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.

Which African leader will take up after Mandela?

A year after the death of Nelson Mandela, we must start asking which African leader will take the mantle from the esteemed South African leader, Nelson Mandela. Mandela was not perfect, but even with his weaknesses, he transcended South Africa, and Africa, to become a global paragon of virtue, morality, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Even more poignant, he ruled for just five years, and surrendered power when he could easily have been re-elected for a second and final term.

Sure, Nelson Mandela had his weaknesses, but the fact is that he was able to rise above those weaknesses and become a global icon. Which African leader can then rise up to take Mandela's place. Sure, there is a lack of leadership in many countries across the world. But in Africa, the lack of effective leadership is of crisis proportions. The Mo Ibrahim leadership Prize, a 5 million dollar

Is the Africa Rising Narrative a Myth.

That Africa is not one country is not in doubt. There are huge differences within and without countries. To this end, it would be imperative that each of the different African countries be looked at differently. However, one of the maxims which has gone mainstream is that six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa. This means, that Africa is the next frontier for growth in the world. This has led to the so called 'Africa rising narrative'. What then must we do so that this narrative becomes part and parcel of the global conversation.

First of all, we must acknowledge that 6 percent is such a small growth rate if Africa hopes to lift millions of its people out of poverty. According to the MCKinsey report, there are close to 200 million Africans that are in the middle class category. However, other economists posit that this

Venture Capital- The missing middle in Africa.

Venture capital is the missing middle in Africa. While small businesses can get loans from microfinance institutions, big multinational companies can easily secure large sums of money from  banks. This leaves out the middle high growth businesses that have nowhere to turn to whne they need financing for their businesses. What's more, most of the growth in Africa is driven by minerals and extractive materials, which makes the high growth rates in the continent to be deceptive.

This is why the growth in Africa can sometimes feel hollow, creating what's known as jobless growth. Young people in Africa have especially been hard hit by lack of jobs, and studies show that

Four Predictions for Africa in 2015.

In 2015, Africa will undergo tremendous changes. Here at Africa Analyst, here are the four major points we think will shape Africa in 2015.

1. Faster economic growth
Many countries will continue to grow their economies faster, and pay credence to the Africa rising narrative. Already, six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa, and we must do as Africa is to consolidate these gains. However, the challenge will be in how the gains of this economic growth are spread.

2. Booming real estate sector.
The real estate sector in the continent is set to undergo tremendous growth, and cities such as Luanda in Angola will remain areas where property prices will be particularly high. However, the growth in real estate sector must not be to the detriment of other sectors of the economy.

3. Booming IT sector.
The IT sector could be the real game changer in Africa. However, more must be done to move this palpable sense of growth from hype to reality. Already, many incubation centers such as Ihub in

NIgerian elections- Will the country remain stable?

Nigerian elections are set to be held early 2015. They are set to pit Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, and the current President, Goodluck Jonathan. More precisely, the election willl pit the christian south against the muslim north. Traditionally, Nigeria has exercised a gentleman's power sharing agreement, in which power is rotated between the Christian South and the Muslim North. However, this arrangement was broken when Goodluck became President and succeeded the late Umaru Yaradua, to the chargrin of many northerners. In early 2013, Nigeria became Africa's largest economy after it rebased its economy, which is now half a trillion dollars. However, instabilities in the north, occasioned by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram, have served to overshadow the tremendous economic gains that the country is making.