Nairobi, Accra, Johannesburg and Cape City are typically competing with Lagos to declare control of Last Frontier Africa, the continent of the 21st century. Lagos, Nigeria seems such 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 ago, architect and author Rem Koolhaas co-wrote Mutation. After studying Nigeria's biggest city, he says,
"Lagos isn't catching up with us; rather, we may be catching up with Lagos." He might 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 shouldn't operate at all. Its chaos outstrips that of Cairo or New Delhi.
But within the insanity, a fresh kind 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.
Nearer to Nigeria, the neighboring country of Ghana recently announced Hope City, a $10 billion hub in capital Accra that'll see Africa's tallest building emerge from shrub-land. By 2016 Hope City will house 25,000 residents and will have created some 50,000 jobs. Not to be outdone, South Africa has got the JoziHub in Johannesburg, launched in February 2013, while Cape Town is trying to brand itself as Silicon Cape by developing a non-profit, community-owned infrastructure that supports startups with capital and expertise.
Alas, Africa is replete with experiences about great ambitions and grandiose tasks that never begin to see the gentle of day. Nigeria is no different. Alas, Africa is replete with experiences about great ambitions and grandiose tasks that never see the light of day. Nigeria isn't any different. Tinapa Resort, the in the offing searching and commerce "paradise" in the Cross Rivers state, is a warning to all who feel that expense always creates towns and jobs. A lot more than $350 million was ploughed into the challenge, considered to increase business and tourism before it exposed in 2007, centered on a deep beach slot in the city of Calabar, which didn't occur or materialize. The resort gathered dust, learning to be a cat community - still another African disaster.
The federal government, privately-owned Covenant College and oil organization OANDO will create an university and fuel plant that may finally use 10,000 people. Legendary Nigerian investor and influencer Harry Tomi Davies finds the brand new scheme one which charges a fortune but is eventually a weight, put simply, a "white elephant turned dark by technology," he says.
Time can tell whether Tinapa emerges as a phoenix rather than pachyderm. But in Nigeria, there is an expression that any such thing is achievable - especially in Lagos, where the infrastructural impediments to success are driving entrepreneurship.
Naijagist
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