Think Tech Innovation, Think Africa

What’s the Latest Development?

Countries around the African continent have identified technology as a key weapon in the battle to boost prosperity, sparking a tech revolution. But it could run out of steam without a new generation of innovators, which is why Kenya is developing the talent that could help it get ahead of the game.

What’s the Big Idea?

Kenya is now a major world technology hub, and it’s largely thanks to the cell phone, says manager John Kieti. “[The mobile] is much cheaper to get, plus it can be used outside where there is no infrastructure like power,” he says. “Essentially, the mobile is going to be huge for us in terms of innovation, much more than the PC was a few years ago.” One of the hottest properties in Kenya’s tech sector is software developer Kariuki Gathitu, 27, who has come up with M-Paye, an application based on the country’s already sophisticated mobile payments market.