Page 18 - EngineerIT November 2022

START-UPS – ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

meant that those with access to wheels the skills to become an effective software developer.
had a distinct competitive advantage And so, if you have hundreds or thousands of people who can develop code and
over those who didn’t. come up with great ideas and innovative solutions, you have a tsunami of technology
To explain how this would look entering the African landscape.
in business, consider the following However, for the democratisation of opportunity to become a reality, three things
example: Two bakers make equally need to fall into place: widespread connectivity, affordable devices and investor-friendly
high-quality loaves of bread. The second regulations.
baker has access to technology and While I was privileged to have access to high-speed internet while studying, many
automation that allows her to make the young Africans don’t have access to affordable, reliable, fast connectivity. However, this
loaves in half the time, at half the cost. is changing. Necessity is the mother of invention and if one looks at the evolution of
Her business’s advantage is clear. connectivity costs, there is a clear exponential graph depicting increased speed and
This is how businesses with affordability, and we are on a trajectory to a world where affordable internet is
access to technology gain If a foreign ubiquitous.
a competitive advantage investor has a million The World Bank estimates that reaching the African Union’s goal of
in all spheres. dollars to invest in a great universal and affordable internet will increase the continent’s GDP by
Software two percentage points a year. Starlink will play a major role here and
represents the next technology seed, will, in effect, blanket the earth - including Africa. When this happens
level in efficiency. It they’ll take it elsewhere and connectivity is democratised, a population hungry to learn will
helps us to calculate, because if IP is developed need devices through which to access an entire world of information.
or move from A to in South Africa, it has to Access to devices is improving, with something like a chrome book
B, far more efficiently stay here. offering users access to the internet at a fraction of the cost of a
than would be possible traditional laptop, tablet or smartphone.
using only human resources. In this world, then, you have a situation where opportunity is more widely
Anyone who can provide this available than at any point in Africa’s history. Millions of young people with affordable
software-driven technology to industry devices will be able to tap into a world of knowledge and learning resources. These young
will have an advantage over other service people would be empowered to solve problems with technology.
providers, and more businesses will, in Of course, funding is vital for start-ups. While a business can start and succeed
turn, seek out these efficient technology without seed capital, access to funds massively improves its chances as well as its ability
solutions. In other words, we will to scale and become a profitable force. Some African countries are more welcoming to
witness a revolution in technology and foreign capital, while South Africa is hamstrung by archaic regulation that, in effect, keeps
efficiency, which is widely called digital foreign tech investors off our shores.
transformation or the 4IR! If a foreign investor has a million dollars to invest in a great technology seed, they’ll
By way of analogy, allow me to take it elsewhere because if IP is developed in South Africa, it has to stay here. The effect
explain how I, as founder and CEO is that some entrepreneurs are looking to register their IP in other countries. The Start-
of Parket, which is a software-driven Up Act activism in South Africa looks to address this problem, because if this restriction
solution that’s revolutionising parking did not exist in the country, there would be a massive boost in the amount of funds local
bay management, started my journey start-ups would be able to raise to reach their potential.
in IT and coding. I taught myself. How is With improved access to connectivity, devices becoming more affordable and a
this possible? There are treasure troves progressive regulatory environment, Africa could well find itself at the leading edge of
of online resources and courses available tech innovation. This would catapult Africa into global competitiveness. Cynics may see
to anyone who is looking for it. For more problems than opportunities, but because this continent has the hallmarks of a
the equivalent of about R250 every six tech start-up, don’t be surprised to see it act like a start-up and grab hold of this golden
months, you can quite literally learn all opportunity to fast-track its development. n

Contact Mark Y
Contact Mark Yelland
elland
IT
engineerIT for all your advertising
engineer
or all
our adv
y
f
ertising
ements
equir
.
requirements.
r
Cell: 07 4 85 4 15 97 Email: mark y @nowmedia. c o .za
Cell: 074 854 1597 Email: marky@nowmedia.co.za
EngineerIT | November 2022 | 18