Africa can benefit from tapping into Israel’s ‘start-up nation’ model

“In Israel in order to be a realist you need to believe in miracles” — David Ben-Gurion.

What do a swallowable medical camera, the “PillCam”, Disk-on-Key, drip irrigation, firewall software and cherry tomatoes have in common? The answer is simple, they all were developed in Israel.

The State of Israel is undeniably a huge success story. Despite the odds stacked up against it (being a small country, in a hostile environment, with no natural resources and 60% of the territory being a desert), the Jewish state ranks 28th on the list of developed countries.

Israel enjoys a stable economy with annual growth on average of 3% to 4%, an unemployment rate of 4%, $40,000 GDP per capita and an inflation rate of 1.5%. The fact that a country, the size of the Kruger National Park, and under such adverse conditions has managed to create such an advanced economy is considered a miracle. The interesting question is how Israel has managed to create such a miracle?

Visitors to Israel have their own specific preferences — some enjoy the beaches and the nightlife, others are more into historical places, and there are those that come on a pilgrimage and many who come for the scenery.

What is common to all of them is their experience of the people’s dynamism. The philosophy of the country is based on the idea that every person has potential, talent and can succeed. The aim of the Israeli government is to create a framework in which every citizen, every individual can each realise their potential. This realisation brings enormous benefit to the country and creates a very strong bond between the people and the state.

Israel has become a superpower in agriculture and water management, cyber security and software development to the point where it is globally regarded as a centre of excellence in innovation.

The “start-up nation” hosts more than 300 R&D centres of all the leading international conglomerates. It is also the origin state of 92 “unicorns” (companies valued over $1-billion) and is home to 6,000 start-ups. Israel has around 140 scientists and engineers per 10,000 employees, the highest ratio in the world. On top of all of this, the small but mighty county boasts eight Nobel Prize laureates in the sciences.

How can a young kid grow to become a self-fulfilled individual? The key factor is education. In Israel, primary and secondary education are obligatory and free from the age of five till the age of 18.