The Innovators Building Africa’s Thriving Tech Scene | Peace Itimi | TED

翻译人员: Rose F 校对人员: suya f.

So we all love a great startup story, right?

我们都喜欢精彩的创业故事，对吧？

Right? Audience: Yes!

对吧？

观众：是的！

Good, I do too.

很好，我也是。

And we particularly love the underdog ones.

而且我们格外喜欢 弱势群体的故事。

You know, where a small idea makes it big

比如说一个小想法 能够克服困难，大放异彩

despite all the odds,

where many giants are slayed before a resounding success.

而一些被看好的想法在取得 巨大成功之前就失败了。

Well, I’m convinced that there’s nowhere where this narrative is more captivating

我坚信，这段故事没有

or where it echoes more profoundly

比在非洲国家和社区更吸引人

than in the countries and communities of Africa.

或更能引起深刻回响的了。

Africa has been portrayed over and over again

人们一遍又一遍

through the lens of outdated myths.

地从过时的看法描绘非洲。

The world only sees us as a continent that's plagued by poverty,

世界只将我们 视为一个饱受贫困、

insecurity and stifled innovation.

不安全和创新抑制困扰的大陆。

You know, a land of endless potential that forever remains unrealized.

你知道，这是一片潜 力无限但永远无法实现的土地。

But yet,

但是，

underneath these tired stereotypes,

在这些陈旧的陈规定型观念之下，

a new reality has emerged,

出现了一个新的现实，

one where ambitious Africans are writing their own stories

雄心勃勃的非洲人 正在以建设者和创新者的

as builders and as innovators.

身份书写自己的故事。

We have the youngest population in the world,

我们的人口是世界上最年轻的，

with over 60 percent under 25.

超过 60％ 的人口在 25 岁以下。

And this youthful energy,

而这种年轻的活力，

combined with increasing access to technology as we see it today,

加上我们今天看到的 越来越多的获得技术的机会，

has become the perfect recipe for a tech revolution.

已经成为科技革命的完美秘诀。

We are no longer waiting for the future.

我们不再等待未来。

We are actively constructing it.

我们正在积极建设它。

See, our greatest resource

看，我们最大的资源

is not the gold, the oil, the diamonds, the platinum.

不是黄金、石油、 钻石和铂金。

It has always been the people.

我们最大的资源一直是人民。

How do I know this?

我怎么知道的？

I spent the last couple of years bringing African tech talent,

在过去的几年里，我通过自己 组织的活动将非洲的科技人才、

founders and funders together through events I organize.

创始人和资助者聚集在一起。

And also hosting a series on YouTube called Founders Connect.

还在YouTube上主持了一个 名为《创始人连接》的系列节目。

Through Founders Connect

通过 FoundersConnect

I have interviewed over 80 African tech entrepreneurs

我采访了 80 多位非洲科技企业家

who shared their stories with me,

他们与我分享了他们的故事，

their lessons, their challenges, their victories.

他们的经验，遇到的难题和胜利。

So I'll tell you some of those stories.

所以我会告诉你其中的一些故事。

One of that is one of Nigeria's tech matriarchs.

其中之一是尼日利亚 的一位女科技族长。

Her name is Funke Opeke.

她的名字叫 芬克·奥佩克（Funke Opeke）。

We call her Auntie Funke.

我们称她为奥佩克（Funke）阿姨。

She's the founder of MainOne, and in 2008,

她是 MainOne 的创始人，

she decided to tackle the issue of internet connectivity in Nigeria,

在 2008 年，她决定解决 尼日利亚的互联网连接问题，

and she ended up laying

最终在西非铺设了

the first privately owned undersea cable in West Africa,

第一条私人拥有的 海底电缆，从欧洲的葡萄牙

stretching 7,000 kilometers,

all the way from Portugal in Europe to West Africa.

全长 7,000 公里。

This bold move resulted in a surge of internet speeds in the country.

这一大胆举动导致该 国的互联网速度激增。

For context, the earlier cables had 800 gigabytes in capacity,

作为背景，早期的电缆 容量为 800 千兆字节，

but one laid by MainOne came with ten terabytes.

但 MainOne 铺设的 电缆容量为十兆字节。

That was over 1,000 percent increase in capacity.

这使容量增加了 1,000％ 以上。

The result?

结果？

An explosion of tech startups in Nigeria

尼日利亚的科技初创企业激增，

that have now become the lifeblood of our economy.

现已成为我们经济的命脉。

This initial trickle that started at the time of Auntie Funke

最初的这一小流始于 奥佩克（Funke）阿姨的时代，

一直到 2010 年代中后期，

kept growing into a massive current of new startups by mid-to-late 2010s.

它不断发展成为大量新创公司。

An example is another of my favorite stories, PiggyVest.

一个例子是我最喜欢的另一个 故事，PiggyVest。

It's the first online savings and investment app in Nigeria,

它是尼日利亚第一款在线储蓄 和投资应用程序，

and it was founded in 2016

由索姆托·伊菲祖（Somto Ifezue）， 奥杜纳约·埃韦尼伊（Odunayo Eweniyi）

by Somto Ifezue, Odunayo Eweniyi and Joshua Chibueze.

和约书亚·奇布埃兹（Joshua Chibueze）

于 2016 年创立。

And they are serial entrepreneurs.

而且他们是连续创业者。

PiggyVest has helped over 4.5 million Nigerians

PiggyVest 已帮助 超过 450 万尼日利亚人

to save well over 1.4 billion dollars.

节省了超过 14 亿美元。

That's a lot of money.

那是一大笔钱。

Imagine the impact they have made in the lives of people.

想象一下它们对人们生活的影响。

And the momentum kept going and going and going even further in 2020,

这种势头一直持续下去， 甚至更进一步，在 2020 年，

when Paystack, a company that helps businesses get paid easily online,

Paystack，一个帮助 企业轻松获得在线报酬的公司，

became one of Africa's biggest startup stories.

成为了非洲 最大的创业公司之一。

The founders, Ezra Olubi and Shola Akinlade,

创始人埃兹拉·奥鲁比（Ezra Olubi） 和绍拉·阿金莱德（Shola Akinlade），

were the first Nigerians to get into Y Combinator.

是第一批进入Y Combinator 的尼日利亚人。

而在2020年， 当他们以 2 亿美元的价格

And in 2020, when they sold their company to Stripe for 200 million dollars,

将公司出售给 Stripe 时，

I mean, they made a lot of money for themselves, obviously,

他们确实赚了很多钱，

but also they returned 1,400 percent ROI to their early backers,

但他们也将 1400％ 的 投资回报率返还给了早期的支持者，

many of whom were local investors in the country,

其中许多人是这个 国家的本地投资者，

thus giving money back to the ecosystem

因此将资金返还给这个生态系统，

that has allowed them to invest in more companies.

让他们能够投资更多公司。

And they sparked a renewed belief

他们还重新激发了人们

in just how big Nigeria's companies could go.

对尼日利亚公司能发展到多大的信心。

I think if the early pioneers like Auntie Funke lit a spark,

我认为，如果说像奥佩克（Funke） 阿姨这样的早期先驱者点燃了火花，

what Paystack did was that it set a raging fire

那么 Paystack 所做的 就是在整个尼日利亚生态系统中

across the entire Nigerian ecosystem.

点燃了熊熊大火。

Because their acquisition did not just raise headlines.

因为他们的收购 不仅成为了头条新闻，

It also resulted in the Paystack Mafia, similar with the PayPal Mafia.

它还催生了 Paystack 黑手党， 类似于 PayPal 黑手党。

Very similar, as they've gone to create iconic companies.

非常相似，因为他们创建了标志性公司。

There are now at least 10 former Paystack staffers

现在至少有 10 名前 Paystack 员工

that have spun out their own ventures.

已经分拆了自己的企业。

They’re building fantastic solutions in open banking, tech talent outsourcing.

他们正在开放银行、科技人才 外包方面创建出色的解决方案。

They're building fintech neobanks.

他们正在建立金融科技新银行。

They're building on-demand food and grocery solutions.

他们正在构建按需 食品和杂货解决方案。

They're basically pushing the boundaries of what is innovation in Africa.

他们基本上是在突破非洲创新的界限。

15 years ago, the tech in Nigeria was so nascent

15 年前，尼日利亚的这项 技术还处于起步阶段，

that people say it was practically nonexistent.

以至于人们说 它几乎不存在。

But I kid you not, if you walk through the streets of Lagos today,

但我不是在跟你开玩笑， 如果你今天走在拉各斯的街道上，

you see a ton of young people who are attending TED conferences,

你会看到很多年轻 人正在参加 TED 会议，

who are collaborating in coworking spaces, who are brainstorming ideas in cafes.

他们在共享办公空间合作， 在咖啡馆里集思广益。

And let me be clear, let's not make a mistake.

让我说清楚， 我们不要误解。

This entrepreneur awakening I'm talking about

is not a localized event.

不是本地化事件。

It's a Pan-African revolution.

这是一场泛非革命。

Because what is happening in Lagos today,

因为今天在拉各斯发生的事情，

it's happening across the entire continent.

它正在整个大陆上发生。

In East Africa,

在东非，

there are companies like Twiga Foods

有像 Twiga Foods 的公司

that is connecting consumers, vendors and suppliers

正在将消费者、 厂商和供应商

to high quality products, food and retail services.

与高质量的产品、 食品和零售服务联系起来。

There are fintech businesses like Kopo Kopo,

有像 Kopo Kopo 这样 的金融科技企业，

that is helping other businesses accept digital payments easily,

正在帮助其他企业轻松 接受数字支付，

while also providing access to credit.

同时也提供信贷渠道。

In South Africa, companies like Stitch

在南非，像 Stitch 这样的公司

are pushing the frontiers in areas like open banking.

正在开放银行等 领域开拓前沿。

The world views Africa from a place where our struggles are amplified

世界从这样一个地方看待非洲： 我们的挣扎被放大了，

but then our victories are minimized.

但随后我们的胜利却被最小化了。

The result is everyone is missing this reality of a continent of doers,

结果是所有人都错过了 这样一个由行动者、

创造者和建筑商组成的大陆

of creators, of builders.

组成的现实。

And I'm not just talking about local players

而且我说的不仅仅是

who only build regional solutions.

制定本地解决方案的本地参与者。

Because the builders of my generation,

因为作为我们这一代的建设者，

we have the boundless ambition,

我们有无限的雄心壮志，

but also the ability to build technological powerhouses

但也有能力建立会让 非洲走上全球舞台的技术强国

that will put Africa on the global stage, just like our music Afrobeat is doing.

就像我们的音乐 Afrobeat 所做的那样。

So brace yourselves.

因此，准备好吧。

I don’t think it will be long anymore

我认为不久之后

before we stop comparing African startups to their Western counterparts,

我们就会停止将非洲初创企业 与西方初创企业进行比较，

but Western companies will begin to benchmark themselves

而西方公司将开始

against the wave of unicorns that's coming out of the African soil.

以来自非洲本土的独角兽 浪潮为基准。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you.

谢谢。