Like many of you here, I am trying to contribute towards a renaissance in Africa. The question of transformation in Africa really is a question of leadership. Africa can only be transformed by enlightened leaders. And it is my contention that the manner in which we educate our leaders is fundamental to progress on this continent. I want to tell you some stories that explain my view. We all heard about the importance of stories yesterday. An American friend of mine this year volunteered as a nurse in Ghana, and in a period of three months she came to a conclusion about the state of leadership in Africa that had taken me over a decade to reach. Twice she was involved in surgeries where they lost power at the hospital. The emergency generators did not start. There was not a flashlight, not a lantern, not a candle -- pitch black. The patient's cut open, twice. The first time it was a C-section. Thankfully, baby was out -- mother and child survived.
像許多在座的各位一樣,我試著 為非洲的復興做出貢獻。 非洲轉型的問題, 實際上是一個領導統御的問題, 非洲的轉型要靠受到啟發的領導者。 這是我的論點, 即我們如何教育我們的領導者,將是我們 在這個大陸上取得進展的基礎。 我想告訴你們一些故事,來說明我的觀點。 我們昨天都聽說了故事的重要性。 今年,我的一個美國朋友,自願到加納當護士義工。 三個月後,她對於非洲領導統御的情況, 得到了一個結論, 那是我花了十年以上的時間才得以了解的內容。 她參與了兩次手術, 那時醫院停電, 備用發電機沒有啟動, 也沒有手電筒,沒有燈籠,甚至沒有蠟燭, 只是一片漆黑。 在黑暗中對病人動刀 — 兩次, 第一次是剖腹產。 幸運的是,嬰兒順利取出 — 母子均安。
The second time was a procedure that involved local anesthesia. Anesthetic wears off. The patient feels pain. He's crying. He's screaming. He's praying. Pitch black. Not a candle, not a flashlight. And that hospital could have afforded flashlights. They could have afforded to purchase these things, but they didn't. And it happened twice. Another time, she watched in horror as nurses watched a patient die because they refused to give her oxygen that they had. And so three months later, just before she returned to the United States, nurses in Accra go on strike. And her recommendation is take this opportunity to fire everyone, start all over again. Start all over again.
第二次是個涉及局部麻醉的手術, 麻醉消退後,病人感到疼痛, 他大聲哭喊,大聲尖叫,而且不斷祈禱, 但仍然是一片漆黑,沒有蠟燭,連一支手電筒都沒有。 醫院應該是有能力提供手電筒的, 他們負擔得起購買這些東西,但他們沒有買。 這發生了兩次。 還有一次,她震驚地看著護士們眼睜睜地看著病人死去, 因為他們拒絕供給她氧氣,而醫院的確是有氧氣的。 因此,三個月後, 就在她返回美國前, 護士們在阿克拉進行罷工。 而她的建議是, 藉此機會,把大家全部解雇,從頭再來。 從頭再來。
Now what does this have to do with leadership? You see, the folks at the ministry of health, the hospital administrators, the doctors, the nurses -- they are among just five percent of their peers who get an education after secondary school. They are the elite. They are our leaders. Their decisions, their actions matter. And when they fail, a nation literally suffers. So when I speak of leadership, I'm not talking about just political leaders. We've heard a lot about that. I'm talking about the elite. Those who've been trained, whose job it is to be the guardians of their society. The lawyers, the judges, the policemen, the doctors, the engineers, the civil servants -- those are the leaders. And we need to train them right.
所以,這與領導力有什麼關係? 你知道的,這是衛生署、 醫院的管理者與醫生、護士們共同的錯 — 他們只占同年齡人口中的百分之五, 他們是受過高等教育的知識份子, 他們是精英,是我們的領導者。 他們的決策與行為影響甚鉅。 當他們失敗時,毫不誇張的,整個國家將會深受其苦。 所以當我提到領導力, 我不只在講政治領袖, 那些我們聽得夠多了。 我所指的是精英分子, 是那些受過專業訓練的, 他們的工作是成為社會的護衛者, 包括律師,法官,警察,醫生, 工程師,公務員 ... 這些都是領導者, 而我們需要正確的訓練他們。
Now, my first pointed and memorable experience with leadership in Ghana occurred when I was 16 years old. We had just had a military coup, and soldiers were pervasive in our society. They were a pervasive presence. And one day I go to the airport to meet my father, and as I walk up this grassy slope from the car park to the terminal building, I'm stopped by two soldiers wielding AK-47 assault weapons. And they asked me to join a crowd of people that were running up and down this embankment. Why? Because the path I had taken was considered out of bounds. No sign to this effect.
現在,我想談一下,我在迦納的第一次,有關指導統御深刻又難忘的經驗。 那時我十六歲, 我們國家剛發生政變, 社會上到處都是士兵, 他們散布在各個地方。 有一天,我去機場見我的父親, 我從停車處沿著草地斜坡向上走, 去到航運站大樓。 我被兩個手上揮舞著 AK-47 步槍的士兵攔住, 他們叫我加入一群人中, 這群人在防線旁跑上跑下的, 為甚麼呢?因為我走的道路是禁止通行的, 但是並沒有標示說明。
Now, I was 16. I was very worried about what my peers at school might think if they saw me running up and down this hill. I was especially concerned of what the girls might think. And so I started to argue with these men. It was a little reckless, but you know, I was 16. I got lucky. A Ghana Airways pilot falls into the same predicament. Because of his uniform they speak to him differently, and they explain to him that they're just following orders. So he takes their radio, talks to their boss, and gets us all released. What lessons would you take from an experience like this? Several, for me. Leadership matters. Those men are following the orders of a superior officer. I learned something about courage. It was important not to look at those guns. And I also learned that it can be helpful to think about girls.
那時我十六歲,我非常擔心 我在學校的同學們會怎麼想? 如果他們看到我在這小山丘跑上跑下的, 我特別擔心女孩子們會怎麼想? 所以我開始與士兵們爭辯, 那有點魯莽,但,你們知道的,那時我才十六歲, 我非常幸運, 一位迦納航空的飛行員與我陷在相同的處境上, 但因為他的制服,士兵對他說話的態度就不一樣, 士兵跟他解釋說他們只是奉命行事, 所以那位飛行員用他們的對講機與士兵長官通話, 結果是我們全部被釋放。 如果是你,會從這經驗學到甚麼呢? 對我而言,有幾個教訓: 首先,領導統御很重要,這些人(士兵)是遵命行事, 由其長官處接受到命令, 另外,我學習到勇氣的重要性, 重要的是不要去專注在那些槍枝上面, 同時我也學習到,當想到女生時對情況可能是會有幫助的。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
So a few years after this event, I leave Ghana on a scholarship to go to Swarthmore College for my education. It was a breath of fresh air. You know, the faculty there didn't want us to memorize information and repeat back to them as I was used to back in Ghana. They wanted us to think critically. They wanted us to be analytical. They wanted us to be concerned about social issues. In my economics classes I got high marks for my understanding of basic economics. But I learned something more profound than that, which is that the leaders -- the managers of Ghana's economy -- were making breathtakingly bad decisions that had brought our economy to the brink of collapse. And so here was this lesson again -- leadership matters. It matters a great deal.
所以在這事件之後隔了幾年,我獲得獎學金出國去念書, 去到史瓦斯摩大學攻讀。 對我而言,那是個嶄新的體驗。 你知道嗎? 那邊的教師們不想要我們死讀強記, 背書給他們聽 — 這是我在迦納習以為常的學習方法。 他們想要我們學習批判性的思考, 他們想要我們具有分析能力, 他們想要我們關心社會議題。 我在經濟學這門課上得分很高, 那是因為我對基本經濟學的理解。 但除此之外,我學到更深刻的東西, 那就是 — 迦納經濟體的管理者們, 做了極端糟糕的決策, 正因如此,我們的經濟已被帶至破產邊緣。 所以再一次地驗證 — 領導統御很重要。 非常非常地重要!
But I didn't really fully understand what had happened to me at Swarthmore. I had an inkling, but I didn't fully realize it until I went out into the workplace and I went to work at Microsoft Corporation. And I was part of this team -- this thinking, learning team whose job it was to design and implement new software that created value in the world. And it was brilliant to be part of this team. It was brilliant. And I realized just what had happened to me at Swarthmore, this transformation -- the ability to confront problems, complex problems, and to design solutions to those problems. The ability to create is the most empowering thing that can happen to an individual. And I was part of that.
但那時,我仍然沒有完全理解史瓦斯摩大學對我到底造成了甚麼影響。 我只是微微有些感覺, 一直到我畢業出去工作後我才完全了解。 我進入微軟工作, 我是這個團隊中的一員 — 一個思考,學習的團隊。 我們團隊的使命是設計與撰寫 能為世界創造價值的新軟體。 能夠成為這團隊中的一員真的是很帥氣, 超棒的! 到此我才了解史瓦斯摩大學對我造成的影響是甚麼。 這種轉變 — 是有能力去面對問題,複雜的問題, 然後去設計解決這些問題的方案。 創造力是上天所賦予人們的能力中 最棒的一件事, 而我曾是那個創作團隊中的一員。
Now, while I was at Microsoft, the annual revenues of that company grew larger than the GDP of the Republic of Ghana. And by the way, it's continued to. The gap has widened since I left. Now, I've already spoken about one of the reasons why this has occurred. I mean, it's the people there who are so hardworking, persistent, creative, empowered. But there were also some external factors: free markets, the rule of law, infrastructure. These things were provided by institutions run by the people that I call leaders. And those leaders did not emerge spontaneously. Somebody trained them to do the work that they do. Now, while I was at Microsoft, this funny thing happened. I became a parent. And for the first time, Africa mattered more to me than ever before. Because I realized that the state of the African continent would matter to my children and their children. That the state of the world -- the state of the world depends on what's happening to Africa, as far as my kids would be concerned.
現在再說到,當我在微軟時,公司一年的營收 成長至超過迦納共和國的國民生產總額。 而且,附帶一提,它仍持續在增長中, 自我離開後,這差距就更大了。 我已經說了這背後的其中一個原因了, 我是說,公司裡面的人是如此努力地工作, 他們堅持不懈,充滿創意,且激勵不斷。 但是在此之外也有一些外在的因素, 像是自由市場,法治規範,基礎設施。 這些是由政府機構所提供的, 由我稱為領導者的人所運作的。 而這些領導者不是自動產生的, 要有人訓練他們如何做他們的工作。 當我在微軟時,一件有趣的事情發生了, 我為人父母了。 生平第一次,我感受到非洲對我的重要性更甚於以往。 因為我了解到,非洲大陸的狀況, 將會影響到我的孩子及未來孩子們的孩子。 而且世界的狀況 — 整個世界的情況, 會取決於非洲所發生之事, 就像我考慮到我孩子的未來一樣。
And at this time, when I was going through what I call my "pre-mid-life crisis," Africa was a mess. Somalia had disintegrated into anarchy. Rwanda was in the throes of this genocidal war. And it seemed to me that that was the wrong direction, and I needed to be back helping. I couldn't just stay in Seattle and raise my kids in an upper-middle class neighborhood and feel good about it. This was not the world that I'd want my children to grow up in. So I decided to get engaged, and the first thing that I did was to come back to Ghana and talk with a lot of people and really try to understand what the real issues were. And three things kept coming up for every problem: corruption, weak institutions and the people who run them -- the leaders.
所以在那一次我是經歷了, 我所謂的「前中年危機」。 非洲那時是一團糟。 索馬尼亞已瓦解為無政府狀態, 盧安達處在種族戰爭的陣痛中。 對我而言,似乎是走在錯誤的方向上, 我需要回去幫助。 我不能只是待在西雅圖撫養我的孩子, 住在一個中高階級的社區,然後自得其樂。 這不是我希望我孩子成長的世界。 所以我決定投身參與其中,而我所做的第一件事, 是回到迦納與很多人溝通, 真正地試著了解問題的關鍵是甚麼。 後來發現每一個問題都包含三個層面: 貪污腐敗,機構薄弱 以及運作機構的人 — 領導者們。
Now, I was a little scared because when you see those three problems, they seem really hard to deal with. And they might say, "Look, don't even try." But, for me, I asked the question, "Well, where are these leaders coming from? What is it about Ghana that produces leaders that are unethical or unable to solve problems?" So I went to look at what was happening in our educational system. And it was the same -- learning by rote -- from primary school through graduate school. Very little emphasis on ethics, and the typical graduate from a university in Ghana has a stronger sense of entitlement than a sense of responsibility. This is wrong.
那時我有一些害怕, 因為當你看到這三個問題時, 它們看起來真的都很難處理。 有些人會說,你看看這些問題,甚至不用嘗試去解決! 但對我而言,我問自己一個問題, 這些領導者是從哪裡來的呢? 為什麼迦納會產生出 這些沒有道德又無法解決問題的領導者呢? 所以我探究我們的教育系統到底出了什麼狀況, 發現到它一直都是一個模樣 — 死記硬背。 從小學一直到研究所都是這個樣子, 非常不重視道德倫理。 你知道嗎?整體而言,一般 從迦納的大學畢業的學生對於 權利的渴望勝過其責任感。 這是錯的。
So I decided to engage this particular problem. Because it seems to me that every society, every society, must be very intentional about how it trains its leaders. And Ghana was not paying enough attention. And this is true across sub-Saharan Africa, actually. So this is what I'm doing now. I'm trying to bring the experience that I had at Swarthmore to Africa. I wish there was a liberal arts college in every African country. I think it would make a huge difference. And what Ashesi University is trying to do is to train a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial leaders. We're trying to train leaders of exceptional integrity, who have the ability to confront the complex problems, ask the right questions, and come up with workable solutions.
所以我決定與這個特有的問題交鋒。 對我而言看起來,每一個社會,每一個社會, 都必定會非常重視如何訓練指導者。 但迦納並沒有投入足夠的關切, 事實上,這情況普遍存在於撒哈拉撒沙漠以南的非洲國家中。 所以這就是我目前的工作, 我試著將我在史瓦斯摩的經驗帶回到非洲。 我盼望在每一個非洲國家能有一個人文教育學院。 我想這會造成很大的不同。 阿敘宜大學的宗旨在於 培訓新一代具有道德及創業精神的領導者。 我們試著訓練出具有優異品格的領導者, 他們能有能力面對複雜的問題, 提出對的問題,進而能設計出可行的方案。
I'll admit that there are times when it seems like "Mission: Impossible," but we must believe that these kids are smart. That if we involve them in their education, if we have them discuss the real issues that they confront -- that our whole society confronts -- and if we give them skills that enable them to engage the real world, that magic will happen. Now, a month into this project, we'd just started classes. And a month into it, I come to the office, and I have this email from one of our students. And it said, very simply, "I am thinking now." And he signs off, "Thank you." It's such a simple statement. But I was moved almost to tears because I understood what was happening to this young man. And it is an awesome thing to be a part of empowering someone in this way. I am thinking now.
我承認有些時候它看起來就像是「不可能的任務」, 但我們必須相信這些孩子是聰明的, 如果我們將他們納入他們自身的教育中, 如果我們讓他們討論他們將會面對的議題, 同時也是我們整個社會所面對的 — 如果我們教導他們能在現實世界中活用的技巧, 那麼神奇的事情就會發生。 現在,這計畫已經開始一個月了,我們剛開課。 在開始了一個月後,我進到辦公室, 收到一位學生的電子郵件。 信上說得非常簡單:「我現在會思考了」 然後他在信尾寫道:「謝謝你」 這封信如此簡單地陳述, 但我幾乎感動地落淚, 因為我了解這位年輕人所發生的轉變。 能夠以如此方式 來授予人力量,真的是太棒了! 我現在會思考了。
This year we challenged our students to craft an honor code themselves. There's a very vibrant debate going on on campus now over whether they should have an honor code, and if so, what it should look like. One of the students asked a question that just warmed my heart. Can we create a perfect society? Her understanding that a student-crafted honor code constitutes a reach towards perfection is incredible. Now, we cannot achieve perfection, but if we reach for it, then we can achieve excellence. I don't know ultimately what they will do. I don't know whether they will decide to have this honor code. But the conversation they're having now -- about what their good society should look like, what their excellent society should look like, is a really good thing.
今年,我們挑戰我們的學生, 讓他們自己訂定校規。 現在在校園中,持續進行著響亮的辯論, 辯論是否應該設立校規。 如果要有,那應該是什麼樣的? 有一個學生問了我一個問題,令我很窩心。 我們能創建一個完美的社會嗎? 在她的認知中,一個由學生訂定的校規, 是不可能完美的。 即使,我們無法達到完美, 但是如果我們追求完美,我們便會獲得卓越。 我不曉得最後他們會如何做, 我不知道他們是否會決定訂定校規, 但是他們現在每天談論的是 — 關於他們理想的社會應該怎樣? 關於他們卓越的社會應該如何? 真是件很棒的事情。
Am I out of time? OK. Now, I just wanted to leave that slide up because it's important that we think about it. I'm very excited about the fact that every student at Ashesi University does community service before they graduate. That for many of them, it has been a life-altering experience. These young future leaders are beginning to understand the real business of leadership, the real privilege of leadership, which is after all to serve humanity. I am even more thrilled by the fact that least year our student body elected a woman to be the head of Student Government. It's the first time in the history of Ghana that a woman has been elected head of Student Government at any university. It says a lot about her. It says a lot about the culture that's forming on campus. It says a lot about her peers who elected her. She won with 75 percent of the vote.
我超過時間嗎? 好的。 現在我就停在這張投影片上, 因為我們認為它很重要。 有一件事我很興奮, 就是在阿敘宜大學的每位學生在畢業之前都會做社區服務。 對他們很多人而言,那是一個改變生命的經驗。 這些年輕的未來領導者開始了解, 領導統御的真正內涵, 領導統御的真正權力, 那就是,服務人群。 我更覺得震撼的是在去年, 我們的學生會選出了一位女性學生, 成為學生政府的領袖。 這在迦納歷史上是頭一次, 女性被選為學生政府的領袖, 是迦納所有大學的首例。 這是她本人的一項大成就, 也代表了在校園中正在形成的文化, 對那些投票給她的同學來說也很重要。 她贏得了 75% 的選票,
And it gives me a lot of hope. It turns out that corporate West Africa also appreciates what's happening with our students. We've graduated two classes of students to date. And every single one of them has been placed. And we're getting great reports back from corporate Ghana, corporate West Africa, and the things that they're most impressed about is work ethic. You know, that passion for what they're doing. The persistence, their ability to deal with ambiguity, their ability to tackle problems that they haven't seen before. This is good because over the past five years, there have been times when I've felt this is "Mission: Impossible."
這給了我很大的希望。 事實證明整個西非的國家, 也都非常賞識我們學生們的轉變。 到目前為止,我們已有兩屆畢業生, 他們每一個人都佔了一席之地。 我們陸續收到非常正面的報告, 這些報告來自於整個迦納及整個非洲。 令我們印像最深刻的是職業道德。 你知道的,他們對所做之事投入的熱情, 堅忍不拔,及處理模棱兩可問題的能力。 以及處理他們從未遇到過的問題之能力。 這是很棒的,你知道, 在過去五年中,曾有過多少次, 我感覺到這是「不可能的任務」。
And it's just wonderful to see these glimmers of the promise of what can happen if we train our kids right. I think that the current and future leaders of Africa have an incredible opportunity to drive a major renaissance on the continent. It's an incredible opportunity. There aren't very many more opportunities like this in the world. I believe that Africa has reached an inflection point with a march of democracy and free markets across the continent. We have reached a moment from which can emerge a great society within one generation. It will depend on inspired leadership. And it is my contention that the manner in which we train our leaders will make all the difference. Thank you, and God bless.
但現在這簡直是太美妙了! 慢慢地,看到了一絲絲的曙光, 對於未來可能發生之事的願景,只要我們正確的教育我們的孩子。 我認為非洲目前及未來的領導者, 有一個難以置信的機會, 去引領非洲大陸的復興。 它是一個不可思議的機會, 這世界上並沒有其它許多像這樣的機會。 我相信非洲已經到達它的轉捩點, 隨著橫跨整個大陸的民主風潮及自由市場, 我們已經到達了一個可以 在這世代中建立美好社會的時刻。 它仰賴被啟發的領導統御。 我的論點是,我們訓練領導者的方式, 能夠產生完全不同的結果。 謝謝,願神祝福您們!
(Applause)
(掌聲)