MOKATE ASHU SHARES HIS FORMULA FOR INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA

My dream is to see an innovative, entrepreneurial, united and transformed Africa.

When innovation becomes the bedrock of your beliefs, designing new products and processes turns into a pattern.

Mokate Ashu is on the course of raising a new generation of African Kings and Queens who through innovation and entrepreneurship, will re-brand Africa to the world.

Being a self taught social engineer, he has ventured into projects and business development. Many people find his approach- disruptive.

This humanitarian is giving back to his community through Global Entrepreneurship Corps: a social enterprise. Founded in 2015, to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and  job creation. They are positioned to create enabling entrepreneurial ecosystems through sector specific community engagement and resource mobilisation.

Thanks to the dynamic growth of the enterprise that birthed an Innovation Hub within a year of inception. Today it has two branches, serving technology and innovation ecosystems as a support structure, with a co-working space; co-creation workshop, a tech lab and multi media studios.

Jongo Hub provides business development services through incubation and acceleration. It’s self sustaining through support service activities from its tech lab and multimedia studios. They serve a good number of International clients and strengthen home based businesses, by providing technology and multimedia support.

What’s your motivation with regards to Entrepreneurship?

My journey into entrepreneurship began while I was a kid. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon,my family faced a lot of hard times. The culture of hard work was instilled in us naturally through the hardship and circumstances we lived in from child hood.

To survive, one needed to be fit and innovative. I made it through secondary school and at high school and University, I had to fend for my self.

This is how I got into the art of buying and selling, a journey that I have never regretted. I had to wake up earlier than every other person, travel to the nearby economic city Douala. I used income made from working in farms or gathering snails to purchase t-shirts and shirts to sell to my classmates who could afford them.

Through this, I learned how to convince people to buy my products. I was quite desperate and a little ambitious. I wanted so hard to come out of poverty. I discovered in this experience that Young African’s, could create wealth for themselves if only we made use of the opportunities around us.

However, we need to be more daring in engaging projects that will solve the most intractable problems.  The latter comes with its own complexities, regulations, standards laws, financial requirements and human capital. Yes, young Africans can create wealth, but it requires an enabling environment.

This is why I am contributing my finances, free time and other resources to strengthen and enable young entrepreneurs, techies and change makers in Cameroon. 

 How did you know when you had the right idea?

When young entrepreneurs started flooding Jongo Hub. When we saw ourselves adding value and enabling young entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams. It was our results that kept me going, that assured me that I was at the right track.

If there was a formula for entrepreneurship in Africa, what would it look like?

Shut down all colonial institutions and curricula. Re-vamp Afrocentric education using mentor-ship and apprenticeship. Create specialised industries and market connected hubs to raise the skill set of  Africa’s workforce. This will transmute western philosophy and imbibe  our African Youth with a new consciousness.  This is the formula for an innovative, entrepreneurial and transformed Africa.

Are you happy with what you have created – What would you change?

I fill very unsatisfied with my achievements . I believe I can go faster reshaping one African at a time. I am desperate to change the African narrative.

What are some of the mistakes you wished you could’ve avoided?

If I had joined a tailoring workshop,  or an auto mechanic garage for the 14 years I spent from primary school to high school, I probably would have been able to be the best fashion designer or car fabricator today. I think adopting colonial education delayed my growth and hindered and retarded my innovative potentials

How did you build your team?

Most of my team members came in through volunteering. Some joined my vision to partner as a way of giving back. Then we used our co-working approach, got in experts who mentored the entire team to function with our vision.

How did you handle adversity and doubt?

This was anticipated . When it came I had already built a shield. My motivation to achieve success was bigger than adversity and doubts.

What are your intentions for Jongo Hub?

We are now opening up to new partners , via social franchising. We are looking for people who want to join our movement . You can establish Jongo Hub, in your community today.