Indeed, from the very beginning, I wanted to tell a story about Africans returning from the Diaspora to create wealth, not to fight poverty. I wanted the business to be part of the new economy, not traditional ones such as agriculture or extractive mineral industries. It couldn’t be about manufacturing or micro credit. No, I wanted something that would be a potential game changer in Africa.

I believe we’ve found it. SW Global is that company and what they’re doing in Nigeria might change the economic landscape for that country and perhaps the entire region. At the heart of what they’re doing is the creating of accountable and accurate digital identities that allow Nigerians to begin to participate in the formal economy. No one can get on line and purchase goods in Africa and that means the costs are inflated (sometimes two and three times what we pay here in the US) and black markets evolve.

I’m excited and confident that the film will be made. I knew it was an important film. Now, I’m confident it’s going to be a good one.

As soon as we got to the location, I climbed up the stairs of a pedestrian overpass to get a good view of the crowded market entrance.  It was a perfect perch, human energy, like a bee hive below, with enough distance (and a long enough zoom) to capture lots of cool moments.  Then after a week of hitchless shooting, two of the screws that hold the plate on the Sony Ex 1 fell out and were gone into the street below.  There were two left but it was insufficient to hold the camera down.  At first, I tried using the tripod to balance the camera, but it was really impossible. Exasperated I dismounted the plate and began trying to tighten the remaining screws, each the size of a pin head. Amanda and my partner from SW Global, Anita Nomah suggested they go look for a screwdriver in the market which struck me as looking for a needle in a haystack.

At this moment, a young man who had been watching me for the past ten minutes approached.  After a quick glance at the camera he said, “let me see if I an help” and he reached into his bag which unexpectedly contained a set of well used tools.  He then pulled out a mini screwdriver that fit perfectly and in a few seconds all was fixed.

People here are poised for opportunities and ready to work hard when they come and deeply grateful when that ingenuity is appropriately rewarded.

Something like a metaphor….