June 29 • 2018 • #2
Spotlight story: A Sustainable Tech Ecosystem
Over the next weeks, I will focus on the topic “How to build a sustainable tech ecosystem for Africa”. Obviously, there are several successful examples already out there in the world but Africa is definitely a special place, a class of its own. Today, let’s start with a quick overview of some of the key ingredients a flourishing tech ecosystem needs. Next week we will start with brief deep-dives.
1. An open-minded, pro-active and tech-oriented mindset
2. Great ideas and challenges
3. Talent (entrepreneurs + team)
4. Market (customers and early adopters)
5. (Smart) Capital along the startup cycle (investors)
6. Startup Programs (Accelerators, Incubators)
7. Strong Collaboration Models (Corporate-Startup)
8. Role-Models, Leaders and Mentors
9. Entrepreneurial Education + Tech/Business Education
10. Networking and Collaboration Platforms (Events)
11. Service Providers
12. Basic Physical Infrastructure (internet, power, hardware, logistics etc)
13.
Did you know: The 5 largest metropolitan areas of Africa
Researching the five cities with the largest population in Africa you might find different results based on the varying counting mechanisms as well as the respective year. Especially numbers for Johannesburg vary a lot, but Lagos has always been the undisputed leader on the African continent with a population of ~21 million, while London in comparison is at about 14 million, and San Francisco counts only 5 million in its metropolitan region. These cities alone are already big markets offering unique business opportunities.
1. Lagos, Nigeria: 21,000,000
2. Cairo, Egypt: 20,500,000
3. Kinshasa-Brazzaville, Congo: 12,350,000
4. Johannesburg, South Africa: 9,616,600
5. Luanda, Angola: 6,542,944
“When a man is denied to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.”
Nelson MandelaThe place to meet
• West Africa Water Expo 2018, July 10-12, Lagos, Nigeria
• BRICS, July 25-27, Johannesburg, South Africa
• Student Entrepreneurship Week Ghana, July 26-28, Accra, Ghana
• 2018 South Africa Innovation Summit, September 12-14, Cape Town, South Africa
• Africa Future Tech and Energy Summit, September 28-29, Abuja, Nigeria
THANK YOU, Tim
picture credit: thank you <3