more dystopian than ever thanks in part to comedic AI generated social media commentary. In a way it reminds me of another time in the past when everything was gearing for a great reset.
Covid Shockwaves: Do you Remember the Time?
2020 began with the tragic death of Kobe Briant and his daughter( and other passengers) in a ball of flame amidst a helicopter crash. But even that morbid event could not prepare anyone in the World for the months that followed.
A microscopic enemy had found its way into the foliage. When Covid-19 hit in 2020, it was like a wildfire torching the jungle. Yet, from the ashes, innovation surged.
By 2023, Kenya’ s funding rebounded to $ 800 million, driven by e-commerce and healthtech. Social media exploded- Kenya’ s userbase quadrupled, paving the way for TikTok’ s dominance in 2024, while Nigeria’ s 100 million users turned it into a marketing powerhouse. Smartphone penetration, at 61 % in Kenya, fuelled a digital renaissance, transforming adversity into opportunity.
This paradox- destruction breeding innovation- underscores the jungle’ s resilience. But new challenges, like currency volatility, emerged to test entrepreneurs’ mettle.
As usual money became the bane as fast as it had become the blessing...
Death by D. I. E – Difference In Exchange( Rates)
In 2024, the Kenyan shilling slumped 15 % against the dollar, jacking up tech import costs. Good for some institutions( banks I see you) but terrible for most people.
When that USD strengthens against the KES, as it is currently doing- stuff happens: we start relying on more local and less foreign stuff; we experience inflation pressure and higher costs of living; entrepreneurs with grit innovate, pivot and create new markets; there are more unpaid invoices from SMEs and more shutdowns; there is reduced FDI appeal, and we basically just deter investors; labour becomes more affordable but then quality of labour also drops; we experience higher import costs on tech hardware and component costs; and market uncertainty kicks in which affects our ability to plan and scale operations.
But then in the seemingly darkest of moments something stalks the jungle even at this most trying of moments. We can only make out its outline in the dense thickness of collective pessimism but it promises a way out, a better day. Something in the guise of opportunity and something which may just save us all: AI!
AI: The New King of the Jungle
AI’ s a beast- part ally, part threat. I personally view it as an ally through and through.
Picture a young Kenyan coder in Nairobi’ s iHub, tapping away at a keyboard, crafting an AI algorithm that optimizes crop yields for farmers in the Rift Valley. This isn’ t a dream- companies like SunCulture used AI to boost agricultural productivity by 30 % across 10,000 Kenyan farms in 2024, according to their annual report.
Or swing over to Uganda, where the Chil AI Lab is rewriting healthcare’ s story. Their AI-driven diagnostics, launched in 2022, screened 50,000 women for cervical cancer by 2024, catching early signs with 95 % accuracy, as reported by the African Leadership Magazine. This quiet healthtech surge is freeing up strained health systems and letting doctors focus on complex cases.
African entrepreneurs are in the midst of greatness but their ability to alchemy the obstacles into opportunities will be greatly determined by the extent of their innovative ability and optimistic outlook. Fact: Kenya’ s 83 % internet penetration and 61 % smartphone ownership, as noted by trade. gov in 2024, creates a fertile ground for AI-driven e-commerce.
Fact: Andela trained 10,000 developers in AI and machine learning in Kenya by 2024, with 70 % landing remote jobs at global firms, per their impact report. These coders earn $ 50,000 annually- ten times Kenya’ s average wage- injecting $ 500 million into the economy.
Fact: M-KOPA’ s AI credit scoring unlocked $ 1 billion for 4 million offgrid customers since 2011, per IFC data, bringing solar power and phones to rural homes.
And I can go on and on and on giving examples of how Ai is disrupting the economy for good across the tech, health, insurance, finance, agriculture, education, building and construction sectors. But you’ d rather watch the gossip on the Tik- Tok reals and doom scroll on the internet, right?
Picture this: 830 million youth across Africa by 2050. Do they wait for jobs or create them? Do the math.
AI hands the power from defunct organizations and aged academic corridors direct into the hands of these youth. It is doing what many governments in our business jungle grapple with: providing gainful employment to a young and exploding generation of youth. I dare say, it is indirectly averting crime rates in the process too.
The Digital Frontier: Social Media and E-Commerce
Beyond AI, the jungle’ s digital frontier is reshaping commerce.
Kenya’ s social media boom, with 10 million users by 2024, has turned platforms like Instagram and TikTok into virtual marketplaces. Entrepreneurs sell handmade jewellery, organic skincare, and bespoke furniture directly to consumers, bypassing traditional retail.
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