The Space of Possibilities: Political Economies of Technology Innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa
summary
A wide survey of 116 interviews across 26 countries finds that political economy—telco monopolies, international investors, race, and limited capital—constrains African tech as much as device or UX limits. Case studies: SafeBoda’s motorcycle-taxi app serves a small, smartphone-owning slice (≈40% of women in Uganda), USSD systems scale only with a three-organization consortium (government + telco + NGO), and M-Pesa’s model was commercialized by Vodacom with UK grants and now charges up to ~5% per transfer.
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chapters (8)
- 0:00Introduction and context
- 3:39Study on tech innovation ecosystems
- 8:23Systemic constraints in tech development
- 14:47Telcos and monopolistic power
- 17:39Access to capital and bias
- 20:29Role and limits of tech hubs
- 22:54Call for equitable tech models
- 23:56Conclusion and Q&A
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