“Across Africa there are integrations between banks, governments and payment systems that often don’t exist elsewhere because necessity has driven innovation here.”
This was one of the powerful statements made at Africa’s first Google Cloud Summit held in Johannesburg recently.
Google Cloud area industry sales leader, Carlos Magalhaes, said this when referencing one of the unique features of African tech use cases — money transfers.
It seems Africa’s unique problems have forced a rare banks, governments and financial flows ecosystem.
It is not uncommon for innovation and unique solutions for one thing to become solutions for other problems.
The thinking that emerged from this summit was that Africa is well placed to make the most of the latest tech innovations, particularly in the powerful AI sector.
This summit has just expressed a huge vote of confidence in Africa.
The African companies that converged there, such as Vodacom, Discovery, Naspers, Pepkor, among other businesses, have embraced digital technology in real and creative ways to provide better solutions for their customers.
The embrace of this technology by their customers is an exciting prospect for the future of technology and the future of Africa.
Sure enough, President Cyril Ramaphosa pointed out the importance of data ownership.
Considering our history of colonialism this is understandable.
For that matter, data is the new gold, and ownership of data is not only important now but will be far more important in the future.
Having been victims of looting by colonial powers in the past, we need to be vigilant.
However, that vigilance can no longer be driven simply by where a company comes from considering that we have also experienced heavy looting by our own leaders.
In the same way, looting was not limited by the geographic origins of the looters, it is unlikely that data looting will be limited by that factor.
As we speak, the Madlanga Commission is painstakingly unravelling indisputable evidence that looters can very well come from among ourselves.
As much as Ramaphosa’s warnings were pertinent, perhaps his warnings should have been broader.
The last thing we want is to cast emerging digital and AI technology in the same light as colonialism.
Instead, this might just be the moment to learn a very important lesson, that in fact, economics most often shapes politics.
“What we’re witnessing is not simply another technology transition.
“It is the emergence of a new global engine of innovation powered by African talent and ingenuity.”
Google senior vice-president of research, labs, technology and society, James Manyika, said this emphasising the historical significance of the shift currently taking place.
It is very easy for African pessimism to switch sides when such seismic pronouncements are made.
It is simply too easy to disbelieve that this is possible in Africa.
Mix that with the pessimistic view that we might be on the verge of a new colonialism and out comes African pessimism.
If we are not careful, that pessimism might be driven by Africans themselves this time.
This is why Ramaphosa’s warning must be taken very carefully, so that we do not fall into the trap of letting fear shape our fate.
One thing that seems to be happening now is that the economics of the moment have broken national boundaries.
Even the recent protests against “illegal immigration” are a rather futile fight against a borderless economic system that cannot be driven back.
The loyalties of international tech firms are no longer about national boundaries or geographies.
Their loyalties lie with their customers and partners, particularly those who promise a bright future.
These are customers and partners who will need the services of these companies progressively more in the future.
Understandably, it is important to establish Africa’s own AI architecture and to rapidly develop the entire sector.
However, it would be imprudent to think this means not using the available digital architecture provided by the likes of Google.
If we miss this opportunity and concentrate on the geographies of origin or the current geopolitical dynamics, we might miss the moment.
The fundamentals of the past political networks are seemingly changing as fast as the new technologies and the associated economies are being developed.
Africa has a young growing population. That population is hungry for skills and global relevance.
That population has grown amid countless problems for which they seek solutions.
That same population is far more tech savvy than their predecessors.
This forms the foundation of the customer and co-creator base for the emerging AI technologies.
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