There is no such thing, of course, as a 'grey rhino'. 2009 Tutu Fellow James Mwangi writes that he came across the the term in a piece on business in China and that he found it instructive. In the piece, a grey rhino was analogous to highly probable, high-impact threats that people should see coming, but don't. Writing about the threat of 'grey rhinos' in Africa for African Business, he looks at some of the factors that should be obvious to governments across the continent and which they have failed to address.
Two of the most menacing grey rhinos - youth unemployment and climate change - are fueling a wave of conflict. The scale and urgency of the impacts of these threats are an existential threat to both government and business. Mwangi doesn't leave readers with only darkness - he also has some suggestions as to where the continent may find insights into countering these threats.
The full piece can be read at African Business. Each month, in a partnership with the African Leadership Institute, African Business will carry a thought or opinion piece from a Tutu Fellow, sharing insights from young leaders from across the continent. James Mwangi is the Executive Director of the Dalberg Group and a 2009 Tutu Fellow.
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