Busie (Busingye) Matsiko-Andan On a Life of Service, & Amplifying Africa And its Diaspora

“Walala wasala” (You snooze you lose), an African proverb that’s widely used to mean that if you sleep on the opportunity you will miss out.

Because of her busy schedule, it is not easy to get a hold of Busie Matsiko-Andan, especially for a story this deep! In fact, it has taken us two years to finally have this cover story done. “We had to get the timing right. Once the timing is right, everything falls into place,” the award-winning Ugandan global strategist, serial entrepreneur, and board trustee tells me on a call from her home in New York.

Her humility aside, I can firmly say that Busie (her name Busingye is shortened to Busie) is one of the most influential Africans. This week, for example, she was scheduled to be in Botswana for Forbes’ 30 under 30 summit, an event that will bring together some of Africa’s brightest entrepreneurs and game changers. Thanks to her brokering, Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Nomcebo Zikode spoke and performed at the event. She did the same for South African DJ Stabito (@stabito_dj), who was played at the event. She, however, wasn’t able to be in Botswana due to a prescheduled event Tiphani Montgomery’s Millions Conference where thousands attended.

Busie’s role is to connect Africa to the diaspora, something she has done well if her list of African talent and ‘personal friends’ is anything to go by; from actor Jeffrey Wright, designer Christian Siriano, actress Juliet Ibrahim, John Legend, Angélique Kidjo, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Bonang Matheba to Beyonce’s stylist Ty Hunter, and many more.

“I enjoy working on projects and with individuals who are philanthropic and are about developing the communities around them. I’m proud to see the success I have had to contribute to them, but also it’s a reminder that there’s so much work to be done,” she says. She goes ahead to share a Ghanaian proverb, “Until lions have their own biographer, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter.” “Simply put,” she continues. “As Africans, if we don’t step up and tell our stories in their authentic form, the west will continue to set the tone of the narrative around who we are and what we do.”

Heritage

“Yes, I am of Ugandan and South African heritage,” she tells me. “I was born in Johannesburg to a Ugandan father, and a South African mother. My late father, James Matsiko, a young lawyer, fled Idi Amin’s regime and met my mother Kgomotso Matsiko in Botswana. I was raised in South Africa, Zambia and Uganda before coming to the United States as a young adult over 20 years ago.”

Why Africa? Why now?

“Africa has always been a piece of me! I celebrate it through my fashion choices, food, hair, and music etc and most of all, letting people know about its greatness, beauty and the opportunities it has to offer for all besides all the negativity it has had to shoulder for so long. A lot of that potential hasn’t been tapped yet, and the onus is on us to make it known that Africa is so much more than the one-dimensional narrative that’s being perpetuated,” she tells me.

Busie is passionate about amplifying BIPOC success stories including African stories. “To balance the negative stories, it is important to use our platforms to highlight the success stories which then hit the mainstream media, because how else will we expect people to take us seriously and work with us as equal partners if there are only negative stories out there? Perceptions are taken seriously and a lot of times, African stories are left out because of the choice of analysts that are used to inform or speak about these stories. For instance, in covering a story regarding crime, inequality…opportunities for diaspora input should be included for a varied perspective. Countries which intentionally include their diaspora in conversations are able to bridge the gap. This shows that we are all pushing for the best and  let’s join forces to develop. Also the diaspora should not come in with a rescue mentality as that can come off as condescending. There has to be mutual respect which mends fences and eases solution finding and building.”

“I’m glad that you [Satisfashion UG] are using your platform to highlight the success  of the diaspora as well as at home. This motivates the masses as they can see themselves in the success stories and aspire. Even in dire situations, hope can be ignited if you let people believe in themselves as opposed to only focusing on what is broken in society. It’s not that western countries are without problems, it’s also the reporting on those problems, you won’t see countries focusing on negative news 24/7 but also the amazing aspects of that country and promoting that news globally. It creates a positive perspective. My hope is that we continue to tell our own positive stories even when with good stories even when bad stories are told. I’m an optimist by nature.”

She continues, “If I’m not able to do something, I’ll say so. I’ll communicate the message effectively, and, it helps manage expectations rather than committing to something and dropping the ball which I consider to be unprofessional.”  Busie has taken to stages like Ted X Newsweek, Goldman Sachs, Citibank, Columbia University, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Microsoft and Forbes Nigeria Tech Summit, among others, where she has spoken about the need to amplify our African voices.

Throughout her career, Busie has been instrumental in successfully scaling and growing small and large-scale companies and organizations (industry agnostic). Early in her career, she held positions on Wall Street at Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley), Oppenheimer & Co. She’s also the founder of Pont Global, a management consultancy firm, and the Executive Director of The Africa Future Summit, which brings together investors and leaders in technology, entrepreneurship, and politics to address the most significant challenges that affect Africa’s future. In 2004, she founded one of the first fashion-technology companies, Fashion Indie, which was acquired twice, during its tenure. 

Most recently, she became the first Black woman on the board of trustees of Berkeley College in its 92 years of existence.  “Wow, being appointed to the board of trustees of Berkeley College was humbling. Who would have thought that a girl who enrolled for her Bachelor of Business Administrations degree as  an international student would someday become a trustee? Service has always been a part of my life, but I have realized that I manifested what I wrote on my vision board for 3 consecutive years. In fact, when I was profiled by Visual Collaborative in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic, I expressed an interest in policy conversations and my board position at Berkeley College has afforded me that,” she tells me.  

However, it did not begin with her becoming a trustee, “It has come full circle in many amazing ways. Berkeley made me career-ready and I excelled as a result, I also was named alumni of the year for 2011 for my impact. Fast forward to now, being invited to join the board reminds me of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. I look up to that dream and I’m grateful for the support that I have from the leadership within Berkeley. As a mother of 3 girls, I would like my daughters to know that they can be anything they set out to be with determination and hard work. I mean… this is a historical feat! I’m the first Black woman trustee (and certainly will not be the last) in the college’s 92-year history. I believe in my role as a trustee there are great things ahead and the journey has only begun in helping to reshape the trajectory and pave the way for other people of color like myself.”

During the pandemic in 2020, Busie launched RESET, a workshop series for thought leaders to discuss the impact of Covid-19. “Following the onset of the pandemic, I realized things would never be the same again concerning management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. The entire landscape changed. I realized that I had actually worked remotely since 2012 because of unavoidable circumstances. That’s when a lightbulb lit, for me to start RESET. As the curious person that I am, I wanted to hear what strategies could be employed, to help other entrepreneurs, employers, as well as employees, cope with a new way of doing things, the readiness to adapt, pivot, as well as pause, and re-strategize, as well as letting go of old and seemingly non-functioning things to improve processes and output,” she explains.

“If there was one thing that the pandemic taught me, and I believe the world in general; it was to always treasure family, friends, and opportunities; even something as simple as human touch, because a lot of that was robbed off of us during that period. It is also prudent to say that within a crisis, lies a volcano of explosive and endless possibilities!”

2023 is shaping up to be Busie’s year of even bigger moves. She is, however, reserved about the details. “I have learned to not speak prematurely and let the cat out of the bag,” she laughs. “I believe 2023 is a year of momentum. Amazing things that began in 2022 will materialize faster this year. I have faith and hope in it. Knowing that many people were not as fortunate as I, to cross over into this year, I am invigorated by the thought that I am blessed.  I’m grateful to God for this journey and which I believe and hope will bring forth intentional and deliberate strategic partnerships of great value and impact.”

She has also dabbled in fashion and continues till today to work with and support African designers. “My passion for the business of fashion was inspired by my late father, who was a prominent Ugandan lawyer and was dubbed as one of the best-dressed men. My mother was also a beauty queen in South Africa who was known for being elegant. People constantly pointed out to me that I had a knack for dressing well. Upon observing my father who was an entrepreneur and owned a prestigious law practice, I got in touch with my entrepreneurial side as I interned with him when I was a teenager. I then created a networking event, Global Wednesdays in the prime meatpacking district location in New York in 2005, and this morphed into Fashion Indie, which was a platform that brought awareness to emerging fashion designers. When we appeared on the Tyra Banks show, Fashion Indie became a leading voice in the industry, and became one of the first fashion technology companies. It was later twice acquired,” she recalls.

Motherhood

A mother of three daughters, Busie considers this her favourite role. “I love being a mother. It requires a WHOLE lot of patience” her eyes light up as she speaks about it. “I’ve learned that we were not given a manual on parenting. I continue to learn on this lifelong journey, especially with each child’s journey and learning style being different. I feel fortunate and blessed that my children chose me to be their mother more than the other way around.” She adds, “I like to teach them that it’s okay to be different as we are all unique. It means embracing yourself, believing in yourself, even when people don’t believe in you, keep shooting for the stars, and having audacity. I was often called a dreamer, and I’ve not stopped dreaming. I execute my dreams and they become reality.”

“I also take time for self-care. I wish I’d learned this earlier. It is critical! I have some personal time, even if it means going to sit down and have a coffee by myself or relaxing in the morning with a solo breakfast. Also, quality time spent with my family is refreshing to me; for instance, during this photoshoot I hang out with my kids.”

Still on herself care routine, she credits it as one of the many secrets to her success. “I start my day with a prayer and meditation to command the day. Time with God for me is critical. I have to thank Him for each new morning and everything I have,” she concludes.

Credits

Photography: Ivona Kaplan

Makeup: Aga Makeup

Designers: Urban Zulu USA & Ikwele

Thanks to Hilton Hotel Melville for the location.

SatisfashionUg@gmail.com

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