Reimagining Africa as innovator
President Obama met with some of the most innovative US companies this week to encourage them to invest in Africa. He travels to Kenya this July for a 鈥渟ummit鈥� on entrepreneurship and hopes to show what the United States can do for the continent.
When he gets there, however, Mr. Obama may be surprised to discover what Africa is already doing for itself. In recent years, its young inventors and entrepreneurs 鈥� two-thirds of Africans are under age 35 鈥� have begun to reverse the narrative that the continent is mainly a recipient of foreign technology and a backwater for ideas.
Kenya, for example, which is the birthplace of Obama鈥檚 father, has become聽a聽world leader聽in聽mobile聽money聽systems 鈥� far ahead of Apple Pay. Across Africa, software such as M-PESA is revolutionizing daily financial life for people with little access to banks or credit. About 1 in 7 Africans now uses a phone for banking, a ratio higher than anywhere in the world. Kenya is also home to an IBM research lab and has plans to become a 鈥淪ilicon Savanna.鈥�
Africa has more mobile-phone users than the US or Europe. This pool of 635 million devices provides a giant digital platform for innovation that fits Africa鈥檚 culture and its unique needs. Technology is lightly regulated, which gives innovators more freedom to try new products.
The continent鈥檚 big tech hubs 鈥� Nigeria,聽South聽Africa, Ghana, Uganda,聽and聽Senegal 鈥� are starting to draw global attention as potential exporters of new technology. One Ghanaian start-up, for example, has done well in California with an online tool, Dropifi, that helps businesses manage customer feedback.
Last year, the African聽Union聽drew up a 10-year strategy to drive technological innovation as a way for the continent to move beyond exports of raw materials. And since 2011, the African聽Innovation聽Foundation has handed out a $100,000 prize each year for the most creative technological idea. Hundreds of young Africans apply from dozens of countries.
The foundation looks for applicants with a 鈥渄eep-seated belief that solutions to聽the continent鈥檚 challenges do聽not need to be outsourced鈥� and that Africans can be leaders in a 鈥渘ew African story.鈥�
An innovation expert in South Africa, Mammo Muchie of the Tshwane University of Technology, says Africans must destroy the 鈥渇alse narrative鈥� that other races are better at innovation. Africa can build on its special strengths 鈥� its large population of young people, its ancient cultural traditions, and its large market for inexpensive solutions to poverty. Innovation, after all, first requires imagination. Reimagining Africa seems to have already begun.
