Pragmatic
Optimism
A journal of thoughts on how Africa might prosper
By Joshua Eyram Wordey
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Pragmatic Optimism
Joshua Eyram Wordey
What this book is — and isn't
This is not a manifesto. I'm a little over 25. I haven't built an empire or transformed a nation. I'm still figuring out my own career path.
This is not a self-help book with "10 steps to African excellence." I don't have a formula. It's not an academic research tome with hundreds of citations either.
What this book is, is a journal. It documents the thinking process of a relatively young African trying to answer one fundamental question:
Is Africa worth my life?
The following chapters are my attempt to answer that. You're invited to walk this journey with me, question it, disagree with me, and hopefully find your own answers alongside mine.
"For more than 400 years, Africa has been the world's example of misery. That's exhausting, and it needs to change. Now. I'm using a balanced approach — one that acknowledges the brutal challenges of our journey while showcasing the hope I genuinely have for our future."
— Joshua Eyram Wordey, Pragmatic Optimism
Who should read this
This book is for the young African who is tired of cynicism but can't quite bring themselves to believe in empty optimism either.
It's for the person who looks at their continent and feels frustrated — and still hasn't left.
It's for anyone who has ever asked: What can I actually do with what I have, from where I am?
I wrote it for my younger siblings — Elorm, Judith, Richard, Jeremiah, and Love. I hope it finds one other person who needs to know they're not alone.
Why "Pragmatic Optimism"?
Pure optimism without grounding becomes delusion. Pure pragmatism without hope becomes paralysis.
Pragmatic optimism is the belief that Africa holds extraordinary potential — paired with the honest acknowledgment that getting there is hard, complex, and will require us to make the best decisions possible with the information we have at hand.
It means refusing to be paralysed by problems while never pretending they don't exist.
That's the only kind of optimism I can honestly offer.
Be first to know when it's ready
Pragmatic Optimism is launching in 2026. Drop your email and I'll reach out the moment it's available.
A note from Joshua
Writing this book has been awkward. I felt the pressure to offer timeless wisdom I haven't earned yet.
But I'm also deeply aware that we, as young Africans at this point in history, need to start documenting our hopes, struggles, questions, and attempts — not to perform for the world, but to provide perspective and foundation for those who come after us.
We will be history soon too.
This book is my first step. A humble acceptance that maybe — just maybe — I have some ideas worth sharing. I hope you'll join me.