> when a European company casually runs roughshod over that identity [of being an African company] and trades in it, it’s a slap in the face. It effectively lay

> when a European company casually runs roughshod over that identity [of being an African company] and trades in it, it’s a slap in the face. It effectively lays a beachhead for digital colonizers in the space. “With enough millions you too can claim to be an emerging “African” growth co I applaud the directness of this article. It's an important issue, there are big market opportunities in Africa and entrepreneurs who are African nationals deserve better access to them. However, it's important to note there are very successful 'tech' companies part owned by African nationals and incorporated in Africa (as far as I can make out). E.g. SportsPesa [0] which has a mix of Kenyan/European/US founders [1] and looks like one of the most profitable East African companies right now [2] (it blows Jumia out of the water). It's a company doing well enough to sponsor a premier League football club shirt. I wonder whether the more serious barriers to young African entrepreneurs are their governments & regulatory environments. Incorporating a company, setting up bank accounts and so on in many African countries feels like a challenge in itself. And many African founders may look for US/European founders simply to incorporate entities elsewhere which will likely increase their chances of investment and security. This is where the "beachhead for digital colonizers" metaphor becomes multifaceted. I think the beachhead goes both ways, because there is value to an African national registering an entity, e.g in the UK [3]. This isn't really to do with identity, it's to do with practicality and trust. It's hard to trust institutions in a lot of African countries, and that's a disservice to the people and young entrepreneurs that live there. The smart ones probably won't wait around, they'll figure out the safest foundation for delivering tech products and services to people in Africa. I'd be interested to hear from any African entrepreneurs working in Africa here on what the practical barriers/solutions have been to setting up companies and getting them working. [0] https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=531230464 https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.a... [1] https://samrack.com/who-owns-sportpesa-here-is-a-list-of-the-owners-photos/ https://samrack.com/who-owns-sportpesa-here-is-a-list-of-the... [2] https://businesstoday.co.ke/sportpesa-float-ipo-nse-next-year/ https://businesstoday.co.ke/sportpesa-float-ipo-nse-next-yea... [3] https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10682750/officers https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10682750/officers