In this 12 minute and 50 second TEDx talk, Dali Tembo opens by describing himself as a lifelong builder of bridges between everyday people and decision makers. He argues that decisions made in boardrooms often fail because they lack real connection to people’s lived experiences, especially in a continent shaped by fluid social, economic and political pressures. In this environment, he says leaders cannot simply adapt; they must actively shape the future. He cites Alan Kay’s principle that the best way to predict the future is to create it, framing imagination as a strategic necessity rather than a luxury.

Tembo illustrates how global and African companies have thrived by prioritizing research, even in times of disruption. He references Apple’s heavy research investment post-9/11 and Pep’s continuous research into lower-income consumers despite difficult trading conditions. He introduces cultural intelligence as the essential capability that blends anthropology, consumer research and trend forecasting to help organisations empathize deeply with people and foresee emerging behavioural shifts.

Despite unprecedented access to data, Tembo highlights a troubling decline in empathy and a rise in polarization. Myths about African consumers persist because much research is disconnected from real contexts. Using examples from Algeria, South Africa and Nigeria, he demonstrates how ground-level insight overturns stereotypes, showing that African youth are more conservative than assumed, seek individuality within community and are creators rather than passive consumers.