[Academia is often regarded as the Ivory Tower, disconnected from the harsh realities of the real world. I disagree. Where else can one design greenhouses and low-cost diagnostics, research informal lending and systems thinking, publish cartoons and write stories, teach the next generation of game-changers and influence the lives of millions of people through technological, business, and social innovations? A university is really about the universe. Its all about what you make out of it: the universe or the ivory tower.

Note: I will be out jumpstarting ventures & building partnerships across Kenya, Zambia, Burkina Faso, India and Thailand over the next 3 months. The cartoons might be delayed.]

[Few universities in Africa have a research and Outreach mission, or have the resources to engage with communities. Many African academics are trained in Western countries to solve Western problems and don’t find poverty alleviation and development as exciting. As an aside, research into dung beetles’ navigation won an Ignoble Award in 2013.]