Reflections from #IAS2025 in Rwanda

This week in Kigali, as the sun rose over Rwanda’s thousand hills, a familiar saying came to mind: “Make hay while the sun shines.” But at closer to 60, I’ve come to realize, it’s not how much hay you make, but how you make it that matters.

A decade ago, I would have sprinted through every session, notebook in hand, hungry to catch every insight. This year, I chose differently. Just one great session each day. One conversation that reawakens purpose. One idea that shifts direction. Then I pause.
I sit with it. Reflect in quiet corners. Breathe. Think. Plan: not everything, just the next right step. And in that space, I find clarity.

Conferences, I’ve learned, aren’t about collecting. They’re about aligning. At this stage in my career, the value lies not in how many rooms I enter, but in how present I am when I do.

So if you see me at #ICASA2025 in Accra this December, I won’t be racing from keynote to breakout. I’ll be taking slow walks between sessions, chatting over coffee, and holding space for the conversations that move the work forward.

Sometimes, the sun shines brightest when you stop running and simply let it warm your face.