Ubuntu: How African values shape innovation

BY ANTHONY ONWUKWE

Innovation has become a global citizen, waxing stronger even in the African society and continent. We can agree that the world today has become an innovative village, hosting different innovations and technologies emanating from different demographies and settings. Whether at a larger or smaller scale, there is no location, state or country devoid of innovation and its application, whether it is new or an enhancement of a preexisting innovation.

Innovation according to McKinsey & Company, is the systematic practice of developing and marketing breakthrough products and services for adoption by customers and the Harvard Business School Online defines innovation as a product, service, business model or strategy, that is both novel and useful. However, HBS Online mentions that innovations don’t have to be major breakthroughs in technology or a unique and novel business model, they can also be as simple as optimizations to a company’s feature, strategy or even customer service associated to an existing product or service.

Ubuntu, a term from the Nguni Bantu cultural group of South Africa, which means “I am because we are”, is a popular operating philosophy within African groups, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals and the relevance of collective well-being and benefiting the community. And this philosophy has also influenced innovation and innovative activities within Africa.

The sharing of resources and knowledge is a central tenet of Ubuntu. The majority of African societies, particularly those in rural areas, believe that teamwork is the ideal approach to problem-solving. Everyone contributes their ideas and abilities to make something greater than what one person could do on their own. By enabling people to build on one another’s strengths, learn from one another, and develop original solutions to shared problems, this free flow of ideas promotes creativity. Ubuntu ensures that everyone in the community benefits from new concepts and technology,  by fostering innovation and making it more meaningful and sustainable.

Ubuntu’s principles of solidarity, collaboration, and consideration for others are crucial in its application in Africa. Ubuntu encourages people to collaborate to find solutions that benefit everyone, in contrast to many other locations where innovation is frequently driven by individual accomplishments. This emphasis on community and mutual advancement fosters an environment, in which innovation is not only about coming up with new ideas but also about ensuring that those ideas benefit society as a whole. By adopting this perspective, Ubuntu contributes to the development of technologies that are inclusive, useful, and grounded in the needs of the populace, guaranteeing that technology breakthroughs enhance the quality of life in African communities. 

In this short piece, we examine the philosophy of “Ubuntu” and its core principles, impact of the philosophy on African innovation, Ubuntu based venture building and how its core tenets can position Africa better in the ladders of global innovation.

Understanding Ubuntu: Definition and core principles of Ubuntu

Ubuntu is instructive and emphasizes how closely one’s identity, purpose, and achievement are linked to the welfare of others. Ubuntu holds that community uplifting, shared advancement, and collective growth are the true sources of fulfillment rather than individual success or personal gain alone. Ubuntu is a way of life that prioritizes empathy, unity, and shared responsibility. It is not just a notion. It is a guiding ideology that influences how individuals view themselves, their interpersonal connections, and their place in the larger societal structure.

Ubuntu emphasizes that since we are all parts of the same fabric, we have an obligation to look out for one another and understand that our actions affect the welfare of the whole. This idea maintains that personal accomplishment and happiness are increased when they contribute to the greater good, without diminishing the significance of individuality or personal goals. Ubuntu fosters an attitude of selflessness and humility in which each person’s unique skills are valued as contributions to a cohesive community.

Ubuntu has a significant influence on contemporary African society, particularly as they deal with the pressures of fast innovation, technology, and globalization. Ubuntu acts as a moral compass in these situations, encouraging people to base their advancement on common ideals and advantages. It promotes cooperative economic models and community-driven innovation, where success is determined by one’s capacity to improve society and uplift others. In the realm of startups and business, Ubuntu has motivated numerous African entrepreneurs to seek solutions that not only address real-world issues but also improve social cohesion and communal well-being.

Core Principles of Ubuntu

Ubuntu’s philosophy is based on a number of fundamental ideas that make it a unique and effective framework for encouraging creativity and a sense of community. The following are the fundamental ideas:

Interdependence

Ubuntu is based on the idea that people are inherently interconnected and that their activities have an impact on their families, communities, and society as a whole. This connection notion fosters empathy and a sense of solidarity. It serves as a reminder that innovation should be sought in a way that benefits everyone, not at the expense of others. Innovation influenced by Ubuntu is inclusive, acknowledging that we are all a part of a greater whole.

Collective wellbeing

Ubuntu places a higher priority on the welfare of the entire community than on individual benefit. It teaches that if one’s own achievement does not lead to the prosperity of others, it is meaningless. This idea ensures that innovations are accessible, sustainable, and beneficial to society at large by encouraging solutions that seek to improve entire communities. Instead of focusing on discrete, profit-driven objectives, ubuntu-driven programs frequently address critical community needs like healthcare, education, or economic empowerment.

Compassion and empathy

Ubuntu promotes being kind, understanding, and compassionate to others. It places a strong emphasis on helping those in need and acknowledges that everyone has worth and ability. This idea serves as the foundation for a compassionate approach to problem-solving, where innovation aims to improve people’s quality of life rather than just increase efficiency or profit. Innovation that demonstrates empathy produces solutions that truly connect with consumers, tackling their problems in ways that seem sincere and encouraging.

Mutual respect and dignity

Ubuntu encourages fostering an atmosphere of trust and cooperation by upholding the dignity and worth of others. It maintains that regardless of a person’s position, experience, or level of skill, their voice and input are important. This idea promotes varied, cooperative endeavours in the context of innovation, where teams cooperate to develop more all-encompassing solutions and where a range of viewpoints are accepted. Respect for one another encourages communication, which makes it possible to develop solutions that are strong, inclusive, and better prepared to handle the complexity of the modern world.

Sustainability and long-term vision

Ubuntu appreciates sustainability and considers how decisions made today will affect generations to come. It promotes actions that guarantee long-term advantages for communities rather than concentrating on short-term gains. This innovation principle translates into sustainable approaches that take into account both present and future needs while giving priority to the endurance and durability of solutions. It pushes new businesses to develop long-lasting products rather than those that cater solely to short-term trends.

Ubuntu & innovation: The nexus

Ubuntu is a way of life that places a high value on communal cohesion and shared achievement, and in Africa, it is much more than just a notion. Across the continent, cooperative innovation initiatives are increasingly reflecting this idea. For example, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab has increased its footprint in Africa by concentrating on climate resilience initiatives in collaboration with African institutions such as the African Climate Foundation and the African Development Bank. They are working together to address the problems of food security and water shortage. For instance, Microsoft is utilizing AI to examine crop and water usage trends in Northern Kenya in partnership with CETRAD, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Nairobi. By promoting community interest rather than just individual interests, this alliance exemplifies how partnerships may propel sustainable agriculture.

A siimilar example is KOKO Networks, a Kenyan clean-energy startup that offers low-cost bioethanol fuel to urban households, eliminating reliance on charcoal and kerosene. KOKO Networks, with support from Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, has made clean cooking solutions available to communities with little resources, highlighting Ubuntu’s idea of upliftment through shared benefits. This effort demonstrates how collectivism advances both environmental goals and healthier, more sustainable communities in Africa.

Humanity & empathy

A deep understanding of the social and economic concerns of local communities frequently inspires innovation in Africa. An illustration of this strategy is the Okavango Wilderness Project. The project, which has the backing of numerous African and foreign partners, attempts to preserve the Okavango Delta’s biodiversity, which is a vital resource for animals and indigenous livelihoods. This project demonstrates how technology and empathy may work together to address social and environmental issues by balancing the needs of conservation with the survival of local people that depend on these resources through the use of drone technology and data analytics.

Startups like Zipline are transforming the healthcare industry by utilizing drones to deliver medical supplies. Zipline delivers vital medical supplies to inaccessible places in Ghana and Rwanda using fast-moving drones. The realization that having access to healthcare can be the difference between life and death, especially in places with inadequate infrastructure, led to this breakthrough. Zipline’s initiatives, which put the health and welfare of marginalized groups first, are a prime example of Ubuntu’s human-centered philosophy and highlight the significance of innovation that truly meets societal needs.

Resilience and adaptability

Resilience, a key component of Ubuntu, has long been demonstrated by African entrepreneurs as their ability to adapt and flourish in the face of adversity. Konexa, a renewable energy company in Nigeria, displays this perfectly. Konexa is working with Microsoft and Climate Fund Managers to replace polluting sources with sustainable energy by assisting in the delivery of hydroelectric power from Nigeria’s Gurara Hydro Plant to breweries in Kaduna state, Nigeria. Konexa’s project demonstrates incredible flexibility by converting locally available resources into sustainable energy sources. This project stands out as an example of how African-led solutions may innovatively address chronic infrastructure concerns in a nation where dependable electricity access is still a challenge.

Furthermore, particularly in industries like fintech, Africa’s tech entrepreneurs have transformed challenges into possibilities. For instance, renowned unicorn, Flutterwave developed a smooth digital platform for online transactions throughout Africa in order to address the issue of disjointed payment systems. This flexibility has promoted corporate expansion across the continent and increased access to financial services for marginalized communities. Startups like Flutterwave demonstrate Ubuntu’s resilience in action by coming up with innovative solutions to logistical and technological challenges, promoting economic inclusivity and shared wealth.

Ubuntu in practice

Across Africa, tech startups have emerged that embody Ubuntu’s spirit by placing communal needs, cooperation, and shared success at their core. An outstanding example is mPharma, a Ghana-based health tech startup co-founded by Gregory Rockson. By linking pharmacies and patients throughout Africa to a centralized pharmaceutical distribution network, mPharma offers reasonably priced pharmaceuticals. By employing a collaborative strategy to maintain affordable drug prices, enhance availability, and expand healthcare access for the continent’s marginalized communities, the platform has helped thousands of people. By emphasizing the needs of the community and not just profit, this approach exemplifies Ubuntu and demonstrates how tech solutions may have a good social impact when motivated by empathy.

Another notable example is Farmcrowdy, an agritech platform that connects farmers with investors, providing them with funding, resources, and market access. Farmcrowdy promotes Ubuntu’s shared prosperity ideology by assisting small-scale farmers in increasing their revenue and productivity. In addition to helping individual farmers, investors also support entire communities, promoting economic growth and food security. By encouraging community development and sustaining the livelihoods of innumerable Nigerians in rural areas, Farmcrowdy’s strategy demonstrates how profit-driven tech solutions can also showcase Ubuntu.

Community-driven initiatives

There are numerous impressive initiatives in the African continent that adopt the Ubuntu philosophy, a notable initiative is the Ecovillage Movement in Senegal, a grassroots initiative aiming to transition local communities to sustainable development by building ecovillages. The Senegalese government and grassroots organizations initiated the program, which involves over 350 villages working together to create renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and ecotourism. This collaborative endeavour demonstrates Ubuntu by empowering rural communities to achieve environmental sustainability while protecting cultural assets and traditional knowledge. This integrated strategy demonstrates how grassroots projects led by Ubuntu may address social and environmental concerns on a massive scale.

In Kenya, Shamba Prides connects rural farmers with suppliers, markets, and training resources via a digital platform. Founded on principles of community growth and support, Shamba Pride provides smallholder farmers access to better resources and market opportunities, increasing productivity and income. By supporting local agriculture and addressing community needs, Shamba Pride aligns with Ubuntu values, proving that community-focused innovations can create lasting economic benefits for rural populations​.

Government policies and programmes

In order to promote innovation that benefits society as a whole, African governments are now implementing laws modeled after Ubuntu. For instance, by encouraging inclusive growth across sectors, South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030 seeks to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. The policy’s emphasis on environmental sustainability, healthcare access, and skill development is consistent with Ubuntu’s emphasis on social responsibility and group advancement. Governments support the Ubuntu-driven philosophy that the well-being of the individual is linked to the well-being of the greater community by promoting policies that place a high priority on shared prosperity.

The Nigerian Startup Act (NSA), enacted in 2022, is a transformative legislative framework designed to support and accelerate innovation, particularly within Nigeria’s rapidly growing tech ecosystem. The NSA embodies Ubuntu’s principles of shared responsibility and group achievement by emphasizing community-oriented growth and establishing inclusive possibilities. By removing obstacles and creating supportive frameworks, the Act fosters an environment that supports the growth of entrepreneurs and demonstrates a dedication to collective progress.

One of the NSA’s core principles is to create a conducive ecosystem for Nigerian startups through funding, capacity-building, and regulatory support. By doing so, the Act fosters opportunities for young innovators and entrepreneurs who may lack access to local resources, aligning with Ubuntu’s emphasis on uplifting the community. The Act establishes a National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ensuring that governmental decisions are inclusive, community-driven, and supportive of grassroots innovation, which aligns with Ubuntu’s collectivist approach.

Integrating Ubuntu values into the international innovation landscape

Integrating Ubuntu values within the global innovation sphere presents both opportunities and challenges. When African tech entrepreneurs enter foreign markets, they frequently come into cultures that are highly centered on individual profit and competition, which might be at variance with Ubuntu’s principles of empathy and communal well-being. This discrepancy underscores a problem for African companies hoping to retain Ubuntu’s values in a world growing more globalized by the day.

However, certain African rooted innovations and products are successfully closing this gap. In Kenya, for instance, Safaricom’s M-Pesa has revolutionized financial inclusion by enabling millions of people who previously lacked access to traditional banking institutions to use mobile money. The success of M-Pesa has impacted financial models globally, igniting comparable frameworks in other developing nations and even in more developed economies. This illustrates how empathy and shared growth can support sustainable development that goes beyond business, proving that Ubuntu-driven, community-centered innovation can have an international impact.

As African companies continue to grow in fields like fintech, health tech, and agritech, etc., they have a unique opportunity to apply Ubuntu’s values—empathy, shared progress, and collective responsibility in an international landscape. By doing this, African entrepreneurs may set a strong example for future global innovation that is both advanced and ethically grounded.

Venture building in fostering Ubuntu-based startups

Venture building, which involves supporting early-stage startups with resources, mentorship, and funding, is essential to creating an innovation ecosystem that is in line with Ubuntu. However, because of its restricted access to infrastructure and capital, Africa confronts particular difficulties in this regard. The inability of many African business owners to obtain the capital and operational assistance required to create long-lasting enterprises inhibit the success of innovation, especially in the aspect of scalability.

Yet, there are significant opportunities within African venture building to integrate Ubuntu principles. Initiatives like CcHub (Co-Creation Hub), Future Africa, 54Collective and other Afrocentric venture studios, have successfully demonstrated how venture-building programs can support entrepreneurs with resources, mentoring, and connections following a community-oriented approach. These organizations provide an environment where startups work together to achieve a common objective rather than merely competing for few resources by emphasizing cooperation, knowledge sharing, and mutual development. This concept benefits the larger community in addition to sustaining business growth. African entrepreneurs can create goods and services that put social impact and profitability first,  by utilizing Ubuntu-guided venture building.

Conclusion

African innovation, which is firmly based on the ideas of Ubuntu, exemplifies a special fusion of technology progression and community-focused progress. It is clear that Africa’s route to innovation is characterized by the improvement of communities rather than just individual accomplishments, as we observe the transformational power of collaboration, compassion, and shared responsibility. African innovators are redefining success by emphasizing sustainability, interdependence, and communal well-being. In addition to developing solutions that meet pressing issues, they are also cultivating long-term solutions that strengthen the social cohesion of their local communities. A supportive framework for fostering innovation is also provided by government policies that are consistent with Ubuntu principles, guaranteeing that advancement is inclusive and advantageous to all.

African innovation has a promising future and the continuous and application of these principles would not only help the continent advance, but it will also serve as a catalyst for a genuine and intrinsic approach to innovation that can be applied globally, demonstrating that strength comes from unity and that strength has the capacity to place Africa in a new frontier of global innovation.

Viva Ubuntu!

Anthony Onwukwe, a product manager, can be contacted via [email protected]