In 2005, I took my family to Ghana for a holiday. I wanted to visit a plantation in which I invested ten years ago. The first week, my wife and my eleven year old son coped with severe culture shock, but later they could see the beauty of this country. The land, the people, so earthly and open, completely different from the way we live as Europeans. I am moved and intrigued by this continent.

In 2006, I participated as a business coach in the Future Leader program of MeesPierson Bank, an exchange program in the Gambia between Dutch and Gambian students, organized by Better Future. With five entrepreneurs we guided the students as they worked on challenging business cases, the main focus was on social entrepreneurship. The talented African students caught me off guard, they often performed much better than the Dutch students. I adjust my preconceptions of Africa. The African people I met not only have a admirable outlook on life, they have a lot of talent and are extremely eager since only a lucky few get the chance to receive and education.

A year after the Future Leader program, I went back to the Gambia on another Better Future expedition. Together with a delegation of Gambian and Dutch leaders, we worked on a business plan to set up a West African Leadership Academy. This initiative has led to the foundation of a Mobile Academy, that in 2013 also started in India by the name of BUZZ.