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Europe's first Trump Tower may be built in Belgrade. Is a unified African economy an impossible dream? What are the challenges facing the Pakistani creators sector? And how one Vietnamese-born woman built up a nail salon empire in Berlin.
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00:00Do you also dream of a world where you can live and work on your own terms?
00:14Where the richest and most powerful can't just build whatever they want right in front of you and you're powerless to stop it.
00:21Do you dream of Africa's young, dynamic population seizing its immense economic potential and turning the continent into a global powerhouse?
00:32Perhaps you dream of a free internet without censorship or political interference, as we still so often see in parts of Asia.
00:42Or maybe you dream of starting your own business abroad. Then you're in exactly the right place. Welcome to MADE.
00:51Spring 1999. NATO bombs Belgrade during the Kosovo conflict.
01:06Bojan Kovacevic lives right next to the general staff building complex that housed the Yugoslav Defense Ministry.
01:12The building shook violently. Instinctively, I held on to a table, even though it was actually pointless.
01:23He knows the general staff building and the center of Belgrade like the back of his hand.
01:32He even wrote a book about it before the NATO bombing, as it was an example of modern architecture from the 1960s.
01:39Now the 67-year-old is outraged by plans to build a hotel and apartment complex here, three times as tall as before.
01:47That's what Jared Kushner, U.S. President Trump's son-in-law, wants.
01:51It's set to become the first Trump Tower in Europe.
01:55The volume and surface area of the Kushner project are far too large. The architecture is arbitrary and generic.
02:02Several hundred million dollars are to be invested in the construction.
02:06The money comes from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
02:10The project was never put out for public tender.
02:13But there is a memorandum of understanding between Kushner's investment company, Affinity Global Development, and the Serbian government.
02:21According to this, a joint venture is to be established for the construction.
02:25Serbia will receive 22 percent of future profits, and Belgrade is providing the land free of charge for 99 years.
02:31I consider it completely inappropriate and unsuitable to pursue purely commercial interests in such an important location as the Kushner project is doing.
02:46Most Serbs agree, especially students and intellectuals.
02:51For months, they've been protesting against corruption and nepotism in the Balkan country.
02:55We will not allow this building to be demolished, and something as absurd as the Trump Tower to be built where the general staff headquarters used to be.
03:07This place should remain as it once was.
03:10People should listen to what the experts and architects say.
03:15Not every project can be justified solely by the pursuit of profit and the interests of big business.
03:24Public and state interests must be taken into account.
03:29It will surely be presented as a major investment, but in reality, it will benefit neither citizens nor state.
03:37Deutsche Welle sought comment from the government on the Kushner project.
03:41We did not receive a response.
03:44Serbian non-governmental organizations are disturbed by the secrecy of President Aleksandar Vucic's government.
03:49The public has received no information about this.
03:55What was negotiated?
03:56What are the financial details?
03:58We don't know what this project actually entails.
04:01Is it a 1,000 or 50,000 square meter building?
04:05There is no economic feasibility study or any other sound analysis.
04:10All of this fuels suspicions of possible corruption.
04:15A criticism that hardly seems to bother the government, which controls parliament and the state apparatus, and rejects an early election.
04:22The opposition is divided.
04:24But it is critical of the Kushner project.
04:29We see no added value for citizens in this corrupt mess.
04:32On the contrary, it serves the particular interests of a few ministers and also the interests of international players.
04:40He believes that the idea to build the Trump Tower came from the Belgrade government and was presented to the Trump family.
04:49The project serves the current political powers in Serbia.
04:53They are trying to secure the favor of important international partners through corrupt deals.
04:58In this case, it involves the Trump family.
05:05One indication that corruption is at play, Serbia's Attorney General has brought charges against the director of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, Goran Vasic.
05:15He falsified expert reports in order to push ahead with the Kushner project.
05:19He has since admitted to doing so.
05:22Deutsche Welle also requested a statement here, in vain.
05:25Nevertheless, the ruins cannot remain standing forever.
05:29Bojan Kovacevic has some ideas about how things could move forward.
05:37The building's exterior should look the same as it did before the bombing.
05:40Inside, a completely new modern structure should be created.
05:44Whether, and if so, when, construction of the Kushner project can begin is currently unclear.
05:50Meanwhile, Serbian students continue to protest against corruption.
05:54Protests against Trump's policies are also happening in the US, like against the strict deportation practices targeting migrants from South America.
06:11Yet the US is facing a major demographic challenge.
06:15As in Europe, Japan and China, its society is aging and low birth rates are no longer keeping up.
06:21Africa presents a very different picture.
06:27But how can the continent harness the enormous potential of its young population?
06:32With the global economy under siege and the geopolitical order in flux, many voices are being drowned out on the world stage.
06:47That's especially true for Africa.
06:50Yet over the coming years, Africa will become more important than at any other point in modern history.
06:56The world is aging, but Africa is young and growing fast.
07:04By 2030, half of new workers will come from Africa.
07:08By 2075, one in three people will live there.
07:12This presents the world's poorest continent with a historic opportunity, but it faces an uphill battle to seize it.
07:19Here's a map of the world according to the size of countries' economies, measured by GDP at current prices.
07:28The top 20 or so have economies worth 1 trillion US dollars or more.
07:33Despite accounting for close to 20% of the global population, Africa accounts for less than 3% of global GDP.
07:42When we talk about Africa, we're referring to dozens of distinct, complex states, each diverse in its own right.
07:51We're talking about thousands of ethnic groups and various different economies at different stages of development.
07:58But the complexity and diversity of this continent is often understated.
08:03Geographically, I think it's okay to refer to Africa as Africa, but then it now becomes a problem when everything is just generalized and Africa is addressed as a country, as opposed to a very huge continent with people of different ethnic groups, cultures.
08:24If African countries work more closely together to build a shared economy, they could become stronger as a continent.
08:33But cooperation has long been a struggle.
08:38There is no way Africa as a continent can develop much quicker if there is not an African unity or at worst African integration.
08:51This is most obvious in trade.
08:54Intra-African trade is very low.
08:57Various estimates say that only 13 to 16% of African countries' trade is conducted with one another.
09:04That means between 84 and 87% of Africa's total formal trade is with other parts of the world, particularly Asia and Europe.
09:14Africa's economy is shaped by demographics.
09:16In the global economy, Africa and Africans will matter more for two big reasons.
09:23There will be more of them and they'll be young.
09:27According to UN projections, Africa's population is expected to reach 3.3 billion by 2075.
09:35That means that Africa's share of the global population will go from 18.8% today to just under one-third in 50 years.
09:50Africa's demographics clearly present it with a huge opportunity.
09:54As other parts of the world age, with fewer people of working age and more dependents, Africa will have the opposite.
10:02But that also brings a major challenge.
10:07So 60% of our population is under the age of 25 years.
10:11Now that could be a very powerful force of economic growth and development or a ticking time bomb for instability.
10:18The differentiating factor is the availability of jobs.
10:21Creating meaningful jobs for hundreds of millions of young Africans will require more than just strong economic growth.
10:29In many cases, it will require wholesale economic transformation.
10:34But one of the biggest challenges is Africa's heavy reliance on commodity exports,
10:39making its economies highly vulnerable to global price fluctuations.
10:43We grow at the back of raw materials and natural resource exports, you know, which we export without adding any value to it.
10:54The second thing is that we are price takers.
10:56So when prices do well on international commodity markets, we grow.
10:59When prices collapse, our economy is contract.
11:02And the reality is that when we grow, nothing changes.
11:05Poverty remains the same.
11:07Very few jobs are created.
11:09Inequality in its multidimensional flavor, whether income or gender, whatever, stays the same.
11:15Nothing changes.
11:16Part of the solution for African economies is keeping more of the value of their resources at home.
11:23Since many are key to green sectors, adding value locally is an obvious source of possible jobs.
11:30We need to leverage that by not exporting them in their raw state, but adding value to them.
11:37Uganda has banned the export of raw mineral resources.
11:41Botswana is cutting its own diamond.
11:43Zimbabwe is doing the same.
11:45Mali, Burkina Faso.
11:46So there's a new thinking emerging that instead of sending these out in their primary state,
11:52we need to participate up the value chain in the processing, the beneficiary and the value addition to it.
11:58So bring the industries home, because we need the jobs for our body and youth population.
12:04This logic of keeping the value of raw materials in Africa also applies to food security across the continent.
12:11COVID has taught us a great lesson that we cannot keep on relying on importing food items.
12:17The continent has to be able to feed itself, and we have the potential to be able to feed ourselves.
12:22We have all the vast agricultural land.
12:24We have all the things that we need.
12:26So Africa must be able to feed itself.
12:29Governance is another key issue.
12:31Corruption remains widespread across the continent, with many Africans lacking faith in their leaders and institutions.
12:39In recent years, West, Central Africa and the Sahel have experienced coup d'etat, a sign of serious political instability.
12:49There's also the common complaint that Africa's leaders are far too old to serve their young population.
12:58One other challenge is a generational gap between African leadership and the majority of Africa's population.
13:06So we need to establish channels for the voices of the youth to be heard, or have some youth in leadership,
13:12to make sure that we have a better understanding of how policy can be formulated to meet their needs.
13:18African economies face many immense challenges, both individually and collectively.
13:25However, the greatest obstacle is perhaps extreme poverty.
13:29If we don't do something about it or don't change our mind and attitude, it's going to be catastrophic, not only for Africa, but for the rest of the world.
13:39Because when the Africans grow tired of being in Africa, they will move to the global north, and then migration becomes a big problem for the global north as well.
13:49Despite these challenges, there is hope for a bright future for the continent.
13:55Africa's demographic reality means that the world will need a strong Africa like never before.
14:02For the billions of young Africans who will shape their countries, their continent, and their planet, the stakes couldn't be higher.
14:11In Pakistan, more and more young people are looking for new ways to express themselves and gain economic independence.
14:23One sector in particular is booming, social media.
14:27Creative studios are popping up across the country, and clicks from abroad are bringing in revenue.
14:33But with the boom come risks.
14:36Censorship and political interference could slow down creative growth.
14:40Will the trend continue anyway?
14:47One swipe could make the next star.
14:50One click pays the rent.
14:53In Pakistan, a country with two-thirds of its sizable population under 30, getting a job is becoming more and more difficult.
15:01Inflation is at staggering levels.
15:05Every year, hundreds of thousands leave the country in search of opportunity.
15:09But many who stay chase careers with a ring light and a phone.
15:14Content creation in Pakistan is booming, and the audience is massive.
15:20More than 250 million people call Pakistan home.
15:25116 million are online, and almost 67 million scroll social feeds.
15:30Roughly the population of France or the U.K.
15:39Those figures are just for Pakistan.
15:42Millions more abroad watch the same videos, making it a lucrative business.
15:47Social media means fame and money.
15:51Everyone uses it, including me.
15:54We have freedom of job and expression.
15:59And the earnings are better than conventional employment also.
16:02This optimism is fueling a new industry of studios built for influencers, such as DG Infinite in Lahore.
16:15Brands need an agency that can help them with marketing, digital solutions, and content creation.
16:22Then, they need an agency that can do media buying, bring influencers on board, and produce videos with them.
16:31We didn't have this type of business in Pakistan.
16:34It's one of a kind.
16:36It is one of its kind.
16:38DG Infinite is already working with 10 TV channels and 50 individual creators, like Irfan Askar and Amara Majid.
16:47The company is helping creators make money through their content.
16:52Social media is actually my own platform.
16:55You know, I am the boss.
16:57End of the day, what revenue I'm getting is, you know, in terms of not rupees, dollars.
17:04From all of these platforms, I am earning around $1,000 per month.
17:08But my main focus is to be on screen.
17:12Like, people, when they say the biggest host of the country, they should have, they should know that Amara is one of them.
17:21But the job is not easy.
17:23Every upload lands in a shrinking pool of platform bans and payment hurdles.
17:29TikTok was blocked around five times in Pakistan.
17:32And the reason given was, you know, morality or objectionable content or obscenity, which is quite vague.
17:41PayPal does not work in Pakistan.
17:43It's not accessible.
17:45And, of course, ad revenue depends on who is watching your videos and where they're watching from.
17:51If your viewers are based abroad in more developed countries with higher income levels,
17:58then, of course, the ad revenue for the companies is higher.
18:00And, hence, if you have diaspora or overseas Pakistanis watching these YouTubers' content,
18:07then the income that these YouTubers generate is also much higher.
18:12The challenges are not only platforms and monetization related.
18:16Factors such as freedom of speech and policies also play a big role.
18:21It's vibrant and also deeply influential when it comes to narratives.
18:27But I also feel that it's navigating a very uncertain and uneven terrain when it comes to policy.
18:39The government amended the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act to add Section 26A,
18:45which deals with sharing false information, which is punishable by three years in prison,
18:51and a fine of up to two million rupees.
18:53The creator boom is empowering a lot of women to work, especially in rural areas.
18:59But women in this industry face even greater challenges.
19:03For many women, the moment they gain visibility, they also become target of doxing,
19:09coordinated smear campaigns, deep fake pornography.
19:12I believe that empowerment without safety isn't really sustainable.
19:17So what should aspiring creators do to navigate this uncertain landscape?
19:22Nigat Dad has some advice.
19:24Know your rights and equip yourself with digital safety tools.
19:28So understand the risks, but don't let them scare you into silence.
19:32You should know that your voice matters.
19:34You should know your content matters.
19:35The creator economy in Pakistan is thriving, yet constantly under threat.
19:42Between success, censorship and safety, creators navigate a delicate balance,
19:49where one tap can spark a trend or trigger a shutdown.
19:53Turning your personal dream into reality abroad, building a business, maybe even an empire.
20:05That's the vision many immigrants and their children share.
20:08It takes a clear concept, targeted marketing and true entrepreneurial spirit.
20:15Amelie Huang made it happen.
20:17She built a chain of nail salons, a visit to Berlin's nail queen.
20:23My mindset back then was different.
20:27I used to think being successful was about money.
20:31I wanted to earn my first million by the time I was 30.
20:36The glow is back, yes, because I need to feel glowy too.
20:43My name is Amelie.
20:45I'm the founder of the Glowy Beauty Bar and run several beauty salons in Berlin.
20:49I'm passionate about empowering women to become financially independent
20:53and helping them start their own businesses.
21:05That's when I realized, hey, why isn't there a cool nail salon in Berlin?
21:09I mean, there are tons of nail salons everywhere, but not really one that I'd actually want to go to.
21:18And I never actually thought I'd open one myself.
21:22Other countries were much further ahead of us.
21:25For example, there were these cool salons in London,
21:28or in the U.S. too, where everything was so much nicer and the atmosphere was much better.
21:38And here in Berlin, that just didn't exist.
21:41No one had really focused on it.
21:43So I thought, this could be my first project.
21:45Let's do it.
21:46Let's do it.
21:48So that's when I started.
21:49Getting a loan was incredibly hard, especially with that kind of bank,
21:58as a student, with no credit history or anything.
22:03Getting the loan was a miracle, and so was the landlord giving us the storefront.
22:10It was also a miracle that it was in the Mitter district, an amazing location.
22:14We started marketing right away.
22:20That was nine years ago.
22:23We reached out to up-and-coming influencers.
22:27Then came the first influencer events,
22:30where we started showing people what a visit with us actually feels like.
22:39Vietnamese people have a really strong presence in the nail salon business.
22:44Including my own parents, who worked in it for many years.
22:52You have to realize that when Vietnamese people come here,
22:55there are going to be language barriers.
22:58It's hard to get regular jobs, so many people start their own.
23:04Nails is a good option.
23:06It's a learnable trade, with low barriers to entry.
23:08Many Vietnamese people work as florists, sell produce or run restaurants.
23:19Jobs with low entry barriers,
23:22where they can still earn despite language challenges.
23:24The most important thing for us is to earn enough money to support our families,
23:33and send the money to Vietnam, or simply to pay off debts.
23:37I also made a conscious decision to hire Vietnamese women here.
23:46Because it's really powerful.
23:47Every time I see my employees, I see a little bit of my own mum in them.
23:51And that's why I think it's so important to support my employees.
23:59Give them the knowledge.
24:01And simply help them to be successful themselves.
24:06One of our employees, she's been with us for two years.
24:11She came here from Vietnam and didn't speak very good German.
24:14She learned everything because I showed her everything, and I'm really proud of that.
24:20This year, she's setting up her own business, and I'm also supporting her.
24:28I've also realized that all the pressure you put on yourself
24:32eventually builds up so much that you kind of break down.
24:34And at some point, I asked myself, am I only doing this for my parents,
24:40or am I actually doing it for myself?
24:42Or why am I actually doing this?
24:45It's not like you have to do everything on your own.
24:49There's no ceiling.
24:54At one point, I realized my body and mind were just overwhelmed.
24:59It was all just too much.
25:01So this year, work-life balance is my top priority.
25:07I don't have to put so much pressure on myself.
25:10Yes, and I'm really good the way I am.
25:15I've also just learned to praise myself and tell myself,
25:18hey, you did a really great job.
25:31My tip to entrepreneurs is dare to start your business,
25:36and don't be afraid to ask for help.
25:43And that's it for another edition of Made,
25:46where this week's topic was global visions,
25:48the plan for the first Trump Tower in Europe,
25:52Africa's dream of harnessing the potential of its young people,
25:55the freedom that Pakistani TikTokers long for,
26:00and the dream of starting your own business.
26:03See you next time.
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