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Some Theories
South Africa has so much infrastructure, you’re immediately struck by how money isn’t an
issue there. The lesson I took away from the DEMO Africa conference is that South Africans
are far, far ahead of the rest of the continent in enterprise applications and services. They
tend to see themselves as “not African”, and try to identify with Americans or Europeans.
This comes out in their technology products; they have a more global focus and tend to fill
the gaps that are needed by the many multinational corporates that call South Africa their
home in Africa.
Nigeria has so many people, it overwhelms in its pure mass. It’s a bit cramped, louder, and
more energetic than almost any other country in Africa. Nigerians have a long history in
entertainment, with their Nollywood films and music spreading across the continent. It
wouldn’t be surprising to find a killer entertainment consumer app coming from Nigeria,
which can be exported regionally and internationally.
Kenyan technology companies tend to focus on localized consumer needs, and we have a
competitive advantage in anything to do with mobile money. Even in the secondary and
tertiary uses, I’m always struck by how much more advanced the Kenyan start-ups are with
local ecommerce products and marketplaces than their other African counterparts.
Kenya is smaller than Nigeria and has less infrastructure than South Africa. Why then are
there so many more start-ups per capita, more innovative products coming from Kenya right
now?
A History of Community
Kenya’s technology scene is vibrant and there’s a certain connectedness amongst the
community that isn’t found in the other two countries, yet.