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This is an experience shared by Strive Musiyiwa, a globally renowned business mogul, on the model by Mauritius-a country without mineral resources- to become one of the five biggest economy in Africa.

Being business-minded...
__It can become a national culture.

Many years ago, I was on holiday on the tiny island nation of Mauritius. Not long after I arrived, I set out to understand how its economy ticks and its key drivers. I do this all the time, wherever I go.

First of all, I had a good look at its economic data: Very impressive... Wow!

It's in the top five African countries when measured in terms of GDP per capita. Currently, it's measured at about $9100 (per citizen). Not distorted by a major mineral like oil or diamonds, this is a very meaningful measure in their case.

I don't want to get into a major economic or political debate because that's not the purpose of this platform. I know the population at 1.26m might seem very small for a case analysis but I want to share with you one anecdotal story that's relevant regardless.

One day, I asked the hotel to give me a car and driver as I wanted to tour the island on my own. For an entire week, a young Mauritian driver would pitch up at my hotel and take me around. Having realized what I was interested in, he began to make suggestions...

"Today, Mr Masiyiwa, I want to show you our diamond industry," he said excitedly.

"You have a diamond industry?" I asked surprised. "My studies show that you have no minerals in this country?"

"We don't mine; we cut and polish. Here we are like the Japanese. We don't have minerals, so we buy raw diamonds, cut them and polish. You make more money that way," he said.

"Can you take me there?" I asked quietly.

On another occasion, I asked him for a place I could stop to eat and he drove me to a very expensive restaurant. I asked him why he had taken me to the most expensive place!

"Our economy, sir, is tourism. We need you to spend as much money as possible when you're here. If I take you to a cheap restaurant, it's not as good for Mauritius."

Then he added apologetically, "I can take you somewhere cheaper, if you like?"

"No, it's ok, let's help Mauritius."

"After lunch, I will take you to Cybercity, sir."

Back at the hotel, the hotel manager said to me, "Did your driver show you Cybercity? That's our future, sir. We want to go into IT, as a country," he said proudly.

"I have seen Cybercity. It's an amazing vision."

"Will you invest, sir? If you like, I can arrange someone from our Ministry of Industry to come and see you? Should I arrange?"

As soon as that holiday was over, I sent a team to begin the process of setting up a big office in Mauritius. We went to Cybercity. Soon we were joined there by some of the largest companies in the world.

Years later, I shared the story with a friend who was also a businessman, and a huge investor in Mauritius.

"So, they did that to you as well?" he asked. "They are absolutely obsessive about getting investment into their country. That's how they turned a nation that was essentially a sugarcane plantation into one of the wealthiest African nations."

Here the cab driver knew and had been drilled that they must encourage tourists to spend money. The hotel manager was also at work encouraging investment.

And they had pitched to the right guy... Have I mentioned before that I'm an entrepreneurial tourist?

# I look at needs in that community that an entrepreneur could help solve.

# I look at solutions being used there that could work somewhere else...
Imagine if every taxi driver and hotel manager in Africa met visitors with such business-minded vision for their countries...

Let's be smart. A mindset doesn't cost a cent to change!

End.
- Strive Musiyiwa

I believe if Nigeria & every Nigerian adopts this model, Nigeria will become one of the biggest economy in the world with unemployment and poverty reduced significantly to low figures.

what is exactly is the model you want us to adopt in this write up? just for clarity sake can you enlighten me @ op. thanks
1: is it the buying of raw diamond and refining? because they dont have mineral resources but we have, we have not even refined our crude yet
2: is it the push for tourism, Mauritius is a small and beautiful island infact its a wondaland thats y tourist flock there, that one no fit work for here there is nothing here that is encouraging with regards tourism.. do you know @op that Rwanda rakes in hungreds of millions of dollars from mere gorilla tracking, but in Nigeria nothing....

nothing dey for us to copy there except you are talking about an orientation of citizens on govt. plans and policy ehen that one fit work.

LogicStatement:
This is an experience shared by Strive Musiyiwa, a globally renowned business mogul, on the model by Mauritius-a country without mineral resources- to become one of the five biggest economy in Africa.

I believe if Nigeria & every Nigerian adopts this model, Nigeria will become one of the biggest economy in the world with unemployment and poverty reduced significantly to low figures.

the fact is that every citizen is in on the Mauritius dream, but in Nigeria u get bad experience s from the airport to the hotels with everyone having a chip on their shoulder and everyone trying to rip u off,its Nigeria it is self,in Mauritius it is country first

okoliexpress:
what is exactly is the model you want us to adopt in this write up? just for clarity sake can you enlighten me @ op. thanks
1: is it the buying of raw diamond and refining? because they dont have mineral resources but we have, we have not even refined our crude yet
2: is it the push for tourism, Mauritius is a small and beautiful island infact its a wondaland thats y tourist flock there, that one no fit work for here there is nothing here that is encouraging with regards tourism.. do you know @op that Rwanda rakes in hungreds of millions of dollars from mere gorilla tracking, but in Nigeria nothing....

nothing dey for us to copy there except you are talking about an orientation of citizens on govt. plans and policy ehen that one fit work.

Though ehie has tried to answer your question up there but let me say that the model i'm referring to here is a model of citizen ownership of the country. Just like in Mauritius, every citizen of the country is well groomed on how to convince tourists & foreigners to invest in their country. Every citizen sees Mauritius as his own project that must develop. They all understand that when money is spent in the country by these foreigners, it boost the economy & everyone benefits.
If Nigeria adopts this where all citizens are concerned & play their role to convince foreigners to invest in Nigeria & Nigerian citizens too invest their money here instead of stacking it in foreign countries, Nigeria will be better of

okoliexpress:
what is exactly is the model you want us to adopt in this write up? just for clarity sake can you enlighten me @ op. thanks
1: is it the buying of raw diamond and refining? because they dont have mineral resources but we have, we have not even refined our crude yet
2: is it the push for tourism, Mauritius is a small and beautiful island infact its a wondaland thats y tourist flock there, that one no fit work for here there is nothing here that is encouraging with regards tourism.. do you know @op that Rwanda rakes in hungreds of millions of dollars from mere gorilla tracking, but in Nigeria nothing....

nothing dey for us to copy there except you are talking about an orientation of citizens on govt. plans and policy ehen that one fit work.

In a nutshell the lesson is that the nation's policies and goals are so simple that the ordinary Mauritians understands where the nation is headed and how they intend to achieve that goal.

Go to Nigeria and ask even those around the corridor of power what is our nation's economic policy and how we intend to achieve that? You will be surprised that nobody knows let alone a taxi driver or random hotel manager.

woodcook:
In a nutshell the lesson is that the nation's policies and goals are so simple that the ordinary Mauritians understands where the nation is headed and how they intend to achieve that goal.


Go to Nigeria and ask even those around the corridor of power what is our nation's economic policy and how we intend to achieve that? You will be surprised that nobody knows let alone a taxi driver or random hotel manager.

Correct! In summary, if the government can incorporate every Nigerian- the taxi driver, hoteliers, restauranteurs, students, road side traders, academics etc & orientate them to see Nigeria as their pet project that way, every Nigerian will become an ambassador of the country & help to attract investors whenever they come across them.