What SA can learn from Kenya’s Silicon Savannah
SA has failed to get the basics right in the technology sector – and it is costing the country in growth and innovation
Can SA learn from Kenya, with its faster rate of economic growth and investment in technology?At first glance, mobile data in the East African country is almost four times cheaper. The average price of 1GB of data in SA still sits at R149, but it costs the equivalent of R35 in Kenya.And Wi-Fi is free and unlimited everywhere, including in restaurants and stores.Africa has four main tech hubs: SA, Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt, aptly named "the innovation quadrangle" in a recent report by GSMA. While SA is still regarded as a leader of investment on the continent, this has not always proved true for the tech sector.The report, by Dario Giuliani of research firm Briter Bridges and Sam Ajadi from the GSMA’s Ecosystem Accelerator programme, found there is significant growth in innovation and technology hubs across the continent. It reports a 40% increase in active hubs to 618, over last year’s 442.An active tech hub is "an organisation with a physical local address, offering facilities and ...
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