Africa catches up on IT innovation

When we think about West Africa and the Internet, we often think of all the crazy Nigerian e-mail scams that often plague our hapless spam filters and occasionally hornswoggle the gullible.

But now, something of real value is coming out of the region's computers. A Ghanaian software developer is popularizing Semacode, a combination of Internet technology and shoe-leather gumption that he helped create.

Here's how it works: A black-and-white barcode is printed up and affixed to buildings, street lamps, or other landmarks. When people walk by and wonder, "Hey, what's that clock tower?" they can just whip out their camera phones and scan the barcode. Instantly, their Internet-enabled phones tell them they're at the University of Ghana, which was founded in 1948 and has nearly 24,000 students. The idea of using cellphones to read barcodes is not original; Japan has had the technology for years. But in Africa, where streets and buildings are renamed quite often, this tool can be particularly helpful. 

Although Africa's IT industry is still minuscule, more and more African IT professionals are developing technologies for the digital age, often using open-source software due to Western copyright restrictions. "We are offering the big boys some competition," boasts one Ugandan IT developer.

With all the depressing news that comes out of the continent, this example offers hope that anyone with a good education and an Internet connection can be the next IT superstar. And who knows? Perhaps all those $150 laptops will fuel the next Web boom—this time in Africa.