In the past month or so I have been spoilt for choice when it comes to Africa-focused events here in London. I am always pleasantly surprised by just how many Africa-enthusiasts are based on this little island – there are of course the 2 million-odd diasporans with family links to the continent and many others who have taken a keen interest in the continent for other reasons. I have found both types of people at Africa Gathering and BarCamp Africa UK recently and both events have been buzzing with ideas, entrepreneurialism and enthusiasm for positive change and innovation in Africa.
Africa Gathering in October brought together thinkers and do-ers ranging from philanthropist Bill Liao to the founder of FrontlineSMS, Ken Banks and the eccentric Kevin “Banana Man” Alan. The inspiring rapper Emmanuel Jal gave a moving account of his experience as a child soldier in Sudan and how he is only eating one meal a day until he has raised enough money for his charity Gua Africa to build a school in his hometown to educate young people affected by war.
I was at the first Africa BarCamp in the UK at the weekend along with a hundred or so other tech enthusiasts sharing some really exciting ideas. Miquel Hudin shared his website, Maneno (meaning ‘words’ in Kiswahili) which is a communication and blogging application built to serve the specific needs of Sub-Saharan Africa. Frederick Wamala from the LSE shared his thoughts on how we must secure Africa’s newly acquired fast internet from cyber crime in order for it to be an effective medium for Africa's development.
I’ve had some fascinating conversations at these events and have been really happy to see just how many people are as excited about opportunity in Africa as I am. Growth and opportunity have been key themes that have come out of both events as well as the African philosophy of Ubuntu (we are who we are because of others) which I see as fitting for the take-up in interactive and social media across the continent.
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Monday, 9 November 2009
Monday, 2 November 2009
Things you might not know about Africa
The africapractice team had emails flying round in response to the question: What do people not know about Africa?
There are plenty of preconceptions and misconceptions about the continent, but here are a few of the facts and figures that came up last week:
• Seven countries in Africa account for more than fifty per cent of the population (Nigeria, Ethiopia, DRC, SA, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan)
• Africa holds about 10% of the world's proven oil reserves
• There are up to 100 million members of the African Diaspora
• The longest cable car in the world is in Nigeria
• South Africa sold $1.8 billion worth of cars to the US last year, putting us ahead of Sweden and Italy as suppliers to the US market
• Africa is most affected by climate change but only produces 3% of global emissions
• Approximately half the population of Africa is under the age of 18
• Kenya is one of only five countries in the world that generates more than 15% of their electricity from geothermal sources
• Africa is the fastest growing telecoms market in the world
• Nigeria has a population the sum of the thirty one smallest countries in Africa
• Only 4% of Africa's hydropower potential is utilised currently
• Rwanda is ranked first by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in terms of the percentage of female politicians in its lower chamber, with 56.3 percent.
• The largest cement plant in the world is being built in Nigeria
• South Africa is the first, and to date only, country to build nuclear weapons and then voluntarily dismantle its entire nuclear weapons programme
• Almost 50% of all African immigrants in the United States hold a college diploma
• In the mid 1990s, there were more phones in New York City than the whole of Africa. But if the growth curve in mobile devices in Africa continues, it is likely to surpass the United States in number of mobile consumers
• The city of Pretoria, in South Africa, has the second largest number of embassies in the world after Washington, D.C.
A list of facts won't change people's image of Africa in one go, but it's all part of a far richer picture then a lot of people realise exists.
There are plenty of preconceptions and misconceptions about the continent, but here are a few of the facts and figures that came up last week:
• Seven countries in Africa account for more than fifty per cent of the population (Nigeria, Ethiopia, DRC, SA, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan)
• Africa holds about 10% of the world's proven oil reserves
• There are up to 100 million members of the African Diaspora
• The longest cable car in the world is in Nigeria
• South Africa sold $1.8 billion worth of cars to the US last year, putting us ahead of Sweden and Italy as suppliers to the US market
• Africa is most affected by climate change but only produces 3% of global emissions
• Approximately half the population of Africa is under the age of 18
• Kenya is one of only five countries in the world that generates more than 15% of their electricity from geothermal sources
• Africa is the fastest growing telecoms market in the world
• Nigeria has a population the sum of the thirty one smallest countries in Africa
• Only 4% of Africa's hydropower potential is utilised currently
• Rwanda is ranked first by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in terms of the percentage of female politicians in its lower chamber, with 56.3 percent.
• The largest cement plant in the world is being built in Nigeria
• South Africa is the first, and to date only, country to build nuclear weapons and then voluntarily dismantle its entire nuclear weapons programme
• Almost 50% of all African immigrants in the United States hold a college diploma
• In the mid 1990s, there were more phones in New York City than the whole of Africa. But if the growth curve in mobile devices in Africa continues, it is likely to surpass the United States in number of mobile consumers
• The city of Pretoria, in South Africa, has the second largest number of embassies in the world after Washington, D.C.
A list of facts won't change people's image of Africa in one go, but it's all part of a far richer picture then a lot of people realise exists.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Superbrands - where to next?
The annual Superbands survey always makes interesting reading – who has pushed who from the top spot, new entrants in the top 500... It gives a bit of an insight into what people care about and how brands are moving into the consumer consciousness.
This year, expanding on a trend we’ve seen in recent years, tech takes precedence. While Microsoft took number one, bumping Google to number three (after Rolex) the order isn’t of so much importance as the volume of IT brands.
The Telegraph quotes Shar VanBoskirk, analyst at Forester: "You may drink a Coca-Cola or Starbucks drink once or twice a day, but most of us interact with Microsoft and Google every hour of our lives. These technology companies have entered into our homes, our offices - even our friendships."
So the question is who or what is next?
The FT raised this question earlier in the week, covering a research report by Wolff Olins, that tipped five food and drink brands from emerging markets to become global brands. As it stands now, there are no African brands in the list (Columbian coffee, Saudi fruit juice, Lebanese chocolate, Chinese wine and Indian liquor). So no tech here then?
Their focus on the East comes from market size – if you are to become a dominant brand you need dominant position in sales and customers – hence India and China. But Africa represents an enormous opportunity of almost 1 billion consumers, with increasing buying power. Not only that, but the “what works in Africa works anywhere” position makes for a hotbed of innovation and new ideas. MXit, the IM platform for mobile, developed in South Africa, is already looking at 17 million registered users across the world.
It will be interesting to see the ensuing battle between established western brands and new names from emerging markets. While everyone seems to be looking East, I’ll have my eyes peeled for the Starbucks of Sub-Saharan Africa or the Rolex of Rwanda.
This year, expanding on a trend we’ve seen in recent years, tech takes precedence. While Microsoft took number one, bumping Google to number three (after Rolex) the order isn’t of so much importance as the volume of IT brands.
The Telegraph quotes Shar VanBoskirk, analyst at Forester: "You may drink a Coca-Cola or Starbucks drink once or twice a day, but most of us interact with Microsoft and Google every hour of our lives. These technology companies have entered into our homes, our offices - even our friendships."
So the question is who or what is next?
The FT raised this question earlier in the week, covering a research report by Wolff Olins, that tipped five food and drink brands from emerging markets to become global brands. As it stands now, there are no African brands in the list (Columbian coffee, Saudi fruit juice, Lebanese chocolate, Chinese wine and Indian liquor). So no tech here then?
Their focus on the East comes from market size – if you are to become a dominant brand you need dominant position in sales and customers – hence India and China. But Africa represents an enormous opportunity of almost 1 billion consumers, with increasing buying power. Not only that, but the “what works in Africa works anywhere” position makes for a hotbed of innovation and new ideas. MXit, the IM platform for mobile, developed in South Africa, is already looking at 17 million registered users across the world.
It will be interesting to see the ensuing battle between established western brands and new names from emerging markets. While everyone seems to be looking East, I’ll have my eyes peeled for the Starbucks of Sub-Saharan Africa or the Rolex of Rwanda.
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