,
yes, maybe we are inferior.
113
332674
4389
05:49
Because, otherwise, how do you explain
114
337087
2404
05:51
that we're always
in the begging situation?"
115
339515
2758
05:54
That's what broke my heart.
116
342601
1500
05:56
But at the same time that she said that,
117
344125
1912
05:58
because of how I explained
just what I explained to you,
118
346061
2683
06:00
she said, "But now, I know
that I am not the problem.
119
348768
2499
06:03
It is my environment in which I live,
that's my problem."
120
351291
2761
06:06
I said, "Yes."
121
354076
1785
06:08
And that's what gave me hope --
122
356457
1576
06:10
that once people get it,
they now change their outlook on life.
123
358057
3528
06:14
Here, what are some
of our solutions, then?
124
362129
2033
06:16
If jobs is a solution,
125
364186
1451
06:17
don't you think, then,
that we should be simplifying
126
365661
3142
06:20
the business environment
of all of these countries?
127
368827
2459
06:23
Don't you think?
128
371310
1196
06:24
And along with you,
129
372530
1586
06:26
I would like for all of your friends
from the other 50 countries
130
374140
3016
06:29
that are on the bottom of that list
to do the same thing.
131
377180
2730
06:31
You do that, we do the rest of the job.
132
379934
1865
06:33
I'm doing my part of the game,
what are you doing?
133
381823
2381
06:36
(Applause)
134
384228
1159
06:37
What are you doing?
135
385411
1261
06:38
(Applause)
136
386696
2144
06:40
What are you doing?
137
388864
1268
06:42
(Applause)
138
390156
1151
06:43
And as for you,
everybody here in this room,
139
391331
2088
06:45
I leave you with two marching orders.
140
393443
1817
06:47
Get in the game,
141
395284
1175
06:48
and the way you get in it
is educate yourself,
142
396483
2189
06:50
build awareness around yourself,
143
398696
1541
06:52
and then also advocate
for e-government solutions.
144
400261
2951
06:55
He said, "Oh, corruption,
how do we fight corruption?"
145
403236
2881
06:58
Well, as a matter of fact,
I'm here to tell you
146
406141
2238
07:00
that yes, you can do it
by the stroke of a pen.
147
408403
2214
07:02
You do not need anyone to tell you
when and how to do that.
148
410641
3293
07:05
It is one thing, actually,
149
413958
1243
07:07
that you don't need to wait
for anyone to do, so do it.
150
415225
2939
07:10
Otherwise, don't come and tell me
that you want to fix corruption.
151
418188
3278
07:13
You and your other 50 friends
from the other 50 countries
152
421490
2707
07:16
that are at the bottom of that list.
153
424221
1761
07:18
That's how you fight corruption.
154
426006
2365
07:20
If you were only charging me 5 percent
to get my stuff in the country,
155
428395
3326
07:23
my raw material,
156
431745
1158
07:24
instead of the 45 percent,
157
432927
1285
07:26
do you really think
that I would have to go a pay a bribe?
158
434236
2738
07:28
That's what breeds corruption.
159
436998
1778
07:30
Bad laws, sets of horrible, nonsense laws.
160
438800
4452
07:35
(Applause) (Cheers)
161
443276
2388
07:37
Right?
162
445688
1151
07:38
(Applause)
163
446863
5309
07:44
You want to fight corruption?
164
452196
1810
07:46
That's what you do.
165
454030
1206
07:47
And again, remember,
you don't need to wait for anyone.
166
455260
2577
07:49
You can do that by yourself.
167
457861
1374
07:51
Unless you're telling me
that maybe you have no sovereignty,
168
459259
2843
07:54
and that's a whole other problem.
169
462126
1619
07:55
OK, so, from here on,
I have simple words for our "leaders."
170
463769
6857
08:03
This can go two ways.
171
471648
1769
08:06
It can go the nasty way,
172
474092
1650
08:07
because we have hundreds
of millions of young people
173
475766
2693
08:10
coming to life right now, here,
174
478483
2824
08:13
and if they don't have an outlook in life,
175
481331
2651
08:16
they are going to go for a revolution.
176
484006
1849
08:17
They're going to go for violence.
177
485879
1603
08:19
And none of us wants that.
178
487506
1564
08:21
None, none of us.
179
489094
1150
08:22
That's the one way it can go.
180
490807
1413
08:24
Or the second way it can go is,
181
492244
1524
08:25
all this happens peacefully, productively,
and everything is good,
182
493792
3341
08:29
and you do what you need to do,
you get out of my way,
183
497157
2562
08:31
you let people like me do our job,
we create all these jobs we need,
184
499743
3247
08:35
and then Africa becomes
this very prosperous country
185
503014
3706
08:38
that it's designed to be,
it should have been for a long time.
186
506744
2984
08:41
It happens like that, everybody's happy,
we move on with our lives.
187
509752
3153
08:44
It can happen in two ways --
188
512929
1394
08:46
pick violence or you pick
the calm, productive way.
189
514347
3151
08:49
I want the calm, productive way.
190
517522
1555
08:51
None of us should ever,
ever even try to think
191
519101
2254
08:53
about what else could happen
if we don't go there.
192
521379
2367
08:55
So, please.
193
523770
1330
08:57
And the time has come.
194
525124
1231
08:58
This type of picture -- prosperity,
happiness, human flourishing --
195
526379
3682
09:02
that's what I see if we do our job.
196
530085
1921
09:04
Thank you.
197
532030
1158
09:05
(Applause) (Cheering)
198
533212
2272
09:07
Thank you.
199
535508
1174
09:08
(Applause)
200
536706
1717

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Magatte Wade - Brand creator
Magatte Wade creates jobs in Africa -- and calls attention to the obstacles to job creation on the continent.

Why you should listen

Magatte Wade's first company, Adina World Beverages, brought Senegalese bissap to US consumers through Whole Foods Market, Wegmans and United Natural Foods, Inc. Her second company, Tiossan, brought Senegalese skin care recipes to US consumers through Nordstrom and boutique beauty retailers. Her third company, SkinIsSkin, manufactures lip balms based on Senegalese ingredients in Senegal and markets them in the US to reduce racial bias.

Based on her experiences creating consumer brands and building agricultural and manufacturing capacity in Senegal, Wade has spoken at dozens of universities including Oxford, Harvard, Yale, Columbia and MIT, among other, as well as at global conferences on innovation and economic development in France, Dubai, Guatemala, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and many more. She writes for the Huffington Post, Barron's, and the UK Guardian. She is a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum at Davos and has appeared on the cover of Forbes Afrique. She was also named one of the "Twenty Young Power Women of Africa" by Forbes US.

More profile about the speaker
Magatte Wade | Speaker | TED.com

Data provided by TED.

This site was created in May 2015 and the last update was on January 12, 2020. It will no longer be updated.

We are currently creating a new site called "eng.lish.video" and would be grateful if you could access it.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to write comments in your language on the contact form.

Privacy Policy

Developer's Blog

Buy Me A Coffee