That's because one of the businesses that's bringing Makaja for a six weeks study at Clark Atlanta University, is the running business. He's coming to the USA as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, in part thanks to his role as the founder of Dreambib.

I came across multitudes of people who came from as far as Australia, USA and China just to participate in the Great Ethiopian Run , which is Africa's biggest road race to date

Over the past four years, Makaja who also works to export African goods, has worked with both recreational and aspiring competitive runners in Botswana to race and train in other African countries, especially those such as Ethiopia and South Africa - known for strong running cultures. The idea was born during his first visit to Ethiopia back in 2014, when he met his favorite runner - Haile Gebreselassie. "I came across multitudes of people who came from as far as Australia, USA and China just to participate in the Great Ethiopian Run, which is Africa's biggest road race to date. I also found out that Haile was not only Ethiopia's greatest athlete, but also one of the most prominent and successful entrepreneurs the country has ever produced, as he invested his prize winnings in different ventures." Makaja told the Tempo Journal back in 2018. "All this gave me affirmation that sports can indeed be a channel for development and a door to more great things."

---

While Botswana has had success in the 400 metres and 800 metres internationally - its the men's 4x400-metre relay won bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Nijel Amos won Silver at the 2012 London Olympics - its Makaja's hope that by the time Paris 2024 draws near, Botswana's longer-distance runners will also be seen as medal contenders. He's working on that vision by not only bringing athletes to proven training grounds, but also by by creating opportunities to race in his own country. Just recently, Makaja served as race director for a 1,500-person 15K race and, he has been an integral part of the Gaborone Marathon in Botswana's capital city. Since 2012, the race has grown from 2,000 to nearly 10,000 participants.

I think we are now becoming accustomed to adopting running as a fitness solution over going to the gym," said Makaja. Maybe 10 years ago there was only one running club in Botswana, but now we have so many. I think we have more than 20 actively involved."

---

We want to see the world coming to Peachtree. Because it is more than just running, it's cross-cultural experiences. These races play a role in connecting the world.

Makaja arrived in Atlanta on June 8 and has started taking classes at Clark. Hel'll be here through the middle of July. The learning experience he is most looking forward to is the one he'll participate in on July 4. Makaja said he's been training to break 40 minutes but a fast time isn't his primary goal. "We want to bring more international participants to your races,"he said, especially runners from Botswana and Africa. "We want to see the world coming to Peachtree. Because it's more than just running, it's cross-cultural experiences. These races play a role in connecting the world."

---