I wanted to take a moment to share some of the excellent blogs around the African blogosphere that I read and that I find inspiration in:

Saidia.org – Tobias Eigen’s blog. Entrepreneur and someone who fosters change – follow him here and see the work he’s doing at Kabiss.org.

Kenyan Musings – So, this is one of those blogs I read when I want to get away from the normal tech and business stuff I read most of the time. I’m always reminded of Kenya through her writings.

David Seruyange’s Blog – An old schoolboy nemesis on the basketball court, and a friend off of it. I never realized just how incredibly smart and well spoken he was until years later.

OneAfrikan – Blog by Gareth Knight, a fellow web application developer that resides in London. I thoroughly enjoy reading his thoughts on technology and admire his drive shown through organizing the Technology for Africa conference.

Mental Acrobatics – Besides being slightly insane (thus the name), Mental will also be my roomie for TED this summer in Arusha, TZ. He is both hilarious, thoughtful and gives great up-to-date news on events that he attends around the world.

EXTRA:
The Sojourner Dispatch – Follow Aubrey and Jamison as they trek from Kenya to South Africa – live blogging their adventures (even the stolen cameras, money, etc.). If you’re in Uganda, they might be able to use your help.

Whythawk, one of those blogs that I’ve really come to enjoy and frequent over the last few months, has written a nice piece outlining how government monopolies can and will be destroyed in Africa.

A probable future will contain computers and cell phones linked together in a meshed distributed broadband network able to make calls anywhere in the world or receive any information from a range of sources.

(Read the rest)

A young Swiss entrepreneur who grew up in Kenya, Matthew Herren, is working to bring updated digital textbooks to school children in Africa via satellite. He represents a new breed in Africa; instead of relying on the “aid” community, he is trying to build a viable business that has a chance at being self-sustainable through the free market. This is what I find both interesting and exciting.

The viability of digital textbooks and satellite connectivity as the major means of internet traffic are yet to be proved. With a traditional aid organization backing them, I would put little faith in its longevity. However, since each of the stakeholders bears financial responsibility (in both costs and profits), the chances for success are greater.

Herren hopes to launch a network of businesses across Africa that will sell and service the satellite receivers and hand held PCs. A country’s education ministry would hire one of these companies to provide and maintain its educational-download system–and slash the per-pupil cost of providing classroom materials by more than 20 percent.

I hope to see more and more venture-backed investments in Africa of this sort. Let’s stop treating Africa like it needs handouts, and start investing and expecting real returns on those investments through proper business plans.

[Update: JKE is telling me that Eduvision might be sidelined right now. I still like the idea of using the free market and investors instead of aid agencies for development though.]