Press release from The Collider:
Asheville, N.C. — Whether it is violent extremism, climate change, Ebola, or food production, Wasafiri Consulting has helped navigate Africa’s most intractable and complex challenges. Now it is setting up its U.S. headquarters in Asheville, at The Collider, to apply its expertise to America’s own wicked problems.
“Large-scale problems appear intractable when the quality of our collective response is inadequate relative to the nature of the problem,” said the head of Wasafiri USA, Ian Randall. “We help diverse partners come together to better understand an issue and then collaborate on ambitious change agendas.”
Randall said he hopes that Wasafiri’s approach, forged in the crucible of Africa, will prove catalytic in addressing issues here, whether it’s rocketing opioid addiction, the shortage of affordable housing, or the resilience of Appalachian forests to climate change.
“Our current clients are leading development funders such as USAID, the UK government and the Rockefeller Foundation,” said Randall. “Whilst we’ll need to develop new clients and business models for U.S.-based work, we are confident that our approach is vital in a world that is ever more interconnected, volatile and uncertain.”
Wasafiri’s debut event at The Collider, “Leadership for Intractable Problems: Lessons from Navigating Complex Change in Africa,” is Friday, Nov. 3, starting at 6:15 p.m. Whether from business, government or the nonprofit sector, anyone working on systemic challenges is invited to join a conversation with Wasafiri’s leadership team about how change happens.
For more information on the event, visit www.wasafiriconsulting.com/blog.
The Collider is a nonprofit innovation center focused on catalyzing solutions for climate change, located at 1 Haywood St., on the top floor of the Wells Fargo building.
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