As I was growing up, I was obsessed with the thought of inventing something that would someday make history. Nevertheless, as time progressed, I came to a point where I thought “oh well, what’s there to invent?? Everything has already been invented. What new thing can I bring about?” in fact, this ‘realisation’ weighed me down until I noticed something: Invention might not be for everyone and rightfully so, but there is always room for innovators. In as much as innovation might involve some of invention, it’s not strictly limited to that but rather, it is making other people’s inventions useful in context – and I believe this is exactly what Zimbabwe needs for now.
Let’s just use an example of something the majority can relate with: a phone, a smartphone to be precise. You’ll realise that for most, the difference between the Samsung galaxy pocket and the Samsung S7 is the screen size and of course in this selfie-sensation era, the camera. Beyond that, nothing more. But believe you me, people are still willing to buy that very expensive phone over any other even if they are not going to use more than 50% of its capabilities.
This is where you, the innovator comes in, either by: i) educating the general public on how to use the rest of the functions ii) finding ways that can make all those other functions applicable in the Zimbabwean context (whether it’s an internet access issue or otherwise); or iii) designing a different type of smartphone altogether amongst other things.
I know option (iii) seems to be a non-starter. Also, considering that the target market then narrows down might make it sound like a bad idea but I strongly beg to differ. The idea is probably for the patient and strong-willed I agree, but it is still doable. I can guarantee you that by targeting Zimbabwe, you automatically somehow would have successfully targeted the rest of Southern Africa (along with other parts in Africa) because I have come to realise that the market are more or less the same.
Moreover, if people are willing to pay so much money for products they do not fully utilise, how much more will they be willing to pay for something they are assured of getting real value for their money? Yes, mobile applications have tried to bridge the contextual gap but they come with their own limitations such as causing the phone to be slower/underperform, limited phone memory as well as compatibility complications. Therefore, one could also maximise on in building the most locally-relevant apps and as the phone gains traction, more app developers would want their apps to be hosted on that phone.
As I mentioned before, the smartphone example is just one of the infinite examples of products and/or services that can be transferred and made more relevant for Zim or Africa. So maybe you can start thinking or researching on what to do to make yourself more relevant rather than just being stuck on trying to invent. And I must say, this article is by no means discouraging an inventive mind but only helping those entrepreneurs that are probably stuck on ideas.
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3 comments
Zimbabwe is not an R&D market, there is not enough capital and resources to invest in that. So for the most part, the opportunity lies in innovation. That said, their is always room to invent, at small scale for immediate problems. Things that are not likely to have worldwide impact, but localized impact. Things like Gwatamatic, some water purification methods, waste conversion to energy etc. Most of these inventions will be for sustenance rather than progression. Fortunately, if this localized invention and innovation continue, the sum is greater than its parts and an inflection point may be reached were enough of these starts to attract R&D capital.
Interesting article
I think invention isn’t something one can easily set out to do, I believe it comes out of necessity or as an epiphany. For example, the guy who came up with Dropbox and the guy who invented the selfie stick did so as a result of personal needs that weren’t fulfilled.
Innovation is an easier straightforward way to go. At the simplest it’s just a copy and paste of technological innovation from elsewhere. I think I can safely say ALL the technological “innovation” a lot of companies tout themselves to have done, was just a copy of something else. 4G, WiFi, Mobile Wallets, Data Centres, Fibre Connections, Live Streaming are all things us and most other countries just copied from elsewhere.
The Innovatiion Drive should promote home grown solutions. Home grown solutions don’t mean coming up with a solution different from existing solutions, much like home grown vegetables aren’t a different type of vegetable. The solutions are just tailored or nurtured to suit the local environment. If a new feature on Whatsapp would benefit mainly Africans (or, only Zimbabweans), and not the rest of the globe, it’s extremely likely that feature will never see the light of day. Home grown solutions give those features the ability to reach the people. Aside from that, much revenue is lost paying for digital services to external entities when that money (and associated taxes) could easily stay within our economy.