<p>Climbing Kilimanjaro is on the bucket list of most people on the African continent. Most of us at the ABN Group have had a personal ambition to make this trek but the opportunity came in the form of a corporate memo from our founder, Rakesh Wahi, who asked for volunteers. All of us that went on this mission enrolled without really understanding the implications of what we had signed up for.</p>
<p>What followed was four months of training and getting ready for our greatest test of physical and mental endurance. We went on several hikes as a team, culminating in the final climb of Sentinel Peak in Drakensburg, South Africa. Through this period we assessed the strengths and weaknesses of team members and came up with a marching order and buddy pairing that in retrospect were the main reasons for our success.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1781" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_2052-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></p>
<p>A few days before we set off for the trip, I was given the responsibility to lead the 15-strong team, including two members joining from Murdoch University Dubai (an affiliate company). Rakesh gave me one task: Do what you need to but make sure that all 15 people make it to the top. Failure was not an option. For a mountain that has a 41% success rate for climbers, this was not an easy goal. Our head guide validated that of the 150 teams he had taken up the mountain over 10 years, only nine had a 100% success rate.</p>
<p>What followed between March 11 and 17 was one of the most exhilarating experiences of self-discovery for each and every one of the team members.</p>
<p>For corporate governance, our travel policy dictated that we set out from Johannesburg in two teams that regrouped in the sleepy town of Moshi in Tanzania. Some of us saw the magnitude of what lay ahead as we saw the majestic Kilimanjaro in the far distance, rising above the clouds at the same altitude at which we were flying. We assembled at the Keys Hotel and shared a memorable dinner of pizzas and beer and a final bath with the understanding that the next seven days would be spent in lesser luxuries.</p>
<p>After a group briefing and an introduction to the team of seven guides, 46 cooks and porters we set out on March 11 for the first day’s hike on the Rongai route. Most of us had packed about 13kg into our backpacks (constituting water and foodstuff) and a 14kg duffel bag was carried by our porters with all our clothing and provisions. We had expected rain on this hike but didn’t realize that it would hit us as soon as we started. Young children walked with us, nonchalantly in the rain, making us forget the discomfort. We ended the first day’s hike after an 11km march that we completed in four hours ending at an altitude of 2,400m. Other than the rain, this was an easy trek. As we walked to our camp site we were greeted by eight yellow tents pitched close together that were to become our home for the next six nights.</p>
<p>Our routine for the first five days was quite consistent; getting ready by 7.30AM, breakfast at 8AM and the daily march from 9AM to 2PM to reach the next base camp. We progressed steadily from 2,400m on day one, to 3,450m on day two, 3,683m on day three, 4,300m on day four and 4,730m on day five. Each day we would acclimatize by walking up about 200m in altitude with the concept of “walk high and sleep low”. We discovered, to our delight, that CNBC Africa presenter, Samantha Loring, is a qualified yoga instructor and she would make the team stretch and do breathing exercises that appeared frivolous when we started out but became our lifeline as we climbed above 4,000m.</p>
<p>Some events became common through our journey: The early breakfast of eggs, porridge and bananas, warm pea or cucumber soup for lunch, welcoming tea and Milo with popcorn at 4PM each day, before acclimatization, and soup with an overdose of starch and protein for dinner. The rule was to finish three liters of water at a bare minimum each day. One thing was clearly evident—organizers were making sure that we packed extra calories for the final assault on the last day.</p>
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<p>The build up for the first five days was gradual and most of the team managed to get by with little or no discomfort. Communications had died with the expended battery life of our cellphones and the solar charging devices were a disappointment. Despite the shortcomings, I did manage to speak with my five-year-old son, who was distraught that daddy was gone for a week; for all of us the contact with families remained comforting and a constant encouragement.</p>
<p>We started the assault on Uhuru Peak at midnight on March 16, with our headlamps providing the much-needed beacon of hope as we progressed slowly, but surely, up a 70 degree gradient. The temperature dipped to approximately -17 degrees and winds picked up as we reached 5,000m. The journey from there to Gilman’s Point, at 5,700m, took us about seven hours. As team leader I was put under the most severe test as I tried to help team members face their individual challenges. We stopped for comfort breaks periodically but stayed together through all that the mountain could throw at us and the whole team made it to Gilman’s Point. This was our first milestone. The journey to Uhuru Peak from Gilman’s Point took approximately two hours and we all finally summited at 9.15AM on March 16.</p>
<p>Reaching Uhuru Peak saw emotions flow from all team members. Tears of joy were the expression of accomplishment and pride that we all felt. Once rested, the team decided to do the Harlem Shake, which was undoubtedly the expression of insanity that overcame everyone for a moment. The team then made its way back to Kibo Hut in three hours to a well-deserved hot lunch and nap before moving down to the next base camp. The ABN team conquered Kilimanjaro to become only the 10th team that our guides had managed to all take up to the top of the mountain.</p>
<p>As team leader, I saw some changes in every one of my team. First and foremost, 15 individuals went up the mountain but one family of 15 came down having accomplished the mission successfully with a priceless bond that will be cherished forever. What did we all learn? Just one lesson: No goal is too great or too small to accomplish if you work slowly and steadily as a team. In addition to this, as a leader I learnt that a leader needs to show genuine concern for his team and be there for them, larger than life, when they need him most.</p>
<h4>Rakesh Wahi—the vice chairman of the ABN360 Group—dreamed up and financed the trip. He is a fit 53-year-old, who spent nine years of active service as an officer in the Indian Army and knows all about rough roads and battles.</h4>
<p>Why Kilimanjaro?<br />
“The trip was symbolic of where we see ourselves as a business. Climbing Africa’s highest mountain and the highest freestanding mountain in the world resonates with our vision to be Africa’s leading business media conglomerate. The true test of leaders is when you push them over the edge from their comfort zone into a zone of physical and mental hardship, and then observe their ability to think, rationalize, overcome hardship, carry their team members and reach a group goal. The behavior patterns of people change in such grueling conditions and personal survival can sometimes overtake a group goal. But, like in a battlefield, personal matters must become secondary to a bigger cause that everyone must believe in. That cause then defines the success of the team and motivates them to achieve the goal… This kind of physical and mental test cannot be achieved in a beach resort.”</p>
<p>How difficult was the ascent?<br />
“There were several challenging moments. From a physical point of view, many members developed different ailments from fever, fatigue, insect bites, sunburns and altitude sickness to nausea and stomach-related viruses. On the mental side, the main challenge came on summit night when people had to call for their inner strength to make it to the top.”</p>
<p>How did it feel to stand there proudly at the summit?<br />
“I could see emotions flowing down each one’s cheeks and the pride on their faces to have made it to the top together. When we started out, there were 15 people with different identities and backgrounds. When we reached the top, I could see that a family was born… On a personal level, it was a great achievement as my son, Sid, was also on the team. It was a great opportunity to spend time with him and see him face his own challenges to make it to the summit, despite getting altitude sickness and severe hypothermia.”</p>
<p>The Harlem Shake?<br />
“This was indeed a surprise item on the agenda. The average age of the team was under 30 and a lot of their language, music and conversations were foreign to me. I did however, enjoy everything that I heard. I was at a loss when I was asked to join in the Harlem Shake but did it as requested by the team. I rehearsed it with the team at 4,700m and they were overjoyed to see me participate. I think it was a victory lap for the modern generation and could well have been any other form of expression. I thought it was rather cute and unique when I saw the final product on YouTube; after all how many people have behaved like complete lunatics at 6,000m.”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


A Breathing Break And A Harlem Shake  On The Rooftop Of Africa

<p>FORBES AFRICA’s publisher, Rakesh Wahi, is also the co-founder and vice chairman of Africa Business News (ABN), which also owns CNBC Africa.</p>
<div id="attachment_43" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-43" class="size-large wp-image-43" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FORBES_MAG_027-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="316" /><p id="caption-attachment-43" class="wp-caption-text">Deal of a lifetime: Rakesh Wahi signs the FORBES AFRICA franchise agreement with Gary Alfonso, editor-in-chief; Roberta Naidoo, general manager; and Sid Wahi, project manager in attendance.</p></div>
<h3>As an entrepreneur in the media space in Africa, why did you choose FORBES AFRICA as your next venture?</h3>
<p>Our vision for ABN from the beginning was to create a business media conglomerate that would have a point of presence in all African countries. The intent is to have a mechanism to aggregate real-time information from across the continent and roll it out in different media, namely television, print and online. Both aggregation and exhibition have to be carried out in tandem to make the business model viable.</p>
<p>The television business was set up in June 2007 with CNBC as our partner. CNBC is a global leader in business television. For the print business we evaluated several options, but the FORBES brand is the one that my partner, Zafar Siddiqi, and I pursued as it is, to our minds, the most inspirational business magazine in the world.</p>
<h3>How did it come about?</h3>
<p>My interaction started with the management of FORBES in June 2008. They had tried to enter the African market earlier but were not able to find the right partnership model, and hence were also waiting for the right opportunity.</p>
<p>As in any business relationship, there was a lot of due diligence requirements and submissions of business plans, etcetera. Our vision and our presence in the business media genre were clearly key factors, which went in our favor.</p>
<h3>What did the process entail? Was it complicated or simple?</h3>
<p>The process, by our own requirements, needed us to carry out an in-depth analysis of the print industry in Africa and the gaps that we wanted to fill in a market that was cluttered with a lot of other good quality products. We had to first convince ourselves that there was a demand and secondly, we were well placed to meet that demand. I allocated sufficient resources to making this initial determination.</p>
<p>Our initial findings were positive, with several cautions. We had to work through these red flags to make sure that we had the right answers—firstly, from the perspective of the market, and more importantly, viable commercially, keeping in mind the expectations of FORBES.</p>
<p>I think that in any venture, it’s important to spend a lot of time on getting the fundamentals right. The process, therefore, is not complicated or simple, but is mainly focused on being very thorough. The legal agreements were cumbersome and I had a good team, led by Gary Alfonso and Roberta Naidoo, working with me on the transaction.</p>
<p>While the recession delayed our plans, the real challenges started once we took a decision to launch. My son Sidharth stepped up as the project manager for the business and has worked tirelessly with the team to set the ball in motion. We now have a full team on board, with Chris Bishop leading the charge as managing editor.</p>
<h3>Why did you see FORBES AFRICA particularly as an opportunity? Isn’t print journalism a dying breed in the world of publishing?</h3>
<p>I would not have ventured into this business without having the synergies with our existing business. We have operating synergies in the business news genre and this was the primary consideration. Zafar and I spent a lot of time with our shareholders and management team to analyze issues and came up with a plan that we thought would work.</p>
<div id="attachment_42" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-42" class="size-large wp-image-42" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_5509-2-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="316" /><p id="caption-attachment-42" class="wp-caption-text">Co-founder and Chairman Zafar Siddiqi with publisher and co-founder Rakesh Wahi</p></div>
<p>Keeping in mind media consumption habits of the future and recognizing that the future lies in hand-held devices, we have a strategy on building the subscription model via the internet. The shape of the final product will be revealed in the not-so-distant future and is being worked on together with our partners in New York.</p>
<h3>What’s your vision for a media group that now owns the Africa distribution rights of two of the most powerful business news brands in the world?</h3>
<p>Our vision remains unchanged on our ambition to be Africa’s most powerful business media conglomerate. We are expanding our geographic network and will have a physical presence in 10 African countries by 2012 and 18 countries by 2014.</p>
<p>We see ourselves looking at distribution as a means to achieve our goals for viewership and will be seeking partnerships on terrestrial networks across Africa, and where possible, acquire networks.</p>
<p>On the print side, we are interested in adding to our stable and will seek other titles that we can bolt into our business to achieve efficiencies and additional economies of scale.</p>
<p>On the internet side, we are building great momentum on ABN Digital (www.abndigital.com) and via YouTube, where more than one million views of our content have been downloaded. Evolution of the telecoms sector will bring about a lot of changes in the delivery of content and we are making all the necessary arrangements to be there when that happens.</p>
<h3>What’s your view on Africa as a marketplace? And the future of the media industry on the African continent?</h3>
<p>Zafar and I are both great believers in the African story. We have been here for seven years now and think that this has been the most incredible learning experience of our lives.</p>
<p>If you analyze Africa without South Africa, you will see the opportunity in every area of economic development. Media is very immature on the continent, from both a reporting and consumption perspective. The revenue drivers are tough; skills are lacking and costs are high. Consequently, there has been limited interest for media companies to push ahead on a pan-African model.</p>
<div id="attachment_44" style="width: 484px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-44" class="size-large wp-image-44" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FORBES_MAG_049-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="474" height="316" /><p id="caption-attachment-44" class="wp-caption-text">The FORBES AFRICA team</p></div>
<p>Our shareholders, like the IDC, share our vision to build the African marketplace. It is my belief that the industry needs to rally behind some common objectives of sharing and building capacity on the continent. Governments have to be active participants in the process of deregulation and being active catalysts to growth, and not become impediments to the free flow of information. Transparency is an inevitable part of economic growth and media will play an important role in shaping the opinion of constituents.</p>
<p>I do believe that we are already adding value to this process and hope that we can achieve all our near-term goals on the continent.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Tag: Rakesh Wahi

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

A Breathing Break And A Harlem Shake On The Rooftop Of Africa

Forbes Africa — The Journey