For many African countries it has been several decades since the attainment of what Jean-Jacques Dessalines termed, on declaring independence in Haiti in 1804, ‘the first of all blessings’.  However, since achieving its political freedom, the debate rages on about who is responsible for Africa’s unique position as the only continent to have grown poorer in the last two decades. 

Irrespective of who is to blame and who should therefore now sort things out, one thing remains clear.  Africa is everybody’s business.  Those in the West who may want to leave Africa alone are witnessing the continued and steady migration of that continent’s citizens into their own towns and cities.  What happens in Africa will continue to have a visible and direct impact on the rest of the world and, therefore, Africa matters.

To reverse the current flow of professional skills and expertise out of the continent, our mission is to work with those who understand that Africa matters and who stand ready to share their skills, experience and energy to make Africa a place that attracts business and generates a return on investment. Our focus is on skills development, capacity building and best practice in management because we recognise that Africa will only truly be everyone’s business when it is seen as the place to do business. 

At the heart of every business are its people.  In this issue we investigate recent activities in training and development on the continent and highlight some of the work Interims for Development is doing to build the skills and capacity of Africa’s professional base.  Putting people first is critical, for where people lead, business follows.