Can African Tech Startups Catch Up? --by Yimika Ilori

And at the end of the day, the internet is all about software.

-Marc Andreeseen

Research has shown that every company will revolve around software in future. An average person may relate to a smartphone as a proof of technology or a simple device that combines software and hardware together an interesting way. But it is beyond that.

All emerging countries have at least one resource that is a delight of developed countries. Each of them has something that is more important than the basic factors of production namely, land, labour, capital and entrepreneur.

As a matter of fact, when I consider the relationship between emerging countries and developed ones, landmass (or land) and population (which accounts for labour size) do not appear as classifying factors. Otherwise, Britain would be ranked among the least developed countries of the world. Regarding the third factor, capital, a Forrester Research report has argued that corporate software assets will be more valuable to a business than its financials. In order words, software will be the enabler of financial gains and brand growth. And concerning the fourth factor, someone who takes the risk of starting and running a new enterprise is referred to as an entrepreneur and such a person must understand that technological advancement in form of software development has now reinvented the factors of production.

Be it a custom software that needs to be developed from scratch or an off-the-shelf application that requires some tweaking, the primary issue is the ability of the software to meet a required need. Yet, all it takes for an individual to learn the skills includes interest, passion and dedication, provided that power supply, internet access and a computer are available.

Before the era of mechanization and industrialization, agriculture was the economic backbone of powerful countries. Subsequently, there was a move into the industrial revolution and machines and engines became the sustaining components of economies that made countries stand out. Today, what makes a country outstanding is the intangible value that its citizens can add to it and the world at large.

Countries like Israel, Brazil, China and India have emerged with techie startups or small businesses whose activities rely on and promote information technology. Based on the novelty of their creative services, many of these startups are being acquired by huge corporations around the globe such as Google, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft. But I wonder when African startups will join this league of corporation-acquired startups. For instance, less than 12 months ago, Google acquired 11 startups and none of them was an African tech startup.

Please do not get me wrong, as I am not implying that Africa lacks creative startups. We certainly have great startups. In fact, I have worked and gained priceless experience in more than one startup already. However, I believe that the solution to poor recognition of African startups internationally does not lie with the startups themselves. It lies with the next generation, and precisely, those who are presently in primary and secondary schools.

I think it would be awesome if software and computer security programs were introduced into some primary and secondary school syllabuses and taught to kids who show early techie interests.

The axiom that it is easy for a child to assimilate words, pictures and images faster than an adult readily comes to mind here. If in doubt, you could simply make an easy enquiry through a Google search and confirm these ideas. 

Nevertheless, if a solution cannot be implemented to address this issue and influence the explosion of tech startups in Nigeria and Africa, then it may be safe to conclude that the disruptive innovation and techie gap between developed countries and most African countries will continue to widen.

Yimika Ilori is a techie who takes pleasure in his spare time by writing articles and short stories. His articles have been published on Nuggets for Nobles and CFA Leverage amongst several other e-platforms. He blogs at www.larntan.com and can be reached through the same.

Other articles written by Yimika include:

How does “His Excellency” come into play in Nigerian Politics?

Village Mentality: The Chief of Africa’s Problems

How Agbada Reflects a Politician’s Thinking

What Matters More Than Money?

Some experiences bring greater joy than the luxury of having all the money in the world. That was the main lesson I learnt in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, a movie whose release date coincided with the Christmas Day of 2011.

A former course mate, Sewa, once opined right in front of Micom Laboratory at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology that we were all in school because we wanted to have money. It was a statement that I quickly challenged because I believe wisdom is better than money. “Sewa, I do not concur with you.” I said. “Some of us are not here because we want to have money. We are here because we want to acquire universally respected knowledge and build up wisdom through the application of such knowledge.” But Sewa explained that it was because our parents or sponsors were financially capable that we could pay tuition fees. And wasn’t Sewa right? Was it not because someone was responsible for our fees that we were in school? What can you actually do today without the defence of money? Can you get quality education or acquire relevant skills without giving something in return? Perhaps, Sewa was right in a way but wrong in another.

He was right because it is true that most people go to the university because they want to get a good job or build a great career after school. Again, the intention of getting a job is to have a means of livelihood. Now, a means of livelihood is nothing other than a source of income or what a person does to add value to the society and receive cash equivalence in return. Though it is not all those that go to school that eventually get to have money (depending of what “having money” means to each person), it is true that level of income generally tends to vary with level of education or valuable knowledge. Therefore, it is true that people actually go to school because they want to have money.

On the other hand, Sewa was wrong because he generalised. First, some people just went to school because everyone in their family was educated. For them, it was just the usual thing to do lest they become odd in their family. Second, it is not everyone that did not go to school that lacks money. Many half-educated persons have proven that skill acquisition or possession of valuable information may be more important than university knowledge. Third, if a person’s hope for getting university education is money, then the frustration of widespread unemployment could make them commit suicide after school. People have committed suicide because they could not get a job; whereas the essence of life is not to get a job but to add value.

Yet, there are other factors such as government’s decision, favourable or likable personality, inherent gifts, uncommon family or parental support, divine intervention, geographical location and technology of the day, which truly influence each person’s ability to find and use opportunities that would influence their socio-economic status.

Therefore, the point here is to understand that though education is important in the 21st century, it is equally important to possess the skills that are required and valued in societal systems. Then maybe the most important thing would be to find what you can do with your own existence on earth and discover how it relates to other people. Then, try to add value to the society from that angle as much as possible. It may involve making all the money you can make and it may not. But the supreme sign of knowing that you are doing the most important thing is a deep-rooted feeling of fulfilment in your heart; the kind that would remain even if you were brought into your last day on earth.

The Futility of Commonplace Revelation in Nigeria

Knowledge is useless if it does not solve problems or make life easier. Therefore, the cliché, “A problem that is known is already half-solved” does not sound better than an unintelligent line in the context of our beloved country, Nigeria. This may sound embarrassing but it is the truth.

It was in Nigeria that I learnt the word "UP NEPA" as a 3 year-old. I was just in primary school when I learnt the difference between a grinding machine and a power generator. Unfortunately, I learnt it by the experience of a noisy environment and not by education. I also witnessed fuel scarcity as a teenager and have had to walk when there was no other option. Yet, I was told that there are countries that do not produce Oil and do not experience fuel scarcity. Similarly, I have been hearing of leaders looting the monies of the Nigerian people since I was a child and it is a shame that I still do. But this is not my experience alone as millions of young Nigerians have shared in the experience of these commonplace challenges. May I ask our leaders whose minds are set on the events of 2015 if these legacies are going to be inherited by the next generation?

I believe that the world is not a perfect place –and if it was once perfect, it no longer is. While we remain grateful for countless blessings, it is obvious that each day comes with its own token of conflicts, crises and calamities. News and personal encounters of preventable vehicular crashes, diverse acts of unwarranted human terrorism, needless socio-political clashes, endless health issues, recurrent environmental degradation and continuous natural disasters now loom on a weekly basis. These happenings are globally shared because they are mainly caused by humanity. Even in the case of natural disasters, we are culpable because we have persistently upset the state of nature. Hence, the world, which should serve as a comfortable habitat, is taking a gradual, vengeful turn and responding to all of our undue actions with budding venom. That is why experts are struggling to salvage what is left and restore our beloved habitat to its cosy, protective and stable form. And every nation is trying to reduce the amount of imperfection that they introduce to the world.

Nonetheless, it is not encouraging that the giant of Africa seems to be making a snail’s progress. Nigeria is a country where the people know what their problems are but are unable to solve them. We know our challenges and complain about them everyday because of the sufferings that they bring.  Yet, the problems remain with us like a moulded shell; some of them just seem insurmountable for our leaders. However, it is not because the problems are too difficult to overcome that they persist. Rather, it is because men and women like you and I and everyone we both know have refused to solve them –through one means or the other, whether directly or indirectly – that they persist. We seem to understand why things are not working but cannot manage to emerge with the solutions. In cases where the remedies have been implemented, some among us have gone back to destroy them either for selfish reasons or because they do not realise that we all own these infrastructures and resources. We have had some of these problems for decades and the excuse of colonial misguidance is waxing off quickly. Our leaders know what these problems are so why can’t we all solve them?

Are we lacking the power to overcome our brand of political recklessness? Is anti-corruption too much as a price to pay? Are we unable to control ourselves and the penchant for self-aggrandizing agendas? Are we truly united? Should where a leader is originating from matter if we are truly Nigerians? Can we not truly unite and break the barriers to the realisation of a better country? Our parents have told us stories of a better yesterday that we cannot reconcile with the travails of this day. Do we have to go through such cycle again? We are praying to God to let change happen. We are seeing that change happen gradually. But we are sometimes moved to wonder if the changes we are seeing are mere mirages. By praying for a better Nigeria, we are asking God for a miracle that is possible. Yet, it will come with a price and will not happen without us.

If we will reap the seeds of change that we seek, we must sow seeds of courageous actions and corrections. We must realise our collective failure and check our motives and transform our habits. We must take responsibility for our nation and communities and homes and rebuild good ideals. That is how to overcome the futility of the commonplace revelation of problems and deliver solutions.

What is the other worth of your education?

No matter how expensive basic education is, its purpose would be defeated if the recipient refuses or is unable to apply it to the situations existing in their immediate environment.

Sometimes, I am amazed at what I see educated people do in urban centres. By using the phrase “educated people”, I refer to those who were tutored in government-approved schools or properly homeschooled.

Ordinarily, I believe that a person who is privileged to receive quality education in Nigeria must have learnt moral instructions, social studies and health education at primary level. At secondary level, such person ought to have received applicable knowledge in physical and health education, integrated science and advanced social studies. These practicable ideals form a fundamental knowledge base which prospective and current university students are expected to have. Therefore, it is quite unfortunate, though inevitable, that people who have good education still manage to constitute negative vices in urban communities.

Here is an instance. A middle-aged man who owns an expensive car and lives within the Lekki Peninsula in Nigeria is sometimes seen buying a canned drink and sausage while driving homewards in a heavy traffic. After buying the items, he auto-winds the glass pane of the door next to him upwards and consumes the edibles. Then after eating, he automatically winds down the glass pane again and throws an empty can and a snack’s nylon on the road. His car is too neat to accommodate waste but the road and drainage should suffer for it. Now, that is an educated man. What should we say about an illiterate?

Acts of this kind are heartbreaking, especially when educated persons are the perpetrators. Yet, they are unavoidable because in every majority, there is always a minority that will deviate from the norm; even when it clearly negates the overall good. That is why laws are created to enforce order, deliver justice and promote sanity in all societies. Some don’t even do such things intentionally but they do them unconsciously. So, if some educated persons are likely to act like illiterates in the society, what then should education do to its recipient?

#1) Education should empower its recipients

Even in its raw form, education has the power to improve the thinking ability of any man who is human enough to listen, practise and understand what he or she is taught. For instance, it is possible to learn Algebra in Yoruba language because its focus is on reasoning skills and not on language.

#2) Education should inform the recipient

Since it is not everything that a student learns in school that is applicable to his career, it is permissible to state that education also informs the recipient. When I was having my undergraduate studies, I observed that the university curriculum was structured such that all the students took courses in Fine Arts, General Studies, Computer Programming and Use of Library in addition to subjects in general science. So, whether a student belonged to the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Pure and Applied Sciences, Health and Medical Sciences or Agricultural Sciences, the course offerings were almost the same in the first year. This implies that though a student was not going to be awarded a degree in more than one field (since joint degrees were unavailable), he would only be informed about other courses and is expected to see how he can relate them to his career.

#3) Education should liberate the recipient

The expected end result of education is that, having instilled and tested the knowledge and reasoning skills of its recipient, the individual combines both aspects mentally, imbibes them behaviourally and becomes useful to the society. Therefore, the recipient should be able to understand, question and refine the interdependencies between norms, values and culture as they relate to the betterment of humanity. Consequently, an educated person is expected to be free from the slavery of illiteracy.

Now, I think that the first worth of education is how much value it is capable of adding to its recipient. That is, the extent to which education empowers and informs and liberates the recipient. However, once education has been received, another worth emerges and this is the secondary worth of education. The secondary worth of a person’s education is the effect it has on the lives of people who are surrounded by the recipient. This has an equally powerful effect on the society.

So, next time you are about to do something that would affect your immediate environment, please ask yourself, “What is the worth of my education?” and prove to us that it has a secondary value.