Page 31 - SMA-2nd-quareter_Neat
P. 31
EntrEprEnEurship Thinking local, other hand, the advantage is that the big Find solutions to we have to create the market for fiction players have no real conviction or impetus and non-fiction.” the e-commerce going global: building to go to africa – at least for the time being roadblocks in developing areas rely on local Just as bricks-and-mortar businesses – leaving the market open for small but scrappy firms. connections to grow, so too must online “in africa, it is hard to buy books. even firms, the panellists said. farai Lorraine start-ups in Africa going to a store can be a headache,” Lagos is a headache. driving down Gundan is the co-founder and Ceo of noted Chika uwazie, Chief operating faraiMedia, which has specialised in media businesses and is now in the the street is a two-hour journey. We officer for nigeria-based Keejul, which for visitors to the continent with mid- continent will download books, which continent through mobile technology. In Africa, connecting great business ideas with customers can be more is trying to bring digital content to the are hoping that people on the african process of creating a travel service challenging than in other parts of the world. But many are succeeding … “amazon is not a solution because the right now is pretty much limited to level budgets. “as africa opens up to the world, you need to have african primary and secondary school books. But delivery system is not there. Living in voices directing your start-up,” Gundan noted. “We have dealt with the african community. We are there providing an he road for a start-up in answer to the culture that is there. it is africa can be like a video game imperative if you want to do [business] in t – each time a player slays a africa that you know how things work.” monster, a larger one appears. Whether Because young africans in relatively it is roadblocks imposed by regulators, developed areas such as south africa, the lack of a viable workforce or a paucity Ghana, nigeria or the coastal nations of infrastructure, the path to success for of east africa are tethered to their a burgeoning tech firm in africa can be cell phones, the panellists pointed to harrowing. significant business opportunities in the Yet it can also be a great opportunity mobile technology sector. “in nigeria, it for those willing to negotiate their way seems like [the country’s entire population through those challenges, according to of] 170-million people have BlackBerries,” experts and entrepreneurs on a panel said ike nwaneri, co-founder of meeting entitled ‘technology start-ups in africa’, and event planning firm Kojami. “right at a Wharton africa Business forum. the now, there are three ipads in the country forums are run by the Wharton business and they are all out of service,” nwaneri school at the university of pennsylvania joked. “But nigerians, especially those in the us. who are young, want to have the sexy and “incubators are all over the continent,” new thing.” said Kathleen Bomani, the founder of But entrepreneurs must concentrate Made from Cloth, which helps locate on finding solutions to the roadblocks to funding for fashion businesses. “Building e-commerce that exist in the country, the infrastructure is ahead. We have the rather than creating new operating opportunity now to do things that may ecosystems, nwaneri added. “We need to not be available to entrepreneurs later create technology for online bill paying and on.” the problem, however, is that no accepting payments, and convince people one is making it easy. the continent has to do that. We can’t worry about whether no equivalent to silicon Valley (the area it is via BlackBerry or ipad … a start-up in in California known as the global hub africa has to look at where the need is and for high-tech innovation and funding for provide the solution somehow.” technology start-ups) and its warren of venture capitalists and mentors. on the Finding the three-star hotels The market is wide to nurture a community of start-ups, open for small but the continent’s education systems must also change, according to the scrappy frms panellists. universities are teaching business and technology, they noted, 28 strategicmarketingafrica Second quarter 2014 Second quarter 2014 strategicmarketingafrica 29