Lagos Nigeria House to an Pan-African Technology Movement?

Lagos, Nigeria seems as an unlikely place for Africa's major tech hub. The city's estimated population is 21 million people, and 30,000 more Africans are arriving every day.Ten years back, architect and author Rem Koolhaas co-wrote Mutation. After studying Nigeria's biggest city, he says, "Lagos is not catching up around; rather, we may be catching up with Lagos." "Lagos is not catching up around; rather, we may be catching up with Lagos." He may have been right.

It seems fanciful to equate Lagos with a 21st century New York, as Koolhaas does. For several intents and purposes, the city should not operate at all. Its chaos outstrips that of Cairo or New Delhi.

But within the insanity, a brand new form of region is emerging. In an area gridlocked by traffic after 6 a.m. and rampant with crime, Lagos offers non-mobile Internet. Wi-Fi is gut-enchantingly slow. But despite its weak infrastructure, it stands because of its innovative residents and their hunger to achieve the most competitive of environments.

Closer to Nigeria, the neighboring country of Ghana recently announced Hope City, a $10 billion hub in capital Accra that will see Africa's tallest building emerge from shrub-land. By 2016 Hope City will house 25,000 residents and may have created some 50,000 jobs. To not be outdone, South Africa gets the JoziHub in Johannesburg, launched in February 2013, while Cape Town is attempting to brand itself as Silicon Cape by creating a non-profit, community-owned infrastructure that supports startups with capital and expertise.

Alas, Africa is replete with reports about good ambitions and grandiose tasks that never see the light of day. Nigeria is not any different. Alas, Africa is replete with stories about great ambitions and grandiose tasks that never see the mild of day. Nigeria is not any different. Tinapa Resort, the in the offing looking and commerce "heaven" in the Combination Streams state, is a notice to all who think that expense always generates towns and jobs. A lot more than $350 million was ploughed into the task, thought to boost organization and tourism before it exposed in 2007, based on a strong beach port in the city of Calabar, which didn't occur or materialize. The resort collected dust, learning to be a ghost city - yet another African-american disaster.

The us government, privately-owned Covenant College and fat company OANDO can create a college and fuel plant that will eventually use 10,000 people. Famous Nigerian investor and influencer Harry Tomi Davies finds the new scheme the one that costs a fortune but is ultimately an encumbrance, put simply, a "bright elephant turned black by technology," he says.

Time may inform whether Tinapa emerges as a phoenix rather than pachyderm. However in Nigeria, there is a sense that anything is possible - especially in Lagos, where in fact the infrastructural obstacles to success are operating entrepreneurship.

Naija Gist Or Check Out Naijagist