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Africa’s Silicon Landscapes: negotiating Information and Communication Technology in Lagos

Project description

ICTs and society in sub- Saharan Africa

The tech sector in Nigeria holds the distinction of being the largest in Africa. Extensive studies conducted in Silicon Valley have demonstrated the significant influence of technologically saturated areas on social relationships and individual experiences. In this context, the MSCA-funded LAGOSTECH project aims to investigate the interactions and negotiations between society and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in sub-Saharan African ‘silicon places’. It will focus on two innovation clusters located in Lagos, specifically examining the negotiation of technology contracts, which serve as a reflection of how society accepts, modifies, or rejects ICTs. LAGOSTECH will delve into the practices of entrepreneurs, experts, users, and consumers to facilitate a broader reconsideration of the role of ICTs in Africa.

Objective

To improve our understanding of the interactions and negotiations between society and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in sub-Saharan African ‘silicon places’, LAGOSTECH will investigate the experiences of technology in and the digital creativity emanating from two technological nodes (Yaba and Talent City) in Lagos. Nigeria is home to the largest number of tech hubs in Africa, but paradoxically is also where silicon places have received the least scholarly attention. Studies of Silicon Valley reveal how ‘technologically saturated’ places strongly influence social relationships and individual experiences while producing a variety of perceptions of technology. Yet, despite the EU’s strong interest in digitalisation processes in Africa, previous studies on African technological nodes focused on entrepreneurs’ investment strategies within tech hubs, paying scarce attention to high-tech communities’ socio-cultural characteristics and to the broader reasons behind their development. LAGOSTECH aims to fill this gap by analysing Lagos innovation clusters in everyday life, with a focus on the negotiation of ‘technology contracts’; that is, the social dynamics through which ICTs are accepted, amended or rejected, ultimately leading to the emergence or the disappearance of these communities. Through ethnographic fieldwork, LAGOSTECH will look at the stories, discourses, and practices of tech entrepreneurs, experts, users and consumers, revealing how they imagine their digital futures and the interweaving between people and ICTs. In addition to advancing knowledge in disciplines such as Anthropology, Sociology, African Studies, STS, and Silicon Valley studies, the project’s findings will facilitate a broader reconsideration of ICTs in Africa, leading to improved collaboration between European and sub-Saharan African stakeholders.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01

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Coordinator

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 266 684,16
Address
OUDE MARKT 13
3000 LEUVEN
Belgium

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Region
Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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