![In this photo taken, Nov. 8, 2011, a woman poses with her Blackberry mobile phone in Johannesburg. The woman says she cherishes her phone as a link to family and friends, and also sees it as a radio, a library, a mini cinema, a bank teller, and more. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2012_0510_africa_innovation_m.jpg)
About the Author: Kris M. Balderston serves as the Special Representative for Global Partnerships.
In the last week, I’ve travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town to Addis Ababa. Along the way, I’ve been struck over and over again by the ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and innovation of the people I have met — from townships to capital cities, from villages to major metropolises. Innovation parks are taking a place next to factories, investment banks next to mobile phone banking kiosks, and internet startups next to mom-and-pop store fronts. As I touched down in Ethiopia for the World Economic Forum on Africa, I was struck by the thought: Africa is emerging.
Buoyed by a decade of growth and bullish predictions for the future, Africa is on track to become the next big investment destination. The Economist indicates that six of the… more »
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amyjammyjames reblogged this from statedept
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doctorofnothing said:
I’m not a Marxist, I don’t like your economics. Please don’t sue me, thanks. <3.
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statedept posted this
