Innovation is born out of necessity. Whether a survivalist or tech entrepreneur, there
is a determination to move forward and provide a better life for those who follow. This drive
to succeed is the story of an Africa rising. Edwin is part of a strong entrepreneurial
culture in Africa, something that often gets overlooked when discursing the continent.
Conflict, poverty and disease too often drive the conversation, but they don't drive Africa.
It's entrepreneurs do. First of all, you've got the survivalist entrepreneurs. Those who
are, you know, hawking and selling, you know, widgets on the streets and trying to survive,
literally hand to mouth. They're entrepreneurs, but they're survivalists. My name is Tapioa
Teyamu. I've rented this business for 80 years. My dream is if I get money, I want to buy a
welding machine. I want to be a welder. My original name, I'm Alan Mory. Myself, I've started this
business. I'm now helping more than 2,100 doing that. So in all my dreams, I dream to
live with animals. So I want to protect the animals. Conservancy. I've started already
about those. So I want to make it like to be an NGO.
While there is a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit in Africa, it faces many challenges. A lack
of infrastructure and consistent regulations are two of the biggest obstacles. But a supportive
ecosystem is also needed to help entrepreneurs develop and scale their ventures.
So I must admit, I didn't grow up thinking I'd be an Afro tech optimist. But over the
past few years, I could see the power of technology impacting ordinary African lives. And about
four or five years ago, I became very passionate about promoting African innovation. And for
me personally, I have a vision in the next 30 to 40 years that we need to leave a legacy
of African innovation for the next generation. They should be able to read about how African
innovation is saying, that's impressive. But they should know the challenges we face and
also be inspired by that to make a difference for the next generation. I think we would
fail them if in 30, 40 years time they didn't know about this and had to stop from scratch.
More recently, mobile technology has impacted nearly every aspect of African society and
unleashed the continent's entrepreneurial spirit. African companies are not only disrupting
industries at home, but driving innovations that are being felt around the world. This
is their story.
