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By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Michael Tahiru is more than a student. He is more than an athlete.
He is a difference maker.
The Lehigh men’s soccer senior, who scored the game-winning goal in the 2019 Patriot League Championship Game, is making an extraordinary impact in the campus community as founder and president of the Lehigh Africa Business Club.
“As an athlete, you get the opportunity to incorporate yourself into the campus community quite easily,” said Tahiru. “However, for the normal African student on campus, it can be difficult to make friends from different parts of the world, so I was thinking about a platform that could enrich the experience of Africans on campus and non-Africans as well, to learn about each other and learn about business on the African continent and around the world.”
The club is geared towards all types of people and backgrounds. Founded in 2020, the club had been on Michael’s mind for some time.
“I’d been thinking about opportunities to incorporate business in Africa into the business school [at Lehigh],” said Tahiru. “The idea really started my freshman year, taking classes in Arts and Sciences, Africana Studies classes and learning about the African continent – opportunities to give back and improve the development on the African continent.
“Business and economics are good platforms to bring people together.”
The COVID-19 pandemic shined light on the importance of people from all different places and backgrounds working together.
“The pandemic emphasized how global everything is,” said Tahiru. “Business is a language that everyone understands, regardless of your background, race or ethnicity. [The pandemic] really sped up the whole process to start the club.”
Quite simply, it created the right time for Tahiru to pull the trigger and start the club.
“When the pandemic happened and everything paused, it was a good time to strike,” he said. “The world was listening. People were ready to listen.”
Those words rang true. The club currently includes almost 50 members, with club events open to all.
“I work with an executive board and have an executive team,” said Tahiru. “We structure it like a corporation where I am the founder and president. The board members are vice presidents of their respective portfolios. We have a VP of marketing and communications, VP of internal affairs, VP of programs, VP of innovation and VP of finance. Right now, I’m working with five executive board members.”
The club meets once a month and talks about everything Africa, which in turn means the globe as well (since business is truly interconnected globally).
“Our main event of the year is our annual conference in the spring – hosted on Lehigh’s campus – so everything we do during the year is to build towards that,” said Tahiru. “We have different panels and different business leaders. We talk about technology, we talk about supply chain… we talk about everything business.”
Tahiru is hoping Lehigh’s annual conference becomes world-renowned.
“There was a conference at Harvard my freshman year, and we had a game that day, so I couldn’t go,” he said. “A friend told me about it, and it made me think we could host this conference at Lehigh.”
Three years later, Tahiru has a club and annual conference off the ground, with visions of it becoming a go-to international conference.
“I’m looking forward to the Lehigh Africa Business Club Annual Conference becoming one of the first conferences people think about in America, and the world, when they think about international conferences,” he said.
Leading up to the annual conference are general body meetings where people meet and network with each other.
“We also organize speaker series and fireside chats where we invite business leaders who come share their experiences,” said Tahiru. “We bring people and companies on board, who can provide internships for students. We also bring leaders who talk about policy all over the world. So all these leaders from Africa, America and Europe are able to engage each other, compare their ideas, connect with each other and create networking opportunities. Students can use that platform to also gain some ideas, ask questions and build their networks.”
Through the club, members learn so many skills – both tangible and intangible – that will benefit them both in the present and future.
“Strategic thinking is truly the goal of the club,” said Tahiru. “Africa is the platform. You’re not just talking about Africa, but you’re also looking at everything else from an African perspective.
“Living as a non-African working in New York, for example, you gain perspective into how business and supply chain is done around the world,” Tahiru continued. “You get to meet business leaders, connect with other students and gain knowledge from Africa. You also get to meet other professionals and build your own network through our events and internships.”
The Lehigh Africa Business Club is making a difference in so many ways.
“We’re also starting a new initiative – a new venture competition – and with this competition, we’re bringing a number of institutional and individual investors on board,” said Tahiru. “This new competition will give entrepreneurs from the African continent and companies (from early-stage startup to medium-sized businesses), the opportunity to pitch their ideas through a year-round process. The finalists will get to pitch their businesses at the annual conference and investors will choose which businesses to invest in.
“We’re doing this in partnership with the Baker Institute and companies around the world.”
The club has essentially turned into a full-time job for Tahiru, which is especially impressive considering the demands as a student and athlete at a challenging institution.
“When I recruited Michael and he was visiting campus, I told Michael that I was not just recruiting him to be student-athlete, but I also saw something in him (the way he spoke, the way he carried himself, the way he thought) that I believed could influence our campus community,” said Lehigh head coach Dean Koski. “I had no idea how or when. I just knew he had some special qualities that would exceed what he was capable of achieving on the soccer field.”
Those qualities have certainly shined through over Tahiru’s four years.
“We are working with governments in Africa and I’ve been traveling myself across the African continent, meeting different business leaders and building a program (as part of the Lehigh Africa Business Club),” said Tahiru. “So, if you’re a student at Lehigh or someone outside, you can come gain knowledge into the next big idea. If you have an idea yourself that you want to share, you want a partnership, you want mentorship or maybe you want capital to start, this is a great place to bring your business.”
Speaking of businesses, Tahiru has already started a business in his home country.
“I started a company in Ghana, which has license to do business across the African continent,” he said. “It’s a venture capital company that I’m still building and growing. Its’ something I’ll be going into full time at some point in the near future, but I’m looking to go into investments.
“Soccer will remain a big part of my life [post-graduation] as well.”
Tahiru has incredible perspective for someone his age, someone who not only loves and appreciates the sport of soccer, but also understands the big picture.
“It would be an understatement to say I am proud of Michael because he means so much more to our team, our campus and me,” said Koski. “I continue to be amazed, impressed and in awe of his ability to connect with so many different business leaders in the U.S. and Africa. Last month, he brought the Rear Admiral for the Ghanian Navy to Lehigh and introduced me to him outside our locker room before practice.
“When he left, I said to Michael, ‘I can’t believe you just introduced me to a Rear Admiral like he was your best friend.’ Of course, Michael just smiled humbly. In a nutshell, that’s who Michael is – a humble leader, an entrepreneur, a teammate and someone who has the ability to change his community and his nation.”
After graduation, Tahiru will be ready to take the world by storm. In the meantime, he’s leaving behind a legacy that includes the Lehigh Africa Business Club, which should continue to thrive when he hands over the reins as president to his successor.
“I have seen growth [in myself] in a lot of different ways,” said Tahiru. “Personally, I get to learn a lot every day. I get to meet business leaders and entrepreneurs. It’s always interesting and exciting to learn from success stories.
“I’ve also grown into thinking globally,” Tahiru continued. “I’ve grown in knowing that success in life is not just about myself, but also giving back to other people. In this case, creating a platform where people can learn about Africa, get internships [and more].
“Impacting other people’s lives has been a really, really transcendent experience.”
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