I saw this article here and thought I should share

n Africa, we worship at the altar of
innovation
Innovation is the fountain from which most
African entrepreneurs drink -- their raison
d'etre. This is hardly surprising on a
continent that leapfrogged the tech scene,
producing insanely useful mobile solutions. It
seems it is only logical that the continent will
build the next big thing.
But innovation has become quite
formulaic for the quick-talking 20-
somethings just itching to change the
world. Just like any formula, it has
strict rules: find a problem, build an
app to solve it, develop for smartphone
and add social integration.
Read more: Why tech innovators are Africa's
future
The tech ecosystem is desperate to set itself
up as the next Silicon Valley -- a playground
for mavericks, dropouts and wheeler-dealers
who want to turn an industry on its head. The
current atmosphere is electrifying with
possibilities for a continent primed as an
innovation and entrepreneurial destination.
But businesses are so desperate to innovate
that solid business models seem to be
missing in their plans to take over the world.
Good, solid businesses are become boring,
and making money is an afterthought.
Right now there is nothing sexier than
Africa's trendy and attention-grabbing tech
scene. It's like the hero of a great tale: down
and out, talented, with nothing to lose.
Innovation is the watchword. Investors
make no secret that they prefer
companies that are innovative,
mentors recommend it and journalists
dedicate headlines to the most
innovative companies. Like a ferocious
monster, its appetite is insatiable and
most startups are victims of it. At this
stage we might have to rename Africa
"the place where good companies die
of too much innovation."
Read more: "Africa's tallest building" set for
$10 billion tech city
I recently attended an event where a group of
startups in an incubator pitched their
companies after eight weeks in the program.
One of the companies that was profitable in
the beginning with a solid business model
(but which could be considered run of the
mill) had pivoted so it could do something
more innovative. Truth is, chances of the new
business making money are very unlikely. In
an environment where all the other
companies around it seemed to be innovating
in an interesting way with new technology,
the pressure to innovate killed a good
business.
Solve a real problem, damn it
Interestingly, Africa's key drivers in terms of
innovation came from very simple products
that wanted to solve real problems. The
continent that brought Ushahidi, M-Pesa and
EC2 cloud found a real gap in the market and
developed solutions for it.
Africa's pool of talented developers and
entrepreneurs want to prove that they can
compete on the same stage with more mature
markets. They can, but the rules are different.
Africa hasn't solved some of the basic
problems that mature markets have solved.
Building bandwidth-heavy apps is not a good
idea because the majority of the continent
just isn't ready. As much as almost everyone
in Africa uses a mobile device, the data
problem is still a key thought.
So perhaps, for one unimaginable
moment, we should forget about
building the next Facebook, Google or
Apple. Think about using your vast
technical skills; solve the simplest
problem Africa faces -- service
delivery. Think of the innovation that
would come with that, think how very big that
would be.
Hipsters don't build boring companies
In Africa's tech entrepreneurship scene
everyone walks around like mavericks, but it
is all a show. There is a fundamental lack of
passion.
In a bid to be different there is sameness.
Being a tech entrepreneur seems to be more
about joining the sexy cool kids in the
ongoing exclusive party where the tech scene
is glamorized, workaholism is something to
boast about and arrogance slowly becomes
familiar. How to run a real business seems to
be of very little consequence.
More entrepreneurs need to consider
bootstrapping their companies with the many
free services out there until they are profitable
enough to invest in more infrastructure. A
crazy idea like that might work and even
attract the much sought-after foreign
investment that entrepreneurs covet.
Read more: Africa hungry for homegrown
online content
Before I get charged with treason, I'd like to
point out that there is nothing wrong with
innovation.
However, not all businesses are meant to be
crazy innovators. Some of the more
successful businesses work on an old-
fashioned business model that comes with a
twist. Bells and whistles or fancy technology
aren't always cool, but a good, sensible way
of doing business that provides jobs is.
It's easy to get caught up in Africa's tech
scene, to feed its appetite for innovation, to
hype up the novelty while encouraging the
wannabe mavericks. But first, perhaps, it is
time for tech entrepreneurs to ask what Africa
needs.

The punctuation might be a little messed up, but you can always refer to the original article
.
.
I have never heard Africa being classified as over innovative.

well, this is surprising

Source?

expertfingers: Source?

CNN website. The link is in the first post.

Thanks @poster...


I think that i would just go with the flow and provide a local content app for the Microsoft 9japps challenge...

What if u have a crazy startup idea u intend building in Africa with d European market as ur main target?

Don't really grab what d author was trying to say. Can u pls elaborate a bit?

Picomon: Don't really grab what d author was trying to say. Can u pls elaborate a bit?

She is saying that making innovation a priority when investing in a startup is not always a good idea and that not all innovative ideas are useful. She says that is what is killing Africa.

lordZOUGA:
She is saying that making innovation a priority when investing in a startup is not always a good idea and that not all innovative ideas are useful. She says that is what is killing Africa.

Thanks for the reply. But do you accept that notion?

Ajibel: What if u have a crazy startup idea u intend building in Africa with d European market as ur main target?

How are you going to implement that?

Picomon:

Thanks for the reply. But do you accept that notion?

I will, if there are loads of innovations going on but there isn't.

lordZOUGA:
How are you going to implement that?

uhm dont u think by leveraging on social networks/ networking with europeans could get ur idea appreciated by them. BBC have tech correspondent always on the look out for bright/crazy startups they'd discuss...

Ajibel:

uhm dont u think by leveraging on social networks/ networking with europeans could get ur idea appreciated by them. BBC have tech correspondent always on the look out for bright/crazy startups they'd discuss...

Mate, you just proved the writer of the article right. It's good to dream big but don't you think its wiser to target and conquer your local market before you think of expanding to other parts of the world?

Urine:

Mate, you just proved the writer of the article right. It's good to dream big but don't you think its wiser to target and conquer your local market before you think of expanding to other parts of the world?

what if the idea you've dreamt of is mostly suitable for the european market and you dont have much fund to travel out,set up a base then expand...what option would u then consider.btw,i agree with the writer of the article but i'm just thinking from a different perspective 'cuz i have mates who have some wonderful ideas but cant "conquer" the local market(Nigeria/Africa) 'cuz of the low percentage of users with internet across the country/continent.

Ajibel:

what if the idea you've dreamt of is mostly suitable for the european market and you dont have much fund to travel out,set up a base then expand...what option would u then consider.btw,i agree with the writer of the article but i'm just thinking from a different perspective 'cuz i have mates who have some wonderful ideas but cant "conquer" the local market(Nigeria/Africa) 'cuz of the low percentage of users with internet across the country/continent.

The percentage of internet users increases daily

lordZOUGA:
The percentage of internet users increases daily

Yep i know that but lets say your developing a GPS powered app,would u consider African or European market as a place where ur app would be better appreciated?

Ajibel:

what if the idea you've dreamt of is mostly suitable for the european market and you dont have much fund to travel out,set up a base then expand...what option would u then consider.btw,i agree with the writer of the article but i'm just thinking from a different perspective 'cuz i have mates who have some wonderful ideas but cant "conquer" the local market(Nigeria/Africa) 'cuz of the low percentage of users with internet across the country/continent.

I get your point,let us sit down and see what we can develop for our immediate environment first. Our target should be the pockets of Nigerians. When Dangote and co started their business do you think they were thinking of Europe and America?