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Kilometre51 To launch African road trip series

By Henry Ekemezie
24 March 2018   |   4:25 am
CLIQIT has announced its forthcoming Pan African road trip series dubbed “Kilometre 51” scheduled to hold on March 29 – April 19 2018.

CLIQIT has announced its forthcoming Pan African road trip series dubbed “Kilometre 51” scheduled to hold on March 29 – April 19 2018.

The road trip series is aimed at creating a borderless Africa that is united by trade and deliberate synergies to showcase Africa to the world.

Gerald Konwea, Head of Kilometre51, said, the initiative is a youth centric event, which is designed to promote regional youth interaction, and also to feature town hall engagements at University campuses in various countries in the event route.

May we meet you?
My name is Gerald konwea and I am a business development consultant. I head CLIQIT, the mother company that has a number of subs under it.

What is Kilometre 51?
KM51 is a youth initiative that aims to create a borderless Africa United by deliberate synergies. We have thought to execute a road trip to engage the local community on our route with a number of talk and action events that will go on to showcase the realities on the ground.

What are the roles played by this organization?
KM51 is yet to be executed but in terms of the roles we intend to play, which are actually Pan African, KM51 will be at the centre of the development of a youth centric economic growth and development blueprint that will spotlight technology, girls education and infrastructure. Though for profit, our activities will engage the public, private and civil society sectors – directly. Further information and enquiries can be found on our new launched website, which is www.kilometre51.africa

What are the essential features of this Initiative?
The actual road trip in itself and the events that engage the locals in our route. That is a demonstration of the vision of a borderless Africa. The program was designed to, on its own, show that it is possible to wake up and literally drive to any country in Africa for business or pleasure.

How long has this organization been running?
KM51 as an initiative is still under a year but CLIQIT, the mother company, has accumulated 6 years.

Firstly, executing anything in Nigeria, especially as a first, is hard. Secondly to do it across multiple African countries is stuff for the gods and so I’d first congratulate my amazing team.

You see, when I first conceived the idea of a borderless Africa united by deliberate synergies; it was both fascinating and impossible for different people. Many thought it was impossible simply because of the age demographic of the team. But regardless of the doubts, the No’s fueled our drive. We became more aggressive, we pushed harder and walked into presidential palaces and 3 weeks to show time, we are proud of how far we’ve come.

What have been the challenges So far?
The challenges young people face on the continent are similar to those that limit women, globally. Challenges that laugh at youths who envision a borderless Africa, challenges that bar them from top jobs, the ones that inhibit them from accessing finance and the ones that make electable positions incognito. These challenges are the focus for Kilometre 51.

In what way can it make impact in the society at large?
You would be amazed. The ripple effect of the project touches various fabrics of society. In summary, KM51 will develop the youth capital base of the continent intellectually. Then it will help SME’s grow especially by giving them access to new markets and opportunities. One other way I see this impacting Africa is that it will actually reverse the brain drain to other continents. On migration, it will address the fatal migration of youths across the Mediterranean, as more youths will see that there are more opportunities in their neighboring countries that are easier to access than paying to embark on a treacherous journey.

How can businesses/governmental organization be able to contribute to enhance this initiative?
First off, there is the development of an economic blueprint that is youth focused and spotlights tech and infrastructure and it has a cycle for assessment and redesign. Governments play a role here by making it possible for youths in their countries to participate as every African youth intern reflects the reality on the ground in their home countries and comes to the process hoping to build synergies that can impact positively back home.

However, It is after development that CSOs and NGOs can come in to alert government in the need to match laws to specific action points in the blueprint.

Lastly, as we journey and interact with government and locals, we will build a healthy database of businesses across the continent that the private sector can target for both CSR and business.

Any word of encouragement for the upcoming youths?
The government has failed us but we have to succeed in spite of that. America was built in 30 years. Not by the government but by a bunch of relentless and resilient Americans who saw the future. The private sector built America and helped shape the laws, so to ensure for a better future in Africa we have to start working towards that instead of letting the government ruin our lives.

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