Reflections from the Zambezi

In my last blog, I wrote about my trip to Senegal (26th to 30th May 2009) where I shared about my experiences in that amazing West African nation. In this blog I share some of the lessons I learnt from my trip to Senegal. There are ten lessons that I would like to share. 1. I learnt of the enterprising nature of the Senegalese. The Senegalese are very hardworking and enterprising. One sees this immediately one lands at the International airport. You see it in the markets and in town. It’s also evident at tourist places. Here in Zambia we have known the Senegalese cross many nations to come and mine and buy precious stones which the locals are not even aware of. There’s a lot that Zambians can learn about the need to be entrepreneurial. To seize opportunities to make a profit by offering goods and services that add value to the community and society. 2. I learnt of the value of learning international languages. In this case I’m speaking of French. After learning French for six years (...

Zambian delegation at eLearning Africa Conference in Senegal Doing things for the first time can be interesting and a bit unsettling! Such was my frame of mind when I made my first visit to Senegal, a Francophone and a Muslim nation. From 26th to 30th May last week, I travelled to Senegal to attend the 4th eLearning Africa Conference. I travelled under the invitation of UNESCO and the sponsorship of Commonwealth of Learning. I was invited to present a paper on Distance and e-Learning in the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector in Zambia. I got to Dakar from Lusaka via Johannesburg. Lusaka to Johannesburg took 2 hours by air. Johannesburg to Dakar took slightly over 8 hours. We arrived in Dakar at 01 00 hours. To my surprise and delight there was someone waiting for me at the airport. Though it was 01 00 hours, there were a number of people selling foodstuffs, sim cards, foreign exchange and other products. This was my first introduction to Senegal. A nation bur...