NJ Ayuk knows a secret: Africa is teeming with brilliant legal minds - and he says it's about time the rest of the world found out.
Through Centurion Law Group, the international firm he helms as CEO, NJ Ayuk works diligently to mentor and shepherd young lawyers, giving them hands-on lessons in international law.
"When you look at young Africans, nobody gives them a shot - nobody," Ayuk says. "Everybody looks down on them and talks down to them. I do believe a lot of Africans are really, really brilliant people, but we just have to give that big push. And if I could have a chance, and I'm just a crazy kid who got lucky, then I think these brilliant kids could do better than I have.
"So, I thought, why not have a law firm that is focused on the purpose to drive people, to help them unleash their full potential to go out there and do bigger things and things bigger than their own personal interests?"
A New Generation of African Lawyers
Ayuk, who also serves as executive chairman of the African Energy Chamber, has modeled his program on the success he found during his time in the United States. By partnering with American law firms, he's been able to give a new generation of African lawyers a glimpse at the myriad possibilities that exist within the law sector - possibilities that many never dreamed of, he notes.
"A lot of these young women whom most people never gave a shot, they came through our law firm, and we prioritized them," Ayuk shares. "Some of them couldn't speak the English language. We took them, sent a huge number of them to the United States, and they started learning English there. I didn't send them to New York or Texas. I sent them to Gadsden, Alabama. That's where they begin to get the idea of what an American legal education is.
"Then we move some of them to Delaware, which is where a lot of corporate work is being done, and they learn how to do that. What was big in that was taking these young Africans and really looking at America, which has inspired me and a lot of the work I've done."
By learning at the side of lawyers operating in the United States, young Africans see how the law can be a tool for social justice, economic prosperity, and radical change, Ayuk points out. He believes seeing how lawyers can help shape a society is vital to developing the ambitions and work ethics of young Africans.
"I tell them that I don't want to be this crazy guy out here in the office, talking about it to you every day. I want you to see it, to believe it, to experience it so that when you're back in Africa, you have a generation of Africans who can embrace success, nourish it, drive it, and believe in it," he says. "I tell them, 'You should learn what it takes to create a nation. You should learn what it takes to believe in a nation. But also, you should learn about coming from the bottom up. Be that little guy that wants to be the big guy.'"
NJ Ayuk: Lifting Youths Is a 'Beautiful Thing'
NJ Ayuk's program has done more than simply inspire young lawyers. After their time with Centurion Law Group, many up-and-comers have built impressive careers in Africa and globally.
"We are able to take young Africans and train them to improve their skills. Today, they are serving as prosecutors. They're serving as lawyers. They're serving as judges. Heck, some of them even serve as opposing counsel to us right now, and that's a beautiful thing," NJ Ayuk said.
"We've had this great group of African lawyers that have gone through Centurion, and they are like general counsels in corporations or in public service."
The key is to show lawyers what is possible and then help them achieve it, he adds. That means putting in the hard work that international success requires.
"I always make sure that they know they're going to have to have that really strong feeling and that strong desire to get up at 4 a.m. and do the right things that you have to do. Cut out the sense of entitlement. Nobody owes you anything. I think that mindset has to change," NJ Ayuk says.
"You have to be able to really get out there and say, 'I'm going to be on my very best. I'm going to behave properly. I'm going to show up. I'm going to really have to work to get out and to get it.'
"Young Africans have an amazing opportunity not just to go out and do a lot of business, but to be transformational," he adds. "We come from a culture where our ancestors, our fathers, they fought and got our continent independent without having email, no cellphone, no Twitter account, no Facebook. But here we are, we have all of that, and we need to be able to turn that around and really drive it. There is no reason why young African entrepreneurs cannot aim higher."
