African technopreneurs just need to look around themselves
Published
We can not be born under the same star.
Unlike their Western and Asian counterparts, African technopreneurs (technology entrepreneurs) must at all times cope with the lack of infrastructure, lack of means and lack of concise examples. And all these also add to the general the unstable political situations in most of our countries.
But human capital is what makes the difference.
We all know that man, in general, is likely to adapt to his environment. It is, therefore, just question of how Africans can develop and implement their ingenuity in an atmosphere which seems gravely hostile to entrepreneurship to create a real universal value.
African entrepreneurs must embrace the fact that it takes time and real work to get good results.
Are we asking the right questions? Do we compare ourselves to the right people? These are questions that can lead one to surround himself with competent people. Can what happened in Silicon Valley (California) be reproduced in Africa if men and women with complementary skills set the same goals.
Around the world, it is the same tools and software that are used to create applications, website and online services. So there is no excuse for mediocrity when it comes to “know how” and especially the “know how to handle.”
Technopreneurs in Africa must avoid the urge to reinvent the wheel when it comes to production or process development processes. For these things have already proven themselves elsewhere and been improved by experience and feedback only.
There is no shame in copying, the Western world and other developed countries have already made mistakes in the past. These errors have given birth to principles and other design patterns in many areas of business including technology and human resources management.
Finally, something that is undoubtedly cultural and that we should work to solve in Africa, “short-termism”. African entrepreneurs must embrace the fact that it takes time and real work to get good results.
They must plan their adventures over several years and improve their working methods over time because no giant is born overnight.
Originally published at senaquashie.com on September 22, 2016.
image via dreamstime.com the firmer you hold onto a knife, the deeper it cuts into your palm Once in a while, you’d realise that you have been fighting a lost battle by loving people who don’t want your kind of love, wanting the wrong jobs, sacrificing for the wrong things. Because for some things (& people), …
My first experience with HelloFood showed me the exactly how slapping a fancy name and logo on a shit service can never be and has never been a winning strategy. I have faced issues with bad UX before, but my this experience with HelloFood was in a league of its own. To be fair, this …
Leila Djansi on set Leila Djansi happens to be one of the most revered producers/director in the movie industry in Ghana. In her own words, she is “a filmmaker… I make movies that dwell on social issues.” She also happens to be one of the most vocal and acerbic of the bunch. Leila has been known …
African technopreneurs just need to look around themselves
We can not be born under the same star.
Unlike their Western and Asian counterparts, African technopreneurs (technology entrepreneurs) must at all times cope with the lack of infrastructure, lack of means and lack of concise examples. And all these also add to the general the unstable political situations in most of our countries.
But human capital is what makes the difference.
We all know that man, in general, is likely to adapt to his environment. It is, therefore, just question of how Africans can develop and implement their ingenuity in an atmosphere which seems gravely hostile to entrepreneurship to create a real universal value.
Are we asking the right questions? Do we compare ourselves to the right people? These are questions that can lead one to surround himself with competent people. Can what happened in Silicon Valley (California) be reproduced in Africa if men and women with complementary skills set the same goals.
Around the world, it is the same tools and software that are used to create applications, website and online services. So there is no excuse for mediocrity when it comes to “know how” and especially the “know how to handle.”
Technopreneurs in Africa must avoid the urge to reinvent the wheel when it comes to production or process development processes. For these things have already proven themselves elsewhere and been improved by experience and feedback only.
There is no shame in copying, the Western world and other developed countries have already made mistakes in the past. These errors have given birth to principles and other design patterns in many areas of business including technology and human resources management.
Finally, something that is undoubtedly cultural and that we should work to solve in Africa, “short-termism”. African entrepreneurs must embrace the fact that it takes time and real work to get good results.
They must plan their adventures over several years and improve their working methods over time because no giant is born overnight.
Originally published at senaquashie.com on September 22, 2016.
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