Strathmore University welcomed 250 delegates from 21 countries across the globe for the much-anticipated BeDoCare Conference. The three-day gathering, co-organized by Strathmore University, Harambee Africa International, and BeDoCare, is the third in a global series following Rome (2022) and São Paulo (2024). Nairobi marks BeDoCare’s African debut, uniting policymakers, business leaders, academics, NGOs, and students around the themes of education, work, and social development.

Rome laid the foundation, focusing on how social initiatives could become professional, sustainable, and impactful. São Paulo carried the torch, centering youth, innovation, and sustainability across Latin America. Now, with Nairobi, Africa steps to the forefront, where the continent’s destiny is being reimagined.

Welcoming delegates, Dr. Vincent Ogutu, Vice Chancellor, Strathmore University, words set the day alight. “I am welcoming my wider family, people aligned with the values of Strathmore. This BeDoCare Conference is your chance to refill your tanks, renew your energy, refresh your perspective, and recharge for the important work ahead.”

Strathmore’s story is inextricably linked to Africa’s transformation. Founded in 1961 amid the winds of independence, the university was established on the conviction that education could unlock Africa’s vast potential. Dr. Ogutu reminded the audience of this legacy, underscoring the continuity between the university’s origins and the spirit of BeDoCare, which hinges on uniting being, doing, and caring as integral forces for development.

Linda Corbi, Project Manager, Harambee Africa International, described the conference as “a space for encounter, for listening, for collaboration and networking.” Her words echoed through the hall, “We want a world built on care, responsibility, and solidarity not just as words, but as concrete actions.”

Rev. Dr. Silvano Ochuodho, Pro-Chancellor of Strathmore University, placed the BeDoCare gathering within the wider arc of history. He recalled how, in 1957, St. Josemaría Escrivá received an urgent request to establish a Catholic university in East Africa, a vision that soon gave birth to Strathmore in 1961. Born as an interracial school in a deeply segregated colonial Kenya, Strathmore was itself a bold act of defiance. A living testimony to the conviction that there is only one race, the race of the children of God.

Dr. Ochuodho likened Strathmore, and indeed all institutions inspired by St. Josemaría, to the African baobab tree, seeds planted in difficult soil that, with time, grow into giants offering shade, sustenance, and a gathering place for generations. He reminded participants that they, too, are called to be such seeds. Attentive to the needs of their communities, responsive to the challenges of their times, and committed to mentoring the next generation.

As he concluded, Dr. Ochuodho urged the audience to see BeDoCare 2025 as a continuation of that legacy. In his words, “Africa’s destiny will be written not in grand gestures, but in the patient work of care, service, and leadership that we choose each day.”

The first keynote of the day, delivered by Francis Okomo-Okello, Non-Executive Chairman of TPS Eastern Africa (Serena Group) and former Chairman of Absa Bank Kenya, invited the audience to envision a bold future. Under the theme ‘Africa in 50 Years: Challenges and Opportunities,’ he painted a picture of a continent on the brink of transformation.

Africa, he noted, stands at the crossroads of opportunity and challenge. By 2075, the continent’s GDP is projected to triple, powered by a youthful, educated population and abundant natural resources. Yet, he warned, “we face limited execution capacity, lack of transparency, and inadequate quality of leadership.” He called for value-based leadership and ethical governance, aligning national and organizational priorities with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

“Africa’s future greatness is not inevitable. It will depend on integrity, interconnectedness, and the courage to rebrand Africa not as a continent of deficit but as a beacon of resilience and innovation,” concluded Okomo-Okello.

If Okomo-Okello charted the structural map of Africa’s next half-century, Dr. Julie Gichuru, President and CEO of the Africa Leadership and Dialogue Institute (ALADI), captured its beating heart. Her address, ‘Telling the African Story,’ challenged participants to reclaim narrative sovereignty.

She began with a proverb, ‘One who does not clean his mouth before eating will complain that the food is sour.’ Too often, she argued, Africans allow others to tell their stories, often in deficit-laden tones. From the trope of poverty to political instability, Africa has been cast in narratives of lack.

But Gichuru invited the audience to a new story. One of dignity, opportunity, and diversity. “We must harness our African voices. Let us make a difference in how we shape our narrative. Let’s take ownership, be custodians of our story, and tell it ourselves.” She urged educators, policymakers, and youth to intertwine stories of resilience and innovation into national policies, making narrative a tool for transformation.

The day’s third keynote was delivered by Dr. Thulani Dlamini, CEO of South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), who spoke on “Nurturing a Culture of Translating Academic and Developmental Research into Impactful Products, Processes, and Policies.”

Dlamini urged delegates to build innovation ecosystems where academia, government, and industry collaborate seamlessly. He laid out five imperatives, including skilled capital, increased investment, private-sector incentives, robust ecosystems, and people-centered research.

“We are touching lives through innovation,” he said, “but we must think differently about how to strengthen innovation so that it is not only created but also sustained.”

The post-lunch sessions shifted focus from vision to action, with parallel workshops exploring education as a cornerstone of societal progress.

Workshop 1: Universities as Engines of Social and Educational Development featured Prof. John Odhiambo, Former Vice Chancellor, Strathmore University, Alfred Kouakou of Univ. des Lagunes, Côte d’Ivoire and Philémon Muamba Mumbunda, Université Catholique de Kinshasa, RD Congo. The panel, moderated by Dr. Celestine Okezie, explored universities as ecosystems for research, innovation, and social transformation. Prof. Odhiambo issued a strong appeal for Africa to establish sovereign research funds, freeing its institutions from the dictates of foreign donors.

Muamba emphasized that governments must invest in human capital, while Kouakou highlighted the need for partnerships between academia and industry. The takeaway was that universities must be both ivory towers of knowledge and engines of community impact.

Workshop 2: Overcoming Educational Barriers in Low-Income Communities was an exchange among grassroots actors tackling the daily realities of marginalized learners led by Lynda Kasina (Kianda Foundation), Evelyn Tiren (Wonder Foundation), Mariele Arcenas (École Professionnelle Yarani, Côte d’Ivoire), and Clifford Oluoch (Homeless of Nairobi). Moderated by Joshua Nwachukwu, the workshop highlighted barriers such as poor infrastructure, illiteracy, financial exclusion, low self-confidence, and persistent discrimination against women and girls.

Yet solutions shone through, including holistic support via mentorship and life skills, dual training models, affordable fees and scholarships, and job shadowing to inspire ambition. They were all in tandem that collaboration across institutions, governments, and communities, combined with advocacy and sustainable interventions, is essential to empower learners, nurture resilience, and drive lasting educational change.

The day drew to a close with the screening of a documentary by Salim Amin, which gave a cinematic reminder of Africa’s enduring spirit.

Being at the periphery of the conference, BeDoCare is a story of Africa’s ongoing capacity to reimagine itself. And if Day One is any indication, the next two days will deepen the conversation, expanding the horizon of what Africa can become.

As Linda Corbi declared in her opening remarks, “This conference is both a gift and a responsibility.” A gift because it offers encounter and learning, and a responsibility because it demands action beyond words.

Indeed, Africa’s destiny will not be handed down. It will be written, story by story, innovation by innovation, generation by generation, by those bold enough to Be, to Do, and to Care.

Article written by Stephen Wakhu