I'm concerned about what I see is the fetishization around entrepreneurship in Africa. It's almost like it's the next new liberal thing. Like, 'Don't worry that there's no power because, hey, you're going to do solar and innovate around that.' Ory Okolloh More Quotes by Ory Okolloh More Quotes From Ory Okolloh I believe in the power of ideas. I believe in the power of sharing knowledge. Ory Okolloh powerbelieveideasknowledge The city of Johannesburg built an app because they are getting so many complaints on Facebook and Twitter about potholes. The app allows you to report a pot hole and take a picture of it. Then, you can actually track the progress in terms of the repair, when it happened. Ory Okolloh picturecityyouprogress Anyone who has been successful and has knowledge to share is a potential mentor. Ory Okolloh potentialmentorsuccessfulknowledge Life is too short to play-act if you don't have to. Ory Okolloh shortyoulife-is-too-shortlife Technology is the perfect refuge for African capability stifled elsewhere by badly run governments and years of misplaced foreign aid. Ubiquitous connectivity in a world without legacy infrastructure, together with the potential to learn coding or anything else online, has allowed technology entrepreneurship to flourish. Ory Okolloh legacytechnologytogetherworld An absence of credible information prevents citizens from participating in public decision-making, particularly on key issues of concern such as education, health, and governance. Ory Okolloh keyinformationhealtheducation Press and Internet freedom correlate against economic and social success, GDP, innovation, number of patents filed, and educational attainment. The more freedom there is, the more information, the more choice, and ultimately, more power for each individual. Ory Okolloh innovationfreedompowersuccess I didn't grow up in the slums or anything that dire, but I know what it is to grow up without having money or being able to support family. Ory Okolloh growsupportfamilymoney I probably can win a prize for the most ways to use a Harvard Law School degree because of all the things I'm doing. Ory Okolloh doingwinlawschool That's one thing you Americans take for granted, you know? That you can grow up, you know, not so good circumstances, and you can move. Just because you are born in rural Arkansas, whatever, that doesn't define who you are. Ory Okolloh growgoodyouborn Blogging requires consistency, and you need to have some time on your hands, which I don't really have. Ory Okolloh youconsistencytimehands I always ask the question: As more Africans are going online, are they finding content that is meaningful and relevant to them, or are they just consuming from everywhere else. As Africans, we have the capacity to generate our own content. Ory Okolloh findingquestionownalways At any one particular time, there is something in my life that is suffering as a result of my many responsibilities; most of the time, it's me. Ory Okolloh my-lifemetimelife If I were to have an epitaph, I'd want it to read, 'She did stuff.' Ory Okolloh readdidshewant We can't entrepreneur our way around bad leadership. We can't entrepreneur our way around bad policies. Those of us who have managed to entrepreneur ourselves out of it are living in a very false security in Africa. Ory Okolloh badentrepreneurleadershipway I always tell people that I am most proud of the fact that the Ushahidi story has provided an inspiration to other techies in Kenya and Africa as an example of the kind of talent the continent holds. Ory Okolloh i-amtalentproudpeople I wish I had not believed that my work would speak for itself; the working world requires a bit more than that. Ory Okolloh speakwishworkworld I resigned from my position as Ushahidi Executive Director and member of the Board in 2010. However, my role as a co-founder and my journey as a woman in the technology space means that I remain inextricably linked to Ushahidi, for better or worse. Ory Okolloh womantechnologyspacejourney The idea that either individuals or organisations are 'too big to fail' or that the tech and start-up sector is somehow different is wrong. Ory Okolloh failwrongbigdifferent In Kenya particularly, we have a lot to say - we're sort of obsessed with politics. We have three nightly news broadcasts, predominantly bad politics. Ory Okolloh saybadnewspolitics
