TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentral TechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      WhatsApp Premium: new subscription plan in development

      17 May 2022

      Pick n Pay partners with Takealot in online shopping push

      17 May 2022

      Fibre break knocks out Telkom’s network

      17 May 2022

      Musk tells Twitter: prove your bot claims, or the deal is off

      17 May 2022

      300% growth for Pick n Pay asap!

      17 May 2022
    • World

      Intel shareholders reject pay packages for top executives

      17 May 2022

      Musk hints at reduced offer price for Twitter

      17 May 2022

      SpaceX gets $125-billion valuation in private placement

      17 May 2022

      Crypto’s wild week offers a much-needed warning

      16 May 2022

      Terra’s $45-billion face plant creates a crowd of crypto losers

      16 May 2022
    • In-depth

      The standard model of particle physics may be broken

      11 May 2022

      Meet Jared Birchall, Elon Musk’s personal ‘fixer’

      6 May 2022

      Twitter takeover was brash and fast, with Musk calling the shots

      26 April 2022

      Musk wants free speech on Twitter but spent years silencing critics

      21 April 2022

      Musk’s board-seat tweet needed an edit button

      11 April 2022
    • Podcasts

      Everything PC S01E01 – ‘AMD: Ryzen from the dead – part 1’

      10 May 2022

      Llew Claasen on how exchange controls are harming SA tech start-ups

      2 May 2022

      The inside scoop on OVEX’s big expansion plans

      20 April 2022

      Decentralised finance, the ‘end of banks’ – and what comes next

      25 March 2022

      Maxtec and BigFix: helping stop cyberattackers in their tracks

      18 March 2022
    • Opinion

      From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

      19 April 2022

      How AI is being deployed in the fight against cybercriminals

      8 April 2022

      Cash is still king … but not for much longer

      31 March 2022

      Icasa on the role of TV white spaces and dynamic spectrum access

      31 March 2022

      Minister Ntshavheni is at risk of tripping up

      24 March 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»Opinion»Andries Brink»Why Africa hasn’t had its real leapfrog moment yet

    Why Africa hasn’t had its real leapfrog moment yet

    Andries Brink By Andries Brink6 November 2019
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    The author, Andries Brink, argues that the challenges Africa faces are not insurmountable

    The leapfrog theory is attractive. In the words of the Financial Times, it’s “a quick jump in economic development by harnessing technological innovation”. This sounds great, particularly when you factor in the immense amount of innovation and modernisation currently happening. Accessing technology and services has never been easier, especially in Africa where mobile phones have spread far and wide. Such momentum has sparked dreams of Wakanda, the Afro-future society depicted in the Marvel movies.

    Fervent adoption of technology made Africa the leading example of how leapfrogging could change society. But the real world isn’t as eloquent as theory. For example, while the M-Pesa mobile money service invented in Kenya has taken parts of the globe by storm, it and similar mobile money products have all but failed in South Africa. The obvious takeaway is the oft-cited phrase “Africa is not a country”. But I prefer another philosophy, that local challenges need local solutions. Leapfrogging needs local context.

    Tangible leapfrogging that lasts is possible and doesn’t only have to relate to a low starting base

    Tangible leapfrogging that lasts is possible and doesn’t only have to relate to a low starting base. Andile Solutions has seen this play out repeatedly as we deliver banking modernisation projects to organisations across the continent. Recently we deployed modern treasury solutions to Zanaco in Zambia and Fidelity in Ghana — these are established organisations looking to remove legacy technologies and efficiently take a step into tomorrow. Both projects are successes and some of that credit should go to our excellent teams. But there is more to glean from the experience.

    Africa is laden with technical debt, created by a legacy of ageing technologies. These aren’t just systems languishing in back rooms. International providers have taken to dumping older technologies here, wrapped in promises that technology will deliver on potential. That isn’t true: it’s people and context that deliver potential, choosing technologies that fit. If you are not on the ground, gaining a real understanding of what is needed for a given project, you’re doing little more than shoehorning ideas from other markets into local spaces. This inevitably leads to not realising the expected value behind modernisation.

    Aggravated

    The above is aggravated by the transient nature of many technology providers. They enter the market motivated foremost to relieve their flagging revenue, not to create opportunities. Once their projections fall short or they don’t size up to the grit needed to do business here, they cut and run. Some will even undercut the competition purely for a good balance on a spreadsheet — the long-term consequences of their actions aren’t considered. It’s because they have no real vested interest in Africa’s unique success, in the rise of Wakanda.

    Technology companies born and bred in Africa have a very different perspective. We don’t see Africa as just another place to make money. We see Africa as a giant ready to take global history by storm. This creates both a sense of unity as well as a deep respect for what Africa was, is and will be. Ultimately, it creates a sense of purpose that those outside of the continent might struggle to understand and appreciate.

    Mobile phones made for a symbolic example of Africa’s untapped potential. But I’ve seen the next stage of leapfrogging show itself through our banking projects. Small start-ups and struggling incumbents have changed their fortunes through the smart and contextual application of modern technologies. Sometimes these technologies come from abroad — we partner with some of the best in the international fintech space — but they only work when applied through a local prism, where the bottom line is the result of passion, customer-centricity and homegrown context.

    Africa’s challenges can seem staggering. Infrastructure, education and R&D are areas that require a lot more attention. But dreams of Wakanda can become reality. Those challenges are not insurmountable. Many technology providers like to say this, but only those with a real nose for local requirements and with their futures firmly invested in Africa can deliver. They are the ones who make leapfrogging a reality.

    • Andries Brink is CEO of Andile Systems
    Andile Solutions Andries Brink
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleBig changes could be coming to Twitter in 2020
    Next Article SoftBank’s Son defiant as WeWork mess triggers $6.5-billion loss

    Related Posts

    From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

    19 April 2022

    How AI is being deployed in the fight against cybercriminals

    8 April 2022

    Cash is still king … but not for much longer

    31 March 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    Detect and prioritise cloud security risks in minutes, not months

    17 May 2022

    Eye on the future: an interview with PureSoftware CTO Tushar Bhatkar

    17 May 2022

    Accelerating test automation

    16 May 2022
    Opinion

    From spectrum to roads, why fixing SA’s problems is an uphill battle

    19 April 2022

    How AI is being deployed in the fight against cybercriminals

    8 April 2022

    Cash is still king … but not for much longer

    31 March 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.