by Amma Bonsu

“If Africa misses the current global IT boat, there may never again be an opportunity for rapid wealth creation on the continent.”  This call to action by Herman Chinery-Hesse, one of Africa’s leading techies, captures the desire of Africans around the world to leave their digital mark.  Indeed, recent technological advancements have positioned Africa as an emerging market whose presence can no longer be ignored by the world.  The Atlanta Post looks at the work of Chinery-Hesse along with 6 others who have developed tools to impact their communities at home and abroad.

Herman Chinery-Hesse

They call him Africa’s Bill Gates. His real name is Herman Chinery-Hesse and he is the founder of theSOFTtribe (SOFT), a leading software development firm. Although based in Ghana, SOFT provides advisory services and technology solutions to businesses across the continent.  Chinery-Hesse, a graudate of Texas State University, is passionate about information technology.  In a poignant moment he explained, “Technology is the only way for Africa to get rich. We don’t have proper infrastructure and we can’t compete in manufacturing.  But if you put me behind a PC and tell me to write software for a Chinese customer, then I can compete brain for brain with anyone trying to do the same thing in the U.S.” www.softtribel.com