Innovators in an unconnected world
In the past few months, both Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have visited Africa. It’s one of the fastest-advancing regions in the world in terms of technology, with the mobile-operator trade association Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association (GSMA) projecting that there will be 540 million smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020, up from 160 million in 2015. And consumers aren’t the only ones investing in technology: “Silicon Savannahs” have cropped up throughout the continent, offering co-working spaces, skill sets, and access to support networks to young innovators and earlier this month Facebook announced Voyager, a new phase of their plan to improve internet access across Africa. Clearly Africa is the continent to watch when it comes to innovation, growth, and a digital future.
However, for me, one nagging question remains: We often encourage young people to think creatively, but are we doing everything we can to harness the power of these bright young minds? Despite pockets of tech-savvy entrepreneurs, only 24 percent of Africans had access to a mobile broadband connection in 2015, and that number is projected to remain short of 60 percent through 2020. In fact, that was one of the major issues Mr Zuckerberg came to the continent to talk about. In addition to promoting his programme to provide free internet to unconnected and rural populations, he met with a start-up in Kenya called BRCK, which produces a solar-powered device that offers charging and internet capabilities for up to 20 connections at a time. Projects like these that focus on bringing more connections to Africa are the ones that can allow us to truly harness the continent’s potential.
Only 24 percent of Africans had access to a mobile broadband connection in 2015, and that number is projected to remain short of 60 percent through 2020.
Just think, where would Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg or any of the thousands of other innovators just like them be without access to the latest technologies? Where would you be? You’re likely reading this blog on a laptop, tablet or smartphone right now, and I probably don’t need to tell you how much that tool has made your life easier. From connecting with friends and family to paying bills, these devices make a thousand things possible. But right now those possibilities are not available to everyone.
As Bill said during his recent trip to South Africa, “young people are better than old people at driving innovation, because they are not locked in by the limits of the past.” While there he had a chance to meet a few of the people solving development challenges using technology and helping people live more productive lives. Let’s take a look at a few of the services we could open up to the world if everyone were connected.
#1 Internships
Nigeria suffers from high youth unemployment rates, with 53% of youth in rural areas being unemployed. Distance can make it difficult for Nigerian youth to develop the skills needed in the workplace — whether this is education or practical skills.
Chris Kwekowe founded Slatecube to address this issue. The start-up provides e-learning courses in industry-relevant skills and matches Slatecube students with internships and connections with businesses. The platform also offers virtual internships that enables students to develop work experience as they study. So far 80% of users have been employed after building skills on Slatecube.
#2 Energy
A lack of access to reliable, clean energy can hinder economic development and impact health. And it can be surprisingly difficult to access reliable, clean energy in Africa’s rural and under-serviced areas.
SunSweet Solar is a company on a mission to solve this problem. Founded by George Mtemahanji, a man who has believed he could help Africa leapfrog fossil fuel energy since high school, SunSweet Solar provides low-cost solar-powered systems in Tanzania. The company plans to install over 10,000 systems in rural areas within the next five years.
#3 Programming
Although Kenya is known for its tech and innovation scene, it is surprisingly difficult for some young people — especially women — to learn computer programming skills. Martha Njeri Chumo knows this first-hand: she was ready to go all the way to the United States to learn how to code, until she ran into visa issues.
Undeterred by her inability to travel to the States, Martha founded Kenya’s first coding school, The Dev School, at the age of 19. The programme aims to provide young people with computer programming knowledge and skills to build sustainable solutions using technology, but it focuses particularly on teaching these skills to women in order to address the gender imbalance in the tech world. The Dev School is free of charge for participants and inspired the UNESCO ‘Searching for Martha’ project, which seeks to identify 1,000 young African women entrepreneurs and provide them with training and access to capital.
#4 Multifunctionality
Thato Kgathlanye saw two problems: School children in her community were carrying their school books in environmentally unfriendly, non-recyclable plastic bags, and their families didn’t have access to enough reliable, clean energy to allow them to do their school work in the evenings.
Repurpose Schoolbags is a two-birds-one-stone solution to these issues. The company up-cycles plastic bags into plastic textile backpacks that have mini solar panels encased within them. The solar panel charges during the child’s walk to school and turns into a solar lantern that provides up to 12 hours of energy. The factory has recycled over 10,000 plastic bags so far. The bags are donated at no-fee schools that serve poorer communities in South Africa.
#5 Pain-Free Diagnosis
An estimated 70,000 to 100,000 Ugandans die from malaria each year, and many more suffer from the disease. Brian Gitta has suffered from multiple bouts of the disease. Tired of feeling sick and being poked and prodded, he wondered why there couldn’t be an easier, pain-free diagnosis.
He and his colleagues developed a portable device called a ‘matiscope’ that is connected to a smartphone. A user’s finger is inserted into the matiscope which uses a red LED to penetrate the skin and detect red blood cells. The connected Windows smartphone application then diagnoses the patient and sends results to Microsoft’s Skydrive to be shared with the patient’s doctor immediately — no needles needed.
#6 Connectivity Begets Connectivity
Mac-Jordan Degadjor is arguably one of the most connected people in Africa. He is an award-winning tech blogger who has founded several start-ups. He was honoured in 2013 as an Internet Freedom Fellow by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva.
Now he is working to bring connectivity to his peers and fellow citizens. He wants to increase online connectivity across Ghana and promote the talent, resources, and potential of Africa in the technology world. He has organized BarCamps, a series of workshops that teach Ghananians how to use the internet. Through Social Good Ghana, he brings together Ghananians who are passionate about pressing global issues. His blog promotes freedom of expression and highlights opportunities for African start-ups.
