African Tech Tangle: Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Global Supply Chains
China, US dominate Africa’s tech market, with African nations playing catch-up in the digital race. While 36 of the top-100 mobile apps in 2023 are Chinese, 23 hail from the US. Local developers? Just a modest seven. But fear not, Africa’s tech sector is poised to assert its agency and mitigate external influence.
Hot Take:
It seems that Africa’s technology sector is caught between a rock and a hard place, or rather, between the Great Firewall of China and the Silicon Valleys of America. While African nations are looking to take the wheel of their tech destiny, they might just need a GPS that isn’t programmed to steer them into a foreign data swamp!
Key Points:
- African Union’s data was allegedly siphoned off to China for five years via Chinese-built tech.
- Supply-chain security issues highlight the risks of relying on foreign technology.
- China and the US currently dominate Africa’s tech market, but local initiatives are emerging.
- African nations are keen to develop local tech skills to reduce global dependence.
- Security risks in Africa vary significantly by region, complicating the tech landscape.
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