The Official Site for the Book: In the River They Swim

Why In the River They Swim? There is an old Sufism that discusses the three levels of learning.  You can study a river by reading about it: it’s depth, the type of fish that swim beneath the water, where the boundaries of the river begin and end.  You can learn more by traveling to the river, by observing from its bank, the color of the river, how the sunlight plays off the water, the patterns made by its flow.  But you can learn the most about the river by diving in.  The essays in the book describe the experience of individuals across the development spectrum who have “dove in” to the challenges of fostering greater prosperity for a greater number of people.

Each of these individuals – whether President Kagame who is a valued client and collaborator; Michael Fairbanks, our founder and current Chairman Emeritus; Ashraf Ghani, a former client and a great advocate of enterprise solutions in Afghanistan; Rob Henning, a current consultant who leads our work in Haiti- is connected by a common thread; they are part of the history and on-going work of on the FRONTIER (OTF Group).  OTF is a consulting firm dedicated to economic development work around the globe. We’ve had the privilege of working in more than 35 countries over the past twelve years.  Today, OTF “swims” alongside a select group of committed country leaders.  Some of our current projects include:

• The Pioneers of Prosperity Awards program, a global awards program that showcases role model entrepreneurs in emerging markets. The program now covers 24 countries across Africa, the Caribbean and Central America.
• The development of a shared public-private sector vision for Haiti;
• An economic competitiveness program for Southern Sudan;
• A sustainable development program for the Cabinda Region of Angola.

These programs reinforce two points to us: the struggle for prosperity continues, and the cause for hope is great.  Practical programs focused on private sector competitiveness, such as the model in Rwanda discussed by President Kagame in his essay, show compelling models where sustainable solutions to poverty are being implemented now. In the book, and in this blog, our authors explore some key questions including:

How do we give entrepreneurs center stage in the struggle for prosperity in developing countries?

How do regions and countries mainstream the environment in their struggle for prosperity?

How do we cement peace with economic dividends in post-conflict nations?

Every day we’re working with our clients and partners to address these questions. This book captures the learning and the questions coming out of that struggle.

We appreciate your interest in the book and this blog.  We invite you to share your thoughts with us. Please email us, or any of the authors, at ideas@otfgroup.com

Ken Hynes and Eric Kacou
Managing Directors
OTF Group