The Dark Side of Tech Philanthropy: How Foreign Founders Exploit African Innovation

It’s 2024, and the African tech landscape is evolving rapidly, full of potential and brilliance. Yet, there’s a dark cloud hanging over this progress: the White Knight Syndrome. Foreign tech founders from Western countries sweep in with promises to “save” Africa from itself. They come armed with polished pitches, grandiose visions, and seemingly endless funding from U.S. and European investors. But instead of bringing solutions, they bring exploitation.

These so-called saviors build empires on the backs of Africa’s struggles, offering tech solutions to problems they don’t understand or have fabricated for their own benefit. With each flashy event and empty promise, they perpetuate a system that sidelines African talent, disrespects our people, and diverts wealth back into their own pockets. And we let them.

The Cost of Silence

Every time we look the other way when these foreign founders waltz in with their “savior” complex, we betray our people. We enable them. By allowing them to dominate spaces meant for African innovation, we give them the room to exploit us. We watch as they inflate problems, only to pitch their half-baked solutions to foreign investors who know little about the continent.

The result? A cycle of greed. Foreign founders pocket vast amounts of capital under the guise of helping Africa, but the money rarely stays here. It doesn’t fix the broken systems they claim to address. Instead, it fattens their wallets, pays the obscene salaries of their foreign executives, and maintains a cycle of gross inequality. Meanwhile, African employees—who do most of the work—are underpaid, overworked, and undervalued.

This isn’t just a business issue; this is a moral failure. And every time we remain silent, we become complicit.

The Racism We Pretend Not to See

Too often, we tolerate disrespect from these so-called White Knights. Look at events like ETH Safari, where foreign attendees are given preferential treatment while Africans are treated with contempt. These tech “saviors” come to our events and act as if they are entitled to our spaces, as though their money gives them the right to look down on us. They bring with them arrogance, an air of superiority, and blatant racism.

And it’s not just the events. It happens in the boardrooms, the contracts, and the everyday interactions. Foreign founders mistreat Africans because they know they can get away with it. Their money, their foreign connections, and their privileged access to capital give them unchecked power. And we let them keep it.

Why? Why do we continue to welcome them into our ecosystems? Why do we hand over control of our future to people who don’t respect us?

Stop Giving Them Power

It is time for African voices in tech to rise. We need to stop enabling this behavior. We cannot allow these foreign founders to keep exploiting us while claiming they’re “empowering” us. We are empowering them. With every silent nod, we give them a license to continue their exploitation.

We need to reclaim our tech spaces, our innovations, and our opportunities. Africa is brimming with homegrown talent, people who understand our problems because they live them. Yet, we continue to be sidelined, overshadowed by those who view Africa as nothing more than a stepping stone for profit.

The truth is, these foreign founders aren’t here to solve Africa’s problems. They’re here to enrich themselves. They manipulate the narrative, blaming Africa’s infrastructure, politics, and societal issues when their ventures fail to deliver. And while they pocket the millions they raise abroad, the real work on the ground—done by Africans—is neglected, underfunded, and underappreciated.

The Real Shame of 2024

It’s shameful that in 2024, we are still fighting this battle. Despite all our progress, we’re still allowing outsiders to dictate the direction of our innovation and our development. We are still letting them control our narratives and our resources. We are still letting them exploit us.

This is not just a failure of these foreign founders—it’s a failure of us. We have the power to speak out, to refuse to participate in this exploitation, to demand better. Yet, we often remain silent, allowing this behavior to flourish unchecked.

We need to demand transparency, accountability, and respect. VCs must stop blindly funding these White-backed startups without properly auditing how the money is spent. If these founders claim to be solving African problems, let them prove it. Let them show us how they’re improving lives on the ground, instead of using Africa as a fundraising tool.

Time for African Voices to Speak

It’s time for us to stop pretending that we need foreign saviors. We are our own saviors. Africa doesn’t need White Knights. Africa needs Africans—visionaries who understand the true issues and are committed to creating real, lasting change.

Let’s be clear: we must stop giving foreign founders a free pass to exploit our resources and our people. We need to stand up, speak out, and push back against the systems that allow this exploitation to thrive. Our silence only gives them more power.

We can no longer afford to remain silent. We must take back control of our ecosystems and refuse to be part of a system that profits off of our exploitation. Let this be a call to every African innovator, every African in tech—your voice matters. Use it.

Demand accountability. Demand respect. Demand that our future is built by us, for us.