is there a relationship between genes and excellence(or lack of) in a particular skill?
are the japanese generally better skilled in inventing electronics?
are the kalenjin generally superior runners? (turned out samuel wanjiru's father was kale after all).

Here's my two cents(what i think)..
1. The common IQ testing methods are biased, and don't consider all possible human skill into account

2. the environment has a role to play in determining and developing skill

3. skill can be inherited (through genes), bettered and perfected through generations (see above, it's not a coincidence kalenjins produce most long distance runners)


Now back to the question whether we Africans are inferior intellectually,
@skjay noted that necessity is the mother of invention.
We Africans have historically lived in a land where life has been 'comfortable' . our ancestors didn't have much to worry about.
And so they all to think about was mostly about food for the next few days or weeks,
they were also worried about disease
(our ancestors actually invented/discovered quite a number of drugs from some strange roots or tree barks, who'd have ever thought)
*listening out for some claps for our ancestors*

in Europe, Japan etc, the weather was bad, you had to do something before winter to enable you to survive, and this got the people to think and hence they invented

so somehow, the europeans ended up having a one of the best skills earlier than the rest of us, technology.

Way forward...?
1. ... we'll catch up with time, some things will get sorted with time. we will grow, our democracy governments will mature..
Europe and US, didn't just emerge, they've also done things which looking at them now,
can be considered to have been down by people with low IQ,
the Jews holocaust, racial segregation in america, american civil war etc

2. Accept the fact that we've lost quite a number years in getting a skill called technology. a skill that matters most today.
i like what @kanyambu noted, copy paste successes of others, catch up and move ahead, the chinese are doing it quite well,