For about half of the year, I read nothing but the word "Tech Hub" or "Tech Lab".
Adam Jackson of TechCrunch recently wrote an article entitled "If Start-ups can be built in Ghana, Africa They can be built in Cleveland, Ohio". The title, while offering congratulation to the MEST Incubator center in Ghana, in the same token seems slightly demeaning to African accomplishment. As one commenter put it:
I feel like people should stop downplaying Africa, like it isn't a multifaceted continent, with people of different backgrounds and capabilities. The Moors of Egypt had one of the most fascinating civilizations prior to being conquered (which took hundreds of years to do). There are villagers to billionaires in Africa, so stop with the "if Ghana can do it, then people in Cleveland can." Of course they can! That is what is so fascinating about the web and mobile market. No one is limited by location anymore.
And I completely agree.
That aside, the article points out a growing facet of the African/emerging markets growth story. And it involves technology. The African mobile landscape has proved a viable investment for developing business start-ups. I think the slight advantage that emerging markets have over its' more developed counterparts is that they possibly have the benefit of developing (albeit from behind) in a more efficient and socially beneficially manner.
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Where the government has failed its' African citizens, the rapid advancement of Web 2.0 puts the power in the hands of a younger generation. Whether it is testing out cards for transportation or creating whole transformational platforms like Ms. Juliana Rotich of Ushahidi has done for Kenya and abroad.
oAfrica has an effective breakdown of The World Bank report, "Information and Communications for Development 2012: Maximizing Mobile" HERE, which outlines the future of mobile and it's role in emerging
markets.
There is a void in the market to fill here and hopefully it can be properly scaled and replicated for the benefit of many citizens.
