How Technology is Bolstering Development In Africa

The African situation is a paradox. Blessed with both human and natural resources, the continent lags behind in terms of development. Thousands of people die of from famine and malnutrition annually while poor harvests affect yields from dominantly rain-fed farms. For decades development agencies have proffered solutions. Some have had fleeting successes; and for others, the continent’s current situation paints a dire progress report. But while poverty rises in some areas due to corruption and a lack of skilled labour force, African tech enthusiasts are making significant contributions to the continent’s growth. East Africa and Kenya in particular have led the way with Silicon Savannah where techies have developed handy solutions for the continent’s major ailments. Westwards, Ghana and Nigeria are contributing their quotas with solutions in energy and farming promising serious prospects for the continents fight against poverty.

Uber Blood Delivery

Access to health is a fundamental human right. Yet, there are many places across Africa where primary healthcare is lacking. From a lack of qualified health professionals due to nurses and doctors fleeing the continent, to a lack of quality drugs and poor sanitation, many deaths occur from preventable diseases like Cholera and Malaria. In 2015, WHO reported that over 303,000 children died of malaria before they reached the age of 5. Poor road networks and insufficient health facilities make healthcare delivery difficult to get right. During emergencies, the chance of survival sometimes might as well depend on a coin toss. It is in situations like these that one wonders whether there’s the possibility of bypassing these challenges. Maybe, just fly over the Akosombo dam to deliver a pint of blood to an accident victim. Enter Zipline. Zipline International Inc. uses drone technology to deliver essential health supplies to hard-to-reach areas. In Rwanda where it did its first trials, Zipline’s drone means every Rwandan is within half an hour’s reach of medicines and blood in the event of emergencies. Coupled with a community-based Universal Health Coverage scheme, the drones are helping many Rwandans get access to drugs at critical periods. Zipline’s technology has spread to other counties, most recently, to Ghana where parliament is still ironing out financial details. It is a curious situation in Ghana, given that the country has a relatively better road network and has a more accessible landscape as compared to Rwanda. However, given the general low investment in health facilities in addition to a historical low maintenance culture, having a privately-managed solution like Zipline’s would hopefully help bring help to the most in need. It means hospitals do not have to stock drugs they don’t need, leading to them forcing clients on medications just to clear stock. To further increase efficiency, however, investment in physical structures is paramount. A fast-moving drone will be useless if there is no drug to deliver, or poor aviation laws to enforce. With a motivated workforce and improvement in drug manufacturing, two of the more pressing issues in the health sector, an efficient drug delivery system is likely to reduce incidents of maternal mortality. Still in Ghana, the coding exploits of a senior high school led to a predictive system that diagnoses breast cancer in patients. The inventor, Mustapha Diyaol Haqq who doubles as a self-taught code instructor, could be the hero to women who die due to late diagnosis. In 2018 alone, more than a thousand women are predicted to die due to late diagnosis of breast cancer.

E-Accountability In Government

Tracka is a project-tracking tool that allows residents to monitor and report on government projects in their areas. Started in Nigeria by BudgIT, Tracka represents an important step in fighting corruption and improving accountability. Tracka has grown into a community tracking collective that puts government on its toes and ensures that citizens get value for monies spent. Not only are Nigerians using Twitter to organise protest marches, they are also using it to scrutinize government projects across the 36 federal states of the country. Social media gives users a layer of security to prevent persecution. It also allows for instant validation of official reports. By providing a democratic access to the progress of development projects, Tracka curbs the problem of propaganda. In November 2018, for example, Tracka caught a finished project that had been re-inserted into the new budget. The project under consideration was a primary healthcare facility in the state of Kaduna. By acting quickly, Tracka helped save 40 million Naira of state funds. More than accountability, Tracka is offering a viable alternative to addressing development challenges. BudgIt, the organsiation behind the tracking project, helps diffuse complex budget-related jargons for local understanding. “BudgIT uses an array of tech tools to simplify the budget and matters of public spending for citizens, with the primary aim of raising  the standard of transparency and accountability in government,” it says on its website.

Less Paper, More Money

In 2017, the government of Ghana started its paperless port project. The idea behind it was twofold: for starters, it was a part of government’s long-term ambition of turning Ghana into a cashless system. The other, perhaps more important, was to reduce leakages at the ports. For years the country’s ports had been a haven for corruption. Ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, exposed customs officials at the Tema port extorting monies from importers and exporters before their goods could be cleared. The paperless port would make for faster and more accurate registration of documents while reducing the process from a week to just about 4 hours. By cutting down on paper, the government was also cutting down on funds that would have gone into procuring stationery. A year on, and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, managers of the ports, indicate a 99% paperless process. And revenues have soared. For the first half of 2018, the Ghana Revenue Authority has collected GHS 5.8 billion from the ports, which is at least GHS 500,000 more than the previous year’s. The paperless port has made it easier to Trade Across Borders, thereby contributing to the boost in the country’s rank in the 2018 Doing Business Report. In manufacturing, the Ghana Revenue Authority has also introduced a tax stamp to better monitor and tax beverage products. The tax stamp is a digital code affixed on beverage products to ascertain that taxes have been paid for. By fixing these digital stamps before the products are released onto the market, the government is able to know how many bottles are in circulation and cross-check on the taxes paid. It also serves as a security feature by guaranteeing the authenticity of the beverage.

E-Commerce

E-commerce is growing in Africa. The continent raised over $16 billion in e-commerce sales in 2017 alone, a report said. A third of the continent now has internet access, a figure which could rise to 50% by 2030. Business are therefore opening online store fronts to take advantage of the growing internet population. Whether it’s starting their own online shops or relying on social media, young entrepreneurs in Africa are trying to make it financially by trading online. Farmers and market women are now able to trade their produce on platforms like Farmart, CowSoko, etc. Storefronts like Jumia and MallforAfrica mean business can exploit opportunities not present in their small neighbourhoods. Additionally, to serve the e-commerce or, perhaps, because of it, numerous courier services have sprung up. In countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana, where the road network is largely unpredictable, these couriers are making it easy to reach people. Poor bank penetration rates have not stopped the continent from extending financial services to rural and urban settings. From mobile money products like M-pesa and MTN MoMo, to ewallets like Hubtel and expressPay, local and international investors have helped to bridge the gap between vendors and buyers. Their products are helping governments improve financial inclusion while also providing jobs. It also means governments’ aim to achieve cash-lite economies is not too far away after all. With massive mobile phone penetration rates, remittances from urban and international sources are putting kids through school and also paying for medical care. Because you need the internet even when you don’t have data or electricity, Silicon Savannah has gone one step further to produce BRCK. The company says it aims to connect the frontiers to the internet, and it’s doing so through services designed to meet the needs of consumers and organisations large or small. For consumers, MOJA hotspots provide free internet access on buses, inside shops, and bars as well as restaurants. Anyone within the hotspot signal range has free internet access for a variety of uses. Content creators can also publish their video and audio projects on the MOJA platform to reach more audiences and earn money. The internet access is paid for by organisations who place ads on the network to serve specific locations. All of this is made possible through the installation of a SupaBRCK, a microserver that offers WiFi internet connectivity. Built rugged and encased in a weather-proof packet, SupaBRCK has a ten hour battery and 5 TB hard disk space. Such innovations have immense potential on any country’s development. Governments can now have internet access for their projects in remote areas. Schools will be able to organise classes and showcase technology through the use of these devices. And in hospitals, internet access can improve patient care if communication lines are powered by constant internet access.

Nollywood on-Demand

Hollywood and Bollywood don’t have monopoly over motion pictures anymore. Nollywood, the world’s second largest movie industry in the world after India’s is making important strides across the world. With Iroko and Ibaka, Nollywood titles are streaming across boundaires and oceans. Netflix, America’s favourite streaming platform hasn’t been left behind either. Iflix, a streaming giant in emerging economies is also partnering local producers to create entertainment suited for the local markets within which they operate. The importance of these platforms across Africa rests not only in the availability of films and music to download. Rather, structured platforms make it easy to track the revenue chain. In 2015, Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics said of the $3 billion earned from the movie industry, only 1% was traceable through ticket sales. A big chunk of the industry was therefore built on piracy that didn’t reward original creators. With platforms like iROKO, however, tracking sales is easier. Taxing for development is more efficient. Better, content creators can now couch their proposals based on quality, verifiable data that should push the continent to tell its own stories.

Everlasting Summer Solstice

Power crisis is rampant across Africa. Nigeria still suffers intermittent power shortages and many of the homes now rely on secondary generators. Also, the hydro-reliant plants in neighbouring Ghana pose cyclical challenges when rainfall patterns go askew or gas is in short supply. Solstice Energy Solutions is tackling this situation by providing intelligent solutions to managing energy use. Using artificial intelligence, Solstice is able to monitor energy in a household or organisation and proffer the best route to reducing consumption and costs. For all its problems, Africa never lacks from sunlight. Developing affordable solutions that tap into this natural resource has been a huge challenge. Thankfully, a few businesses are braving that challenge. One of such firms is M-KOPA. M-KOPA provides low income households with solar panels which they pay on installment basis. Its baseline tool kit comes with a solar panel, multi-device charger, lights, radio and a pay-as-you-go SIM card. By offering flexible daily payment plans, M-KOPA is providing value to an unserved market in Kenya while providing returns to its investors. Taking solar power to the farm is Solar Freeze, a startup that is providing mobile solar-powered cold-storage solutions to rural smallholder farms. A recent winner of the Africa Energy Prize, the Kenyan startup is plugging the gap in cold-storage supply chain. This important service helps to reduce post-harvest loss in perishables and also increase farmer income and improve food security. The startup solves the twin problems of power outages and post harvest losses in a crucial part of the world. In 2017, the country, along with a couple others in the horn of Africa, faced dire food shortages occasioned by irregular rainfall.

Creating More Business Opportunities

It is important that more of these companies have the room and support they need to grow. Young entrepreneurs working together can do more than government can achieve in a decade. The desire and the ability to think out of the restrictions of politics are important traits, which is why innovation spaces like iHub and Impact Hub are necessary across the continent. iHub, a Kenyan innovation hub has churned over a hundred and fifty companies since 2010. iHub serves as a work space that provides fast internet connections to startups and freelancers and also offers connections with international businesses with which local firms can partner. In Ghana, Impact Hub has its own work space in Accra where it provides periodic training and mentorship programmes with experts from local and foreign institutions. It also offers access to seed capital for ambitious startups while providing safe spaces for young creators to mingle and share ideas. Such examples shed a shinning light on the continent. It shows Africa in the glory of its enterprising youths. Men and women who are not put down by inaccessible roads or slow internet access. Rather than whine about decades of slow growth, the African tech scene is propelling the continent into the future one app at a time.