By: Lwazi Nongauza

“I work really hard at trying to see the big picture and not getting stuck in ego. I believe we’re all put on this planet for a purpose, and we all have a different purpose. When you connect with that love and that compassion, that’s when everything unfolds.”

This quote by Ellen DeGeneres best describes Kgabo Legodi, the fearless over achiever and director of Global Entrepreneurship Boot Camp (GEB) South Africa.

This four continental, A-list youth entrepreneurship development platform specializes in creating an international startups ecosystem for young entrepreneurs. It organizes business cultural exchange programs and access to funding and markets for real and commercially viable young business owners across America, Asia, Europe and Africa.

As a South African GEB director, Legodi’s task is to design, implement, and evaluate programs that help young South African entrepreneurs to scale their business in the country, on the African continent, and in the world.

That is just one of many positions of power that Legodi is juggling. The 2018 Activate Alumni is also a brand ambassador (British head office lead) of international organization, ENACTUS, that provides business opportunity platforms for students and budding start-up entrepreneurs. As an ambassador, Legodi works with some of South Africa’s corporate key industry captains to develop young great entrepreneurs with a proven track record.

Legodi also holds a critical position at the United Nations’ youth parliament called Model United Nations, and the American government endorsed youth leadership empowerment platform, Young African Leaders Institute.

Legodi is also playing a key role in some of the revered African continent youth development formations. One of those is the Nigeria-based young women mentorship organization called Inspire For Greatness. The organization specializes in mentorship, entrepreneurship, personal development, and leadership capacity building training for emerging young social and economic leaders.

Legodi’s role at Inspire For Greatness is to connect aspiring Western Africa budding entrepreneurs to potentially collaborative business opportunities with the Southern African corporate sector.

Through various pro-youth entrepreneurship development advocacy groups here in South Africa, Legodi is working with higher institutions of learning that are providing business skills for youth who come from previously disadvantaged areas.

Legodi might be one of the young powerful women leaders who are taking over many key social and economic positions, but her journey to where she is has not been all that easy. While talking about how she earned global recognition and support, Legodi revealed that she first had to change how she perceived life’s struggles, and take every small opportunity at school and in her community to showcase her business education leadership skills.

‘’Being born and raised in Limpopo and exposed to struggle was a big challenge. Because of that, I grew up thinking that girls like me can never be seen as pioneers of any global leadership structures but being part of ENACTUS taught me that every life disappointment or challenge can be a great setup ladder from me to success.  That is why in all my public talks I always remind people that if there was no apartheid, there would be no Mandela, if Oprah grew up in rich family, she would not be this powerful global icon. So is my life journey; being from rural Limpopo and seizing every opportunity made me what I am and will be in a few years’ time.’’

This is a story from the ACTIVATE! Change Drivers Network. A! Network of over 4200 diverse young people driving change for the public good across South Africa. Members of this network, Activators, are connected by their passion, skills, sense of self, and spark to address tough challenges.