A few months ago a friend of mine traveled to DRC to excavate mining propositions. Within his travels, it became apparent that the illegal trade of gold was vastly based on real-world stock market prices (or at least a value just below that). The rural locals, used smartphones to pin their valuable gold to actual prices. Their actions were plausible, but I agree to the fact of empowering people with technology. Like a scene from back to the future, they were handed the power of tech.

The future generation of Sub-Saharan Africa is in a landscape trapped between politics and its own history. Unlike any other generation before us, we however have the tech to solve problems. Smartphones and Apps are just the beginning. A change needs to be brought about in the mindsets of our people to be less dependent on governments and resources. We need to become the creative problem solvers of tomorrow. With creative, I mean those who understand the functional, inner working of their surroundings. Those who have the drive to pursue solutions and not merely see problems. Solutions such as these are able to adapt and form an integral part of the current society and culture. They create new meaning to the invention of the wheel and add a unique edge to what we call modern.

South-Africa needs an Afro-centric approach. An example of such an approach might be FNB’s Stokvel account. These accounts address the needs of communities, but invite them into a regulated safe environment. It’s a winning combination of trust and security. Security often time comes as a characteristic of Technology, which is able to equip us in spite of our circumstances. The economic turmoil in Zimbabwe is a prime example of such circumstances. According to a Zimbabwean acquaintance I’ve met, developers have been able to educate themselves with resources such as Udemy and Plurasight. Tertiary education is vital, but as Africans, we need to transcend this understanding and become adaptable, agile in our understanding of our world.

We have been handed the rod of transformation to bring quick and effective change, not in a gold plated staff, but in high tech form. Look at your screen, Africa is connected ,the solutions are here. We simply need to adapt to our surroundings, create the change and keep our focus as we head back to the future.