Is this a Risk Averse Business Model for Undergraduates of the African Diaspora?
By: Laurence Wingo
Tags: Braamfontein, Undergraduate Research, Risk Management, African Diaspora

Is this a Risk Averse Business Model for Undergraduates of the African Diaspora? Laurence Wingo Jan 27·3 min read

On my website under innovative hacks you will see previously attended Major League Hacking events which were freely hosted across the United States for high school and college students. Hackathons are a great resource for students to make friends, meet their future open-source co-founders, and build solutions using digital services from sponsors financially supporting the events. The exciting events have begun to go virtual however larger problems loom over some Pan-African college graduates as a Google search presents that some graduates will clash with employment challenges which may be their only path towards funding independent projects as a innovative entrepreneur. The top five reasons graduates will have a hard time with employment is due to COVID-19 internship cancellations, social issues such as social inequality and gender discrimination, a lack of interest in some University hiring partners, a lack of necessary skills to compete, and lastly small businesses have become risk averse which hinders the innovative aspirations of entry-level prospects. The purpose of this article is to contribute to those conversations in regards to feasible recruitment options as well as share an opportunity with graduates interested in innovation research exploration while also obtaining a postgraduate degree for higher pay.

An interdisciplinary literature review on this topic presented the possibilities of university technology transfer programs assisting students with bringing their developmental research to the market which creates a mutually beneficial relationship with outside organizations and a positive impact towards communities. An educational policy reform and ideological concept of entrepreneurship is currently taking place at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. Former University of Wits Engineering professor and founder of Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, Barry Dwolatzky discusses the educational advancements of South Africa which are rapidly vital to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Listen to the podcast “Optimizing — Leading Africa’s Digital Future” by Professor Barry where he shares in detail his experience in reconnaissance as a professor and engineer assisting the African National Congress to support social change. As you become intrigued by the podcast it also discusses the misstep of higher education where students typically discard valuable data by discontinuing their research projects upon graduation from undergrad which is the missing link in terms of applying learned skills to real world problems. Private corporations are equally met with the challenges of investing into innovative research from within the company but products are released to the market at too late of a time due to the politics of corporations and required authorizations. For more details about the Digital Innovation Precinct and the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering in Braamfontein, South Africa, listen to the podcast “Optimizing — Leading Africa’s Digital Future”.

As a non-traditional student which attends hackathons as an exciting way to travel and learn, I believe university technology transfer programs will become the bedrock of innovation where an interdisciplinary skillset could be beneficial to one of the best universities on the African continent. The substantial extent of research from university students mixed with modern social experiences will produce a higher probability for products becoming developed while creating mutually beneficial relationships for universities, researchers, and private organizations.