I agree with your 5th prediction about social media and what the future of social connections will look like. The existence of Substack itself is a mild proof of that theory: the exhaustion with what social media has become, and a desire for something more… human and real.
I also think this could translate to the kind of art and content people want to consume. We see it already with the reaction people have when they discover something they’re consuming is AI generated. Crazy, but I think the closer AI content gets to looking indistinguishable, the more people will seek ways to know the difference, and gravitate towards what’s “real”.
Thank you for sharing these... I'd actually look into building an unsexy company and see how it turns out.
Plus I predict something like the dotcom bubble on a larger scale making VC's cash to rainnnn. Let's see how it goes. I hope to bask in the rain anyways. 😅
1. The three "maybes" for why predictions for the future are few and far between (not completely non-existent, btw) are probably all true.
2. But I think (and agree) that you're not writing about the act of predicting itself. But the act of giving ourselves permission to imagine and be inspired enough by our imagination that we "will it into existence."
Valid points especially in relation to predicting realities without actually seeing them (walking by faith, not by sight). I would also note that there will likely be an increased demand for developing soft skills vs. only focusing on hard skills, especially among youth and young adults. There has to be a bridge in order for young African people to further their interpersonal skills + educational/professional development. Great read!
P.S. my old PE client foresaw SAAS companies taking off over 15 years ago and he’s a billionaire today.
Great read. Good focus on Futures planning and collective consciousness. This is a concept I got exposed to at the University of Edinburgh Futures Institute in the UK. The idea that there are significant resources invested in establishing an institution purely focused on the Future grounded in todays reality. I resonate with the predictions on business model, talent, innovation intermediaries and community as an asset you've predicted through my lived experience.. Hoping you could expound more on the agentic informal sector point. It didn't come out as clearly as the other points. Is the broader conversation there about the evolution of ecosystem focused businesses underpinned by how we utilise data to drive value in real time? Or is it the emerging relationship between the formal and informal sector based on the acquisition case studies you've highlighted?
I agree with your 5th prediction about social media and what the future of social connections will look like. The existence of Substack itself is a mild proof of that theory: the exhaustion with what social media has become, and a desire for something more… human and real.
I also think this could translate to the kind of art and content people want to consume. We see it already with the reaction people have when they discover something they’re consuming is AI generated. Crazy, but I think the closer AI content gets to looking indistinguishable, the more people will seek ways to know the difference, and gravitate towards what’s “real”.
Thank you for sharing these... I'd actually look into building an unsexy company and see how it turns out.
Plus I predict something like the dotcom bubble on a larger scale making VC's cash to rainnnn. Let's see how it goes. I hope to bask in the rain anyways. 😅
I love this, I strongly believe your prophecy on the need for more in person meetups, the wave of startups might be does that avoid tech in general.
Not predictions exactly: https://open.substack.com/pub/longtail/p/narrative-lock-in
I saw this earlier on X! thank you for sharing.
Speaking of predictions on the business of tech and tech capital in Africa. Here are a few to add to our admittedly scanty library:
Breega (they built an entire website to house this, haha) https://predictions.breega.com/africa-logistics-transport
Deji Olowe https://dejiolowe.com/2026/01/01/10-predictions-for-digital-payments-in-2026/
Yours truly - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTsF0jL7j3nlIf4SIKp5pElBjQqH2vKQjOUBx9OK5NwY0sXrHUJQohWPmGhVIGv2zvzdsANBxOaMTb5/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=6000&slide=id.g3b427fda9ee_0_63
. i found breega’s interesting
wrote this to urge mow people to do it routinely. thank you for sharing ❤️
1. The three "maybes" for why predictions for the future are few and far between (not completely non-existent, btw) are probably all true.
2. But I think (and agree) that you're not writing about the act of predicting itself. But the act of giving ourselves permission to imagine and be inspired enough by our imagination that we "will it into existence."
That is a hard thing.
Valid points especially in relation to predicting realities without actually seeing them (walking by faith, not by sight). I would also note that there will likely be an increased demand for developing soft skills vs. only focusing on hard skills, especially among youth and young adults. There has to be a bridge in order for young African people to further their interpersonal skills + educational/professional development. Great read!
P.S. my old PE client foresaw SAAS companies taking off over 15 years ago and he’s a billionaire today.
Great read. Good focus on Futures planning and collective consciousness. This is a concept I got exposed to at the University of Edinburgh Futures Institute in the UK. The idea that there are significant resources invested in establishing an institution purely focused on the Future grounded in todays reality. I resonate with the predictions on business model, talent, innovation intermediaries and community as an asset you've predicted through my lived experience.. Hoping you could expound more on the agentic informal sector point. It didn't come out as clearly as the other points. Is the broader conversation there about the evolution of ecosystem focused businesses underpinned by how we utilise data to drive value in real time? Or is it the emerging relationship between the formal and informal sector based on the acquisition case studies you've highlighted?