A post on Afrinnovator.com features four African Community Working Spaces (Coworking); iHub in Kenya, Appfrica Labs in Uganda, Limbe labs Ventures in Cameroon and Bantalabs in Senegal.
These spaces are built around the idea of coworking which I believe is causing a highly disruptive shift in working patterns and philosophies.
Coworking, being a social thing, is based on shared values and a little bit of excitement about what can happen when collaborating with talented individuals in the same space. This is a good thing! Here are my reasons:
One, Africa has talented people! Thinkers, Technophiles, Philanthropists, Entrepreneurs…Africa has got them all! Most of these people have remarkable ideas and achievements and are willing to share their knowledge and expertise to help others achieve their objectives.
The flip side of the coin however is a different story. Despite the rich ideas and opportunities our continent has, its pretty hard for some of them to get out either because of lack of knowledge or the lack of established communities to share their views.
Erik Hersman, founder of the iHub in Nairobi, argues that there exists a technology community in many African cities but this community is disconnected. I believe that African coworking spaces will facilitate regular interaction of coworkers and therefore catalyze innovation and development.
The other reason why I believe coworking is a good thing for Africa is its potential to shape and reshape African philosophies and values. Coworking can only happen if people share values. It is thus my thinking that we should strive to develop values that focus on developing Africa positively in all scopes. I’ll name a few.
Think what might come out of collaboration on technology through coworking? We may soon be saying goodbye to a number of African problems and hello to a new world of technological innovations.
Think again what might come out of collaboration on social entrepreneurship through coworking? We may (finally) be able to achieve social development without wasting time forming groups that only discuss the issue.
Most importantly, think about the potential we have to shape African values, philosophies and thought processes! It may start out small but online content is not the only viral thing in this world! I believe we can cause a viral spread of change in Africa.
In total agreement with you. We need a space to frequently bring independent workers together to stimulate development and innovation. Great article!