COVID-19 has put us at the crossroads: is there a way back to “normal”?
Due to the coronavirus, we are facing a mounting crisis. More than a third of humanity – 3 billion people – is on mandatory lockdown. People are not only losing jobs and chances to connect with their communities – they are disconnected from the wealth-creation process and lack tools for making a living on their own. They are losing hope that something or somebody out there can help. They are trapped.
While most of us don’t know exactly how the situation will unfold, one thing is becoming clear. The world will not go back to “normal” as our “normal” does not seem to hold water. There are some very important lessons to learn and we had better listen closely.
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What is the current situation trying to teach us?
Unlike any other time in history, we now see how interdependent we all are – from Asia to the Americas, from animals to human beings, from the air we breathe to the amount of freedom we have. We also see how unprepared our existing system is, how insecure we can all become if something doesn’t go as planned. As we grow even more reliant on the existing centralized support and coordination mechanisms, we question if it even makes sense to stick to those mechanisms – or are we better off on our own? There is no doubt that something must be changed.
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Leveraging technology to change the status quo and regain control
The need to collaborate and exchange value offline through centralized intermediaries is one of the core reasons why we feel so vulnerable at times like this. We simply have no tools to take care of ourselves. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, there have already been many moments in history that proved to us how much our collaboration can be improved if we leverage technology – take the advent of the internet!
Internet = borderless information exchange
One of the biggest shifts in humanity’s productivity and development was when the internet became accessible. We learned to digitize information and instantly share it with anybody on the globe. It allowed humanity to get together as one team and exchange wisdom without borders. It boosted human advancement and lifted us to a new level of common knowledge. But most importantly – it acted as a stepping stone into the next level of exchange: the exchange of value.
Blockchain = borderless value exchange & collaboration
The recent advent of blockchain and tokenization suggests that it’s time to move forward. We already have the tech required to digitize value – not just information about it. We could digitize our work efforts, our money transfers, our assets – and truly own and exchange them through a trustless decentralized system. Not through sleepy bank clerks or greedy platforms that set unfair policies to benefit themselves. Not anymore.
But in order to get there, we have to boost digital transformation and embrace new digital tools, like the ones we’re creating at Ubuntu Tribe. Digital transformation and a shift to decentralized value exchange is what will make communities around the world more resilient and autonomous.
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How can Ubuntu Tribe Help?
We have been backing the vision of free value transfer and digitalization since our inception 3 years ago. Now we’re going the last mile to bring it to life.
The main principle of Ubuntu is “I am because we are”
Following the African wisdom of Ubuntu – meaning “I am because we are”, “Humanity”, “A universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity” – the high-level goal of what we do is to make the principle of the interconnectedness of the world’s components inherent to people’s economic and financial behavior.
How can we do it? By building in particular impact mechanisms into our solutions and let people manage their own wealth and collaborate digitally and securely. We also democratize access to gold – history’s safest asset and a protection mechanism in times like today – by tokenizing and selling it for as little as 5 cents to anyone who has an internet connection. More about our solutions can be found on our Solutions page.
Why do we do this? Because we believe that’s a sure way to solve the imminent problems that our capitalist society with highly centralized power is facing. And what we’re witnessing now is further motivation to get there.
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Moreover, we actively spread our vision – including at the WEF 2020 where we officially launched our project
Even though our solutions are not 100% ready yet, we’re already actively spreading our vision. For instance, two months ago we co-hosted Davos Africa Night – an official side event of the WEF 2020 – together with our co-hosts Africa 2.0, Africa10, and Platform Capital and support from our sponsors – Africa50, Vlisco, Smart Africa, and Or Addict.
At the event, we presented the Ubuntu Tribe vision to 1000+ attendees including the top leaders of today. The astonishing feedback we received indicates that the greatest minds of the present think alike and Africa is indeed on the rise while solutions like ours will act as a major boost.
Ubuntu Tribe Project Launch at an official WEF side event that we co-hosted: Davos Africa Night
The main topic of the event followed the title “Making Wakanda a reality: How to Accelerate Africa’s Sustainable Growth through Digital Transformation”. Back then, our aim was to mainly discuss the future of Africa and how new tech can enhance it. But the lenses of today show that Africa is not alone on this journey and we all have a long way to go in the process of digitalization.
Davos Africa Night – an official WEF 2020 side event co-hosted by Ubuntu Tribe
The event was split into two parts: the business section and the inspiration section. The business section of the event hosted truly insightful discussions on Africa’s future led by our world-renowned speakers – from politicians and influencers, such as Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance of Nigeria, Elsie Kanza, Head of Africa at World Economic Forum, or heads of charity organizations – to business leaders, such as Jorge Sebastiao, the CTO of Huawei, or Tara Nathan, the Executive Vice President of Mastercard.
Mr. Joseph Okello, a former-refugee speaking about Refugee Camps
We were honored with high profile guests – counting multiple governmental delegations including from Ghana and Mali as well as a wide array of impact investors, NGO representatives, celebrities, asset managers, and a large tech crowd.
Mamadou Toure (Founder of Ubuntu Tribe) with Charlotte Hogg (CEO, Visa)
But there was one more thing about the Africa Night that you normally don’t expect from a WEF event: it was pure fun and inspiration! The event ended with an amazing vibe and a barefoot executive crowd dancing to the sound of Afrobeat music – led by the Queen Diambi of Congo! Africa Night was pleasantly labeled as one of the best and most authentic events of the entire World Economic Forum week. This is definitely something we like to recall in these bleak times – so make sure to see our videos and pictures and feel the vibes to cheer yourself up!
Mamadou Toure (Founder of Ubuntu Tribe) with Ajaypal Singh Banga (CEO, Mastercard)
Moreover, encouraged by such success, we decided to initiate a bigger movement in Davos next year by opening an entire Africa House for the WEF 2021 in collaboration with Africa10, Africa 2.0, Platform Capital and other prestigious partners. The House will continue the momentum and help us bring Africa back to the map of the world and promote sustainable practices for its inclusive development.
Marion Balandra (Ubuntu Tribe’s Advisor) with Akufo-Addo (President of Ghana)
Summing up, Davos Africa Night marked the beginning of our journey towards stronger coordinated action and making the world a better place.
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Obviously, hosting events is not all we aim to do: we’re ready to act!
As we were preparing to launch our ecosystem, we couldn’t do otherwise than take a step back and remind ourselves of why we engaged in starting the Ubuntu Tribe project in the first place.
Was our goal just to launch another tech solution? No. Our goal was to change the status quo, let people reunite with their Ubuntu, help those left behind.
That’s why, as the virus plunges humanity into a state of fear and uncertainty, we realize that the world really needs Ubuntu now. In this regard, we decided to mark pause on our race to launch and tackle the impending problem at hand, or more specifically – tackle the aspect of the overall problem where least help is being rendered.
Not many people see it but the fear caused by the virus has become even more contagious than the virus itself. This fear is devastating not only in how it affects our emotional state in the time of lockdown but also in how it affects our physical state and depresses our immune systems.
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That’s why we’re about to launch a Global Campaign named «Love Over Fear»
Given the background of our founder, Mamadou Toure, and his connectedness with the world’s leaders, we are very well-positioned to leverage top influencers of the world to unite and show their love and support to those affected by the virus – be it emotionally or physically. At the same time, everybody else is welcome to participate in the spirit of Ubuntu. We challenge the entire humanity to show support to each other and amplify the love frequency around the world to conquer fear together!
Right now, we are engaging with our partners and influencers to finalize the campaign preparations. Once we’re through with this, our Newsletter subscribers will be the first to hear the details.
Mr. Qawasmi has over 30 years experience in Saudi Arabia, and international markets. He is specialized in Strategy, Business
Transformation, Risk Management, BD, M&A, Capital markets and International Economy. Fahad has executed various
projects / transactions in several sectors, e.g. Banking, FMCG, REDF, Healthcare, Education, Telecommunications, etc. and has
established a solid business network in KSA.
Mr. Qawasmi has held various positions through out his career from Senior consultant with Andersen Consulting in the
Financial Institutions, Sr. Manager with CitiBank and Managing Director for a consulting practice. He specializes in Digital
Transformation, IMS and Central Banking, corporate turnaround, innovation improvement and implementation. Also, in ebanking
services. Retail Banking experience (SHB , ANB, AlJazeera, SAMBA, Al-Fransi)
Mr. Qawasmi went through various training / certifications including Corporate Finance, Risk Management, Strategic Planning,
Credit Risks, Equity Markets, M&A, REIF, Six Sigma, MalcomBaldridge…etc.
Mr. Qawasmi has worked on various transactions in Digital Cash and Crypto Assets, the Real-Estate Industry, ranging
from strategic planning, investments, private placements, advisory for REIF, Real-estate product packaging, placement and
pricing strategies in KSA.
Mr. Qawasmi has a strong exposure in FI, Healthcare, Education, the Real-Estate Market in KSA through structuring various
transactions ranging from Private Placement, exempt offering, advisory, feasibility, structuring several Real-Estate development
companies and advising for major clients.
Fahad Qawasmi
Mr. Qawasmi has over 30 years experience in Saudi Arabia, and international markets. He is specialized in Strategy, Business
Transformation, Risk Management, BD, M&A, Capital markets and International Economy. Fahad has executed various
projects / transactions in several sectors, e.g. Banking, FMCG, REDF, Healthcare, Education, Telecommunications, etc. and has
established a solid business network in KSA.
Mr. Qawasmi has held various positions through out his career from Senior consultant with Andersen Consulting in the
Financial Institutions, Sr. Manager with CitiBank and Managing Director for a consulting practice. He specializes in Digital
Transformation, IMS and Central Banking, corporate turnaround, innovation improvement and implementation. Also, in ebanking
services. Retail Banking experience (SHB , ANB, AlJazeera, SAMBA, Al-Fransi)
Mr. Qawasmi went through various training / certifications including Corporate Finance, Risk Management, Strategic Planning,
Credit Risks, Equity Markets, M&A, REIF, Six Sigma, MalcomBaldridge…etc.
Mr. Qawasmi has worked on various transactions in Digital Cash and Crypto Assets, the Real-Estate Industry, ranging
from strategic planning, investments, private placements, advisory for REIF, Real-estate product packaging, placement and
pricing strategies in KSA.
Mr. Qawasmi has a strong exposure in FI, Healthcare, Education, the Real-Estate Market in KSA through structuring various
transactions ranging from Private Placement, exempt offering, advisory, feasibility, structuring several Real-Estate development
companies and advising for major clients.
James Aggrey-Orleans
Carlin has more than 17 years of work experience across the Human Capital spectrum from Project Management, Talent Management, Leadership Development & Strategic Planning within the automotive sector, management consulting and financial services sector. Her experiences ranges within the German, Spanish and Pan African Market and She has an Executive Masters from IE Business School in Strategy.
Aïssa Touré
Aïssa is a La Sorbonne alumni with 12+ years as legal counsel and business partner in the media industry (IP, commercial contracts, marketing activities, advertising regulation, rights acquisition, regulatory and compliance). She has International legal expertise in intellectual property, commercial contracts, marketing activities, regulatory and compliance. She has also conducted commercial and legal strategies for various lobbies and national governments and has experience in building consensus across cross-functional stakeholders. Her legal counsel expertise includes experience in working for the International Olympic Committee and M6.
Thibault Verbiest
Chief Regulatory attorney (Paris and Brussels Bars),
former Head of EU affairs at Diginex
World Bank
European Blockchain Observatory & Forum
Dinis Guarda
Recognized in various top 100% / 10% / 1% lists, including Most Influential People in Fintech / Blockchain / Social media / Insurtech / AI.
Lychelle Lill
Lychelle is a forward thinking CEO offering progressively advanced experience in overseeing operations, driving business strategy, and overhauling distribution networks. She is highly proficient in business development and strategic planning resulting in consistent growth and profitability. She is a proven leader with a track record of effective communication, client relationship building and achievement of sales goals.
Juliet Su
– Ambassador/official representative in Asia for RACIB (Russian Association for Cryptoindustry and Blockchain)
– Co-founder and CEO of Eurasian Center of Innovation and Digital Economy – under the initiative “One Belt One Road”
– World Blockchain Invest Alliance strategic advisor
Chidiogo Akunyili
Chidiogo Akunyili is the Founder of She ROARs – Reimagining Our Africa Rising —a Pan-African community empowering women to unleash their full potential and that of the continent. She is a writer, storyteller, and movement builder who is impacting global narrative based on her belief and championship of the power of people to change the world. Her philosophy is founded on the humanist African concept of Ubuntu — ‘I am because you are. You are because we are’ — upholding and celebrating our shared humanity.
Jorge Sebastiao
Originally from Portugal, Jorge has lived in many countries, speaks at least 6 languages, and is a seasoned ICT Expert in areas of Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cloud Computing & managed services focused on business value.
Advisor for Dubai Government Blockchain Association, Executive Board Member for Global Blockchain association. Former CTO for Huawei; former Regional VP for EMC.
Seung-eun Myung
Founding VentureSquare in August 2010, Mr. Myung is now helping IT startups in Korea grow by creating a community which brings together experts, investors and entrepreneurs to share information and form connections. He has featured as a regular guest on numerous media channels, including mainstream Korean networks such as SBS, KBS and MBC.
Rico Pang
– Founder and CEO of SANCTUM Group
– STO Strategic Advisor of SGH Global
– Advisor of Security Token Alliance
– Former Supply Chain Manager at Rio Tinto
David Ellingotn
David Ellington
Founder & Executive Chairman of the Silicon Valley Blockchain Society (SVBS)
Managing Partner of Emory Capital Group, a family office.
Former Trustee and Commissioner on the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS) Board.
Tavonia Evans
– Global Tech Expert
– Founder/CEO, $Guap Coin
– CEO, She Interactive
– Creative Director/Sr. Developer, The Knechtek Group
Oliver Lienhard
– CTO of core-chain.io
– Business information scientist and blockchain expert.
– 20+ years of experience in IT and Cloud Computing, Blockchain technology, Linux, open source projects, SAP and Cloud Computing.
Sir Sam Jonah
– Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital Limited
– Member of Bank of America’s Global Advisory Council
– Former CEO of Ashanti Goldfields, the first operating African company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange
– Founding Member The United Nations Secretary General’s Global Compact Advisory Council
– Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE).
Mamadou Toure
Mamadou is Chairman and Founder of Ubuntu Capital, a leading Investment and Advisory firm focused on designing and implementing integrated innovative investment solutions uplifting projects ecosystems. He is also Founder and Chairman of Africa 2.0 Foundation, an initiative-driven advocacy group present in 30+ countries gathering emerging leaders representing African countries and the Diaspora. Over the last 15 years, he has worked on advisory assignments and various investment transactions in more than 26 African countries driving growth on the continent and leading a total value of transactions exceeding US $30 billion.
Roselyn Gicira-Mwangi
– Chairperson, Blockchain Association of Kenya
– Director of Azuri Blockchain Consultants
– Former UN Women, East and Horn of Africa
– Former Director of HeadWorld Links Ltd.
Sir Anthony Ritossa
– Chairman of the Ritossa Family Office
– Founder of the Global Family Office Investment Summit series
– Former senior executive at Nomura, Barclays Capital, Morgan Stanley, BNP Paribas, Bankers Trust (acquired by Deutsche Bank)
Christian de Faria
– MD of Manuel Telecom Consult Limited
– Former VP of Orange Middle East and Africa
– Former Chief Commercial Officer of MTN Group
– Former CEO and Executive Chairman of Airtel Africa
Ndaba Mandela
– Chairman and Co-Founder, Africa Rising Foundation
– MD at Rebel Soul Entertainment
– Founder of the Mandela Institute for Humanity
Andrey Onoprienko
– Owner and President of leading Ukrainian industrial construction and property development company, Avista Holding Company
– Former Country Business Manager of Ukraine at Lundin Petroleum
-Former Head of R&D, Applied Math, System Management and Performance Improvement at Sonatrach (Algeria)
Kojo Annan
– Founder of Vector Global
– Founder of Africa10
– Founder Meridian Port Services
– Executive Chairman of Made In Africa Foundation
Meron Demisse
Ms. Demisse has over a decade of experience in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and strategic partnerships.
She works with organizations in developing key relationships and enhancing CSR programs. Ms. Demisse is also the Founder & CEO of Culture & Conversations on AfricaTM, a premier platform to enable thoughtful dialogue and enable collaboration around the trends impacting the African continent.
David Ellington
– Founder & Executive Chairman of the Silicon Valley Blockchain Society (SVBS)
– Managing Partner of Emory Capital Group, a family office.
– Former Trustee and Commissioner on the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS) Board.
Ben Bartlett
– Partner at Tackett Bartlett LLP
– Former vice mayor of Berkeley, CA
– Member of the California Blockchain Working Group.
– Architect of the blockchain powered Microbonds
– Author of the “Smart Path” blockchain investment thesis.
Rik Willard
– Founder and Managing Director of Agentic Group a federation of over 50 blockchain companies
– CEO of Global Blockchain Technologies, publicly traded on the Toronto and Tokyo Stock Exchanges,
– co-founding member of the Silicon Valley Blockchain Society in San Francisco.
Annie-Laure Fernandez Unsworth
Zürich based Holistic life coach that combines Traditional Chinese Medicine with many other intuitive, and spiritual practices. Her inner/ outer, as above so below approach aligns being with doing, fostering balance between purpose and impactful action.
Roger Haiat
– Head of Department at Metallgesellschaft AG, previous world leader in trading
– CEO of LPH Trading, the main subsidiary of the British Guinness Peat group, specialized in the trade of physical metals
– Former CEO of Contimine SA, a Lausanne- based company active in the trade of physical gold products,
– Haiat was also director of DWA Associates, London’s first junior mining finance boutique. – Co-founder, shareholder and director of IC- Fineval, Imperial College Royal School of Mines, supplier/consultant in the field of mining software
– Shareholder and Director of New Diamond Corp (South Africa), and Platexco Platinum, South Africa
Michael Gasner
– CEO of WINDAGE AG
– Former CEO of iov42
– Former Executive Sponsor and spokesperson for Digitization on Cisco’s EMEAR leadership team
– Former Senior Vice President Central-Eastern Europe, Russia and CIS at Cisco
Jeffrey Rhodes
– Principal Consultant – RAKGOLD
– Founder and Managing Consultant Rhodes Precious Metals Consultancy DMCC
– Head of Trading for Aurum Monaco and Co-Founder
– He has a 40-year career in the global precious metals industry, working on four continents for major investment banks and financial institutions
Yanling Duan
– Founder and Chairwoman of Davos BlockBase
– DG of heARTech Fund
– Council Member of Davos Digital Future Summit
– Chairperson of Open Heart Design Alliance Foundation
Gerhard Schubert
– 2018 marked his 40’s year of involvement in the global bullion markets.
– Founder of Schubert Commodities |Consultancy DMCC in early 2015
– Gerhard Schubert was an active member of the LBMA and LPPM management committee whilst working in London and he joined the Dubai Gold Advisory Gold committee soon after his relocation to Dubai.
– Formerly Gerhard Schubert worked for Fortis Bank nearly 2 years in Hong Kong, followed by a 9 month stint setting up a bullion desk at Fortis Bank New York.
Roland Haggins
– CARICOM Director and Country Manager of Barbados, The Open Application Network
– Course Coordinator at The University of the West Indies
– Vice President, Enterprise Integration and Sales at Bitt
Selim Fendi
Selim, is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the precious metal industry. He founded Alterama, a trading platform of precious metals and Forex; oversaw the setup of a Forex, Oil & Gas and Precious Metals Desk in Geneva; then later founded Noble Precious Metal in Dubai, regulated by the DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities). He’s CEO of Aurum Monaco, the first gold refinery in Monaco since 2016. He was recently nominated for Treasurer of the Watch-Making and Jeweler Chamber of Monaco. He’s also the co-founder of USAVE Blockchain, a Global Tracking Solution, Securing, and Marketing Eco-Responsible Gold, using Blockchain Technology.
Mhamed DALLA
– Senior Advisor to the Minister of Communication Technologies and Digital Economy of Tunisia
– Director of the Startup Africa Program within Smart Africa Alliance
– Former Vice President of the Association of Head of Enterprises of the Tunisian Techno-Parks (ACEPT
Ishmael Diaw
Ishmael is a blockchain evangelist, specialize in bridging the interests of Africa’s Public Sector, Private Sector and Development Finance Institutions. He was recently mandated by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to design the Energy Complex’s blue-chip initiative – the Africa Energy Market Place. He also moonlights for Ubuntu Capital, providing regional advisory services on public and private sector projects across Africa and serves as a core team member of Africa 2.0.