Is Technology the Way for Africa Future?
“Innovation is usually older tech being allied in new ways,” Erick Hersman, Founder IHUB and BRCK.
Industry, innovation and infrastructure should not be imported into the world’s emerging economies. Instead, investments should be made into growing sectors, planting applied research and allowing the local economy to create and grow their own base.
However, instead of using home-grown services, many African countries favour globally popular brands based in other parts of the world, such as Google and Facebook.
According researchers TeleGeography, internet penetration in Africa is growing faster than in any other region in the world, giving millions more people access to better communication, information and business opportunities. The difficult question is what to do about it.
Finding solutions to real problems are on our doorstep. And from the small seeds of a local start-up, maybe the next global tech giant will grow. By expanding this local expertise and capacity, Africa will be able to build a foundation for the future.
It is only a matter of time before we see the continent emerge as the centre for global tech and innovations. Luckily, countless examples of innovations have already emerged, such as Ushahidi, which was designed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the 2008 elections.
Nevertheless, we still have a lot to do and if we’re going to solve local problems, then we should also look locally for the solutions, and support them.
The United Nations’ ninth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 9), to improve industry, innovation, and infrastructure presents us with one of the most interesting of all the SDG goals, as it is truly a foundational one that undergirds almost all of the other SDGs.
Africa is home to some of the youngest populations in the world, it promises to be a major consumption market over the next three decades, and it is increasingly mobile phone-enabled. An emerging digital ecosystem is particularly crucial to spur the continent’s growth.
The challenges Africa face can only be solved by Africans. We should therefore create strategy as to take up the responsibility of building her future rather than the over dependence on other continents.
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