Africa is an innovation hotbed, but I want to address the big elephant in the room… corruption. I’m working with an American who has been addressing South African informal settlement infrastructure and social innovations since the mid-1990s. This associate, along with other key associates, refer to corruption as an unfortunate reality in Africa that is an instant deal-breaker. I am glad that I have had these moral influences from my outset in Africa, but not touching any deal that smells of corruption, and smelling it out before too much time and too many resources are expended, is a challenge.
