Africa’s BeDoCare Conference Births Changemakers Eager to “reimagine” Future of Continent

“One of the thoughts that came out in the sessions was the realization that we have people in Africa who are highly talented but they don't have values. And there are people who have values but they are not talented. BeDoCare is a platform where you can find people who are talented and also have values. And what is more, they are also ready and passionate about changing Africa,” the young mechanical engineer said.

He underlined the need to put the human persons as the centre of businesses, as proposed by Opus Dei founder, St. Josemaría Escrivá whose canonization inspired the establishment of HAI.

“You can have a business with the aim to make money, but you can also centre it upon promoting the common good. We need to put the human being at the centre of our businesses,” Tsemo said.

The young Cameroonian also expressed joy at meeting, and forming networks with other young changemakers from across the continent who attended the BeDoCare conference.

“I have met many people from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and we discussed a lot about innovation,” he said, and added, “It was a fulfilling experience to meet people from other cultures to learn about what they are thinking about their respective countries and Africa. We are going to see how we can partner in this vision to make Africa great.”

Started in Rome in September 2022, BeDo care is aimed at creating resilience in the social sector, and helping countries to move “beyond aid and paternalism.” The conferences have been creating platforms where social sector players engage in collaborative dialogue and forge meaningful connections with each other.

BeDoCare conferences have already been staged in Rome and in São Paulo ahead of Opus Dei Centenary celebrations set to commence on 2 October 2028.

Organized under the theme, “Africa’s Destiny”, the conference at Opus Dei’s Strathmore University brought together entrepreneurs, researchers, cultural leaders, academics, and civil society representatives from 21 countries who are exploring Africa’s challenges and opportunities for development.

In an interview with ACI Africa, Prof. Marie Noelle N’guessan, an education consultant in Ivory Coast underlined the need for change in the leadership of public institutions in Africa.

She said that conversations about values, morals, and integrity are uncommon in many public institutions, and underscored the need for education that instills ethics.

“I have been working in my business school for 15 years, and this conference was an opportunity for me to rethink what we have been doing,” Marie who works at MDE (Management et Developpement d’Entreprise) said.

She added, “I was a panelist in one of the sessions where we talked about the public and private sectors and what could be done to improve the efficiency of the public sector.”

“One of the ideas that I came up with was the need to train government officials. This is difficult because they don't like training, and they don't like thinking about ethics and morals, doing good, and integrity, but we as academia should find a way to teach these values,” she said, and added, “I was happy to get ideas from the audience on how to go about this.”

Also central at the conference was the readiness of Africa to embrace a kind of development where African countries do not rely anymore on traditional funding models.

Weighing in on the possibility of African countries being self-reliant, away from paternalism, Marie said, “Do we believe that Africa can make a leap? Yes. Do we have the people to steer this thought? Not yet. Why is that? I don't know.”

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“Our leaders are very educated people but it looks like we are not doing something right,” she said, and added, “We have most of the resources the world has to offer. We have many people on the continent. But we are the poorest. Of course Africa can be sustainable. We know how to, theoretically. But practically we are not yet there.”

Marie said that simple things, such as managing our elections in African countries show that the continent has a long way to go in terms of sustainability.

“Elections are like disasters in African countries,” she said, and posed, “How can we be sustainable if a simple election brings about so many issues, struggles and deaths? I won't be pessimistic but we need to change how we think about Africa. It should be about the common good.”

“It is going to be very difficult to train young people so that they get these ideas in the head, but it can be done,” Marie said.

From Nigeria, Jess Castellote who founded Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, one of the few such museums across the continent described the conference as having been “in many ways, an eye opener.”

“This conference has been a way of contacting people who are also trying to do something that is impactful, that serves Africa, that serves the community,” Castellote, who has lived in the West African country for over two decades, said.

At the conference, Castellote attempted to convince participants that art is not only for the privileged, for the wealthy. 

“Art is not a luxury,” he said, and explained, “Art in Africa can play an important role in creating narratives, in bringing ideas, in helping people  explore issues. Art has the capacity to engage. It engages emotions. You can feel moved by an art show, by a dance.”

Lauding the organizers of the conference, he said, “This event has been excellent. Discovering Strathmore University has been a great thing. What this university is doing is a model for other universities in Africa.”