China's recent showdown with Google ought to awaken Africa to the fact that it is possible for a “Googled World” to be plunged in an  information blackout. What will be the consequence to Africa which  unlike China does not have an alternative (baidu.com)?

Google redirected its search facility from mainland China to Hong Kong  on grounds of censorship. The positive side of the argument is that  censorship does not pay; but the negative side of it is to have no alternative at all and allow cyber control dominance of a few over the majority in a world where real politic dictates arm-twisting at one  point or the other.

Whereas the free flow of information is paramount in making rational decisions and should be defended, the showdown ought to make Africa  reflect on what she would do if the external benefactors she largely  depends on to run her government budgets, manage information and  mitigate disasters (among others) were to pull out. It is imperative that the continent invests in domesticating imported technologies and  create an environment that will enable local entrepreneurs to craft  homegrown solutions to challenges facing the continent. China is  leading the way in domestication (a good thing) and censorship (a bad  thing in the long run), Africa should in invest in the former.