African entrepreneurs explain what Africa needs to build billion dollar companies

Africa is a hub of entrepreneurs and startups, but few companies from the continent have reached the elusive “unicorn” status—a valuation of at least $1 billion.

Entrepreneurs and winners of this year’s Quartz Africa Innovators list gathered at the World Economic Forum in Durban, South Africa today to discuss the conditions needed for that growth, including better access to information and funding, governments that see startups as part of the economy and not outside of it, and more highly skilled workers.

“Innovation, at its most basic form, is a conviction that something should be better,” said Rapelang Rabana, CEO of Rekindle Learning, a mobile learning platform.

Read the full list of 2017 Quartz Africa Innovators, and why they were chosen, here.