Innovation Gaining Momentum in Africa

How has the innovation landscape evolved in Africa?

Like many other developments in Africa, the continent’s innovation landscape is gaining
momentum and sophistication. Governments and private sector players are increasingly
invested in strengthening these innovation ecosystems with the aim of supporting local
innovators and startups, as well as attracting foreign investors. Kenya, Nigeria and South
Africa are leading these trends, and I’ve been well and truly impressed with the infrastructure
these countries have put in place to drive innovation-led growth.

What I find most interesting is to see various models of innovation ecosystems developing
across the continent. In countries with stronger ICT infrastructure such as South Africa and
Kenya, innovation hubs are being driven by technology and are home to the continent’s
brightest tech startups and innovators. In countries like Nigeria, there is a trend towards
social innovation, with ecosystems such as FocusHub and CCHub home to the country’s
aspiring social entrepreneurs and change makers.

In Angola too, developments are unfolding to fuel innovation-led growth. I’m working with
the public sector to build the country’s first hybrid innovation hub, Fábrica de Sabão (the Soap
Factory), which will function as an incubator and accelerator hub, co-working space, maker
space, a cultural exchange platform, local radio station and a residence program for visiting
mentors and artists. Being built in the heart of the country’s biggest slum, the Soap Factory
is a model designed to include marginalized communities in Angola through fostering
innovation-led education, creativity and entrepreneurship amongst all sects of Angolans.

How can we develop a more innovative climate for the youth across the continent?
One thing that I’ve observed over the years through the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) is
the continent’s remarkable innovation potential. Africans are natural-born innovators,
especially when it comes to needs-based innovation. There is no shortage of great ideas but
there is a lack of know-how. Africa’s large youth population needs a lot of support in terms of
capacity building in order to enable them to access new job markets that innovation
economies are creating in today’s technology-led day and age. Right now, however, an
alarming number of youth are engaged in some form of self-employment or “vulnerable”
employment, such as subsistence farming or urban street hawking.

This is why I was convinced to build the Soap Factory in the heart of an Angolan slum, home
to some 800,000 people and with a population density of 23,000 people per square kilometer.
These are amongst the most creative, innovative and enterprising segments of society, they
are driven to create out of necessity to carve out a living. What they lack however are
opportunities and nurturing environments to give them scale, sustainability and know-how.
The Soap Factory model is designed to develop a nation’s innovation ecosystem and leapfrog
education challenges with the common goal of driving socio-economic inclusion and growth.
The aim is to narrow the gap between the formal and informal economies. Once this pilot
initiative takes off, I hope to replicate it across other parts of Africa.

Let’s talk about technology now, how do you think innovation has added value to the ICT
sector in Africa?
The rate at which technology and innovation are driving a new breed of African entrepreneurs
is nothing short of impressive. The continent’s mobile penetration rates is on the rise and
governments are taking great strides to improve infrastructure with transformative
implications for young entrepreneurs and startups.

The Mobile Economy report by GSMA estimates that 386 million unique mobile subscribers
were located in Sub-Saharan Africa at the end of 2015, up from 348 million in 2014. Mobile
penetration rates in several Sub-Saharan countries have reached almost 80% due to cheaper
access. Africans are inventing news ways to use mobile technology that the developed world
has never imagined. Innovation is transforming the role of ICT sectors such as healthcare,
education and transport, while revitalizing traditional industries such as agriculture and
fisheries.

As a founder of AIF, what advice would you give to young innovators and entrepreneurs?
The time for Africa has come. The global spotlight is now on the enormous economic potential
that Africa has to offer. There is money and opportunity in Africa, and this is the time to take
advantage of it. Although oil prices will continue to remain low for some years to come, this
isn’t a permanent impediment. In many countries across Africa, governments are stepping up
efforts to ramp up economic diversification and job creation. The private sector and the
diaspora too are increasingly involved in supporting African innovators and entrepreneurs
through funding and knowledge transfer. I would encourage these young innovators to look
at the needs in their community and to push the envelope in developing African solutions for
African challenges.

Source: Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais