Acha Leke was born in Cameroon on 30th November 1972 to a gynecologist father, while his mother is an immunologist. In 1973, his family relocated to Montreal, Canada, inspired by his parents’ desire to advance their education. Having achieved their academic pursuits, the family returned to Cameroon, where Acha lived his childhood years. He later traveled to Belgium to further his studies. Back in the United States, he attended Georgia Institute of Technology and Stanford University in 1999. When he graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology, he was the first black valedictorian. This was only a precursor of greater things to come. Having worked for a while in Silicon Valley, he returned to Africa to get involved in indigenous companies’ development.
Career
Acha Leke is the chairman of McKinsey’s Africa region. He started his career at McKinsey as an associate in South Africa. In 1999, he rejoined the company’s Atlanta office. In 2002, Acha transferred to Johannesburg to help expand the organization’s activities in sub-Saharan Africa. Acha is the head of McKinsey’s private equity and principal investors practice in Africa. He was in charge of global recruiting for the organization until December 2018. He has many past and present African leaders in government and business on his speed dial. He also consults for private organizations and multinationals across Africa. His consulting expertise is related to economic development, tax administration, growth strategies, and portfolio Investments. His job requires a lot of travel, and he has worked across more than 20 African countries to date.
Before joining McKinsey, Acha Leke worked as a part-time consultant working on broadband power amplifiers to apply wireless communications. He is a co-founder and member of the global advisory council of the African Leadership Academy. Graduating from Stanford with a Ph.D. in electronic and electrical engineering, Acha had a number of options. His Ph.D. thesis was on dynamic bandwidth optimization multicarrier Systems. Therefore, when he decided to join McKinsey, most of his colleagues thought it was a step-down. Many were of the opinion that he could have done better. However, this decision was a stepping stone into a stellar career that has put him in the same room with presidents and experts from different parts of the world. He has also been able to affect positive change throughout the continent of Africa.
In his position as senior partner of McKenzie, Acha has been able to introduce strategic investors to the opportunities that are available in Africa. He has become a go-to consultant for African companies looking to boost performance. Vocal in advocacy of the need to open up the continent to Visa-free travel, he has embarked on a mission to establish a network of schools and universities across the continent to mold Africa’s Future Leaders.
Tackling HIV in Uganda
Acha’s first Duty on African soil as a McKinsey consultant was to tackle the deadly Menace of HIV in Uganda. Within a couple of weeks, Acha had set in motion an action plan that would make it possible for global pharmaceutical firms to cut down antiretroviral drugs’ prices drastically. At that time, a month’s worth of antiretroviral drugs could cost as much as $700 in Uganda. This was a country where the average annual salary stood at $300. This meant an automatic death sentence for individuals affected by the virus. His team’s efforts led to a rise in ARVs amongst people infected with the virus in Uganda. Many lives were saved in the process. Before long, his model was replicated in different parts of Africa, saving even more lives.
Although he returned to the United States, it would seem Africa kept beckoning to Acha. In 2002, he was transferred to the company’s South Africa office. The initial plan was to work from South Africa for a year. However, things got better, and he could accomplish much more on African soil, particularly as he was closer to his roots. South Africa became an adopted home for Acha as he blended with the vibrant energy that engulfed the place.
In 2010, he orchestrated the opening of a second African office in Lagos, Nigeria. He ran this new office for the best part of four years, and during the period, he saw McKinsey rise to become a leading consulting firm in Africa. In Nigeria, the general improvement in professionalism and corporate governance in public institutions is attributable, in part, to the effort of the likes of McKinsey. In his line of work, it is tempting to follow the allure of lucrative partnerships with private sector clients and global corporations, but he has opted to tow a somewhat different line. He has preferred to take on the public and social sectors.
Mentorship and Youth Development Initiatives
Acha Leke is heavily involved in the mentorship and development of young entrepreneurs. He has appeared on One Young World as an ambassador from Cameroon. The initiative showcases young leaders and encourages mentorship and learning. He also participates in VC4A, another community of venture capitals and angel investors who contribute to high impact ventures. He is heavily involved in these and other initiatives. They discuss macroeconomic and geopolitical forces that are meant to shape Africa and help the young leaders to adopt best practices.
Awards and Recognition
In 2008, Acha participated in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leaders program. He has received numerous recognitions. He was named Africa’s Young Investment Professional of the year (Africa Investor, 2008). In 2010, he was recognized as one of the Top 40 Men under 40 in South Africa.
Acha was a member of the World Economic Forum’s global future council on economic growth for a period of two years. He has served for eight years on the Global Agenda Council for Africa. He is on the board of the Lagos Business School. He is also a member of President Kagame’s African Union reform steering committee. Acha coauthored a McKinsey series called “Lions on the Move reports.” He authored a book about how to do business profitably in Africa. The book is titled Africa’s Business Revolution: How to Succeed in the World’s Next Big Growth Market. He is a regular feature in media houses (CNBC, Bloomberg, and the Wall Street Journal).
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