If they can, we can.
"This video (link below) of Jack Ma presenting Alibaba’s vision to his peers is profoundly inspiring: 'Aim for the stars, and you may reach the heavens.'"
Adopt a global perspective for your enterprise and prepare for inevitable success—not merely to dominate domestically, but to compete with the world’s finest. Consider Naspers, a South African company that achieved precisely this.
Yet most of Africa’s so-called "tech tycoons" operate as mere intermediaries, distributing Western multinationals’ products across the continent. While lucrative for them, this model perpetuates Africa’s technological subjugation. The notion of "technology transfer" is illusory, for true innovation establishes supremacy—and entrenches dependence.
Everything begins with imagination, which crystallizes into ideas and, through sustained action, materializes into reality. After all, Rome was not built in a day.
If Africa can produce athletes like Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o, who outperformed their European counterparts despite being born on the continent, then it is equally capable of breeding champions in other fields. Need proof? A Zimbabwean now leads Google.
This is why African states—where, as in China (albeit differently), everything revolves around politics—must establish dedicated technological innovation units and integrate them into secondary education curricula. DeepSeek, a Chinese government initiative, exemplifies this approach.
Power abhors a vacuum: if you do not aspire to it, others will—and you will endure their dominance.
Our task is not to reinvent the wheel, but to refine and perfect what already exists. Football originated in England, yet Brazil produces the sport’s finest players per capita.
In technology and beyond, Africa remains a perpetual importer. How often have we heard leaders lament the lack of financial and technological resources to harness our natural wealth—only to witness zero tangible initiatives? The urgent question is not whether we possess these resources, but how to generate them to exert global influence. The United States imported physicists and allocated vast resources to develop the atomic bomb based on Einstein’s theories. DeepSeek required merely $6 million.
So, what is our vision for the world?
If they have their social networks, let us build ours—TikTok proved it possible.
We may bask in year-round sunshine, yet solar technology emerged in countries with scant sunlight.
This morning, I ate chocolate made from Ivorian cocoa beans—processed in Switzerland.
We drive electric cars and use smartphones reliant on Congolese cobalt and coltan.
Even our stock exchange listing criteria mimic those of nations whose primary sectors rival Africa’s tertiary industries.
Think boldly. We too can innovate, compete, and shape the future. This encapsulates Jack Ma’s message to his team: "We can rival Silicon Valley. They lead in systems, but with equivalent intellects, our vision, and relentless work, we can catch up—and surpass them."
Marius Yusuf C. M. Oula
Comments
Post a Comment