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Africa is an extremely promising market, both in terms of natural resources and in terms of economic growth prospects. It is a huge continent, with a population larger than both Americas combined, and if the issue of health and food security is addressed, Africa will face a population explosion. I would like to emphasize that the inhabitants of Africa are a very young and completely not spoiled (in every sense) population.
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The digital transformation of this region is proceeding by leaps and bounds. I'm not even talking aboutbanal penetration of social networks, taxi services or the use of instant messengers to organize protests (see links below). The policy of IT corporations is interesting in itself: for example, Facebook plans to invest in the Internet infrastructure of Africa, and Uber has already launched the Uber wallet, this money surrogate (see links below). American, Chinese, Indian and even Russian IT corporations are actively capturing the markets of this continent, which is not news at all.
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Another thing is noteworthy: Africa, on the whole, does not have its own strong IT market, so it has nothing to oppose to foreign IT expansion. It turns out that, on the one hand, the implementation of IT solutions improves the quality of life of the African population (which is an undoubted benefit), however, on the other hand, the real sector of the economy is increasingly dependent on foreign companies - IT suppliers. As a result, the tech giants first have an opportunity, then a desire, and, ultimately, a need to use this dependence, this control lever, to adjust the country's economic and political course.
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Imagine for a minute what would happen if Yandex.Taxi, Uber and all other taxi-ordering apps were turned off in Russia at the same time? What if all instant messengers stop working at the same time and only SMS remain working? What if all payment systems are turned off at once? For me personally, frightening prospects are drawn. It is good that such a scenario is not technically possible in Russia, but we are talking about Africa.
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In this essay, I would not like to proceed to conclusions and forecasts, and, perhaps, I will limit myself to a statement of the fact: digital colonialism is the reality of the 21st century. Let this thought be food for thought.
ps I deliberately described the situation in black and white, because in reality everything is more complicated. For example, tech giants compete with each other for markets and influence, so African countries have some room to maneuver. At the same time, they exist to the same extent as in the old days there was an opportunity to cease being a colony of France, passing under the protectorate of England.
Links:
► WhatsApp and Democracy in Africa
► Facebook to Invest in Africa's Internet Infrastructure
► Uber Launches Uber Wallet