Chika Uwazie was wrapping up her master's degree at Georgetown University in 2015 when she asked herself, “Do I really want to be a consultant?” Like some young Africans in the diaspora, Uwazie had the option of continuing her career in the United States. But she was also aware of the many opportunities disguised as challenges on the African continent.
The prospect of leaving her comfort zone to start afresh in Nigeria did not sound appealing at first. Three years earlier, she had penned a column highlighting why the Nigerian diaspora won’t return home.
Yet some of the reasons that she listed — corrupt political systems, a lack of infrastructure and cultural divides — are some of the same things that are now attracting many young professionals back to Africa. “There are too many challenges that have not been solved [with] many opportunities,” she said.