The good folks at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) have debuted the first videos from the powerful TEDGlobal 2007 conference held in Tanzania earlier this year. Called “Africa: The Next Chapter”, the conference featured talks from many of Africa’s current innovators. The first few uploaded videos include South African investment banker Euvin Nadoo – who I met at the Harvard Club in New York in April – describing a continent poised to light up, Ghanaian economist George Ayittey’s lacerating criticism of Africa’s “hippo generation” to inspiring appeal for the “cheetah generation” to arise, former Finance Minister of Nigeria Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala showing how the different pieces of the aid vs trade argument could be reconciled, and finally 19-year-old Malawian inventor William Kamkwamba who won a standing ovation for his shy 3-minute interview, revealing how as a 14-year-old he solved his parents’ energy needs in a village which had no electricity. These first videos are a window into the minds of Africa’s growing entrepreneural class. I can’t wait for the other speakers’ videos.
African countries on 2007 list of 50 most desirable outsourcing destinations
BusinessWeek’s recent article on rising outsourcing destinations highlights what many African entrepreneurs have proposed for years. Outsourcing to parts of Africa can be a win-win situation. The BusineesWeek article refers to consultancy A.T. Kearney’s 2007 list of the 50 most desirable outsourcing destinations worldwide. For the list countries were ranked by a) financial attractiveness, based on such measures as compensation and infrastructure costs; b) a so-called people score, measuring a nation’s people skills, availability of language and educational skills, and the size and quality of the IT industry; and c) their economic/political environment, infrastructure quality, cultural exposure, and IP security. While India remains the top outsourcing destination many African countries are learning from their example. (Note: Scores are in parentheses.)
Rank – Country (overall – financial – people – environment)
#13 – Egypt (5.6 – 3.2 – 1.1 – 1.3)
#25 – Mauritius (5.4 – 2.8 – 1.0 – 1.6)
#26 – Tunisia (5.4 – 3.0 – 0.9 – 1.5)
#27 – Ghana (5.5 – 3.3 – 0.9 – 1.3)
#31 – South Africa (5.3 – 2.5 – 1.2 – 1.6)
#36 – Morocco (5.1 – 2.9 – 0.9 – 1.3)
#39 – Senegal (5.1 – 3.2 – 0.8 – 1.1)
Other factors which add to a countries’ attractiveness are language and education skills and the reliability of a nation’s telecommunications infrastructure. But the the key underlying factor for many African countries’ successful bid for new business is the lack of infrastructure. While the African digerati are continuously ramping up their skills and making themselves available for business they continuously run into infrastructural limitations. But who is to blame? Is it the governments who are overrun with bureaucracy? or the people themselves, who often do not hold their leaders accountable?
Offshoring upstarts are making so many inroads, in fact, that by 2012, they’ll significantly dilute India’s dominance, says consultancy Gartner (IT). The consulting firm says that by 2010 about 30% of Fortune 500 enterprises will outsource to three or more countries, from less than 10% today. “So many governments have realized what an opportunity this is and there’s a lot of effort being spent in promoting their countries to the market,” says Johan Gott, manager of A.T. Kearney’s Global Services Location Index.
…Kenya, for instance, is trying to become a destination for business process and IT outsourcing. The Kenyan government has worked in recent years to liberalize its telecom sector, which has lured more operators and helped drive telecom services prices down by 70% in a short time, according to the World Bank. Yet the country relies on satellite connections to link to the rest of the world. That makes it costly for outsourcers to do business.
African ideas: links
I was catching up on some of my favorite African bloggers and thought I’d share some of their inspiring ideas. Here are some good posts from some very insightful African bloggers:
- Why the African Digerati Can Make a Difference by White African
- Old and new states of women’s rights in Africa by Sokari
- The tragedy of innovation: how brilliant ideas are criminalised by Whythawk
- Rethinking Our National Garb… by Omodudu
- Interview With South Africa’s Top Fashion Insider, Renato Palmi by Ladybrille
- Oh Françafrique! by Jen Brea
- Experts Trade Views on US of Africa with Benin Mwangi by Benin Mwangi
- AIDS and the abstinence debate in Uganda – Video by Afromusing
- The news we share: water in Darfur by Ethan Zuckerman
- in the media: What to invest in by AfricaIncorp
- African Content Projects by Kenyan Pundit
Starchitect David Adjaye brings his building art to America
YG points to a new exhibit by UK-based Ghanaian star architect David Adjaye opening today at the Studio Museum of Harlem in New York City. The exhibit, Making Public Buildings, introduces Adjaye’s architecture to American audiences by carrying viewers through his working process-from inspiration to completion-through ten projects, both built and uncompleted. Having been awarded an Order of the British Empire by the queen for services to architecture, following several public works including his Idea Stores, which have shaken up the notion of the library, and his Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Mr. Adjaye is set to take on America. With both a New York office for his company Adjaye/Associates and his Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver opening this fall the star architect has his American debut all lined up. About his current work Mr. Adjaye tells New York Magazine:
We are building a house for an amazing art collector [Adam Lindemann and his wife, gallerist Amalia Dayan] on the Upper East Side. It is quite hermetic. In ten years, 50 percent of the world will live in cities; they are becoming massive. The home is something that becomes an emotional incubator and resuscitator. It is not about tricks but about the way in which you reorient a person’s perceptions by focusing on water or on a tree or on a texture of a wall, making the home a meditative space. For this house, the thing the house reflects on will also be art.
David Adjaye’s Making Public Buildings opens today, July 18, 2007, with a 7pm reception at the Studio Museum of Harlem. The exhibition continues through Sunday, October 28, 2007 (Wed-Fri: 12-6pm / Sat: 10am-6pm / Sun: 12-6pm).
The age of conversation is here!
Trained as a visual communicator, I have always held communication in the highest regard. Communication, to me, is at the center of everything we do, especially in today’s world. Whether you are an individual or an organization, it is most important to be able to communicate your ideas and be a part of conversations which, through the growth of technology are already shaping the world we live in. No-one is immune from the power of the conversations today. Through the advances in technology the playing field is being leveled in all industries, and it is most important for Africa to understand and take advantage of the change. For years we’ve struggled to be heard both at home and abroad and participate in the conversations which determine the development of our communities. But today, we are faced with the opportunities to broadcast our own conversations and chime in on others. Never before have we been given the opportunity to directly affect others a world away. And never before have the major players been so focused on the every-day person’s opinion for direction. As individuals we wield a great power, and how we communicate and build on conversations is more important than it ever was. The new book “The Age of Conversation” taps some of the most brilliant thinkers in today’s conversation-driven world. I have authored a chapter titled From Aid to Opportunity: Afri-Activism transitions into a new consumer market. You can read more about the book “The Age of Conversation” in the new Books & Products area of this site or at AgeOfConversation.com. Buy the book as an e-book, a paperback, or a hardcover at Lulu.com/ageofconversation. 100% of the profits from the book will go to a children’s charity.
The Paris Hilton effect on Africa’s development
We live in a celebrity-powered society. I don’t like it, but it’s the truth. Whoever said everyone will get their 15 minutes of fame, was way off. It seems like the expiration date on fame is being extended longer and longer. Fame in itself is not a bad thing, however, the individualism, it comes with in today’s society is another story. With all the reality show mania and with reputable organizations paying talentless people like Paris Hilton ridiculous amounts of money for an appearance, the American culture of celebrity and individualism is playing an even bigger role in how and where money is spent in business. But if this the nature of the world we live in, where do Africans, and our culture of community and modesty, fit in?
Certainly all African’s are not so modest. However, our definition of celebrity and entitlement is definitely different from the West. Many would argue that the American definition of celebrity is based on fantasy while the African definition is based on reality. Where western celebrities are celebrated apart from the community, African celebrities are celebrated for their effect within the community. Is either definition right or wrong? Who knows, but when one dominates the other in global influence, a problem arises.
What does this have to do with business, money and Africa’s opportunities? Everything, I would say. One of the biggest problems Africans have with getting their stories told particularly in the media is that we still do not really understand how western media works. Take the picture of Paris Hilton to the left. Paris Hilton who represents, the epitome of America’s celebrity culture – and hence influence – holds a Vanity Fair Africa issue with Oprah – another more talented and influential American celebrity – on the cover. While the whole scene was definitely staged by Paris’ pr reps, it’s a classic example of the role celebrity plays in American culture. Follow me for a moment. Bono campaigns for more money to go to African aid. He recruits Oprah Winfrey, among others, to draw attention to the cause. Bono then sells the the idea to the Vanity Fair editors who stand to have multiple celebrities in one issue (celebrity faces sell glossies, especially fashion ones) and the issue is produced. Paris Hilton, then picks up the issue in her attempt to clean up her post-jail image, and in turn further sells Bono’s Africa campaign to insecure suburban teen-aged girls everywhere. Suburban American families, (with disposable income) then put money into Bono’s Africa campaign. This is the power of celebrity in American economics. While we Africans argue merit and talent, Bono continues to play the celebrity game to influence the flow of money. Many of us argue there should have been more Africans on Vanity Fair’s covers, but while Wole Soyinka is a talented man with accolades to boot, he has no influence over the people spending the money, and so he is regulated to a group feature towards the end of the magazine.
Further evidence of the power of celebrity, can be seen in the media coverage of the recent TEDGlobal conference in Tanzania. In her excellent piece about the event, Jennifer Brea, writes about the circumstances surrounding Bono’s heckling of Andrew Mwenda. The fact that Bono can have so much power as to bump George Ayittey‘s presentation of his perspective, heckle another presenter AND practically be the only one of 50 or so presenters over the 4 day African conference covered widely in the press illustrates the power of celebrity. The same issue about the difference between western and African celebrity was raised on the Africa media blog, with a reader asking
“Given the advances in technology that now allow citizens of any country to directly access the popular culture of another country (e.g. music, films, art), why do people living in the global north continue to receive more information about situations in Africa from the few Western celebrities “caring about Africa” than from the many African ones trying to push the same message? (Why do people seem to be more influenced by their similiarity with the source than the source’s actual level of expertise/connection with the cause?)”.
To this Melissa Wall of the Africa Media blog answered, “The West or North dominates global media structures and flow (much research has documented this). More specifically, reporters often have to go with the easiest-to-access sources. A Western celebrity with an entourage of handlers and PR flaks is a lot of easier to get a juicy quote from. Enlarging the Rolex is difficult.”. It all boils down to familiarity, which translates to celebrity which in-turn motivates spending. So if we Africans want access to the money which brings the opportunities we need, we have to do a better job of understanding the power of celebrity from the western perspective. As important as talent is – and it IS important – celebrity trumps talent. Sad but true.
The Conversation gets louder
As you all might remember I recently co-authored a dynamic book called The Age of Conversation. Based on the concept of how new communication tools facilitate conversations and shape communities, the book features multiple authors’ insights. I’ve gotten word that the book will be available for purchase a week from today with a special cover design by David Armano. Here are the particulars with more info to come real soon:
Launch date: Monday, July 16th
Formats/Prices:
Hardbacks $29.99
Paperbacks $16.95
E-book $9.99
Authors:
Gavin Heaton, Drew McLellan, CK, Valeria Maltoni, Emily Reed, Katie Chatfield, Greg Verdino, Mack Collier, Lewis Green, Sacrum, Ann Handley, Mike Sansone, Paul McEnany, Roger von Oech, Anna Farmery, David Armano, Bob Glaza, Mark Goren, Matt Dickman, Scott Monty, Richard Huntington, Cam Beck, David Reich, Luc Debaisieux, Sean Howard, Tim Jackson, Patrick Schaber, Roberta Rosenberg, Uwe Hook, Tony D. Clark, Todd Andrlik, Toby Bloomberg, Steve Woodruff, Steve Bannister, Steve Roesler, Stanley Johnson, Spike Jones, Nathan Snell, Simon Payn, Ryan Rasmussen, Ron Shevlin, Roger Anderson, Robert Hruzek, Rishi Desai, Phil Gerbyshak, Peter Corbett, Pete Deutschman, Nick Rice, Nick Wright, Michael Morton, Mark Earls, Mark Blair, Mario Vellandi, Lori Magno, Kristin Gorski, Kris Hoet, G.Kofi Annan, Kimberly Dawn Wells, Karl Long, Julie Fleischer, Jordan Behan, John La Grou, Joe Raasch, Jim Kukral, Jessica Hagy, Janet Green, Jamey Shiels, Dr. Graham Hill, Gia Facchini, Geert Desager, Gaurav Mishra, Gary Schoeniger, Gareth Kay, Faris Yakob, Emily Clasper, Ed Cotton, Dustin Jacobsen, Tom Clifford, David Polinchock, David Koopmans, David Brazeal, David Berkowitz, Carolyn Manning, Craig Wilson, Cord Silverstein, Connie Reece, Colin McKay, Chris Newlan, Chris Corrigan, Cedric Giorgi, Brian Reich, Becky Carroll, Arun Rajagopal, Andy Nulman, Amy Jussel, AJ James, Kim Klaver, Sandy Renshaw, Susan Bird, Ryan Barrett, Troy Worman, S. Neil Vineberg
Urban explosion and African youth’s global influence
On Wednesday the United Nations Population Fund released an insightful report – State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth – detailing it’s research on the future of global urbanization. Declaring that “urbanization is unavoidable”, the most interesting predictions were that by 2030 the populations in African and Asian cities will have doubled. The populations of those cities will be greater than the number of people living in China and the United States combined.
While the world’s urban population grew very rapidly (from 220 million to 2.8 billion) over the 20th century, the next few decades will see an unprecedented scale of urban growth in the developing world. This will be particularly notable in Africa and Asia where the urban population will double between 2000 and 2030: That is, the accumulated urban growth of these two regions during the whole span of history will be duplicated in a single generation. By 2030, the towns and cities of the developing world will make up 80 percent of urban humanity.
The report details that the growth will take place primarily in small cities and towns raising a concern about whether developing nations, particularly in Africa, have the infrastructure to manage this growth. We all know that many African cities, such as Dakar, are already becoming hubs of activity, but the predicted urban explosion will bring a new generation of citizens who would have been raised within the digital age. Will African enterprise adapt to the change in time?
Without a doubt global youth culture is already influencing big business. But will the explosion of Africa’s cities coincide with it’s youth’s contribution to global culture? And how will African government react to the sudden change?
In a few days African leaders will convene in Ghana to discuss forming a United States of Africa (USA???!!!). We can only hope that they take the UN report with them and realize that cities are market makers and the infrastructure that support urban areas play a large part in how successful a region is. About cities and economics Wendy Waters explains, “It comes down to how easy it is for people and companies to flow into (and out of, ironically enough) the region.” The UN report says “… no country in the industrial age has ever achieved significant economic growth without urbanization. Cities concentrate poverty, but they also represent the best hope of escaping it.” and Head Heeb adds, “African cities in the next decades will have to be everyone’s commitment.” I will predict that the trend of African youth’s influence on global business and media will explode alongside the growth of cities, with or without government’s support.
Your thoughts?
Who’s doing business in Africa?, Trade Forum Magazine update
Not long ago I highlighted a feature in Trade Forum magazine called “Changing Brand Africa”. It turns out they’ve updated their site with a new section called “Who’s Doing Business in Africa?”. The new section complements the previous feature with six new stories:
- Creating an African Business Superpower
- Rwandan Coffee Goes from Ordinary to Star(bucks)
- CSR(Corporate social responsibility): A Must for Big Firms in Africa
- New Markets for an Ancient Heritage
- CyberTrackers of the Kalahari
- Tunisia’s Boom in ICT (Information and Communications Technology)
In all, the six sections give a well rounded view of the various opportunities to do business on the continent. A good read.
The articles below are a collection of inspirational models that reflect the new “Brand Africa.” It is the second in the series of stories about Changing “Brand Africa” to be featured on the Trade Forum site.
From an African media mogul in South Africa, we go to the founder of a home furnishings firm in Ethiopia. A coffee supplier outlines Rwanda’s rapid improvement as a coffee producer, and a Tunisian businessman shows how his country is embracing information and communications technology with a passion. We also look at trends in corporate social responsibility, a “must†for businesses, as practiced at Shell, and at how modern technology used by bushmen opens new job opportunities. – Trade Forum Magazine
Video: How to help Africa? Do business there
An insightful video of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s speech at the TED conference earlier this year. (via YG)