If asked to explain what they think it is like to live in Africa, most Americans would probably formulate a perception drastically different from the unapparent reality. As a result of either minimally skimming through the “Africa” section in newspapers or forgetting about the continent altogether, many Americans would draw from their high school history classes to describe today’s Africa. This only becomes a problem when it seems it is more than just average Americans using information from decades ago, because although the possible solutions to benefit Africa have changed, policies have not.
While many African countries may still be considered underdeveloped socially, economically and politically, the one sign of hope is technological development. Josh Nesbit, CEO of Medic Mobile, even noted, he got better reception on his mobile phone in poor, rural Malawi than he did in California.
Innovators are not only utilizing technology to solve problems locally but also globally. For example, an M-Pesa program allows Kenyans to transfer money to family members without having to go through fragile and corrupt banking institutions. Additionally, Shimba Technologies has developed an app, MedAfrica, that looks to address health challenges in countries where the doctor-per-1,000-person ratio is as low as 0.2 percent. All of these problems seemed nearly impossible to solve not too long ago. Now, there’s an app for that.
At the end of the day, however, it is going to take more than just nonprofits to shed light on problems plaguing Africa. When reading his book on the issue, I found that Alec Ross, who was the senior advisor for innovation for the Obama administration, seemed surprised to learn about the technological developments occurring in Africa this past decade. It is hard for the U.S. to take advantage of opportunities to improve Africa if the American government is unaware of them.
Although it may be hard to cure American apathy toward Africa, the least that could be done is a change in mentality at the highest power. With the incomparable size and power of the public sector, it is time for the executive branch to lend a hand. Besides, many possible opponents to brisk change in African foreign policy will have their hands busy these next few months with political issues here at home.
Joshua Udvardy is a UF mechanical engineering sophomore. His column appears on Thursdays.
