SoCap08: Africa at the "unconference"

Day three of the Social Capital Markets is an "open space" environment, which basically means that all of the content is suggested and facilitated by the conference attendees themselves. The 50 or so sessions - ranging from "How to Measure Impact" to "Legal 101 for Hybrid Enterprises" - demonstrate the diversity of the environment.

Facilitator Jerry Michalski got us started by moderating the content brainstorm and providing a shape and context to the event. While the guiding prompt to the day was ostensibly "What's the single best thing that could happen for you, your organization, or your industry," the topics have really reflected the full range of questions driving this formative stage of the financial market for social value.

I convened ("covenved" is a better description than "ran" or even "facilitated," as open space conversations quickly become just that - conversations) a session for anyone who worked or simply was interested in Africa.

About half the group was working in Uganda, doing everything from e-learning technologies to broadband infrastructure to small and medium enterprise development. People speculated that the close relationship between the Ugandan and US governments might account in part for the variety of activity.

The conversation quickly turned to the macro level, with many in the group sharing how both trade and aid in Africa have changed in the last decade. The two big changes most often cited were the increasing influence of China around the continent, and the growing broadband infrastructure and other technology challenges.

Most felt that the opportunities of new technology in particular have significant potential for positive impact on African economies. Particularly, they felt it would open up significant opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop new, technology based businesses. Check out Ushahidi and Afridex for examples.