I grew up in Ghana, thinking I could understand and change my world through humanitarian activism. I volunteered at refugee camps at age five, led environmental campaigns at age twelve, and even founded my first non-profit at age sixteen. Though I remain committed to service, I grew disillusioned with my goal to help Africa through conventional activism. I now share Thomas Friedman’s creed that “Africa needs less foundations, and more entrepreneurs.”

Back in 2007, I asked one of the villagers in Agyementi, “What is the single greatest thing I can do for your community?” Expecting him to say  “build a hospital” or “build a school,” I was stunned by his response.

“Jobs,” he said. “We want jobs.”

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As an undergraduate at Harvard, I made the transition from activist to social entrepreneur. One of the most memorable classes I took was Sven Beckert’s “History of American Capitalism.” The course examined the major trajectories of the development of American capitalism. We started from the structure of Native-American economies, to the position of the United States’ economy in the world economy. In some lectures, Professor Beckert analyzed capitalism from an ecological perspective. In others, he employed an economics or anthropological lens. I switched my primary major from Economics, to African Studies with Economics as my secondary concentration.I became the “guinea pig” of Social Engagement Initiative, a program designed by Dr. Evelyn Higginbotham to bridge academic study to practical, on-the-ground applications. By stepping outside the ivory tower, we students were able to understand how and why academic study, ideas, and even technological discoveries are challenged by the lived experiences and cultural prescriptions of communities very different from our own. In my case, I spearheaded a water and sanitation development project in Agyementi, a rural community of 600—guided by a team of Harvard professors in Economics, Anthropology, Public Health and Engineering.

The interlocking factors of poverty, technological costs, governance, culture and global distributive justice in Africa became apparent to me. I made both a documentary and a policy paper that made the case for investing in water and sanitation as a means of reducing poverty, and improving healthcare outcomes. Social engagement as a part of my African studies work gave me the richest academic experience I could ever imagine. It also helped a community get access to clean water and sanitation.

I always believed that the ultimate purpose of this experience was to help others. So, along with my roommate Darryl Finkton, I founded the African Development Initiative (ADI) to improve conditions on the continent through sustainable development projects. The inaugural project was built off my Social Engagement project in Agyementi and encompassed building a covered borehole with a pump, constructing household latrines, and instituting a long-term program to promote proper water storage, sanitation and hygiene.This year, we are sponsoring and advising projects on rural irrigation, water treatment, orphan care, micro-finance, education and malaria in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia and St. Lucia. I will always be proud of ADI, because it demonstrates what a group of passionate students and willing communities can accomplish together. It also allowed me to experience first-hand the challenges and frustrations of development in Africa.Partly inspired by that man in Agyementi, I founded Golden Palm Investments (GPI) in 2007 with $50,000 that I raised from roommates and friends. Under the helm of GPI, we invested in corn farms in southern Ghana, employed over 30 people, and provided technology such as tractors and high-yield seeds to local farmers. By the end of 2008, GPI’s investments in Ghana had doubled the capital invested. However, the local currency had also fallen by 40% and macroeconomic conditions had worsened. When we converted our Ghanaian cedis back to United States dollars, we lost almost half our gains.

This experience taught me a valuable lesson: In Africa, as in most developing regions, private sector development has to be matched with good governance and strong macroeconomic management. An enterprise could make all the right business decisions, but could still fail due to political mismanagement of the economy. In retrospect, all these experiences empowered me to question and attempt to change the system that significantly limits access to education, resources and capital to people in Africa.

Having been raised in one of the poorest countries in the world, I strongly desire to help my country people who continue to suffer “the consequences of economic failure every day of their lives,” as Dambiso Moyo so eloquently articulated in Dead Aid. Like Moyo, I have pondered the question of development and wondered, while other emerging regions have achieved economic prosperity, why my continent has failed. Many reasons have been offered to account for this failure: some have emphasized the trade and transportation obstacles that Africa’s landlocked countries face; structuralists have blamed the historical legacies of colonialism; and others insist that Africa simply lacks effective and visionary leadership.

The answer probably lies in some combination. Personally, I cannot change Africa’s geography, and I am powerless to alter her past. However, I can develop myself to be an effective and visionary leader who can make a difference in her future.

My life henceforth is dedicated towards building the platform that will enable me to give back to my community, country, continent and world. And in our world today, with Occupy Wall Street protests expanding to cities all over the world, with capitalism being condemned and business being a scapegoat for the ills of our society, I remain unapologetic about my involvement in business and my belief in using business and the private sector to develop Africa. I sincerely believe Friedman’s creed that people grow out of poverty when they create small businesses that employ their neighbors. Nothing else lasts!In the wake of a European meltdown, with American weakness and global economic difficulties creating dark forecasts for the future, I continue to be inspired by my generation. I am inspired by Hashem Montasser and his role in fighting for a freer Egypt while promoting investments in the region. I am inspired by Fred Deegbe, who quit his corporate job at a bank in Ghana to focus on his start-up “Heel The World,” a luxury bespoke shoe company that “exists to counter perceptions on the quality and capabilities of Ghanaian craftsmanship." I am inspired by Cristal Jeanne, who was educated in Canada and returned to Ghana to focus on media where she is creating headwinds with her “Be Bold” startup. When I look at all these trailblazers and entrepreneurs, I am humbled and hopeful for a brighter future for our world.

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Sangu Delle is an entrepreneur from Ghana currently based in San Francisco, California. He is founder of African Development Initiative and CEO of Golden Palm Investments LLC, an investment company with private equity interests in agribusiness, real estate, financial services and healthcare. He is currently on leave from his MBA at Harvard University in order to work as Global Generalist at Valiant Capital Partners.