Let me tell you something that took me years to fully grasp: we are living in a permissionless world. A world where the barriers we imagine—the gatekeepers we think are holding us back—are often just illusions.
For far too long, young Africans have been conditioned to believe that opportunity is something given, something granted by someone in a higher position. We’ve been raised to think that before we can act before we can create, before we can build, we need someone’s approval. But that’s simply not true.
The truth is, the doors are not as locked as they seem. Many of them are already open, and those that aren’t? They can be pushed, nudged, or even broken down. This is the era of self-starting, of taking initiative, of proving your worth by doing, not by waiting.
The Weight of Our Own Limits
There’s another reality we need to confront: many young Africans who grew up in extreme poverty don’t realize how small their ambitions have become. We’ve grown up with so little that we’ve lost the ability to imagine abundance. We think in terms of survival, not scale. We aim to make ends meet instead of making history.
But the world does not reward small ambitions. It rewards those who dare to think bigger, to create solutions, to take up space where they once thought they didn’t belong. And here’s the thing—this isn’t about money. Some of the biggest ideas in the world started with nothing but access to the right knowledge, the right community, and the right mindset.
The Universe of Opportunity
Here’s the good news: there has never been a better time to be a self-made entrepreneur, innovator, or creator. Today, if you have internet access, you have a free university at your fingertips. If you have a phone, you have a tool that can connect you with investors, mentors, and global networks. If you have an idea, you have the means to test it, iterate, and launch it—often with little to no money.
Many people around the world, from Steven Bartlett to AjimCapital and other venture funds, are looking for ambitious entrepreneurs from Africa to back. These are not distant, untouchable opportunities. These are doors waiting for you to step through them. Whether you’re building in fintech, AI, logistics, marketplaces, or SaaS, there is someone out there willing to bet on your vision.
And even beyond funding, there are low-cost and even free resources that can help you sharpen your skills, launch your business, and scale your impact. It all starts with realizing that the endurance that brought us here is the same resilience that will take us forward.
You Are the Measure of Everything
The ancient Sophists had a saying: “Man is the measure of all things.” What does that mean for us? It means that the limits we perceive are of our own making. The world is not waiting for permission to give you success—it is waiting for you to claim it.
So, if you have an idea, if you have a vision, if you have a hunger for something greater, don’t wait. Apply for funding, build that startup, send that pitch, reach out to that mentor.
The permissionless generation is here. And it has no gatekeepers.
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