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

譯者: Marian Lee 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

So we all love a great startup story, right?

我們都喜歡偉大的創業故事，對吧？

Right? Audience: Yes!

對吧？ 觀眾：是的！

Good, I do too.

很好，我也是。

And we particularly love the underdog ones.

我們特別喜歡聽 處於劣勢的一方的故事。

You know, where a small idea makes it big

就是不顧一切困難，透過一個 小小的想法最終取得巨大的成功。

despite all the odds,

where many giants are slayed before a resounding success.

在取得巨大成功之前，擊倒許多巨人。

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

我相信，這個故事在非洲國家和社區，

無論是吸引力還是迴響，

or where it echoes more profoundly

than in the countries and communities of Africa.

都是其他地方無法比擬的。

Africa has been portrayed over and over again

非洲一直被過時的迷思所描繪。

through the lens of outdated myths.

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

世界只將我們視為一個貧窮、 不安全和創新受阻的大陸。

insecurity and stifled innovation.

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

大家都說，這是一片擁有無限潛力 卻永遠無法實現的土地。

But yet,

然而，在這些陳舊的刻板印象之下，

underneath these tired stereotypes,

a new reality has emerged,

一個全新的局面正在展開。

one where ambitious Africans are writing their own stories

有抱負的非洲人正以 創建者和創新者的身份，

as builders and as innovators.

書寫自己的故事。

We have the youngest population in the world,

我們擁有全世界最年輕的人口，

with over 60 percent under 25.

超過 60% 的人口的不到 25 歲。

And this youthful energy,

而這種年輕的能量，

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

結合了近代愈趨普及的科技，

has become the perfect recipe for a tech revolution.

成為科技革命的完美配方。

We are no longer waiting for the future.

我們不再等待未來，

We are actively constructing it.

我們正在積極構建它。

See, our greatest resource

我們最大的資源，

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

不是黃金、石油、鑽石、鉑金，

It has always been the people.

一直一來都是人們。

How do I know this?

我是怎麼知道的呢？

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

過去的幾年，我透過組織活動，

founders and funders together through events I organize.

將非洲科技人才、創辦人 和資助者聚集在一起。

And also hosting a series on YouTube called Founders Connect.

同時，我還在 YouTube 上主持了一個 名為 Founders Connect 的系列節目。

Through Founders Connect

通過 Founders Connect，

I have interviewed over 80 African tech entrepreneurs

我採訪了 80 多位非洲科技企業家，

who shared their stories with me,

他們與我分享了他們的故事，

their lessons, their challenges, their victories.

他們學到的教訓，他們的挑戰， 和他們的勝利。

So I'll tell you some of those stories.

我會分享一些故事。

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

其中之一是奈及利亞的 科技女性企業家。

Her name is Funke Opeke.

她的名字是馮克·奧佩克。

We call her Auntie Funke.

我們叫她馮克阿姨

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

她是 MainOne 的創始人，

2008 年，她決定著手解決 奈及利亞的網路連接問題。

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

and she ended up laying

最終她鋪設了西非第一條私人海底電纜，

the first privately owned undersea cable in West Africa,

stretching 7,000 kilometers,

長達 7,000 公里， 從歐洲葡萄牙一路延伸到西非。

all the way from Portugal in Europe to West Africa.

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

這大膽的創舉 使國內的網路速度大幅提升。

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

早期的電纜容量為 800 GB，

but one laid by MainOne came with ten terabytes.

但是由 MainOne 設置的為 10 TB。

That was over 1,000 percent increase in capacity.

容量增加了超過 1,000％。

The result?

結果是什麼？

An explosion of tech startups in Nigeria

奈及利亞的科技新創企業 如雨後春筍般湧現，

that have now become the lifeblood of our economy.

如今已成為我們的經濟命脈。

This initial trickle that started at the time of Auntie Funke

這股最初由馮克阿姨開始的涓涓細流，

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

在2010年代中後期不斷增長， 形成了龐大的創業浪潮。

An example is another of my favorite stories, PiggyVest.

接下來的例子是我最喜 歡的另一個故事，PiggyVest。

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

它是奈及利亞第一個 線上儲蓄和投資 app，

and it was founded in 2016

於 2016 年創立，

by Somto Ifezue, Odunayo Eweniyi and Joshua Chibueze.

創辦人為索姆托·伊費祖、 奧杜納約·埃文尼和約書亞·奇布澤。

And they are serial entrepreneurs.

而且他們是連續創業家。

PiggyVest has helped over 4.5 million Nigerians

PiggyVest 已幫助超過 450 萬奈及利亞人

to save well over 1.4 billion dollars.

儲蓄了超過 14 億美元。

That's a lot of money.

這是一筆很大的金額。

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

想像一下他們對人們生活 所產生的影響。

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

這股動能在 2020 年持續增長，

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

當時 Paystack 這家公司 幫助企業輕鬆線上收款，

became one of Africa's biggest startup stories.

成為非洲最具代表性的新創企業之一。

The founders, Ezra Olubi and Shola Akinlade,

創始人埃茲拉·奧盧比和肖拉·阿金萊德

were the first Nigerians to get into Y Combinator.

是第一組進入 Y Combinator 的奈及利亞人。

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

在 2020 年，他們將公司以 兩億美元的價格出售給 Stripe，

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

他們自己當然賺了不少，

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

但同時也為早期支持者 帶來了高達 1,400% 的回報，

many of whom were local investors in the country,

其中許多是當地的投資者，

thus giving money back to the ecosystem

這也讓資金回流到創業生態系統中，

that has allowed them to invest in more companies.

進而促使他們能投資更多的新創公司。

And they sparked a renewed belief

他們重新喚起了人們對 奈及利亞企業成長潛力的信心

in just how big Nigeria's companies could go.

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

我認為，如果早期的先驅如馮克阿姨 點燃了一個火種，

what Paystack did was that it set a raging fire

那麼 Paystack 所做的是 在整個奈及利亞新創生態系統中

across the entire Nigerian ecosystem.

燃起了一場大火。

Because their acquisition did not just raise headlines.

他們的收購不僅上了新聞頭版，

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

還催生了類似於 PayPal Mafia 的 Paystack Mafia。

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

這些創始人之後創建了 許多具有代表性的公司，

There are now at least 10 former Paystack staffers

現在至少有 10 位前 Paystack 員工開創了自己的事業。

that have spun out their own ventures.

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

他們打造開放銀行、科技人才外包 等出色的解決方案。

They're building fintech neobanks.

他們建立金融科技新興銀行。

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

打造按需的食物和雜貨配送服務。

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

他們基本上在擴大非洲創新的邊界。

15 years ago, the tech in Nigeria was so nascent

15 年前，奈及利亞的 科技產業還非常稚嫩，

that people say it was practically nonexistent.

甚至有人說幾乎不存在。

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

但我不是在開玩笑， 今天走在拉哥斯的街頭，

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

你會看到許多年輕人參加 TED 會議，

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

在共享辦公空間合作， 或在咖啡館裡激發創意。

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

我要澄清一下，別搞錯，

This entrepreneur awakening I'm talking about

我所說的這場創業覺醒 不是區域型現象，

is not a localized event.

It's a Pan-African revolution.

而是一場泛非洲的革命。

Because what is happening in Lagos today,

因為今天在拉哥斯發生的事情，

it's happening across the entire continent.

正在整個非洲大陸上演。

In East Africa,

在東非，有像 Twiga Foods 這樣的公司

there are companies like Twiga Foods

that is connecting consumers, vendors and suppliers

將消費者、供應商 和零售商連接在一起，

to high quality products, food and retail services.

提供高品質的產品、 食品和零售服務。

There are fintech businesses like Kopo Kopo,

還有像 Kopo Kopo 這樣的金融科技企業，

that is helping other businesses accept digital payments easily,

幫助其他企業輕鬆接收數位支付，

while also providing access to credit.

同時提供信貸服務。

In South Africa, companies like Stitch

在南非，像 Stitch 這樣的公司，

are pushing the frontiers in areas like open banking.

正在開拓開放銀行等領域的創新發展。

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

世界放大非洲的困境， 並用這個角度來看待我們。

but then our victories are minimized.

卻低估了我們的勝利。

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

結果是，大家忽略了這片大陸 是充滿著行動者、

of creators, of builders.

創造者和建設者。

And I'm not just talking about local players

而且我不僅是指那些 只在特定區域內發展的當地企業。

who only build regional solutions.

Because the builders of my generation,

因為我們這一代的建設者，

we have the boundless ambition,

不僅擁有無限的野心，

but also the ability to build technological powerhouses

也有能力打造能讓非洲 登上全球舞台的科技巨頭，

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

就像我們的音樂 Afrobeat 一樣。

So brace yourselves.

所以，準備好。

I don’t think it will be long anymore

我認為不久之後，

before we stop comparing African startups to their Western counterparts,

我們將不再拿非洲的新創企業 與西方企業相比，

but Western companies will begin to benchmark themselves

反而是西方企業會開始

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

以非洲崛起的獨角獸企業做為基準。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thank you.

謝謝。