Back home, the opportunity for dancers to learn from other traditions has also recently been advanced by ABT, which this month announced an international exchange for top-tier dancers.

WSJ: Protecting Ballet's Global Reach

But Africa's resourcefulness goes far beyond the mobile phone, and according to Nigerian-American journalist Dayo Olopade, author of forthcoming book "The Bright Continent, " advanced economies can learn a thing or two from Africa's innovative spirit.

CNN: Africa can teach the world to innovate, says author

Our management team is excited to work with SoftBank to learn from their successful deployment of LTE in Japan as we build out our advanced LTE network, improve the customer experience and continue the turnaround of our operations.

ENGADGET: Softbank confirms 70 percent Sprint acquisition for $20.1 billion