Homecoming Revolution woos African skills home from London
Over six hundred professional Africans attended the Homecoming Revolution Africa London Expo held at Olympia this weekend to find out about opportunities back home. Hailed a success by attendees and exhibitors alike, this 2 day event actually trended on Twitter in South Africa and USA.
Comments Angel Jones, CEO & Founder of Homecoming Revolution, “This was a pan-African launch and we were delighted at the high quality of African professionals who are very serious about returning home.”
“What makes the Homecoming Revolution platform unique,” continues Jones, “is that employers engaged candidates in an inspirational environment that included motivating case studies, top speakers, workshops, relocation services, immigration advice, entrepreneurial opportunities, property and schools too.”
A big hit was the KISUA African fashion brand showcasing spectacular fashion pieces as their founder, Samuel Mensah, told his homecoming story on the main stage.
Other high profile African speakers included Dr Mabouba Diagne from Barclays, Aly-Khan Satchu of Rich Management, Isaac Fokuo of the African Leadership Network, Yusuf Abramjee co-founder of LeadSA, Professor Nick Binedell from GIBS, Okendo Lewis-Gayle from Harambe Alliance, Betty Enyonam Kumahor from ThoughtWorks, Allon Raiz from Raizcorp and Mizinga Melu CNBC Forbes African Businesswoman of the Year.
Concludes Jones, “It’s of great significance that we’re helping white and black Africans recognize each other with a common vision for the continent. By bringing South Africans, Nigerians, Ghanains, Kenyans, Ugandans and other nationals together, we can seriously create a massive wave of repatriation to sub-Saharan Africa”.
Comments from exhibitors:
“For us, this London Expo has been an incredible success in every way” – Barclays Africa
‘We’re looking forward to attracting some of the top talent back ‘home’ to the largest bank in Africa. We see this Homecoming event as a great branding opportunity for us in the UK market” – Standard Bank
“This event has been excellent, and the caliber of candidates has been exceptional” – KPMG Africa
“What we liked best were the senior candidate profiles” – Ecobank
“Great event, we will be back” – BCG
“Our ROI has been fulfilled, and we’d recommend this event to other clients” – The Foschini Group
“The quality of the talent was generally high, and we liked the fact that attendees came from across the continent” – Deloitte
“The organisers were friendly and helpful. We would recommend this to other exhibitors” – American Tower
“We experienced high caliber candidates on the first day” – Group Five
“Thank you – more, more! We went with the intention of putting our employer brand out there and we successfully achieved that, thanks to your efforts and initiative” – AMSCO
Comments from speakers:
“It was a great success. Keep up the good work. You inspire us and you Lead SA.” – Yusuf Abramjee
“Fantastic to be part of this important journey” – Aly-Khan Satchu
“It went well and was magnificently organised. I’m amazed at the interest in returning of our scatterlings and the articulateness of our emerging African entrepreneurs.” – Steuart Pennington
“WELL DONE!!! Congratulations team Homecoming Revolution, you did very well and the feedback I heard from attendees and stand holders was very positive so well done!” – Elvina Quaison
Comments from attendees:
A few of my fellow South Africans at Oxford University attended the London Expo on Saturday and had extremely positive experiences – Jonathan Reader
“I would like to thank you for staging such a great event. The Homecoming Revolution was well structured, planned and organised, I had a great time and learnt a lot about coming home – thanks for such an inspirational event” – Tony Biola
A sample of 150 attendees were surveyed:
How long have you been living abroad?
40% over 15years
29% 11-15 years
20% 6-10 years
12% 1-5 years
What has kept them from returning?
44% The comfort of being overseas
27% Lack of infrastructure
16% Political climate
14% being out of touch
What would make you return home?
47% jobs
32% Family
16% Sense of belonging & purpose
How often do you go back home?
35% once a year
32% every two years
19% once every six months
What is your perception of the job market at home?
10% Excellent opportunities
36% Strong opportunities
43% Limited opportunities
21% very limited opportunities
