Silicon Valley sees Africa as a new technological frontier

Lagos – With its colorful hammocks and ping-pong table, a new technology center in the metropolis of Lagos would be out of place among start-ups on the other side of the world in Silicon Valley .

The NG_Hub office is located in the suburbs of Yaba – the heart of Nigeria's nascent technology scene that attracts global giants eager to tap into an emerging market of connected young Africans.

In May, Google and Facebook launched initiatives nearby.

This week, Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was in California to court US technology investors for what he said could announce a "fourth industrial revolution" in his country.

But it's not just Nigeria that stings Last month, Google announced that it would open Africa's first artificial intelligence lab in Accra, Ghana's capital city.

Demography is a key factor in this movement: the African population is estimated at 1.2 billion, or 60% of the population. the under 24. B In 2050, the UN estimates that the population will double to 2.4 billion.

"There is an opportunity for companies like Facebook and Google to really go forward," said Daniel Ives, a technology researcher at GBH. Insights in New York.

"If you look at Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, where does this growth come from? It's international," he told AFP

Facebook operates from the NG_Hub because it does not exist. Is not yet a permanent office in Nigeria.

The head of the company's public policy, Ebele Okobi, said at the opening of The social network is committed to training 50,000 people across the country to "give them the digital skills they need to succeed, "she added.

In return, Facebook, which currently has some 26 million users in Nigeria, is getting more users and access to a mbad market to test new products and strategies.

"We are invested in the ecosystem. Just the fact that they engage … that in itself is a goal, "she added.

Cyber ​​Colonialism?

Many African Governments enthusiastically embrace technology titans 19659002] In California, Osinbajo said the Nigerian government will "actively support" Google's Next Billion Users plan to "ensure better digital access in Nigeria and around the world "

Few sectors in Africa arouse as much hope as technology, which can revolutionize everything from health care to agriculture."

Examples: Ubenwa, a Nigerian start-up that has been described as "Shazam for babies", after the application that identifies the music and movies from extracts.

badyzes the cry of a baby using the AI to diagnose asphyxia at birth, a leading cause of death in Africa when babies do not receive There is not enough oxygen and nutrients before, during, or immediately after birth

196590 02] "Africans should be responsible for finding solutions," said Tewodros Abebe, Ph.D. languages ​​at the University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia

"If we are not involved, no one can understand the existing problems in our"

Abebe dismissed fears that what Facebook and Google does represent a form of so-called cyber-colonialism. "Working collaboratively, I think, is a good way of transferring technology to Africa," he said. "They're only looking for business, it's colonization."

& # 39; Epocalypse Now & # 39;

As Africa's technology sector grows, fueled by the growth of mobile phone use, governments protect the personal data of its citizens.

But the debate on privacy is unobtrusive in many African countries, unlike Europe, which has recently adopted new, stricter data protection laws.

Facebook was also at the center of a storm for failing to protect users' data in connection with allegations of manipulation during the 2016 US Presidential Election and Brexit Referendum [19659002] "We could find ourselves drowsy toward a world in which a handful of technology companies are monopolistically controlling large parts of the global economy, exacerbating inequality among multinationals. North and global south, "said the militant group in a May 2018 report titled" Epocalypse Now. "

Renata Avila, of the World Wide Web Foundation of Geneva, who advocates for digital equality, has stated that this did not materialize, but that there were pressing concerns

"The message is that Africa needs investments. "But there is little surveillance," she added, warning that Avila, a researcher specializing in digital rights, said that without regulation, people were vulnerable to exploitation.

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