Tech lessons from Israel’s Silicon Wadi

Kenya has been dubbed Africa’s Silicon Savannah, thanks to its huge potential in digital innovations.

But several hurdles have stood in the way to global technology growth standards.

After a one-week visit to Tel Aviv, one of the world’s most innovative capitals, I believe that Kenya, despite all odds, can still make a mark in the global digital economy.

Israel is one of the countries that commit huge budgets to research and development in the world, setting aside 4.3 per cent of GDP for that.

Inside the Silicon Wadi, Israel’s hi-tech ecosystem, innovations in artificial intelligence, agritech, fintech, sportech, digital transport solutions and cybersecurity happen, thanks to accessible internet for everyone.

Israel has a national innovation authority that regulates start-ups, besides funding viable innovation projects. This eliminates the fear of lack of seed capital that young innovators face in Kenya.

Here, corporate tax for technology companies has been slashed to five per cent, and this has spurred growth, with statistics showing that at least 80 companies are founded every year, anchored on a national policy of inclusion.

Education in Israel is well-structured, giving it high quality. Nine universities are ranked among the world’s best centres for tertiary education.

Children as young as 10 are taught computer programming. Israel has established a national centre for cyber education to grow the talent pool for military intelligence and prepare children for the expected shocks of the Internet of Things in the future.

Some 46 per cent of exports come from technology brains, contributing to 9 per cent of overall employment.

All this started with Israel appreciating that most of its land is arid and semi-arid and coming up with a simple innovation in agriculture – drip irrigation.

They manufacture water from the air, tapping vapour and condensing it, while 99 per cent of sewage water is recycled and purified.

There is a term commonly used in the nation’s quest for a stronger entrepreneurial culture in technology: Chutzpah.

It means “speak your mind no matter what”. This has given many youth the audacity to seek answers to the grey parts of projects, or question chief executives about their management styles, creating an environment of integrity, trust and freedom.

While brain drain to Silicon Valley or Shenzhen are normal, there is a high brain gain in Silicon Wadi, as those who leave come back later more equipped to play a more significant role in building the Israeli digital economy.

Israelis have not allowed scarce resources, a limited market and low export volumes to weigh them down. Instead, Silicon Wadi used that as a launch pad to scale the innovation heights.

There are many lessons the Silicon Savannah can draw from Silicon Wadi, and the time is now.