SIA-Africa’s Person of the Month for March 2018 is Alibaba Group founder, Jack Ma. In July 2017, Ma launched a 10-year conservation initiative for Africa as part of the Paradise Foundation. Ma made the announcement in Rwanda while he met with various heads of state, entrepreneurs and conservationists. The Paradise Foundation originated in China, Ma’s home country, where he is also a special advisor to the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Through a partnership with UNCTAD and the Alibaba Business School, Ma also worked with two dozen African entrepreneurs from seven countries in the inaugural eFounders Initiative, a commitment he made to help empower 1,000 young people in developing countries over the next five years. It is part of a set of “smart partnerships” UNCTAD is creating to reach its sustainable development goals and aims to bridge the digital divide. The eFounders Initiative also aligns with Alibaba’s mission to help small businesses succeed in their home markets and beyond by leveraging the power of technology. Ma aims to bring 200 budding African business people to China to learn from him personally. In addition, he plans to roll out a partnership with African universities to teach internet technology, artificial intelligence and e-commerce. Through the Jack Ma Foundation, Ma focuses on education, the environment, public health and people development in the nonprofit sector, with a view to fostering an innovative and sustainable model for a better world. For those reasons, we have named Jack Ma the SIA-Africa Person of the Month for March 2018.
Jack Ma’s visit to Africa in July 2017:
