From HuffingtonPost. Opinion by Lucy James.

For many years people have puzzled over how it might be that the original Silicon Valley (that is to say non-African) has produced the most powerful and innovative tech companies in the world.

Little is ever really said about government blueprints and roadmaps in the U.S. case, and a great deal of credit goes to the support of regional universities such as Stanford, the availability of farm land in San Francisco Bay and a pervading ethos of liberalism and innovation within the startups themselves.

If Africa really is to host the next Silicon Valley(s), it cannot just be in the interest of attracting foreign-owned companies with glass and chrome, but capitalizing on cultures of innovation in young, domestic tech startups.

In a suburb of Lagos called Yaba, the concentration of tech startups has earned yet another version of the ubiquitous moniker “Yabacon Valley”. As well as rising new startups such as Bus Stop, a transit app for negotiating your way around Africa’s informal public transport systems which recently gained a place on MITx Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, it is also home to established and expanding companies with a continent-wide footprint. Last December Africa Internet Group, the consortium behind Hellofood and Easy Taxi, moved the majority of its business to Yaba following a similar move by Konga (one of Africa’s biggest online retailers). This is pretty significant given that the gross domestic product of Lagos state alone is bigger than the entire economies of Kenya or Ghana.

The reason for Yaba’s ascendance as a tech enclave in Nigeria is not only to do with direct government investment in the area.

Compared to the other upmarket areas of Lagos rents in Yaba are still relatively affordable for startups to begin operations. Yaba is also home to a number of important educational institutions, including the University of Lagos and Yaba College of Technology, both of which promote linkages to other institutions and the private sector as well as stressing the importance of technology research.

These universities provide a pool of fresh young talent, eager to make its mark in a region where increasing Internet penetration has already shown how technology can provide a panacea to struggling public services. And as increasing numbers of firms set up shop on the mainland, the expanding network of companies, engineers and designers spurs innovation further.

Read more at HuffingtonPost.