Alone moments to think is a skill that one must cultivate. It is very difficult to shut the door on all the noise that is around us. From social media, not forgetting all the pressure from the perception that you have been left behind. Especially as everyone seems to be living their best life ever. The reality is we very often do not see the real story and how long it took to create the picture before us.

Many years ago,I spend quite a bit of time empowering the rural youth on entrepreneurship. One of the exercises, I used to give them was to just find a quiet space with a very large stone, and just sit by themselves and think about their lives. What they would want to do. Where they would want to travel. Job opportunities and careers they would love to explore.

In today’s world quiet moments have become difficult. We can barely stay away from our phones. It is reported that the average person touches their phone about 400 times a day! My cocoon moments help me come to the realization that I am running someone else’s race. The funny thing is I don’t even know whose race it is. No wonder I felt misaligned, anxious, and not able to tell, how it all adds up to my final goal and destination. Think about it! when was the last time you took your shoes off and walked on grass or lay down on the grass looking up at the clouds. So, while I am still alive, I was going to be very present and enjoy every quiet cocoon moment.

So, what is a cocoon moment. The term refers to the moment when a caterpillar becomes a cocoon. No eating, or crawling. Just absolute stillness, as the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. It is complete stillness, or should I say rest as its physical body transform into a beautiful butterfly. My Cocoon moment include days away from social media especially WhatsApp, so I can declutter my mind. It is in those moments that I get to step away and ask myself, why am I doing what I am doing. Does it truly align with what I want in my future.

One of my absolute favorite Bible verses is 1 Thessalonians 4:11 “That you aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your own hands, as we have commanded you”. Verse 12 goes on to say, “that you may walk properly towards those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing”. As a woman of Christian faith my aspiration is to lead a quiet life, which to me means lots and lots of quietness in cocoon moments. The second is to mind my own business. Which means I am to focus onbuilding my business empire. My mind and focus should be using my talents to generate an income for me.

Cocoon moments are also moments of creativity and business strategy. It is in my cocoon moments I have found the guts and the strength to make my most difficult, risky and scary life’s decision. Innovations is another benefit of cocoon moments. God has placed such potential within us. There are aspirations within us that were killed along our adulting process. I am thinking about my primary school debates. Who would ever know they would be a handy tool for podcasting. But it was a seed God had planted there just waiting to be cultivated at the right time.

In my cocoon moments, I also get to hear God remind me that I have a role to play in encouraging others to dare dream and trust God for their cocoon moments. I may not sing like my favorite gospel singer, but God reminds me that the same way I have found encouragement in the words, songs, and life of others. I like wise must also write, speak, and share words of encouragement to others. The goal is not the clicks or the eye balls, but if I can transform one life, I have done very well. If I can get only one person to listen and dare to believe, then I have done very well.

Kenya’s informal economy constitutes of US$136 billion. Today we are seeing large companies including leading supermarkets beginning to sell open sacks which will allow Africa’s Informal markets to cut their cloth according to the size of their pockets.  Today, package unit size no longer work, Africa wants what they can afford.

Kenya’s Safaricom and Airtel have realized Africa’s micro mass market is the way to go.  And they have literally disrupted if not taken business away from many leading companies that provide pay television and high-speed internet services such as Zuku. Kenya’s Safaricom and Airtel hit the “Kadogo Economy” by selling their products and services at their lowest divisible level and allowing consumers to make small daily purchases.

Vitual tills either for shops, banks, or other services providers in the form of Mpesa Tills, Poshi La Biashara and Paybills are very important services and products offering from Safaricom and Airtel in on boarding Africa’s micro and small entrepreneurs into mobile money.  Kenya is virtually using mobile money to pay for everything.  This has also seen the rise of several mobile applications that are taking part in the mobile money space. 

Did you know Kenya leads in the world Tiktok usage? According to Reuters Institute Digital News report 2023, Kenya has 54% of global TikTok usage, followed by Thailand and South Africa. Tiktok has created one massive platform that allows every African to showcase their talent and compete with many internationalbrands.  Many micro entrepreneurs are turning smart phones into virtual shops, wallets, as well as electronic transaction receipts especially when dealing with taxes, which drastically cuts down on operating expenses.

The entertainment industry in rural Africa is booming business.  Young African MC’s who would never compete with celebrities are making serious money, by simply showcasing their services online.  Today, we can truly say the world is flat, it is an even playing ground for all entrepreneurs across the globe regardless.

An old and very valuable African tradition we unintentionally lost, which we are currently heavily paying the price for is youth mentorship.  See! In the African traditional custom, the family which normally went beyond the parents and children, and included aunties and uncles, would gather outside and sit around a fire to share stories. 

The women would normally sit around the fire in the kitchen with their grandmothers, while the elders sat outside, mentoring the young men.  The African Three-legged stool is where as young African women, we were taugh how to sit properly with our legs closed together.  My maternal grandmother used to tell me that the fire would put ugly marks, which she called “Mbala” on my inner thigh.  Truth be told, the only marks I ever got, were here painful pinches whenever I forgot to sit properlywith my legs put together.  To date am very careful how I sit.

The entertainment mainly through the television and social media with all its benefit, has replaced mentorship in many homes. Mentorship has completely been removed from many homes, especially today for the young person who is not really involved in church programs, youth clubs, or professional clubs.  Today many young people are clueless on the many life skills that used to be passed on around a fire in many African homes.  In this series of African Youth in Agribusiness, I hope to share my stories to inspire young people as an African Mother, wife, trader, especially as a woman in technology to cause Africa to think differently especially about Africa’s Agricultural markets and trade.