The unexplored resources of East Africa

Talent is God given and, often than not, people do not realise their talents and end up not using them to better themselves and the society at large. Talent ranges from sporting to artistry and there are so many ways that we have left this reality to be a chain of broken dreams.These talents can be tapped to contribute a great deal in the country’s economy and growth. We have to appreciate the fact that not all human beings can perform in academics and hence consideration of where they go after their struggle in school should be factored in place.Most of these untapped talents are unexplored resources. It is, therefore, time to identify these talents and maximize on their strength to better them. Watching the Rwanda Day held in Boston some weeks ago, I was amazed at the cultural renditions that were displayed.Blame me for having a myopic view of the Rwandans’ talents but, for sure, I represent a high percentage out there who reason as I did before. This is because there are very few forums that you will encounter these marvellous talents of Rwanda.The world development report 2013 shows that youth`s challenge alone is staggering. More than 620 million young people are neither working nor studying. Yet this bunch of the unemployed has talents unexplored and those who are aware lack the necessary avenues to see them to glory. Something has to be done and done urgently, or else these brains will just be as good as not having them. The formula of transforming these talents into the resources is right here with us yet we seem not to have a clear insight to this.These are sources of employment that should supplement the ones the government has provided and continues to create. I have a whole list to prove my point.McDonald Mariga, Kenya’s midfielder and first East African player to play in top class European soccer, drives one of the best and most expensive cars in the region and earns millions of dollars for his magic foot yet his scholastic journey came to an abrupt end at the secondary level.Kipchoge Keino, Kenya’s legendary runner and world-renowned long distance champion, is one of the richest men in the fourth largest city in Kenya with a high cost school, training ground and posh real estates in the town all as a result of his well paying talent.Closer to home, Uganda’s song bird Juliana has blended the blaring air with sweet tunes walking to the bank with a very heavy cheque. Just our very own Alpha Rwirangira won the Tusker Project Fame season three, pocketing a cash award of Rwf40,000,000 with a recording deal, a life insurance policy plus a university scholarship.“A good job can change a person’s life, and the right jobs can transform entire societies. Governments need to move jobs to centre stage to promote prosperity and fight poverty,” says World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim.The challenge that we now have is on how to tap these talents. Easy! Talents academy is the way to go. The iron is red hot, let’s together strike it. The time is not now but right now. We got to go to schools and higher learning institutions to tap this talent keeping in mind the greatest boxer, Mike Tyson was picked from the streets.It is out of this rags that a beautiful garment has to be patched up for people far and near to admire it. Talent is the right job, society be ready for the transformation that is from us, by us and for us.The 20th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships where Rwanda finished sixth in the world are a clear indicator of good things to come. All these require hard work, positive attitude and a conducive environment. The ball is with you, you may choose to score the winning goal or otherwise.