Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 101 | Page 36

FEATURE: INTELLIGENT DISCUSSIONS
However, there is a poor relationship between the government and all other entities in the region. be providing incentive programmes for enterprises who can then execute the processes using their expertise.
All were in agreement that trust, commitment and communication are key foundations for Digital Transformation across the continent and these are all lacking from governments in Africa.“ The relationship needs to be built on trust – there is no trust,” said Moodley. There was a clear consensus that government funding needs to be better. It needs to be placed where it can actually be seen, to reliable vendors in a trustworthy manner.
These decisions and subsequent actions ought to be placed higher on the priority list of governments.“ They need to treat digital infrastructure the same as physical infrastructure,” said Moodley. In rural areas, it may be the bare minimum, but they have basic physical infrastructure such as roads and cars. However, we are now in an age where owning a mobile phone is just as vital as owning a car and basic digital technology has become a critical enabler.
Joint investments for advancing the digital infrastructure of Africa are necessary, but the current role of governments is misplaced.“ Governments need to take a step back,” said Reynders. Authorities should
Cybersecurity challenges across Africa
While Africa is still in its embryonic era of advanced technology, businesses must not be naive to the ever-
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