An “Innovation Made in Africa” Story
From my earliest childhood I was obsessed with one question : Why does humans being seems to dominate others living species ? Humans have naked body, no claws to defend themselves, no fangs. We are not as fast as a tigers, nor as strong as elephants. Despite all theses disadvantages, humans still managed to be a dominant species on earth. How to explain this paradox ? What is that advantage that we have, which distinguishes us from others species ?
Later as I kept growing, I realized that the answer I was looking for could be found in one word : diversity. Diversity is an important characteristic of living species. It is present in sexual characters, in morphology as well as in social organisation. But no species has as much diversity as the human species.
We are whites, blacks, yellows, red, mixed, and nothing is less like one human being than another. However, diversity in human species goes further. It also concerne how we think, what we have faith in and ours everyday choices.
And the mixing of that diversity is the reason ( I think) why human being have been able to create great civilisations, sciences, wealth and prosperity. Take America for example : it is the world strongest economy and at the same time, the country with the richest cultural and racial diversity.
In fact, if diversity is so important, it is partly because it also imply inclusion, equity and sustainability. Diversity in society means every human being is able to bring his contribution to the world, and the sum of the diverses contributions create more value, wealth and prosperity. This is how the world is able to evolve.
A world without diversity is a world where value creation is done by a single group of people. In such a world, the wealth and opportunities for communities are reduced and it becomes difficult for people to express their talents or what makes them unique.
Thus, i firmly believe that, to reduce disparities and create more prosperity, It is necessary to adopt a paradigm of the economy in which each individual human being is able to contribute to the world, to impact the future, to express his or her uniqueness. An economy where collective intelligence is put at the service of the common good.
The question is, how to make it happen ? How can we promote values such as diversity, inclusion or collective intelligence for the common good in disadvantaged communities in general and in Africa specifically in order to create prosperity? It is precisely the search for an answer to this question that will give birth to the Ibudo project.
From Ubuntu to Ibudo
“Ibudo” is an equivalent of the Bantu word “Ubuntu” in a language of the Niger-Congolese language subgroup.
In fact, the word “ubuntu” is used by some of Africa’s Bantu peoples to refer to a philosophy deeply rooted in their culture: inter-reciprocity.
Reverend Desmond Tutu, a former Nobel Peace Prize winner, summed up the ubuntu philosophy in these words: “Someone who is ubuntu is open and available to others because he or she is aware of belonging to something greater”.
I often like to refer to Ubuntu as an African ancestral philosophy, since the values it promotes are found in almost all African cultures (culture being the set of codes and customs that define the ways of interacting and solving problems within a community).
For example, in many African communities, clearing fields, planting, and harvesting are done together. The field owner invites the whole community. The field is cleared, worked hard, and food is shared. The next day, everyone gathers at another landowner’s place for another day of work.
Collective intelligence is therefore put at the service of the common good, and practically, this allows for a significant reduction in inequality since even those who do not own land can work and eat to their content.
Thus, more than a simple humanism, Ubuntu is above all an economy philosophy that has managed to provide, long before globalization, a relevant answer to the most difficult question of our time: “How can we create a safer and more inclusive world?”
The answer is certainly to be found in the values promoted by Ubuntu, such as sharing, collaboration and joint problem solving (just as some African people do to clear their fields), but also the acceptance of diversity (which allows the growing of opportunities for prosperity and accelerate progress) summed up with an open mode of governance, ensured by the community in a decentralized manner.
Today, more than ever, the Ubuntu philosophy deserves attention for two main reasons. The first is, as I pointed out earlier, that it seems to provide plausible answers to the greatest challenges of our time: managing web data and exploiting it in a way that respects the security and integrity of individuals; and shaping the global economy and geopolitics to reduce inequality and poverty.
The most relevant answers to these challenges are mostly based on the fundamental principles of the Ubuntu philosophy. Blockchain technology in particular is based on the same principles: A decentralized and open mode of governance, collaboration between several agents to preserve the security and reliability of databases.
Movements such as Open Source and Free Software — of which the GNU/Linux operating system called Ubuntu is one of the most emblematic projects — are also examples of how Ubuntu principles can help solve the challenges of our time on a large scale, building a more inclusive and egalitarian world.
The second reason why Ubuntu is extremely noteworthy is that it can help promote values such as diversity, inclusion, sustainability and equity to drive prosperity. In reality, sharing values depends on the ability to launch a culture. More specifically, in order to effectively communicate and promote a set of values, it is necessary to create a cultural movement around them that can reach a wide audience and influence their behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs.
Sharing values depends on the ability to launch a culture.
Let’s take a look for example, to the Geek culture. By creating a culture around technology and computing, Microsoft and Apple have been successful in promoting the value of innovation, creativity, and problem-solving. They have built a community of like-minded individuals who share these values. And, today, the geek culture continues to influence society, fashion, technological progress, finance and economy around the world.
The same can be said about Nike who succeeded in launching a culture of inspiration, motivation, and dedication. By promoting the idea that athletes can push beyond their physical and mental boundaries to achieve greatness, Nike has been able to inspire millions of people around the world to pursue their athletic dreams and break down barriers.
Each of these examples show that, the ability to launch a culture is essential to promoting and sharing values. By creating a shared identity, language, and set of behaviors, it is possible to build a community of supporters who are passionate about these values and willing to advocate for them.
However, culture is not something that can be just pulled in at day to day human interactions level. As stated by Clayton Christensen in The Prosperity Paradox, « Institutions reflect a culture, they don’t cause it.» So, instead of creating institutions that will bring out new culture in other to promote a set of value, it is better to build on codes that already exist and reflect the way people use to solve their problems.
This is particularly the case for the Ubuntu philosophy which, despite globalisation, is still strongly rooted in African culture. It describes how Africans are used to solving their problems and interacting in conventional ways. Thus, adopting the Ubuntu philosophy to solve African problems seems to be an appropriate way to promote diversity and create shared prosperity.
By pursuing the values such as sharing, collaboration and joint problem solving inspired by the Ubuntu philosophy, politicians, innovators and entrepreneurs can be inspired to create solutions, practices and concepts that will be integrated into the life of communities in a sustainable way.
But how do we put all this into practice?
Ibudo, The Innovation hub
In September 2019 in Cotonou ( Benin), 11 young people with a passion for science and technology came together to reflect on the following question: “How to reduce inequality and create shared prosperity in the world?”
Among the most famous, Hermas Ayi, consultant in innovation and digital transformation, Junior Hounkpe who became known thanks to his participation in the Google Science Fair or Richedor Laleye, founder of the startup Tramic.
From this meeting, the idea to launch “Ibudo” will emerge, a project whose ambitious vision was to give each human being the power to shape the future, and contribute to positively impact society. Today, Ibudo is an institution which positions itself as a community of people who work together to create a more diverse and inclusive world accordingly to the Ubuntu philosophy.
The members of the Ibudo community are people from diverse professional ecosystems and with different backgrounds who share value, collabore on projects and solve problems together by building inclusive and impactful products, programs, experiences and services.
But how do they do this ? We rely on two key elements : innovation and technology.
Innovation and Technology as tools
Innovation is a fundamental element in the Ibudo community as it allows the creation of Inclusive and impactful projects. In fact, real innovation is the process of creating value for non consumption i.e. people who do not have access to certain privileges, products or services available on the market, due to lack of financial means or their demographic profile.
So, by innovating the members of the Ibudo community are able launch projects that bring more diversity and inclusion to the world, and have meaningful impact.
Technology is another fundamental element that plays a crucial role in the Ibudo community as it allows members to distribute value in a more simple and efficient way, to reaching a wider audience.
This is particularly important as it helps to reduce inequalities and injustices by providing greater transparency and easier access to essential services and livelihoods. However, simple and open technologies based on grassroots materials are preferred in the Ibudo community, as they facilitate the adoption and adaptation of technology by a wider range of people, regardless of their level of expertise or financial means.
By embracing technology, the Ibudo community is able to create products and services that have a greater impact on society, as they are more accessible and relevant to the needs of the people they serve. Therefore, innovation and technology are closely intertwined in the Ibudo community, working together to create inclusive and impactful projects that drive positive change in the world.
Empowering every human being to shape a more prosperous and sustainable future
Since its launch in 2019, the Ibudo project has been attracting students, entrepreneurs, creatives, activists, project leaders and researchers from Benin and elsewhere around various activities. One of the most important of these activities is the Ibudo International Innovation Festival, which brings together nearly 300 people from Africa and around the world every year.
The medium-term goal (by 2027) is to mobilise a community of 10,000 young people who actively collaborate to reimagine a more inclusive and open society, i.e. to develop innovative projects that have a sustainable impact.
For these young people, the community is like a facilitator where they can find the necessary support and resources to create value, collaborate on projects and achieve their own goals. Take for example the case of a web developer who joins the Ibudo community.
By joining the community, she learns to develop projects and services that have more impact (results and profits) for her clients and she can expect to advance her skills by working on major projects, demonstrate her competence and advance her career.
However, these goals cannot be achieved if community members do not have the right tools and skills to succeed. So, how can we give our community members, the tools and ressources to create innovative and impactful service, products etc. ?
Ibudo Institute, the research lab
By 2023, we created the Ibudo Campus, a space where citizens can develop the necessary skills to independently design innovative projects with a sustainable impact. We also launched a research lab, Ibudo Institute, which specialize in research to build tools that our community members will use to innovate and create impact.
The community serves therefore as an incubator where projects can be developed through the involvement of various stakeholders (community members, mentors, coaches, target audience) and through various programmes.
The ambition is to succeed in developing within 15 years technological tools, frameworks, and a predictable system that will allow everyone, regardless of their ability to create value, to contribute to a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous world.
