Latest / Earn Your Leisure / Exploring Africa’s Hidden Opportunities: Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings Share Rwanda & Kenya Insights

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Exploring Africa’s Hidden Opportunities: Rashad Bilal & Troy Millings Share Rwanda & Kenya Insights · Earn Your Leisure

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• 1:51
  Speaker 3: Can you talk about Africa? For sure?
• 1:54
  Speaker 4: Were let's do it? So let's talk about Africa finally,
• 2:00
  Speaker 4: point where do I start? Uh So, if you're not familiar,
• 2:04
  Speaker 4: if you haven't been following us on social media, we
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: are taking a tour of Africa. We are in our
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: second country. We started in Rwanda and they coincided with
• 2:15
  Speaker 4: the NBA Africa League and now we are in Kenya.
• 2:21
  Speaker 4: Now rob Kenya, shout out to Kenya diaspora. So we're
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: gonna hit a couple other countries before we leave. It's
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: an extended, extended trip and we're here to talk to dignitaries,
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: entrepreneurs and uh further our reach inside the continent. Mm
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: hmmm hm, well gotta do it yep. So first, lit'sten
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: man Rwanda country. I don't think a lot of people
• 2:50
  Speaker 4: are really understand like the level of infrastructure that they have. Man,
• 2:58
  Speaker 4: they run this country. They run that country on a
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: very efficient model. Everybody told us it was the cleanest
• 3:03
  Speaker 4: country in Africa. When I got there, I realized why
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: they said that, because there's no trash. They don't even
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: have They don't allow plastic bags inside the country. It's
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: like it's like the Rwanda like for real, Like they
• 3:13
  Speaker 4: don't allow plastic bags inside the country.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: And plastic bottles will be out by next year.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: The last crop of plastic bottles are now being distributed
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: and they won't be any more going forward.
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: There's no there's no trash on the streets. Streets are immaculate.
• 3:28
  Speaker 4: I didn't see any homelessness when I was there. I
• 3:30
  Speaker 4: didn't see any any people begging for money.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: Security is super tight everywhere you go, very militant, very impressive,
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: extremely and it's beautiful too. They got mountains, it looks
• 3:47
  Speaker 4: like Switzerland or so like. It's like it's all on
• 3:50
  Speaker 4: the hills, mountains, green, very lush green. You know, we
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: went to see the gorillas, so they got there's a
• 3:56
  Speaker 4: bunch of different things to do in Randa. But okay,
• 4:00
  Speaker 4: now when we go to Rwanda, we meet a variety
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: of different people and everybody man shout out to fa team.
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: It's too many people to name. But Fatima she's important.
• 4:10
  Speaker 4: We'll get her market mondays soon. She's an entrepreneur that's
• 4:14
  Speaker 4: actually building a real estate development out there. She kind
• 4:17
  Speaker 4: of like laid out a whole itinerary for us and everything.
• 4:20
  Speaker 4: But we met a lot of great people with like
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: NBA Africa, we met a lot of great people in
• 4:24
  Speaker 4: the government, a lot of opportunity for sure. Calice actually
• 4:30
  Speaker 4: owns a lot of property in Rwanda. At least lives
• 4:35
  Speaker 4: in Kenya. She moved to Kenya, but she was in
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: Rwanda and she was telling us she owns a lot
• 4:41
  Speaker 4: of property in Rwanda as well. So she's all over
• 4:44
  Speaker 4: Africa just buying up land and doing a variety of
• 4:47
  Speaker 4: different things.
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: We got to talked to her. We got talked to
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: her eventually too.
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: But they were very impressed about invest Fest and we
• 4:57
  Speaker 4: are here working on behalf of investvest Also, I'll say
• 4:59
  Speaker 4: that we're here working to try to get people to
• 5:04
  Speaker 4: come speak at Investmentest for sure, stay tuned, stay tuned.
• 5:12
  Speaker 4: And we're also working on behalf of trying to get
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: just representation from the continent at Investmentest. So there will
• 5:21
  Speaker 4: be panels about investing in Africa at invest Fest, there
• 5:25
  Speaker 4: will be pre there will be a presence inside off
• 5:28
  Speaker 4: in the marketplace at a high level.
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: Let's just say that.
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: To promote investment on the continent, because you know it's crazy.
• 5:41
  Speaker 4: We went to a restaurant yesterday and when we was
• 5:46
  Speaker 4: in Rwanda and shout out to Tuma and he told
• 5:51
  Speaker 4: us like a local restaurant, so we met up. We
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: met an entrepreneur and older gentleman. But you can tell
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: like he's like a very well respected savvy entrepreneur. He's
• 6:01
  Speaker 4: like one of those guys and he has a variety
• 6:02
  Speaker 4: of different businesses outside of just being a restaurant tour
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: But after we we ate, we had a conversation with
• 6:09
  Speaker 4: him and he said, he said, I need you. He said,
• 6:13
  Speaker 4: quote he said, well, first he said, he said, he said, this.
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: Is he said, how y'all like it? How you like?
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: Why now you like Africa? Like we know, we love it.
• 6:24
  Speaker 4: He's like, this is your continent, Like, this is your continent.
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: He's like, he's like, have you brought property out here?
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 6:31
  Speaker 4: Like he's like, what you're waiting for. I'm like, I'm like,
• 6:34
  Speaker 4: you know, we're just trying to figure it out. And
• 6:35
  Speaker 4: he's like, this is your continent. He's like, and I
• 6:37
  Speaker 4: want you to tell your people in America. This is
• 6:41
  Speaker 4: what he says. I need you to tell your people
• 6:43
  Speaker 4: in America, he said, and it was a very respectful way.
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: But he was.
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: Like, like the change that you have on your neck.
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: He was like.
• 6:52
  Speaker 4: He was like cash. He's like, just cash those chains
• 6:55
  Speaker 4: in and proper. He's like investing Africa. He's like investing.
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: He's like anywhere. But he was like, you know, since
• 7:02
  Speaker 4: we in Rwanda that was he was championap He's like
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: anywhere in the continent. He was like, look, he was like,
• 7:07
  Speaker 4: just try it out, just buy one property. Like he
• 7:09
  Speaker 4: was like literally like going. He was like look, He's
• 7:11
  Speaker 4: like why would you Why are you staying there? Like
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: why are you in a country that doesn't want you?
• 7:14
  Speaker 4: He was like Yo, we need you here. Like he's
• 7:16
  Speaker 4: like tell. He's like, tell your people. He's like, take
• 7:20
  Speaker 4: the chains, like cash in the chains and buy a
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: house in Africa.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: He broke it down to a science and he was like, Yo,
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: how much would the house cost you, let's say in Atlanta,
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: like maybe four hundred thousand. He's like, how much rental
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: income would you get for that? Like, I don't know,
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: maybe three thousand, thirty five hundred. He was like, I
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: could buy one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars house
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: and get the same rent here.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Why would you waste the money?
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and house in Atlanta is way more than that.
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: Now we can talk about how's in Atlanta at one
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: point one million, two million dollars. But yeah, he's very
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: educated on on the geopolitical landscape because he used to
• 7:56
  Speaker 4: live in Canada.
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Yep, so he was.
• 7:59
  Speaker 4: We had a conversation about the political landscape currently in America.
• 8:04
  Speaker 4: We had a conversation about real estate prices in Atlanta.
• 8:08
  Speaker 4: We had a conversation about minerals in Africa. And he
• 8:13
  Speaker 4: was a very he's very educated person when it comes
• 8:16
  Speaker 4: to the world. But his his his thing was why
• 8:20
  Speaker 4: are you wasting your time over there. He's like, even
• 8:22
  Speaker 4: if you don't come full time, like just to have something.
• 8:24
  Speaker 4: He was like, He's like this, He's like, I want
• 8:26
  Speaker 4: you to know and I want your audience to know
• 8:30
  Speaker 4: that this is your continent.
• 8:32
  Speaker 5: Straight up say again placed because they may not have
• 8:34
  Speaker 5: heard it the first time. And this is coming from
• 8:38
  Speaker 5: a person who's in Africa, right because I know this
• 8:41
  Speaker 5: is coming from an African that's living in Africa. Now
• 8:44
  Speaker 5: when he says it's your continent, not to say like
• 8:46
  Speaker 5: it's not his too, but he's saying like it's ours.
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: So he's like, look, why are you not here?
• 8:52
  Speaker 4: Why why why don't why don't come? Like, why don't
• 8:54
  Speaker 4: come here? He's like, we got the infrastructure, we got everything,
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: we run in the government. He's like, he's like why why, why,
• 8:59
  Speaker 4: why why are more people not coming.
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: I'll just add to being in Rwanda outside of it, yes,
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: being I feel like it was the safest I don't
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: think I felt any safe for anywhere that I've been
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: in the world. Definitely one of the safest places. Definitely
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: one of the cleanest places as well. But how government
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: works with the private sector and works with its citizens
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: is pretty impressive. Like everybody has the same vision to
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: make sure that they promote Rwanda to be the brightest
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: and be it full of opportunity. Everybody's on that same mission,
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: no matter what. If it's the restaurant, if you're going
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: you're walking down a store, if you're in the car
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: with the driver, everybody has that same vision of loving
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: the government but loving what they can help do in
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: terms of infrastructure. So we went to a few properties
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: and shout out to Fatima again, but she brought she
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: brought us to her development which was affordable housing, which
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: is incredible because sustainability that they've been able to create.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: And we were sitting here like why are we doing
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: this here in America? Like why what kind.
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: Of codes are they passed and infrastructure and technology are
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: they creating that they're able to do this at scale
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: in a very short amount of time. And then we
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: saw a luxury housing and I know everybody's like, the
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: first thing when they think of Africa, it's not luxury
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: for why wouldn't you, right, Like, there's people who have
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: wealth and there's people who are wanting to obtain it.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: And so when we went to the luxury problem, which
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: is just like man, this is incredible, like.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: Real cities.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: And so a couple of things that I noticed was like, obviously,
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: who's running it, who's the architect, who's the engineer, who's
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: the interior designer?
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: All looked like us.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: But on top of it was like that everybody's pretty
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: young that's doing this. The team that we met, I
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: mean maybe mid forties or younger, which is incredible.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: It's incredible.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: And we've seen we've seen a few Americans that have
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: gone there and said like, there's no need for us
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: to go back.
• 10:49
  Speaker 4: Well, there's a bunch of Americans that expats that I've
• 10:52
  Speaker 4: moved there. There's a bunch of people that was living
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: in America that moved back or got educated in America
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: for team and she actually went to war in school
• 10:59
  Speaker 4: of business and came back.
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: So there's a lot of people that are like.
• 11:08
  Speaker 4: Not really impressed about trying to just live in America,
• 11:10
  Speaker 4: Like they could have the option to live there if
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: they want to, but there's like too much money, too
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: much opportunity, too friendly to peaceful. And the thing the
• 11:18
  Speaker 4: thing about the country too, is that they had the
• 11:21
  Speaker 4: genocide that happened thirty years ago. So if you've seen
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: that movie hotel in Rwanda, which they have very strong
• 11:26
  Speaker 4: views about that. But so they read not to cut
• 11:30
  Speaker 4: you off. They said it was.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: Some some some truths and some falseots.
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they said it says a lot of creative license.
• 11:39
  Speaker 4: Yeah, a lot of misrepresentations, a lot of representation, a
• 11:42
  Speaker 4: lot of misrepresentation was done in that on it.
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: That's what they say. But it's like Singapore.
• 11:46
  Speaker 4: There's no smoking, so I asked them yesterday, there's no
• 11:50
  Speaker 4: there's no there's no drugs in Rwanda and you can't
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: smoke weed, so you're not going to see nobody. It's
• 11:55
  Speaker 4: a very militant place. Like if you've been to Singapore,
• 12:00
  Speaker 4: you can kind of you understand what I'm saying, Like
• 12:02
  Speaker 4: it's it reminds me of Singapore, Like it's it's very militant.
• 12:07
  Speaker 4: The night life is they don't really have like it's
• 12:10
  Speaker 4: not like on the West Side, Like they don't party
• 12:14
  Speaker 4: to like you know, but everybody's not a partier. So
• 12:16
  Speaker 4: some people just want to just have a peaceful, just
• 12:19
  Speaker 4: quiet life and just enjoy their life.
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: Right. So that's that's that's Rwanda. Now we're in Kenya.
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: Oh not before we leave, because you talked about entrepreneurs,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: and we be remiss if we didn't say that. We
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: went to a tech chub inside of Kakali, and we
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: want to talk about just brilliance. So this tech cub
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: is pretty much solving the problems for the continent. So
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: a lot of people are coming here. Investors are coming here,
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: but a lot of the billiant minds of the continent
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: are coming here. We spoke to a gentleman and we'll
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: probably have them on market moneys as well. Who's creating
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: infrastructure for I guess it would be like W nine
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: workers in a sense, right, no contracted.
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: Workers economy, the gig economy like uber drivers.
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: Oh well yes, but that was part of it.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: It was the uber economy obviously from people getting jobs,
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: but the people who do a lot of the contract
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: and it was like, how do you know how much
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: they've worked?
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: How do you know the projects that they worked on?
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: There's no data set for it, which is not a problem,
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: like we don't think about that, but like that's a
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: real issue.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: If you have a lot of infrastructure and.
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: You have a lot of people that are working for it,
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: it would be like when you go to the side
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: of the road and you pick up somebody and you're like, oh,
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: I need you to fix something like there's a country
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: that's doing that, but nobody's getting documented. And when they
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: go to banks or institutions to try to get loans,
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: to try to have credit, there's no paperwork on them.
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: So how do you create the infrastructure that has that paperwork?
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: And now when they go to an institution and say, hey,
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: this is the body of work I've done, here's my
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: work history, here's how much I've made, here's what I need,
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: that becomes more of an easier process, which is not
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: something that sitting there thinking about, I'm like, wow, that
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: makes a lot of sense. How many countries need something
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: like that? I mean, just a lot of brilliance that's happening.
• 14:02
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