A moment with a man whose journey had inspired my thinking about Africa.

In 2019, Strive Masiyiwa and Bishop T.D. Jakes were in Nairobi for the inaugural SOAR Africa Leadership & Entrepreneurship Summit, which featured a fireside chat at the iconic Villa Rosa Kempinski.

Like many Africans, I had followed Strive Masiyiwa 's entrepreneurial journey with deep admiration.

His boldness.

His pioneering spirit.

His refusal to accept the limits that had been placed on Africa.

So when I heard he was in town, I made a decision:

I had to be in that room.

It cost KES 75,000 (about USD 750 at the time) just to be there.

But it didn’t matter.

I had to be there.

But I didn’t just want to attend.

I wanted to honor him.

One of my mentees helped me prepare a special gift - a portrait of Strive made entirely from nails and threads on a wooden art panel.

A remarkable piece of art.

The problem was…

I had no idea whether I would even get close enough to give it to him.

I had no appointment.

No introduction.

Just conviction.

After the event, as he was heading toward the lifts, I gathered my courage and approached him.

He stopped.

He listened.

He smiled.

He accepted the gift.

We shook hands.

The interaction lasted less than a minute.

But something about that moment stayed with me.

It reminded me that Africa moves forward because some people dare to build where no path exists.

Strive Masiyiwa is one of those people.

Strive Masiyiwa represents a generation of Africans who refused to accept limitations and instead built institutions that changed the continent.

Strive Masiyiwa ’s journey demonstrated that African entrepreneurs and professionals can build organizations that operate at global scale while solving African problems.

Fast forward seven years later.

I return to the same venue - Villa Rosa Kempinski - not as an attendee, but to launch a body of work that has been shaped by over 25 years of experience in Africa’s pension ecosystem.

📖 The Practitioner’s Guide to Pension Administration

A 640-page first-of-its-kind Pan-African practitioner reference that integrates Governance, Administration, Investments, Financial management, Compliance, Technology, Data management and Member outcomes into a unified professional framework.

A guide engineered to be more than a book.

A guide engineered to be a catalyst.

A catalyst of a movement.

A movement with the potential to leapfrog Africa past the rest of the world through a custom, Africa-first pension framework - much like M-Pesa transformed financial access.

Deepening financial inclusion.

Strengthening social protection.

Accelerating wealth creation.

Enabling dignified retirement for hundreds of millions of African workers across both the formal and informal sectors.

And serving as a practical resource to support the professionalization and strengthening of pension ecosystems across Africa.

Looking back, I now realize something powerful:

Sometimes a simple encounter becomes a seed.

A seed that grows quietly for years.

Until one day…

You find yourself returning to the same place - not to watch history being made.

But to contribute to it.

Strive Masiyiwa , thank you for showing us what Pan-African boldness looks like.

Many of us are building today because you proved it was possible.

And the journey continues.

As Africa continues to deepen its financial systems, strong pension institutions will play a critical role in long-term capital formation, financial security, and intergenerational prosperity.

In many ways, leaders like Strive Masiyiwa showed us what is possible when bold vision meets disciplined execution.

This book is my small contribution toward building the next generation of resilient pension institutions across Africa.

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