The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT has unveiled a new podcast, “A Legacy of Purpose: Conversations with Dina H. Sherif.”

The newly launched podcast series highlights compelling stories of individual leaders who fostering change by enabling entrepreneurs to prosper across global growth markets.

The first episode is a conversation with Botswana President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, who is leveraging innovation, technology, and strategic partnerships to shape his country’s future.

Masisi delves into his public service career, his leadership beliefs, the kind of leaders Africa needs and importance of making sustainable decisions serving the broader public interest.

He explained the rationale behind his ambitious “Reset and Reclaim” agenda, seeking to unlock Botswana’s potential through innovation and investment in human capital.

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“Africa is proud. It is beautiful, it [has] intelligent people and wonderful resources, it [has] capacity, and it is potentially much more prosperous if not abused,” Dr Masisi averred.

He added, “We are clear. We want innovation. We want to dig in deep, get the very best that we have and can generate, and share it with the world, and the world only owes us a fair price.”

Dr Masisi rejected outdated stereotypes that have long shaped global perceptions of Africa.

“Africa is rich not only in resources but in untapped talent, innovation, and opportunity.

“This negative, condescending narrative of Africa being essentially problematic, deficient in everything of value, is not only false and baseless, [but] it is also determined deliberately as a precursor to conquest. And I want to invite everybody who seeks peace to begin by rejecting that notion.”

He further discussed a number of cutting-edge initiatives:

• The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a future collaboration with the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT to support Botswana in its transition to a knowledge-based economy and establishment as a core African hub for entrepreneurship and innovation.

• A target to increase research and development (R&D) investment to 3% of Botswana’s GDP, reinforcing the country’s commitment to building a future defined by science and technology.

• The launch of a fund to support entrepreneurship and innovation across Africa. This fund will create opportunities for African innovators to scale groundbreaking solutions and position the Continent as an exporter of innovation, as opposed to raw commodities. The fund will be based on a blended financing model and will work in close collaboration with African Governments, philanthropists, DFIs, and bilateral donors to achieve the ultimate goal of an independently prosperous Africa.

The podcast host, Legatum Center Executive Director Dina Sherif, says it will amplify voices of purpose-driven individuals laying the foundation for inclusive, innovation-driven prosperity in Africa and globally.