02/08/2026
Decolonizing Technology and Science: Why Alkebulan Must Build Its Own Future
By Mwalimu IDOWU EGYAWAN
For generations, Africans—whom I prefer to call Alkebulanians—have been taught that technological advancement comes from somewhere else. We have become consumers of innovation rather than producers of it. We proudly use imported software, imported hardware, imported operating systems, imported payment systems, imported social media platforms, and imported artificial intelligence. Yet very few of us stop to ask an important question:
What has this dependence cost Alkebulan?
There is no doubt that imported technology has brought many benefits. It has improved communication, education, healthcare, banking, transportation, and commerce. It has connected our people to the rest of the world and created opportunities that did not exist before.
However, when viewed from a continental perspective, the long-term costs of our dependence are becoming increasingly clear.
From Innovation to Dependence
Every time an African business relies entirely on foreign digital platforms, a significant portion of the value created in Africa leaves Africa.
Every subscription paid to a foreign software company, every online advertisement purchased on a foreign platform, every commission paid to an international marketplace, and every cloud service bill paid overseas contributes to capital flowing out of the continent.
Meanwhile, many African innovators struggle to raise even modest funding to develop local alternatives.
We have become skilled users of other people's technology while neglecting to become builders of our own.
Innovation Begins with Patronage
No country has become technologically independent without first supporting its own innovators.
Many of today's global technology giants did not become successful overnight. They benefited from domestic markets that adopted, tested, improved, and invested in their products before expanding internationally.
African innovators deserve the same opportunity.
If we refuse to use African-built solutions simply because they are new or not yet perfect, we deny them the chance to mature. Innovation improves through use, feedback, investment, and continuous refinement.
The Policy Gap
Governments across Alkebulan frequently speak about innovation and youth empowerment, yet public procurement often tells a different story.
Too often:
Foreign software receives preference over local alternatives.
Indigenous startups face regulatory burdens that larger international companies can more easily absorb.
Access to financing remains limited for local innovators.
Public institutions rarely prioritise African-developed technology when suitable options exist.
This creates an uneven playing field where local companies compete against multinational corporations with vastly greater financial resources and global market reach.
Supporting indigenous technology should not mean rejecting international innovation. Rather, it means ensuring that African innovators have a fair opportunity to compete, grow, and contribute to economic development.
The Cost of Digital Dependence
Technological dependence is not merely an economic issue.
It also affects:
Employment opportunities for African software developers.
Development of local research and engineering expertise.
Digital sovereignty and control over critical infrastructure.
Retention of intellectual property within Africa.
Long-term economic resilience.
When the platforms that power our daily lives are owned entirely outside the continent, much of the value created by African users ultimately benefits foreign economies.
Building an African Technology Ecosystem
The solution is not isolation.
The solution is participation.
Alkebulan should embrace global technology while simultaneously investing in its own.
This requires collaboration between:
Governments.
Universities.
Private investors.
Technology companies.
Educational institutions.
Consumers.
Every sector has a role to play.
Governments can develop procurement policies that encourage local innovation.
Financial institutions can expand access to startup financing.
Universities can strengthen research and commercialization.
Businesses can adopt qualified indigenous solutions where practical.
Consumers can intentionally support African products that meet their needs.
Every Download Matters
Supporting African technology is not charity.
It is economic development.
Every download of an African-built application, every subscription to an indigenous platform, every purchase from a local technology company contributes to building skills, creating jobs, retaining capital, and encouraging further innovation.
The next generation of African engineers, software developers, data scientists, and entrepreneurs will emerge only if today's innovators are given room to succeed.
A Call to Alkebulanians
Decolonizing technology does not mean rejecting the world.
It means rejecting the belief that Africa can only consume innovation and never lead it.
Our continent possesses exceptional talent, creativity, and resilience.
What we often lack is confidence in our own ability and a collective commitment to support what we create.
The future of Alkebulan will not be secured merely by importing technology.
It will be secured when we become builders, investors, researchers, manufacturers, and owners of the technologies that shape our societies.
The question before us is simple:
Will Africa continue to finance the digital future of others, or will we begin investing in our own?
The answer depends on all of us.
Mwalimu IDOWU EGYAWAN
Founder, Alkebulan Rising Cultural Awareness and Development Network - ARCADN. aka Alkebulan Rising Movement (ARM)
