VERONE MANKOU – THE BRAINCHILD BEHIND THE FIRST AFRICAN TABLET
Let’s play a game; we’ll call it Guess the Artist. We give you the lyrics of a particular song, just a part of the song and you try your best to guess the artist. Got it? Sweet! Let’s go!!
Tell me whose flows better, [Me]
Coz you's a slow fella, [Yes]
And I am a go-getter. [yes]
Hmmmm... If you guessed Nigerian artistNaeto C, then you are right. The rapper, who has a Master’s Degree in Energy Studies, is without a doubt a go-getter. And so are so many other inspirational Africans in other industries. Shout out to all the African inventors, these are the go-getters we need. African-made innovation is indeed exciting and should be highly encouraged.
Verone Mankou, is the brain behind the first African tablet to rival the iPad. At just the tender age of 26, Verone designed the entire tablet known as “Way-C” in his hometown, Brazzaville , Congo. “Way-C” means “the light of the stars” in a northern Congolese dialect.
the "Way-C" tablet
Just like any other person in the face of Africa, Verone had a vision when designing the Congolese tablet. His dream was to create the new technology that brings a “balanced quality and accessibility (price) perfectly”. He achieved the dream when the tablet was launched earlier this year, selling at less than half the price of the first Samsung Galaxy tab. Now how cool is that? Major!!
But it wasn’t all easy for the Brazzaville based entrepreneur. He had to struggle, brawl and give great effort to find the funds to materialize his project. Potential investors turned him down, some people didn’t believe he would succeed and some folks laughed at the idea ofVerone inventing the first African tablet. But as South African rapper PRO said: ‘Pressa Pusha Panda’, simply meaning: “Push and hustle until you get there”.
However, Verone turned a deaf ear to all the critics and “haters” and persevered until the Congolese government heard of the great idea and invested 50% of the funds Verone needed. He continued to hustle and a couple of months later, the first 5000 devices of the touchpad were designed in Congo, but manufactured in China were released and made available in Congo.
That’s not the end of Verone’s vision though, this is just the beginning. The young man plans to release a Smartphone, designed and made in Congo. He is trying to build a manufacturing plant in Congo, which will manufacture new technologies instead of sending the designs all the way to China. Now this is a visionary, a creative thinker and a futurist.
This once again shows that Africa is full of talent, great thinkers and great entrepreneurs. People in technology, media, medicine, business and all other industries- No matter the type of background, these people have one thing in common – vision.
Shout out to the visionary Verone Mankou.
I see you out there hommie, you are doing best. 26 years old and doing best!! You are not a slow fella, you are a go-getter! Mi-Fone loves go-getters!
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