EDITORIAL
Many still believe that central to Africa’s development is mining,
agriculture and to a lesser extent manufacturing. No one talks about
large scale manufacturing to derive economies of scale and scope,
excepting perhaps a couple of Africa’s own tycoons. That include Aliko
Dangote and a few other business honchos like him. Is technology
taking a backseat in the development discourse of the continent?
When Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said that he would spend a few months in
the continent visiting different countries in the region, many thought
things are changing there. Our portal www.trendsnafrica.com carried a
a story about the much-publicized visit of Dorsey. In fact, there were
reports also emanating from different corners in the print and
internet media eulogizing what other tech majors including Google,
Microsoft, Apple, Dell, etc have been doing to enter Africa in a
grand scale. There were theories spun and floated about the rationale
of their Africa entry. A few columnists thought emerging markets like
China, India and a few other ASEAN market are no longer the market for
tech companies. The technology absorption in these countries is
happening at a higher pace and some of them are turning to be
technology leaders and not followers. A classic case is that of China
and how that had matured from the rank of reverse engineering
(a euphemism for piracy) to a ubiquitous high-tech leader. The other
example is India, which is laying a strong digital backbone and made
its intention clear to be a technology leader.
But overnight Dorsey his grand plans to be the technology stimulator
of Africa had to be put on hold threatened by the possibility of his
ousting from the Twitter by a predator investor. He realized the fact
that his own stake in the company he founded-Twitter- has declined
to 2%. Though he stalemated his ouster through clever deals, he had
to postpone his long trip to Africa to an indefinite period. No one
knows when it is going to take place, given the high tension corporate
problems he is beset with. Does it mean his competitors like Apple,
Facebook, Google etc also put on hold their Africa Safari?
Yet, the opportunities that Africa presents in technology and related
segments no one can discount. Increasing penetration of mobile
phones is not the only criterion or the increased application of
technology in hydrocarbon sector. Whether it is precision agriculture
(computer aided agriculture), Internet of Things (IoTs), which are
revolutionizing machine to machine language, or cloud computing or
robotics, which run on artificial intelligence, African countries are
fast catching up with their peers, so much so that there are annual
events in at least a dozen countries or so, which showcase their
tech capabilities. An equal number of companies have an evolving
culture of startups and have started talking about toning up their
laws in intellectual property rights. Many universities, higher
schools of learning and even primary schools have reoriented their
curricula to give importance to science and technology. These are
encouraging signs, which have to be consolidated and built on.
What do these developments portend? Africa’s tryst with technology and
science is irresistible and unstoppable. Those who invest first will
have the first mover advantage. No one knows that much clearer than
the global tech companies.
