Africa: Turning the tech world upside down (Part 2)

In the first part of this article I discussed — picking up from talks I gave at PopTech and Nokia World 2011 — “The Idea of Africa” and how Western abstractions of the continent are often mired in the past, and, with examples, how Africa was turning the world upside down because disruptive ideas happen at the edge.

Now, I want to look at the Two Big Trends.

Trend #1: Adoption by Africans as consumers is increasing
Trend #2: Technology costs are decreasing

At the panel discussion I participated in at Nokia World 2011, I mentioned how:

87% of sub-US$100 phones sold by Nokia are sold in emerging markets

34% of Africa’s population (313-million) is now considered middle class

The fastest growing economy in the world is Ghana and five of the top ten are African — the others being Liberia, Ethiopia, Angola, and Mozambique

Across the continent, the average GDP growth is expected to be at more than five percent going forward.

At the same time, we’re seeing bandwidth increase, and bandwidth costs decrease. Mobile operators are the continent’s major ISPs, and they’re getting creative with their data plans.

Handset costs are going down. Smart(er) phones are available for less than ever before. We even have one of the least expensive Android phones in the world at US$80 in Kenya in the IDEOS by Huawei.

Is it all bright and rosy? Not at all. You’re on the edge, you have to create new markets, not just new businesses. But in that challenge lies opportunity, for it’s from these hard, rough and disruptive spaces that great wealth is grown.

If you’re an African entrepreneur, why would you want to be anywhere else?