Some toddlers like to punch above their weight. Although at ReConnect Africa we are just two years old, we like to think that this labour of love is making a difference.

Today, ReConnect Africa.com receives thousands of hits per day and on the Alexa Traffic Rank (an online service that measures the approximate traffic for millions of sites on the Internet) the website ReConnect Africa.com has a ranking of 1,496,755 which places us in the top 12.47% of all web sites.

Over the past two years:

“Some toddlers like to punch above their weight. Although at ReConnect Africa we are only two years old, we like to think that this labour of love is making a difference.”

Why do we Matter?

African professionals matter. We matter because, as a highly educated group - a recent census report reveals that black Africans are now the most highly educated members of British society, with over 26% holding academic qualifications higher than "A" or college levels - we have made and continue to make advancements into all sectors of employment; law, business, journalism, medicine, accounting and other professional fields.

We earn money that we choose to invest in both profitable and socially rewarding areas, be it housing, cars, food, health, clothing, family care and leisure. We are active users and browsers of the Internet and the products and services that it makes available. And, critically, we have a personal, consistent and real interest in the stability and success of Africa.

What this means is that, for businesses, Africa’s professionals – both within the continent and around the world - are pivotal customers, consumers and talent.

Bringing Africans and Opportunities Together

So where do we go from here? Our objective is to build on our success to date by promoting the unique and essential platform that ReConnect Africa offers. Today we are witnessing diverse population growth trends in the UK and across developed markets that are changing the economic landscape. These changes in ethnic demographics are serving to highlight the increasing significance of diverse communities. Both as consumers and as talent, professionals of African origin offer a significant contribution to the bottom line of any business seeking growth in today’s global markets.

With our focus on the needs of this particular group, we plan over the coming months to reach out to employers, organisations and individuals whether in the UK, Africa or elsewhere around the world, inviting them to bring their opportunities to the attention of our readers.

“Both as consumers and as talent, professionals of African origin offer a significant contribution to the bottom line of any business seeking growth in today’s global markets.”

Stakeholders in the Success of Africa’s Professionals

We encourage our readers to share ReConnect Africa with friends and contacts and to help build a community of professionals ready and willing to connect to each other for the benefit of us all.

We send our sincere thanks to our clients, contributors, subscribers, web team and friends and all those who have helped to support our efforts over the past two years. Your feedback has helped us to improve our service and we ask you to continue letting us know what we are doing well and where we could be doing better.

As we enter our third year, we know that together, as stakeholders in the success of African professionals everywhere, we will meet the challenges of changing perceptions and highlighting the best of Africa - wherever we are.

In This Issue

In this month’s ReConnect Africa magazine, we take a look at how Trivantis is leading the way in eLearning in Africa as a means of training and building skills in Africa. As Sierra Leone focuses on the challenges of post-conflict reconstruction and development, we speak to Georgina Awoonor-Gordon about how the Sierra Leone Diaspora is promoting investment in the country.

With the economic climate signalling competitive times ahead in the job market, leading careers coach Peter Cobbe offers some vital tips on how to handle a telephone interview. If the thought of watching fantastic live music on a beach in Malawi offers a more tempting prospect than your daily 9-5, make sure you read about the forthcoming Lake of Stars 2008 and book your ticket early!

The delightful Foluke Akinlose is the subject of this month’s ‘5 Minute Interview’ and she shares her story of how spotting a niche in the market can yield positive results. Our Career Coach tackles the question of how to deal with lying on your CV and we look back through our ReConnect Africa Archives to re-visit our article on Touring Tanzania.

Thank you to our many friends who have sent us messages of congratulations on our second birthday and we share a selection with you.

As ever, we report on news from the UK and around the world and bring you an overview of news and business from across the African continent. Finally, don’t forget to check out what’s happening in May in our Events section.

ReConnect Africa Members’ Forum

What’s making you angry/thoughtful/happy? What would you like to share with other readers of ReConnect Africa? Post your comments or give some advice to other members on our free ReConnect Africa Forum.

Thank you to those of you who have registered onto the Forum and posted your comments; if you haven’t yet joined, why don’t you do so today?.

Enjoy this anniversary issue - and write in and share your comments!