Midweek Check-In: Building With And For Africa
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Dear Innovator, how you dey👋
We’re already one week into July o.
Have you accomplished any of your goals yet (fyi, your answer should be ‘yes’)?
Anyhoo…
Every week, we see funding announcements, new launches, and global partnerships across African tech. It’s exciting (ngl 😅) but sometimes, one has to pause and ask: who are we really building for?
Dear Innovator, who are you 🫵 really building for?
Are you creating with Africans in mind or just using Africa as a testbed for products that have already been designed and proven to work elsewhere?
In 2022, according to a report by Tech Trends, 67% of Africa’s top‑100 funded tech companies had at least one foreign founder.
Although some things have changed for the better in the last three years and innovation should not be hindered by one’s passport, the funding space is still dominated by foreign investors. And you know what they say about the person that pays the piper… 👀
Just last month, Okra, one of Nigeria’s earliest open banking companies, shut down. Not because they didn’t have the smartest people. Or weren’t ambitious, or funded.
But perhaps because building for Africa requires more than just a good idea and capital.
It demands alignment with the timing, the infrastructure, and the people it’s meant to serve.
To build with Africa means putting local voices in the decision-making rooms.
To build for Africa means solving real problems that affect Africans in real ways
So as you push that next feature, pitch for funding, or launch your next product, think on this:
👉 Whose voice shaped this solution?
👉 Whose life will it change?
👉 And, who gets to stay at the table when the value is finally captured?
It’s time to get intentional with this African-innovation-thingy
Tech Ecosystem Update:
1) Japan Breaks Internet Speed Record at 1.02 Petabits Per Second
Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) has shattered the global internet speed record, reaching 1.02 petabits per second.
To put things into perspective, with it, you can download 12,000 full-length movies in 1 second! 🤯💡 Click the headline for the full story.
Don’t Forget This…
Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, we serve content and platform stories that expose, inspire and support innovation across Africa.
We are a community of Innovators and we’re dedicated to supporting African superheroes like you 🫵 who toil day and night to build innovative solutions for the common man.
👉 Follow our socials too X and IG for more deets on African Innovation
Past Publications: Old But Gold
Maybe 🤔 you're not growing because you’re talking to the wrong crowd
You don’t have to do it alone 🫂
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