When technology and innovation meet, inclusive growth follows
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African innovation is nothing new. A quick search on the internet will reveal an entire history book of African inventions spanning centuries; from harnessing fire in South Africa 1.4 million years ago, to the invention of the underground water pipe in Ethiopia in 1460 BC, to the modern Kreepy Krauly (an automatic pool cleaner) and the CAT scan.
Popular myth tells us that Africa was a dark and underdeveloped continent until the arrival of European innovation. The truth is, Africans are just as creative, if not more, than anybody else. But as pioneering as their inventions are, the benefits of many are only felt within the immediate community. They don’t receive much attention from the global community. However, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) means there is now an entirely new platform that can take these inventions to the world. And now, suddenly, African innovation is being noticed.
Technology enables African ideas to be marketed and developed, making them accessible to a far larger audience. This amplification stimulates further investment into the continent, especially its ICT sector, which, in turn, provides much-needed funding and support to develop new ideas and see them through to maturity.
Africa’s problems are a fertile breeding ground for innovation. Those who see problems as opportunities can become successful entrepreneurs, by harnessing technology to improve access to education, healthcare and social services. For example, hospitals in Nigeria are often under-equipped and prone to power outages. To overcome this, DrSeyiOyesola developed Hospital in a Box, a mobile clinic that operates off solar energy.
By taking these grassroots innovations to more communities, technology becomes a great equaliser and enabler. Not only by helping more people though social innovations like Hospital in a Box and providing access to empowering tools like the internet, but as businesses grow around these innovations, they will need to hire more people to manage new territories and develop local skills leading to job creation and ultimately more inclusive growth...
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