Finland confirms its lead in digital technology, while Cameroon is emerging as a startup incubator. Therefore, when a Finnish company joins forces with a Cameroonian, it gives a very ambitious project. The "5G Mokki Tech Spaces", high-tech learning and communication spaces that are being established on the continent, after a first installation in Douala, Cameroon.
« We see that the COVID pandemic has changed our ideas about how we can study, work, etc.," he said. It has opened up huge opportunities for Africa. Suddenly, Europe realized that we share the same time zone. And we have huge resources available once we develop connectivity between the continents. So it's perfect timing once we have new technologies like 5G..." says Douglas Ogeto, co-founder and CEO of Ludique Works, a pan-African game publishing company based in Douala.
« A Finnish accelerator seeking to promote the learning and application of new technologies to meet the challenges of global sustainable development"
That's the idea: to bring technology, 5G in particular, that enables advanced learning environments with remote connectivity to the continent and offer learning solution content, starting with the fields of technology and entrepreneurship. This will be done, in these Mokki Tech Spaces, derived from the Finnish word “mökki”, meaning “cottage”. They are developed by Start North, a Finnish accelerator network that seeks to promote learning and application of new technologies to meet the challenges of global sustainable development. A concept by Finnish universities.
"Startt North Network is composed of the best universities and companies that support the idea that we can accelerate the learning of new technologies and their application to support or promote sustainable development in the world," says Jari Handelberg, Chairman of the Board of Start North ry and Co-Founder of the 5G Mokki Tech Space network.
« 5G can support many industries »
"5G can support many industries," says Douglas. If you look at the gaming industry, for example, with the capabilities of 5G, you can only imagine what it can do. In education, for sure, it's a direct impact. Health as well...This partnership is critical for us, because it helps take the creative economy to the next level."
"And Cameroon was chosen as one of the first countries, because in this country almost half a million people graduate from university every year and only 3,000 of them find a formal job," Jari emphasizes. What we want to do is complement the current education system, the university system, and bring these types of tech bases to the regions; they will be development tools for those regions and even the villages."
He added, "By 2025, Africa will have the biggest population of youths under 25. So, you know, if you add to that data, the mobile economy, the mobile internet penetration on the continent is doubling year on year, you can imagine that you now have 5G training, 5G mobile device and 5G expertise. This will undoubtedly help create jobs!"
« Our goal is a pan-African space technology network that connects the African continent to Europe and the rest of the world »
"Our goal is a pan-African technology space network that connects the African continent to Europe and the rest of the world, promoting technology learning and adoption, remote work and entrepreneurship. In addition to promoting education, employment and economic development in the regions, the network also aims to curb climate change using the latest technologies," says Boris Ngala, founder and CEO of BB Incubator and one of the co-founders of the 5G Mokki Tech Space network.
Use of highly qualified and talented African youth
As for the incubator and its startups, it can be used, among other things, to develop software applications that require ultra-fast internet connections, to perform immersive, three-dimensional (3D), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) rendering of learning experiences, as well as to provide innovation and remote working services to companies around the world.
Compared to the technology standards that preceded it, 5G will enable data connections that are 100 times faster on mobile devices and 10 times faster than the fastest fixed broadband services today.
The Mokki Tech Spaces 5G network offers international companies the opportunity to tap into highly skilled and talented young Africans, not only to do work remotely, but also to drive innovation.
After Cameroon, the project is to be replicated across the continent.
