I recently agreed to help a friend review a scholarship application to a University in the United Kingdom.

Four months later, my phone buzzed again.

This time, my friend announced that she had gotten a fully funded provisional admission into the university to which she had applied.

She was glad, and I shared in her joy. She sang new praises this time as she remarked, "You are so good at what you do. I couldn't imagine myself pulling through without your input."

The conversation continued as she asked, don't you have plans to leave Nigeria? She became the latest associate to ask if I was also joining the exodus of migrants leaving Nigeria in search of a "working system."

Again, for the umpteenth time, I wasn't tired of giving a resounding "NO," only that I was interested in sharing my convictions this time.

Why do people leave Nigeria? In search of a better life. What is the definition of a better life?

A life lived within a system that works.

What qualities define a working system?

A system with good roads, quality education, security, and employment.

Here comes the big question, are these problems location-specific or limited to a particular environment?

In reality, there is no canonical universal answer. Still, there are facts to back up claims that these concerns are beyond borders.

Security is a menace that has combatted our nation. Still, it is a global discourse ravaging even the most developed countries.

Banditry, kidnappings, and hired killings have made the headlines at home.

Still, the United States, a nation with the fiercest military in terms of personnel and weaponry, has had its fair share of insecurity.

Gun control has remained a discussion that is as old as the United States itself, and right now, it doesn't look likely to be resolved soon.

In 2022 alone, according to Washington Post, there has been a staggering 300 mass shooting.

The shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, which left six dead and scores injured, was just one of the fourteen mass shootings that took place that weekend.

What do I think about this? I think it's just as bad as the Mass shooting in Owo, Ondo, where lives were equally lost.

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Unemployment? That's also a valid reason to dream of the departure lounge at Muritala Muhammed International Airport.

However, while lamenting the 9.7 unemployment rate in Nigeria, one significant catalyst of Brexit was the dissatisfaction with Britain being the "Job factory in Europe" and foreigners taking most jobs.

Quality education is one of the most popular reasons why travel agents and immigration firms have gained so much popularity.

Malcolm X was undoubtedly right when he said, "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today."

But do you know that a 4-year university degree in Canada costs about $80,000 - $120,000? While it barely costs $1,000 here in Nigeria? Even the most expensive university in Nigeria would only cost about $15,000 for a four-year program. While weighing up your move, a cost-benefit analysis should be factored in.

Should I go on?

The truth is that no particular phenomenon is region specific, and the commonest is always beyond borders. The terrifying ghost remains omnipresent, from terrorism and corrupt politicians to limited resources and mismanagement of public resources.

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Developed economies were once at the level of developing countries. There is often little to be optimistic about, and it takes an enthusiast to spot the silver lining in dark clouds.

Many have prescribed an all-around revolution as the absolute answer to their country's woes. This, too, has taken place in many nations with mixed results. As a matter of fact, it all boils down to the fact that the universe is a metaverse of humans with the same ideas, only different features like race, location, and skin color.

So before you cuss your lungs out when the taps stop halfway through your shower, I hope you are prepared for Hurricane Barry when it prepares to show up again with a truckload of water.

Around the world, nation states have failed in their promise to deliver abundant lives for their citizens.

Our civilizations are built on political systems that prioritize the interests of a few over collective gain. This leads to many ills that plague our planet and threaten our existence.

Afropolitan offers a different approach to the status quo.

How do we build Afropolitan?

Human beings are social animals. All that is good and noble about us stems from our need for each other. In the most basic sense, building a new country is a process of scaling a social network around shared goals and principles. Social networks are formed online and tend to stay there in our lifetime. But what if we built a new network and migrated it into the real world via a city (or Network of cities)?

Crypto-philosopher Balaji Srinivasan highlighted this as the most viable strategy to build such a country — which he calls a Network State — in the 21st century. The Network State is a digital nation launched first as an online community before materializing physically on land after reaching critical mass.

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The internet enables people to organize around shared values at a scale that would have been unthinkable before the current century. If it were a country, Facebook would be the largest global network state. With the advent of cryptocurrency, the next Facebook will not be a social network with a passive online community but rather a full-blown digital republic coordinated by its native currency and a unifying mission.

What, then, could Afropolitan be? Viewed as one, the 150-million-strong African diaspora would be the 10th largest country in the world. (Without considering the 1.2 billion people in Africa and counting. The diaspora is our North Star.

MasterPlan

The best way to reform an obsolete system is to build a new one. Afropolitan's objective is to solve the Crisis of Legitimacy experienced by Africans worldwide by establishing a new source of legitimacy embodied in our Digital Nation.

We plan to do this in four phases:

PHASE 1: NETWORK

In Phase 1, we will seed our Network by communicating a clear and energetic vision for the world we plan to build. We will drop an NFT campaign outlining the mythology of our new nation. Afropolitan NFTs will also grant members a digital passport, alongside access to events and future value-added services.

PHASE 2: COME FOR THE NETWORK, STAY FOR THE TOOL

Speaking of value-added services: Beyond the diaspora, scaling the Afropolitan Network requires us to provide maximum utility to our members. In Phase 2, we will launch the Afropolitan Super App to consolidate all the utilities within the Afropolitan ecosystem under one roof. Members can monitor their holdings, send money to associates, business partners, and family across borders, earn digital currency by contributing to the DAO, and buy goods and services. Most importantly, thanks to a native media feed, they will be able to watch the Network extend itself around the world. It has the potential to be one of the most significant proposition movements of our time.

PHASE 3: MINIMUM VIABLE STATE

Our focus for Phase 3 will be preparing our transition from the digital to the virtual. Our goal at this stage is to build up legitimacy through state capacity. We will create a network of seed institutions to govern our Network, including subsidiary funds, organizations, and a developing internal economy.

PHASE 4: FOUNDATION

Finally, in Phase 4, we will leverage the Network, capital, and legitimacy accrued over the previous Phases to acquire land in negotiation with partner governments. The "Afropolitan Town" land piece will mirror existing communities like Chinatown, where our members can establish a physical presence and create economic opportunities. At this stage, the Network State will serve as the "digital capital" which governs our physical Districts. Over time, we plan to build a more extensive network of Charter Cities akin to Singapore and Hong Kong.

I'M IN. WHAT'S NEXT?

The journey we are embarking on will be a long and arduous one. Our destination may be clear, but the path is uncertain. As we launch Phase 1, Afropolitan is looking to onboard the most dedicated and ambitious people to join our fledgling Network. We care less about what you've done. Tell us who you aspire to become and how we can all be better together.

To get involved, join our mailing list to get a sense of our community.

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