The South Africans and Kenyans have already built a strong technology scene, so really it's not far fetched. The market is already there and still pretty much open for most products. The talent is available to kick start the industry, a lot of computer science graduates lying around doing nothing. All that is left is for the government,the corporate world and other stakeholders to take advantage of this opportunity. I would also like to point out that telecommunications companies like Econet and MTN have also contributed a lot to their countries' GDP. While the drawbacks you mentioned are significant; they can be solved if everyone involved can share the same vision.