What does Africa need in order to create the next Silicon Valley?

Let's face it. There is only one Silicon Valley in the world. In California, United States. However, Africa, can replicate the successes of Silicon Valley and ensure that it becomes a global player in the ICT industry. Here are a few things that Africa must get right if it is to become that global superpower in IT related industries.

The first thing that Africa must do is to ensure that it creates a chain of world class universities that are able to churn out innovative talent. While Africa's universities are great in teaching, they have not been as deep when it comes to innovation and creativity. This is reflected in the low ranking of African universities globally. What if we had a few universities that could give the likes of Harvard and Yale a run for their money? The continent would no doubt be better placed to lead the charge and become an ICT leader in many fields.

Secondly, we must ensure that Africans have access to capital. Currently, getting capital for African businesses is a hard nut to crack. This is made even worse by the fact that banks are not willing to lend to the ICT sector, because most of the products are intangible. Towards this end, there is also the missing venture

What does Africa need most in order to effect change?

There are many things that Africa must get right, and inevitably, this is not an easy question. However, the one thing that Africa needs most is effective leadership, especially one of a political nature. In Africa, conflicts occur most during times of elections. Elections are a choice between one tribal affiliations rather than a genuine choice of the best leaders. It is true that there is a lack of leadership in most parts of the world, but the problem is most acute in Africa. It is noteworthy that the Mo Ibrahim Leadership Prize has not been awarded for five years now. This is quite telling of the appalling leadership levels on the continent.