Talking
fast and dreaming big, William Elong shows off the first "made in
Cameroon" drone at his sixth-floor workshop in downtown Douala, minutes
from the economic capital's Atlantic seafront.
The 25-year-old, known as a high-flyer
after being named one of Forbes' most promising young Africans under 30,
is enthusing about his new unmanned aerial drones and keen to promote
his company and Africa as a place where IT and new tech can flourish.
We
must "get out of the Afro-centric vision of business" to "understand
that when one has a global vision, worldwide, this includes Africa,"
Elong says in a discussion of future technologies.
Elong
has no degree in IT or robotics but studied strategy and competitive
intelligence in France, becoming the youngest-ever graduate from Paris'
Economic Warfare School.
He
founded his startup Will & Brothers in 2015 with a main project
called Drone Africa, which aims to provide drones for civil purposes to
businesses, the state in Cameroon and elsewhere.
With a
top range of up to 20 kilometres (12 miles), the drones can be used for
purposes as different as cartography, media coverage, support for
agriculture and detecting gas in mines to reduce the risk of accidents.
"The
know-how is here, in Cameroon," says Elong, who is aware young African
talent often seeks employment in Europe and elsewhere. He says at this
stage his firm's capital of $200,000 (162,400 euros) has come from
Western backers.
Also
supported by the government of President Paul Biya, Elong hopes
eventually to raise $2 million to expand the business but he regrets
that "not many Africans are involved" in the project, which features two
airborne types of drone and one terrestrial model.
The
commercial market in Africa is expanding with unmanned aircraft already
whizzing across the skies delivering items like medicine and food, and
even helping farmers sow seeds.
- 'Flying wing' -
In
Rwanda, drones get medical supplies such as blood and vaccines to remote
areas. Tanzania is launching a similar programme. And drones equipped
with night-vision cameras help to detect and track poachers in Kenya,
Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Elong
presents the two airborne prototype models on a table inside his
assembly shop. The first "flying wing that we've baptised Algo" has the
furthest range and could prove an economical solution to the costly task
of making maps, he suggests.
The
second type, known as Logarythm, has four arms forming a propeller, can
reach an altitude of up to 500 metres (1,640 feet) and is fitted with
high-definition cameras, which would be useful in high-risk zones and
for precision work, Elong adds.
Crucially,
he argues, manufacturing costs are lower than those of foreign
manufacturers, so the drones produced will be priced competitively
across the African marketplace.
He
envisages "selling drones to Vietnam, to Venezuela, to Denmark for
example, and becoming one of the biggest global enterprises in this
sector."
Elsewhere,
two young engineers in white lab coats are carefully building a
prototype. "When all the components are available, we are able to
assemble a drone like this in 24 hours," says engineer Louis Ekani.
Some of the parts are made in Cameroon, while others are supplied from abroad.
- 'The pride of Cameroon' -
"The
start was extremely complicated," says young technical director Yves
Tamu, who is described on the company website as an entrepreneur,
digital champion and inventor. "But we have a dynamic, autonomous and
state-of-the-art team thanks to which we found the solution (to
assembling drones)."
The
average age of employees is barely 22 and the team comprises mainly
engineers and developers who have spent two years building airworthy
drones.
"Will
& Brothers is the pride of Cameroon," gushed Minister of Posts and
Telecommunications Libom Li Likeng at a government ceremony to present
the drones in early February.
Their design demonstrates "the innovative capacity of Cameroonian youth", she added.
Elong's
firm is represented in Ivory Coast and plans to open offices in France
and the United States, but he stresses the development of artificial
intelligence is his primary goal.
Will
& Brothers has worked on an AI known as Cyclops, which enables
drones to detect people, objects and vehicles and to identify different
types of animal at specific sites.
"Artificial
intelligence is the future of humanity," Elong says, confident that
Africa can at least try to compete with the big tech giants in
California. "It knocks me out that so many people here take no interest
in technology.”
AFP
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