How do you learn about Africa(ns)? A Website? Newspapers? or maybe purchasing a few books on Amazon. This question was posed by a participant at the BarCampAfrica meet up. This question may seem to be borderline trivial, but when put in context, it is important. It ranks high up there among the other important issues that were discussed. However, the answer from the audience and the panel left more to be desired. I have chosen to ask the same question all over again. Where/How do individuals with an interest in the frontier markets and development issues in Africa, start such an inquest?
It is common knowledge that one can not learn about Africa from afar. The context of living in Africa is starkly different from any other place in the world which makes it impossible to gain deep insight into African and African affairs without setting foot on the continent. I guess this is why the lady who asked the question was almost dismissed. This also implies that anywhere one seeks to learn about Africa other than on the continent herself will most likely not make be inadequate. Such an individual would still remain prone to making some glaring mistakes about the continent. I may not be able to point you in the direction of a one stop shop where Africa can be learned, I intend to share one of the many follies to be avoided during the search.
Africa Is Still A Country?
It is clear to many that Africa comprises of many countries and that Zambia, Ghana and Tunisia have separate sovereign governments. Not many have been able to make the leap in thinking about Africa like Mexico, Canada and the USA, and believe me the difference between some African countries are that stark. For me immigrating to Cote D’Ivoire from Nigeria presented me with more cultural shock than moving from Tunis to Chicago. The shock was more pronounced because Cote D’Ivoire was an African country with functioning institutions in the 90’s. A smooth running African economy was a shock to me, coming from a Nigeria which was then governed by the military. I experienced an expectation shock like none I had ever experienced before. Keep in mind that CIV is less than a two hour plane ride from Lagos. Trust me there is a point to this winding explanation, hang in here with me.
Using the adoption of the GPS and mapping technology as an example to drive my home my main point. Lets say a google maps decides to map Africa. It does not take too much of a leap to expect that a business which delivers driving directions will be built upon such an infrastructure. However my prediction is that in a country like Nigeria this business may be unsuccessful, but in Cote d’Ivoire a healthy business may develop. Nigeria does not possess adequate road signs while Cote d’Ivore does. No one needs instruction to turn left on East Main street when all the streets stand an equal chance of being East Main Street. In order to make this technology meaningful in a country like Nigeria the same entrepreneur or a friend of his or a friend of his who is close to the minister of Works and Roadway development will have to start up by making road signs. Keep in mind Lagos is a two hour plane ride from Abidjan.
Does that mean that we ought not to map African countries? No. This means that upon mapping Africa, the uses of such a platform will differ from country to country. I know that data and maps will be immensely useful to cocoa farmer in Nigeria. A lot of them keep getting ripped by the asymmetric informational structure that is built into their market.
There are many more examples like this scattered across Africa some of them obvious yet others less glaring. The cultural and attitudinal difference are even more challenging and may pose to be more challenging to entrepreneurs peering into Africa from abroad. (this also an argument for Africans in diaspora to act as brokers). In conclusion, an individual aspiring to ‘know’ Africa is faced with slew of challenges allof which have to be taken on simultaneously. Not only would one have to figure out the adaptation of existing technology to suit the African realities, the additional layer of differences on a country by country basis. I would advise entrepreneurs to circumvent the second challenge by focusing on one country at a time. So that rather than ask, where does one go to learn about Africa? The question is rephrased as, where does one go to learn about Ghana? Fortunately the markets in many African countries are deep enough to support most enterprises.
United by The Challenges Or..
All frontier markets are not created equal. In the not too distant past, 80’s and 90’s, the instability in African countries and natural disasters on the continent resulted in the underlying poverty in African countries being very similar. The hardship was pretty homogeneous, since hunger is hunger no matter where you are in the world. However as some economies become more robust and the level of success of individual economies vary substantially. The map of economic and political reform is becoming a more complex patchwork. So also have the challenges become more varied. More than ever before effective solutions to the challenges will have to become more refined and complex. While it may seem obvious that Africa is mash-up of many countries, we still find policy makers making sweeping statements that end up being a disservice to individual African countries.
So, where do I go to learn more about Africa. I say start from Wikipedia, okay that was a joke. As of today I do not know of an adequate platform where one could quickly, accurately an concisely learn about Africa. However if you asked me where do I go to learn about ____ (insert name of country). This becomes less logistically challenging and you may get decent answers.
If you insist on getting pointers from me check out Chris’s book collection here and here. The Afrigadget blog could also provide you with a method to thinking about technology in Africa. Ushahidi is also an example of the adaptation of existing applications to solve simple but important problems.
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Tags: Africa, Business and Economy, nigeria, Ushahidi
