!"#$%&'&() +% ,-.

+#/
!"#$ &'()*+
8y 1efo Mohapl
0&%1.+231&.45
varaldzo Murerlwa | Alan knoLL-Cralg | CalesLous !uma | nLobeko Wakaba |
Meghan Semanclk | Mark Clarke | kanyl Maqubela | Mbugua n[lhla | !ohan nel |
vlka Mplsane | Amlr klyael | !ay Couslns

CopyrlghL 2014 by Mohapl & Co. and lndlvldual ConLrlbuLors.

All rlghLs reserved.

no parL of Lhls publlcaLlon may be reproduced, dlsLrlbuLed, or LransmlLLed ln any form or
by any means, lncludlng phoLocopylng, recordlng, or oLher elecLronlc or mechanlcal
meLhods, wlLhouL Lhe prlor wrlLLen permlsslon of Lhe publlsher, excepL ln Lhe case of brlef
quoLaLlons embodled ln crlLlcal revlews and cerLaln oLher non-commerclal uses.

lor permlsslon requesLs, wrlLe Lo Lhe publlsher aL Lhe address below.

L-mall: 1lAulgesL[mohapl.com

WebslLe: hLLp://lafrlkan.com

Cover lmage CredlL: uerek keaLs/ lllckr CC by 2.0

!"#$% '( )'*+%*+,
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
lnLroducLlon

S1LM LducaLlon as a soluLlon Lo ?ouLh unemploymenL ln Afrlca

lmpacL of Lhe lnLerneL ln Afrlca

1echnology and Lhe 8elnvenLlon of LducaLlon ln Afrlca

8ulld, ueploy and 1hrlve - Lmbrace Lhe Packer WlLhln

1ech SLarLup LcosysLem and lnvesLmenL Landscape Comparlson

1echnology LcosysLem ln SouLh Afrlca

lree & Cpen Source SofLware - South Africas Missed Opportunity?

1he 8lse of eer neLworks ln Lhe lnnovaLlon LcosysLem

lnnovaLlon, lnLellecLual roperLy and Law

ConLenL, WhaL ConLenL?

Slngle lnLerneL Space for Afrlca

lC1s 8ole ln SLrengLhenlng osL-ConfllcL SLaLes - A CrlLlcal 8evlew

8eflecLlon on 1echnology



:4+63;.1+'34
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139

l tblok tbe lotetoet ls obsolotely exttootJlooty. lt's vety, vety osefol ooJ l
tblok ooe of tbe tbloqs we've qot to Jo ls moke sote tbot tbe Aftlcoo
cootloeot qets oo to tbot lofotmotloo sopet blqbwoy. we've qot to occess
tbls moJeto tecbooloqy. l've beeo soyloq, fot lostooce, lf yoo pot lo tbls
loftosttoctote, yoo'te oble tbeo to Jellvet tele-meJlcloe to o vllloqe. lo
teollty, tbls tecbooloqy ls most osefol fot poot cooottles.
-- 1bobo Mbekl, ex-lteslJeot of 5ootb Aftlco lo o coovetsotloo wltb 88c News Oolloe
usets lo 2000
Africa Rising ls Lhe phrase we have become used Lo and someLlmes use carelessly ln a bld Lo
porLray a progresslve lmage of our conLlnenL desplLe some of lLs shorLcomlngs.

AlLhough Lhe pasL few decades have seen an lncrease ln Lhe forLunes of Lhe conLlnenL, Lhere are
cerLaln Lhlngs LhaL need Lo happen ln order for Afrlca Lo 8lse.

Cne of Lhe key facLors LhaL wlll play a role ln Lhe economlc growLh, skllls growLh and llfe
lmprovemenL of Afrlca and Afrlcans ls 1echnology ln Lhe form of lnformaLlon and CommunlcaLlons
1echnology.

1hls years 1echnology ln Afrlca ulgesL sees professlonals and LhoughL leaders ln Lhe Lechnology
lndusLry offer Lhelr lnslghLs lnLo Lhe problems faclng Lhe conLlnenL and also offer soluLlons, some of
whlch Lhey are already worklng on.

We hope you flnd Lhls e8ook useful.

!"-& 6&$/7+
ubllsher: 1echnology ln Afrlca 2014 ulgesL
-!./ .012"+3'* ", " ,'$1+3'*
+' 4'1+5 6*%78$'97%*+ 3*
:(;32"
vA8AluZC Auu8L? Mu8L8lWA
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
1he sLory of Africas boomlng economlc growLh has domlnaLed Lhe press for a whlle. Afrlca ls Lhe fasLesL
growlng conLlnenL economlcally, real lncome per person has lncreased by 10 over Lhe lasL 10 years,
and Cu ls expecLed Lo grow by 6 per year.

AmldsL all Lhls encouraglng growLh lurks a number of slgnlflcanL challenges LhaL LhreaLen Lo derall lL.

!+#8+%( !+9" :&92

Afrlca faces an unprecedenLed youLh unemploymenL crlsls.

Pavlng Lhe youngesL youLh populaLlon ln Lhe world of 200 mllllon aged beLween 13 and 24, lncreaslng
youLh unemploymenL poses a slgnlflcanL LhreaL Lo susLalned economlc growLh and Lhe growlng pollLlcal
and soclo-economlc sLablllLy of Lhe conLlnenL.

SouLh Africas SLaLlsLlcs SA released Lhe offlclal unemploymenL raLes for Lhe souLhern Afrlcan counLry,
whlch currenLly slL aL 23.6 as per Lhe Lhlrd quarLer of 2013. unemploymenL ls calculaLed based on
acLlve [ob seekers, Lhus when lncludlng Lhose who have glven up on searchlng, Lermed dlscouraged [ob
seekers, Lhe Lrue unemploymenL flgure for SouLh Afrlca slLs closer Lo 40. Accordlng Lo SLaLlsLlcs SA,
nearly 30 of Lhe 40 who are unemployed, are beLween Lhe ages of 14 23.

unforLunaLely, SouLh Afrlca ls noL unlque. ?ouLh unemploymenL ln norLh Afrlca slLs aL 30, and Lhls ls
even hlgher ln some Sub Saharan Afrlcan counLrles. Zambias flnance mlnlsLer, Alexander Chlkwanda,
sLaLes Youth unemploymenL ls a Llcklng Llme bomb.

,%&1$". 0.+4+4

Whlle youLh unemploymenL ls an ofLen LouLed challenge for Lhe conLlnenL, anoLher, equally severe crlsls
ls brewlng.

1he growlng skllls shorLage, parLlcularly ln managemenL and speclallsed skllls such as ln S1LM (Sclence,
1echnology, Lnglneerlng and MaLhemaLlcs), has reached crlsls level. 1hough an esLlmaLe suggesLs LhaL
Lhere wlll be a 73 lncrease ln Lhe demand for expaLrlaLe skllls ln Lhe nexL 3 years, one of Lhe challenges
of Lhls skllls shorLage ls LhaL Lhere ls llLLle quanLlflcaLlon of Lhe naLure, depLh and exLenL of Lhe skllls
shorLage across Lhe conLlnenL and ln lndlvldual counLrles.



losttoctloo lo yootb ls llke eoqtovloq lo stooe.
"" Motoccoo ltovetb
?oung uevelopers busy
developlng a raclng car game
aL 1he -SLem loundaLlon.
- !ohannesburg, SouLh Afrlca
<2*); 34 1.66)4+ '4;'12+36*= +>)
(63?'4( )13439'1 6)*.6()41) '4
,56'12 '* ;6'@'4( 2 ;)924; 536
specialised skills.
Clearly Lhe dlchoLomy of hlgh youLh unemploymenL and a growlng skllls shorLage lndlcaLe a
mlsmaLch beLween Lhe Lype of skllls ln demand and whaL can be supplled by Lhe labour markeL.
;"9/%< =4> ?377')

8ased on currenL lndlcaLors, Lhe growlng economlc resurgence ln Afrlca ls drlvlng a demand for
speclallsed skllls.

1hese lnclude skllls ln flelds such as mlnlng, manufacLurlng, englneerlng, reLall, agrlculLure and
medlclne. lorelgn dlrecL lnvesLmenL and growlng enLrepreneurshlp opporLunlLles ln naLural
resources, reLall and LelecommunlcaLlons across Lhe conLlnenL requlre skllled geologlsLs,
LechnologlsLs, englneers, Lechnlclans, and flnanclers.
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Compare Lhls demand Lo Lhe skllls LhaL Afrlca ls churnlng ouL, Lhe largesL conLlngenL of soclal sclences
and humanlLles graduaLes of any reglon ln Lhe world wlLh 70 of graduaLes ln Sub Saharan Afrlca
holdlng a soclal sclence or humanlLles degree, accordlng Lo a sLudy by CLCu (CrganlsaLlon for Lconomlc
Co-operaLlon and uevelopmenL)6 1hls sLudy surmlsed LhaL Afrlcan unlverslLles are falllng Lo prepare
Afrlcan youLh for Lhe labour markeL.

lL would be un[usL however, Lo merely vlew Lhls as a unlverslLy or LerLlary educaLlon challenge alone.
unlverslLles produce whaL Lhe educaLlon plpellne fosLers, and Lhe educaLlon plpellne across Afrlca ls
leaky and has falled Lo keep up wlLh Lhe changlng naLure of Lhe economy and work.

@&3%</1+&%

1he challenges sLarL aL a foundaLlonal level wlLh Lhe quallLy of foundaLlonal skllls.

loundaLlonal skllls, are llLeracy and numeracy skllls developed Lhrough prlmary and hlgh school
educaLlon. 1hese baslc skllls allow for fuLure Lralnlng and skllls developmenL wlLhouL whlch Lhe
aLLalnmenL of adequaLe employmenL and or Lhe parLlclpaLlon ln enLrepreneurlal acLlvlLles ls reduced.

A loL has been wrlLLen concernlng Lhe challenges of baslc educaLlon across Afrlca, noL leasL a currlculum
LhaL ls sLlll heavlly colonlally blased and does noL reflecL Africas currenL reallLy, lnfrasLrucLure concerns,
a shorLage of of quallfled Leachers, and mlnlmum on-golng developmenL of educaLors.

Powever, lL ls lmporLanL Lo noLe LhaL a slgnlflcanL porLlon of Lhe "blame" for Lhe lack of sLrong
foundaLlonal skllls ls slmply lald aL Lhe feeL of governmenLs and schools, and noL enough focus ls glven
on Lhe oLher, equally promlnenL reasons such as socleLal aLLlLudes Lo educaLlon, parLlcularly S1LM
educaLlon and Lhe role LhaL communlLles need Lo play ln supporLlng governmenLs and schools ln
dellverlng educaLlon.

1o Lransform Afrlca's capaclLy Lo produce more quallfled lndlvlduals parLlcularly ln S1LM, Afrlcan socleLy
needs Lo radlcally change lLs aLLlLudes Lo S1LM.

ln Afrlca, S1LM ls consldered ellLlsL, for Lhe lnLelllgenL and above Lhe capaclLy of Lhe ordlnary Afrlcan
scholar.

1hls aLLlLude ls relnforced by Leachers and schools LhaL advocaLe for advanced maLhs and sclence for
Lhe Lop performers only, and a currlculum LhaL provldes a more waLered down syllabus for Lhe ma[orlLy
of sLudenLs and learners. Compare Lhls wlLh SouLh korea, where advanced sclence and maLhs educaLlon
are consldered a sLaple for all sLudenLs, and greaL performance ln Lhese sub[ecLs ls aLLrlbuLed Lo hard
work and noL lnLelllgence. SouLh korea, by Lhe way, ls amongsL Lhe besL performlng counLrles ln
educaLlon and parLlcularly ln maLhs and sclence educaLlon.



, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
CommunlLles, parenLs and buslness musL also play a blgger role ln educaLlon. 1he dlverse naLure of
educaLlon and Lhe currlculum Loday, and Lhe challenges faced by many of our schools due Lo Lhe
legacles of colonlsaLlon and or aparLheld clearly demonsLraLe LhaL lL does our chlldren a greaL dlsservlce,
Lo llmlL educaLlon, parLlcularly formal educaLlon, purely Lo Lhe domaln of schools. arenLs and
communlLles need Lo be acLlvely lnvolved, provldlng opLlonal avenues of learnlng LhaL subsLanLlaLe Lhe
roles of schools. 8esearch shows when communlLles, parenLs and schools work LogeLher Lo supporL
learnlng, sLudenLs perform beLLer academlcally and sLay ln school longer.

1he slngle mosL lmporLanL predlcLor of sLudenL success ls Lhe familys aLLlLude LhaL learnlng ls a poslLlve,
[oyful and valuable experlence. Pence, parenLs, famlly and communlLy are crlLlcal componenLs of any
effecLlve educaLlon plpellne.

lor mosL of Afrlca, Lhls presenLs a problem, as our hlsLorlcal background means LhaL mosL sLudenLs ln
formal educaLlon Loday are ofLen Lhe 1sL generaLlon ln Lhelr famllles and communlLles Lo recelve formal
educaLlon. 1hus parenLal and communlLy lnvolvemenL ln educaLlon ls llmlLed. CrganlsaLlons such as Lhe
SouLh Afrlcan Agency for Sclence and 1echnology AdvancemenL (SAAS1A) and Lhe -S1LM foundaLlon
could be parL of a resolvlng Lhls challenge.

8esearch ln Lhe uS shows LhaL mosL sclence ls learned ouLslde of school ln a varleLy of lnformal
educaLlon programs, such as Lhose offered by sclence cenLres, publlc llbrarles, communlLy cenLres,
aquarlums or zoos. Lxpandlng our communlLles capacity Lo provlde ouL of school programs ln maLhs
and sclence, and promoLlng communlLy lnvolvemenL ln Lhese programs can go a long way ln changlng
Lhe percepLlon LhaL educaLlon, and parLlcularly S1LM educaLlon ls purely Lhe domaln of governmenLs
and schools.

LasLly, lL wlll be lmporLanL Lo lnclude enLrepreneurshlp lnLo Lhe sLandard school currlculum. 1hls should
lnclude Lhe Lechnlcal skllls of runnlng a buslness, Lhe sofLer aspecLs of managlng change, deallng wlLh
fallure and self-moLlvaLlon wlLh an lnLenLlon Lo equlp our youLh wlLh Lhe skllls Lo opL lnLo sLarLlng and
runnlng buslnesses of Lhelr own. 1hls wlll ln Lhe long run lncrease Lhe number of [ob opporLunlLles
avallable overall and provlde a rlch plpellne of Afrlcan based producLs and buslnesses solvlng local
problems and challenges.

1he soluLlon Lherefore Lo Lhe leaky educaLlon plpellne, requlres a more lnLegraLed approach Lo
educaLlon, lnvolvlng governmenL and schools, supporLed and subsLanLlaLed by parenLs, communlLles
and communlLy based organlsaLlons. 1hls wlll go a long way ln allevlaLlng Lhe challenges of havlng a
labour markeL LhaL meeLs Lhe demands of Lhe economy. ulLlmaLely, Lhe skllls shorLage lLself could work
as a means of allevlaLlng Lhe youLh unemploymenL crlsls and provlde a susLalnable boosL Lo economlc
growLh.



Varaidzo Vari Mureriwa ls an LxecuLlve ulrecLor aL Lhe -
S1LM loundaLlon and a 1echnology ConsulLlng Manager for
AccenLure SouLh Afrlca.

1he -S1LM loundaLlon is a Not For Profit organisation
promoLlng S1LM educaLlon, careers and enLrepreneurshlp
for aL rlsk youLh ln Sub Saharan Afrlca.

She holds a 8uslness lnformaLlon SysLems degree from LdlLh
Cowan unlverslLy, AusLralla and ls an avld reader and
Lraveller.

lollow her on 1wlLLer: [varl_Audrey



, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
<78"2+ '( +5% <*+%;*%+ 3*
:(;32"
ALAn knC11-C8AlC
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Theres really no hope for you lf you sLlll need convlnclng LhaL access Lo Lhe lnLerneL ls a good Lhlng.
ulLlmaLely Lhe lnLerneL ls an empowermenL Lool.

!$" A%1".%"1 ,<=/%1/("

lLs poslLlve use can be experlenced ln flelds such as educaLlon, employmenL, healLhcare and generally as
a sLlmulus Lo Lhe economy.

no longer are your opporLunlLles llmlLed Lo your posLal code, unless LhaL code ls www, ln whlch case
youre plugged lnLo Lhe resL of Lhe world.

WlLh mosL people on Lhe conLlnenL (Afrlca) noL havlng access Lo free lnLerneL, lL means Lhey are
excluded from uslng Lhe lnLerneL as an empowermenL Lool. 1hey cant e-mall Cvs for [ob appllcaLlons,
conducL research (e.g. on Wlklpedla), self-dlagnose healLh problems, or generally flnd ouL whaL ls
happenlng ln Lhe world.

So, lnsLead of dronlng on abouL how awesome Lhe lnLerneL ls, Lhe quesLlon remalns: how do we go
abouL acceleraLlng lnLerneL access ln Afrlca? AlLernaLlvely: how can we make Lhe lnLerneL free Lo all on
Lhe conLlnenL?

0&41 &- ;/1/

1radlLlonally, daLa neLworks (and as a consequence lnLerneL access) have been Lhe domaln of flxed llne
LelecommunlcaLlons operaLors. ln Afrlca, wlLh a LoLal of less Lhan 10 mllllon landllnes, 3C (as provlded
by Lhe moblle operaLors) has played Lhe mosL lmporLanL role ln brlnglng Lhe lnLerneL Lo Lhe people.

As a resulL lL can be sald LhaL Lhe moblle operaLors have revoluLlonlsed Lhe conLlnenL, brlnglng wealLh
and opporLunlLy whlchever counLry Lhey operaLe ln.

1here ls a problem Lhough - 3C ls expenslve.

Why? 1hls ls because 3C ls a proprleLary Lechnology LhaL requlres huge capex (CaplLal LxpendlLure) and
deLalled plannlng, whlch ln Lurn requlres deep pockeLs and slgnlflcanL human resources. Cnce you add a
mark-up and you have amongsL Lhe mosL expenslve daLa cosLs on Lhe planeL.




wotet ls colootless ooJ tosteless bot yoo coo llve oo lt looqet tboo eotloq
fooJ.
"" Aftlcoo ltovetb
ClLy of 1shwane 8esldenL speaklng abouL Lhe lmporLance of Lhe lnLerneL (ro[ecL lslzwe vldeo)
- ClLy of 1shwane, SouLh Afrlca
1haL ls noL necessarlly a hlndrance, Lhe proprleLary naLure of 3C and Lhe proflLs generaLed by moblle
operaLors are Lhe reason for Lhe enormous advances ln moblle Lechnology over Lhe pasL Lwo
decades. 1he problem Lhough, ls LhaL Lhe end producL ls noL free, nor can lL vlably be subsldlsed Lo
Lhe polnL where lL can be free.

As a resulL of Lhls, lf we were Lo compare bandwldLh Lo waLer, Lhen you would be able Lo flnd errler
ln Lhe farLhesL flung corners of Afrlca, buL noL a drop of clean Lap waLer. 1hls ls ok lf you have money,
noL ok lf you have no money and are LhlrsLy.

B&C <& C" 2.+%( !/7 D/1". 1& ,-.+#/E

1wo words: CovernmenL subsldles.

1hls can be done ln Lhe same manner as munlclpallLles use raLe-payer revenues Lo provlde baslc
waLer & elecLrlclLy Lo all clLlzens. lf we are Lo offer access Lo Lhe lnLerneL as a baslc rlghL, Lhen a
neLwork wlll need Lo be bullL and pald for by Lhe governmenL.

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
PlsLorlcally Lhls approach has been wlshful Lhlnklng. 1he aforemenLloned economlcs of 3C neLworks has
meanL Lhe capex requlremenL and Lechnlcal experLlse needed Lo run a wlreless daLa neLwork were
slmply beyond Lhe means of local governmenL, especlally on Lhe conLlnenL.

1hlngs have changed ln Lhe pasL flve years.

llrsLly, Lhe exploslon of smarL phones means LhaL over 30 of households now have access Lo a Wl-ll
enabled devlce.

Secondly, Lhe lmploslon of MoLorola whlch ln Lurn released Leams of englneers who wenL on Lo form
Lhelr own companles, freelng up decades of radlo neLwork experLlse and experlence. 1hese sLarL-ups
have gone on Lo produce beLLer equlpmenL aL cheaper prlces Lhan ever before, compleLely up-endlng
Lhe economlcs of LelecommunlcaLlons neLwork rollouLs.

WhllsL a 3C base sLaLlon can cosL up Lo a mllllon SouLh Afrlcan 8ands, Lhe equlvalenL Wl-ll access polnL
now cosLs less Lhan ZA810,000 whlch makes lL a hundred-fold dlfference.

LasLly, because Wl-ll neLworks run on publlc access specLrum and focus on Web-speclflc conLenL (raLher
Lhan volce), Lhe Lechnlcal resources requlred are a fracLlon of Lhose needed Lo operaLe a 3C neLwork.

1he neL resulL ls LhaL a munlclpallLy can now afford Lo provlde clLlzens free Wl-ll access. Its noL as fasL
and rellable as 3C, buL lL ls beLLer Lhan havlng no lnLerneL access, and Lo a person sLandlng aL Lhe
boLLom of Lhe pyramld Lhls ls llke an oasls ln Lhe deserL.

Its not a question of if access to the
:4+)64)+ ?'00 /) 2 /2*'1 >.924 6'(>+
one day. Its a question of when.
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Also, Wl-ll neLworks are becomlng cheaper, fasLer and more rellable every year. So, wlLhouL havlng Lo
lncrease annual spendlng, Lhe munlclpallLy can offer a beLLer producL every year.

now thats whaL l call susLalnable.

Its noL a quesLlon of lf access Lo Lhe lnLerneL wlll be a baslc human rlghL one day. Its a quesLlon of
when. Afrlca has Lhe opporLunlLy Lo leapfrog Lhe resL of Lhe world, connecLlng lLs clLlzens Lo Lhe
lnLerneL, and brlnglng waLer Lo a land LhaL has had Loo much deserL for Loo long.



Alan knoLL-Cralg ls a Cuallfled CharLered AccounLanL (SA) and
ls Lhe lounder of ro[ecL lslzwe, a non-proflL organlsaLlon
faclllLaLlng Lhe roll-ouL of free Wl-ll neLworks across Afrlca. Pe
ls also Lhe founder & CLC of Lver Afrlca, a company LhaL plays
ln Lhe space of eCommerce, games, educaLlon and Lelecoms ln
Afrlca.

revlously, Alan was Lhe CLC of MxlL, Africas biggest social
neLwork and also lounder World of AvaLar, a leadlng
lnvesLmenL house for moblle apps for Afrlca.

Larller ln hls career, from 2006 Lo 2009, he was CLC of l8ursL
and was driving the companys strategy towards building South
Africas largest wireless broadband network.

Pe founded Cellflnd in 2003, Africas first location based
servlces provlder.

8eLween 2003 and 2013 Alan also co-founded and/or funded
17 companles ln Lhe 1M1 secLor (1elecommunlcaLlons, Medla &
1echnology) ln Afrlca, lncludlng Cellflnd, Lucky Moblle,
lllnd34600, CCLv, World of AvaLar, 1oodu, lSMS, 1rlloq, 6Lh
Llne, ually Maverlck, A8C 1elecoms, onderlng anda, MorMor
Medla, and 8oom.fm.

In April 2008 he published Dont Panic, a best-selllng book
almed aL persuadlng emlgranL SouLh Afrlcans Lo reLurn home.
Pe was named as a ?oung Clobal Leader by Lhe World
Lconomlc lorum ln 2009.

2012 saw hlm co-auLhor Moblnomlcs, Lhe sLory of MxlL, Lhe
blggesL soclal neLwork Lo come from Afrlca.

lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [alanknoLLcralg



!%25*'$'=9 "*0 +5%
>%3*?%*+3'* '( .012"+3'* 3*
:(;32"
CALLS1CuS !uMA
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Cne of Lhe mosL hlghly LouLed developmenLs of Lhe lasL flve years was Lhe rlse of Lhe Masslvely Cpen
Cnllne ConLenL (MCCCs).

1hls ublqulLous source of educaLlonal maLerlal promlsed Lo revoluLlonlze educaLlon, mosLly ln
lndusLrlallzed counLrles.

6/44+="') F7"% F%'+%" 0&%1"%1

1he lure of open educaLlonal conLenL was lrreslsLlble. Americas leadlng hlgher educaLlon lnsLlLuLlons,
led by SLanford unlverslLy, Look Lhe plunge. Sendlng a new revoluLlonary Lrends emerge, Parvard
unlverslLy and Ml1 creaLed edx, a [olnL efforL Lo provlde onllne courses. 1he edx consorLlum now
lncludes 30 leadlng unlverslLles from around Lhe world.

Long before Lhese glanLs sLormed Lhe sclence, enLrepreneurlal efforLs such as Lhe Ml1-led
CpenCourseWare (CCW) movemenL had seL Lhe sLage for Lhe comlng dlsrupLlon of Lhe educaLlonal
sysLem. lnsLlLuLlons around Lhe world grappled wlLh how Lo adapL Lo Lhe age of abundance, drlven ln
parL by Lhe open source rebelllon.

1hese efforLs Lended Lo focus largely on revoluLlonlzlng educaLlon lndusLrlallzed counLrles. More
recenLly, Lhe MCCC promlse has come under scruLlny as early evldence of lLs lmpacL sLarLed Lo emerge.
1he raLe of compleLlon of MCCC-based courses was surprlslng low and Lhelr pedagoglc conLrlbuLlons
became uncerLaln.

1he evaluaLlons, however, have falled Lo dlsLlngulsh beLween Lhe dynamlcs of early euphorlc adopLers
and long-Lrends ln Lechnologlcal lnnovaLlon. 1here ls a posslblllLy LhaL Lhe MCCC revoluLlon wlll follow
Lhe paLLern of moblle phone adopLlon, favorlng poor counLrles wlLh ouLdaLed educaLlonal lnfrasLrucLure
and Lechnology.

Larller efforLs by lnsLlLuLlons such as Lhe Cne LapLop per Chlld (CLC) (on whose foundlng board l
served) offer clues of Lhe poLenLlal of MCCC for developlng counLrles. CLC, unllke LradlLlonal MCCC,
focused on deslgnlng hardware LhaL reflecLed Lhe dynamlcs of learnlng.




Jocotloo ls tbe most powetfol weopoo yoo coo ose to cbooqe tbe wotlJ.
"" Nelsoo MooJelo
School Chlldren ln 8wanda who are parL of Lhe Cne LapLop er Chlld ro[ecL
- lmage CredlL: CLC
lor CLC, Lhe avallablllLy of MCCC was noL Lhe drlvlng force. Learnlng was Lhe lmpeLus of Lhe deslgn
of a new lapLop LhaL faclllLaLed lnLeracLlve learnlng. 1he MCCC revoluLlon ln emerglng naLlons wlll
be less abouL access and more abouL learnlng. 1hls brlngs us Lo Lhe speclal characLerlsLlcs of moblle
communlcaLlon ln emerglng naLlons, especlally ln Afrlca.


6&2+'" G"=&'31+&%

1he rlse of moblle communlcaLlon has demonsLraLed Lhe poLenLlal for Lechnologlcal leapfrogglng.

Lconomlc pesslmlsLs could hardly see Lhe poLenLlal for Lhe conLlnenL Lo become a player ln new
Lechnologlcal revoluLlons. 1hey recommended LhaL Afrlca should lnsLead Lle Lhelr faLe Lo older
vlnLages of whaL was called appropriate technology ln Lhe 1970s.

1he phenomenal adopLlon of moblle phones and Lhe reducLlon ln use of landllnes changed
everyLhlng. Moblle phones defled all Lhe predlcLlons. 1he orlglnal assumpLlon LhaL new Lechnologles
were lnherenLly more expenslve, complex and lnaccesslble Lo Lhe poor was proven false.


, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
romoLers of Lhls sLaLlc vlew falled Lo appreclaLe Lhe loglc of exponenLlal growLh ln Lechnology,
dropplng of prlces and enLrepreneurlal capablllLles of local lnnovaLors. 1hey could have hardly
predlcaLed LhaL new global lndusLrles such as moblle money Lransfer and moblle banklng could grow ouL
of Afrlca.


H/=+%( 1$" D/)

1o undersLand Africas fuLure Lechnologlcal promlse we have Lo look ln Lhe pasL.

1he continents analog revoluLlon ln recorded muslc ls a classlc example. lL emerged ln Lhe laLe 1940s
when Lhe uS was embrolled ln conLroversles regardlng recorded muslc.

1he Amerlcan lederaLlon of Muslclans succeeded ln calllng for a recordlng ban ln 1942 and 1948. Afrlca,
on Lhe oLher hand, leapfrogged and adopLed recorded muslc and fosLered an analog revoluLlon LhaL
feaLured sLars such as Le Crand kalle, ur. nlco, lranco, 1abu Ley, Cum khalLhoum, Mlrlam Makeba and
lela kuLl.

1he men and women of Lhe Afrlcan analog revoluLlon were also leaders ln soclal commenLary and
enLrepreneurs ln Lhelr own rlghL. 1helr vocallsLs were also poeLs. lL was a perlod of remarkable
creaLlvlLy and genlus.

A>) B6)**.6) +3 7))B +>) 13*+ 35
+)C+/337* 03? 5361)* 924D 13.4+6')*
+3 *)++0) 536 2 *)+ 35 *+24;26;
+)C+/337* +>2+ 26) ?';)0D .*);
'66)*B)1+'@) 35 +>) 6)0)@241) 35 +>)'6
134+)4+ +3 ;'@)6*) 1.0+.6)*8

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Africas educaLlonal challenges are markedly dlfferenL from Lhose of Lhe lndusLrlallzed counLrles. Access
Lo educaLlonal conLenL ls parLlcularly acuLe because of Lhe hlgh cosL of LexLbooks and Lhe slow raLe aL
whlch Lhey geL updaLed.

1he pressure Lo keep Lhe cosL of LexLbooks low forces many counLrles Lo seLLle for a seL of sLandard
LexLbooks LhaL are wldely used lrrespecLlve of Lhe relevance of Lhelr conLenL Lo dlverse culLures.

ulglLal books have Lwo lmporLanL advanLages. llrsL, Lhey allow for updaLlng wlLhouL havlng Lo go
Lhrough cosLly reprlnLs assoclaLed wlLh hard coples. Second, dlglLal books allow for more regular
updaLlng, whlch ls essenLlal ln rapldly-changlng flelds such as Lhe sclences.

AdapLaLlon of LexLbooks Lo local condlLlons would make Lhelr conLenL more appeallng Lo sLudenLs..
Chlldren ln flshlng areas, for example, would noL have be bemused by Lhe relevance of caLLle Lo Lhelr
envlronmenLs.

1eachers would also feel more empowered and engaged when Lhey can see Lhemselves as producers of
educaLlonal conLenL. 1hey can sLarL wlLh adapLlng exlsLlng conLenL and graduaLe Lo belng auLhors on
new LexLbooks.

1hls could also help Lo conLrlbuLe Lo Lhe decenLrallzaLlon of approvals for LexLbooks and glve local
governmenLs more auLhorlLy Lo deLermlne educaLlonal conLenL.

!$" @313."

Afrlca can do for moblle educaLlon whaL lL dld for moblle communlcaLlon. Who would have LhoughL a
decade ago LhaL kenya would be Lhe mldwlfe of moblle money Lransfer uslng a Lechnology lL dld noL
lnvenL?

lL Look a small number of dedlcaLed people ln governmenL and Lhe prlvaLe secLor Lo Lurn a puLaLlve
alrLlme Lransfer acLlvlLy lnLo a bllllon-lndusLry. 1hls was an acL of creaLlve courage LhaL lnvolved a dlrecL
challenge noL only Lo Lhe Lelephone lndusLry buL also Lo Lhe banklng secLor.

1he same klnd of valor wlll need Lo be deployed ln educaLlon. When paper was lnLroduced Leachers
worrled conslderably abouL lLs lmpacL of Lhe place of educaLlon ln general and slaLes ln parLlcular. 1haL
was 200 years ago.

1oday slaLes are back buL Lhey are dlglLal.

The courage needed to transform Africas education systems will need to come from top leadership.
Afrlcan presldenL and Lhelr advlsors need Lo have Lhe vlslon Lo see Lhe promlse of zero margln
educaLlon. 1hey musL also be able Lo overrlde Lhe Lendency of Lhelr mlnlsLrles of educaLlon Lo sLlck wlLh
Lhe pasL.

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Several lmporLanL measures wlll need Lo be puL ln place for Afrlca Lo beneflL from Lhe moblle educaLlon
revoluLlon.

llrsL, lL wlll need champlons who can help rally publlc supporL behlnd baslc requlremenLs such as dlglLal
books.

Second, Afrlcan presldenLs wlll need Lo lnvesL pollLlcal caplLal ln moblle educaLlon. 1hls wlll Lake focused
efforLs by heads of sLaLe and governmenL Lo promoLe moblle educaLlon. 1hey have Lo champlon lL and
brlng Lhe full mlghL of Lhe sLaLe of educaLlonal LransformaLlon. Measures such as naLlonal servlce for Lhe
menLally-able wlll be an lmporLanL parL of Lhe LransformaLlon of educaLlon ln emerglng naLlons.

1hlrd, Afrlca wlll need Lo lnLroduce a cerLaln measure of flexlblllLy ln lLs educaLlonal sysLems Lo allow for
more experlmenLaLlon ln currlculum developmenL and pedagogy. 1he LranslLlon from slaLes Lo
noLebook changed educaLlonal sysLems. Lmerglng educaLlonal Lechnologles wlll change educaLlon ln
even more fundamenLal ways. 1he beneflLs wlll accrue Lo Lhe Lry ouL new approaches raLher Lhan Lhose
who sLlck wlLh Lhe pasL.

llnally, Lhe rapld raLe aL whlch Lechnology ls changlng demands LhaL leaders geL Lhe besL avallable
advlce. 1hese advances are noL only ln Lhe Lechnologlcal space buL also ln Lhe flelds of braln sclence and
learnlng. 1hey challenge LradlLlonal vlews abouL how humans learn and offer new lnslghLs on how Lo
upgrade our learnlng capablllLles.

LlLLle wlll be galned unLll leaders Lake charge of Lhe process of harnesslng Lhe power of moblle
educaLlon. lallure Lo do so wlll leave Afrlca aL a sLandsLlll. 1here ls no beLLer Llme for champlons of
moblle educaLlon ln Afrlca Lhan now.

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
CalesLous !uma ls an lnLernaLlonally recognlzed auLhorlLy on Lhe
role of sclence, Lechnology, englneerlng and lnnovaLlon ln
susLalnable developmenL.

Pe ls rofessor of Lhe racLlce of lnLernaLlonal uevelopmenL
and ulrecLor of Lhe Sclence, 1echnology, and CloballzaLlon
ro[ecL aL Parvard kennedy School.

Pe ls also Lhe laculLy Chalr for lnnovaLlon for Lconomlc
uevelopmenL LxecuLlve rogram and dlrecLs Lhe Schools
AgrlculLural lnnovaLlon ollcy ln Afrlca ro[ecL funded by Lhe 8lll
and Mellnda CaLes loundaLlon.

!uma has been elecLed Lo several sclenLlflc and englneerlng
academles lncludlng Lhe 8oyal SocleLy of London, Lhe uS
naLlonal Academy of Sclences, Lhe World Academy of Sclences
(1WAS), Lhe uk 8oyal Academy of Lnglneerlng and Lhe Afrlcan
Academy of Sclences.

Pe co-chalrs Lhe Afrlcan Unions Plgh-Level anel on Sclence,
1echnology and lnnovaLlon and ls on Lhe board of Lhe Aga khan
unlverslLy. Pls prevlous poslLlons lnclude: foundlng LxecuLlve
ulrecLor of Lhe Afrlcan CenLre for 1echnology SLudles ln nalrobl,
LxecuLlve SecreLary of Lhe un ConvenLlon on 8lologlcal
ulverslLy, Chancellor of Lhe unlverslLy of Cuyana, and [udglng
panel member of Lhe Cueen LllzabeLh rlze for Lnglneerlng.

!uma holds a uhll ln sclence and Lechnology pollcy sLudles
from Lhe unlverslLy of Sussex (uk) and has recelved numerous
lnLernaLlonal awards and honorary degrees for hls work on
susLalnable developmenL.

Pls laLesL book, 1be New notvest. Aqtlcoltotol looovotloo lo
Aftlco, was publlshed ln 2011 by Cxford unlverslLy ress. Pe ls
currenLly compleLlng Lwo books: How Lconomles Succeed:
Sclence, 1echnology, Lnglneerlng and Prosperity and
Innovation and lLs Lnemles: 8eslsLance Lo new 1echnologles.

lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [CalesLous



@13$0A B%8$'9 "*0 !5;3?% C
.7#;"2% +5% D"2E%; F3+53*
n1C8LkC WAkA8A
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Crowlng up ln Lhe 1980s ln SoweLo, SouLh Afrlca was an lnLeresLlng experlence. l have fond memorles
of LhaL perlod (mlnus Lhe unglamorous pollLlcal unresL of course).

As klds, we had a loL Lo keep us busy. As wlLh mosL nelghbourhoods ln SoweLo, ours was one where
everyone knew each oLher.

!$" :3+'<".4

We were a dlverse bunch of klds, buL lf l could roughly sloL us lnLo Lwo groups: Lhere were bullders and
Lhere were wreckers.

noLhlng ls ever LhaL slmple, buL Lhere were Lhose klds who were energlsed by bulldlng sLuff and havlng
fun around LhaL. SLuff LhaL Lhe bullders would bulld was noL necessarlly Langlble, llke organlslng a 8Mx
race, or puLLlng LogeLher a soccer Leam. 1here were also bullders who would acLually make sLuff.

l conslder myself a bullder ln LhaL perlod and l llLerally goL lnvolved ln brlcklaylng!

Wreckers on Lhe oLher hand were Lhe bullles, asplranL Lhugs, and generally mean-splrlLed klds who
loved noLhlng buL desLrucLlon, forLunaLely Lhere werent Loo many of Lhose.

We, generally speaklng, didnt have fancy Loys. So, mosL of whaL we played wlLh was generally hand
made. Cur creaLlons lncluded keLLls (sllngshoLs), klLes, go-carLs, and my favourlLe: wlre cars.

1he sklll level ln maklng all Lhese dlfferenL Loys varled conslderably. 1he maLerlal needed Lo make a
good looklng and reasonably sLurdy wlre car lncluded sLlff wlre (obLalned from your parenLs wardrobe),
sofL wlre (hard Lo geL, and usually obLalned Lhrough barLer wlLh your frlends), and wheels (made from
Lln cans, pollsh Llns, or plasLlc snuff conLalners). lf you had Lhe ablllLy Lo make a really good-looklng car,
you could Lrade wlLh your frlends and geL all klnds of cool sLuff (llke a karaLe book Lo lmprove your flylng
klck Lechnlque Mae 1obl Cerl).

So very early on, my frlends and l were ln Lhe hablL of bulldlng sLuff.


5evetol tepeoteJ vlslts to tbe moJ plt eooble tbe wosp to bollJ lts boose.
"" Cboooloo ltovetb
LlLLle glrl playlng wlLh a wlre car.
- lmage CredlL: WlldebeasL1 / lllckr CC by 2.0
1he paLLern was Lo flnd ouL whaL was cool, learn how Lo bulld lL, slL ln a quleL space bulldlng, and
Lhen show off your creaLlon Lo your frlends. ln reLurn for your efforLs, youd geL pralse, respecL, and
a posslble opporLunlLy Lo Lrade.

1hls ls Lhe culLure Id llke Lo Lalk abouL a llLLle more ln Lhls arLlcle.

1he nelghbourhood l grew up ln and my chlldhood frlends, was a mlcrocosm of someLhlng LhaL exlsLs
Loday: Lhe Lechnology ecosysLem ln SouLh Afrlca.

l see aspecLs of Lhe Lechnology ecosysLem LhaL map very neaLly Lo aLLrlbuLes of Lhe builders (read
hackers) Ive descrlbed above. 8uL before we Lalk abouL parallels beLween builders of Lhe 1980s
and Lhe Lechnology ecosysLem Loday, lets flrsL Lalk abouL how we goL here: whaL made us choose
bulldlng sofLware as a career and how dld we geL here?

I<3#/1+&%

1o clear up any poLenLlal confuslon, lets revlslL Lhe Lerm hacker. aul Craham (2004) wroLe ln hls
essay 1he Word Hacker:



, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139

To tbe popolot ptess, hacker meoos someooe wbo bteoks loto compotets. Amooq
ptoqtommets lt meoos o qooJ ptoqtommet someooe wbo coo moke o compotet Jo wbot be
woots wbetbet tbe compotet woots to ot oot.

1herefore, when l Lalk abouL hackers, Im referrlng Lo Lhe programmers deflnlLlon of Lhe word.

Many professlonal programmers Loday learned how Lo program when Lhey were klds. ln addlLlon Lo
bulldlng go-carLs and wlre cars, Lhey may have been hacklng on Commodore 64s, codlng sprlLes LhaL
almosL resembled games. A programmer who was lucky enough Lo have coded growlng up was usually
very clear on Lhelr career cholces.

CLher programmers may have sLumbled lnLo Lhe crafL (maybe aL LerLlary level). lor programmers who
wroLe Lhelr flrsL llne of code aL LerLlary level (and loved lL), its llkely LhaL Lhey were Lhe bullders l was
Lalklng abouL earller on. 8egardless of how one goL sLarLed wlLh programmlng, for Lhose who loved lL, lL
was a new found way Lo express one's creaLlvlLy and lngenulLy.


,* 2 >217)6= ?>2+ D3. ?24+ +3 ;3 '*
be in a situation where you find flow;
/D +>'*= : 9)24 D3. ?24+ +3 /) ?367'4(
'4 2 (633@) +>2+ 5'+* D3.6 B)6*3420'+D
24; *+6)4(+>*8

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
lor Lhose sLudylng compuLlng aL LerLlary, lL would be posslble Lo choose a Lrack LhaL besL sulLed your
lnLeresLs, you could speclallse ln Lracks such as buslness lnformaLlon sysLems, sclenLlflc compuLlng,
compuLer englneerlng, geographlc lnformaLlon sysLems, and many more. 8y chooslng Lhe rlghL Lrack,
you would be seLLlng yourself up for a career bulldlng sLuff you llked.

So afLer a good number of years sLudylng compuLlng, one heads lnLo Lhe markeLplace Lo flnd a [ob. 1he
Lyplcal crlLerla ln evaluaLlng career prospecLs are roughly as follows:

1. CeL Lhe hlghesL posslble sLarLlng salary.
2. WhaL can l expecL Lo be earnlng ln 1 years Llme?
3. Work ln a flnanclal hub (salarles are hlgher Lhere).

Id llke Lo pause and pose a quesLlon aL Lhls polnL: ls Lhe lnner hacker beglnnlng Lo malfuncLlon? As a
Lrue hacker, Im preLLy sure youd expecL Lhe crlLerla Lo be as follows:

1. WhaL klnd of sofLware does Lhe company bulld?
2. Wlll l be lnvolved ln serlous developmenL?
3. Who wlll l be worklng wlLh?
4. ls Lhls a hacker frlendly envlronmenL?

1hls ls whaL a real programmer would be asklng, rlghL?

l Lhlnk Lhe lnlLlal crlLerla are lnfluenced by a number of facLors LhaL are endemlc Lo SouLh Afrlca (and
llkely oLher parLs of Lhe developlng world).
Classes ln Lhe SouLh Afrlcan populaLlon
- lmage CredlL: vlsagle 2013
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
1he problem we have ln SouLh Afrlca ls LhaL way Loo many people llve ln poverLy.

1he resulL of Lhls ls LhaL many people look Lo Lake care of Lhelr baslc needs aL Lhe earllesL posslble
opporLunlLy. lrom Lhe flgure above, one can see LhaL as recenLly as 2008, less Lhan 23 of our
populaLlon was ln Lhe mlddle class or above. 1he class deflnlLlons ln Lhe flgure are lndlcaLlve of per
caplLa monLhly household lncome levels. A Lerse look aL Lhese numbers shows LhaL Lhe vasL ma[orlLy of
SouLh Afrlcans are sLlll grappllng wlLh baslc needs. l havent looked aL slmllar sLaLlsLlcs for compuLlng
sLudenLs, buL Id expecL one Lo flnd a slmllar Lrend. ln llghL of Lhese numbers, Lhe second seL of hacker
crlLerla l llsLed above begln Lo look more llke needs on a self actualisation level, Lhe need Lo be parL of
someLhlng blg, where you can make a denL on Lhe world.

WlLh Lhese klnds of dynamlcs aL play, whaL klnd of a career do compuLlng professlonals lead?

0/."".

Lets sLarL wlLh Lhe hacker who lands a [ob by applylng Lhe flrsL seL of crlLerla. lor Lhls programmer, Lhe
ldeal scenarlo ls Lo geL a [ob where theres no bursary payback and Lhe maxlmum amounL of money can
be made. 1hls programmer ls llkely Lo have a loL of personal responslblllLy upfronL and a loL of money
wlll come ln handy. 1he company she works for wlll mosL llkely be of Lhe corporaLe or large consulLlng
varleLy, where brlghL young mlnds are usually snapped up. Shell [oln Lhe flrm and rellsh every momenL
she geLs Lo apply Lhe knowledge LhaL she obLalned durlng her sLudles. As she galns more experlence,
shell begln Lo undersLand corporaLe culLure and how Lo move up Lhe ladder (maklng more money ln
Lhe process). Cur young hacker navlgaLes Lhls complex world and reslsLs Lhe urge Lo Lake shorL cuLs and
become a wrecker. AL some polnL, shell reallse LhaL she hasnt wrlLLen one llne of code for monLhs and
wlll be proud of Lhls. 1o be clear, Lhls ls Lhe hacker who used Lo bulld sofLware from scraLch and gold
plaLe lL wlLh exLra feaLures Lo geL Lhe bonus polnLs. 1hls ls noL Lhe sLudenL who used Lo say sLuff llke: I
love compuLer sclence, its [usL Lhe programmlng parL l cant sLand.

So whaL happened here? My observaLlon ls LhaL our young hacker followed Lhe money lnsLead of her
passlon and ln Lhe process losL a loL of LhaL hacker splrlL. 1hls ouLcome of course was lnfluenced by her
slLuaLlon ln Lhe flrsL place.

now we Lurn our aLLenLlon Lo Lhe second hacker who applles Lhe second seL of self-acLuallslng crlLerla
Lo look for a [ob. Money ls noL a ma[or lnfluenclng facLor ln landlng a [ob. Cur young hacker comes from
an upper mlddle class background, hls maln concern ls Lhe sofLware LhaL hes bulldlng and how hell be
able Lo make someLhlng LhaL people need and really wanL Lo use. Hes llkely worklng for a local sofLware
vendor or a sLarL-up. Cur young hacker beneflLs a greaL deal from Lhe acceleraLed learnlng experlence
afforded Lo hlm by Lhe smaller, more lnLlmaLe worklng envlronmenL. uurlng Lhe normal course of hls
work, he may make conLrlbuLlons Lo some relaLed open source pro[ecLs. As Llme progresses, hls geek
cred grows by leaps and bounds, Lhls work ls fuelllng hls passlon ln a blg way. Hes noL drlvlng Lhe sllck
and luxurlous Cerman sedan, buL who cares hes bulldlng klller producLs. Pavlng worked closely wlLh
Lhe leaders of hls company for a couple of years, he ldenLlfles a problem LhaL he [usL has Lo solve. WlLh
Lhe knowledge of how a flrm works (end Lo end), he goes ouL and launches hls own sLarL-up. Hes golng
Lo make hls mark ln Lhls world!

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
As a real hacker, youd probably wanL Lo be ln Lhe laLLer scenarlo, buL Lhere are a few reallLles one musL
face. Are Lhere enough sofLware vendors and funded sLarL-ups ln SouLh Afrlca Lo make Lhls posslble? uo
you have enough leeway Lo Lake a gap year of sorLs Lo sLarL a sLarL-up of your own?

@+%< @'&C

As a hacker, whaL you wanL Lo do ls be ln a slLuaLlon where you find flow, by Lhls, l mean you wanL Lo
be worklng ln a groove LhaL flLs your personallLy and sLrengLhs. l Lhlnk Lhls ls posslble, regardless of Lhe
scenarlo you flnd yourself ln. lf you know youre a hacker, youve goL Lo keep hacklng.

uavld 8yLLow puL lL plalnly: A8C Always 8e Codlng.

Avold aL all cosLs any Lrapplngs relaLed Lo money, sLaLus, power, and clalmed shorLcuLs.

SLay close Lo your rooLs as a bullder.

Youll agree wlLh me LhaL ln Lhe Slllcon Cape, a loL of people have found Lhelr flow. Slllcon Cape
unforLunaLely cannoL be Laken Lo represenL a Lrend ln SouLh Afrlca, because we effecLlvely have boLh a
flrsL world and Lhlrd world economy . 1he vasL ma[orlLy of our people grapple wlLh baslc needs, so lf you
have Lhe rare opporLunlLy of acqulrlng a soughL afLer sklll, why are you golng Lo muck around earnlng
less Lhan you could be? 1he answer Lo Lhls ls because you saw someone else from your communlLy do
lL, and Lhey are Lhrlvlng ln all senses of Lhe word! We need more role models Lo come ouL and share
(wlLh some Langlble deLall) on how Lhey dld lL. Its sLarLlng Lo happen. A good example ls Lhe free evenLs
hosLed by !ozlPub where creaLors/bullders/hackers meeL Lo share ldeas and experlences. A number of
companles supporL Lhese evenLs wlLh Lhelr producLs, encouraglng people Lo bulld sLuff. WhaL ls needed
ls more parLlclpaLlon from hackers who have found Lhelr flow.

Mark Lsslen (2013) wroLe abouL Lhe lack of sharlng he observes ln Lhe Lagos Lech scene, probably due
Lo fear of compeLlLlon. A sLronger Lech scene ls good for everyone, so we need Lo sLarL sharlng. A
sLronger Lech scene wlll resulL ln more [obs, easler enLry for Lhe nexL guy, and lL wlll puL Afrlca on Lhe
Lechnology map lL wlll be good for all of us.

ln concluslon, whaL Im saylng ls, regardless of your career paLh, as a hacker, you need Lo keep hacklng.
?ou need Lo follow your passlon. lf youre noL dolng enough ln your day [ob, Lhere are many problems
LhaL can be solved wlLh Lhe odd slde pro[ecL. WlLh Lhe rlghL level of neLworklng, sharlng, and efforL,
Lhese slde pro[ecLs can grow lnLo someLhlng profound, addlng Lo Lhe upllfLlng of our socleLy ln general.
A loL more needs Lo be done Lo rope ln hackers from dlsadvanLaged backgrounds. lf Lhls can be done,
we all wlll beneflL from a surge ln lnnovaLlon.

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
nLobeko Wakaba ls Lhe lounder and Packer aL !alla
1echnologles, a SouLh Afrlcan lC1 company.

Pe has exLenslve experlence ln sofLware developmenL and
archlLecLure, ranglng from consumer faclng web appllcaLlons Lo
large scale, mlsslon crlLlcal enLerprlse sysLems.

Pe has worked ln varlous lndusLrles lncludlng Lhe ubllc SecLor,
PealLh lnsurance, 1ransporL, and lnvesLmenL 8anklng.

nLobeko graduaLed from Lhe unlverslLy of reLorla wlLh a
MasLers degree ln lnformaLlon 1echnology.

lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [nLobeko



!%25 -+";+18 .2',9,+%7 "*0
<*?%,+7%*+ G"*0,2"8%
)'78";3,'* C F%,+ "*0 .",+
:(;32"
MLCPAn SLMAnClk
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Ive been ln nalrobl, kenya for Lhe lasL 3 monLhs of 2013 learnlng abouL Lhe LasL Afrlcan sLarLup and
lnvesLmenL landscape. lL was lnLeresLlng Lo compare Lhe 1ech SLarLup LcosysLem ln kenya Lo LhaL of of
Lagos, nlgerla where l had llved for nearly 14 monLhs prlor Lo arrlvlng ln kenya.

Llke chalk and cheese, Lhe 1ech SLarLup LcosysLems and lnvesLmenL Landscapes of Lhe Lwo counLrles are
very dlfferenL.

J&#/' =4 0&%1+%"%1/'

1he enLrepreneurs l meL and spenL Llme wlLh ln Lagos seemed Lo be solely - undersLandably so - focused
on Lhelr home markeL of nlgerla. ConLrasL Lhls wlLh Lhe many enLrepreneurs l encounLered ln nalrobl
who were ralslng seed and Serles A rounds Lo launch Lhelr producL or servlce ln nlgerla as well, and ln
many cases seemed Lo be nearly as focused on nlgerla as on Lhe LasL Afrlcan reglon ln whlch Lhey are
physlcally locaLed.

Also, wlLh regards Lo nalrobl 1echnology Pubs and AcceleraLors, l found LhaL alLhough Lhey are based ln
kenya, Lhey promoLe and leverage Lhelr nlgerlan LnLrepreneurs, SLarLups and acLlvlLles Lo pro[ecL an
lmage of nlgerla focus/experLlse even lf Lhelr connecLlons Lo nlgerla are ln reallLy, qulLe llmlLed, such
as havlng one sLarLup wlLh one foundlng member belng nlgerlan.

l dld noL geL Lhe lmpresslon LhaL Lhere are many LasL Afrlcan enLrepreneurs worklng ouL of hubs ln
nlgerla llke Co-CreaLlon Pub (alLhough Lhlngs may have changed slnce l was lasL Lhere ln May 2013), buL
even lf Lhere were, l would lmaglne LhaL Lhey probably wouldnt recelve exLra promoLlonal supporL, or
addlLlonal aLLenLlon due Lo Lhelr LasL Afrlcan rooLs.

LnLrepreneurs and buslnesses ln LasL Afrlca (as well as across Lhe globe) are fasclnaLed Lo an
unparalleled degree by Lhe economy, peoples, poLenLlal and mysLlque of nlgerla. 1hls pasL sprlng, l
asked some enLrepreneurs aL Cc-Pub lf theyd heard of and/or were conslderlng applylng Lo any of Lhe
acceleraLors ln nalrobl none sald yes. My lmpresslon ls LhaL nlgerlan 1echnology LnLrepreneurs dont
share a reclprocal level of fasclnaLlon wlLh LasL Afrlca ln general.



lt tokes o vllloqe to tolse o cbllJ.
"" Aftlcoo ltovetb
8osun 1l[anl, co-founder of Co-CreaLlon Pub ln Lagos, Lalks abouL Lhelr work aL Cpen up!
- lmage CredlL: ullu uk/ lllckr CC by 2.0
AlLhough Ive ofLen heard WesLerners sLaLe LhaL nalrobl ls a more llvable clLy Lhan Lagosreal
esLaLe ls more affordable, power general more conslsLenL, Wl-ll ls more rellable and affordable,
eLc. Lhe lnvesLmenL cllmaLe for Seed and Serles A non-lmpacL lnvesLors ls undenlably larger ln
Lagos.

?&#+/' A97/#1 &. H.&-+1E

Theres a huge soclal lmpacL scene ln kenya. lor lnsLance, Lhe CrowLh Pub ls an lmpacL lncubaLor
and acceleraLor LhaL supporLs early sLage soclal enLerprlse enLrepreneurs and sLarLups speclflcally.
1here are numerous lmpacL lnvesLmenL groups such as Cne Acre lund and Acumen, and Lhe large
unlLed naLlons Lmployee and Alumnl neLwork, and decades-old legacy, ln nalrobl, perhaps plays a
role ln promoLlng soclal lmpacL agendas.

ln nlgerla Lhere are soclal enLerprlse sLarLups such as Wecyclers, buL Lhe lmpacL scene ls much
smaller Lhan kenya, and Lhe Clobal uevelopmenL and Ald lndusLry plays a less promlnenL role ln
Lagos Lhan ln nalrobl.


, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139

Many lnnovaLlve sLarLups comlng ouL of Cc-Pub recelve small seed granLs from 1ony Llumulu
loundaLlon, buL lL doesnt seem llke many, lf any, of Lhese granLs expllclLly have soclal-lmpacL-sLrlngs
aLLached.

WheLher its culLural and/or due Lo a hlsLorlcal lack of Amerlcan, Luropean, eLc. lmpacL-orlenLed caplLal
provlders or Ald CrganlzaLlons ln nlgerla, a greaLer proporLlon of nlgerlan enLrepreneurs Ive meL are
purely focused on bulldlng proflLable buslnesses raLher Lhan ralslng money conLlngenL upon soclal
lmpacL benchmarks. ersonally l feel LhaL Lhe successful lmplemenLaLlon of elLher buslness model
ulLlmaLely generaLes poslLlve soclal reLurns, and l by no means lnLend Lo pass [udgmenL upon, or raLe
elLher agalnsL, one anoLher.

Spendlng Lhe lasL 18 monLhs ln nlgerla and kenya (and a llLLle Llme here and Lhere ln SouLh Afrlca) has
been an lncredlble experlence one for whlch l feel blessed Lo have had, and look forward Lo
conLlnulng. Ill be spendlng mosL of C1 2014 ln nlgerla, and look forward Lo caLchlng back up wlLh Lhe
1echnology scene and my LnLrepreneur frlends ln Lagos.

E'7) 1>207 24; 1>))*)= +>) A)1>
F+26+.B G13*D*+)9* 24; :4@)*+9)4+
E24;*12B)* 35 +>) +?3 13.4+6')* 26)
@)6D ;'55)6)4+8

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Meghan Semanclkls an lnvesLmenL analysL aL 8lo arLners, a
uubal-based lnvesLmenL flrm focused on seed, early and growLh
sLage lnvesLmenL opporLunlLles ln Lhe moblle, e-commerce and
medla spaces.

rlor Lo [olnlng 8lo arLners, Meghan worked for SplnleL ln San
lranclsco, Callfornla and Lagos, nlgerla.

Per career began ln Lagos, nlgerla worklng for 8ockeL Internets
e-commerce venLure SabunLa (now !umla) focuslng on
roducL ManagemenL and Cnllne MarkeLlng.

Meghan recelved a 8.S. degree ln neurosclence from uuke
unlverslLy.

lollow her on 1wlLLer: [MegSemanclk



!%25*'$'=9 .2',9,+%7 3*
-'1+5 :(;32"
1LlC MCPAl
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
l would lmaglne LhaL Lhe lnformaLlon 1echnology LcosysLem ln SouLh Afrlca ls noL much dlfferenL ln
oLher parLs of Lhe conLlnenL (Afrlca) as such, Lo presenL a unlquely SouLh Afrlcan l1 LcosysLem l shall
look aL Lhe sub[ecL of black represenLaLlon ln Lhe l1 LcosysLem ln SouLh Afrlca.

Whos D$&

1he l1 ecosysLem ln SouLh Afrlca ls spllL lnLo dlfferenL parLs whlch can be sLrucLured and summarlzed as
follows:

Medlum Lo Large MulLlnaLlonal l1 companles (mosLly Luropean, Aslan and norLh Amerlcan)
based ln SouLh Afrlca.

SouLh Afrlcan and non-SouLh Afrlcan l1 producLs dlsLrlbuLors. 1hey are Lyplcally llcensed by
Lhe mulLlnaLlonals and oLher local Lechnology manufacLurers or sofLware developmenL
companles Lo distribute Lhelr producLs Lo SouLh Afrlcan resellers and ln some cases Lo large
corporaLe and governmenL cusLomers.

Large SouLh Afrlcan (publlcly llsLed and prlvaLe) l1 SysLems lnLegraLlon companles who are
mosL Llmes Lhe chosen Premier parLners / value Added 8esellers (vA8s) of Lhe MulLlnaLlonals
menLloned above, e.g. ulmenslon uaLa, 8uslness Connexlon, uaLacenLrlx eLc.

Small Lo Medlum l1 SoluLlons / vA8 / 8esellers who mosLly buy and resell MulLlnaLlonal l1
companles producLs and add Lhelr servlces Lo offer Lhelr cusLomers more value and a unlque
selllng proposlLlon.

1echnology and lnLerneL lnnovaLors and SLarLups, companles LhaL develop Lhelr own
Lechnology and Lhen sell lL. 1hls excludes new companles / sLarLups LhaL resell mulLlnaLlonal
Lechnology as Lhese can be classed as 8esellers or vA8s.

non roflL CrganlsaLlons lnvolved ln Lechnology lnnovaLlon and Lralnlng. 1hese lnvolve
Lechnology hubs, some governmenL sponsored Lechnology lnnovaLlon cenLers and oLher
organlsaLlons lnvolved ln Lechnology Lralnlng and asslsLlng Lechnology sLarLups.




wbeo yoo sboot o zebto lo tbe block sttlpe, tbe wblte Jles too.
"" uokoowo
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
CovernmenL ueparLmenLs and arasLaLals lnvolved dlrecLly ln Lhe developmenL of pollcles for
Lhe l1 secLor and ln some cases ln Lhe provlslon of l1 servlces.

now, looklng aL Lhe ecosysLem as descrlbed above l wlll aLLempL Lo answer Lhe quesLlon of black
representation ln Lhe secLor. 1hls ls lmporLanL conslderlng SouLh Africas AparLheld hlsLory as well as
conslderlng Lhe countrys demographlcs.

llrsL, we need Lo deflne whaL representation means and as such l have declded Lo look aL lL from Lhe
followlng polnLs of vlew:

Cwnershlp

1echnlcal skllls / rofesslonals / Lnglneers 8epresenLaLlon (Lhe guys who do Lhe work)

ManagemenL Level represenLaLlon, l.e. Chlef lnformaLlon Cfflcers, Chlef 1echnology Cfflcers,
l1 Managers, eLc.

FC%".4$+7

Medlum Lo Large MulLlnaLlonal Companles mosL are prlvaLe companles and ln Lhe absence of more
deLalled lnformaLlon l assume Lhe ma[orlLy are forelgn ma[orlLy owned. Also, agaln ln Lhe absence of
accuraLe daLa, anecdoLal evldence suggesLs LhaL Lhey are among Lhe largesL Technology Companies ln
Lhe counLry wlLh regards Lo revenue.

ulsLrlbuLors Lhls ls dlfflculL Lo measure as you geL some small Lechnology producLs dlsLrlbuLors, below
Lhe radar, and some large. So agaln, mosL belng prlvaLe, some are SouLh Afrlcan owned and some are
noL and you have some complylng wlLh general 8LL codes, l.e. aL mlnlmum 23+1 ownershlp by
Previously ulsadvanLaged Individuals (uls).

AlLhough Lhls mlghL be sald Lo address Lhe black ownershlp quesLlon, some of Lhe equlLy deals are noL
as sLralghLforward as Lhey are reporLed Lo be. CfL Llmes Lhls ownershlp ls paper based or vesL over
Llme, l.e. some of Lhe ownershlp ls noL reallzed unLll such Llme Lhe BEE partners dlvldend payouLs,
proflL generaLed, sales generaLed have paid for hls / her share ownershlp equlvalenL by a cerLaln
deadllne.

Such agreemenLs are prlvaLe and models can dlffer and Lhere are excepLlons where Lhe 8LL parLner has
pald for (ln full or parL) ln cash. So on paper, ln order Lo geL a good 8LL scorecard, Lhe ownershlp of
mosL dlsLrlbuLors ls aL 23.1 8lack ownershlp.

Medlum Lo Large SysLem lnLegraLlon Companles very slmllar slLuaLlon ln ownershlp as dlsLrlbuLors
above as far as black ownershlp ls concerned. 1here are excepLlons ln cases where some have been
ma[orlLy black owned from lncepLlon. Cr ln some cases have been black owned Lhrough acqulslLlon.



, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Small & Medlum l1 8esellers and vA8s Lhese are Lyplcally founder owned and managed and range ln
slze from Lhe mlcro (1 person) Lo medlum slzed. 8lack represenLaLlon? ulfflculL Lo measure buL one
would lmaglne dlsLrlbuLors and Lhe vendors (mulLlnaLlonals) have a good ldea of ownershlp of Lhls
sector of Lhe l1 ecosysLem ln SouLh Afrlca as mosL are parLners / resellers of Lhelr producLs and are
reglsLered wlLh Lhem. Also, theres a loL of churn aL Lhe lower end (mlcro). A Lyplcal scenarlo ls a
professlonal reslgns and re-conLracLs Lo prevlous cllenLs buL ln a few years company closes shop, geLs
acqulred eLc.

Also, some are born as a resulL of a slngle opporLunlLy ldenLlfled based on personal relaLlonshlps. AL Lhe
lower end you geL a loL of black owned companles, buL Lhey dont Lurn over a slgnlflcanL amounL of
money, Lyplcally ln Lhe 1sL Lhree years [usL enough Lo Lake care of Lhe owners needs, Lend Lo
subconLracL mosL lf noL all work.

1echnology and lnLerneL lnnovaLors and SLarLups - Clven LhaL Lhere ls always new lnLerneL and
1echnology sLarLups, lL ls dlfflculL Lo measure parLlclpaLlon based on Lhe menLloned demographlcs. So,
based on purely anecdoLal evldence of sLarLups who are geLLlng aLLenLlon boLh ln Lhe ecosysLem and
Lhe medla, lL ls lnLeresLlng Lo noLe mosL sLarLup acLlvlLy (based on Lhls crlLerla) geographlcally appears
and can be percelved Lo be concenLraLed ln Lhe WesLern Cape, wlLh a good number lnvolved wlLh Lhe
Slllcon Cape lnlLlaLlve.

A%-&.9/1+&% !"#$%&'&() H.&-"44+&%/'4 +% ?&31$ ,-.+#/

Theres a greaL represenLaLlon of black people as far as l1 professlonals go. l dont have Lhe exacL or
esLlmaLe numbers and aL Llme of wrlLlng.

1he besL of Lhese black l1 professlonals dont only work for l1 companles (e.g. MulLlnaLlonals, SysLem
lnLegraLors) buL are also scooped up by large corporaLes, governmenL and parasLaLals and Lhey end up
ln Lhelr l1 deparLmenLs.

1yplcally, aparL from Lhelr skllls and experlence, glven SouLh Africas LmploymenL LqulLy guldellnes and
8LL guldellnes, Lhey come wlLh Lhe added bonus of lmprovlng a companys 8LL Scorecard. 1hls ls
someLlmes sad, buL Lrue.

Theres also an lnLeresLlng Lrend LhaL ls cycllcal - albelL based on anecdoLal evldence - currenLly Lhe
skllls mosL black l1 professlonals are Lralnlng ln or geLLlng cerLlfled ln business analysis relaLed,
process analysis, data analysls / 8uslness Intelligence, Business rocess 8e-engineering, IT ro[ecL
Management and slmllar.

1he reasons why Lhls ls so could vary, lL could be because of demand buL theres also a blL of chasing
Lhe money whlch Lo a cerLaln exLenL explalns why Lhere arent so many prominent black owned
Lechnology sLarLups slnce Lhe bulk of Lhose who could be lnnovaLlng are chasing Lhe money. noLhlng
wrong wlLh Lhls, [usL an observaLlon.





, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
l menLlon chasing Lhe money because before Lhe currenL Lrend of Lhe above menLloned skllls, Lhere
was a greaL dea, of black professlonals chaslng Lhe MCSL, Clsco neLworklng, SA ConsulLanL, baslcally
brand / producL speclflc lC1 cerLlflcaLlons because thats where lL was percelved Lhe money was.
LLASL nC1L: Lhls ls anecdoLal, alLhough l belleve lL ls relaLlvely accuraLe.

So, as far as black professlonals ln l1 go, Lhey are Lhere, ma[orlLy are worklng ln corporaLe and publlc
secLor SouLh Afrlca.

6/%/("9"%1

l separaLed representation of black skllls ln management from Lhe Lechnlcal skllls porLlon because Lo
geL lnLo l1 ManagemenL you need Lo have had l1 work experlence and Lhe slLuaLlon ls dlfferenL here.
Agaln, Lhere ls relaLlvely good black represenLaLlon alLhough ln Lhls area you geL a loL of pale males
once agaln because Lo be C1C, ClC l1 Manager you need experlence.

WhaL you also flnd wlLh Lhe 8lack l1 Managers ls a relaLlvely hlgh employee Lurnover raLe whereby
because Lhe pool of Lhese managers ls relaLlvely small, Lhey Lend Lo be changlng [obs regularly as Lhey
seek beLLer opporLunlLles.

0$/''"%("4

1he blggesL challenge ln my vlew (oplnlon) ls pollLlcs.

ollLlcs ln Lhe sense LhaL desplLe BEEs besL lnLenLlons, lL ls lndlrecLly hamperlng Lechnology lnnovaLlon
and enLrepreneurshlp amongsL black l1 professlonals as glven Lhe cholce beLween a good secure
salary and challenglng Lhemselves Lo use Lhelr skllls Lo solve problems or be enLerprlslng, Lhey go wlLh
Lhe [ob.

Also, 8LL hampers lnnovaLlon lndlrecLly amongsL Lhe resellers eLc. ln a sense LhaL mosL of Lhese
companles adopL a checkbox BEE menLallLy whereby Lhey ensure LhaL Lhey check all Lhe correcL 8LL
boxes on quesLlonnalres and ensure LhaL should a blg corporaLe or governmenL lnsLlLuLlon requlre Lo
procure cerLaln producLs / servlces Lhey sLand a beLLer chance aL geLLlng LhaL Lender / conLracL. So
lnsLead of focuslng on solving problems uslng Lechnology and lnnovaLlng, Lhe focus ls now on how
do we wln Lhe Lender / contract.

noLhlng new ls creaLed because from a pollLlcal pollcy polnL of vlew Lhere ls no lncenLlve Lo lnnovaLe or
be enLerprlslng.


8uslness Conexlon is one of SAs largest ICT companies | BCX CEO Benjamin MophaLlane
(CenLre) & CCC MaLLhew 8leweLL (8lghL) wlLh Chrls Cardner (LefL).
- lmage CredlL: 8Cx 8log
1he oLher challenge especlally for black l1 professlonals and whlLe l1 professlonals ls a raclal
percepLlon one. 8lack professlonals belleve Lhelr progress ls sLlfled by racist whlLe l1 managers
whllsL whlLe l1 professlonals have a percepLlon LhaL black l1 professlonals ln SouLh Afrlca are of a
poor quallLy and sub-sLandard. nelLher deals wlLh Lhls percepLlon challenge head-on, boLh groups
huddle (anecdoLal) ln Lhelr own corners and conLlnue Lo fuel Lhese percepLlons.

H&1"%1+/' ?&'31+&%4

rovlde lncenLlves for Lechnology enLrepreneurshlp and lnnovaLlon, Lhls has Lo come from
governmenL. lorgeL 8LL scorecards focused on ownershlp eLc. buL lnclude lncenLlves for lnnovaLlon
and new Lechnology sLarLups.

CovernmenL belng Lhe largesL l1 buyer of hardware and sofLware ln SouLh Afrlca lL musL be open Lo
Lhen buy MADE ln SCu1P AFRICA l1 producLs. noL only provlde lncenLlves, buL lead by example
and buy Lhe producLs as long as Lhey are good and can compeLe wlLh Lhe besL ln Lhe world.

Cnce Lhe focus ls shlfLed from ownershlp scorecards perhaps Lhen many black sLarLups wlll sLarL Lo
shlfL Lhelr focus from chasing Lenders and contracts Lo developlng producLs LhaL solve problems
and Lhen selllng Lhose producLs.

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
As far as Lhe challenges around professlonals go and whaL needs Lo be done, no one can dlcLaLe whaL a
prlvaLe company musL do beyond Lhe guldellnes LhaL are already avallable around afflrmaLlve acLlon
and 888LL. 1hls Lhen bolls down Lo each lndlvldual havlng an open and re-conclllaLory mlnd and wllllng
Lo accommodaLe Lhe oLher whllsL noL loslng focus of buslness goals.

Larly Lralnlng of youLh ln Sclence, MaLhs and rogrammlng slmllar Lo whaL non roflL CrganlsaLlons such
as S1LM loundaLlon ls key. 1hls addresses Lhe skllls shorLage and ln Lurn addresses Lhe lssue of noL
enough ln-counLry Lechnology skllls avallable for employmenL ln Lhe long Lerm.

1be obove ls by oo meoos o Jefloltlve qolJe of tbe lofotmotloo 1ecbooloqy cosystem lo 5ootb
Aftlco bot totbet oo ottempt to pot oll tbe l1 tole ployets loto o sttoctote tbot tepteseots oo
ecosystem fot oll obsetvets ooJ tbose octlvely lovolveJ lo tbe ecosystem to ooJetstooJ.

As socb, commeots, cottectloos ooJ oJJltloos ote welcome ooJ eocootoqeJ os lt wlll be opJoteJ
petloJlcolly to teflect tbe cbooqloq ecosystem. Also, tbls ls llmlteJ to lofotmotloo 1ecbooloqy
ooJ excloJes tbe 1elecommoolcotloos pott.



H3@)649)4+ /)'4( +>) 026()*+ :A
/.D)6 35 >26;?26) 24; *35+?26) '4
F3.+> ,56'12 '+ 9.*+ /) 3B)4 +3 +>)4
buy MADE IN SOUTH AFRICA IT
B63;.1+*8

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
1efo Mohapl ls Lhe lounder and ulrecLor aL Mohapl & Co.
(formerly known as 1errus lnfoSys) a SouLh Afrlcan lC1
ConsulLlng company.

Pe currenLly consulLs for Lskom as a Senlor 8uslness Advlsor
(8uslness AnalysL) for Lhelr Croup l1 dlvlsllon.

Pe has over 10 years experlence ln Lhe SouLh Afrlcan lC1
lndusLry havlng worked ln varlous roles.

An M8A candldaLe wlLh PerrloLL WaLL Universitys Ldlnburgh
8uslness School. Pe also occasslonally blogs for 1he nexL Web
and conLrlbuLes Lo l1 Web Afrlca.

lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [1efoMohapl



H;%% "*0 I8%* -'1;2%
-'(+J";% -'1+5 :(;32"K,
/3,,%0 I88';+1*3+9L
MA8k CLA8kL
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Coogle, Amazon, lacebook and Apple, Lhese are Lhe glanLs of Lhe new economy era, Lhey are
amongsL Lhe mosL admlred and haLed (ln some quarLers) of coompanles. 1he ones every company
wlshes Lhey could be llke: lnnovaLlve, nlmble, SmarL and Successful.

I92./#+%( @."" K F7"% ?&3.#" ?&-1C/."

8eslde Lhese envlable characLerlsLlcs Lhere ls someLhlng else Lhey all share ln common, Lhey have
embraced free and open source sofLware and meLhodologles as a key componenL of Lhelr success.

AdmlLLedly one can debaLe Lhe degree of Lhelr commlLmenL Lo Lhe ldeals and splrlL of free and open
source sofLware versus Lhelr commlLmenL Lo maklng money, and loLs of lL, buL Lhere can be llLLle doubL
LhaL free and open source sofLware ls one of Lhe lngredlenLs LhaL makes Lhem successful.

Clven Lhe ublqulLy of Lhese household names and Lhe general admlraLlon for Lhelr producLs, servlces
and corporaLe culLures lLs a sLrange world where one flnds oneself havlng Lo convlnce corporaLes and
governmenL pollcy makers and bureaucraLs ln SouLh Afrlca of Lhe beneflLs of free and open source
sofLware and Lhe wlsdom of adopLlng open source meLhodologles and ways of worklng.

ln SouLh Afrlca, lL ls relaLlvely falr Lo say LhaL corporaLe and governmenL pollcy are sLlll enLrenched ln
old-ways of Lhlnklng, Lrapped ln a sLagnanL yeL sLlll flnanclally beneflclal ecosysLems and unwllllng Lo
move from Lhelr proprleLary enLerprlse sofLware and lnfrasLrucLure comforL zones.

1hls cognlLlve dlssonance, ldollslng Lhe successful lnLerneL slze companles of Lhe 21sL cenLury, whllsL aL
Lhe same Llme reslsLlng Lhe adopLlon of a key elemenL LhaL has made Lhem successful, ls dlfflculL Lo
faLhom. Mlsslon sLaLemenLs, sLraLeglc revlews and assessmenLs are all parL of Lhe dally llfe of corporaLe
SA. M8As and ClCs abound buL one can only assume LhaL groupLhlnk has an lron grlp and managemenL
ln SouLh Afrlca prefers Lo follow raLher Lhan lead.




" 1bete ote mooy exomples of compooles ooJ cooottles tbot bove lmptoveJ
tbelt competltlveoess ooJ efflcleocy by oJoptloq opeo sootce sttoteqles. 1be
cteotloo of skllls tbtooqb oll levels ls of fooJomeotol lmpottooce to botb
compooles ooJ cooottles. "
"" Motk 5bottlewottb
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
!"#$%&'&() I<3#/1+&%

Some companles, such as llrsL naLlonal 8ank, have sLarLed Lo adopL open source, are already sLeallng a
march on Lhelr compeLlLors and are developlng, or have developed, a repuLaLlon as belng lnnovaLlve
and smarL.

1he advenL of cloud compuLlng, anoLher example of how open source and free sofLware ls drlvlng Lhe
change ln Lhe world, and maklng money for companles smarL enough Lo embrace lL, ls lncreaslng Lhe
pressure for change. lf CorporaLe SA wlshes Lo remaln compeLlLlve and be able Lo respond qulckly Lo
changes ln Lhelr buslness envlronmenL Lhe currenL approach Lo lC1 wlll have Lo change Loo.

8uL as SouLh Afrlcan companles adopLed cloud compuLlng ln greaLer numbers, Lhey are golng Lo flnd lL
dlfflculL Lo acqulre resources wlLh Lhe requlred skllls needed Lo manage Lhelr new lnfrasLrucLure as few
LerLlary lnsLlLuLlons equlp Lhelr sLudenLs wlLh Lhe necessary skllls. urlven by corporaLe spend lL1
colleges and oLher LerLlary lnsLlLuLlons churn ouL candldaLes each year who are only skllled ln a slngle or
speclflc vendor's producLs and servlces.

1helr course deslgners sadly lacklng Lhe foreslghL Lo creaLe quallflcaLlons LhaL can equlp sLudenLs wlLh
skllls Lhey wlll need ln Lhe fuLure . A focus on labour lnLenslve, low skllled work by governmenL, lLs low
quallLy educaLlon sysLem and a fallure by lndusLry Lo play a more acLlve role ln Lralnlng and educaLlon ls
foolhardy. Cf course lf a more acLlve role ls Laken, lL would requlre Lhe correcL sLraLeglc vlslons Lo be
successful.

WhllsL corporaLe SouLh Afrlca and governmenL pollcy makers and bureaucraLs,prevarlcaLe and Lurn a
bllnd eye Lo Lhe beneflLs of free and open source sofLware Lhe resL of Afrlca has no such qualms. WesL
and LasL Afrlca have young well educaLed populaLlons who have embraced open source and free
sofLware and Lhelr corporaLes have none of Lhe reLlcence of SouLh Afrlcan companles when lL comes Lo
home grown soluLlons bullL on free sofLware.

1helr sLarLup secLors are vlbranL. lnnovaLlon hubs and enLrepreneurlal sLarL-up lncubaLors are sprlnglng
up llke green shooL afLer Lhe flrsL summer hlgh-veld LhundersLorms. 1he adopLlon of open source and
governmenL pollcy ls creaLlng a culLure of learnlng and lnnovaLlon whlch wlll spur Lhelr conLlnued
economlc growLh. l have no doubL we wlll soon see furLher Lechnology success sLorles, such as Lhe
world-renowned Mpesa, comlng from Lhese reglons.

lL ls noL by chance LhaL Lhe governmenLs of oLher members of Lhe 88lCS naLlons, are adopLlng pro- free
and open source sofLware pollcles. 1he pro-growLh, pro-developmenLal beneflLs of such pollcles means
greaLer lnfluence over Lhelr own desLlnles and unllnks Lhelr economles from shlfLlng economlc power
sLrucLures.



, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
WlLh Lhe ongolng llLany of revelaLlons regardlng Lhe nSA acLlvlLles by whlsLle blower Ldwln Snowden,
soverelgnLy and securlLy ls someLhlng LhaL should make any governmenL place Lhe adopLlon of free and
open source sofLware hlgh on lLs agenda. Pow can a naLlon's governmenL and economy compeLe falrly
ln lnLernaLlonal Lrade negoLlaLlons or compeLe falrly for lucraLlve lnLernaLlonal conLracLs such as power
sLaLlons, dams and Lelecoms rolls ouLs when one of Lhe compeLlng players has access Lo your plans and
sLraLegles? Cnly a naive person would Lhlnk spylng ls for non-economlc beneflLs only.

lf Lhe Lhe currenL wldespread use of closed sources rouLers and operaLlng sysLems from vendors, under
Lhe lnfluence of forelgn governmenL, wlLh known back-door access, conLlnues wlLhouL even a pause for
reflecLlon by governmenL deparLmenLs and lnsLlLuLlons, one can only guess why.

lf naLlonal securlLy lssues are noL enough Lo convlnce bureaucraLs of Lhe beneflLs of a pro-open source
pollcy, maybe Lhe economlc beneflLs wlll. CovernmenL has Lhe opporLunlLy Lo bulld a susLalnable
Lechnology lndusLry LhaL can exporL producLs and servlces Lo Afrlca and Lhe world. A Lechnology
lndusLry could also be bullL on Lop of proprleLary vendor soluLlons and Lechnology buL Lhls wlll leave
declslons abouL Lhe fuLure dlrecLlon of LhaL lndusLry ln Lhe hands of forelgn vendors whose lnLeresLs,
local envlronmenL and condlLlons may dlffer wldely from Lhose of SouLh Afrlca.

lLs llke Lrylng Lo bulld a house on foundaLlons LhaL some-one else has seL. AddlLlonally Lhere ls Lhe
obvlous economlc beneflL of bulldlng a local Lechnology lndusLry on open source, LhaL slgnlflcanL
amounLs of money are noL repaLrlaLed buL clrculaLe wlLhln Lhe local economy.

Cpen source and free sofLware has lmporLanL lmpllcaLlons for educaLlon Loo. 8esldes Lhe cosLs savlng Lo
parenLs of sLudenLs and Lhe deparLmenL of educaLlon, Lhe freedom Lo hack on open source pro[ecLs and
code allows lnqulslLlve mlnds Lo learn and undersLand more Lhan ls posslble wlLh closed source
soluLlons whlch block any aLLempL Lo undersLand Lhe lnLernals of Lhelr producLs and servlces.

Cn paper Lhe SouLh Afrlcan governmenL has a mandaLe Lo use and encourage Lhe adopLlon of open
source. 8uL Lhe commlLmenL Lo ls worLh less Lhan Lhe paper Lhe mandaLe was wrlLLen on.

ConsLanLly governmenL deparLmenLs make an l1 purchase declslon or change pollcy ls a way whlch ls
conLradlcLory Lo Lhls mandaLe. A recenL such example was Lhe ueparLmenL of 8aslc LducaLlons declslon
Lo drop !ava , an open source language from schools and Lo sLandardlse on uelphl lnsLead,a closed
source language and plaLform. An excuse ls always found Lo abrogaLe Lhe mandaLe and go wlLh a
proprleLy soluLlon.

1he mosL common excuse ls LhaL lmplemenLlng a Cpen Source soluLlon would be more cosLly Lhan
golng wlLh a proprleLy soluLlon or LhaL Lhere ls no local supporL for open source soluLlons.





ubunLu Llnux Llnux for Puman 8elngs
- lmage CredlL: Masslmo 8arblerl / lllckr CC by 2.0
8esldes Lhe facL LhaL argumenLs abouL LoLal cosL of ownershlp are llkely Lo prove fuLlle wlLh elLher
slde backlng up lLs clalms an lmpress llsL of reporLs, lL ls slmply unLrue Lo clalm Lhere ls no local
supporL or skllls base for open source producLs and servlces. WhaL Lhls argumenL really asserLs ls
LhaL Lhere are no !SL enLerprlse slze companles backed by even larger lnLernaLlonal vendors ln SouLh
Afrlca buL only small Lo medlum slzed buslness wlLh llmlLed capaclLy. 1hls ls slmple noL Lrue as many
of Lhese same companles have open source and free sofLware capablllLles lLs [usL noL ln Lhelr lnLeresL
Lo push Lhem.

8uL leLs assume Lhe argumenL ls valld. CovernmenL economlc pollcy supporLs Lhe developmenL of
sLraLeglc secLors of Lhe SouLh Afrlcan economy. 8llllons, up Lo 32 bllllon slnce 2000 accordlng Lo
reporLs, have been spenL Lo supporL Lhe local moLor vehlcle manufacLurlng capaclLy ln SouLh Afrlca.


, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
CovernmenL would argue LhaL Lhe beneflL galned ouLwelghs Lhe cosLs, so why noL a slmllar underLaklng
Lo bulld Lhe local l1 lndusLry? Where some see a problem oLhers see a soluLlon. We have hlgh youLh
unemploymenL and a shorLage of l1 skllls. A pro-open source lndusLry pollcy whlch would favour Lhe
growLh of small and medlum slzed buslness would seemlngly address mulLlple lssues aL once.

ln one pollcy governmenL could address youLh unemploymenL, Lhe skllls shorLage, boosL small and
medlum buslness secLor whlch ls wldely acknowledged as Lhe employmenL and growLh englne for any
economy. An lndependenL Lechnology lndusLry wlLh a culLure of lnnovaLlon and creaLlvlLy would be
creaLed and all governmenL has Lo do ls redlrecL lL currenL spendlng.

1hls lack of vlslon by SouLh Afrlcan lndusLry and governmenL, wlLh lL lLs apparenL lnablllLy Lo plan for Lhe
sLraLeglc long-Lerm requlremenLs for Lhe economy wlll mean Lhe SouLh Afrlcan economy wlll conLlnue
Lo sLruggle for Lhe foreseeable fuLure.
, B63I3B)4 *3.61) '4;.*+6D B30'1D
?>'1> ?3.0; 52@3.6 +>) (63?+> 35
*9200 24; 9);'.9 *'J); /.*'4)**
?3.0; *))9'4(0D 2;;6)** 9.0+'B0)
'**.)* 2+ 341)88

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Mark Clarke ls a !ava developer and Llnux experL who works as
a soluLlons englneer aL !umplng 8ean an open source
lnLegraLlon company ln !ohannesburg.

Pe has over 13 year experlence leveraglng open source and
free sofLware Lo bulld robusL soluLlons.

Pe ls passlonaLe abouL Lechnology and creaLlng a vlbranL and
lnnovaLlve sLarL-up lndusLry and culLure ln Afrlca and ls acLlve ln
Lhe communlLy bulldlng user groups and organlzlng evenLs Lo
promoLe free and open source sofLware.


lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [mxc4



!5% >3,% '( M%%; N%+J';E, 3*
+5% <**'?"+3'* .2',9,+%7
kAn?l MACu8LLA
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
MlLch kapor, legendary sofLware ploneer and prollflc Slllcon valley angel lnvesLor, recenLly descrlbed hls
bellef ln lmpacL lnvesLlng ln very slmple Lerms: Lhere are orders of magnlLude more sLarLups belng
founded Loday Lhan ever before. 1he opporLunlLy Lo lnvesL ln buslnesses whlch make Lhe world beLLer
and reLurn caplLal ls greaLer because Lhe pool ls LhaL much greaLer. Pe ls compleLely rlghL. 1here are
more sLarLups, and Lhus more mlsslon-drlven sLarLups whlch are polsed Lo change culLure for Lhe beLLer.
Cur Lhesls aL CollaboraLlve lund ls predlcaLed upon Lhls same bellef. We lnvesL ln creaLlve
enLrepreneurs who wanL Lo change Lhe world for Lhe beLLer uslng Lechnology, and belleve we wlll be an
lndusLry-leadlng flrm as a resulL of lL. A deep bellef ln Lhe caLalyzlng power of a neLworked, peer-
powered economy drlves Lhls Lhesls. l wlll descrlbe some of Lhe characLerlsLlcs here.

L2+M3+1&34 A%1".%"1

A ublqulLous lnLerneL has resulLed ln global dlsLrlbuLlon channels avallable Lo enLrepreneurs all and
sundry, llmlLed only by Lhelr lmaglnaLlons and lnLerneL connecLlvlLy. Moore's Law has borne ouL.
Amazon Web Servlces and oLher hosLlng of lLs klnd has become a permanenL flxLure. And Lhe exploslon
of onllne resources ln buslness sLraLegy, legal, and proLoLyplng ln moblle and have meanL LhaL
enLrepreneurs can do much more wlLh much fewer resources Lhan ever before.

1he soclal web has maLured, and creaLed neLworks of developers, deslgners, enLrepreneurs, and
lnvesLors around Lhe world. As Andreessen PorowlLz Ceneral arLner 8ala[l Srlnlvasan polnLs ouL, Lhese
neLworks are noL llmlLed Lo physlcal geography. As a resulL, beyond Lhe cosL of enLrepreneurshlp
dramaLlcally falllng, Lhe Lop ranks of lnnovaLors have unlonlzed. Some work ln formal gullds llke
?ComblnaLor, 300 SLarLups, and Paxlr8r, and use Lhese gullds Lo lead Lhe markeL, creaLe proLecLlons
around deal Lerms, and force Lransparency across Lhe lndusLry. CLhers do so lnformally, and Lhe
lndusLry becomes more democraLlc and accesslble as a resulL.

As enLrepreneurshlp becomes more accesslble, so does angel lnvesLlng. ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, Lhere has
been lncreased publlc markeL exposure Lo Lechnology posL 2008, and Lhe M&A ecosysLem ls as acLlve as
lL's ever been. As a resulL, scores of enLrepreneurs and lnvesLors are enLerlng Lhe ecosysLem every
season. AngelLlsL has been a caLalysL Lo Lhls Lrend, and wlll llkely be a permanenL flxLure ln creaLlng a
communlLy for sLarLups Lo be dlscovered, and for amaLeur lnvesLors Lo professlonallze.

A woy fotwotJ ls oskeJ ftom tbose wbo ote lo ftoot.
"" 2olo ltovetb
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
N"%13." 0/7+1/'

WhaL does Lhls mean for a venLure lnvesLor?

ln shorL: lL ls more crowded, compeLlLlve, and flaL Lhan lL has ever been. 1he besL lnvesLors wlll have Lo
be bold abouL lnvenLlng and relnvenLlng Lhemselves, and flndlng dealflow ln Lhe prevlously unllkely
corners of Lhe globe. lL ls lnsplrlng Lo see younger funds creaLlng new sources of free, hlghly relevanL
conLenL for founders Lo aLLracL opporLunlLles.

AngelLlsL ls lLeraLlng llke a sLarLup, flndlng more and more amazlng ways of LransparenLly connecLlng
caplLal wlLh companles. aul Craham aL ?ComblnaLor creaLed Lhe mosL powerful brand ln Lhe early
sLage ecosysLem by lnvenLlng Lhe M8A for sLarLups. 300 SLarLups and uraper llsher !urveLson are
reachlng Lhelr arms across Lhe world dlscoverlng and creaLlng sLarLup neLworks.

1he llsL goes on. AL CollaboraLlve lund, we have done our parL Lo push Lhe envelope ln as many of Lhese
caLegorles as posslble, supporLlng crowdfundlng, leadlng our conLenL efforLs wlLh founders flrsL ln lasL
Company and our vldeo serles, and mlcroslLes for Lhe communlLy.

And Lhere ls anoLher reason why venLure caplLal ls wlse Lo lnnovaLe as qulckly and as experlmenLally as
lL can: Lhe managemenL fee. 8lchard Arnold of Crowdflower esLlmaLed LhaL managemenL fees (lncludlng
carrled lnLeresL), accounL for up Lo 300 basls polnLs of economlc acLlvlLy around Lhe world. 1haL ls
Lrllllons of dollars every year golng Lo money managers.

And for whaL? 1helr value ls predlcaLed upon lnformaLlon asymmeLry. As an lnsLlLuLlon or lndlvldual, l
leL someone else manage my money because l belleve Lhey have access Lo beLLer lnformaLlon Lhan l do,
and LhaL Lhelr experlence and neLwork make Lhem more capable of proflLable lnvesLmenLs Lhan me. 1he
former ls surely no longer Lrue. AngelLlsL, lLchbook, MaLLermark, Crunchbase, 1wlLLer, eLc. have
demonsLraLed LhaL lnformaLlon asympLoLes Lo perfecL. So Lhen lL musL be LhaL a money managers
experlence and neLwork make Lhem more capable. 8uL l recenLly heard from Lhe managlng dlrecLor of a
foundaLlon LhaL Lhey are lnLeresLed ln getting closer Lo Lhe network and LhaL Lhelr analysLs ofLen read
Lhe same reporLs as Lhe venLure assoclaLes Lhese days. ln a maLure soclal web, neLworks maLLer more,
buL any lndlvldual neLwork maLLers less.

?&-1C/." +4 I/1+%( 1$" D&.'<

When Marc Andreessen famously wroLe abouL Why SofLware LaLlng 1he World, l have Lo lmaglne he
reallzed prlvaLe equlLy, and more broadly money managemenL, was noL golng Lo be lmmune Lo Lhls
Lrend. lf venLure caplLallsLs wanL Lo [usLlfy Lhelr 1.3-3 fees and 13-23 carry movlng forward, Lhey wlll
all have Lo look more llke Lhese lnnovaLlve flrms, markeL leaders, or else Lhey wlll geL squeezed,
leapfrogged, and ulLlmaLely dle.





8andom Packs of klndness aL lPub ln nalrobl, kenya
- lmage CredlL: Lrlk Persman (whlLeafrlcan) / lllckr CC by 2.0
lor an enLrepreneur across Lhe conLlnenL of Afrlca Loday, Lhe venLure lnvesLor ls more
relevanL Lhan lL has ever been. 1he key Lo Lhe successful among Lhese neLworks, and Lhe boLLom-up
Lrends LhaL accompany Lhem, ls LhaL Lhe besL ones are noL lnsular.

lorbes conLrlbuLor Mlchael Slmmons descrlbes unlverslLy of Chlcago 8ooLh School of 8uslness
Lheory on neLwork sclence. Accordlng Lo rofessor 8on 8urL, neLworks share clustering
characLerlsLlcs, whereby Lhere ls a loL of muLual frlendshlp wlLhln Lhe neLwork, and as a resulL, ldeas
flow qulckly wlLhln Lhe neLwork buL very slowly ouLslde Lhe neLwork.

1hls approach creaLes bllnd spoLs. 1hose neLworks whlch show Lhe greaLesL success are Lhose whlch
are cross-polllnaLed. 1hey promlnenLly feaLure brokers, who LranslaLe neLwork lnformaLlon from
one clusLer Lo Lhe nexL. lor a young enLrepreneur ln Afrlca, Lhey are naLural brokers.


, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139

MosL of Lhe domesLlc markeLs on Lhe conLlnenL are small, and so successful growLh sLraLegy ls
necessarlly lnLernaLlonal, and ofLen mulLlllngual and mulLlculLural. venLure caplLal Lends Lo be
concenLraLed ouLslde Lhe conLlnenL, Lhough LhaL ls changlng qulckly as Lhe enLrepreneurshlp communlLy
conLlnues Lo globallze and democraLlze, buL lL means LhaL enLrepreneurs musL speak Lo Lhe culLural
landscapes of Lhelr users and of Lhelr lnvesLors.

Meanwhlle, Lhe neLworks grow sLronger day by day. Access Lo besL pracLlces abouL sLarLups ls free on
Lhe web, and neLworks Lhe llkes of l-Pub, Slllcon Cape, SLarLup Pub, and Apps 4 Afrlca serve as rlch
sources fo venLure lnvesLors Lo dlscover LalenLed enLrepreneurs bulldlng for large markeLs. And flnally,
lnvesLors are Laklng noLlce.

As kapor polnLed ouL, drlvlng a meanlngful flnanclal reLurn ln todays landscape ls avallable Lo more
lnvesLors Lhan ever: Lhere are so many more sLarLups. 8uL Lhe markeL ls compeLlLlve, and Lhe buslness ls
changlng ln favor of peer neLworks, crowd-based fundlng soluLlons, and creaLlve deal sourclng. As a
resulL, Lhe caplLal flows wlll be more dlsLrlbuLed and dlverse, and new ecosysLems of sLarLup acLlvlLy wlll
flourlsh as Lhe Slllcon valley does, and llkely ouLshlne lL, Loo.


K3*+ 35 +>) ;39)*+'1 9267)+* 34 +>)
134+'4)4+ 26) *9200= 24; *3 *.11)**5.0
(63?+> *+62+)(D '* 4)1)**26'0D
'4+)642+'3420= 24; 35+)4 9.0+'0'4(.20
24; 9.0+'1.0+.6208

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
kanyl Maqubela ls a venLure parLner aL CollaboraLlve lund, a
seed venLure caplLal fund for creaLlve enLrepreneurs who wanL
Lo change Lhe world. lounded ln early 2011, CollaboraLlve lund
has backed such sLarLup companles as klcksLarLer, 8eddlL,
1ask8abblL, LyfL, 8ankSlmple, and Sklllshare. CollaboraLlve lund
backs Lhe shared fuLure, and lLs lnvesLmenLs have reflecLed a
commlLmenL Lo mlsslon-drlven Lechnology.

8efore [olnlng CollaboraLlve lund, kanyl served as a foundlng
execuLlve aL Cne 8lock Cff Lhe Crld, an onllne solar sales
company LhaL was acqulred by ure Lnergles Croup. Pe has
served as a consulLanL for luLC, Mlnl, and CCCu Magazlne,
and sLarLed hls career as an early employee aL uoosLang, an
web-based career communlLy acqulred by unlversum Clobal.

kanyl has been a conLrlbuLor aL Lhe ALlanLlc, PufflngLon osL,
and lasL Company. Pe ls a menLor for Code2040, a non-proflL
organlzaLlon LhaL creaLes paLhways Lo educaLlonal,
professlonal, and enLrepreneurlal success ln Lechnology for
8lacks and LaLlnos. Pe sLudled phllosophy aL SLanford unlverslLy
and was reclplenL of Lhe 2003 unlverslLy of norLh Carollna
Morehead Scholarshlp. kanyl halls from !ohannesburg, SouLh
Afrlca, and llves ln San lranclsco wlLh hls famlly.


lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [km



<**'?"+3'*A <*+%$$%2+1"$
M;'8%;+9 "*0 G"J
M8uCuA n!lPlA
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
l have had Lhe opporLunlLy Lo parLlclpaLe ln many forums LhaL have palnLed a clear plcLure of Lhe lssues
LhaL we musL Lackle wlLhln Lhe kenyan conLexL and exLrapolaLed Lo Afrlca aL large lf we are Lo grow lnLo
a domlnanL poslLlon ln Lhe Lechnology space. lL may currenLly en[oy buzzword sLaLus and Lake on many
forms, buL lnnovaLlon ls Lhe foundaLlon of our clalmlng a sLake and anyLhlng LhaL presenLs a boLLleneck
should and musL be qulckly addressed.

A%%&=/1+&% /%< 1$" '/C

urawlng from my lnLeracLlons aL ConnecLed kenya an annual summlL LhaL brlngs LogeLher governmenL
and prlvaLe secLor players Lo look aL Lhe challenges and opporLunlLles of Lhe clLlzen served, l had Lhe
opporLunlLy Lo parLlclpaLe ln a flreslde chaL wlLh a healLhy number of members of parllamenL presenL. A
LhoughL emerged on my flrsL sLumbllng block Lo lnnovaLlon, LhaL of legal boLLlenecks.

lnnovaLlon lles ln Lhe reLhlnklng of, or recreaLlon of already exlsLlng elemenLs Lo blrLh a producL or
servlce LhaL addresses a paln polnL, wheLher apparenL or revealed. Many Llmes Lhls wlll mean brlnlng
down walled gardens, challenglng sLaLus quo and dlsrupLlon of Lhe normal. Cur presenLly flogged posLer
chlld M-esa, happened Lo sllp pasL Lhe guard dogs of Lhe LradlLlonal banklng secLor and scaled qulckly
Lo almosL become unLouchable as Lhe ecosysLem players, caughL flaL fooLed have been forced Lo play
ball.

noL every good ldea wlll sllp Lhrough Lhe gaLe unnoLlced and unlnhlblLed. ln Lhls parLlcular flreslde chaL
was Lhe lssue of counLy lnsecurlLy, exacerbaLed by Lhe lack of descenL communlcaLlon lnfrasLrucLure
and servlces. As deduced from feedback glven by currenLly llcensed players, Lhe populaLlons ln Lhe
affecLed areas do noL offer a [ulcy revenue proposlLlon. ln a perfecL sLorm, Lhe regulaLor would come
down hard and fasL on a provlder LhaL lnnovaLed Lo provlde a soluLlon, desplLe Lhe facL LhaL Lhe asklng
amounLs for say, a llcense are Lhe very reason why Lhe areas lack coverage.

1he areas leadershlp, as represenLed by Lhe Members of arllamenL has a mandaLe Lo fulflll Lo Lhelr
people and have access Lo budgeLs LhaL can be applled Loward flndlng and deploylng a soluLlon wlLh
access to the August House (Kenyas Parliament) where they can marshal peer support to adapt
leglslaLlon.


lJeos ote wottb o Jlme Jozeo, bot people wbo pot tbem loto octloo ote
ptlceless.
"" Aftlcoo ltovetb
ulrecLor Ceneral of Afrlcan 8eglonal lnLellecLual roperLy CrganlsaLlon, lernando uos SanLos
Conslderlng Lhe pollLlcal advanLage ls noL avallable Lo all, whlch paLh would one follow? Would you
succumb Lo Lhe sysLem and leL a populaLlon suffer? Cr lnnovaLe and flghL ouL Lhe legallLles?

l Lhlnk companles should be ln a poslLlon Lo lnvoke some amendmenL or oLher LhaL proLecLs an ldea
from premaLure deaLh caused by an archalc or oLherwlse resLrlcLlve laws, where Lhe beneflLs Lo Lhe
consumer or clLlzen - lf Lhlnklng of governmenL servlces would hold ground.

A%1"''"#13/' 7.&7".1) /%< #."/1+&% &- "O7&.1/2'" =/'3"

AL yeL anoLher forum held aL Lhe Afrlcan unlon ln Addls Ababa, l Look Llme Lo dlgesL Lhe Mo lbrahlm
Covernance lndex and a hosL of oLher daLaseLs LhaL look aL Africas currenL poslLlon and l feel
valldaLed ln many ways on my call for Lhe supporL and relnforcemenL of lnLellecLual properLy
lnsLlLuLlons across Afrlca. As kenya and many oLher Afrlcan nations gun for knowledge based
economles, Lhe lnherenL economlc value can only be fully and Lruly reallzed once we proLecL Lhe
lnLellecLual properLy ln whaL ls a global sharlng economy.



, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139

Whlle we have runaway success by way of mulLlnaLlonal brands, Afrlca doesnt have ln my oplnlon,
whaL we can boasL of as Lruly global brands. WlLh a burgeonlng and very creaLlve youLhful populaLlon,
Lhe key Lo growlng enLrepreneurs who wlll deploy Lhe nexL lnnovaLlve Lechnologles and creaLe [obs aL
an lnLernaLlonal scale ls Lo glve our lnsLlLuLlons boLh a bark and a blLe. 1he global vlllage equals global
compeLlLlon, whlch means lL ls noL only Lhe guy nexL door who could moneLlze enLlre concepLs or
borrow cerLaln elemenLs buL a whole army of lnLernaLlonal ldea Lrolls, scouLlng for Lhe nexL blg
orphaned ldea.

1here are currenLly 16 Afrlcan sLaLes LhaL are members of Lhe Afrlcan 8eglonal lnLellecLual roperLy
CrganlzaLlon, born ouL of Lhe Lusaka AgreemenL and open Lo sLaLe members of Lhe Afrlcan unlon. 1he
rlghLs covered are paLenLs, lndusLrlal deslgns, uLlllLy models, copyrlghL, LradlLlonal knowledge and
Lrademarks. A8lC ls complemenLary Lo member sLaLes naLlonal lndusLrlal properLy sysLems and could
Lherefore be sald Lo be as sLrong as lLs weakesL llnks, whlch Lo me are dlfferenLlaLed fee sLrucLures and
non-sLandard compllance and enforcemenL.

We should acLlvely apply ourselves Lowards ensurlng A8lC meeLs lLs maln ob[ecLlves of harmonlzlng l
laws among member sLaLes, cenLrally handllng granL and reglsLraLlon of l rlghLs and mosL lmporLanLly
effecLlve compllance and represenLaLlon. A loL more awareness musL be creaLed on whaL ls already ln
place and where we could lmprove especlally so on Lhe lnformaLlon and daLa exchange plaLform Lo seal
loopholes and ensure homogenelLy wlLh slmllar sysLems successfully applled ln oLher reglons of Lhe
world.

As we maLch educaLlon wlLh labour markeLs and drlve lnnovaLlon ln secLors LhaL wlll propel growLh ln
Afrlca, we musL be of one mlnd and process when lL comes Lo our creaLlve caplLal and lLs proLecLlon
even as we sLarL Lhlnklng of legal bunkers LhaL would allow for Lhe proof of concepL Lo be reallzed and
assumpLlons LesLed, LhereafLer provldlng [usLlflcaLlon of wheLher Lo klll or leL llve lnnovaLlve servlces or
producL llnes.
L) 9.*+ /) 35 34) 9'4; 24; B631)**
?>)4 '+ 139)* +3 3.6 16)2+'@) 12B'+20
24; '+* B63+)1+'348

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Mbugua n[lhla ls an Afrlca based enLrepreneur wlLh over 1o
years ln Lhe web and moblle space havlng worked wlLh all
players ln Lhe ecosysLem - lndlvlduals, small and medlum slzed
enLerprlses, nCC's, moblle neLwork operaLors, and governmenL
Lo deploy soluLlons on sms, ussd, volce, web and moblle
appllcaLlons.

lounder and currenL CLC aL SymbloLlc, a leadlng moblle value
added servlce provlder ln LasL Afrlca, CpporLunlLy ScouL aL
Cruppo oLenLe, a holdlng company where Lhe focus ls on
Afrlca's hlgh growLh verLlcals - 1echnology | 1elecoms | Medla
| PealLhcare | PosplLallLy | AgrlculLure | knowledge | 8eal
LsLaLe | Lnergy .

Clven an opLlon, he would spend every weekend on hls
mounLaln blke explorlng new places and camplng ln Lhe open.

lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [mbuguan[lhla



)'*+%*+A F5"+ )'*+%*+L
!CPAn nLL
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Medla execuLlves love Lhe word content. Its a rallylng cry, an end and a means. Powever we Lend Lo
lgnore Lhe facL LhaL Lhere are Lwo deflnlLlons Lo Lhe word. Were qulLe famlllar wlLh conLenL as a noun
maLerlal held wlLhln a webslLe, app or oLher medlum. Content ls king. user-generaLed conLenL.
uynamlc conLenL. And so on.

Were much less famlllar wlLh content as an ad[ecLlve saLlsfacLlon. Wllllngness Lo accepL someLhlng
as lL ls. ln a sLaLe of peace. Whlle we may noL use Lhls form of Lhe word nearly as much, Lhere ls no
hldlng Lhe facL LhaL we are qulLe conLenL as medla execuLlves.

We are conLenL Lo flll our slLes wlLh repurposed offllne news (weve embraced a pdf-mentality).
Were conLenL Lo measure our success ln eyeballs.
Were conLenL (acLually, excited) Lo see lncremenLal growLh ln dlglLal ad sales.
And ln SouLh Afrlca aL leasL, were seemlngly conLenL Lo have our Lop ranklng news slLe (ln Lerms of
Lrafflc) slLLlng ln 10Lh place behlnd lnLernaLlonal slLes wlLh llLLle local lnslghL.

?1/134 P3&

1he problem ls LhaL our contentedness wlLh Lhe sLaLus-quo wlll be our downfall.

Im noL Lhe flrsL person (and l cerLalnly wont be Lhe lasL) Lo say LhaL Lhe naLure of news has changed,
and LhaL publlshers need Lo evolve Lo meeL Lhe needs of Lhe modern reader. 8uL theres so much focus
on Lhe negaLlve Lhe downfall of medla giants LhaL l Lhlnk LhaL were loslng slghL of an lncredlble
opporLunlLy. As medla execuLlves, we have Lhe capaclLy and Lools needed Lo noL [usL help our
buslnesses Lhrlve, buL Lo redeflne whaL news ls, how its collecLed and consumed. 8adlo changed Lhe
world. 1v changed lL agaln. 1he lnLerneL ls already dolng lL aL a bllndlng pace, and l dont Lhlnk anyone
wlll dlsagree LhaL we were caughL off guard by Lhe lmpacL lL would have on our LradlLlonal medla
buslnesses, or LhaL weve been sLruggllng Lo reLake Lhe relns ever slnce. Its now Llme Lo sLop Lrylng Lo
caLch up, Lo observe Lrends, Lo learn, and Lo help medla consumers deflne and deflne Lhe fuLure.

Its Llme Lo sLop Lrylng Lo bend a dlglLal world Lo Lhe wlll of our esLabllshed buslness model, and lnsLead
Lo deflne how we can evolve Lo Lhrlve ln a new age. We musL conLlnuously learn, LesL and adapL Lo meeL
changlng needs, and Lhls process wlll begln when we renew our focus on Lhe consumer, and how
theyre flndlng Lhe lnformaLlon Lhey seek ln Lhe dlglLal age (hlnL: lL cerLalnly isnt Lurnlng pages over
coffee aL breakfasL anymore, or walLlng for a LrusLed volce on Lhe 1v aL 6 pm).

"wbot l wltoesseJ wltb my eyes ls qteotet tboo wbot l beotJ wltb my eots.
"" lqbo ltovetb
Pyper Local ConLenL lmage posLed by Mlmlboard user reporLlng a flre ln MlLchells laln
- lmage CredlL: Mlmlboard
!$.&3($ 1$" readers ")"4

Conslder my news consumpLlon and preferences. l llve ln a suburb of Cape 1own ln SouLh Afrlca, and
l collecL my news from a varleLy of sources (as people do around Lhe world).

l read Lhe naLlonal newspapers aL work, buL rarely vlslL Lhe webslLes many are pay-walled, and its
largely a reproducLlon of offllne arLlcles (pdf-Lhlnklng), wlLh a few more plcLures and someLlmes Lhe
ablllLy Lo commenL or share. Ive found LhaL l go Lo Lhe slLe because of Lhe brand lL ls Lhe source for
SouLh Afrlcan news buL more and more, Im vlslLlng less and less. Ive come Lo reallze LhaL much of
whats LouLed as news ls only newsworLhy because lL appears on LhaL publications webslLe Lhe
brand makes lL relevanL, noL Lhe conLenL.

1hen theres broadcasL... someLhlng funny happens whenever naLlonal 1v or llsLen Lo radlo (a ma[or
medlum LhroughouL Afrlca). lL feels llke Im readlng Lhe newspaper wlLh vldeo and sound. Its a more
engaglng experlence for Lhose reasons, buL its sLlll prlmarlly a dupllcaLlon of Lhe mornlng newspaper
conLenL, wlLh updaLes. 1hls makes sense because Lhe companles LhaL own Lhe naLlonal papers are
medla emplres Lhey own Lhe ma[or 1v and radlo sLaLlons Loo. Its cerLalnly noL hyper-local. Its
deslgned Lo sulL Lhe needs of broad demographlcs, meanlng conLenL ls anyLhlng buL cusLomlzed for
my personal preferences. lurLhermore, golng Lo Lhe webslLes of Lhese broadcasL channels reveals an
entertainment/news mlx LhaL leans heavlly Lowards promoLlon of enLerLalnmenL, on-alr
personallLles and shows. Its noL a dlglLal news source.


, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
8uL lets sLep away from Lhe naLlonal scene, and go local l ofLen read my local newspaper. Its a
weekly publlcaLlon and very focused on whats happenlng ln my communlLy. l learn abouL local crlme,
evenLs, lnfrasLrucLure work and more, buL Lhe dlglLal verslon isnt very robusL. As a weekly publlcaLlon,
Lhe paper ls wary of scooping itself onllne updaLes are kepL Lo a mlnlmum ouL of fear LhaL theyll
resulL ln lower offllne sales, and because its a smaller organlzaLlon wlLh smaller budgeLs, lL cant lnvesL
heavlly ln sLrong Lechnlcal resources.

We can go even more micro (and l do on a dally basls, along wlLh counLless people worldwlde) fllllng
Lhe local dlglLal vold are micro-publishers. Theyre local bloggers and sLarLups LhaL see a gap ln Lhe
conLenL provlded by Lhe blg players and esLabllshed slLes. 1hey someLlmes have local sources (schools,
pollce, sporLs organlzaLlons) buL more ofLen Lhan noL, Lhey end up reproduclng conLenL from Lhe same
companles theyre Lrylng Lo compeLe wlLh ln order Lo keep conLenL on Lhelr slLe fresh.

llnally, lf Im looklng for Lhe Lruly laLesL news, l dont go Lo a news slLe aL all. l Lurn Lo soclal medla.
When proLesLs were recenLly planned ln Cape 1own, l waLched hash Lags on 1wlLLer for Lhe laLesL
developmenLs. l vlslL mulLlple lacebook pages regularly for Lhe laLesL on local arLs and communlLy
evenLs. Its an excellenL source of lnformaLlon, buL its also lncredlbly dlspersed mulLlple slLes, pages,
hash Lags and aggregaLors. l essenLlally have Lo bulld my own soclal medla news ouLleL.

As you can see, l llve ln a fracLured world where Im lefL Lo play hlde and seek wlLh Lhe news l wanL Lo
consume (and my needs sLlll arent really belng meL). l see Lhls as a problem, buL as l menLloned earller,
more-so as an opporLunlLy. 1he nlne mosL vlslLed dlglLal news resources ln my counLry are lnLernaLlonal.
Thats a slgnlflcanL gap LhaL can be fllled by a forward-Lhlnklng medla execuLlve. ?es, conLenL ls sLlll Lhe
key. 8uL we need Lo sLop Lhlnklng abouL lL as Lhe conLenL we wanL Lo publlsh and lnsLead conslder Lhe
conLenL LhaL our consumers wanL Lo recelve. Its hyper-local, and Lechnology isnt slmply Lhe dellvery
meLhod, its Lhe means of deLermlnlng whaL Lo dellver.


Why cant a news site recognize who
: 29 24; *)6@) 9) 134+)4+ /2*); 34
9D )CB6)**); '4+)6)*+* 24; 6)2;'4(
/)>2@'36M

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Q"C4 -&. <"9&(./7$+#4 &- F%"

Llke lL or noL, lacebook knows us. Were served ads and recelve promoted content based on Lhe
Lhlngs we say, like and do, where were locaLed and whaL weve cllcked. 1he resulL ls a someLlmes
annoylng, buL effecLlve approach thats belng reflned almosL dally.

lf thats posslble for lacebook, why isnt lL posslble for news? Why cant a news slLe recognlze who l am
and serve me conLenL based on my expressed lnLeresLs and readlng behavlor? Why cant lL geo-locaLe
me and serve relevanL local conLenL pulled from a varleLy of sources? Why cant lL recognlze my passlon
for cycllng based on my avld readlng of raclng news and producL revlews? Why cant lL pull real-Llme
Lrafflc lnformaLlon for me based on my provlded commuLe rouLe?

1hls ls hyper-local news. Its based on Lhe ldea LhaL l am, as a person, a demographlc LhaL can be served
based on opL-ln behavlor and cusLom algorlLhms, and LhaL collecLlng exlsLlng, preferred conLenL ln one
place for easy consumpLlon ls ln facL provldlng news. Im noL [usL Lalklng abouL geography. uesplLe
llvlng approxlmaLely 30 meLres from me, my nelghbor would have dlfferenL conLenL served Lo her based
on her own behavlours and lnLeresLs (Lhough Lhere would be common pleces of conLenL beLween us).

1hls isnt a plpe dream. lL ls cusLom news conLenL dellvery made posslble by Lhe Lechnology LhaL Lhe
publlshlng secLor ls currenLly conLenL Lo lgnore.

?ou can llkely Lell LhaL Ive spenL some Llme Lhlnklng abouL Lhls gap and Lhe assoclaLed opporLunlLy. Its
because Lhese are Lhe exacL problems LhaL we encounLered wlLh umunLu Medla. We sLarLed ouL on a
slmllar (Id argue more Lechnlcally nimble) paLh as Lhe blg publlshers. We wanLed Lo be Africas source
for local news, and began hlrlng sLaff wrlLers around Lhe conLlnenL Lo make lL happen. 8uL theres a
reason Lhe blg guys elecLed noL Lo go Lhls way. Its unmanageable. Its Loo much Loo many people, and
noL enough margln Lo make lL susLalnable. So lnsLead of bashlng our heads agalnsL Lhe wall and drlvlng
our company lnLo Lhe ground llke so many of our predecessors, we seL ouL Lo do someLhlng dlfferenL.
We recognlzed LhaL Lhere are mllllons of people already creaLlng conLenL onllne ln Lhese places and LhaL
all we had Lo do was engage Lhem wlLh user-frlendly Lechnology LhaL allows Lhem Lo share lL ln
compelllng ways. So we became a Lechnology company (Lhough thats [usL Lhe beglnnlng).

1he resulL? We had 70 [ournallsLs, and Lhelr work was generaLlng 300,000 lmpresslons per monLh on
Lhe LradlLlonal model. ln our second year we made Lhe plvoL Lo Lechnology provlslon, and down-slzed Lo
3 conLenL edlLors. ln less Lhan 8 monLhs, were generaLlng 68,000,000 lmpresslons per monLh. We
havent re-deflned news, buL weve dlscovered how hyper-local conLenL can and does drlve lnLeresL and
engagemenL.


We cerLalnly arent Lhere yeL, buL were beglnnlng Lo redeflne whaL news conLenL ls, how its collecLed,
dellvered and consumed. So yes agaln conLenL ls key for Lhe fuLure of news. 8uL lL ls noL klng, as its
ofLen shouLed Loday. ln Lhe new, dlglLal publlshlng world, Lhe plaLform owner LhaL undersLands whaL
people wanL and how Lhey engage ls klng, and wlll conLlnue Lo be as long as he or she ls never conLenL.

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
!ohan nel ls an experlenced and senlor medla, Lechnology and
markeLlng execuLlve.

Johans experlence as a founder and CLC of a an Afrlcan
Lechnology sLarLup and my exLenslve corporaLe career ln Lhe
dlglLal space helps fuel hls love for Lhe lndusLry and ablllLy Lo
ldenLlfy sLraLeglc gaps and execuLe.

Pe has held mulLlple roles LhroughouL hls career concelved,
launched and nurLured hls own award wlnnlng sLarL-up, whlch
ls now acLlve ln 9 Afrlcan counLrles.

Pe has also been a sLeward of Lhe commerclal dlvlslon of one of
Africas leadlng publlshers, managed sLraLegles for one of Lhe
worlds mosL lnnovaLlve dlglLal servlce provlslon agencles, and
currenLly also consulLs wlLh a conLlnenLal medla glanL on fuLure
dlglLal pro[ecLs.

lollow hlm on 1wlLLer:[!ohan12



-3*=$% <*+%;*%+ -8"2% (';
:(;32"
vlkA MlSAnL
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
When Lhe lnLerneL CorporaLlon for Asslgned names and numbers (lCAnn) resolved ln !une 2008 aL lLs
arls conference Lo open up Lhe lnLerneL and lnLroduce new namespaces (whaL we call top level
domains or TLDs), Lhe global lnLerneL and oLher lndusLrles Look keen noLlce.

ICANNs declslon Lrlggered furlous moves and lobbylng wlLhln Lhe domaln name lndusLry. noL everyone
supporLed lLs declslon: for some, 1Lus such as .com, .neL and .org were sLlll perfectly fine and Lhere
was no need for new namespaces. ?eL for oLhers, ICANNs declslon presenLed a unlque opporLunlLy for
promoLlng lnnovaLlon, enLrepreneurshlp, compeLlLlon and cholce.

lor some, Lhe opporLunlLy Lo acqulre new lnLerneL namespaces allowed Lhem Lo correcL Lhe wrongs of
Lhe pasL, and Lo properly poslLlon communlLles onllne ln more lnnovaLlve ways. lf youre ln Afrlca, Lhls
vlew Lends Lo hold sway because from Lhe lncepLlon of Lhe lnLerneL, Lhe acqulslLlon of valuable lnLerneL
domaln names ln generlc 1Lus such as .com and .neL was domlnaLed by Lhe developed world. Afrlca was
sLlll far behlnd aL Lhe Llme Lo undersLand Lhe value and lmporLance of domaln names.

WlLh lCAnn accepLlng appllcaLlons for new 1Lus ln early 2012, Lhe Afrlcan lnLerneL communlLy dld noL
wanL Lo be lefL behlnd. doLAfrlca (.afrlca) was seen as a crlLlcal namespace LhaL can help unlquely
ldenLlfy Afrlca onllne. Whats more clear was Lhe emphasls on havlng Lhe .afrlca domaln name operaLed
from Afrlca uslng Afrlcan Lechnology. 1hls would help send a clear message Lo Lhe resL of Lhe global
domaln name lndusLry: LhaL Afrlca has now moved from belng a consumer Lo an acLlve player ln Lhe
provlslon of crlLlcal domaln name lnfrasLrucLure on Lhe same par as any besL-of-class players.

1he enLry of Lhe Afrlcan unlon Commlsslon (AuC) was an lmporLanL drlver behlnd Lhe success of
doLAfrlca. 1he AuC provlded leadershlp and helped avold a repeLlLlon of havlng a unlque Afrlcan
lnLerneL ldenLlfler falllng ln Lhe hands of non-Afrlcan prlvaLe companles. 1he AuC made lL clear LhaL Lhe
.afrlca operaLor should be an Afrlcan enLlLy wlLh a sulLable Afrlcan Lechnology. Pence Lhe endorsemenL
of ZA CenLral 8eglsLry (ZAC8) by Lhe AuC en[oys Lhe greaLesL supporL of Lhe Afrlcan lnLerneL communlLy
as Lhe ZAC8 meeLs Lhls lmporLanL requlremenL.

1he subsequenL .afrlca appllcaLlon Lo lCAnn no doubL en[oyed Lhe lmporLanL pollLlcal supporL of mosL
Afrlcan governmenLs. ZAC8 had no problem meeLlng ICANNs requlremenL of havlng aL leasL 60 of
Afrlcan governmenLs supporLlng Lhe appllcaLlon. ln facL, more Lhan 40 Afrlcan governmenLs readlly
supporLed Lhe AuC-endorsed ZAC8 appllcaLlon.


1be wotlJs of tbe elJets Jo oot lock oll tbe Joots, tbey leove tbe tlqbt Joot
opeo.
"" 2ombloo ltovetb
.afrlca general avallablllLy seL for SepLember 2014
8uL Lhls ls noL Lhe only beneflL of Lhe AuC-endorsed doLAfrlca pro[ecL: Lhe commlLmenLs Lo use a
subsLanLlal percenLage of Lhe .afrlca funds Lo bulld Lhe Afrlcan reglsLrar communlLy, Lo supporL
Afrlcan counLry code 1Lus (cc1Lus) for example (LgypL), .ke (kenya), .ng (nlgerla), .zm (Zambla),
eLc. and Lo drlve Lhe growLh of Afrlcan dlglLal conLenL lndusLrles remaln a focal polnL.

.afrlca ls prlmed Lo leave a lasLlng legacy ln Lhe Afrlcan lnLerneL communlLy because of Lhese
commlLmenLs. 1he facL ZAC8 Lhe .afrlca operaLor ls a noL-for-proflL company and wlll Lherefore
run doLAfrlca on a cosL recovery basls means LhaL all surplus funds wlll be lnvesLed ln growlng Lhe
Afrlcan domaln name lndusLry.

Accordlngly, as 2014 dawns upon us, so do new unlque web addresses dawn upon us. 2014 ls Lhe
year we wlll sLarL Lo see such web addresses as vlslL.afrlca, klllman[aro.afrlca, and buslness.afrlca.
2014 ls Lhe year LhaL Afrlca flnally reallzes lLs dream of a slngle namespace LhaL all Afrlcan buslnesses
and people call really call our onllne home!

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
vlka Mplsane ls Lhe Ceneral Manager of Lhe ZA uomaln name
AuLhorlLy (ZAunA), Lhe counLry code 1op Level uomaln (cc1Lu)
Manager for SouLh Africas domaln - ZA. Pe has experlence ln
pollcy developmenL ln areas such as Lrade and lndusLry,
economlc pollcy, labour, educaLlon and lC1 developmenL.

Pe served ln Lhe 8oard of ulrecLors (Lxcom) of Afrlca 1op Level
uomalns (Af1Lu) - Lhe assoclaLlon of Afrlcan cc1Lus beLween
!une 2006 and !uly 2012. uurlng Lhls Llme, he served as AfTLDs
resldenL/Chalrman beLween Aprll 2009 and !uly 2012.

Pe played an lmporLanL role ln foundlng an Afrlcan lnLerneL
communlLy-supporLed and Afrlcan unlon Commlsslon-endorsed
.afrlca (doLAfrlca) appllcaLlon submlLLed Lo lCAnn by Lhe ZA
CenLral 8eglsLry (unllorum SA). vlka slnce Lhen become an ex-
offlclo member of Lhe .afrlca SLeerlng CommlLLee comprlsed of
Lhe AuC and represenLaLlves from Lhe Afrlcan lnLerneL
communlLy. Pe also helped secure Lhe endorsemenL of Lhe
ZAC8 by local auLhorlLles Lo apply Lo lCAnn for Lhe rlghL Lo
esLabllsh and operaLe .capeLown, .durban and .[oburg g1Lus.

ln 2009, he was elecLed lnLo Lhe lCAnn ccnSC councll, and
conLlnues as Lhe ccnSC councllor unLll 2013. ln Lhe councll, he
ls lnvolved ln lLs ccnSC MeeLlngs rogram Worklng Croup (WC)
and llnance WC, amongsL oLher sLrucLures.

Pls prevlous work experlence lncludes worklng as a ubllc
SecLor MarkeLlng Manager aL CorLell ConsulLlng (a buslness
sofLware consulLlng flrm ln SouLh Afrlca), runnlng hls own
consulLancy, worklng as a rogrammes ulrecLor of nLuLAC
(naLlonal Lconomlc uevelopmenL & Labour Councll) of SA, and
worklng as a 1ransformaLlon Cfflcer aL Lhe unlverslLy of
kwaZulu-naLal (ukZn) ln SA.

A former sLudenL acLlvlsL, vlka graduaLed wlLh a 8.roc degree
ln 1997 and LL8 (Ponours law degree) ln 1998 from Lhe
unlverslLy of kwaZulu-naLal.

lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [vlkaMplsane



<)!, >'$% 3* -+;%*=+5%*3*=
M',+C)'*($32+ -+"+%, C :
);3+32"$ >%?3%J
AMl8 kl?ALl
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
osL-confllcL envlronmenLs are faced wlLh slgnlflcanL challenges Lhus coordlnaLlon and approprlaLe
flow of lnformaLlon become paramounL as Lhe LransformaLlon Lo peace progresses. Successful use of
lC1s can acL as an enabler ln such clrcumsLances as well as supporLlng secondary roles such as naLlon
bulldlng and reconclllaLlon efforLs. SLraLeglc and opLlmal use of Lechnology ls crlLlcal, especlally ln
resource consLralned posL-confllcL scenarlos.

Powever, Lhere appears Lo be llLLle emphasls on Lhe use of lC1s for sLrengLhenlng posL-confllcL sLaLes
a slLuaLlon LhaL ls noneLheless changlng glven Lhe role of lC1s ln everyday llfe.

F=".=+"C

osL-confllcL scenarlos presenL a slgnlflcanL challenge for humanlLy. uecades of peace-bulldlng
experlence has shown LhaL Lhe developmenL of sLrong and represenLaLlve sLaLe lnsLlLuLlons are key Lo
ensurlng LhaL posL-confllcL scenarlos do noL reverL back Lo war. 1he role of lnformaLlon and
CommunlcaLlon 1echnologles (lC1s) ln Lhls process has noL yeL maLured, alLhough aL a granular level, Lhe
use of lC1s for admlnlsLraLlve and economlc ob[ecLlves wlLhln posL-confllcL counLrles has been well
researched. A knowledge gap exlsLs however ln uLlllsaLlon of lC1s for pollLlcal, [udlclal and securlLy
purposes as parL of Lhe peace bulldlng process.

!$" H"/#" 23+'<+%( H.&#"44

An lmmedlaLe Lask ln posL-confllcL scenarlos ls Lhe developmenL of an operaLlonal sLaLe, so called Lask of
peace bulldlng. 1hls approach places an emphasls on well-funcLlonlng and leglLlmaLe sLaLe lnsLlLuLlons,
Lhus reduclng Lhe rlsk of renewed flghLlng ln posL-confllcL conLexL.

1hls ls crlLlcal as scholars noLe LhaL approxlmaLely 33 of posL-confllcL counLrles Lend Lo reverL back Lo
war wlLhln a flve-year perlod.

uurlng Lhls crlLlcal phase, Lhe adequaLe funcLlonlng of Lhe key roles of Lhe sLaLe become slgnlflcanL
amongsL Lhem lnsLlLuLlons of law and order (naLlonal pollce), organs of sLaLe relaLed Lo declslon-maklng
(parllamenL) and mechanlsms Lo fosLer economlc recovery and developlng of crlLlcal lnfrasLrucLure.

Successful peace bulldlng ls accompanled by provlslon of servlces, whlle creaLlng a plaLform for Lhe
populaLlon Lo communlcaLe wlLh Lhe organs of power.


1o eoqoqe lo coofllct, ooe Joes oot btloq o kolfe tbot cots bot o oeeJle tbot
sews.
"" Aftlcoo ltovetb
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
1hls for example can occur Lhrough dlrecL communlcaLlon beLween prevlous belllgerenLs as well as
govermenLal engagemenL wlLh Lhe populace creaLlng Lhe space for people Lo resolve confllcLs non-
vlolenLly.

noLe Lhe key emphasls above on sLraLegy, lnsLlLuLlon bulldlng and coordlnaLlon of all acLors LhaL are
lnvolved ln Lhe posL-confllcL scenarlo. 1hls alms Lo mlnlmlse whaL are commonly clLed as leadlng causes
of fallure ln peace bulldlng, chlefly:

Slmpllfled analysls of a confllcL,

oor plannlng and lack of coordlnaLlon,

A rush Lowards elecLlons and democraLlsaLlon,

Lack of local volces formlng an lnpuL lnLo Lhe peace bulldlng process, and

vlolenL response as a means Lo lmpose peace ln posL-confllcL scenarlos.

1o mlnlmlse rlsk of fallure ln peace bulldlng, pracLlLloners are lncreaslngly Lurnlng Lowards developlng
sLandardlsed models and meLhodologles Lo help acceleraLe Lhe peace bulldlng process predeLermlnlng
Lhe crlLlcallLy and prlorlLy of acLlvlLles LhaL should occur ln such conLexLs.

H.+&.+1+4/1+&% +% / 0&97'"O I%=+.&%9"%1

no slngle model exlsLs as Lo whaL ls crlLlcal and should be prlorlLlsed ln a posL-confllcL counLry, glven Lhe
unlque naLure of human confllcL ln Lerms of pollLlcal, hlsLorlcal and oLher clrcumsLances LhaL exlsL ln a
glven warrlng conLexL. Clven Lhls reallLy, peace bulldlng pracLlLloners have developed a number of
frameworks LhaL seek Lo address Lhls quesLlon.

ln 2002, Lhe CenLer for SLraLeglc and lnLernaLlonal SLudles (CSlS) ln collaboraLlon wlLh Lhe AssoclaLlon of
Lhe unlLed SLaLes Army (AuSA), developed a framework LhaL conslsLed of four plllars of peace bulldlng,
namely securlLy, [usLlce and reconclllaLlon, soclal and economlc well-belng as well as governance and
parLlclpaLlon. 1hese are furLher deflned as:


, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
CSlS/AuSA osL ConfllcL lramework
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Chanl, LockharL and Carnhans research on peace bulldlng ln 2003, emanaLlng from Lhe AfghanlsLan
experlence, ylelded Len core funcLlons of a sLaLe:

1. LeglLlmaLe monopoly on Lhe means of vlolence,

2. AdmlnlsLraLlve conLrol over lLs LerrlLory,
3. ManagemenL of publlc flnances,

4. lnvesLmenL ln human caplLal, lncludlng educaLlon and skllls developmenL,

3. uellneaLlon of clLlzenshlp rlghLs and duLles Lowards equallLy for all,

6. rovlslon of lnfrasLrucLure servlces, lncludlng LransporLaLlon, waLer and power,

7. lormaLlon and proLecLlon of Lhe markeL,

8. ManagemenL of Lhe asseLs of Lhe sLaLe, lncludlng envlronmenLal, mlneral, culLural and oLher
naLlonal asseLs,

9. AuLhorlLy over lnLernaLlonal relaLlons, lncludlng auLhorlLy Lo enLer lnLo LreaLles and borrow
from lnLernaLlonal markeL,

10. LffecLlve rule of law.

Chanl eL als llsL of funcLlons ls shaped from a soverelgnLy perspecLlve, almlng Lo creaLe an lndependenL
and funcLlonlng sLaLe, whlle Lhe CSlS/AuSA model ls vlewed Lowards reconsLrucLlon and developmenL.
AmmlLzboll & 8lalr aLLempLed ln 2011 Lo consolldaLe Lhese frameworks and concluded on flve
funcLlonal domalns, namely: securlLy, pollLlcal, economlc, admlnlsLraLlve and [udlclal.

1he securlLy componenL lncludes leglLlmaLe monopoly over vlolence, relnLegraLlon of ex-combaLanLs
lnLo Lhe populaLlon and oLher securlLy relaLed acLlvlLles. 1he funcLlon of consLlLuLlon bulldlng and
organlslng elecLlons falls under Lhe domaln of political whlle publlc flnances and markeL creaLlon ls
housed wlLhln Lhe economlc domaln. 1he admlnlsLraLlve domaln lncludes Lhe core funcLlon of
lnfrasLrucLure and human caplLal managemenL amongsL oLhers whlle lasLly, Lhe [udlclal funcLlon,
conslders Lhe rule of law and reconclllaLlon. ln Lhelr framework, Lhe auLhors augmenL Lhelr model wlLh
prlorlLles, whlch ls deplcLed below:

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
1he generlc model above hlghllghLs Lhe prlorlLy of each core sLaLe funcLlon aL a speclflc polnL ln Lhe
peacebulldlng process wlLhln Lhe posL-confllcL conLexL. 8earlng ln mlnd LhaL each conLexL ls unlque, Lhe
above are Lhe necessary funcLlons. lf operaLlonal Lo a cerLaln degree, Lhese funcLlons could slgnlflcanLly
reduce Lhe rlsk of a posL-confllcL naLlon reLurnlng Lo war.

1he prlorlLlsed maLrlx of core funcLlons, per flgure 1 above, can be seen as Lhe key business funcLlons
of a sLaLe. 1hese funcLlons can be enabled by lC1s and harmonlsed Lhrough approprlaLe frameworks ln
order Lo ensure allgnmenL across organlsaLlonal funcLlons, lC1s and supporLlng pollcles and procedures.

1hese however requlre orlenLaLlon Lo naLlonal prlorlLles, whlch ln posL-confllcL conLexLs, Lend Lo be a
heavlly conLesLed by former belllgerenLs as well as lnLernaLlonal agencles, governmenLs and oLher
acLors.




, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
A0!4 /%< H"/#" 23+'<+%(

Clven our lncreaslngly Lechnologlcal and lnLerconnecLed world, lC1 permeaLes every faceL of human llfe
and Lhus also ln conLexLs where a populaLlon has [usL undergone Lhe Lrauma of confllcL, and where Lhe
resumpLlon of a normal llfe ls paramounL.

1he role LhaL lC1s can play ln Lhls process has gradually emerged over Lhe lasL decade, wlLh Lhe
lmporLance of lC1s ln lnLernaLlonal developmenL galnlng LracLlon slnce Lhe lnlLlal World SummlL on
lnformaLlon SocleLy LhaL was held ln Ceneva ln 2003. 1hls process occurred ln parallel Lo Lhe ever-
lncreaslng use of lC1s ln publlc admlnlsLraLlon and developmenL of e-Covernance as a mode of servlce
dellvery Lo Lhe publlc.

arallel Lo pollLlcal processes and reconsLrucLlon acLlvlLles, fosLerlng a common space for reconclllaLlon
as well as bl-dlrecLlonal governmenL and clLlzen engagemenL becomes paramounL and wlll enable
naLlon bulldlng Lo occur ln a more parLlclpaLory way. A pro[ecL ln Llberla for example, successfully
developed and deployed a vldeo sharlng unlL LhaL was used by LhaL countrys 1ruLh and 8econclllaLlon
Commlsslon Lo furLher heal Lhe naLlon.

:NA* 26) ()4)6200D 43+ B6'36'+'*); 2*
B26+ 35 +>) B)21) /.'0;'4( B631)**8 :4
B3*+I13450'1+ *1)426'3*= +>) 531.* 35
+>) *+2+) +)4;* +3 /) 34 '4562*+6.1+.620
B63O)1+*=

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
1he rlse of moblle money on Lhe Afrlcan conLlnenL has enabled Lens of mllllons of people access Lo
banklng servlces LhaL were hlLherLo lnaccesslble Lo Lhem. Moblle money can faclllLaLe dlrecL paymenLs
Lo clvll servanLs, reduclng corrupLlon Lhls has been successfully plloLed ln AfghanlsLan, wlLh pollce
offlcers regalnlng up Lo 30 of Lhelr salary LhaL had been prevlously slphoned off. Slmllar levels of
success were achleved ln Lhe uemocraLlc 8epubllc of Congo.

1he sLraLeglc role of lC1s ln Lhls conLexL ls however noL well undersLood. lC1s are generally noL
prlorlLlsed as parL of Lhe peacebulldlng process. ln posL-confllcL scenarlos, Lhe focus of Lhe sLaLe Lends Lo
be on lnfrasLrucLural pro[ecLs, wlLh no framework Lo make any lnvesLmenL declslon and Lrack lC1-
relaLed reconsLrucLlon and developmenL process.

Measurlng Lhe lmpacL of ICTs ln such conLexL ls also challenglng, wlLh no generally accepLed monlLorlng
and evaluaLlon framework on Lhe connecLlon beLween lC1 and peacebulldlng ln exlsLence. 1here are
addlLlonal dlfflculLles faced ln lC1 programs LhaL supporL peacebulldlng, wlLh lssues such as: lack of
clear mapplng of respondlng sLakeholder organizations roles and responslblllLles[ln addlLlon] program
developmenL, pro[ecL coordlnaLlon, lnformaLlon sharlng and lC1 lmplemenLaLlon are largely
uncoordlnaLed and non-sLandard acLlvlLles. no agreed-upon archlLecLure or plan ls ln place for posL-
confllcL nations lC1 reconsLrucLlon.

SupranaLlonal supporL for lC1 plannlng ls already ln place on Lhe Afrlcan conLlnenL. 1he UNs Lconomlc
Commlsslon for Afrlca developed an Afrlcan cenLrlc lC1 framework, enLlLled naLlonal lnformaLlon and
CommunlcaLlon lnfrasLrucLure (nlCl). 1he framework focuses on Lhe followlng:

1. CpLlmlsed use of lC1s ln lmplemenLlng naLlonal soclo-economlc agendas, provlslon of beLLer
and more efflclenL servlce dellvery and poverLy reducLlon,

2. ulverslfled economlc acLlvlLy LhaL slgnlflcanLly lncorporaLes Lhe knowledge economy,

3. LsLabllshed and sLablllsed leglslaLlve and regulaLory frameworks,

4. Common and shared lC1 lnfrasLrucLure across Lhe conLlnenL, and

3. 1he democraLlsaLlon of Lhe lC1 pollcy process LhaL lncorporaLes all sLakeholders.

1he flve ob[ecLlves above allgn well wlLh Lhe peace bulldlng frameworks explored earller ln Lhls chapLer.

1hese have however noL been Lransformed for use ln Lhe posL-confllcL conLexL. no consensus exlsLs on
reasons for Lhls, alLhough lL may be due Lo lnherenL lnsLablllLy ln posL-confllcL counLrles and dlfflculLles
ln lmplemenLlng Lhe requlred lC1s ln order Lo have wlder lC1 lmpacL ln naLlons emerglng from war.


, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
8esearch wlLhln academla, focused on Lhe nexus of lC1s and peace bulldlng, ls also nascenL, wlLh a
ma[orlLy of research focused aL naLlonal & reglonal levels, wlLh very llLLle focus aL Lhe local level. ln
addlLlon, mosL of Lhe research on Lhe Afrlcan lC1 and peace bulldlng research Lends Lo be led and
concluded on by non-Afrlcans.

Cnly 3 of publlcaLlons ln Lhe pasL decade LhaL focused on lC1s and peace bulldlng uLlllsed a deslgn
sclence approach. Clven Lhe speclflc conLexL of posL confllcL scenarlos, lL ls paramounL Lo underLake
speclflc research Lo develop arLefacLs LhaL are besL sulLed Lo counLrles emerglng from confllcL. 8esearch
rooLed ln deslgn sclence Lend Lo have a hlgher llkellhood, ceLerls parlbus, Lo lead Lo useful and pracLlcal
ouLcomes for Lhe lnLended end-users when compared Lo oLher research meLhods.

D/) @&.C/.<

lL ls evldenL LhaL Lhe use of lC1s up Lo now have been focussed around buslness and admlnlsLraLlve
purposes. WlLhln Lhe peacebulldlng domaln, Lhere ls slgnlflcanL unLapped poLenLlal for Lhe role of lC1
wlLhln Lhe [udlclal, pollLlcal and securlLy processes, Lhe speclflcs of whlch requlres slgnlflcanL furLher
research. An emerglng poslLlve Lrend ls Lhe publlcaLlon of lC1 relaLed research ln pollLlcal [ournals and
conferences, whlle Lhe lC1 world ls becomlng more cognlsanL of lnLernaLlonal pollLlcs and developmenL.

1hls wlll naLurally brlng LogeLher Lhe Lwo academlc areas of lnLeresL and help brldge lnLellecLual gaps ln
knowledge LhaL wlll ulLlmaLely resulL ln beLLer LheoreLlcal and pracLlcal ouLcomes for boLh flelds.

8esearch LhaL ls focussed on LheoreLlcal and pracLlcal recommendaLlons on plannlng, acqulrlng,
developlng and monlLorlng lC1 pro[ecLs ln confllcL sLress zones would slgnlflcanLly boosL Lhe poLenLlal
beneflL LhaL lC1s can brlng Lo Lhe peace bulldlng process. 1hls ls especlally so as confllcL sLressed zones
lack slgnlflcanL human plannlng and coordlnaLlon capaclLy and requlre bootstrapped opLlons Lo qulckly
emerge from Lhelr posL-confllcL conLexLs.

CrlLlcally, Lhere ls Lhe lack of research aL local level as well as a percelved lack of lnvolvemenL from
researchers and pracLlLloners from Lhe posL-confllcL counLry or reglon. 1he Lwo comblned slgnlflcanLly
hamper Lhe local and hlsLorlcal human / culLural conLexLs LhaL can lmpede Lhe developmenL of lC1s LhaL
wlll have a hlgher probablllLy of success ln Lhe unlque seLLlngs of posL-confllcL counLrles.

More locallsed research, comblned wlLh hlgher levels of collaboraLlon beLween Northern and
Southern lnsLlLuLlons, as well as South-South cooperaLlon could slgnlflcanLly reduce Lhe above noLed
lssues.
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Amlr klyael ls Lhe ulrecLor of lCu Croup SouLh Afrlca

WlLh over 10 years of experlence ln Lhe fleld of l1 Covernance,
Amlr has provlded consulLlng and audlLlng servlces Lo publlc
and prlvaLe secLor cllenLs across mulLlple lndusLrles.

Amlr has had cllenL experlence ln 8oLswana, lrance, Cermany,
Pong kong, lLaly, Mexlco, nlgerla, Slngapore, SouLh Afrlca, uk
and uSA.

Pls maln area of lnLeresL ls Lhe appllcaLlon of lnformaLlon
1echnology Lo uevelopmenL.

Pe holds a 8achelor degree ln lnformaLlon SysLems and ls
currenLly readlng for a Masters degree focused on lC1s and
eace bulldlng aL Lhe unlverslLy of Cape 1own.

Pe ls fluenL ln Lngllsh and larsl, and conversaLlonal ln Afrlkaans.


lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [Amlrklyael



>%($%2+3'* '* !%25*'$'=9
!A? CCuSlnS
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
Afrlca's greaLesL asseLs are already developed. 1hey are 1echnologles we once possessed ln Lhe
WesL, buL have forgoLLen how Lo use.

1echnology ls a Lool applled Lo achleve a resulL. lf we are wlllng Lo apply Lhls Lhlnklng Lo vlrLual, and
hyslcal, why noL Lo our own lnLellecLual and emoLlonal sLaLes? Why are we consLanLly ln pursulL of
recreaLlng ourselves poorly Lrylng Lo creaLe Lhe perfecL PumanlLy mechanlcally, fleelng ourselves
ln Lhe process and falllng Lo look aL or admlre our own capablllLles.

Man ls Lechnology, as ls every creaLure, planL and Lhlng LhaL repllcaLes lLself on Lhe planeL. We are a
form of Lechnology used by Cenes Lo conLlnue Lhelr exlsLence.

1echnology ls noL always used consclously and lL can unconsclously affecL Lhe user. We evolve
LogeLher, we shape our Lools and ln Lurn Lhey shape us and how we llve. We sLarLed Lo neglecL Lhe
developmenL of Lhe Self, ln favour of Lhe shaplng of our envlronmenL our LxLernal 1echnologles.

As our Lechnology developed, we began Lo adapL ourselves Lo Lhe LnvlronmenLs we creaLed. We losL
our fur, we shrank, our soclal and emoLlonal behavlours shlfLed from nomadlc Lo SedenLary
llfesLyles. 1he Lools wlLh wlLh we surrounded ourselves, affecLed our mlnds, our approaches and our
meLaphors of exlsLence conslder Lhe language we use, how many of our Lerms relaLe Lo War, how
many of our meLaphors of socleLy are based on lacLorles and lndusLrlallsed processes.

ldeas and Lools whlch were readlly avallable Lo our lmaglnaLlons, were more llkely Lo grow, Lo evolve
and Lo be adapLed lnLo our nexL polnL of muLual growLh and developmenL. 8uses, 1ralns and Cars
are based noL on human dlmenslons, buL on Lhe wldLh of 2 horses arses. 1hls ls due Lo Porse and
Carrlages belng our base polnL of lmaglnaLlon aL LhaL polnL ln hlsLory wlLh respecL Lo LransporL. Larly
compuLers llkewlse clearly derlve Lhelr lnLerfaces from our esLabllshed relaLlonshlps wlLh LypewrlLer
and Lelevlslons. 1he lnherlLed ldeas of LxLernallsed 1echnology, and lL's forms was more prevalenL ln
Lhe deslgn conslderaLlons of such ob[ecLs Lhan Puman ConslderaLlons.



Mooy nooJs Moke llqbt wotk
"" noyo ltovetb
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
When l Lhlnk of Lechnology l Lhlnk very broad, l would argue Language ls a Lechnology, ldeas,
sysLems, buslness sLrucLures, processes. All are 1echnologles. AL some polnL we began Lo accepL
Lhem as sLandards, we ceased Lo quesLlon Lhelr effecLlveness wlLh respecL Lo how Lhey really
enhance our llves and allow us Lo be beLLer humans capable of passlng on our Cenes.

We are sLarLlng Lo fall ln our own funcLlon. ln !apan some youLh are dlslnLeresLed ln Sex, Lhey lack
Lhe deslre Lo reproduce.

;+4#&%%"#1"<

Many of us have forgoLLen how Lo repalr, malnLaln and lmprove ourselves. We are dependanL on and
ulsconnecLed by Lhe LxLernallsed 1echnologles we use Lo SusLaln us, wheLher hyslcally, MenLally,
SplrlLually or LmoLlonally. Cn Lop of Lhe hardware LhaL we ourselves possess, we each have our own
CperaLlng SysLems, comprlsed of dlfferenL scrlpLs and sLorles. 8ehavlours, and soclal adapLaLlons.

We have creaLed layer upon layer of sLorles and relaLlonshlps. 1he more scrlpLs we wroLe Lhe more
8ugs we added Lo our sysLems.

We seek Lo slmpllfy our llves, yeL we sLrlve Lo achleve Lhls by lncreaslngly complex soluLlons.

We seek Lo use Lechnology Lo reconnecL us wlLh each oLher, furLher dlsconnecLlng us ln Lhe process.
Many of us are lncapable of Lhlnklng ouLslde of Lhese frameworks. We approach a problem wlLh a
Lechnologlcal soluLlon ln mlnd. We Lhlnk How can l solve Lhls wlLh an App? raLher Lhan How can l
solve this?. We musL address problems, sLarLlng wlLh Lhe problem, noL wlLh Lhe soluLlon. !usL
because an LxLernal 1echnology ls menLally more avallable because lL's sexy Lhls year does noL
make lL Lhe 8esL SoluLlon.

Why do we exLernallse so many of Lhe funcLlons we naLurally possess Lo Lechnology? Why can we
noL percelve ourselves as Lhe basls for our progress?

We have a very bad sLory for ourselves, one where we percelve manklnd as negaLlve, needlng Lo be
conLrolled, Lo proLecL ourselves from Lhe others.

Cur sLorles of Lhe fuLure are no beLLer, Armageddon, LnvlronmenLal uesLrucLlon, Lconomlc Collapse,
Lake your plck. 1hese sLorles comprlse elemenLs of our CperaLlng SysLem. ScrlpLs runnlng ln Lhe
background affecLlng our developmenL and lnLeracLlon wlLh each oLher and Lhe world around us.

Many of Lhese scrlpLs are compeLlng boLh lnLernally on a Puman Scale, and repllcaLlng llke vlruses
on a Soclal Scale. ConsLanLly lnLerferlng wlLh one anoLher, someLlmes lnLenLlonally, buL more ofLen
Lhan noL due Lo 8ugs and llaws, heredlLary lssues based on long dead and unnecessary soclal
consLrucLs.



nublan Museum ln Aswan, LgypL
- lmage CredlL: vyacheslav Argenberg / lllckr CC by 2.0
!/'8+%( 1& &%" /%&1$".

Worklng ln a communlLy LhaL sLlll has a sLrong relaLlonshlp wlLh Lhls Soclal 1ool, has asLonlshed me
wlLh lL's effecLlveness. lL also helps Lo reLaln sLrong soclal bonds, sLrengLhenlng Lhe neLwork and lL's
connecLlons. lncreaslng lL's reslllence.

Many funcLlons run on Lhls laLform, when used effecLlvely. lL ls furLher enabled by Moblle hones.
WlLhln a communlLy where 1alklng Lo Lach CLher ls applled, Lhen Lhe neLwork spreads Lhe
knowledge and ampllfles whaL ls lmporLanL, Lhe sLorles below are 2 examples of Lhls.

When l flrsL arrlved ln Lhe nublan vlllage, l sLarLed Lo Lry maklng op op 8oaLs - a small candle
powered boaL, made from recycled maLerlals. AfLer Lhe flrsL boaL worked l showed some locals, and
Lhe klds aL Lhe School.

1 Week laLer, l was buylng some more candles for a new boaL. l seL Lhe moLor down on Lhe counLer.
1he guy ln Lhe shop smlled, sald op op and pulled ouL a dlagram he'd drawn hlmself.

l drew no dlagrams ln my explanaLlon (whlch was [usL a demonsLraLlon of Lhe boaL), Lhls was Lhe
resulL of vlllage conversaLlons.




, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139

ln a communlLy wlLh sLrong connecLlons, exclLlng knowledge Lravels fasL. lacebook shares could
only dream of Lhls level of connecLlvlLy and knowledge Lransfer. 8ased on a llghLwelghL CS, wlLh an
Cpen Al sharlng effecLlve Lechnology soluLlons wlLhln Lhe communlLy requlres llLLle more Lhan
showlng and lnsplrlng.

ln anoLher lnsLance as we were walklng home, a Cuy approached wlLh hls phone. Cn Lhe oLher end
was my frlend. Pe Lold me, someone else had lefL some llghLbulbs aL my house for hlm. 1hese
houses were 100m aparL. l reallsed l was wlLnesslng Lhe lasL 100m of a neLworked uellvery SysLem,
Lhe bulbs purchased ln Aswan, Lransferred beLween frlends, uslng houses as collecLlon polnLs, unLll
Lhey edged ever closer Lo Lhe one who needed Lhem. l'd prevlously wondered how l saw llLLle work
followed by bursLs of energy and effecLlveness.

Sharlng where your golng, whaL your dolng, whaL you need, all conversaLlons LhaL make lL easler for
us Lo geL done whaL needs Lo be done LogeLher.

l'm noL saylng Lhe above scenarlos happen all over Afrlca, buL l suspecL Lhey sLlll do especlally ln
areas where ulglLal 1echnology ls noL yeL pervaslve. ln Lhese areas Lhere are challenges and genulne
needs Lo be addressed. 8uL Lhere ls a sLrong operaLlng sysLem LhaL should noL be lgnored. lL
possesses 8ugs llke any oLher sysLem, buL lL does noL possess so many layers of SysLemlc
ComplexlLy and 1echnologlcal ulsconnecLlon. lL represenLs a space Lo explore how we can creaLe
meanlngful sysLems, and how we can use 1echnologlcal uevelopmenL upon a flrm foundaLlon of
communlLy Lo advance socleLy ln a way LhaL susLalns us.

1he quesLlon for me ls how can we learn from and repllcaLe such behavlours ln Lhe WesL? Cur
culLure ls falllng us because of Lhe level of ulsconnecLlon and uependancy we have creaLed. We
musL llsLen, learn and LranslaLe. 1o explore how we can rebulld Lhe base foundaLlon of communlLy
requlred for a well funcLlonlng sysLem.


A207'4( +3 34) 243+>)6= '* 2;9'++);0D
2 033*) '4+)6B6)+2+'34 35 A)1>4303(D=

, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
When we Lruly communlcaLe on a Puman scale, we are far more effecLlve Lhan any LxLernallsed
1echnology ls presenLly capable of. We have hacked LexL Lo convey emoLlons vla Lhe LmoLlcon ,),
buL Lhls ls noL nearly as effecLlve as Speech and AcLlon ln erson.

LxLernallsed 1echnology has lL's uses, buL we should flrsL look Lo ourselves, and whaL resources a
socleLy/communlLy has access Lo before reachlng for Lhe App, Lhe Laser CuLLer and Lhe SmarL
hone.

We are capable of powerful adapLaLlons and problem solvlng capablllLles. We are Lhe ulLlmaLe
Machine - we can reproduce ourselves, adapL our envlronmenL, creaLe Lools and oLher machlnes.
We are Lhe ulLlmaLe ulsLrlbuLed Lechnology, buL we neglecL Lo use ourselves effecLlvely.

8ural Afrlca, and oLher parLs of Lhe world where communlLy ls sLrong aL Lhe base has much Lo Leach
us. 1here are many soclal skllls as well as a beLLer undersLandlng of how Lo engage wlLh Lhe hyslcal
World, Lo shape lL and use whaL ls avallable effecLlvely and wlLhouL wasLe. We have much Lo learn.

LeL's Lake care noL Lo desLroy whaL funcLlons already as we sLrlve for Lhe new. LeL us Lake care noL
Lo leL Shlny new Cb[ecLs and concepLs cloud our ablllLy Lo see whaL ls already here and worklng. LeL
us lnsLead use Lhese Puman Scale foundaLlons Lo lnLroduce LxLernallsed 1echnologles LhaL are flL for
purpose and envlronmenL.

uon'L copy Lhe WesL, our bugs, our flaws and our falllng soclal sysLems, lnsLead leLs work LogeLher
Lo explore how we can bulld 1echnology LhaL serves us on a Puman scale, and uses whaL sLrengLhs
we already possess Lo full effecL.

1hls for me ls Lhe opporLunlLy Afrlca represenLs. A chance Lo learn LogeLher, Lo exchange and Lo
MuLually uevelop means Lo susLaln ourselves ln a way whlch serves our Puman needs and uses our
Puman capablllLles.

We all have Lhe 1echnology already, we [usL have Lo use lL effecLlvely.
, -./0'12+'34 35 '256'7248139
!ay Couslns works ln LgypL wlLh local communlLles Lo explore
how Lhey can Lo lmprove Lhelr llves and solve local and global
challenges uslng locally avallable resources.


lollow hlm on 1wlLLer: [!ayCouslns