Enlightened Africans Are Working to Spread the Continent’s Uneven Prosperity

When you picture Africa, what do you see?

A malnourished child, with a bloated belly and bewildered by hunger?

A rebel fighter, clinging to his weapon, fatigues, and tribe as his sole sources of identity and pride?

A spam communication from an unknown source with a tall tale of mugging and instructions for the wiring of “emergency” cash?

Think again.

There is another Africa. The Africa I know—one that is mobilizing to solve these and other problems.

In the Africa I know, Ghana’s liberal-arts Ashesi University has more than 3.5 talented applicants for every slot in its incoming class.

The African Leadership Academy, which scours the continent—including refugee camps, remote villages, and conflict zones—for the most promising youth has nearly 10,000 candidates for its 400 slots.

In the Africa I know, the privatization of Kenyan telecommunications paved the way to fast-growing Safaricom and its innovative mobile-banking service.

And Nigeria’s film industry ranks second in the world in the number of films produced each year.

In East Africa, Nairobi’s skyscrapers stand over an array of construction sites.

In West Africa, the inventory of markets in Lagos includes everything from traditional robes to tablet computers. And in Southern Africa, Johannesburg’s roads are clogged with taxis, motorbikes and enterprising cyclists hawking their wares.

This Africa, with its fast-growing economies, is taking charge of its future.

A combination of good fortune and smart policies has allowed 27 out of 30 of Africa’s largest economies to grow quickly, raising the collective gross domestic product by 4.9 percent a year from 2000 to 2008.

These boom years enabled a new generation of successful business leaders to emerge.

And while global demand for commodities played a role in Africa’s growth, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, the majority of the gain is attributable to the ending of civil conflicts, the opening of economies to trade and investment, the privatization of state enterprises, the strengthening of regulatory and legal systems, and the provision of critical infrastructure.

But although many entrepreneurs have done well, others have been left behind. Impressive growth, while robust, has not been broad based. And development, while rapid, has been far from inclusive.

Emerging leaders in government, business, and philanthropy know that more is required if all Africans are to be allowed the opportunity to prosper.

And, that is why:

• James Mwangi, head of Kenya’s Equity Bank, has spurred the business to provide low-interest mortgages and other financial services that allow those at or near the bottom of the economic ladder to take out loans, build savings, purchase insurance, and engage in commerce—all at low fees. Mr. Mwangi says that Equity’s work will not be done until its customers join the middle class. And so Equity Group’s Foundation teamed up with the MasterCard Foundation to provide financial education to thousands of women and youths. Among them, more than 7,500 “high-potential entrepreneurs” received one-on-one mentoring and business training.

• The Nigerian entrepreneur Arjan Mirchandani has led the beverage company Euro Global Foods & Distilleries Limited to use locally grown items and other products from the region to create jobs in Nigeria’s strapped farming communities. His company, which grew by 2,781 percent from 2009 to 2011, is first among the country’s 50 fastest-growing, privately held companies, honored by the philanthropist Tony Elumelu through his charitable foundation’s support of the Nigeria50 program. By shining the media spotlight on their achievements, the program signals to investors that these companies are more than investment ready.

• Emerging philanthropists from throughout the continent have joined force to build the Global Philanthropy Forum’s newest regional affiliate: the African Philanthropy Forum, the first pan-African body of its kind. Its members are committed to using their charitable grants, investments, and voices to advance broad-based and inclusive economic growth. Their bold goal: an Africa able to meet its own development needs.

• The business leader Manu Chandaria has provided money to help Kenya’s Kenyatta University shift the focus of its curriculum to train job creators as well as job seekers. Its new Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Center will support up to 25 entrepreneurs—both from the student body and the general public. Each will receive services and mentoring from six months to a year. A successful business leader, Mr. Chandaria himself expects to spend six hours a week with these emerging entrepreneurs. His goal is to inspire students to be creators of wealth and employment.

The Africa that I know has spawned a new generation of bold, inventive, and forward-looking leaders committed to the success of the continent.

Whether in business, government, or philanthropy, they recognize the threats to human security and the quality of life that persist in Africa. And they are eager to heal those ills by championing smart policies, effective enterprise, and strategic philanthropy.

They live where their wealth was made. They invest in local enterprise. And they seek to cultivate the next generation of ethical leaders.

They’re betting on the Africa that I know.

So am I.